Sermons By Ken Trivette From The Living Word

The Book of Philippians (Study 16)
LOSING YOUR RELIGION
Philippians 3:4-9

1. D.L. Moody once told about a man who got up in one of his meetings and said, "I have been 42 years learning three things." Moody perked up and thought to himself that if he could learn in just a few minutes what had taken this man 42 years to learn, he was going to listen. The man said it had taken him 42 years to learn first, that he could do nothing toward his own salvation. Secondly, that God did not require him to do anything, and thirdly, that the Lord Jesus had done it all, that salvation was finished and all he had to do was take it.

2. A great eternal tragedy is that many have the ideal that in order for them to be saved they must live a life that involves doing certain things and not doing certain things.

3. George Barna found that most Americans believe that salvation is an outcome to be earned through their good character or behavior. Six out of ten people (57 per cent) believe that "if a person is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in heaven." He also found there is a growing tendency to believe that "all good people whether or not they consider Jesus Christ to be their Saviour, will live in heaven after they die on the earth." (The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators)

4. You could say that there are many who believe bad things will keep them out of heaven. The Apostle Paul declared that good things could keep a person out of heaven. In this autobiographical passage before us, Paul tells us that if a person is to be saved they must lose their religion. Someone might say that if a person lost their religion they would not be saved. Paul says that if a person does not lose their religion they will not be saved.

5. In a nutshell, Paul tells us that man at his very best still comes short. He says that we never have or do enough good works to be saved. He reminds us that a person cannot earn their salvation. Notice:

1. A LIFE THAT WAS ADMIRABLE!

1. We read in verse 4, "Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more." Paul is declaring that he had lived a life that stood head and shoulders above others. If anybody had a reason to believe they were saved because of how they lived, he did. If anybody had a reason to be confident because of the life they lived he did.

2. There was a time when Paul had been extremely proud of the kind of life he had lived. In his mind and the Jewish mind, he had lived a life that was admirable. In fact, there had been a time when he felt that his life was one to envy. Notice how he describes his past life.

A. What He Was Racially.

1. He says in verse 5, "Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee." Paul declares that he was a Jew in the purest, noblest, and highest form. He makes four statements that would have been admired by any serious Jew.

2. First he says that he was, "circumcised the eighth day." Converts to Judaism were circumcised in maturity or adulthood. Ishmaelite were circumcised in their 13th year. But a pure blood Jew was circumcised on the 8th day after birth. Paul was saying that he was not a convert to Judaism, but was born a Jew. He was a full-blooded Jew.

3. Secondly he says that he was, "of the stock of Israel." The word "stock" speaks of origin. Israel was the name given to Jacob. Paul was stating that he could trace his ancestry back to the time honored and revered patriarch Jacob. 

4. Many could trace their ancestry back to Abraham. The Ishmaelite could trace their descent to Abraham for Ishmael was Abraham's son by Hagar. The Edomites could trace their descent back to Abraham for Esau was the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. But it was the Israelites that could trace their descent to Abraham through Jacob, the one chosen by God, the one called Israel by God. Again, Paul was stressing the absolute purity of his descent.

5. Thirdly, he says that he was, "of the tribe of Benjamin." He was not only an Israelite, but he also belonged to the elite of Israel. Benjamin was the tribe from which the first king of Israel came. This is no doubt where Paul got his name Saul. Benjamin was a tribe that had been loyal to David and whom formed with the Judah the foundation for the restored nation after their captivity.

6. It was the tribe of Benjamin that had the place of honor in Israel's battle line. The battle cry of Israel was, "After thee, O Benjamin." Furthermore, Benjamin was the only patriarch to have been born in the land of promise. Paul was saying that he was of the highest aristocracy of Israel. It would be like an American saying they could trace their ancestry to the pilgrims.

7. Finally he says he was, "an Hebrew of the Hebrews." Throughout history the Jews had been dispersed throughout the then known world. In time many of them forgot their Hebrew language and customs and adapted the tongue and customs of the culture in which they lived. A Hebrew was a Jew that had deliberately and purposefully retained the Hebrew tongue and customs. Paul was saying that his parents were in the strictest sense a Hebrew and he had followed in their footsteps.

8. Racially, to a Jew, Paul's resume was quite impressive. His racial assets were to be admired.

B. What He Was Religiously.

1. We read, "...as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church..." (Vs.5b-6a). Paul was not just an Israelite, he was also a Pharisee. There were never more than 6,000 Pharisees, so this put Paul in even more of an elite class.

2. The name "Pharisee" means "The Separated ones." The Pharisees were a group of religious leaders that had separated themselves from certain people as well as from a common life and common tasks for the purpose of learning the law and keeping the law. Paul was saying that when it came to religion, he had devoted his whole life to knowing and keeping the law. He had given up a normal life to live a strict and religious life.

3. We have heard about those that have become monks and cut themselves off from all society to live a life of religious separation. They have lived in isolated and remote monasteries and under vows of extreme sacrifices. I read about one fellow that went into a monastery and took a vow that he could not speak but once in every four years and even then he could only speak two words. After his first four years he was allowed to speak two words. He said, "Bed hard." Four years later he was allowed to speak two words. He said, "Food cold." Then four years later he was allowed to say two words and he said, I quit." The priest said to him, "It don't surprise me. All you have done since you have been here is complain."

4. When it came to religion, Paul had taken it very seriously. He lived a separated life with devotion and commitment.

5. In verse 6 he speaks of his "zeal." To a Jew, zeal was considered a great quality in religious life. It was a hall-mark for the Jewish religion. Paul was more than deeply religious. He was zealously religious. But notice carefully where his zeal was vented. It was in "persecuting the church." Paul had poured his zeal and energies into persecuting those who called themselves Christians. In Acts 11:26 he said that he made "havoc" of the church. The word is descriptive of a boar tearing up tender saplings to get at the roots. Paul had done all he could to destroy Christianity and it was all done in the name of his religion.

7. Paul was saying that when it came to religion, if any man thought he was religious, he was even more. He was a model when it came to religion.

C. What He Was Righteously.

1. He says in verse 6, "...touching the righteousness which is the law, blameless." Paul was saying that when it came to keeping the law and living right he was blameless. The word "blameless" refers not so much to things one should not do, but to things one should do. No one could point a finger a Paul and accuse him of  something he should not have done and neither could they say he had not done what he should have done.

2. As believers we have a tendency to only think of sin as doing what we should not do. However, the Bible teaches us that when we fail to do what we should do, that is also sin. Sin is the wrong we do and the right we fail to do. As for Paul, in either case, he was blameless.

3. Paul had lived a most commendable and admirable life from a Jewish standpoint. I doubt there were many that had lived a more admirable life then he. In the mind of some, if anybody was saved and would make it to heaven, it was Paul.

1. A Life That Was Admirable!

2. A LOSS THAT WAS ASSESSED!

1. We read in verses 7-8a, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. [8] Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss..." The word "counted" is a bookkeeping term. Paul as an auditor of his life, speaks of the "gains" and "losses" of his life. When it all was assessed and appraised, the result was different than he expected. Notice:

A. The Balance On The Credit Side Of His Life.

1. In verse 7 Paul speaks of "what things were gain to me." The word "gain" is plural. There were the "gains" of his life. The word speaks of "profits, assets, credits, and balances." 

2. I once read that the average American has just $83.42 in the bank. That's bad news. But the good news is that the average American is $4.6 trillion richer than the U.S. Government. In most cases, our financial and material balances are not impressive.

3. But in Paul's case, he was from a very cultured background and wealthy family. In all probability his financial and material assets were not your average. When it came to his personal and religious assets, he was also above average. Everything about Paul's balance sheet from a earthly perspective was quite impressive. From all we have seen, by all racial standards, religious standards, and righteous standards, he had an impressive balance on the credit side of life.

B. The Bankruptcy On The Debit Side Of His Life.

1. He not only speaks of his "gains" but also of his "losses." He discovered that all his assets turned out to be liabilities. The word "loss" speaks of a huge debt that consumes ones credits. Paul discovered that instead of being personally and spiritual rich before God, he was personally and spiritual bankrupt. All the things he had considered a profit and credit to his account, had yielded no interest and had paid no dividends to the Divine treasury.

2. He had come to the realization that all he had done and all that he was did not profit him one iota when it came to being saved. He declared that in spite of all his gains, he had to file chapter 13 when it came to God. He was bankrupt when it came to eternal life. As Guy King said, "Becoming his own auditor, he could only certify the whole as dead loss, and himself a miserable and hopeless bankrupt." (Joy Way)

3. What Paul is telling us is that our good works and our good life can never save us and will never take us to heaven. You may have an impressive balance sheet when it comes to morality, religion, and good deeds, but when it comes to the matter of salvation there is a huge debit that leaves you bankrupt before God.

4. There are many that are bad that one day will go to heaven. But there are also many that are good that will go to hell. You can be a church member, be baptized, take the Lord's supper, and tithe ten per cent of your income weekly and still be lost. You can be a Sunday school teacher, sing in the choir, serve on the deacon board, and even preach in the pulpit and not be saved. You can have Sunday school achievements awards on every wall in your home and rosary beads that hang to your feet, but none of these things will save you.

5. I read about a man named Leo Page, who resigned as secretary of a charitable fund. He sent the account books to his successor along with a few lines of verse he wrote:

When I advance with faltering feet
To show my final Balance sheet.

6. When one looks at all they do and all they are, the final balance sheet will show that they are seriously in debt. They are actually bankrupt.

1. A Life That Was Admirable!
2. A Life That Was Assessed!

3. A LORD THAT WAS ACCEPTED!

1. We read in verses 7-9, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. [8] Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, [9] And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."

2. Paul lost his religion but he found a Saviour. He discovered what could not save him and he also discovered Who could save him. He discovered that salvation is not in the life you life but in the Lord you know. He declares in verse 8 that salvation is in "Christ Jesus my Lord."

A. He Relied On A Relationship With Christ.

1.  He says in verse 8, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." The knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord refers to a personal knowledge of the Lord Jesus. This is more than a historical knowledge of Christ. It is a personal knowledge.

2. Charles Spurgeon is one of my spiritual heroes. I have read so much about him and by him that I sometimes feel as if I had known him personally. I have been the house where he was born. I have been to the little village of Stambourne where he spent much of his childhood. I have sat where he was sitting the day he got saved. I have stood on the bank of the river Lark where he was baptized. I have stood on the very spot he preached his first sermon. I have stood in the pulpits of the two churches he pastored. I have walked through the halls of the college he founded and visited his burial place. Yet, although there are times when I feel that I know him personally, I can't actually say that. My knowledge of him is historical.

3. On the other hand, I have never been to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. I have never been to Nazareth where He spent his childhood. I have never been to the river Jordan where He was baptized nor to Jerusalem where He was crucified. I have never been to the garden tomb where He was buried and rose again the third day. But I can say that I know Him personally! I have never met Charles Spurgeon, but I have met the Lord Jesus.

4. Salvation is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is knowing him personally as your Saviour and Lord. Christianity is Christ! Salvation is the Saviour! Redemption is the Redeemer! Eternal life is the Eternal Lord!

5. To know Christ personally had cost Paul everything. He stated in verse 8, "for whom I have suffered the loss of all things." A personal relationship with Christ had cost him all his accomplishments in the Jewish religion. It had cost him his social standing in the Jewish community. It no doubt cost him his family and friends.

6. But all the things he once had considered assets, he counted "dung" that he might win (gain-know) Christ. The word "dung" in common language referred to that which was thrown to the dogs. We would call it table scraps. When it came to all those things saving him, they were worthless.

B. He Rested In The Righteousness Of Christ.

1. We read in verse 9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Paul had once rested in his own righteousness, but now he declares that he is resting in the righteousness of Christ. He had discovered that he had no righteousness in himself, but a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ.

2. The word "righteousness" that he used speaks of "imputation." It means, "to put to one's account." Paul's personal righteousness account was bankrupt, but Jesus had put His righteousness into Paul's account and in so doing, Paul found himself right with God.

3. Dr. Harry Ironside on one occasion while in Texas visited a sheep ranch. He saw the strangest looking lamb that he had ever seen. It looked like a lamb that had four front feet and four back feet instead of two. He stood there gazing at it and the sheep rancher said to him, "Let me tell you the story of that little lamb." We had a ewe bare and lamb and the lamb died. Then another ewe bore a lamb and the ewe died. We thought that since we had a mother without a baby and a baby without a mother, we would put them together. But when we put the lamb with the ewe that had lost her lamb, she put her head down and pushed it away. She would have no part with it. It was like she was saying it was not hers. Then someone suggested that we skin the dead lamb and drape the skin over the lamb. That exactly what we did. We clothed that lamb in the skin of the lamb that had died. We then placed it with the mother and she began to love it and feed it. It was like she was saying this is mine. She is raising that lamb because it is clothed in the garments of her own."

4. We are not accepted because of our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ. We are accepted in the Beloved!

Not of work I have done
But in the love of God's dear Son!

5. Paul lost his religion, but he found a Saviour!

Copyright © 2001 Ken D. Trivette. This data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be used freely by those who download it and copied for circulation feely without charge. This data file shall not be copied, edited, revised, for resale or used in any commercial publications without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for permission should be made by email or in writing to Ken D. Trivette, Temple Baptist Church, 3204 Clio Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37407 USA.