October 5, 2008 — Philippians 3: 8-14 — GAINS AND LOSSES — Pastor Jerome Teichmiller
Teichmiller Comments OffGAINS AND LOSSES
Philippians 3: 8-14
Proper 22
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. Our text for this mornings meditation is recorded in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, chapter 3, verses 8 through 14, particularly these words, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that come from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ. This is our text.
In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends. In case you haven’t heard yet, according to our leaders and our media, our nation is currently undergoing an economic crisis. When you listen to the news it sounds like everyone is now bankrupt, that there is no money for any loans of any kind, and that we are very close to another great depression like the 30′s. Sorry, but I don’t buy the hype. Economic trouble, YES! But disaster, NO! But this might be a good time to take stock of what is doing good and what is doing bad. What do you put in the plus column and what do you put in the negative or loss column. If you had stock in the stock market, the price might be down right now — but if it was a good company before this economic mess, it will still be good after the mess is over. If you have gold or silver, you’re doing well right now. But the panic buying will probably end soon and that price will stabilize just like everything else. So maybe this economic crisis is a good time to take a good look at your investments — what is a gain and what is a loss.
In today’s text it would seem that Paul was “taking stock,” not of his investments, but of his spiritual assets. Paul was adding up his gains and comparing them with his losses. And within these words of our text — there is a very important message to all Christians about WHAT IS A GAIN –and WHAT IS A LOSS — and WHERE WE SHOULD BE PUTTING OUR PRIORITIES.
First of all, let’s see what Paul lists as Losses. The world would consider this stuff a gain – but not Paul. Paul was a very educated man — He was a citizen of Rome which was very important in His day — He had good strong political connections with the rulers of the land. As a Jew — he was circumcised — from the tribe of Benjamin — a Pharisee of Pharisees — blameless before the law. With all this going for him, Paul could probably have been a very wealthy man had he continued his work, pulled a few political strings, and used his education to advance himself among his peers. Paul’s status, before his Christian conversion might be compared today with a young graduate from Harvard Law School, who has several good friends who are senators in Washington.
But on the Road to Damascus — things changed for Paul. He saw Jesus Christ face to face. And Christ gave to Paul a new calling, and a new direction for life. It was NOT a life of glamour, or of fortune, or of great power. INSTEAD it was a life of poverty, a life of rejection, a life of persecution, and eventually, a martyr’s death.
And what did Paul have to say about giving up “The Good Life” to which his background, his birth, and his training would have lead him? He said in our text, “For Christ’s sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.”
To our world of today — a world dedicated to money, wealth, and material gain — this text gives a strong message. Paul could have had all the leisure and the niceties of life — He had the education, he had the status, he had the connections — but these he gave up in order to serve the Lord. And Paul called all these worldly advantages that he gave up “RUBBISH” or GARBAGE. There was something else that was SO IMPORTANT to Paul that he considered a nice home, a good salary, a comfortable retirement, a car and a boat, and maybe a couple of Money Market C.D.’s mere Garbage in comparison. The MOST IMPORTANT thing to Paul was “To know Christ Jesus as Lord.” Compared with that — nothing else was important. Everything else was a loss.
Now, of course our text is NOT asking any of us to give up anything that we have in life — but it does point out to us what is important and what is not. The luxuries which Paul gave up as “losses”, were unimportant. The social Position, which Paul gave up, was unimportant. The political power and leadership that Paul gave up was unimportant — What he gained in their place was VERY IMPORTANT. The things of this life were mere garbage, compared to the worth of Knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.
And that was what went into Paul’s “gains” column: “Knowing Jesus Christ as Lord.” This was the greatest gain that Paul could have had — just as it is the greatest gain that you and I can possible have.
Paul spells out why this is such a great “gain” in the words of our text for today. He says, “For Christ’s sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
“Being right with God” — being righteous — was the most important thing is Paul’s life, and he found his righteousness with God, by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. It was God’s act in Christ’s death and resurrection which made Paul righteous. And to have faith, and to know Jesus Christ, was the most important thing in all the world to Paul.
I would hope that this is also the most important thing in your life. The most important thing in our lives should be “to be right with God.” All the things of this world which tempt us, and lure us, and impress us will pass away — those things will be gone — and then we shall all stand before God our eternal judge. At that moment social position, financial genius, political power, worldly wisdom — all those things that seem so important now — will not matter one small bit — At that moment when we stand before God, the only thing that WILL MATTER is “The righteousness of God that depends on faith.” And at that point, that is the ONLY GAIN that matters.
But what about right now? What about today and tomorrow as we continue in this world of wars and rumors of wars, of crime and hostility and hate, of economic and political turmoil. How do we get along today? Paul tells us, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Paul says that he forgets the past — and strives toward the future. He knows that his sin and shortcomings of the past have been forgiven through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection — and he knows that through his baptism he has died with Christ, so that he might live with him in his resurrection — and so Paul continues to strive to be what God has already made him to be, that is a child of God. While waiting for God’s call into eternal life, Paul strives on earth to be the best example of what a child of God can be, in order that he might win others to Jesus Christ. Paul said it clearly, “For me to live is Christ. For me to die is gain.”
Like Paul, you and I must decide what our priorities are. If our priority is getting rich — or gaining social position — or using strong political power, then we strive for earthly and failing treasure, what Paul called “garbage.” BUT if our priority is eternal life with God in heaven — then we do not look back — but instead we push on toward the goal which is life in heaven, and that is ours by God’s grace, through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. To God be the glory now and always. Amen.
May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
