Episode 336 "The Worth of Knowing Christ Jesus" - Philippians 3:7-11

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order 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 comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Paul is warning the Philippian believers about false teachers who might come to them and deceive them into thinking that faith in Christ alone is not sufficient, attempting to convince them that they needed to follow the Mosaic Law. Paul has just told them that if people think they have some special credentials in their Jewishness and attempt to control them through some sense of spiritual authority, they need to understand that he has even more credentials. He explained his own heritage and credentials.

But in verses 7-11 he explains that those credentials are now worthless. In fact, he calls them “rubbish.” (v. 8) Why is this? In verse 7, he explained that in all those things he “counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” All those credentials had served him well prior to his conversion to faith in Jesus. He had the authority to teach others. People recognized his credentials and accepted what he said and did. We see that evident early in the book of Acts, which reveals Paul’s zealous persecution of the early Christians. He believed they were blasphemers. So, he sought to stop it, and people understood his credentials. But when Jesus appeared to him and revealed that he was the Christ (Messiah), Paul realized that he had to switch teams, so to speak. He understood that he would have to forfeit everything he had gained in order to serve Jesus and the gospel.

In verse 8, he continues by explaining that he counted “everything as loss.” Imagine working your whole life in pursuit of gaining something and achieving it, only to lose it all in a moment. It would be hard enough if you had no control over it. But Paul made the choice because he understood there was something to gain that far exceeded the value of what he had gained in the flesh. He said that it was, “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (v. 8) What a thought. It makes me wonder if I see “knowing Christ Jesus [as] my Lord” as more valuable than anything and everything else in life.

Paul continues by explaining what that looks like. He says that knowing Christ means receiving a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ and not from his own efforts to do good. (vv. 8-9) His position with God is not about his credentials or his efforts to obey the law, but simply about being “in Christ” and therefore accepted before God based on the righteousness of Jesus, not his own.

Verses 10-11 sound a bit like Paul is not certain about the ultimate outcome of trusting in Christ versus his own fleshly credentials. Verse 10, “that I may know him . . . “ and verse 11, “that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection,” make it sound like he is ambiguous about how it will work out. But the fact that he has already become absolutely convinced that Jesus is the Christ and has been willing to forfeit everything else to follow Christ, even in his sufferings and death, reveals confidence, not uncertainty. Paul makes a strong argument for a literal resurrection from the dead in his first letter to the Corinthians (See 1 Corinthians 15:12-49). So, why the apparent uncertainty? One possibility is that Paul is expressing his uncertainty about the path and about the experiences the Lord will lead him through to his death and resurrection. Another possibility is that Paul is speaking in these terms to downplay his own effort and credentials, and to emphasize that everything about him and his future is in the hands of the Lord.

The big idea here is that we need to follow Paul’s example of not trusting in our own efforts of doing good to be accepted by God, but by faith, trusting in Jesus, so that we can know him and stand before God in his righteousness and not our own.

Episode 144 - Be confident in God - James 1:5-8

James 1:5   If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

We looked at verse 5 of James 1 last week. But, let’s recall the context once again because it is important for us to understand the message James wants to impart to his readers. James informs his readers that they will experience various trials and that God’s purpose in allowing the trials is to refine us and make us complete in the eyes of God. 

James follows with the encouragement to ask for wisdom from God. That makes sense. God’s wisdom can help us navigate these trials and to know how to respond to these trials. He assures his readers that God wants to give wisdom to everyone who asks. 

In verse 6 however, we discover there is a condition on which the granting of this request is dependent. That condition is that the requestor must ask God “in faith, with no doubting.” What does that mean? Does it mean that if I can convince myself that God will give me a fancy car or home if I just ask confidently enough, He will do it? If we examine the nature of faith throughout the Scriptures, we find that faith is neither “blind” nor “wishful thinking.” Faith is trusting that God will fulfill promises that He explicitly makes. It also means that God acts according to His character. Beginning in Genesis 12, God made a promise to Abraham for numerous descendants and land. In Genesis 15, God made this a covenant promise to Abraham. At the same time, God revealed these descendants of Abraham would be captive in a foreign land for 400 years. Yet, God promised that He would not forget His covenant with Abraham and would deliver these people back to the land He promised to Abraham and his descendants. Abraham believed God. God always demonstrated that He was faithful to what He promised. James is saying that we must respond to God’s promises and character in the same way. The Scriptures reveal that asking for wisdom from God is a good thing. Solomon, upon becoming King of Israel, asked the LORD for wisdom and the LORD was pleased to grant it to him. (1 Kings 3:5-9) The proverbs speak of the value of gaining wisdom. This is why James can confidently assert that anyone who asks God for wisdom, it will be granted to him or her. But, one must believe that God can and will grant it. There is no such promise that God will grant us fancy cars or “stuff.” James has a few words later on about this kind of request as well. 

