In the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Luke 18 (story is in 3 of the gospel accounts), man asks how to inherit eternal life – Jesus responds by reciting commandments to him – the man says, “I have kept all the commandments” – and Jesus replies, “one more thing: Give everything you have to the poor and follow me,” and the man went away sad because he had great wealth – studying Philippians 3, I was reminded of this conversation that Jesus had with this man – they clearly had two different standards by which to view the spiritual life – one was religious rule following, and one was complete abandonment of the world in order to pursue Jesus

Paul lays out a very clear standard for the Philippian church in what it looks like to follow Jesus – Philippians 3:1-14
V1 – Paul reminds the church again the importance of joy, even in the middle of tough circumstances – he’s mentioned it several times throughout the letter, and he says it again here: “Rejoice in the Lord” – Paul knows that they may not be able to rejoice in their circumstances, but can find joy in the Lord in spite of their trouble – again, context – Paul is writing from prison chained to two guards – he told them in chapter one to rejoice even though there are some preaching from a place of jealousy because the gospel was being preached anyway – now in chapter 3, he will give them another reason to rejoice

V2 – He is referring here to a group of people called Judaizers – These were Jews who were preaching that in order to follow Jesus, you must also convert to Judaism, meaning must follow Mosaic law regarding circumcision – Paul calls them dogs, which is a derogatory term that Jews would use about Gentiles – Now Paul is telling the Philippians that the script is now flipped, and it is these Jews who are now the dogs, teaching a false doctrine – You can read the book of Galatians for a more in-depth view on Paul’s battle with the Judaizers, but briefly, Galatians 3:10-14, Paul says clearly that strict adherence to the law is not what justifies someone, but faith in Jesus – Clearly, Jesus was not anti-law, Matthew 5:17, but pro-relationship – You can’t earn your way to God through works, rituals, just being a law-abiding citizen – you need Jesus to fulfill the law in you, so you live from Jesus and not for him – Galatians 2:17-21 – So, Paul is saying here to keep an eye out for those who are trying to advocate for a works-based relationship with Jesus

Last week, talked about obedience – said this: you can obey without loving (legalism), but you can’t love without obeying – It is out of your love relationship with Jesus that he transforms you into a promise keeper – it is motivation of the heart

V3 – Paul is talking about inward transformation as opposed to outward transformation – religion is about the external, but the regeneration of the Spirit is internal – and he says, “in Christ, we no longer put confidence in the flesh”, which is another way of saying, my life is no longer defined by my works, but by heart circumcision, the Spirit cutting away at my sin

V4-6 – Paul is making his argument to the thoughts of the Judaizers – “If we want to put stock in religious resume, Here’s mine, and I will bury you” – 1. Circumcized on the 8th day (law follower), 2. Born as a Jew of the prestigious tribe of Benjamin, so not a convert, but racially Jewish, 3. A Hebrew of Hebrews – in that time there were Grecian Jews, or Hellenistic Jews that spoke Greek – he was pure Hebrew, 4. A pharisee with regard to the law, meaning he KNEW THE LAW, 5. He persecuted the early church by using the law against them, 6. And, by ritual, he was righteous and faultless based on his rule following

Basically, Paul is calling out his opposition – “I do you better than you do you” – If following the letter of the law is what saves you, I win – If that is the template, for life, then I have been good – here is the problem: Jesus said in Matthew 5:21 that the Pharisees weren’t the gold standard - when Jesus came to Paul on road to Damascus in Acts 9, called Paul out of persecution and into reformation – gave him a new template – Jesus showed the new template in SOM – studying in men’s bible study right now – “you have heard it said…But I say…” – the template WAS letter of the law, but new template is complete heart abandonment to Jesus – not only don’t do it, but don’t even think about it – only available through Jesus – Romans 12:1

V7-9 – “This resume, these gains, are losses compared to knowing Jesus” – Paul is showing the new template – “I did life the other way, and was even the best at it, but now I see that is all garbage compared to Jesus” – this is the essence of knowing Jesus: ALL MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE GARBAGE COMPARED TO JESUS – isn’t that the message from Jesus to the rich young ruler? The law is nothing without the heart – THROW IT ALL AWAY – and Paul says clearly that right standing with God no longer passes through the law but through faith in Jesus

Maybe this is new information to you – maybe your church experience has been much like the Judaizers – trust Jesus for salvation, then let me give you a list of dos and don’ts that you must follow in order to be righteous – again, from last week, obedience is largely an afterthought in the American church, but obedience that doesn’t come FROM a love relationship with Jesus is pointless – this is the new template of the spiritual life: YOUR GOODNESS ISN’T ENOUGH

V10-11 – “The power of his resurrection and the participation in his suffering” – Paul longs for 2 things: resurrection power and participation in suffering, and without the first, you can’t do the 2nd – Romans 8:11, you have the power of Christ coursing through your veins – there’s literally no ceiling to what is available to you in the KOG – how does that make you feel? AND that power gives you the ability to endure, even take joy in suffering – This has been a theme for Paul, YOU WILL SUFFER when you follow Jesus, but as Jesus said in John 16:33, whatever you are suffering, he has already overcome it

We’ve been saying this for weeks, but just a reminder, following Jesus, as outlined by the Bible, includes suffering – if suffering is not a part of your theology, then you’ve embraced a false gospel – following Jesus is not the absence of pain, but the supernatural ability to find joy in the middle of it

V12-14 – I love Paul’s humility here: “I have not arrived” – when he gave his religious resume, you could easily sense how that could be perceived as arrogance – “IF my works were the standard, I would be the best” – but now, in Christ, he says, “I have not arrived, I will not arrive until I meet Jesus face-to-face” – this is a marathon, not a sprint – Paul talks about this same idea in 1 Cor. 9:24-27 – There is intentionality involved, and for followers of Jesus, this intentionality takes place in the secret place – if you’re going to be disciplined, be disciplined to sit in the presence of Jesus every day and let him continue to transform your mind and heart

Illus – I can still get caught up in looking good on the outside – a couple of weeks ago, we were praying as a staff about the importance of being available to those in need, and while we were discussing that, someone interrupted our prayer time who was in need, and I WAS FRUSTRATED – The end result was a beautiful prayer time, but I had to confess my heart after the fact – I HAVE NOT ARRIVED, and I may look good on the outside, but Jesus is still working on me

Close:

Q: What is your standard for success in your spiritual life? Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that compared to others you’re killing it – maybe true, but YOU ARE NOT THE STANDARD - 1 Cor. 4:4 – New TEMPLATE – It’s not about what you do, but what you receive – in fact, all your working and striving is garbage compared to knowing Jesus – let go of religion and embrace the light yoke of Jesus – Matt. 11:28-30