Philippians 3:17-4:1 Sermon

the second sunday in lent

Shepherd of the Hills Ev. Lutheran Church (WELS)

An Example Worth Following

Philippians 3:17-4:1

17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! (NIV)

It seemed like a miracle that you even arrived in the first place, especially given that your GPS was essentially worthless and did more to get you lost and confused than it did to actually get you to where you were going.  Now, when the visit is over and it’s time to head back, you find yourself a little nervous, not very confident that you know how to get out of there, even after receiving a fresh set of directions.  Finally, noting your uneasiness, your host makes you a very gracious offer.  He is willing to jump in his car and show you the way, so that you don’t have to worry about the confusing street signs or which way to turn – you just have to follow him. 

“Follow me” is what Paul encouraged the Philippians to do in the Second Lesson this morning.  While he wasn’t offering to lead anyone through a confusing maze of side streets and unusual turns, his offer must have been every bit as comforting to a congregation of believers in Philippi who seemed to be struggling with the proper course of living for their Christian lives.  On the one hand they had to watch out for the Judaizers, who wanted to combine the grace of the gospel with the legalistic requirements that grandma and grandpa and their ancestors before them had lived by.  On the other hand, they had to be on guard against those who took their newfound gospel freedom in Christ too far and saw it as a license for licentious living.  What were they to do?  Where were they to turn?  Paul encouraged them to follow his example and navigate safely down the narrow middle road of both extremes, a road paved by grace alone.

Our first reaction to Paul’s invitation to follow his example might be to think, “Wow, Paul was really quite sure of himself, wasn’t he?  He certainly seems to think highly of himself.”  After all, wouldn’t that be our reaction if a fellow believer came up to us when we were struggling in some area of Christian living and said, “I know how hard it must be for you, but it might help if you follow my example and live the way that I do.”  We might be a little put off by such confidence.

Yet if we look at what Paul had written to the Philippians earlier in his letter, we see that even in inviting them to follow his example, he was by no means trying to focus the spotlight on himself, but rather on his Savior.  When addressing the issue of those among the Philippians who were placing their confidence in their own good works and righteousness, Paul made the point, “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more; circumcised 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; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless” (3:4-6).  In other words, if it was a matter of bragging rights, few had any more to brag about than Paul.

However, he then turned around and followed up his impressive piece of pedigree with an open and honest assessment of what he really thought about such things.  “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (3:7-9).  It is clear then, that Paul, when inviting the Philippians to follow his example, was not seeking his own vain glory, but wanted them to imitate his complete trust and reliance in the merits of Christ alone.  Paul knew that his own righteousness was refuse before God, and so he considered it as such, that he might go “all in” on the righteousness of Christ alone, which comes only through faith.

We want to make sure we don’t confuse Paul’s example.  Though his life was surely full of fine examples, that which he would have us follow is his example of whole reliance on Christ and righteousness alone.  Otherwise, if we confuse the two, we would be making Paul out to be saying that salvation would be ours only if we follow his example of exemplary living.  In that case we’d make his words to read out a little bit differently: But whatever was to my profit by faith alone, I consider loss for the sake of my own merits.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of my own righteousness and good works – my spotless Bible class attendance, my weekly worship attendance, my generous giving, my time in service to others.  Yes, anything apart from my works I consider to be rubbish.  But quite plainly, those were not Paul’s words.  Such is not the example he invites us to emulate.

We do, however, know the type of example to which he’s referring, don’t we?  God has placed into our lives Christians who make a deep impression on us by how they so admirably live out their faith.  We see them and we wish to be like them.  Yet if ever praised for being such a fine example of Christian living for others, they would refuse any recognition whatsoever and would be the first to point out that they don’t lack for faults and weaknesses, but that God’s grace in Christ Jesus is their mainstay.  Dear friends, find those types of examples, just like Paul, and imitate them.  Imitate those who with genuinely humble hearts will always be quick to point not to their own lives of sanctification, but to their Savior.

