WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.500 Well, as I said at the beginning of the service, welcome to all of you. 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:07.799 Those of you coming back, good to see you again. 00:00:08.040 --> 00:00:11.939 We have some visitors here with us who used to be a part of our church and have moved 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:14.640 away but are now back visiting, so nice to see you all. 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:16.660 And then some of you are maybe here for the first time. 00:00:19.379 --> 00:00:24.500 There's a lot happening in our society right now, a lot of things that we can spend time 00:00:24.500 --> 00:00:24.760 on. 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:31.420 There's continuing to grieve and mourn and try to make sense of Orlando, the lives lost 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:31.700 there. 00:00:31.840 --> 00:00:37.200 There's the vote in the UK, this historic Brexit vote, trying to make sense of that. 00:00:37.980 --> 00:00:43.920 There's Donald Trump as just a whole conversation unto itself. 00:00:44.060 --> 00:00:48.760 There's all kinds of things that we could talk about, and I think it's easy when we have 00:00:48.760 --> 00:00:51.980 so much going on, it's easy to get taken away. 00:00:51.979 --> 00:00:57.779 And one of the things that's really important for us to do from time to time, and actually 00:00:57.779 --> 00:01:01.679 one of the things that our study of Philippians is going to lead us to do with this time, 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:06.140 is to actually come back to the very foundation of our faith. 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:11.019 You know, times like this, when there's so much happening, it's good to remember the basics, 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:16.000 to spend a little time reflecting on what is the very core for those of us who are Christians, 00:01:16.179 --> 00:01:17.379 for those of us who follow Jesus. 00:01:17.659 --> 00:01:20.479 What's the foundation of that relationship, and what's it based on? 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:26.620 We've been studying this letter to the Philippians that Paul wrote from house arrest in Rome, 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:32.200 and he wrote it 10 years after he planted the church, and some stuff is going on in the 00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:38.020 church, and it's generally an upbeat letter, and he talks a lot about joy and the joy that's 00:01:38.020 --> 00:01:40.480 possible when you have faith in Jesus Christ. 00:01:40.780 --> 00:01:46.000 He talks in the opening verse of our passage, chapter 3, verse 1, he says, 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:48.219 finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord. 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:52.980 But then he gets angry, and he uses some pretty strong language. 00:01:54.099 --> 00:01:57.840 And the reason is because his anger is motivated by love. 00:01:57.939 --> 00:02:03.700 He sees something happening where the very foundation, the very core of their faith is being threatened. 00:02:03.700 --> 00:02:10.500 And so he wants to root it out, because he recognizes it for the threat that it is. 00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:15.140 And his words, even though they were written a long time ago, they will be just as relevant 00:02:15.140 --> 00:02:20.800 to us, because the very same issues exist in our church today, exist not in just the church, 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:29.080 but in our church, in my own life, as I've experienced the potential to fall into this trap. 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:33.060 And so this is what we're going to talk about, what's happening in the Philippian church, 00:02:33.380 --> 00:02:34.800 and how it's relevant to us. 00:02:34.980 --> 00:02:40.939 And this passage shows us two things that we need to understand in order to be clear on the 00:02:40.939 --> 00:02:44.480 foundation of our faith, in order to have the kind of faith that produces joy. 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:46.220 Two things. 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:55.660 First, we need to understand this, that our faith is futile, any faith is futile if it exists 00:02:55.660 --> 00:02:56.520 apart from Christ. 00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:58.840 So the futility of faith apart from Christ. 00:02:59.760 --> 00:03:04.800 And then the second half, or the other side of the coin, is this, the worth of faith in Christ. 00:03:05.580 --> 00:03:09.640 As Paul says, the surpassing worth of faith in Christ. 00:03:09.740 --> 00:03:10.980 So those are the two things we'll look at. 00:03:11.040 --> 00:03:12.180 Let's pray for the Lord to lead us. 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:17.840 Heavenly Father, we do recognize that we're here, and there are so many things that are 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:22.760 cause for anxiety and thought and speculation, and so many things that have affected our lives 00:03:22.760 --> 00:03:24.300 and the lives of people we know and love. 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:30.100 But we pray that right now our attention would be turned to the very core, the very foundation 00:03:30.100 --> 00:03:36.800 of our relationship with you, because that is the wellspring of life, of joy, of freedom, 00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:39.620 of hope, things that we desperately need. 00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:45.160 And we pray that this would happen not by human wisdom, Lord, but rather by the power of your 00:03:45.160 --> 00:03:46.840 Holy Spirit through your word. 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:49.400 And it's in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray. 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:50.060 Amen. 00:03:51.640 --> 00:03:56.939 So the first thing we see as we begin to get into Philippians chapter 3, and the first few verses is this. 00:03:57.319 --> 00:04:04.379 Paul begins to make it very clear that any faith, any faith that exists apart from Jesus is futile, 00:04:04.480 --> 00:04:06.240 meaning it is empty. 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:08.840 He says this in verse 2. 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:11.140 I told you strong language. 00:04:11.620 --> 00:04:12.680 Look out for the dogs. 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:15.120 Look out for the evildruers. 00:04:15.640 --> 00:04:17.840 Look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 00:04:18.780 --> 00:04:26.639 For we are the circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. 00:04:27.459 --> 00:04:28.340 So what's he talking about? 00:04:28.939 --> 00:04:32.019 Well, the Philippian church was made up entirely of Gentiles. 00:04:32.259 --> 00:04:33.780 In other words, people who didn't grow up Jewish. 00:04:33.779 --> 00:04:37.719 And all of these people had heard the gospel preached. 00:04:38.599 --> 00:04:47.059 The gospel essentially is the announcement of God's free grace, God's free salvation that is available through Jesus. 00:04:48.179 --> 00:04:56.459 That means that all we have to do is accept it, put our faith in Christ, and we can have a relationship with God. 00:04:56.979 --> 00:05:00.059 And they had heard this and thought it was tremendous. 00:05:00.239 --> 00:05:01.359 It was the best news they had ever heard. 00:05:01.459 --> 00:05:02.579 Many of them had come to faith. 00:05:02.579 --> 00:05:03.699 A church had been born. 00:05:04.039 --> 00:05:07.099 And this, from reading this letter, we know it was a joy-filled church. 00:05:07.359 --> 00:05:08.779 They were a generous church. 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:11.459 They were a church filled with gratitude. 00:05:13.079 --> 00:05:15.839 It was the kind of church that any one of us would love to have been a part of. 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:21.360 And yet, false teachers had come into the church, 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:27.279 and they were attempting to convince the Philippians that faith in Jesus wasn't enough. 00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:30.439 In other words, that's a good first step. 