Introduction
In
this passage of Scripture we see the apostle Paul explaining to the Philippian
church the essential nature of really coming to know Jesus Christ in an
intimate way, what is involved in that, and the why behind it all. Paul addresses the humility involved in
knowing Christ, and the absolute dependence on God that is necessary to know
him. And Paul does this without laying down one requirement for
the believer. We will see that it
is something that God does in us.
We
went camping about a month ago, taking our travel trailer out for the first
time. I was sufficiently nervous
dragging something that big behind me on the highway, but eventually settled
into it. However, when it was time
to hitch up and come home, I found that the anti-sway bar had broken on the
trip up the mountain. No, I had
not noticed it when we originally arrived. I did fine getting down to the highway, but once I got up to
55 mph, the trailer began to sway, and I don’t mean just a little. I’m gripping the steering wheel for all
I’m worth, thinking to myself, “I can do this”, “just don’t drive 55”, “I can
get by without the anti-sway bar”, and “this thing isn’t going to get the best
of me!” Right. I white knuckled it for about 30 miles
before I finally pulled over, got on the Internet and found an RV dealer who
had an anti-sway bar to sell me.
White
knuckling—holding on so tightly to the steering wheel that our knuckles turn
white—is how I initially learned what it was to live “the Christian life”. It is how I learned what it was to get
to know the Savior. I used to think,
“I can do this”, and, as I was taught, I rigorously engaged in having a quiet
time, reading and memorizing Scripture, maintaining a prayer journal, evangelizing,
worshipping, serving at church, fasting, giving, and being at church every time
the doors were open.
I was way too young in my walk with Christ when I was
ordained as a deacon, and in the church culture of the denomination we were in,
the deacons functioned as the sounding board for the pastor. We were given any number of assignments,
and mine included attending the deacon meetings, being assigned to at least two
different committees, teaching adult Sunday School, and anything else that came
up. Oh, and it was clearly implied
that saying “no” was not an option—the culture didn’t allow for that. So that was how I thought—I have to be
involved to be a “good Christian”, in addition to all of the spiritual
disciplines I mentioned. And to
make it worse, time with my very young family was sorely missing, as well as true
intimacy with Jesus Christ. All of
my “activity” took the place of real time with the Lord.
Now don’t get me wrong—there is absolutely nothing
intrinsically wrong with any of these activities. Engaging in the spiritual disciplines is
very beneficial for us as believers.
The Holy Spirit has gifted all believers and those gifts are to be used
for God’s glory. But apart from
the gospel—the completed work of Jesus Christ—they are all ritualistic exercises
in futility. Why? Because of the motivation behind them, thinking
we will gain favor with God by engaging in them! Nothing we do can gain favor with God! Too often, those of us who engage in the meticulous,
ritualistic observance of the disciplines will even feel the need to double up
the next day should a quiet time or prayer time be missed. If we do this, what we are doing is we
are legalistically white knuckling the spiritual steering wheel all the
way. Our deeds are as filthy rags.
The
fact of the matter is that the gospel—what Jesus did on our behalf, that is, the
“work” to please God that has been already completed—must be taken into account
by each of us daily. I’ll address
that in a minute.
Philippians
3:8-11
8Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and
count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found
in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but
that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that
depends on faith—10that I may
know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may
attain the resurrection from the dead.
