Oftentimes a crisis, like COVID-19, directs a person’s thoughts, words and actions, rather than Christ.
Today I will try to share what Scripture teaches about how we can order our mindset which will impact our mood and direct our movements.
In your Bible, the book of Philippians is a thank-you letter for a gift that the Apostle Paul received from the church at Philippi…it is the most personal letter Paul wrote to a church.
Like any other church, there were problems in the Philippian church which had the potential of destroying their unity and joy and Paul’s dealing with these problems are somewhat obscured by his gentle tone.
* There was selfish ambition and pride. People were looking out for “No. #1” rather than esteeming their brother or sister as better. (2:3-4; 4:2).
* There was the teaching of the Judaizers, who put more confidence in their religious trappings than Christ (3:1-3).
* There were those who thought they had arrived into spiritual perfection (3:12-14)
* There who were teaching that “because of grace, you could live anyway you wanted’. (3:18-19).
Today we have a similar set of problems that have the potential to destroy Christian unity and rob us of our joy.
In chapter three of this letter, Paul begins to attack these false teachers and their doctrines. In verse two he writes:
(Phil 3:2 NASB) Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;
The expression, "Beware of the dogs" is used by Paul to refer to the false teachers who professed to believe in Christ, but depended upon keeping rituals for their salvation. They insisted that others do the same or they would not be saved. Paul refers to these Judaizers as those who were of the false circumcision.
In Philippians 3:3, Paul says that true believers are the true circumcision—not those who have gone through the ritual of being physically circumcised, but those who realize that the flesh profits nothing.
He goes on to give three characteristics of those who are of the true circumcision:
They worship God in the Spirit. Their worship wasn’t merely a ceremony. Their worship wasn’t for form and fashion and void of God. Their worship wasn’t merely emotional, soulish and fleshly.
They rejoice in Christ Jesus. Members of the true circumcision gloried in Christ Jesus.” They did not pride themselves in their personal attainment, ethnicity, or religious traditions. Jesus alone was the basis for their boasting.
They have no confidence in the flesh. The true circumcision didn’t boast in their natural abilities and accomplishments, because when it came to attaining a relationship with God, a Christian really comes to the Lord empty-handed.
In order to refute the doctrine circulated by the false teachers and bring the Philippian believers back to standing fast in the Lord, Paul teaches them to:
(1) Forget about their past,
(2) Focus on their present and
(3) Fix their eyes on the future.
These same truths and principles will help us today. So let’s quickly look at them.
1.) Forget About The Past
One particular teaching that was spreading like wildfire through the Philippian church was that the believer ought to take pride in his or her abilities and accomplishments.
If there was anyone who would have reason to glory in his natural abilities and accomplishments, it was the Apostle Paul. In Philippians 3:4-6 Paul listed his spiritual resume of qualifications.
Today, in order to be successful in the job market one must sell himself and one of the best ways to do this is with a resume. A good resume lists a person’s strengths, skill sets and career accomplishments.
The Judaizers were teaching that in order to be right with God…one must have faith in Jesus Christ, and a good “religious resume”.
In view of this, Paul was saying in Philippians 3:4, “If confidence in the flesh is the means by which God accepts us, I can boast about my accomplishments, in fact, I can boast more than you all! Just check out my resume!”
Now Paul wasn’t bragging here, he wasn’t being arrogant. He was just stating the facts. In verses 5 and 6, Paul shows off his resume. But then listen to what he says in verse seven:
(Phil 3:7 NKJV) But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Paul is using accounting terminology here.
* Before his encounter with Christ Paul added up all his natural assets and accomplishments. He summed up all of his pedigree, all of his orthodoxy, all of his activities and all of his morality; these he considers as assets—“money in the bank!”
* But after his Damascus Road encounter with Jesus Christ, Paul compared all of his assets to all that Christ is and discovered that he had a negative balance—a loss and rubbish!
To Paul, Christ was more important than all his financial gain. Christ was more valuable than all material gain
Christ was more precious than all his moral standing.
* Today, some Christians esteem themselves by what they have in stocks and savings—but to Paul it was Christ!
* There are those who consume themselves with accumulating possessions—but to Paul it was Christ!
* Today, many people live for entertainment, sports, health and pleasure—but for Paul it was Christ!
Paul’s culture, education, personal attainments, and yes, even his religion was manure when compared to knowing Christ! He flushes all his confidence in these things down the drain and embraces Jesus Christ.
When we come to Jesus we come as a bankrupt sinner; we do not offer Him anything. We come with nothing. We are beggars with nothing.