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:37.040 But real spirituality, a real relationship with God, real faith requires more than that. 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:41.060 Namely, it requires that you continue to adhere to the law of Moses. 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:43.920 And more specifically, you need to get circumcised. 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:49.480 Now, that doesn't have much cultural relevance for us today. 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:53.900 But when Paul hears it, we'll understand why in a second. 00:05:54.500 --> 00:05:56.080 It infuriates him. 00:05:56.480 --> 00:05:58.660 And so he calls these teachers dogs. 00:05:59.300 --> 00:06:03.360 And you've got to understand, when he says dogs, do not think of your golden retriever that you grew up with. 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:04.740 That's not what he's talking about here. 00:06:04.740 --> 00:06:10.120 Think of a rabid, diseased, dangerous kind of scavenger. 00:06:12.840 --> 00:06:14.139 That's what he's talking about. 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:16.639 And he's obviously very angry. 00:06:16.980 --> 00:06:19.199 And it begs the question, why is Paul so angry? 00:06:19.280 --> 00:06:21.300 This just seems like a little theological issue. 00:06:21.379 --> 00:06:22.600 And why has he so been out of shape? 00:06:23.720 --> 00:06:24.759 Well, let me tell you a story. 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:26.819 See if this helps clarify it. 00:06:27.280 --> 00:06:28.280 It's actually a true story. 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:32.859 A couple of years back, the story broke about a guy named Dr. Fareed Fada. 00:06:33.699 --> 00:06:35.000 Does anybody remember this story? 00:06:35.479 --> 00:06:41.059 He, a doctor in the Detroit area, all the reviews said he was a world-renowned cancer doctor. 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:45.799 And that he was one of the go-to experts in the world. 00:06:47.099 --> 00:06:51.959 And so what Dr. Fada did is he started coming to people who were physically healthy. 00:06:52.899 --> 00:06:56.539 And he would tell people who were perfectly fine that they had cancer. 00:06:56.540 --> 00:06:58.860 That they had terminal cancer. 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:02.819 And that their only hope was to start these expensive treatments. 00:07:02.960 --> 00:07:05.000 A lot of times it was chemo right away. 00:07:06.520 --> 00:07:09.100 And so these people would start taking these treatments. 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:12.180 And they would get desperately sick from the treatments. 00:07:12.280 --> 00:07:16.620 As many of you may know, the treatment for cancer will make you sick in and of itself. 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:18.620 So people's teeth would rot and fall out. 00:07:18.640 --> 00:07:20.680 And they would become weak and emaciated. 00:07:22.220 --> 00:07:24.160 And he did this in order to make kickbacks. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:27.980 And so you say, well, okay, well, what did he do this? 00:07:27.980 --> 00:07:29.000 Just a handful of times. 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:32.720 Well, actually, in the, this case just went to trial. 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:36.160 He did this to some 553 people. 00:07:36.940 --> 00:07:42.720 And he made $17.6 million off doing this. 00:07:44.080 --> 00:07:45.879 So when I tell you that story, just take a moment. 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:47.460 How does that make you feel? 00:07:47.459 --> 00:07:52.779 And if you wrote a letter to Dr. Fata, what would you call him? 00:07:54.159 --> 00:07:56.500 Dog, evildoer, probably something a bit worse. 00:07:57.579 --> 00:07:59.919 See, this is exactly how Paul feels. 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:05.139 And in his mind, the false teachers are doing something very similar to what Dr. Fata did. 00:08:05.419 --> 00:08:08.959 Fata came to people who were physically healthy, who were perfectly fine. 00:08:09.060 --> 00:08:11.839 And he convinced them to take unnecessary treatments. 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:15.279 And actually, those treatments made those people sick. 00:08:17.299 --> 00:08:22.359 And in the same way, these false teachers were coming to people who had a relationship with Jesus. 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:26.659 Through Jesus, they were spiritually alive and well. 00:08:26.739 --> 00:08:27.419 They were thriving. 00:08:28.239 --> 00:08:32.620 And these false teachers convinced them that they needed other additional practices. 00:08:32.620 --> 00:08:40.019 And Paul recognized that these practices would actually do spiritual harm to these people. 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:42.460 And so he's furious about it. 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:48.560 But this begs the question, what is the harm of adding something like the law? 00:08:48.679 --> 00:08:54.159 What is the harm of adding something like circumcision into their faith? 00:08:55.740 --> 00:08:57.659 And the harm comes from this fact. 00:08:57.659 --> 00:09:05.139 That the greatest threat to our joy, the greatest threat to our spiritual well-being, 00:09:05.839 --> 00:09:12.379 the greatest threat to our salvation, does not come from atheism. 00:09:13.259 --> 00:09:15.799 It does not come from radical Islam. 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:19.039 You know, it does not come from secular humanism. 00:09:19.159 --> 00:09:22.120 It doesn't come from limits to religious freedom. 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:30.379 No, the absolute, the greatest threat that all of us face right now is the threat of self-reliance. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:33.039 Self-reliance. 00:09:33.779 --> 00:09:35.899 The idea that I can do it on my own. 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:39.759 The idea that it all depends on me. 00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:42.460 What you might call terminal self-reliance. 00:09:43.019 --> 00:09:47.159 See, this is what Paul's talking about when he talks about confidence in the flesh. 00:09:47.159 --> 00:09:53.120 So the false teachers in Philippi came from a long tradition that had come to view circumcision 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:57.459 and keeping the standards of the law as kind of boxes to be checked. 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:02.679 And the thinking went, well, if we do our part, if I check the boxes, 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:07.639 and I do my part for God, then God will do his part for me. 00:10:07.699 --> 00:10:09.379 And it had become very transactional. 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:13.819 I do what is required of me, and then God will do what is required of him. 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:17.560 And kind of a quid pro quo relationship with the Lord. 00:10:19.000 --> 00:10:22.760 And the reason this is relevant to us is we don't talk a lot about supervision, but think about it. 00:10:22.780 --> 00:10:25.820 And some of you may have been here for a while, and some of you maybe you just moved here. 00:10:26.140 --> 00:10:28.260 D.C. is full of really good people. 00:10:29.660 --> 00:10:31.600 You know, it's one of the reasons I say this a lot. 00:10:31.680 --> 00:10:33.920 It's one of the reasons I actually love being in D.C. 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:40.080 is because you're around amazing people who are not necessarily here because they want to make a lot of money. 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:43.340 It costs a lot of money to live here. 00:10:43.860 --> 00:10:47.100 But they're the kind of people who, they're willing to live in a group home 00:10:47.100 --> 00:10:51.879 and make 22 grand a year with six roommates because they want to have an impact. 00:10:52.100 --> 00:10:52.980 They want to make a difference. 00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:54.399 They want to do something in the world. 00:10:55.060 --> 00:10:55.200 Right? 00:10:55.280 --> 00:10:58.680 People here are very concerned about global issues. 00:11:00.259 --> 00:11:01.780 They want to make the world a better place. 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:02.860 Really good people. 