The true fulfillment in Christ
Today's sermon focuses on Philippians. In chapter 3, Paul makes an interesting comparison of worldly and spiritual values. He challenges his traditional views of profit and fulfillment. Today's sermon is entitled: True Fulfillment in Christ. Paul discovered true fulfillment not through his own achievements, but through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. He begins with the words:
Philippians 3,1 “Go on, my brothers and sisters: rejoice in the Lord!”
I begin this sermon like Paul with the words: Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, rejoice with the joy that comes from God! Despite ups and downs, joy is the common thread throughout Philippians. He had exhorted the Philippians in the previous chapter to be like Jesus Christ. Paul sent his companions Timothy and Epaphroditus to them to help them in their time of need. They were a great joy to Paul and he invited the Philippians to rejoice with them. Despite his great gratitude for the community in Philippi, he was concerned with an important topic, which he begins with the following words:
Philippians 3,1 (second part) “The fact that I always write you the same thing doesn’t annoy me and makes you all the more certain.”
Paul doesn't defend himself for writing them the same thing over and over again. Rather, he feels obliged to do it for their sake, so that they can understand it.
The central concern
The central concern that the Apostle Paul repeatedly addressed in his letters concerns Jewish Christians. They believed in Jesus, but were of the opinion that circumcision was also necessary for salvation. Paul wanted to protect the church in Philippi from such views. He therefore repeatedly warned them in clear words:
Philippians 3,2 “Beware of the dogs, beware of the malicious workers, beware of the cutting!”
Why does Paul call them dogs and evil workers? The Jewish Christians were influential members in their communities and taught that in addition to faith, religious rituals were necessary for salvation. Paul saw their teaching as a threat to the pure message of the gospel. He could not tolerate anyone claiming that human actions could contribute to salvation. With the term “cutting,” which is a play on “circumcision,” he criticized those who endangered the grace of God and the unity of the community by returning to the law of circumcision. The crucial and fundamental doctrine of the Gospel is:
Ephesians 2,8-9 "By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, (or the gift of God it is) not of works, lest any man should boast."
The Judaizers boasted of their works and demanded circumcision for the Christian community who were called from among the Gentiles. Paul was firmly opposed to this. He explained that such belief cuts the gospel apart, so beware of this teaching!
Philippians 3,3 "For we are the circumcision, who serve God in the Spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and do not depend on the flesh."
Paul used the word flesh to illustrate the contrast between a life governed by sin and a life led by the Holy Spirit. Circumcision was the visible sign of the covenant for the Israelites and reminded them of their obligations to God:
5. Mose 10,16 “Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your hearts and henceforth be not stubborn.”
The Old Testament also emphasizes that physical circumcision is not the decisive factor. True cleansing does not take place on the body, but in the mind:
Jeremiah 4,4 "Circumcise yourselves for the Lord, and remove the foreskin of your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, lest my fury come out like fire for your wickedness, and burn, so that no one can quench it."
Physical circumcision could not protect them from God's wrath. This required a different kind of circumcision, which Paul writes about in Romans:
Roman 2,28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is so outwardly, neither is circumcision which is done outwardly in the flesh (on the body); but he is a Jew who has it hidden within, and the circumcision of the heart is a circumcision in the spirit and not in the letter. His praise comes not from men, but from God."
Paul emphasizes in this verse that true Jews are those who have been internally changed by God. They are those who are regenerated by grace, cleansed inwardly, and serve God from the bottom of their hearts. Their fame does not rest on external signs, but solely on Jesus Christ:
Galatians 5,6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but faith working through love.”
We are not saved by the water of baptism, nor by the bread and wine at the Lord's Supper, nor by the oil with which we anoint the sick according to the letter of James. Salvation does not come through religious rituals, but exclusively through the faith of Jesus Christ.
After Jesus took the vinegar, he said: It is finished! Paul strongly opposed any attempt to add human involvement to the pure gospel. Does this have any meaning for us? Of course! Because even today we as humans are always looking for what we can be proud of:
Roman 3,27-28 «Now where is the boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By the law of works? No, but by the law of faith. So we hold that man becomes righteous without the works of the law, through faith alone."
This verse makes it clear that there is no room for the believer for self-praise or self-glorification, since justification comes solely through the faith of Christ and not through one's own achievements.
What was gain for me
Sometimes we think that a life lived strictly according to Christian principles is particularly recognized by God. But how would the Apostle Paul respond to the idea that long-term faithfulness automatically deserves divine approval? His own words tell us:
Philippians 3,4-6 «Although I could also put my trust in the flesh. If another man thinks he can trust in the flesh, I, who am circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee according to the law, a Pharisee according to zeal, can do so much more a persecutor of the church, blameless according to the righteousness required by the law."
As long as Paul trusted in these things, he could never be saved. When he was saved, they no longer mattered, for he had seen the glory of the Lord, outshining all earthly glory:
Philippians 3,7 “But what was gain to me I counted loss for Christ’s sake.”
