Welcome back to the third week in our series based on the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This wonderful letter teaches us how to experience joy during tough times and times of loss.

During week one, we covered chapter 1 of the letter, where Paul urges us to live “as if” God is in control. During the second week, we looked at chapter 2, where Jesus, our Lord, is presented as a perfect example for behavior in times of difficulty and persecution. He is our model for enduring tough times and still living our lives as servants of God.

And now in week three we will look at chapter 3 of the letter, where we see that the apostle Paul is also a model for us in learning what it means to endure hardship. Suffering and hardship should come as no surprise to us. Perhaps we cannot explain the meaning of suffering philosophically, but we can go through hard times in a Christlike manner. Jesus said, In John 15:20 “If they’ve persecuted me, they will persecute you.” The Apostle Peter, said in his letter in 1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” And in another context, Paul himself encouraged new believers with these words: from Acts 14:22 “There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God”. In fact, one of the last messages given to us by Paul comes from 2 Timothy Chapter 3:12 “Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. We need to remember that just because we are Christians doesn’t mean that we are always going to be sailing on smooth waters. We will have suffering, we will have struggles, we will have loss, but it’s how we recover and how we relate to others and how we chose to carry ourselves even during those difficult times that will lead us to the Kingdom of God.

Today we will look at Philippians chapter 3 and discover that Paul offers himself as an example for how to go through hard times. Very near the end of this chapter, in verse 17, he says, “Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us”.

This kind of exhortation is common in Paul’s letters. He often offered his own life as a personal example. But the Philippians had a unique perspective in understanding how Paul endured persecution. The Book of Acts records that in the very first days after Paul arrived in the city of Philippi, he was thrown in prison. He responded to this imprisonment by singing praises to God! And God responded to Paul’s praises by supernaturally breaking him out of jail! And as we discussed previously even the Philippian jailer was impacted by Paul’s example: the jailer took Paul into his own home, bandaged his wounds, and became a follower of Jesus. (He and his whole family were baptized as new converts.)

Paul’s example while he was planting the church in Philippi is instructive in two ways. First, there is frequently a connection between fruitful ministry and difficult days. Second, the world is watching as followers of Jesus endure tough times. How Paul responded (and by extension how we respond) becomes a means of evangelism. Our actions authenticate our message. The message that we as Christians need to be showing to others during these times of hardship, sickness, tension and more.

Perhaps you have never been thrown in jail for your testimony of Christ. Perhaps you have never been beaten because you were a follower of Jesus. But difficult days come in many forms. There are plenty of believers who have suffered the loss of family relationships because of their belief. There are plenty of believers who have been passed over for promotions at work because they put their faith first and their work second. There are plenty of believers who make choices involving personal loss in order to remain faithful to Jesus their Lord. Perhaps you are one of those believers. Or, if you have not faced difficult days let me encourage you as Paul and Barnabas encouraged the first church they planted: “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Again the question is not whether we will face hardship or suffering. That’s a certainty. The only questions are when and how will we face the trouble.

When you first became a follower of Jesus, did anyone share with you that you were signing up for difficult days ahead? If not, they should have! In fact, trouble and persecution are a part of the Good News. Perhaps you are here today investigating the claims of Christ. I will not deceive you by telling you that your life will always be easy as a follower of Jesus. In fact, a sincere desire to follow Jesus often involves loss and suffering, but with very good news as well: you will be headed for a joy unspeakable that is full of glory!

So today, in chapter 3 of this marvelous letter from Paul, I would like to give you five points to help you understand how Paul is also an example for us in facing difficulties and trials. Let’s look at chapter 3. It begins

Breaking with the Past

To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard.

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:

Pressing toward the Goal

May God Bless the reading of our Scripture.

