A couple of years ago the Associated Press told the story of Stan Caffy. Stan had met the love of his life and asked her to marry him. His girlfriend said, “Yes!” As the two of them began to prepare for the wedding and their lives together, they both cleaned out their garages. They didn’t want to have to move any junk from their current homes to their new home. They packed up all that old trash and took it to Goodwill—old clothes, bicycles, tools, computer parts and other things. One of the pieces of junk in Stan’s garage was a faded and tattered replica of the Declaration of Independence. It has been hanging in his garage forgotten for about a decade. He gave that to Goodwill as well. Days later a man named Michael shopped at Goodwill and purchased that tattered replica of the Declaration of Independence. He paid $2.48 for it. But Michael later discovered that this was no piece of junk. It turned out to be a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence made in 1823. What Michael purchased for $2.48 he later auctioned for $477,650. What Stan has originally treated as trash turned out to be valuable treasure. Sometimes we confuse trash and treasure.
Paul writes of a time in his life when did just that. As part of our series on joy, this morning we hear Paul testify how he once confused trash and treasure: 1 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If others think they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 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; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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 9 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. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Phil. 3:1-11 TNIV).
Paul uses accounting terms. He writes of gains and losses: But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss. He writes of trash and treasure: I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth…I have lost all things. I consider them garbage… It’s as if Paul has two columns: a gain column and a loss column; a treasure column and a trash column; a joy column and a junk column. And he realizes that for much of his life he has confused the two. What he once put in the gain column he now realizes belongs in the loss column. What he once took joy in is really just junk.
Let’s walk back through his testimony here. First Paul begins in vs. 1 by calling us to “rejoice in the Lord.” We’re likely to skip right past this phrase. But it is very significant. As Paul will reveal later, “the Lord” is not always what we rejoice in. We often seek joy in other things. So Paul urges us to rejoice “in the Lord.” Finding our joy “in the Lord,” Paul writes in vs. 1 is a “safeguard.” It is a way of protecting our souls. When we try to find joy in other things, when we put things under the Joy column that don’t belong there, we place our souls in jeopardy. Paul wants to save us from that danger.
What then has Paul placed in the Joy column that doesn’t belong there? Using his own life, Paul reveals how we can place things in that column that appear very spiritual and very pious, when in fact those things are no better than the trash we put at our curbside. We can try to gain joy from very spiritual things that cannot deliver joy.
Paul identifies in vs. 2 one group who’s made that very mistake: Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. Who are these people? We know that in the ancient world Jews often referred to Gentiles as “dogs.” In addition, Jews often thought of themselves as keepers of the Law and thus as doers of good. Finally, Jews focused on circumcision as the rite needed to be in correct standing with God. Paul, however, throws that language back at this group, calling them the “dogs,” calling them “evildoers” rather than doers of good, and calling them “mutilators”—a play on the word for circumcision.
We have two choices as to who these “dogs” are. First, they may be strict Jews who are arguing that a relationship with God is not found through Christ but is only found through Judaism and through Jewish circumcision. They are arguing that if the Philippians really want the treasure of God, they need to follow Judaism. Alternatively, this group could be Jewish Christians. In places like Galatians we learn of Jewish Christians saying that Jesus is fine, but if they really want to be right with God, you also need to be circumcised. These Jewish Christians don’t try to persuade people that Jesus is insignificant. They merely state that Jesus isn’t enough. Besides Jesus, you also need circumcision.
And Paul argues that this group, whether they are strict Jews or Jewish Christians, have confused trash and treasure. What they call a spiritual gain is actually a loss. What they take joy in is really just junk. To make his point, Paul gives his own testimony. He points to the seven most significant spiritual aspects of his life. The first four have to do with Paul’s spiritual upbringing. The last three have to do with Paul’s spiritual undertaking. All seven are things he used to try to find joy in. But now he realizes they are just junk.
The first four have to do with Paul’s spiritual upbringing. First, unlike heathen proselytes to Judaism who were circumcised as adults, Paul was circumcised on the eight day—he was born a Jew. Second, Paul is a member of the nation of Israel by birth not by conversion. Third, he was a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin. This tribe was highly esteemed because its founder, Benjamin, was a favorite son of Jacob’s favorite wife; and because Israel’s first lawful King—Saul—came from the same tribe; and because the tribe of Benjamin remained loyal to king David after the break-up of the monarchy. Fourth, as a “Hebrew of Hebrews,” Paul was born to Hebrew parents and thus had no heathen blood in his veins. All of these, as Paul will state later, were considered “Gain.” He treasured these.
