"Glory - Is It Mine or God's?"

Scripture: Philippians 3:2-14

Paul first visited Philippi during his 2nd missionary journey. He had intended to travel eastward toward Asia, but the Holy Spirit inspired him to go to Macedonia instead. (Acts 16:6-10) This route would take him considerably further north and west than he had even gone before, and it would prove to bring both significant victories and struggles to his life. Philippi would be one of the victories, and would prove to be a special joy for Paul.

He writes this letter as an encouragement to the Church, even while he is a prisoner in a Roman jail. His closeness to the people is obvious, and he offers them not only Christian hope, but warnings of the evil that will also rise up in their way.

Read Philippians 3:2-4a

In the first few verses, Paul tells the church that those who worship Christ by the Spirit of God, those who put all glory in Jesus and not in themselves, are “the circumcision” – that is that they no longer have any confidence in their own abilities and accomplishments – this is “the flesh” that he writes about (v.3). He also warns against those who would speak against this truth, those “dogs” who he wants the people to be aware of. It isn’t clear who they are exactly, but they are most certainly ones who are placing doubts in the minds of the new believers, those who may be reintroducing Jewish ritualistic practices back into the faith. Regardless of who and what these “dogs” may be, he wants the Church to be discerning of just what the truth is, and what it isn’t!

And this has been the biggest problem – that of false teaching - that the Church has faced throughout the centuries. Ancient Israel fell for the lie that other gods were just as powerful and important as was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel in Jesus’ day had been taught that it was the ritual – the “right” things they did – that brought joy to the Lord, and that this was far better than trust and faith in the great Jehovah. The early church would be subjected to philosophical and logical thought to explain away the concept of the Trinity, as well as all the teachings and miracles of Jesus. We Christians have made huge missteps in our approach to the rejection of evil, as evidenced by the Crusades and the Inquisition. And even today, we are barraged by the false faith of both fundamental thought and liberalism.
It’s incredible that true faith has even managed to survive after all this! But it has thrived, not because the Church has become so holy, but because the Holy Spirit continues to move and work and touch and change the people of God. Nicodemus would come to know the truth of God; Peter and the Disciples would come to feel this divine power; Saul, who was so immersed in legalism that he persecuted the truth, would be changed so radically that even his name had to be left behind, and God’s correction has continued to come into our lives time and time again for 2,000 years!

Read Philippians 3:4b-6

Paul is so concerned over this issue that he lets the people know that his experience in this matter gives him a unique understanding of the problem! He has lived intensely on both sides of the “faith tracks”, and he then goes on to describe the many ways that, through the law and his birth, he once rejoiced in the confidence he had in his “flesh” – the many ways that he rejoiced and lived in false hope.
He had been “circumcised on the 8th day” – a reference to his being born into the faith and was not just a convert to Judaism; he was “of the People of Israel” – always a Jew, never a Gentile; he was “of the tribe of Benjamin” – the tribe that was considered to be the most faithful; he was “a Hebrew of Hebrews” – a scholar, a racial purist, the best of the best; he was “a Pharisee” – an educated man, a student and teacher of the law, faithful in holiness to the “nth degree”; and he was zealous to the extent that he persecuted all who did not believe and live the way that he did, which made him perfect in his righteous adherence to Jewish law. These were his bragging points, his glory, his means to salvation, his privileges.
They were his pride, and I imagine that each one of us is thinking – “I sure am glad that I’m not like that!” This was Paul’s “resume of faith”, but how many of us have a similar one? “I’ve served on this committee and that task force, I’ve worked on 5 mission trips, I’ve done this and I’ve done that.” And not a single word to indicate that we have placed our trust and our life in Christ, and now allow him to do his work through us.

Read Philippians 3:7-11

He had been an example for all of Israel, and it gained him nothing in the sight of God.

But through his spiritual circumcision, he came to see that his confidence was false and that it could gain him nothing. Paul had every earthly reason to be proud of who he was. He had prestige, position, power, respect, conviction in faith (misguided as it was!) – his human pride was anything but hollow! But in his discovery that the power and strength in these accomplishments were worthless, their weakness also began to show through. They were actually his downfall, and not the source of his personal glory.

Every time that Jesus had a confrontation with the leaders of Israel, this was the very issue that divided them. They “knew” that they were right because this was the way they had been doing things for centuries! But Paul now understands that “whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” (v. 7) In referring back to verse 3, Paul is saying that his “circumcision” of worldly glory was no loss at all – that he had gained such marvelous gifts in Jesus that the former no longer held any hope at all for him.

And who was this change, this new understanding, for? In v. 7 & 8, he says that this change in attitude was for the “sake” of Christ alone. While we could take this to mean “for Christ’s benefit”, I don’t think that this is what Paul intended. The gaining of Godly wisdom such as this is really to our benefit, but at the same time, it brings glory to God.
And so it is with us. By surrendering our hold on the impotent, the ineffectual things of earth, and claiming the promise and power of Christ’s sacrifice, death, and resurrection for our own lives, it is then that the Spirit of God can begin to work the true ways, the divine ways, in Christ’s way in all of us.

Read Philippians 3:12-14

As powerful as Paul’s ministry had become, and as much as we might celebrate all that he had accomplished, he says that he has yet to arrive at a full understanding of Christ and his ways. And if Paul hadn’t yet arrived in faith, where does that leave us? Quite honesty, it leaves us at the same juncture as Paul was at – solely dependent on the mercy of Jesus Christ!
For many, their former lives continue to be a stumbling block in their journey toward salvation in Jesus Christ. They can’t seem to let go of their failures. “My sins are so great that God can never forgive them all!” And in their believing this, they are placing self-imposed limitations on the grace of Jesus Christ.
So does that mean that we throw up our hands and give up? No Way! Remember that great old hymn – “Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within; grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all our sin!” (UM Hymnal, # 365 “Grace Greater than Our Sin”) Paul tells us that when our lives seem to overwhelm us, and limit us, and fail us, that we should just throw ourselves on the powerful mercy of Christ, and “press on toward the goal”.

Are we pressing on toward the goal of a relationship with Jesus? Have we let go of the things of earth, or is our grip on them still too strong to let them slip away? Do we let Jesus be the inspiration for every aspect of life, or is earth still warping and influencing us?
The New Interpreters Bible says “To know God is thus to honor God and to obey God’s will; it is not to simply have knowledge of ‘facts’ about God but to enter into a personal relationship [with him].” Paul had come to the conclusion that glory was never about the things he did, or the honors he had received, or the admiration that people showered on him, or how much knowledge he had accumulated. Glory is about surrender; glory is about trust; glory is about God and it is never about us! Glory comes to us through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and our confession of all that he has done to bring us his glory.

So the answer to our question of the day is this – “Yes! Glory is ours, but only because it has come from God!” “Press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” And the prize is in knowing the extent of the love that the Lord has already shown to each of us.