Philippians 3,7-14. 9. Trinity

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Philippians 3,(4b-6)7-14               4419

9. Sn. n. Trinitatis 054   

Agapitus, Martyr 273 

18. August 2019 

1. O Christ Jesus, who is Wise and Holy; make us wise as serpents and innocent as doves, so that we may be equipped to deal with the ways of this world.  Amen. (Matthew 10,16) 

2. »Even though I have grounds for confidence also in the flesh. If anyone else thinks that he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶in regard to zeal, persecuting the church; in regard to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. ⁷But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 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 derives from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – ¹⁰so that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, ¹¹so that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ¹²Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.« 

3. The world puts great importance in gaining wisdom, reputation, wealth, respect and other such things. The drive to possess such talents has its place and can be beneficial. The temptation is to put all our resources and energy into pursuing such things and neglecting the spiritual possessions that God would give us as well. 

4. Paul had reason to boast in his accomplishments: he is a Jew who knew the law, the Word of God, and counted himself righteous under that law. To look at Paul was to see a man confident in his religion that was further vindicated by the great possessions he had as a result. But Paul counts all this as a loss. 

5. The old Paul, the Jew who zealously persecuted the Church, has given way to the new Paul, the Christian who zealously encourages the Church. The change in Paul is Christ who appeared to him on the way to Damascus. Paul proclaims that knowing Christ is more important that worldly wisdom, reputation, wealth and respect; we can lose all these things without fear because of the  surpassing worth of knowing Christ. 

6. Our human flesh cringes at hearing this. We don’t want to lose anything for the world often views losing as a failure. Our fallen nature is convinced that if we do enough to please God then He will look favorably upon us. So we spend our lives attempting to keep His law to prove our worthiness. We might even reach the level of the Pharisees and boast that we have earned God’s righteousness by obeying His law. We can even uphold Scripture to bolster our works-driven ethic. »The Lord said to Isaac: „I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because Abraham obeyed My Voice and kept My commandments, statutes, and laws“« (Genesis 26,4-5). »Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I will guard Your law and observe it with all my heart« (Psalms 119,33-34). »The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man« (Ecclesiastes 12,13). 

7. Jesus challenges the Pharisaic twisting of the law into meriting salvation. In His Parable o the Sower, Jesus teaches that those who hear the Scriptures and believe them are saved (Luke 8,11-12.15). Later He proclaims: »The Son of Man has arrived to seek and to save those who are lost« (Luke 19,10). Thus St. Paul writes: »We gain Christ and are found in Him, not having a righteousness of our own that derives from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – so that we may know Him and the power of His resurrection.« We receive Jesus by faith, believe on Him and are saved. 

  8. Our goal in our Christian faith is Jesus. St. Paul tells us: »Forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead, press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.« Our goal is not the things of this world, for the things of this world — wisdom, reputation, wealth and respect — they pale in comparison to the things of heaven. The things of this world tarnish and fade away, but the things of heaven are eternal. Jesus promises that we will inherit the things of heaven: everlasting life in His presence, fellowship with the angels, archangels and all believers in Christ who have gone before us, a resurrected body free from the corruption of sin and a return to the paradise of Eden for which He originally created us to enjoy in His presence where there will be no more death. This is the wonderful prize that God has for us on the last day. Jesus has secured it for us, and He gives us His righteous now as a down-payment on the future blessings that are ours as heirs of God.  Amen.  

9. Let us pray. O Jesus, whose Name is great before the Father; may all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You, so that we see the salvation You give by grace that is received by faith.  Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. 

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Gibbs, Jeffrey A. Parables of Atonement and Assurance: Matthew 13:44-46. http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissar54.htm

Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand.