profit and loss

Philippians 3:1-11

I don’t know what it is about the end of the year, or the aftermath of the Christmas season, that provokes a sort of introspection.  For me, it’s always been somewhat of a  depressing time of year.  My birthday comes the day after Christmas, and when I was a kid I sometimes felt like because of the date it didn’t get quite the attention that I thought it deserved.  And now that I’m getting to the age when I don’t want to be reminded of how old I am, it seems that Christmas, my birthday, and the New Year can be sort of like a triple whammy.

Even a few of the popular Christmas songs seem to promote a sort of melancholy introspection.  John Lennon wrote a song called War is Over, which has never been a favorite of mine, but which seems to play on the radio once every three minutes.  And there is a line in that song which says, “so this is Christmas, and what have you done, another year over, and a new one’s just begun.”

I don’t know what sort of new year resolutions  you may be considering as we enter into this new year.  If you’re like me, you probably want to lose a few pounds, or begin a new exercise program that you hope you can actually stick to for more than a few days.  They say this is the time of the year when gym memberships soar, and more sales of exercise equipment happen than at any other time of the year.  Unfortunately, most of it will be sitting out in the front lawn in a yard sale by the end of the summer.  Most of us are just not that good at keeping New Year’s resolutions.

And I think the reason most of us fail in our resolutions is because before there can be any lasting resolution, there must be an internal revolution.  This is the problem with most people’s concept of getting religion or going to church.  There is perhaps a recognition that something needs to change in their lives, but simply trying in their own power to turn over a new leaf doesn’t seem to have lasting results.  Many people are just trying to exchange one set of external conditions for another set of external conditions.  But the difference between adopting Christianity as a religion or turning over a new leaf, and being born again, is that in real salvation there is an encounter with Christ which results in an internal metamorphosis.

As we look at this passage today, Paul is giving us a picture of his own personal metamorphosis.  We know the story of his conversion as recorded in Acts, being on the road to Damascus and having the light of the glory of the Lord fall upon him and blinding him, and hearing the voice of Jesus call out, “Paul, Paul, why are you persecuting me?”  And Paul answers, “Who are you?”  And the voice responds, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”  And for Paul in that moment, though he is blind, yet spiritually he now sees.  He believes in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, as the Son of God and is converted.  And yet there is not a lot of information as to the details of that conversion.  So here in Philippians Paul is fleshing his conversion out in a way that can be very instructive for us today.

The passage can be broken down into a kind of profit and loss statement.  If you own a business, you might be inclined to look at your financial results in terms of a profit and loss statement.  Even if you don’t have  a personal business, you may still find yourself evaluating your progress in some way or another, much like the song by John Lennon: another year is over, what have you done?  What did you accomplish this year?  What did you gain? What did you lose?  Where are you now in regards to where you were a year ago? And how much more important is it for us to consider what we have done from an eternal perspective?  What have we done in our lives that will count as far as God is concerned?   So I hope that as you consider Paul’s profit and loss statement, it will prompt you to consider your own profit or loss in relation to the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus asked the question in Matt. 16:24, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” My hope is that after we have finished with this message, you will have determined that which is profitable in the eyes of God and that which is worthless.  And that we will order our lives according to what God tells us is profitable.

So first Paul is going to list 7 things that he once thought was worthwhile, he once thought made brownie points with God, and now since his conversion he realizes are worthless, compared to the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ.

Number one, starting in verse 5, his circumcision.  He lists this first undoubtedly because this was the big one for the false teachers.  These Jewish teachers were saying that basically you needed to become a proselyte of Israel in order to really be accepted by God.  Faith plus circumcision.  And Paul says, I too was circumcised on the eighth day.  This was the standard for children born to Hebrew parents.  And as I said last week, it became a standard of Jewish nationality.  You were either of the circumcision or you were an uncircumcised dog, a Gentile.  And circumcision had lost all it’s spiritual significance.  It was a fleshly mark by which they determined acceptance into their culture, but it had no real spiritual significance.  It was just a religious ritual, done even before they had a chance to know what was happening to them, and somehow they thought that this would guarantee them a place in the kingdom of heaven.

The fact is, the church is still practicing certain rituals today that have lost all spiritual significance, but people are trusting in them to add some sort of credibility or acceptance with God.  Baptism is very often in many denominations added to salvation by faith alone as a requirement for acceptance with God.  In some cases they even practice infant baptism, the same idea that was happening in Paul’s day with infant circumcision.  The baby has no concept of what is being done, and yet they are teaching that baptism of the infant is a means of placing the child within the blessing of God.  Circumcision was a symbol of a need for an inward cutting away of sinful flesh. And as a symbol it could never save.  Baptism is a symbol of an inward change from death to life, and as a symbol it can never save.  The sacraments like the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, are a symbol, a picture of Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sins, but it is only a symbol in remembrance of what Christ did.  But if you haven’t personally appropriated what Christ did on the cross for yourself, then just the picture alone can never save you.  Paul counted circumcision as a loss.