The first four have to do with Paul’s spiritual upbringing. The last three have to do with Paul’s spiritual undertaking. These are activities he consciously undertook. First, Paul points out that he is a Pharisee. Pharisees were the strictest of the Jewish sects. Second, Paul persecuted the church. Not only was he committed to keeping the Law in the strictest way, he was committed to punishing those who did not. Third, Paul had achieved a level of conformity to the Law which left him without fault. All of these, as Paul will state, were considered “Gain.” He treasured these.
But Paul now considers all of these a loss. Though he used to put them in the “Gain” column, he now realizes they belong in the “Loss” column. Not only does Paul consider them a total loss—he considers them “garbage.” This word referred to excrement, food gone bad, scraps left after a meal, trash, and lumps of manure. Paul writes that all of these seemingly pious things are manure. What he considered treasure is trash.
How could Paul say this? He says this because he has found something else: he has found Jesus Christ. On that road to Damascus, everything Paul knew was turned upside down. What he thought was treasure was trash. What he thought junk was joy. And he discovered that the one true joy of life is this: knowing and becoming like Jesus. In vv. 7-11 Paul states that he found out that the only thing that counts, the only true treasure is knowing Jesus and becoming like Jesus.
Specifically Paul writes of knowing Jesus as the Lord he sang about earlier in Phil. 2:6-11. There he sang of Jesus as the kind of Lord who served to death and was raised to life. Here, Paul talks about knowing Jesus as that same kind of Lord—knowing him in his resurrection and in his crucifixion. But not only does Paul want to know Jesus as Lord, he wants to become like Jesus in his death. He wants a relationship with Jesus that is so intimate that he becomes more and more like the one he loves. He wants to become like Jesus in his death—to become the same serving and loving person Jesus is. For Paul that is the only item worth placing in the gain column.
What does this mean today? Let me walk back through Paul’s testimony, applying it in three ways. First, one of the things Paul might call us to place under the “Loss “ column is what I’ll call a Jesus-Absent focus. As I mentioned earlier, Paul may be dealing with some “dogs” who are “Jesus-Absent”—Jews who are trying to persuade Christians that if they want to be right with God, they don’t need Jesus. They advocate a Jesus-Absent spirituality.
That may seem like a small issue for us to consider. But in his book Christless Christianity Michael Horton, a professor of theology in California, argues that American Christianity is increasingly Jesus-Absent. Many churches in America, Horton writes, have become so focused on giving people practical help for daily living that the sermons sound more like self-help literature. Horton states, “Aside from the packaging, there is nothing that cannot be found in most churches today that could not be satisfied by any number of secular programs and self-help groups.” Horton laments, “Just as you don’t really need Jesus Christ in order to have T-shirts and coffee mugs, it is unclear to me why he is necessary for most of the things I hear a lot of pastors and Christians talking about in church these days.” Horton argues that Jesus is being sidelined in American Christianity. Our churches look and sound like self-help groups. Most American churches today teach what Horton calls “moralistic, therapeutic deism.” What he means is that too many churches have a message that goes something like this: God created us, he wants us to be happy, feel good, and be good to each other, his Bible show us how to do that, and when we die we go to heaven. And for all of that, you don’t need Jesus.
But Paul calls any Jesus-Absent focus a loss. It’s trash. It’s junk. It’s never going to be a source of true joy.
Perhaps a more challenging issue for us to consider is what I’ll call a “Jesus-And” focus. I’ve borrowed this phrase from Rich Achtley who preaches at the Richland Hills Church of Christ. As I mentioned earlier, Paul may be dealing with Jesus-And people—Jewish Christians who are arguing that if you want to be truly spiritual you not only need Jesus, you need Jesus-And. You need Jesus and circumcision. Another word for a Jesus-And focus is legalism.
