The Christian Will Suffer But it is all Worth It | Philippians 3:8-12

 

 

 

 

We must be reminded of two things when it comes to God’s truth:  God is not of this world and God transforms lives.  God transformed Paul’s life. Paul used to be Saul, a pharisee, a teacher of the law.  He hunted Christians down, imprisoned them and even witnessed their executions.  He separated families, mothers from their children and fathers from their families, he caused suffering for Christ Followers because he hated God. 

 

Now, he is doing the opposite.  His old self has died and now he builds up the church, he encourages the church and plants churches because he loves God.  God transforms lives and the world hates Him because he is not of this world.

 

1. Our righteousness is from God. Our faith is from God.  We find our identity in God and what He has done for Us. 

 

“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.”

--Philippians 3:8-9

 

Paul is reminding the church in Philippi of who they belong to—where they stand in this world.  They are not standing belonging to the world or even to themselves, rather they belong to Jesus Christ.  Paul now belongs to Jesus Christ because of how Jesus transformed his life on the road to Damascus. 

 

The more Paul knows Christ—the less confidence he puts in following his ways, in following all the pleasures that he once had—his previous career, his world driven ambition is now rubbish because He has gained the most important person in this Universe:  Jesus Christ. 

 

This hits home in this specific church because this church was started when God changed Lydia’s life after Paul preached the gospel to her.

 

“A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.  And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.’ And she prevailed upon us.”
--Acts 16:14-15

 

Just as Paul’s life was changed by the power of God; Lydia’s life was changed by the power of God.  Lydia’s household was converted to Christianity.  They followed Jesus and her house became the first meeting place of this church in Philippi.  God is doing the transforming work.  Lydia became righteous because God made her righteous.

 

“O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me.  There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue…But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You.  For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.”

--Psalm 5:8-9, 11-12

 

 

 

“When your will is God’s will you will have your will.”

--Charles Spurgeon

 

2. The Mark of Following true Christianity is to Expect Hardship and Suffering.

 

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead…”

--Philippians 3:10-11

 

Paul is reminding Christians of their posture before God—this will make us feel uncomfortable.  Paul strives to know God and the power of His resurrection; Paul is recognizing that in order to receive Christ’s resurrection he must also receive Christ’s suffering and Christ’s death.

 

Fellowship:

κοινωνία koinōnía, partnership, i.e. (literally) participation, association, community.  Noun accusative singular meaning this fellowship is happening to the object, Paul is the object.  What Paul is saying here is that he is participating in Christ’s sufferings; He is literally suffering for Christ and therefore will be brought to death for God by God.

 

Why would Paul write something like this?  To expect suffering, to expect hardship, many of us think that God wants to protect us, that God wants us to be healthy, wealthy and without trial—this does not line up with what Paul writes. 

 

Paul is ready to suffer for Christ.  He even finds joy in Christ while he suffers for the sake of the gospel.  Paul is highlighting the true face in which God and the world do not mix.  Satan hates God and he convinced the world into eternal sin in Genesis 3, therefore, the world hates God, the world sins and rebels against God.  This means that Jesus, who is God, does not conform to the world.  Jesus and the world are like oil and water; it is like putting diesel in a gas engine, it does not work!

 

 

“What then?  Only that in every way, whether in pretense of in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.  Yes, and I will rejoice.”

--Philippians 1:18

 

 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do what I command you.  No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends…If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you…”

--John 15:12-15, 18-20

 

“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.  They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

--Luke 12:49-53

 

 

 

“Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

--John 16:32-33

 

3. All what Saul did was the work of Saul. All what Paul now does is the work of God, Jesus Christ.

 

 

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”

--Philippians 3:12

 

If we look at Philippians 4:7, Paul, repeats this idea of finding true peace and joy during suffering.

 

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

--Philippians 4:7

 

Paul’s purpose in his new life is glorifying Jesus Christ—everything he does is for the glory of God.  It is God’s mission; Paul is following Jesus and Jesus is his perfect example.  This gives Paul purpose in every season of this life.

 

Purposelessness in our modern culture:

 

Over the 4-year follow-up period, people with the highest (versus lowest) purpose had better subsequent physical health outcomes (e.g., 46% reduced risk of mortality), health behaviors (e.g., 13% reduced risk of sleep problems and psychosocial outcomes (e.g., higher optimism, 43% reduced risk of depression, lower loneliness.  Importantly, however, purpose was not associated with other physical health outcomes, health behaviors, and social factors.

 

“A sense of purpose in life is one promising candidate; it is viewed as a central component of well-being and refers to the extent that people see their lives as having meaning, a sense of direction, and goals…A growing body of research has also observed that having a higher sense of purpose is associated with better: health behaviors (e.g., increased physical activity, increased preventive healthcare use, healthier sleep, reduced drug misuse),14,20-26 biological functioning (e.g., reduced allostatic load, reduced inflammation),27-29 better physical functioning, and reduced risk of disease (e.g., lower risk of cardiovascular disease and cognitive impairment),14,29-35 and mortality.”

-- Sense of Purpose in Life and Subsequent Physical, Behavioral, and Psychosocial Health: An Outcome-Wide Approach.  National Library of Medicine

 

 

“Hill and his colleague Nicholas Turiano of the University of Rochester Medical Center looked to see how more than 6,000 people answered questions like ‘Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not one of them,’ and other questions that gauged positive and negative emotions. They found that 14 years after those questions were asked, people who had reported a greater sense of purpose and direction in life were more likely to outlive their peers.”

--NPR

 

Paul’s given purpose is Christ.  The disciple’s given purpose is Christ.  This is why the ancient church grew and God built it through faithful disciples:  because they were driven by their love, knowledge and relationship with the living God, Jesus Christ. 

 

“The Lord is my shepherd, shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.  Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

--Psalm 23:1-6

 

“The more that you can stack your time with the Lord, the more purpose you’re going to find in the midst of hardship.”

—Ella Swindle

 

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

--Galatians 2:20

 

“Heaven is where one day is better than the next: forever.”

--C.S. Lewis