What Are You Holding On To?

Philippians 3:7-11
J.A. Matteson
March 1998

A recent issue of The Baptist Standard included an article entitled, “U.S. Christians’ Influence Invisible.” After reviewing the polling data of a Christian pollster the author of the article concluded, “Christians don’t impact America because their lives don’t reflect their beliefs.” The author goes on to say, Christians aren’t sufficiently different from the people around them to make a difference in the lives of non-believers.” This man’s conclusion might strike a many of us as a bit strange. What’s even more interesting to me is the time in history in which this observation had been made. The church in the United States today is more organized than it has ever been. We have more technological machinery for doing church than our predecessors through the centuries ever dreamed possible. We have telephones, automobiles, fax machines, computers, copy machines, power point, with all of the bells and whistles to delight our senses. Gadgets and technology abound at our disposal to aid us in being the most effective and efficient ministering generation the world has ever witnessed. In addition to technology we have beautiful buildings, age graded ministry opportunities for children, adults, senior adults, singles, including divorce and addiction recovery. On and on goes the list of programs offered today by most churches. Yet in spite of the impressive programs and technological machinery approximately two thirds of all church across denominational lines are either plateaued or in decline. Something is tragically wrong. Sadly, the lives and character of many today who go by the name Christian bare virtually no resemblance to the Christians in the Bible. Rather than being transformers of the culture they have allowed themselves to be conformed to the culture. Many in the pews today have settled for mediocrity in their witness. To settle for mediocrity is to be the best of the worst or the worst of the best, how pitiful.

As we examine our text today let's first turn our attention to verse 7. In this verse the apostle Paul is addressing the Christians in Philippi from prison in Rome, imploring them to put no faith in the flesh in regards to their salvation, but to trust in Christ alone. There were Jewish Christians in Philippi who insisted that Gentiles had to first become Jews before they could become Christians. For men, this generally meant circumcision. To Paul a person’s correct understanding of salvation was foundation to their witness for Jesus Christ. A correct understanding ignited them for Christ and His kingdom, an incorrect understanding was the basis for every form of heresy and unrighteousness. Just like Paul, all of us prior to our conversion held a distorted perception of who God is. Upon coming to Christ our understanding was enlightened or transformed in the light of God’s marvelous grace. Yet some of us here today, like the Judaizers in Paul’s day, are holding to a subtle distortion of grace which is evidenced by the way in which we approach and practice Christian service. All of us, as children of God, know in our hearts that we are saved by grace alone, through faith, which is a gift of God. However, in our heads we too often abandon our first love—that which we first had for the Savior—by placing our service ahead of our worship and adoration of Him, and them we find ourselves amazed one day when we experience burnout. Today I want to amplify for you, dear beloved, four characteristics of Paul’s life that not only preserved him from burnout, allowing the fruit of his ministry to not simply persevere, but prosper. The resultant outcome of these characteristics in his life is a high impact Christian life, one you can have too, if you choose to. It is this type of life, the high impact Christian life, that when infused with the Word of God and the Spirit’s anointing compels sinners to come to the Savior.

The first characteristic to note is that Paul was born again (v. 7). Salvation forever changed Paul in observable ways. Others noticed that he was not the same person anymore. Something happened to Saul (Paul) that would forever alter the course of his life—he was encountered by the risen Lord, regenerated, and born again. At that encounter God opened his blind understanding to the true identity of Jesus as the Christ. To Paul, Jesus’ love and grace were intoxicating. From that moment on Paul lavished all of his affections upon the Lord Jesus, seeking desperately to know Him in a deeper way. It became his new quest in life. The Titanic was a cruise ship that was supposed to be impossible to sink, or so her designers bragged at the time. On a tragic night in 1912 the ship struck an iceberg and sank. Of the 2200 passengers and crew about 1500 went into the icy waters of the north Atlantic. Of the 20 or so lifeboats floating nearby, many only half full, only one returned to the scene in search of survivors. Six were pulled from the frigid waters and the rest died from hypothermia in a very short period of time. The scene outside the White Star Lines office in Liverpool defied description. A crowd of concerned relatives and friends of those who had taken passage on the ill-fated vessel thronged the street. On either side of the main entrance a large board had been placed. Above one board was printed, KNOWN TO BE SAVED. Above the other board was printed, KNOWN TO BE LOST. Every now and then a man would appear from the office bearing a large piece of cardboard on which was written the name of one of the passengers. As he held up the name, a deathly stillness swept over the crowd; they watched intently to see which of the boards he would pin the name. You see, beloved, there were only two categories—the saved and the lost, just as there are in the scriptures pertaining to forgiveness and eternal life. Having met Jesus, Paul stopped trying to save himself by keeping the Law. Paul could point back to a specific point in his life when he was confronted by the risen Lord of glory and it forever changed him. How about you? Has your life been changed in a significant way? Have you met Jesus? Jesus is in the business of changing lives. The marvelous thing about grace is that it not only saves from hell but it saves from perpetual sin, now, today. John in his first epistle put it this way, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 Jn 3:9). Could it be that if your life has not been radically altered that you have not encountered Him? If that is so then seek Him now, today. For Paul knowing Jesus intimately was his life’s most prized possession. Having met Him Paul gladly suffered loss in exchange for fellowship with Christ. Every fiber of his being was dedicated to Christ and His kingdom. In short, Jesus Christ was Paul’s Master and Savior in word and deed.