00:11:04.759 --> 00:11:06.700 And so D.C. is full of people like this. 00:11:06.700 --> 00:11:13.460 And so you end up, I have a lot of conversations with people in this city, and you ask them about their faith, 00:11:13.520 --> 00:11:17.860 and do you believe in God, and what do you think, you know, where do you think you stand with God? 00:11:17.920 --> 00:11:19.420 And a lot of times people will say this. 00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:21.700 Well, relatively speaking, I'm a pretty good person. 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:24.920 I mean, relatively, if you think of all the people out there, I'm a pretty good person. 00:11:25.420 --> 00:11:29.600 Surely if there is a God, then God would have someone like me. 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:33.420 Compared to most people, I'm one of the better people I know. 00:11:34.460 --> 00:11:36.440 So that would be having confidence in the flesh. 00:11:36.740 --> 00:11:38.519 And see, this doesn't just exist outside the church. 00:11:38.560 --> 00:11:39.940 I think it exists inside the church. 00:11:41.180 --> 00:11:43.920 This is a tendency that exists in my own heart. 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:46.379 I mean, I regularly talk to people. 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:49.680 I regularly talk to people who, you know, they say they're a Christian. 00:11:49.820 --> 00:11:51.779 I asked, yeah, I grew up in a Christian home. 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:53.920 You know, went to church growing up and all that. 00:11:53.920 --> 00:11:56.820 Kind of faded away in college, but then came back strong. 00:11:56.940 --> 00:11:59.399 And now I'm kind of wanting to plug back into my faith. 00:11:59.399 --> 00:12:00.939 And, you know, checking the church out. 00:12:00.959 --> 00:12:02.120 And I say, okay, well, tell me. 00:12:02.179 --> 00:12:03.419 So tell me about your faith. 00:12:03.459 --> 00:12:04.159 What makes you a Christian? 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:08.039 And many times I hear some version of this. 00:12:08.459 --> 00:12:12.299 Well, you know, I think Christianity is really just about being a good person. 00:12:13.079 --> 00:12:14.620 God wants us to love people. 00:12:14.699 --> 00:12:16.139 And so it's about loving people well. 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:17.299 It's about helping people. 00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:20.179 It's about leaving the world better than how you found it. 00:12:20.579 --> 00:12:21.659 It's about the golden rule. 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:24.639 You know, treat others the way you want to be treated. 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:26.819 And I mostly try to do that in my life. 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:29.279 And so those are the things that kind of make me a Christian. 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:37.299 It would be interesting if we could hear what the Apostle Paul would say in response to that. 00:12:38.019 --> 00:12:39.919 How he would engage that. 00:12:41.419 --> 00:12:43.340 Because he would probably say something like this. 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:47.519 Your soul is never in greater danger. 00:12:49.600 --> 00:12:54.379 You are never further from God than the moment you utter those words. 00:12:54.379 --> 00:13:00.379 You cannot be further from God than the moment you utter those words. 00:13:02.059 --> 00:13:07.939 See, murderers, drug dealers, adulterers, people who lie or cheat or steal, 00:13:08.379 --> 00:13:11.200 those people are standing on the very threshold of the kingdom. 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:14.940 They may not know it. 00:13:16.420 --> 00:13:17.700 But they're right there. 00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:22.180 Because all they need is one moment of clarity. 00:13:22.820 --> 00:13:26.480 They need a fraction of a second to see the truth about themselves 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:28.900 and to realize that they are morally bankrupt. 00:13:28.899 --> 00:13:33.079 And all they need is that moment of clarity. 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:36.279 And as soon as that comes, the gospel will make sense to them 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:39.179 in a way that it never otherwise could. 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:43.019 That's all they need. 00:13:43.019 --> 00:13:48.139 So why do you think that Jesus spent so much time with sinners and tax collectors 00:13:48.139 --> 00:13:50.579 and adulterers and prostitutes? 00:13:52.059 --> 00:13:56.600 It's because of what he says in Luke chapter 5, verses 31 and 32. 00:13:56.759 --> 00:13:58.439 And just to paraphrase it, he says this. 00:13:58.699 --> 00:14:02.519 He says, listen, people who think that they're well don't need a doctor. 00:14:03.299 --> 00:14:04.220 They don't go to the doctor. 00:14:04.299 --> 00:14:05.240 They don't value a doctor. 00:14:06.139 --> 00:14:07.779 It's the people who know they're sick. 00:14:07.860 --> 00:14:09.399 Those are the kind of people who go to the doctor. 00:14:09.399 --> 00:14:15.939 So I, Jesus, I didn't come for the people who think that they're spiritually well. 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:19.959 I came for people who know that they're spiritually sick. 00:14:22.419 --> 00:14:24.240 Who know that they're spiritually dead. 00:14:25.159 --> 00:14:27.799 Those are the people I came to call. 00:14:27.860 --> 00:14:29.759 And he says to call them to repentance. 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:33.340 And see, repentance doesn't mean what we often think it means. 00:14:33.419 --> 00:14:36.699 We think that repentance is I'm sorry for the bad stuff 00:14:36.700 --> 00:14:39.080 and I'm going to, and now I'm going to try 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:41.240 and I'm going to try harder than I've ever tried before 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:42.660 and I'm going to commit to doing better. 00:14:44.420 --> 00:14:46.780 That's just another form of self-reliance. 00:14:46.900 --> 00:14:49.220 That's just another form of confidence in the flesh. 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:52.759 Repentance actually means abandoning our efforts 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:54.780 to live apart from God 00:14:54.780 --> 00:14:57.940 and abandoning our efforts to save ourselves. 00:14:57.940 --> 00:15:00.700 It means abandoning that entire project 00:15:00.700 --> 00:15:05.060 and instead throwing ourselves on God's mercy, 00:15:05.059 --> 00:15:07.619 which means knowing God doesn't owe me anything. 00:15:07.779 --> 00:15:09.059 He doesn't owe you anything. 00:15:10.319 --> 00:15:13.619 And it's appealing to God on the basis of His mercy, 00:15:14.299 --> 00:15:16.319 His desire to do for us what we don't deserve 00:15:16.319 --> 00:15:17.339 and can never repay. 00:15:18.679 --> 00:15:20.699 And it's realizing that in Jesus, 00:15:20.859 --> 00:15:22.619 God has given us everything 00:15:22.619 --> 00:15:25.919 and there's nothing more that we can have. 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:27.159 As Ephesians 1 says, 00:15:27.239 --> 00:15:29.679 that in Jesus we have every spiritual blessing. 00:15:29.859 --> 00:15:30.439 It's ours. 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:34.460 So we need to understand the implications 00:15:34.460 --> 00:15:35.580 of this first point 00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:38.000 before we move to the other side of the coin 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:41.960 of the futility of faith apart from Jesus. 00:15:43.340 --> 00:15:44.560 So for most of us, 00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:48.460 what keeps us from understanding the gospel, 00:15:48.640 --> 00:15:50.340 what keeps us out of the kingdom, 00:15:50.460 --> 00:15:51.800 what keeps us far from God 00:15:51.800 --> 00:15:53.680 is not actually our wickedness. 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:58.000 It's our perception of our own goodness. 00:15:59.599 --> 00:16:01.339 That's the most dangerous thing. 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:05.359 Just to kind of drive this point home, 00:16:05.559 --> 00:16:08.279 and the whole conversation of hell 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:09.419 is its own conversation, 00:16:09.959 --> 00:16:11.879 but typically in our country, 00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:15.719 there's been this kind of quasi-Christian idea 00:16:15.719 --> 00:16:17.079 that there's a heaven and there's a hell 00:16:17.079 --> 00:16:18.439 and the good people go to heaven 00:16:18.439 --> 00:16:19.719 and the bad people go to hell. 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:21.439 And so hell is filled with murderers 00:16:21.439 --> 00:16:22.959 and drug dealers and all those kind of people. 00:16:24.599 --> 00:16:26.459 I think that if Paul were here 00:16:26.459 --> 00:16:28.919 and if you were to ask him about hell, 00:16:29.959 --> 00:16:31.139 he would probably say 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:34.319 that it's going to be filled with people 00:16:34.319 --> 00:16:35.899 who were just doing their best 00:16:35.899 --> 00:16:37.120 to live by the golden rule. 00:16:39.339 --> 00:16:41.299 And it will come as a great shock 00:16:41.299 --> 00:16:43.959 when you look around the kingdom of heaven 00:16:43.959 --> 00:16:46.519 to see what kind of people ended up there. 00:16:48.659 --> 00:16:50.919 So this leads to our second point 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:52.279 because the more we come to see 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:54.199 the futility of faith apart from Christ, 00:16:54.500 --> 00:16:56.299 the more we begin to recognize, 00:16:56.419 --> 00:16:57.639 as Paul says in verse 8, 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:01.379 the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, 00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:03.539 which is the cornerstone of a joyful faith. 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:07.000 And Paul begins this second point 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:07.779 in an interesting way. 00:17:07.940 --> 00:17:09.879 He kind of gives us his spiritual resume. 00:17:10.660 --> 00:17:12.259 If you read verses 4 and 5, 00:17:12.319 --> 00:17:14.319 he sort of lays out his qualifications. 00:17:14.779 --> 00:17:16.139 And it's an amazing resume. 00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:17.800 He gives us his pedigree, 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:19.420 his credentials, 00:17:19.980 --> 00:17:20.940 his experience. 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:22.840 And again, culturally, 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:23.680 we need to understand 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:25.080 that what he's saying here, 00:17:25.540 --> 00:17:28.160 he is a paragon of religious virtue. 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:32.140 So he's the first century Jewish equivalent 00:17:32.140 --> 00:17:34.860 of the kind of person you might meet here 00:17:34.860 --> 00:17:37.080 who graduated top of their class 00:17:37.080 --> 00:17:38.100 from Harvard Law, 00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:40.040 they're clerking for the Supreme Court, 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:41.600 and they're ending world hunger 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:43.339 and working on a cure for cancer 00:17:43.339 --> 00:17:44.659 in their spare time. 00:17:44.740 --> 00:17:46.179 It's the kind of person that you meet 00:17:46.179 --> 00:17:46.559 and you think, 00:17:46.740 --> 00:17:47.439 this is a ridiculous, 00:17:47.740 --> 00:17:48.639 you're not even real. 00:17:49.139 --> 00:17:50.299 And you meet people like that here. 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:52.579 Well, Paul, religiously speaking, 00:17:52.679 --> 00:17:54.679 would have surpassed all of those people. 00:17:56.740 --> 00:17:58.740 And then look at what he says in verse 7. 00:17:59.919 --> 00:18:00.379 He says, 00:18:00.459 --> 00:18:02.579 but whatever gain I had, 00:18:02.599 --> 00:18:02.980 in other words, 00:18:03.199 --> 00:18:04.240 whatever positives, 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:05.699 whatever good stuff 00:18:05.699 --> 00:18:07.859 was on my resume, 00:18:07.859 --> 00:18:10.659 I counted as loss 00:18:10.659 --> 00:18:11.819 for the sake of Christ. 00:18:12.659 --> 00:18:13.419 Indeed, he says, 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:15.539 I count everything as loss 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:17.240 because of the surpassing worth 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:19.599 of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 00:18:19.819 --> 00:18:21.199 For His sake I've suffered 00:18:21.199 --> 00:18:22.679 the loss of all things 00:18:22.679 --> 00:18:24.740 and count them as rubbish 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:27.119 in order that I may gain Christ. 00:18:27.339 --> 00:18:28.199 Rubbish is, 00:18:28.399 --> 00:18:29.599 as the Bible tends to do, 00:18:29.659 --> 00:18:30.379 for whatever reason, 00:18:30.379 --> 00:18:32.059 a very sanitary word. 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:34.339 What he's actually talking about, 00:18:34.439 --> 00:18:36.039 the word literally translates 00:18:36.039 --> 00:18:37.259 human excrement. 00:18:38.179 --> 00:18:40.059 It's essentially a four-letter word, 00:18:40.259 --> 00:18:41.740 a bomb that he's dropping 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:42.639 in the middle of this passage. 00:18:42.740 --> 00:18:43.819 And it's the kind of word 00:18:43.819 --> 00:18:45.659 that if your average first-century Jew 00:18:45.659 --> 00:18:46.179 were to read it, 00:18:46.219 --> 00:18:46.899 they would be offended. 00:18:47.699 --> 00:18:48.619 They would be shocked. 00:18:49.199 --> 00:18:49.479 They would say, 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:49.740 Paul, 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:52.199 there was a line that's back here 00:18:52.199 --> 00:18:53.679 and you crossed it. 00:18:54.579 --> 00:18:55.899 We know that you're worked up, 00:18:55.939 --> 00:18:57.359 but you do not have to go that far. 00:18:57.419 --> 00:18:57.919 And Paul would say, 00:18:57.959 --> 00:18:58.399 no, I do, 00:18:58.459 --> 00:18:59.759 because you need to understand, 00:19:01.619 --> 00:19:02.939 you need to understand 00:19:02.939 --> 00:19:05.219 that there's no other word 00:19:05.220 --> 00:19:05.960 to describe 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:08.600 everything else 00:19:08.600 --> 00:19:09.759 compared with 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:10.940 the worth of knowing Jesus. 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:13.299 I need to use 00:19:13.299 --> 00:19:14.720 the most extreme word I can. 00:19:16.339 --> 00:19:16.980 And the reason, 00:19:17.180 --> 00:19:19.100 why is it so valuable 00:19:19.100 --> 00:19:20.259 to know Christ? 00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:21.839 Well, the reason is simple. 00:19:21.900 --> 00:19:22.720 It's because God 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:24.160 doesn't read resumes 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:25.160 the way we do. 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:28.860 To use that metaphor 00:19:28.860 --> 00:19:29.779 of a resume 00:19:29.779 --> 00:19:30.680 as representing 00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:32.180 your entire life, 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:33.579 God doesn't read resumes 00:19:33.579 --> 00:19:34.379 the way we do. 00:19:34.460 --> 00:19:35.139 What do I mean by that? 00:19:35.319 --> 00:19:36.399 Well, God doesn't have 00:19:36.399 --> 00:19:37.379 two columns, 00:19:38.399 --> 00:19:38.599 you know, 00:19:38.659 --> 00:19:39.599 where this is the kind of 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:40.679 pro column 00:19:40.679 --> 00:19:41.960 and this is the con column, 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:42.240 you know, 00:19:42.379 --> 00:19:43.179 and he doesn't list 00:19:43.179 --> 00:19:44.980 all of your positive traits 00:19:44.980 --> 00:19:46.339 and accomplishments here 00:19:46.339 --> 00:19:48.419 and all your negative stuff here 00:19:48.419 --> 00:19:49.599 and then sort of step back 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:50.879 and sort of tally it up 00:19:50.879 --> 00:19:52.519 and make a decision on you 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:54.059 based on how it comes out. 00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:56.779 That's Islam. 