He was proud of it and was sure that God must be pleased with him too. On the way to Damascus his caravan was stopped by Jesus Christ:
Acts of the Apostles 9,3-5 "As he was on the way and near Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him; and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? But he said, Lord, who are you? He said: I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."
That was the turning point in Paul's life. God had a great influence on him, touching his heart and preparing him to follow him. Paul had a special experience with Jesus that deeply impressed him. He wrote about this in his letter to the Philippians:
Philippians 3,7-8 “What was gain to me I counted as loss for Christ’s sake. Yes, I still consider it all a detriment to the exceeding knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake all these things have become a loss to me, and I count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ."
In order to gain Christ, he had turned his back on everything he had been taught to value. If he wanted to gain Christ, he had to renounce his parents' religion, his inheritance, and his personal achievements. Once he experienced the Savior, everything else lost its luster. From then on he wanted only one thing, and that was to win Christ! He was like the person who unexpectedly found a hidden treasure in a piece of land, about which Jesus tells us:
Matthew 13,44-46 «The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who sought good pearls, and when he found a pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."
The treasure is Jesus and the pearl of great price is also Jesus!
Once you find the treasure, sell everything you previously owned. You give up everything to call the One your own. Your origins, your self-righteousness, your pride, your achievements, your good works, your alms, your prayer rituals, your candles and crucifixes, your pilgrimages, the Way of the Cross and St. James are of no use before God. Therefore let it all go, as Paul did:
Philippians 3,9 "That I may be found in him (Christ), not having my righteousness which is of the law, but which is through faith in Christ, even the righteousness which is of God through faith."
This is the treasure, this is the pearl, for which Paul gave up everything. That's why you decide:
- Do you want external religion or Christ?
- Do you want to put your trust in flesh, human nature, or in the Son of God through whom alone you can be saved?
- Do you want to be saved by works or by grace?
Both are not possible!
Anyone who wants both cuts up and destroys the gospel of faith. You cannot bring the old covenant together with the new covenant. Therefore, seek no longer symbols, rituals, ceremonies and traditions, but seek reality, the circumcision of the heart, the exceeding knowledge of Christ, so that you may gain him and only him to eternal life. Jesus said in the parable:
Lukas 5,36-39 «No one tears a rag from a new garment and patches it onto an old garment; Otherwise you'll tear the new one and the new one won't fit on the old one. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will tear the skins and be spilled, and the skins will spoil. Rather, new wine should be poured into new wineskins. And no one who drinks the old wine wants new; for he says: The old one is milder."
In the original text, the word milder also means better. The old wine is better! Jesus is not saying that the old wine is better than the new wine. But he says that those who have drunk the old one don't immediately want the new one. They find it difficult to embrace the New Covenant. Their security lies in their works and in their own righteousness, so they reject the new wine. Once they have tasted the wonderful New Covenant, they leave the Old Covenant with joy.
We cannot mix law and grace, nor the Old Covenant with the New Covenant. We cannot pick and choose which parts of the New Covenant and Old Covenant we want to incorporate and enjoy all the benefits at the same time. External religion has no power. But Christ has power. We continue reading in:
Philippians 3,10 “I want to know him (Jesus Christ) and the power of his resurrection”
What does Paul mean by that? He believes that there is power in the work of redemption that Christ has accomplished for believers.
1. Petrus 1,3 “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has begotten us again to a living hope (whereby?) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
We are born again through the power of the resurrection. Your rebirth and mine and that of millions of believers is the effect of the same power that brought Christ forth from the dead. That's why it says in Ephesians:
Ephesians 2,4-6 "But God, who is rich in mercy, in the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, made us alive with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and he has raised us together and installed us in heaven in Christ Jesus."
But the power of the resurrection is demonstrated not only in a person's salvation and spiritual renewal, but also continually in the daily life of every believer:
Colossians 3,1 “If you have been raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.”
The power of resurrection gives us the ability not only to begin a new life but also to continue it. Do you feel plagued by feelings of guilt, do you have a guilty conscience or are you unable to sleep at night? Here is an encouraging message: Jesus took all your guilt, all your mistakes and your sins and bore the punishment for them on the cross. When you accept this deep in your heart through God's grace and love, you will jump for joy. You are truly free! You experience the life-changing power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus said:
Matthäus 11,28-30 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden; I want to refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; then you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Put your full trust in Jesus Christ and believe in him, and you will receive forgiveness for your sins and be transformed into new people.
Finally, we read about the power of his resurrection in the book of Acts.
Peter responds to the religious leaders in Jerusalem:
Acts of the Apostles 4,10-12 New Life Bible «I declare before you and all the people of Israel that he was healed in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the man whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the stone that you builders rejected, which has now become the cornerstone. In Him alone is there salvation! There is no other name in all heaven that men can call upon to be saved."
You will find true fulfillment only in Jesus Christ! In Jesus' name, Amen!
by Pablo Nauer
More articles on this topic:
