Discipleship Week 16: Imitate those whose hope is in heaven

Philippians 3:17-21

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

As we seek to have mature Christian influences in our lives, we should seek out people whose hope is in heaven. Very simply, where is their focus in life? Is it in the things of this world or in the hope that is found in eternal life? And as we apply the same standard to ourselves as we seek to be role models for those around us, are our minds focused on this world or on heaven?

The people that Paul describes as “enemies of the cross of Christ” likely are not unbelievers, but believers who only focus on the things of this world. If they were not Christians Paul would not lament so much over their worldly focus. But the sad reality is that too many Christians, both then and now, have their identity and hope only in the things of this world.

Now in most cases we do not actively wake up and say “I am going to focus on the things of this world today!” There can be a variety of ways that we can be distracted to set our minds on earthly things, and over time those distractions become permanent mindsets. Some are distracted by money. Others by success and accomplishment. Culture, current events, demands of others on us, and fear can all distract us towards having an earthly mindset. But that earthly mindset keeps us from having the mind of Christ that Paul calls us to throughout Philippians: a gospel-centered, self-sacrificial, cross-shaped life. It keeps us from proclaiming as Paul does, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (1:21). An earthly mindset destroys the Christian life, and truly does transform us into “enemies of the cross of Christ.”

So where is our hope? What shapes us? What shapes our values, goals, and priorities? Do we view our citizenship to be of this world, and of our country, or do we first and foremost, like Paul, recognize that as Christians our citizenship is in heaven? The answers to these questions will greatly shape how we lead our lives, how we lead others, and how we allow those around us to influence us. So as we seek to have mature Christian influences in our lives, we should seek out people whose hope is in heaven.    

Discipleship Week 15: Imitate those who are continuing to grow spiritually

Philippians 3:10-11

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

As we seek to have mature Christian influences in our lives we should seek out people who are continuing to grow spiritually. If our role models are not continuing to grow, how will it set an example for us to continue to grow in our relationship with God for our entire lives?

Now in the physical world it is easy to see the effects of something that is stagnate, that is not moving and growing. A body of water that has no movement is not appealing to look at. There is a canyon near our home, and at times I will go down into the canyon with my kids. And in the summer there are pools of water that have just been sitting there, because there is not enough water to connect those pools with a stream to go out to the ocean. And while those pools may be appealing to the swarms of mosquitoes and gnats in the canyon, they certainly are not to me!

Unfortunately, when it comes to spiritual stagnation, Christians can be quite good at covering it up. An individual may appear to be growing and strong in his or her relationship with the Lord, but in reality they are as stagnate as the pools in the canyon. But despite our best efforts to hide our lack of spiritual growth, there are still signs that may reveal our true heart condition. We can vocalize our belief but it makes little to no difference in our day to day lives. We acknowledge the wisdom of God’s Word but we are resistant to godly counsel. We celebrate God’s love for us but show no love or care for the world around us. We acknowledge the importance of community but we isolate ourselves, or only surround ourselves with people who will affirm us (which I would argue is just as bad as isolation, and in some cases, worse). Just digging a bit below the surface reveals the true condition of one’s relationship with God.

Thankfully in the midst of the spiritual stagnation we see Paul continuing to strive to grow in his relationship with God. Philippians 3:10-16 are not the desires of Paul the new believer, young and passionate and wanting to grow…these are the desires of Paul who has been walking with the Lord for decades, planting churches around the Roman Empire, and suffering regularly for the sake of the gospel. And yet Paul still wants to grow more. What a wonderful example for us! And so the spiritual goals that he sets for himself in this passage are goals that we can and should take on ourselves, and they are marks that we can and should look for in any potential role model. Consider the following marks of continued spiritual growth from verses 10 and 11:

1.  Seeking to know Jesus more and more (v.10)

Obviously there is always more we can know about an infinite God. And after decades of serving Jesus, Paul still wants to know him more. And so should we. If we get to a place where we feel that we know what we need to know about our Lord and about the Christian faith in general, then we are standing on very shaky ground. Sadly too many Christians settle for a bare minimum knowledge of Jesus, and when that happens, spiritual stagnation is soon to follow. We should always seek to know Jesus more and more.

2. Knowing and experiencing God’s power in your life (v.10)

Paul mentions knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection. It is staggering to think that the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is the same power that is available to those who believe in him, because the Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of each and every believer. But how many Christians have truly known and experienced that power? Do we enter difficult circumstances knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection? Do we ever rely on that power? Or do we just rely on ourselves and our own strength?

Thankfully I got a lesson in Christ’s resurrection power early on in my ministry career. One of my first pastoral assignments after seminary was to lead a grief support group, and I knew I was in way over my head. There was nothing that I could offer personally in that situation that would minister hope and comfort. But I was able to share God’s Word, and reveal who God was in the midst of suffering (it really was the only thing I had to offer!). And God worked powerfully, bringing deep peace to people who based on their circumstances should never have had peace. Through God’s Word, every person in that group knew and experienced Christ’s resurrection power!

3. An ongoing willingness to suffer (v.10)

Paul desires to continue to participate in Christ’s suffering. And clearly he has suffered significantly up to this point in his life and ministry. He does write this letter from prison after all! But there is no sense in which Paul feels entitled to a break from suffering because of what he has already endured. He is willing to continue to give everything for the sake of Christ and the gospel.

And while we should never actively want suffering in our lives (that would be weird), we should always be willing to suffer for Christ. In his book, The Mingling of Souls, Matt Chandler highlights a willingness and ability to suffer as one of the character traits that we should look for in someone that we are attracted to and are considering dating. And the same goes for any potential mentor or role model for our faith. The reality is that we will suffer in this life as Christians, and we can either run from that suffering and in doing so run away from Christ, or we can accept that suffering, and in doing so run towards Christ. One approach leads to spiritual stagnation, the other to spiritual growth. 

4. An ongoing willingness to die to yourself (v.10)

Paul wants to become like Christ in his death. In other words, just as Christ completely and fully sacrificed his life for us, Paul wants to completely and fully sacrifice his life for Christ. For us this is nothing short of following Jesus’ command to daily deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow him (Luke 9:23). We may or may not have a chance to actually die for our faith. But we daily have a choice to live for Christ or for ourselves.

Now it is easy to look as if you have died to yourself on Sunday morning, when we come together in corporate worship, praising God through singing and the Word. But the real evidence of a sacrificed life is seen on Monday through Saturday, and whether we die to ourselves in our work, our families, our social lives, our finances, and our relationships. Jesus calls us to take up our crosses daily, which means a complete and full surrender to Jesus and to his Lordship over our lives.   

5. Focusing on where you are headed, and living in light of that target (v.11)

Paul knows that eternal life lies ahead of him. He does not know the when and how, which is the reason for the seeming uncertainty in this verse. But he knows with complete certainty that one day he will be with God in heaven for all eternity. And in the new heavens and new earth, there will be no more sin, no more pain, no more death, no more suffering. And there will be a perfect relationship with God (Revelation 21:1-4).

This is what Paul is focused on. This is his goal. This should be our goal as well. But goals do not just give us hope for the future, they shape our present realities. They shape how we live. If you have a goal to get into better shape, you do not sit around and wish and hope to be in better shape. You work towards that goal. You exercise, you make choices like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and you change your diet to eat healthier foods. And the same is true of our spiritual goals. If heaven is our goal, where there will be sinless perfection, perfect relationships with God and others, and perfect justice, then we should work towards that future reality in our lives now. What does that mean for you? Kill sin in your life. Don’t settle for ongoing sin in your life just because sin is still a reality that we face this side of heaven. Work towards better relationships with God and with others. Do the hard work of reconciling with those you are in conflict with. Look for injustice in the world around you and fight for justice in those situations. When you know where you are going, it helps you live in light of that target, which will lead to a deep, vibrant, growing relationship with God.

So which of these areas challenge you the most? How can you begin to take Paul’s desires and make them your own? And do you see these desires in the lives of the people you allow to influence you? As we seek to have mature Christian influences in our lives, seek out those people who are continuing to grow spiritually. 

Discipleship Week 14: Imitate those whose confidence is in Christ alone

Philippians 3:7-9

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 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 on the basis of faith.”

As we seek to have mature Christian influences in our lives we should seek out people whose confidence is in Christ alone. And this point comes out of Paul’s discussion of his Jewish opponents. It seemed to be a common practice that they would follow Paul in his travels, and after he left a city they would go to the Christians there and try to convince them that to truly be a part of God’s people they essentially had to become Jewish first, and be circumcised. To truly follow God they also had to follow the Jewish law.

Now this raises two issues. One is the theological issue, the question of how we are made righteous in order to be accepted by God. Clearly we must be righteous in order to stand before a perfect, holy, just God. But how do we become righteous? The Jewish answer is that righteousness comes through obedience to the law, hence the emphasis on circumcision and the zeal of the Pharisees to follow the law to the letter. This is somewhat ironic given that throughout Israel’s history they had a massive problem in obeying this very law.

And Paul rejects such thinking, both here and more fully in other epistles. Righteousness does not come from following the law, but comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ. We are accepted by God and drawn into his family, not on the basis of our own efforts to keep the law, but because of Jesus Christ. That is why Paul can say that we are the circumcision, even though the vast majority of Gentiles were not physically circumcised. God has circumcised our hearts through faith in Jesus Christ, and therefore we are his people. All of this is completely by his lavish grace. So any effort to focus on righteousness through the human effort of law keeping severely undermines the gospel message.

The second issue flows out of the theological issue, and it addresses where we place our confidence. What do we stand on for our status and our self-identity? How can we be confident that we are right with God? Paul rightly argues that the only thing that we can be confident in is Christ alone. The only thing we should boast of is Christ, for it is only through Christ that we can come to God. Paul points out that if he wanted to stand on his Jewish resume, he had far more qualifications than any of his opponents. But he calls those qualifications garbage. Rubbish.

Now as D.A. Carson notes, most of us probably are not seriously tempted to boast about Jewish religious heritage and circumcision. But all of us have things in our lives that we do boast about and place our confidence in for our status. Dr. Sheldon Cooper from the TV show Big Bang Theory is a perfect example of this. Despite being socially clueless, he is a brilliant theoretical physicist, and he uses his vast intelligence to establish his status over and above everyone else. Knowing that he is smarter than everyone else is one of the keys to his self-identity. And he is quite vocal about it!

Now I think one of the reasons Sheldon is so loved by fans of the show is because in some ways he makes us feel better about ourselves. We may have our social failures and struggles, but surely we’re not as arrogant and narcissistic as he is! Surely we do not boast about ourselves as much as Sheldon does! But… if we boast in anything other than Christ, we are Sheldon. When we place our identity and status and confidence in anything other than Christ, we are Sheldon. And while this boasting is sometimes vocal, it often takes place deep in our heart. These are the things that make us feel superior to others. We boast about the quality of our church’s worship. We boast about the outreaches that our church is doing. We boast in our pastor’s preaching ability. We boast about the strength of our family, and we boast about the awesomeness of our spouse or significant other. None of these things are bad…it is great to have a church that has great worship, strong preaching, local and global outreach, and healthy families and relationships. We can take joy from these things, because ultimately these things are good gifts from our heavenly Father. But when we begin to find our identity in these things over and above Christ, when we begin to place our spiritual status in these things over and above Christ, and when we use these things to elevate ourselves spiritually instead of pointing others to Christ, then we face the same problem as those who opposed Paul…we are finding our identity in our own efforts, and not in Christ.

So we need to take an honest inventory, and ask what those things are in our lives that we are boasting about that we need to consider as garbage. And then we need to actually make them garbage, and turn to the only one we can and should place our confidence in: Jesus Christ. And as we seek to have mature Christian influences in our lives, we need to seek out people whose only confidence is in Christ. Having a strong spiritual resume is not a bad thing for a potential role model to have, in fact it is quite important! But if that resume is their identity instead of Christ, then they will not point you to Christ but to themselves, and that is not someone you want to imitate.

1. What are some things the world puts its confidence in? What are some things Christians put their confidence in that is not Christ?

2. When a person only has confidence in Christ, how do they look different than others? What qualities make them good role models?

3. What are things in your life that you boast about (either publicly or privately) that you need to “consider them garbage” this week?