Secondly, Paul says he is “of the nation of Israel.”  The name Israel, you remember, was the name God changed Jacob’s name to.  He became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel, which became a great nation as God had promised to his grandfather Abraham.  They were called the chosen people, God’s chosen people.  And Israelites trusted in their nationality as a means of belonging to the family of God.

There is some similarity in this claim to what we find happening here in America as well in the 21st century.  We somehow believe that Americans have managed to secure a larger portion of God’s grace than the rest of the world.  I am afraid that we have a superior view  of our nationality.  We think as Christians we deserve an American version of the blessings of God.  Our idea of what it means to be an American Christian is to enjoy a four bedroom, 3 ½ bath, brick two story house with a two car garage and new cars and all the toys and gadgets that modern ingenuity can provide.  Our view of Christianity is completely different than what Christianity looks like in virtually every other country in the world.  And I can assure you that such a view is seriously flawed and not supported anywhere in the Bible.  Christianity does not assure one of the American dream.

Thirdly, Paul says, “of the tribe of Benjamin.”  And this had many implications.  It was a point of pride that he could even support his lineage.  Not all Jews could trace back their lineage due to the fact that during the exile they had lost records or intermarried.  And so it was  a big deal in Jewish society to be able to say you were of the tribe of Benjamin.  Benjamin, if you remember, was the favorite son of Jacob, and is home to it’s greatest city,  Jerusalem.

It’s not hard to make a modern day association with this, is it?  How many times today do we hear that someone “comes from a good family?”  That the person is of the right kind of pedigree?  How many of us have determined our religion by what our kind of religion our parents adhered to.  We go to certain churches because our parents went to that church, or our grandparents are buried in the grave yard.  Family lineage, Paul says, goes in the loss column.

Fourthly, Paul says he was a “Hebrew of Hebrews”.  And this is taking the previous claim just a little bit further.  It means his parents were Hebrews and raised him to speak Hebrew and observe the Hebrew customs.  They sent him to the best Hebrew schools; he was trained by Gamaliel, one of the most revered teachers of the law.
Today, someone might be born of devout Christian parents, gone to Christian schools, Christian universities, trained in every facet of Christianity.  It’s counted as loss.

Fifthly, Paul says, “as to law, a Pharisee.”  This referred to a sect of Jews that adhered to the letter of the law in a ultra strict way.  Jesus said that they even  tithed of the mint, dill and cumin in their herb garden.  They measured and weighed everything to the nth degree in an effort to keep the letter of the law.  They were the religious leaders of Judaism.

In my own family, I know of people like this.  They have taken strict standards and made them even stricter, even more outlandish, in an effort to be exceedingly righteous. And in our society today, we all know many people who we may describe as good people, they are involved in many worthwhile charities and endeavors.  Sometimes to the point of making Christians embarrassed we don’t do nearly enough.  And yet Paul says this too was merely rubbish.

A man once remarked to R.A. Torrey following a message about the need to be born again, “I know some people who make no pretense of being a Christian but live fine, upright lives, they are kind and generous.  But I also know people who say they are Christians and yet live less exemplary lives.”  And Dr. Torrey replied, “It’s a matter of what state they are in.”  And he drew a square on the dust of the floor and said, “the rectangle represents the state of unregeneracy. Let’s say it’s the state of Colorado.  And one many might live high on the top of a mountain and another might live at sea level, and another man might be working down at the bottom  of a mine.  But all three men are in the state of unregeneracy.   One person might live on the mountains of morality, one might live an ordinary life, and another might live in the pit of debauchery, but all are in an unregenerate state.  We are all born in that state.

Dr. Torrey traced another rectangle and continued. “This is the state of regeneracy.  The only way out of the state of unregeneracy into the state of regeneracy is by being born again.  In the state of regeneracy one might live on the high mountain of spirituality, another might live a very average Christian life, and another might be backslidden and living a very carnal life.  But all are living in the state of regeneracy.  Outwardly, it may look like the man in the regenerate state but carnal condition might be compared unfavorably with the moral man living on the mountain in the unregenerate state,  but the fact is that one is unregenerate, and one is not.  The man living in the unregenerate state is devoid of spiritual life, no matter how moral he is.  The backslider is living in a state of spiritual life, though for the time being it is not evident. It all depends upon which state you are in.  The only way to pass from one state to another is by the gift of righteousness which comes only through Christ.”

Next, Paul says, “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church.”  Paul had been locking up and persecuting Christians even unto death.  Now that was zeal.  He took his religion so seriously that he was willing to kill for it.   And the modern equivalent of that is sincerity.  How many times have we been taught that you can believe whatever you want as long as you’re sincere, God will honor that.   You can be sincere, but sincerely wrong.

And finally, Paul says, “as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.” Jesus said of the Pharisees that they kept the law to be seen of men.  They wanted to be praised for their works, that was the motivation behind doing them.  And isn’t that the case more often than not in the church today?  It’s like the way I clean house.  I don’t really clean house very often.  My wife works to keep the house clean and the beds made and the dishes washed for all five of us.  But I have learned that if I am going to bend over and pick something up off the floor, it doesn’t really count unless she sees me do it.  So I make sure that I don’t pick anything up unless she is there to witness it.  Otherwise, it’s as if I didn’t actually do it.  And I’m afraid that we approach our Christianity that way too.  We want to be seen of men. We want to be sure to keep up appearances, and so we structure our lives to be seen by men.  The outside of the cup is shiny, but inwardly it is full of vileness.

So those are the seven things Paul says he once thought had value but now realizes are worthless.  Look at vs. 7  “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  8) More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.”  This is the answer for the question Jesus asked in Matthew 16:24 we looked at earlier, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  And the answer Paul is giving us is that he gave everything that he once considered gain, he gave it up as loss for the sake of knowing Christ as His Savior.  The answer to what shall a man give in exchange for his soul, is everything.  Everything.  Jesus gave an parable about a man who found a pearl of great price and went and sold everything to buy that pearl.  Jesus told the rich young ruler who had kept the law and thought he had done everything to be accepted into heaven, Jesus told him to go sell everything he had and give it to the poor and come an follow Me.  Giving all you have cannot buy your salvation, only the blood of Jesus can purchase your salvation.  But relinquishing all that you hold onto as a source of salvation is the point of this message.  All the things you think have bought you favor with God have to be considered loss in light of the immeasurable treasure of knowing Christ unto salvation.

Quickly, let’s look at five things that you gain when you come to Christ, when you jettison all the other filthy rags of self righteousness and come to Christ. You gain these five: knowledge, righteousness, power, fellowship, glory. Starting in verse 9, “and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Number one, salvation begins with the knowledge of Jesus Christ. That's the first thing he gained, he gained the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  This kind of knowledge is the knowledge gained through intimacy of a relationship. It’s not knowing the facts about  a person, but knowing that person intimately.  Having a relationship.  To be found in Him and He in Me.  To have the communion of the Holy Spirit living inside me, knowing my thoughts, having his laws written upon my heart.  To know Him is a supernatural metamorphosis whereby God lives in me and gives me spiritual life, opening my heart and eyes that I may know Him.

Number 2, salvation gains the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  “not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.”  Romans tells us that Abraham believed God and He counted it to Abraham as righteousness.  Righteousness is not something I do, but something God gives me as a result of my faith in Christ.  2 Cor. 5:21 “God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

Thirdly, salvation provides the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.   The power of a new life which triumphs over my dead flesh.  Like Paul on the road to Damascus, once I was blind, but now I see.  The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.  Because Jesus died and rose again, I too live again spiritually.  I was dead in my trespasses and sins.  But by the cross of Christ I have been made alive with Christ.  Though my body is still dead in the flesh, I have been made alive in the Spirit and by the Spirit I am able to live the life that God requires of me.

Fourth, salvation also brought him fellowship with Jesus Christ. Vs. 10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”  This fellowship can also be interpreted communion, Christ living in me.  God’s purpose for us is that we might be conformed to the image of Christ.Rom 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. “   And in order for us to really be conformed to the image of Christ, we need to die in our flesh, so that we might live in the Spirit.  We need to suffer the loss of our fleshly desires, passions and will.  That’s what it means to have the fellowship of His sufferings.  Rom 8:17 says, “and if [we are] children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

 And that brings us to the final point, if we suffer with Him, we will also be glorified with Him.  Fifthly, salvation results in the glory of Jesus Christ.  Vs. 11, “in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

The Bible speaks of Jesus as the first fruits of the resurrection, taken up into glory.  1Cor. 15:20 “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 1Cor. 15:23 “But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.” 1Cor. 15:41 “There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” 1Cor. 15:54 “But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?"

This is the glory of Christ. The glory that he had with the Father before the world began.  And we share in that glory with him in that we are the bride of Christ which he purchased from the fallen world by his own blood.  This is the promise of glory by which all the things of this world that we once considered as profitable, we now count but loss for the sake of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord, for the sake of sharing with Him in all that the Father has planned for those that love Him.

I trust that you have done a spiritual inventory today.  I hope you have looked carefully at what you are counting on as profit in regards to the kingdom of heaven.  Perhaps you realize that you have been counting on the wrong things.  I pray that you will today count those things as loss for the sake of knowing Christ, and that in knowing Christ and having faith in Him, God credits you with the righteousness of Jesus Christ, that you may attain to the resurrection from the dead into the glory that God has prepared for those that love Him.  It can be yours if you’re willing to give up all that you hold dear, for the sake of knowing Jesus.  Let’s pray.