And Jesus-And is tremendous danger today. Because for Christians who struggle with joy, the source of their joylessness is often this Jesus-And focus. Buddy Bell preaches for the Landmark Church of Christ in Montgomery, AL. He recently spoke at a leadership retreat for Highland. Buddy told of the time when he took the job as preaching minister at the Landmark Church. He had left a progressive church in Pensacola, FL for this fundamentalist church in Montgomery, AL. A few weeks into his new ministry Buddy received a phone call. It was a Landmark Church member. He wondered if Buddy could come to his office and talk. Buddy said he would be glad to get together. When Buddy entered the man’s office, the man started asking Buddy lots of questions: what do you believe about instrumental music in worship? What do you believe about the role of women in worship? He asked Buddy to given his opinion on every controversial issue in Churches of Christ in the 1990’s. Buddy willingly shared his opinions. Unbeknownst to Buddy, the man was secretly recording the conversation. He did not like the answers Buddy gave. After Buddy left, the man typed up Buddy’s answers and called a meeting with the Landmark Church elders. He then blackmailed them: “Either you fire Buddy Bell,” he threatened, “or I’ll mail a copy of this to every member at Landmark.” In an inspiring display of courage, the elders did not cave in. But the man did follow through on his threat—every member received a copy of the document. Buddy and the elders had to address the issues publicly at the next Sunday’s worship service. That man had a Jesus-And focus. In his theology Jesus was not enough. If you wanted to truly be right with God, you needed Jesus and the right answer on the hot issues of the day. And that Jesus-And focus did not bring joy to anyone in that church. It only led to chaos, and fighting, and turmoil. And that’s not an isolated incident. The most uncharitable, unkind, and unhappy people I’ve ever known in my life are Jesus-And people
But do you hear what Paul calls “Jesus-And” faith? He calls it manure. He calls it trash. It’s junk that will never lead to real joy. Paul looked at all the “Ands” in his life—his circumcision, his family tree, his Pharisee club card, and he calls all those “Ands” junk. David Jeremiah writes this: Legalism wrenches the joy of the Lord from the Christian believer, and with the joy of the Lord goes his power for vital worship and vibrant service. Nothing is left but cramped, somber, dull and listless profession. The truth is betrayed, and the glorious name of the Lord becomes a synonym for a gloomy kill-joy.
What then does Paul identify as a true gain? Where does Paul say true joy is found? For Paul, the only real treasure, the only true joy, is this: Jesus-Alone. Everything about Paul’s life is now wrapped up in this one focus: knowing Jesus alone and becoming like Jesus alone. That’s all that matters to him. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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 9 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. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. (Phil. 3:7-11 TNIV). The only thing of surpassing worth is knowing and becoming like Jesus.
And that’s what the people of Memphis need. That’s what the new neighbors at Houston Levee need. They need a church which is a Jesus-Alone church. They don’t need a Jesus-Absent church which tries to be politically correct and just promote being good. They don’t need a Jesus-And church which traps people into the depressing legalism. What Memphis and those at Houston Levee need is a Jesus-Alone church. Memphis is filled with churches, especially Churches of Christ, that can offer the strictest and most strangling Jesus-And focus possible. What Memphis most needs is a church where Jesus is enough and where Jesus all that matters. Because that’s where the real treasure is. That’s where the real joy is.
And that’s what you and I need as well. The best way to experience the joy God intends for us to have in this Christian walk is to do just what Paul commands: to rejoice “in the Lord.” The fastest path to genuine joy is to make knowing and becoming like Jesus your sole focus. So many of us have so many different foci when it comes to our spiritual walk. Some of us are solely focused on church attendance and Bible reading—that’s what the spiritual life is about for us. Some of us are solely focused solely on serving others—that’s what the spiritual life is about. For some of our sole spiritual focus is this church’s move and relocation—that’s what our spiritual life is mostly about. And those are good things. But they are not to be our primary focus. Those things flow out of our primary focus. Our main goal ought to be to know Jesus and become like Jesus. At the end of each day the primary question to ask is simply this: do I know Jesus better today than yesterday? Am I more like Jesus today than yesterday? That’s the real source of joy in the Christian walk. Everything else flows out of that focus.
Jesus once told a little story about this. It centered on a man who was working in a field. He stumbled upon some very valuable objects buried in the dirt. He couldn’t believe his eyes! He looked around to see if anyone else saw his discovery. Convinced the secret was safe, he buried the articles again. And then Jesus says in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. In joy Paul willingly loses everything else to gain Jesus. There’s no greater treasure.
In the 14th century there was a travelling preacher who would enter towns and villages in the disguise of a salesman. The townspeople would gather around him and he would showcase hiss various wares—fine fabrics, stunning jewelry, and rare artifacts. The people would begin to purchase these valuable items. But as the sales proceeded, the man would announce that he had even more precious goods to offer. He had jewels of inestimable value and worth. The curiosity of the crowd would be kindled. And then the preacher would share the story of Jesus.
Let’s stand and sing about that treasure. First, let’s read the first few words of this song out loud together: You are the strength when I am weak, you are the treasure that I seek, you are my all in all. Seeking you as a precious jewel, Lord to give up I’d be a fool. You are my all in all.
