“Knowing Christ”

Meditation on Philippians 3:4b-14

March 17, 2013

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     “If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 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; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

      “Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”   

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       Have you ever wondered why we so often read aloud from the Apostle Paul’s letters in church?

         Who was this man—Paul?

         He was a missionary and leader who greatly impacted the faith and shape of many early Christian communities. He wasn’t one of the original 12 disciples; nor was he among the seven chosen later to lead and serve. But through his letters, he continues to influence our faith perhaps more than any other apostle.

       Our New Testament contains 13 of Paul’s letters! The longest is Romans. The oldest is I Thessalonians, which was written around 49 A.D. -- before any of the four gospels.  Most likely, the writers of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John had already read Paul’s letters!

       But sadly, we don’t know all that much about Paul. We only know what scholars and historians have gleaned from Paul’s own letters and the book of Acts, written by a fellow named Luke.

       Here are some things we know about Paul.

       He was born within a year or two of Jesus’ birth—around 5 A.D. He was Jewish. Before he became an apostle of the risen Christ and took the Greek name “Paul,” his name was “Saul”—a Hebrew name. He was born in Tarsus, the capital city of Cilicia on the Mediterranean in what is present day Turkey. He grew up and received his education in Jerusalem, learning at the feet of the famous Jewish rabbi Gamaliel. 

       Saul spoke Greek and was a citizen of the Roman Empire. He was a Pharisee, someone who sought to obey God’s commandments and the laws that Moses gave to his ancestors long ago.

       Saul was a man of strong convictions, a kind of soldier for orthodox Judaism. After Jesus was crucified, he traveled from synagogue to synagogue urging punishment for Jews who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. In Acts 8, Saul was “ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women,” to prison in Jerusalem.  In Acts 9, Saul was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” 

      Before Saul’s vision of the risen Jesus and his conversion on the road to Damascus, he relentlessly pursued the followers of Jesus fleeing persecution and arrest in Jerusalem as if he were “Dawg the Bounty Hunter.”

     Saul approved of the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.  Saul was the one guarding the coats of those who threw the stones.

    His identity as protector and defender of the religion in which he was raised, rooting out and punishing heretics, was his sole purpose before he came to know Christ Jesus as his Lord.

    Then everything changed.

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      Paul writes from prison in his letter to the Philippians. He has been arrested for preaching the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah and our salvation through Him. He writes to encourage the church that is suffering persecution and worried about Paul.  He tells them that he is praying for them. He tells them to “love one another” and “produce the harvest of righteousness that comes though Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.”

     He isn’t afraid to die, he says, because whether he lives or dies, he will still exalt the Lord in his body with bold speech.

     And Christ will always be with Him.

    Pauls urges the church to live “in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Christ,” standing firm in the faith and not being intimidated by any opponents.

     He holds up Christ’s self-giving example for them to imitate. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,” he says, “but in humility, regard others as better than yourselves.”

     In our reading today, Paul looks back and sums up his own life—all that he was and all that he has done—good and bad. He sees it all as rubbish! He is telling the Philippians, Don’t look back!

    “Whatever gains I had, he says, “these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.  More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

    Nothing else matters to Paul as he awaits the promise of everlasting life with His Lord.

    All that matters is knowing Christ.

    Friends, our lives here are not easy.  We may not have the same kind of persecution that Paul and the Early Church endured.  But we still suffer. 

     People we love struggle with cancer and other illnesses, and we feel helpless and afraid.  We lose our loved ones to death, and we feel the pain of the loss and the loneliness of our separation from them.  We wonder if the pain will ever end and if we will ever feel “normal” again.

     We have memories of who we were and our life histories—things we have done and experienced, both good and bad.

      But when you find yourself sinking into sorrow or regret about the past or are worried about the future, remember the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

     He had every reason to feel shame and regret for the person he used to be.  But that was not his message to the Church.  He preached God’s grace and salvation through faith—not from our works or from adhering to the “law”!

    As he faces possible death in prison and remembers his life—the good and the bad, he says, “…I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

   Friends, don’t dwell on the past. Yesterday is truly gone.

   We have today, a friend told me yesterday.

   We have today to live in a manner that is worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

     So stand firm in the faith. Imitate Christ’s self-giving example.

    Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, regard others as better than yourselves. Love one another.

     And let us live today not swallowed up by the worries and sorrows of this world.  Let us live in the peace, hope and promise of all eternity in the world to come.

    All that matters is knowing Christ. 

Let us pray.

    Heavenly Father,  thank you for your Word that reveals your love for us!  Thank you for forgiving us in Christ by your grace through faith—and not by our works.  Thank you for the hope and promise of everlasting life with you.  Reassure us, whenever we look back with sorrow and regret and fear for the future, that our histories and worldly identities are worth nothing in your righteous kingdom.  They are rubbish!  Comfort us with the assurance that all that matters is knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior. Stir us to share the Good News with all we meet and exalt Christ in our bodies with bold speech. In His name we pray.  Amen.