In our day and age this may be as important as it has ever been.  Why?  Because we may be at a point in which any favorable impression people have of our Savior and his followers is at an all-time low in history.  And that isn’t at all because Christ or his message has changed, but it is rather because of exactly what Paul pointed out to the Philippians in verses 18 and 19: “For as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.”  The distress that Paul felt from those who opposed his Savior was clearly evident through tear-stained cheeks.  He was crushed, not only by the fact that they stood against the Savior, but also because their final outcome was already determined, “their destiny [was] destruction.” 

For such people, “their god is their stomach.”  A hungry individual will quickly find something to eat in order to make the grumbling stomach stop.  In the same way, rather than stave off sinful satisfaction, such people prefer to surrender to it.  Every itch is scratched.  Even when that desire is at odds with the Scriptures, well, there are enough other places to turn so that one can still try to validate his sin. 

In old England, a gentleman had a small chapel attached to his house.  A visitor from London, upon viewing the quaint chapel, commented on what a fine kitchen it would make, were he to remodel it.  “When I make a god of my belly,” replied the gentlemen, “I will make a kitchen of my chapel.”  May we demonstrate such discipline to be able to say no to the wants and desires of sin and enticement, so that we don’t fall into the trap of making gods of our stomachs.

But it isn’t enough just to satisfy their stomach.  No, they must then glory in whatever shame they were involved.  Nowadays only the vilest will do.  If it isn’t jaw-droppingly shocking, then it isn’t even a part of the conversation.  If it isn’t sick-to-your-stomach offensive, it doesn’t get a first glance, let alone a second.  Shameful things that our grandparents wouldn’t even have conceived are just the starting point today, and they’re plastered plainly everywhere to see. 

All of them, these enemies of the cross, they all have something in common: “their mind is set on earthly things” (v. 19).  Their behavior shouldn’t  shock us, because it is right in line with the way we’d expect those of this world to live.  The here and now is what matters.  One-million hits on You-Tube are what matters.  Impressing people for this life matters.  Hoarding up storehouses of stuff in this life is what matters.  Success and achievement in this life is what matters.  When all of these things, worldly things, are where our attention is focused, it shouldn’t surprise us to find sin not only tolerated, but glorified.  That will be the case when the mind is set on earthly things.

But in order to help keep us from an unhealthy focus on such earthly things, and, again to remind us of the long term benefit of following an example like Paul’s, whose hope and security rest in Jesus and his righteousness alone, Paul provided us with excellent motivation:  “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (3:20-21).

Political leanings aside, Americans often proudly claim to come from the greatest country in the world.  Our quality of life, standard of living, freedoms, and so many other blessings, have made the United States of America special for a long time.  But you know, brothers and sisters, that as great as it may be, we’re just stopping by.  This isn’t home.  We’re not there yet.  We’re just visiting a temporary stop on the way to something much better, much bigger, much more grand than we could ever imagine.  And the greatest thing about our citizenship in heaven is not even the accommodations or the amenities, but rather the company we’ll be keeping.  We’ll know personally, intimately, perfectly, the Savior who made it all possible, Jesus Christ.  We’ll know the one who paid our prices of citizenship with his blood, forgiving our attempts at work righteousness and our shameful sins.  We’ll spend eternity with the one who not only made it possible for us to be there, but who did all that was necessary so we could live there in the glorious bodies he always longed for us to have, bodies truly becoming of perfectly sinless saints and citizens of heaven, our home.  We want nothing to stand in the way of our inheriting such a blessing, and so we follow Paul’s example and ride Christ’s coattails home to heaven.

Because – and only because – we completely count on Christ for our heavenly citizenship and our flawless glorified bodies, “therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!” (4:1) Amen.

“For the freer confidence is from one’s own works, and the more exclusively it is directed toward Christ alone, so much better is the Christian it makes.” (Luther)