00:19:57.980 --> 00:19:59.059 That's how Islam works. 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:03.059 When God looks at the resume 00:20:03.059 --> 00:20:04.000 of our lives, 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:05.819 there's only one thing 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:06.399 that matters. 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:09.759 Whose name is on it? 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:12.759 Is it just your name 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:13.639 all by itself? 00:20:15.879 --> 00:20:17.299 That's confidence in the flesh. 00:20:18.399 --> 00:20:20.179 Or is Jesus' name on there? 00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:22.240 And that's the only thing 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:22.679 that matters 00:20:22.679 --> 00:20:23.099 because 00:20:23.099 --> 00:20:27.220 as you see in Paul's life, 00:20:27.220 --> 00:20:29.240 Paul had a massive realization 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:30.700 when he came face to face 00:20:30.700 --> 00:20:31.200 with Jesus 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:32.339 on the road to Emmaus. 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:33.700 When he realized 00:20:33.700 --> 00:20:34.600 who Jesus was, 00:20:34.660 --> 00:20:35.539 when he looked at the life 00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:36.500 that Jesus had lived 00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:37.720 and then he looked 00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:38.420 at his own resume 00:20:38.420 --> 00:20:40.059 and then he looked at Jesus 00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:41.000 and then he looked 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:41.700 at his own resume. 00:20:42.500 --> 00:20:43.920 He had a massive realization 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:46.240 that all of the good 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:46.839 that he thought 00:20:46.839 --> 00:20:47.839 he had done for God, 00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:48.500 all the things 00:20:48.500 --> 00:20:49.059 that he thought 00:20:49.059 --> 00:20:50.940 had impressed God, 00:20:51.039 --> 00:20:51.539 all the ways 00:20:51.539 --> 00:20:52.039 that he thought 00:20:52.039 --> 00:20:52.720 he had lived up 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:53.660 at least to God's 00:20:53.660 --> 00:20:54.360 minimum standards, 00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:55.299 that all of that 00:20:55.299 --> 00:20:56.660 was actually crap. 00:20:57.220 --> 00:20:59.519 Because there's only 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:00.660 one resume good enough 00:21:00.660 --> 00:21:01.559 to gain access 00:21:01.559 --> 00:21:02.700 to God and his kingdom, 00:21:02.940 --> 00:21:04.079 there's one life 00:21:04.079 --> 00:21:05.160 that passes muster 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:05.819 and that's Jesus. 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:11.019 And that's when Paul 00:21:11.019 --> 00:21:12.079 finally began 00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:13.220 to understand the gospel 00:21:13.220 --> 00:21:14.200 and came to faith. 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:16.660 Because the gospel 00:21:16.660 --> 00:21:17.640 is not about me 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:18.860 beefing up my resume. 00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:19.740 It's not about you 00:21:19.740 --> 00:21:20.779 beefing up your resume, 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:23.420 doing less bad stuff 00:21:23.420 --> 00:21:24.600 and doing more good stuff. 00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:25.500 It's not about that. 00:21:25.860 --> 00:21:26.200 People say, 00:21:26.200 --> 00:21:26.779 hey, I want to get serious 00:21:26.779 --> 00:21:27.360 about my faith. 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:28.600 I'm going to kind of shape up. 00:21:28.660 --> 00:21:29.420 I'm going to drink less. 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:30.279 I'm going to exercise more. 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:31.059 I'm going to go to church. 00:21:31.140 --> 00:21:31.860 I'm going to get involved. 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:32.759 No, no, no, no, no. 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:33.740 You're beefing up your resume. 00:21:34.059 --> 00:21:34.920 That's not what it's about. 00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:38.019 The gospel is this, 00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:38.880 that Jesus lived 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:40.080 a perfect life. 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:41.460 If you think that you're good, 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:42.640 compare yourself to him. 00:21:43.120 --> 00:21:43.580 People say, 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:44.720 well, I follow Jesus. 00:21:44.840 --> 00:21:45.500 He's the example. 00:21:45.620 --> 00:21:46.640 He sets the example for me. 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:48.360 Jesus is a horrendous example. 00:21:49.819 --> 00:21:51.100 Try to follow his example 00:21:51.100 --> 00:21:52.200 and see how it goes for you. 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:54.519 Jesus lived a perfect life 00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:55.720 and then he died on the cross 00:21:55.720 --> 00:21:57.700 to pay for all of the sin, 00:21:57.819 --> 00:21:58.480 all of the ways 00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:59.600 that we fall short of that 00:21:59.600 --> 00:22:00.840 and then he rose to life again 00:22:00.840 --> 00:22:01.819 and then he extends 00:22:01.819 --> 00:22:02.660 this invitation. 00:22:03.600 --> 00:22:04.380 Here's the invitation 00:22:04.380 --> 00:22:04.779 of the gospel. 00:22:05.100 --> 00:22:06.059 Take your resume, 00:22:06.700 --> 00:22:08.080 take all the bad stuff, 00:22:08.360 --> 00:22:10.039 but also all of the good stuff. 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:11.460 Take your greatest accomplishments, 00:22:11.840 --> 00:22:12.680 all the orphanage 00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:14.440 that you started in Africa, 00:22:14.700 --> 00:22:15.799 all the things that you've done, 00:22:16.039 --> 00:22:17.640 take all of that, 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:19.759 crumple it up, 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:21.660 throw it in the trash 00:22:21.660 --> 00:22:23.619 and then what he does is 00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:24.779 he puts your name 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:25.660 on his resume. 00:22:27.680 --> 00:22:28.980 Your name goes on there. 00:22:31.099 --> 00:22:32.420 This is what Paul means 00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:33.299 when he talks about 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:34.599 in verses eight and nine, 00:22:34.680 --> 00:22:35.339 he says that he wants 00:22:35.339 --> 00:22:36.539 to gain Christ 00:22:36.539 --> 00:22:38.680 and be found in him. 00:22:38.779 --> 00:22:39.519 What that means is 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:40.279 that when the father 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:42.019 looks at you, 00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:43.839 he doesn't see just you. 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:45.940 He sees you in Christ. 00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:46.519 In other words, 00:22:46.779 --> 00:22:47.940 you have one resume 00:22:47.940 --> 00:22:49.340 between the two of you. 00:22:49.440 --> 00:22:51.279 Your lives have merged. 00:22:51.460 --> 00:22:52.400 All of your good, 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:53.700 bad, and ugly is gone. 00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:54.580 It's eradicated. 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:56.299 And what replaces that 00:22:56.299 --> 00:22:57.640 is Jesus' life. 00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:00.000 And Paul says, 00:23:00.100 --> 00:23:01.580 I want to be found in him, 00:23:02.320 --> 00:23:04.340 not having a righteousness 00:23:04.340 --> 00:23:05.920 of my own 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:06.880 that comes from the law. 00:23:06.920 --> 00:23:07.220 In other words, 00:23:07.259 --> 00:23:08.299 not having my own resume, 00:23:09.420 --> 00:23:11.220 but that which comes 00:23:11.220 --> 00:23:12.640 through faith in Christ, 00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:14.080 the righteousness from God, 00:23:14.080 --> 00:23:16.080 that depends on faith. 00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:20.220 And once Paul realizes that, 00:23:20.279 --> 00:23:21.000 he comes to see 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:22.400 that there's only one thing 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:23.860 that really matters in life, 00:23:23.960 --> 00:23:25.779 and that is knowing Jesus Christ. 00:23:28.039 --> 00:23:28.880 Knowing him, 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:30.799 even as we are in him, 00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:31.820 knowing more of him, 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:33.100 experiencing more of him. 00:23:33.320 --> 00:23:34.220 So this is why he says 00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:35.660 in verse 10 and 11, 00:23:35.860 --> 00:23:36.180 he says, 00:23:36.580 --> 00:23:37.480 that I may know him 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:39.220 and the power of his resurrection 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:41.320 and may share in his sufferings, 00:23:41.700 --> 00:23:43.460 becoming like him in his death, 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:45.320 that by any means possible 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:47.240 I may attain the resurrection 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:49.439 from the dead. 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:50.439 What's he saying here? 00:23:51.079 --> 00:23:52.059 I want to become 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:53.099 what my resume says 00:23:53.099 --> 00:23:53.819 I already am. 00:23:55.419 --> 00:23:56.700 How amazing is that? 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:57.919 That if you're in Christ 00:23:57.919 --> 00:23:58.619 and you read, 00:23:58.700 --> 00:24:00.939 you look at this incredible life 00:24:00.939 --> 00:24:02.379 that Jesus lived 00:24:02.379 --> 00:24:03.599 and continues to live, 00:24:03.659 --> 00:24:05.339 this incredible ministry 00:24:05.339 --> 00:24:05.839 that he had, 00:24:05.899 --> 00:24:07.319 the incredible way 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:08.500 that he interacted with people. 00:24:09.439 --> 00:24:10.759 When you look at all of that, 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:12.859 the kind of patience 00:24:12.859 --> 00:24:13.799 and kindness 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:15.819 and yet single-minded devotion 00:24:15.819 --> 00:24:16.319 to the truth 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:17.959 and love and generosity, 00:24:18.159 --> 00:24:18.899 the kind of humility, 00:24:19.240 --> 00:24:20.039 the kind of sacrifice, 00:24:20.159 --> 00:24:20.839 and you look at those things 00:24:20.839 --> 00:24:21.159 and you say, 00:24:21.419 --> 00:24:22.439 I want those things 00:24:22.439 --> 00:24:23.379 to be true of me 00:24:23.379 --> 00:24:24.299 because this says 00:24:24.299 --> 00:24:24.939 that they are. 00:24:27.019 --> 00:24:28.599 This is how God sees me. 00:24:29.500 --> 00:24:32.079 I want to experience myself 00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:33.379 the way God sees me. 00:24:34.479 --> 00:24:35.639 That's what Paul's saying. 00:24:36.959 --> 00:24:38.539 So this is why Christians 00:24:38.539 --> 00:24:39.779 make our lives about 00:24:39.779 --> 00:24:41.219 loving and serving other people. 00:24:41.220 --> 00:24:43.339 It's why we try to cultivate virtues 00:24:43.339 --> 00:24:44.279 like humility 00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:45.660 and kindness 00:24:45.660 --> 00:24:47.079 and gentleness 00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:49.579 and other-oriented love. 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:51.400 This is why we gather together 00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:52.019 for worship. 00:24:52.200 --> 00:24:53.440 This is why we read the Bible 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:55.039 and try to conform our lives to it. 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:57.180 We don't do these things 00:24:57.180 --> 00:24:58.240 to impress God. 00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:02.440 God's not impressible. 00:25:04.579 --> 00:25:05.740 We do these things 00:25:05.740 --> 00:25:06.839 because these are things 00:25:06.839 --> 00:25:08.160 that allow us to become 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:09.540 and to experience 00:25:09.540 --> 00:25:12.100 what our resumes 00:25:12.100 --> 00:25:13.320 already say we are. 00:25:14.120 --> 00:25:15.519 We're trying to experience 00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:16.640 what is already true. 00:25:18.460 --> 00:25:19.240 These are things 00:25:19.240 --> 00:25:20.160 that draw us closer 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:22.000 and closer to Jesus 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:23.080 and help us become 00:25:23.080 --> 00:25:24.920 more and more like Him. 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:26.940 So we do what we do 00:25:26.940 --> 00:25:28.340 out of gratitude to God 00:25:28.340 --> 00:25:29.700 and it's the joy 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:30.660 that comes from knowing 00:25:30.660 --> 00:25:32.019 that no matter what we do, 00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:35.599 you could go out 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:36.059 of these doors 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:38.319 and absolutely screw up. 00:25:39.819 --> 00:25:40.799 Use your imagination. 00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:43.519 Or you could go out 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:45.180 and sell all that you have 00:25:45.180 --> 00:25:46.720 just like the Bible says 00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:48.400 and quit your job 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:48.960 and move 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:50.039 and spend the rest of your days 00:25:50.039 --> 00:25:51.220 loving and serving 00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:52.240 the least of these 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:54.400 and God's not going to love you 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:55.180 one degree more 00:25:55.180 --> 00:25:57.099 or one degree less 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:58.299 than He loves you 00:25:58.299 --> 00:25:59.400 at this very moment. 00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:01.820 Do those things. 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:02.440 They're great 00:26:02.440 --> 00:26:03.500 but you're not doing them 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:04.280 to gain God's love. 00:26:04.360 --> 00:26:04.840 You're doing them 00:26:04.840 --> 00:26:06.180 because you have God's love 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:08.380 and you're wanting 00:26:08.380 --> 00:26:09.160 to experience 00:26:09.160 --> 00:26:11.560 the full meaning of that 00:26:11.560 --> 00:26:12.560 in your life. 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:13.700 So this has implications 00:26:13.700 --> 00:26:14.400 for all of us. 00:26:14.440 --> 00:26:15.259 I think it has implications 00:26:15.259 --> 00:26:16.420 certainly for Christians 00:26:16.420 --> 00:26:18.240 but also for non-Christians alike 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:20.220 because for those of us 00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:21.080 who are Christians, 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:23.360 I think that it is so easy 00:26:23.360 --> 00:26:24.480 especially when we are 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:25.220 part of a church 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:26.580 where we have a lot of 00:26:26.580 --> 00:26:28.180 we use a liturgy, 00:26:28.300 --> 00:26:28.920 there's lots of 00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:29.500 back and forth, 00:26:29.580 --> 00:26:30.480 there's lots of 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:31.519 outward symbols 00:26:31.519 --> 00:26:32.300 and signs 00:26:32.300 --> 00:26:33.080 and sacraments 00:26:33.080 --> 00:26:33.840 that we use 00:26:33.840 --> 00:26:35.360 to form ourselves 00:26:35.360 --> 00:26:36.800 and this is a part 00:26:36.800 --> 00:26:37.620 of our spirituality 00:26:37.620 --> 00:26:40.180 but with all the external 00:26:40.180 --> 00:26:41.539 aspects of our worship 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:42.620 it's so easy to think 00:26:42.620 --> 00:26:43.539 that that's what it's about. 