James explains that “the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” (v. 6) If you’ve even been in a boat on the water or perhaps on the shoreline of a body of water and watched something floating. It moves up and down and every which way with no certainty of where it will end up. We don’t want our life to be like that, do we? It is important to trust in God’s promises. 

In verse 7 we see that this condition is not just about asking for wisdom. James says that a person (who is doubting and unstable) “must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.” Faith is not only necessary for wisdom. Faith is to be a part of our everyday life. Getting into the Scriptures and seeking to understand God’s character and promises help us in our confidence in making our requests to God. It lends itself to gaining wisdom that God has revealed within those Scriptures.

It may seem a bit harsh that God requires us to have such strong confidence. Perhaps you don’t always feel so convinced that the Lord will answer your prayers. I know I haven’t always been that confident. I’m reminded of a story in Mark 9:14-29 about a father whose son was controlled by an evil spirit. Jesus’ disciples had not been able to cast out the spirit and the father asked Jesus, “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22) Does that sound like a man of faith? No way. Jesus calls him out on it. “If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23) The ESV translation has Jesus repeating the man’s words “If you can” but adds an exclamation mark. I suspect that should be a question mark in Jesus’ response. He’s pointing out the man’s doubt and inviting him to believe. I love the man’s response. He says, “I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) He’s admitting to Jesus that his faith is weak,  but then uses that little bit of faith to request more. God will grant you faith as well! Isn’t that awesome? God says, “You need faith if you want me to give you what I’m offering to you. What’s that? You want faith? OK. Here you go?”

Prayer: Lord, grant us faith today. Help us grow in our confidence and trust in your word and your promises so that we can exercise that faith to ask you for what you want to give to us. We trust that all of this will lead to you making us complete. Amen!

Episode 110 - "No one will be able to take your joy from you" - John 16:16-22

John 16:16   “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

I don’t know about you. But, this is one of those passages in Scripture that make me laugh. Jesus’ statement that in a little while they won’t see him and again in a little while they will see him evokes the response, “What is he talking about?” The funny thing is that I know the rest of the story, but the disciples did not understand. I can relate to that response. I still have a bit of that response, even though I know what he is talking about. 

In verse 19, we start to get the picture that Jesus knew what they were thinking and what they wanted to know. He wanted them to want to know what was going to happen. They didn’t just need to understand what Jesus was talking about, and they needed a compelling desire to understand what Jesus was saying. Jesus evoked that in them with these sayings.

That’s true for us as well, isn’t it? We learn best when there is a pressing need or question we desperately want to be answered. For Jesus to set them up like this with these words is preparing them for what the Spirit will teach them and cause them to remember what Jesus taught them. It will change their lives. I believe the Lord does that with us today. Notice that Jesus tells them what is about to happen. 

First, they will be filled with sorrow, and the world will be filled with joy. Second, their sorrow will be turned into joy. That is a dramatic shift. What is it that would cause these things to happen? Jesus’ will be crucified and be put to death on the cross. Understandably, his friends and disciples would be filled with sorrow at this tragic loss. But, the world which has remained in the darkness of their sin and rejection of Jesus will rejoice thinking that they have overcome the true Light that came into the world. 

Imagine being in the position of Jesus’ disciples during and after this has happened. They had invested the last three years of their lives following this man and coming to believe that he was God’s Messiah. They had seen the miracles with their own eyes. They were amazed at his teaching as well as his patience and grace to them. Now it was all over . . . or so they thought.

If you can imagine the depth of grief they must have experienced, imagine what was going on in their minds when he appeared to them alive a few days after he had died and been buried. Their extreme sorrow would be turned to extreme joy and no one would be able to  take their joy from them. (v.22)  That is the third thing he told them would happen.

The effect of these events unfolding precisely as Jesus foretold would create in them a whole new level of understanding and confidence in Jesus.  Who would imagine that the one who had raised someone else from the dead could raise himself from the dead? If Jesus proved that he had power over his own death, how much more does he have the power to raise us from the dead and give eternal life to our own bodies?

By Jesus’ leading them to have these questions and needs, he could teach them more as the events unfolded and it would form a foundation for their confidence in his promises. In turn, it would drive their passion for proclaiming the Good News to the world. 

May the Lord instill in us such rich confidence and trust in him that we would be driven to share it with others and faithfully serve him as we look forward to his return.