The second characteristic to note is that Paul placed himself under the Lordship of Christ daily (v.8-9). When Jesus saved Paul He got all of him, not just part of him. Paul had been freed of his dependence upon the civic and ceremonial Law, things, and the opinions of others. By all accounts he had earned what we would recognize as two PhD’s—he was a learned man. By all earthy standards he had much to brag about—but not before God. Before his conversion he may have had several diplomas and certificates of recognition form admiring colleagues. Paul was a real somebody to the people in Jerusalem. He may have sat with the privileged in the temple and in synagogues, enjoying the public praise of his countrymen. Paul concluded that all of his accomplishments were one big loss, trying to keep the Law would not have saved his soul from hell. When held up against the surpassing greatness of knowing God through Christ, diplomas on the wall somehow seem a bit trifling. Paul burned the bridges to his pas and pressed on to lay hold of the prize found in Christ. When Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Briton with his Roman legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure the success of his military campaign. Ordering his men to march to the edge of the Cliffs of Dover he commanded them to look down at the water below. To their shot and utter amazement they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel inflames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possible retreat. Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent there was nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer! And that is exactly what they did. Some of you did not burn the escape routes to your past when you came to Christ. When you came to Jesus He did not get all of you. You have accepted Him as Savior but chaffed at His Lordship over your life. I have startling news for you: the same Jesus who is Christ is also Lord and you cannot subdivide Him, you either know Him as Lord and Savior and you do not know Him at all and are horribly self deceived. His Lordship as you understand it is conditional. When your circumstances are good He is Lord, when they are bad you assume lordship over your life. You may claim to be engaged in the Christian battle, but your eye is on the boat in the harbor, a means of escape in case Jesus asks you to do something you are unwilling to do. My advice to you: burn the boat! The Christian life is an all or nothing proposition. If Christ is not Lord of every aspect of your life, He is not Lord at all in your heart. Lordship means complete authority, power, and control over your life. For Paul, to live was Christ, and to die was gain. His life was so in tune with the will of God he loved the things God loved, people. Therefore, he begged the lost to be reconciled to God.