00:26:45.019 --> 00:26:46.000 That God's somehow 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:46.660 keeping track 00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:47.180 of how often 00:26:47.180 --> 00:26:47.940 you come to church 00:26:47.940 --> 00:26:51.140 and that His approval 00:26:51.140 --> 00:26:52.039 is based on that. 00:26:53.980 --> 00:26:54.720 It's so easy 00:26:54.720 --> 00:26:55.940 to fall into this mentality 00:26:55.940 --> 00:26:57.660 to begin thinking 00:26:57.660 --> 00:26:58.820 well I do my part 00:26:58.820 --> 00:27:00.600 I do the minimum standard 00:27:00.600 --> 00:27:01.200 and then I hope 00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:02.160 that God does His part. 00:27:02.500 --> 00:27:02.759 And listen, 00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:03.640 that kind of religion 00:27:03.640 --> 00:27:04.680 is very popular. 00:27:04.820 --> 00:27:05.340 There are a lot of people 00:27:05.340 --> 00:27:05.860 in our country 00:27:05.860 --> 00:27:06.660 who I think 00:27:06.660 --> 00:27:07.720 think that they're Christians 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:09.220 and that's how they would 00:27:09.220 --> 00:27:10.060 define their faith. 00:27:11.300 --> 00:27:12.580 And it's very attractive 00:27:12.580 --> 00:27:13.580 because it fits 00:27:13.580 --> 00:27:14.360 into your life 00:27:14.360 --> 00:27:14.920 pretty well. 00:27:15.380 --> 00:27:16.140 We're DC people 00:27:16.140 --> 00:27:17.279 we have really busy lives 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:18.660 there's not a lot of room 00:27:18.660 --> 00:27:19.400 for religion 00:27:19.400 --> 00:27:21.100 and so this kind of faith 00:27:21.100 --> 00:27:21.720 will fit in 00:27:21.720 --> 00:27:22.440 just right 00:27:22.440 --> 00:27:23.660 next to the internship 00:27:23.660 --> 00:27:24.380 and the classes 00:27:24.380 --> 00:27:24.940 and the job 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:25.539 it fits in 00:27:25.539 --> 00:27:26.600 it doesn't ask 00:27:26.600 --> 00:27:27.320 too much of you 00:27:27.320 --> 00:27:28.539 it's something 00:27:28.539 --> 00:27:29.259 that you can kind of 00:27:29.259 --> 00:27:30.240 leave and come back to 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:31.080 depending on how much 00:27:31.080 --> 00:27:31.740 time and energy 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:32.660 you have to give it 00:27:32.660 --> 00:27:34.940 but it'll never 00:27:34.940 --> 00:27:35.720 change your life. 00:27:37.059 --> 00:27:37.880 You'll never 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:38.820 even taste 00:27:38.820 --> 00:27:39.779 the kind of joy 00:27:39.779 --> 00:27:41.820 that Paul talks about 00:27:41.820 --> 00:27:44.680 and you'll never 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:45.860 actually have a relationship 00:27:45.860 --> 00:27:47.380 with any real God 00:27:47.380 --> 00:27:48.620 you'll have a relationship 00:27:48.620 --> 00:27:49.360 with a kind of 00:27:49.360 --> 00:27:50.640 divine imaginary friend. 00:27:50.640 --> 00:27:54.000 So if you're not sure 00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:54.660 to what extent 00:27:54.660 --> 00:27:55.420 you may have slipped 00:27:55.420 --> 00:27:56.860 into this mindset 00:27:56.860 --> 00:27:58.540 just consider some 00:27:58.540 --> 00:27:59.700 diagnostic questions. 00:28:00.360 --> 00:28:00.759 First of all 00:28:00.759 --> 00:28:01.560 what motivates you 00:28:01.560 --> 00:28:02.120 in your faith? 00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:04.600 What motivates you? 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:05.320 Are you motivated 00:28:05.320 --> 00:28:06.400 by a sense of obligation 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:07.500 of duty 00:28:07.500 --> 00:28:08.980 of guilt 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:10.480 of fear 00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:13.259 or are you motivated 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:13.920 by gratitude? 00:28:16.100 --> 00:28:17.160 Does your faith 00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:18.900 feel like it restricts you 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:19.320 or do you have 00:28:19.320 --> 00:28:20.120 a sense of freedom? 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:23.360 Do you only pray 00:28:23.360 --> 00:28:24.320 when you want something? 00:28:24.420 --> 00:28:25.100 Do you only pray 00:28:25.100 --> 00:28:26.220 to petition God 00:28:26.220 --> 00:28:27.300 or are there ever times 00:28:27.300 --> 00:28:27.900 when you pray 00:28:27.900 --> 00:28:29.320 just to be in God's presence 00:28:29.320 --> 00:28:30.700 just to know His presence? 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:34.640 When things go wrong 00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:35.460 do you get angry? 00:28:35.600 --> 00:28:36.000 Do you say 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:36.980 God you let me down 00:28:36.980 --> 00:28:37.860 I did my part 00:28:37.860 --> 00:28:38.420 now why aren't you 00:28:38.420 --> 00:28:39.020 doing your part? 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:40.980 I did all these things 00:28:40.980 --> 00:28:41.360 for you 00:28:41.360 --> 00:28:42.300 I even prayed 00:28:42.300 --> 00:28:43.060 in the right way 00:28:43.060 --> 00:28:44.340 that I'm supposed to pray 00:28:44.340 --> 00:28:45.180 and still nothing? 00:28:46.640 --> 00:28:47.500 Or do you struggle 00:28:47.500 --> 00:28:48.240 through that hardship 00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:49.020 but do you struggle 00:28:49.020 --> 00:28:50.000 knowing and trusting 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:51.420 that God is in control 00:28:51.420 --> 00:28:52.339 and that's a good thing? 00:28:54.660 --> 00:28:55.059 Right? 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:56.400 When people criticize you 00:28:56.400 --> 00:28:57.380 how do you respond 00:28:57.380 --> 00:28:57.960 to criticism? 00:28:59.839 --> 00:29:01.119 Does it devastate you? 00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:03.539 Do you work hard 00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:04.079 to defend 00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:04.640 and justify 00:29:04.640 --> 00:29:05.359 that idea 00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:06.299 that people have of you 00:29:06.299 --> 00:29:07.000 the person that 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:08.160 they think that you are? 00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:09.720 Do you prop that up 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:10.240 and make sure 00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:11.059 that it's unassailable? 00:29:12.460 --> 00:29:13.359 Or have you had 00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:14.200 the kind of breakthrough 00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:14.980 that Paul had 00:29:14.980 --> 00:29:15.700 where he realized 00:29:15.700 --> 00:29:16.740 that he's completely 00:29:16.740 --> 00:29:17.619 morally 00:29:17.619 --> 00:29:18.639 and spiritually bankrupt? 00:29:19.199 --> 00:29:20.539 That his entire identity 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:20.979 is something 00:29:20.979 --> 00:29:21.599 that's been given 00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:22.439 to him by Jesus 00:29:22.439 --> 00:29:23.779 and because of that 00:29:23.779 --> 00:29:24.899 his true identity 00:29:24.899 --> 00:29:25.559 is unassailable. 00:29:28.379 --> 00:29:29.299 So these are things 00:29:29.299 --> 00:29:29.959 that we as Christians 00:29:29.959 --> 00:29:30.839 should be thinking about. 