1. In verses 1-3 Paul says,

Do you see Paul’s warning there in verse 2? We should watch out for people who preach a false gospel. Now, false gospels come in many forms. During Paul’s day, it was common to hear a message that might sound something like this: in order to follow Jesus you must first submit to the Law of Moses. This is what Paul is talking about when he says watch out for “those dogs.” This heresy has been met and dealt with, but in our day, we will more commonly hear a false gospel filled with false promises of comfort and ease. We could be told something like, Jesus always leads to prosperity or better health and more happiness. Now of course, eventually these things are true, but the false gospel in our day is all about becoming wealthier, healthier, and happy right now, right at that moment. It’s not unusual to hear phrases like, “whatever flows, goes,” as if following Jesus is just a ride down a lazy river. But the path of least resistance makes both men and rivers crooked. Perhaps you have heard a gospel that says God will never let anything bad happen to you. Many people’s faith can be on the verge of folding simply because they begin to face hard times. The promise of instant wealth, health, and happiness may sound like good news, but the true good news is that Jesus will be with us through whatever we face, in good times or in bad times. You can look at our prayer list and see that things aren’t always easy, we as a church and a church family and a congregation face illnesses and deaths every day. NO our lives are not easy just floating down a river. Being a Christian doesn’t stop pain, suffering and heartache, but being a Christian helps you learn how to live and how to get through those times of loss, whether it be your health or the health of a loved one, money issues, job issues, relationship issues.

Bad theology creates its own difficulties. Bad theology can become a harsh taskmaster. It can force us to lie about our circumstances in order to convince everyone that everything is just ducky. Bad theology can also lead to feelings of guilt if things are not going well, or conversely, cause us to ignore feelings of guilt, feelings that could lead us to repentance and life! Paul is warning his friends in Philippi that they should be on guard against bad theology, the theology of dogs. At its core, “dog theology” says that you can impress God and others with your religious behavior. But don’t you believe it.

2. In verses 4-7, Paul explains how “dog theology” had fooled him. He had been taught that he could impress God by keeping all of the Jewish laws and by “earning” his own salvation. But notice what Paul says about his past life:

Verses 4-7 read:

4 “even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.  (Philippians 3:4-7)

From Paul’s past perspective as a Pharisee, this is an impressive list of credentials. But these credentials mean nothing to him. Paul says that he considers the past to be a loss.

And not only the Apostle Paul should considers this loss, but as we begin our journey with Jesus, we are called to leave behind whatever investment we have in the old way of life. Another way to say this is that Jesus is for losers. That’s right: we must lose our own way of thinking and we must lose whatever confidence we have in our past accomplishments. It’s not just the people who are down-and-out who need the gospel. There are people who are “up-and-out” who also need the gospel—people who have climbed the ladder of success only to find they had placed the ladder on the wrong wall! Both groups need to know that, in Jesus, their past does not matter, whether that past is good or bad. The only thing that counts is the new creation in Christ.

3. This brings us to the third point as we look at this chapter. Listen as Paul continues the same line of thought in verses 8-9:

Paul considered everything in his life to be loss compared to knowing Jesus–even the good stuff! One lesson that Paul had learned, and that he shared with those in Philippi (and that he shares with us today) was that we should lay all of our accomplishments on the altar of God. The prophet Isaiah understood this well when he said that our righteousness was as “filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6) The gospel does not care about our achievements or about our failures. The gospel cares only for us, and what will happen after we decide to follow him.

In fact, Paul calls this the “surpassing worth” of knowing Christ Jesus. What about us? Do we consider knowing Jesus to be the greatest thing about our lives? You may have overcome significant hardships; you may have survived a difficult childhood and found a stable and happy life; you might have overcome abuse from a loved one or someone you trusted; you may have overcome some kind of addiction and found sobriety and peace; you may have worked hard to earn an advanced degree from a University or achieved a high level of success in the business world. But we should learn from Paul’s example: he considered everything to be a loss–even the good stuff.

Do you know this “surpassing worth”? I’m asking both believers and seekers. Perhaps you have never made a decision to follow Jesus: I’m here to tell you there is a surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. It will surpass whatever difficulties you face or whatever achievements you have claimed. But I am also asking those of you who have already decided to follow Jesus: do you know the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus? It is all too easy for religious people, Christians, to settle into trusting lives of comfortable religious habits instead of knowing Jesus more and more and more.

4. This brings me to our fourth point from Philippians chapter 3. There is more to know of Jesus. Here’s what the apostle Paul says in verses 10 and 11:

We should be amazed at these words! Here, the great apostle who served Jesus and accomplished great things for the kingdom of God says plainly, “I want to know Christ.” There was more of Jesus for Paul to get to know. We might be tempted to think, “If Paul does not know Christ, then who does?” But Paul’s point is that our eternal, infinite Lord always beckons us further into his goodness and his glory. There was more of Christ for Paul, and there is more of Christ for us to know.

Notice, too, Paul’s list of those things which he still wants to know and experience: * the power of his resurrection; * the fellowship of sharing suffering with Jesus; * becoming like Jesus in his death; * and attaining a new quality of life both now and in the resurrection.

Here Paul is most definitely an example for us. We are on a journey with Jesus. And because our Lord is infinite, there is no arrival point. There is always more of him to know, always more of his love to receive, and always more of his mission to join. I wouldn’t have it any other way, would you? We should never stop learning about or growing our faith in Jesus.

I can give you a perfect example of this. A little over a year ago I decided that I wanted to take the next step in my Christian journey. Pastor Jim decided to leave our church and after praying and trying to figure out if I was good enough and if I would be able to handle being a Pastor I went to our church council and said hey, I want to take Pastor Jim’s place. I want to become your Pastor and begin that journey that I have thought about for years and see where it leads me. Council brought it to the church and the church voted and as they say “the rest is history”. I began taking classes and I was licensed after a very intense and scary interviewing process with eight other Pastors and I have to tell you it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I now know that God put me on that path, I know that I am still and will for the rest of my life be learning about God. I hope that as we go along this journey together that you also are learning and growing in faith. I also know that in one year my outlook and my faith have grown beyond my imagination. I wouldn’t trade this journey with all of you for anything. I know that we aren’t always going to agree, I know that my ways and maybe may style and my thoughts aren’t always going to match yours. But I pray harder than I ever have in the past and when I get my answer I know it’s what I’m supposed to be doing not only for me but for you, our church and our community. I didn’t know when I started this journey that I would lose my full time job at Darice. I didn’t have any big insight that Michaels would decide to close the office down here and move everything to Dallas, but I bet God did, and I am 100% positive that he had this all planned out long before it came into my head. He knew every change, every emotion and every plan that would be made in my life. That he would show me loss but at the same time show me the gifts that would come from that loss. I have more time to focus on our church and work towards growing our church. Not an easy thing to do during a pandemic but just getting us out there in the community makes me realize that yes I suffered a loss of a job I had for 20 years but I received a gift that is so much greater than that loss. Yes, it still hurts and I get angry and I gripe and complain about the way it was all handled, but then I realized that this loss doesn’t compare to the sacrifice that was made for us. This loss has brought me closer to God and to the needs of our congregation and our community.

5. This brings us to our fifth and final point from Philippians chapter 3. Jesus had something in mind when he picked the Apostle Paul, and Jesus has something in mind for each one of us:

Verses 12 – 14 read:

Do you see it? Paul understood that Jesus had taken hold of him for a reason. And it was Paul’s personal mission in life to lay hold of “that” for which Christ Jesus took hold of him. Do you see this one simple word: “that”? We should all mark this simple word in our Bibles. This simple word reveals the fact that God lays hold of each one of us for a reason. He has a purpose in mind for each of us.

Jesus had something in mind when he picked you! Paul knew the secret of his life would be revealed as he followed hard after Jesus. And notice the connection between Christian maturity and discovering our purpose: mature people trust that God will reveal His purpose for them. Do you long to know the purpose for your life? We can confidently follow Paul’s example: that in joyful obedience to Jesus we will discover that for which he laid hold of us. This is a tremendous comfort, whether in times of trouble or times of ease. What would the world see if they watched us as we discovered—and fulfilled—the purpose for our lives? And the good news is that Jesus will reveal our purpose. He did it for Paul and he will do it for us.

What a beautiful letter we have in Philippians! Paul was writing from prison in order to encourage those who were not in prison. First Paul pointed to Jesus as one example of living through difficult times. And in chapter 3, Paul asks us to consider his life as well. This is the final application for us today: could we point to our own lives as a model for living through tough times? In difficult times do we still live the way we do when everything is going well? Are we always encouraging others and spreading God’s word even when we are dealing with our own losses or hardships? I believe that it is possible to demonstrate a joyful union with Jesus that is living and vibrant whether in good times or in bad.

Amen

‒ Pastor Pam

Next week, we will look at the generous gift that the Philippian church sent to Paul while he was in prison. What a fitting way to conclude this letter in this series: living a life of generosity, even in hard times.