The third characteristic to note is that Paul bore witness to the truth of the Gospel (v.10). Paul’s greatest witness was the essence of his life. He walked so close to Christ that his very life reflected the love of the Savior. Paul did not need to tell people that he was a disciple of Jesus Christ, they knew it by the way he lived. Can others say that about you? Knowing the truth of Scripture was not enough for Paul, it was something that had to be lived. In living for the truth of the Gospel Paul joined Christ in His sufferings. Are you motivated to live the truth you have learned and professed, to really apply it to your life? Paul’s faithfulness in his witness was blessed by God, people got saved. This is the crux of what the author of the article read at the beginning of my message was getting at, viz., “Christians aren’t sufficiently different from the people around them to make a difference in the lives of non-believers.” In other words, many Christians today are such in name only. The result is that the cutting edge of their witness has been dulled. For many the threat of rejection in presenting the Gospel is not a problem, because they never share it. Some probably do not even have a testimony to share. There are four categories of people on earth: those who are saved and know they are saved; those who are saved and fear they may be lost; those who are lost and know they are lost; and those who are lost and think they are saved. Friend, my fear is for any in that last category: those who are lost but think they are saved. Listen to me, to follow Christ in obedience will cost you everything. And if you are not willing to surrender everything to the Lord then you cannot be saved, remember the rich young ruler who approached the Lord. Pious and smug this young man felt that relative to the other rabble he was doing pretty good. Then the Lord Jesus pressed on a pressure point to reveal that the man balked at His Lordship and could not follow a simple command. And did the Lord run after him and beg him to reconsider? No. He walked away with his possessions and left behind his soul for the judgment. Now this is not to say that the Lord will literally command you to leave everything in following Him, but you must have a heart tender and ready to do so in a moments notice if the Lord requests it of you. And, dear friends, may I suggest to you that money and possessions are the most common area of stumbling for any who would set out on the pilgrim’s way. So guard your heart in this area lest the things you posses end up possessing you, resulting in the shipwreck of your faith! Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962), the world famous violinist, earned a fortune with his concerts and compositions, but he generously gave most of it away. So, when he discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips, he was not able to but it. Later, having raised enough money to meet the asking price, he retuned to the seller, hoping to purchase that beautiful instrument. But to his great dismay it had been sold to a collector. Kreisler made his way to the new owner’s home and offered to by the violin. The collector said it had become his prized possession and that he was unwilling to sell it. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea. “Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?” he asked. Permission was granted and the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector’s emotions ere deeply stirred. “I have no right to keep that to myself,” he exclaimed. “It’s yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it.” The message of the Gospel is like a beautiful symphony to those with ears to hear, it carries with it for them the fragrance of life unto life. To those with closed ears, hardened to its plea, it takes on the putrid smell of death. Beloved, it is not your concern to attempt to determine how it will be received by whomever, but simply to fill the air and ears of all who will listen to it. Leave it to the Lord to sort out the rest. Have you consigned the beautiful melody of God’s message of salvation to silence? When was the last time you shared the Gospel with a lost person?

The fourth and final characteristic to note is that Paul maintained an eternal perspective (v. 11). Paul lived in the reality of the Son of God. For Paul to die was gain, to live was Christ. That’s simple to say but more difficult to perform. This was Paul’s personal life purpose statement, if he had such as thing. Paul’s life was not encumbered by the cares of the world. Because he know that his future resurrection was sure, and that the glory to come at Christ’s return would be far beyond earthly description, he willingly suffered the loss of all things to gain Christ. Do you maintain an eternal perspective or do you live for the here and now? If you live in the here and now you will be motivated by the here and now, you will be unfruitful for the kingdom of God. If you maintain an eternal perspective you will live above the circumstances of the here and now, and you will be fruitful for the King and His kingdom. Paul was certain that he same God who raised Jesus from the dead would one day raise him from the dead, for in Romans 8:11 he says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Death has been defeated and is not to be feared by those in Christ. Have you ever heard the unusual story of how the news of the battle of Waterloo reached England? The word was varied first by sailing ship to the southern coast. From there it was to be relayed by signal flags to London. When report was received at Winchester, the flags on the cathedral began to spell it out, “Wellington defeated….” Before the message could be completed, however, a heavy fog moved in. Gloom filled the hearts of the people as the fragmentary news spread throughout the surrounding countryside. But when the mists began to lift, it became evident that the signals of Winchester Cathedral had really spelled out this triumphant message, “Wellington defeated the enemy!” Jesus’ burial chamber was not the final word; the message was not complete until the stone was rolled away! Resurrection implies prior death. Paul could not be born until Saul was crucified. At his conversion Paul eagerly cast aside the things in his life that would hinder his witness and service to his new Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. And all of this is a work of grace forged by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of God’s elect. It is not a natural thing to abandon the world system, it is supernatural.

What are you holding on to today? What is holding you back from being a warrior in God’s army? What is keeping you from being able to say, like Paul, “I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ”? Whatever it is, is it not time to get rid of it? For many of you it is materialism. For some of you it is comfort. For other of you it is pleasure. Still others power or position. Regardless of what it is the underlying questions is the same, “Are you willing to rid yourself of it today?” There may be someone here today who knows in their heart that the gig is up, they have never met the risen Lord, but have led others to believe they have. Whatever your situation Jesus bids you come. What are you going to do?