Paul “forgot those things that are behind” and “reached forward” to Christ!
This leads us to the second lesson the Scripture teaches us.
2.) Focus on the Present
(Phil 3:15 NKJV) Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
In the marketplace, some make the mistake of equating “maturity” with how long a person has been working in that line of business or how successful they have been.
That might work in the business world, but here’s a question for the Christian businessperson: “Have you grown spiritually since you first believed?”
In Philippians 3:15, Paul lets us know that Christian maturity is not resting on your pedigree, your academic accomplishments or career successes It is “knowing Christ” and fellowshipping with Him in His sufferings.
There are people who profess to be “Christian” and are at the same place “spiritually” they were when they first gave their heart to Jesus Christ. This is not the maturity that Paul was writing about.
* Do you have a problem with gossip?
* Do you get bent out of shape when your boss confronts you about your performance?
* When a crisis hits do you abandon God, your morals, and the mission God has called you to fulfill?
* When someone insults you do you retaliate?
* When you don’t receive the raise you expected do you reduce your commitment to the job or just quit altogether?
* Are you flirtatious with the opposite sex?
* Do you lie or tell “half-truths”?
Have you grown spiritually since you first believed?
I have a daughter that will be 49 years old this year, but my wife still has to feed her and change her diaper. Our daughter isn’t growing because she has Cerebral Palsy.
What is our excuse?
Paul says in verse 15, “Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind…” What mind? The same mind that Paul has as he writes verses 13 and 14:
Brethren, I do not count myself to have arrived; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul would be the first to admit that he hadn’t arrived. But he would also tell you that he wasn’t stuck in a spiritual rut.
In Philippians 3:16-17 Paul challenges his readers to focus on what God says is their present position in Christ and then strive to live up to it.
This is Paul’s MO. This is one of his teaching styles in several of his letters in the New Testament…he teaches the Christian’s position in Christ in the first part of the letter and then he teaches the Christian’s practice in the balance of the letter.
He effectively says, “On the basis of what I have just taught you about your position in Christ, live the following way.”
He employs a similar technique here in Philippians when he writes in Phil 3:14 where He in effect says, “Philippians, God has called us with an “upward call,” an “exalted position” in Christ. So to the degree that we have already attained, let us live like it!”
The Scriptures are teaching us here that there is a certain behavior—a definitive mindset and attitude we ought to convey.
It is a life of obedience to Christ and His Word. As Paul writes in Ephesians 4, It is a walk…worthy of the calling with which we were called in Jesus Christ.”
Paul forgets about his past, focuses on his present position in Christ, and then he fixes his eyes on the future. That’s our third point.
3.) Fix Our Eyes on the Future
(Phil 3:20 NKJV) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
We are citizens of Heaven. We may be a citizen of the USA or another country, but if you have been “born again” your eternal citizenship is in Heaven.
Some time ago I read a section from a book written for people doing business in China. As I read, I was amazed to see all the cultural differences.
* In China you should always be on time for an appointment or you will cause your host to “lose face.”
* When you eat you should never take the last piece of food from a dish…that will signify that you were not full and content with the meal.
* When entering a room to conduct business, the leader of the group always enters a room first.
* When you are in conversation, the senior of the group does all the talking and a junior never speaks unless spoken to.
There are also “cultural differences” for citizens of Heaven.
* Citizens of heaven are patient and kind.
* Citizens of heaven do not envy or boast.
* Citizens of heaven are not arrogant or rude.
* Citizens of heaven don’t insist on their own way.
* Citizens of heaven are not irritable or resentful.
* Heavenly citizens do not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoice with the truth.
* Citizens of heaven bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things.
We are citizens of heaven, and conduct themselves differently than those who are merely citizens of this earth.
Paul says in Philippians 3:20 that “Heaven” is where our citizenship is. Heaven is our real home, it is our commonwealth, and it is the place to which we, as Christians, have a hope and an expectation to inhabit eternally one day.
The Christian is a “citizen” of Heaven and we are to live as such a citizen.
I imagine that when Paul was writing his list, he may have been thinking about the words of Jesus.
In Matthew 5, Jesus says these important words to His disciples, “Let your light so shine that people will see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
This is our calling. If we are to be effective at this high calling we need to do as the Apostle Paul did:
(1) Forget about our past – Our fleshy and human accomplishments profit us nothing
(2) Focus on our present – Christ saved us to serve and glorify Him
(3) Fix our eyes on our future – We are citizens of Heaven; let’s live like it.