00:29:30.979 --> 00:29:31.279 Lastly 00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:32.079 just for those 00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:32.799 who may not be sure 00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:33.579 what you believe 00:29:33.579 --> 00:29:36.479 what we're talking about 00:29:36.479 --> 00:29:37.159 here this evening 00:29:37.159 --> 00:29:37.979 this is actually 00:29:37.979 --> 00:29:38.419 the thing 00:29:38.419 --> 00:29:38.799 that makes 00:29:38.799 --> 00:29:39.879 Christianity unique. 00:29:41.119 --> 00:29:41.939 This is actually 00:29:41.939 --> 00:29:42.639 the thing that 00:29:42.639 --> 00:29:44.019 this is the reason 00:29:44.019 --> 00:29:44.779 why Christians 00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:45.979 not because we want 00:29:45.979 --> 00:29:46.679 to be closed minded 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:47.500 or not because we want 00:29:47.500 --> 00:29:48.019 to be intense 00:29:48.019 --> 00:29:48.640 about these things 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:49.820 but just working out 00:29:49.820 --> 00:29:50.539 the implications 00:29:50.539 --> 00:29:51.640 this is why Christians 00:29:51.640 --> 00:29:53.019 believe that salvation 00:29:53.019 --> 00:29:53.920 is only possible 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:54.560 through Jesus. 00:29:55.440 --> 00:29:56.360 And it's simply this 00:29:56.360 --> 00:29:57.220 that if you compare 00:29:57.220 --> 00:29:58.120 this to other 00:29:58.120 --> 00:29:59.539 religious approaches 00:29:59.539 --> 00:30:01.400 most other religions 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:02.299 say some form 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:03.120 of the same thing. 00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:03.600 They say 00:30:03.600 --> 00:30:05.279 I obey 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:06.560 therefore I'm accepted. 00:30:08.259 --> 00:30:09.820 I do the things 00:30:09.820 --> 00:30:12.160 and then I'm embraced 00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:12.720 by God 00:30:12.720 --> 00:30:14.000 or I attain nirvana 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:14.820 or enlightenment 00:30:14.820 --> 00:30:15.320 or whatever. 00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:17.000 I obey 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:17.740 therefore I'm accepted. 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:18.299 The gospel says 00:30:18.299 --> 00:30:18.740 the opposite. 00:30:19.740 --> 00:30:20.000 It says 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:21.000 I'm accepted 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:22.119 therefore I 00:30:22.119 --> 00:30:23.419 I obey. 00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:24.899 I'm accepted 00:30:24.899 --> 00:30:26.379 I'm embraced 00:30:26.379 --> 00:30:27.619 and in fact 00:30:27.619 --> 00:30:28.139 we believe 00:30:28.139 --> 00:30:29.119 that the only way 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:29.779 that I can even 00:30:29.779 --> 00:30:30.759 begin to approach 00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:31.899 obeying God 00:30:31.899 --> 00:30:33.500 is if I'm doing it 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:34.240 in the context 00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:35.240 of his embrace 00:30:35.240 --> 00:30:37.259 in the context 00:30:37.259 --> 00:30:39.119 of his love. 00:30:39.939 --> 00:30:40.779 That that is the place 00:30:40.779 --> 00:30:41.559 where the Christian life 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:42.339 is meant to be lived 00:30:42.339 --> 00:30:43.339 in the embrace 00:30:43.339 --> 00:30:43.819 of God. 00:30:47.319 --> 00:30:48.059 God has made 00:30:48.059 --> 00:30:48.980 this amazing way 00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:49.779 for us to know him 00:30:49.779 --> 00:30:51.000 and to know his love 00:30:51.000 --> 00:30:51.879 right here and now 00:30:51.879 --> 00:30:53.000 not by committing 00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:53.779 to getting your life 00:30:53.779 --> 00:30:54.319 back together 00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:55.419 but by simply 00:30:55.419 --> 00:30:56.279 coming to him 00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:57.500 throwing away 00:30:57.500 --> 00:30:58.000 your resume 00:30:58.000 --> 00:30:59.599 and asking Jesus 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:01.459 to add your name 00:31:01.459 --> 00:31:03.659 to the countless others 00:31:03.659 --> 00:31:05.439 who have been taken 00:31:05.439 --> 00:31:06.500 into his body 00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:07.980 into his identity 00:31:07.980 --> 00:31:10.779 being grounded in that 00:31:10.779 --> 00:31:11.619 and then beginning 00:31:11.619 --> 00:31:12.599 to figure out 00:31:12.599 --> 00:31:13.359 what that means 00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:14.239 about your life. 00:31:15.419 --> 00:31:16.239 So this is what 00:31:16.239 --> 00:31:17.119 Paul is saying here 00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:18.199 and this is the foundation 00:31:18.199 --> 00:31:18.799 of our faith. 00:31:18.899 --> 00:31:19.479 The more we come 00:31:19.479 --> 00:31:20.319 to see the futility 00:31:20.319 --> 00:31:20.859 of faith 00:31:20.859 --> 00:31:22.219 of any faith 00:31:22.219 --> 00:31:23.519 apart from Jesus 00:31:23.519 --> 00:31:26.259 the more we will then 00:31:26.259 --> 00:31:26.739 come to see 00:31:26.739 --> 00:31:27.959 the surpassing worth 00:31:27.959 --> 00:31:28.739 of faith 00:31:28.739 --> 00:31:30.099 in Christ Jesus 00:31:30.099 --> 00:31:31.919 and the more 00:31:31.919 --> 00:31:32.539 that happens 00:31:32.539 --> 00:31:33.279 the more we will 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:34.239 actually begin 00:31:34.239 --> 00:31:35.319 to experience 00:31:35.319 --> 00:31:37.099 the joy that comes 00:31:37.099 --> 00:31:37.799 from knowing 00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:39.379 Christ Jesus. 00:31:39.380 --> 00:31:43.200 Lord we ask you 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:45.320 as these are 00:31:45.320 --> 00:31:47.260 words that have 00:31:47.260 --> 00:31:48.020 to be empowered 00:31:48.020 --> 00:31:48.920 by your spirit 00:31:48.920 --> 00:31:50.020 and driven 00:31:50.020 --> 00:31:50.740 into our hearts 00:31:50.740 --> 00:31:51.560 we ask that you 00:31:51.560 --> 00:31:52.980 would do that. 00:31:53.780 --> 00:31:54.840 Paul recognized 00:31:54.840 --> 00:31:56.080 that so much 00:31:56.080 --> 00:31:57.400 hangs on us 00:31:57.400 --> 00:31:58.260 understanding 00:31:58.260 --> 00:31:58.820 the gospel 00:31:58.820 --> 00:31:59.960 for what it really is. 00:32:01.640 --> 00:32:02.720 I pray that you 00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:04.100 would give this power 00:32:04.100 --> 00:32:05.320 that whatever is 00:32:05.320 --> 00:32:05.920 from you 00:32:05.920 --> 00:32:06.660 you would take it 00:32:06.660 --> 00:32:07.220 and you would drive 00:32:07.220 --> 00:32:08.019 it into our hearts 00:32:08.019 --> 00:32:09.600 as deep as it can go 00:32:09.600 --> 00:32:10.819 and that it would 00:32:10.819 --> 00:32:11.640 begin to produce 00:32:11.640 --> 00:32:12.539 life there 00:32:12.539 --> 00:32:13.319 that it would set us 00:32:13.319 --> 00:32:14.660 free from guilt 00:32:14.660 --> 00:32:15.220 or sin 00:32:15.220 --> 00:32:15.960 or obligation 00:32:15.960 --> 00:32:16.839 those of us 00:32:16.839 --> 00:32:17.279 who struggle 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:17.779 with that 00:32:17.779 --> 00:32:19.360 or that it would 00:32:19.360 --> 00:32:20.240 shake those of us 00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:21.539 who are complacent 00:32:21.539 --> 00:32:24.000 that it would shake 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:24.519 us out of our 00:32:24.519 --> 00:32:25.180 complacency 00:32:25.180 --> 00:32:25.640 that we would 00:32:25.640 --> 00:32:26.880 recognize the import 00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:30.259 of this opportunity 00:32:30.259 --> 00:32:30.819 and that Lord 00:32:30.819 --> 00:32:31.700 we would respond 00:32:31.700 --> 00:32:33.319 in full faith. 00:32:34.120 --> 00:32:34.900 We pray this 00:32:34.900 --> 00:32:35.279 in the name of 00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:36.259 your son Jesus Christ. 00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:36.680 Amen.