The Fifth Sunday in Lent

April 6, 2025

Philippians 3:4b-14

God’s Surprising Strategies—

Hiding Treasure in the Trash!

4If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised the eighth day; of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

7But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and 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 and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (NIV1984)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I would like to begin today with a short true or false quiz. True or False: Jesus went to the cross to destroy death and to secure for you the gift of eternal life. We would say: True! True or False: Because of what Jesus did for you on the cross, all of your sins are completely forgiven, you have been dressed in a beautiful white robe of perfect righteousness, and you have been “Declared: Not Guilty!” by the one and only true God. We would say: True! One more. True or False: On the day of resurrection you will experience never-ending joy, peace and perfection as you stand face-to-face with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Again, we would say: True!

Then why? Why do we let criticism— especially criticism from unbelievers— bother us so much? Why do we sometimes worry about our future? Why are we sometimes unhappy with our life? Why are we so often dissatisfied and discontented? Why can we score 100% on a pop quiz and still have difficulty living out our Christian life? I’d like you to keep that quiz and those questions in mind as we study our sermon text for today.

Our sermon text comes from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. If you are at all familiar with this letter then you know that this is a letter of joy! Throughout this entire letter Paul uses the word “joy” or various forms of it over and over and over again. From chapter one where Paul writes, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (1:3-5), to chapter four where Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (4:4)— from beginning to end this letter is a very positive, a very encouraging and a very joyous letter!

Why is this extraordinary? It’s extraordinary because when Paul wrote this letter he was in prison. Paul was a prisoner— probably in Rome— because after he had been arrested in Jerusalem for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul got to a point in his trial where he felt compelled to appeal to Caesar. (See Acts 28:11ff) Even though he was in chains for the Gospel, not only was Paul filled with joy, but he also encourages the Christians in Philippi— and us!— to find our true lasting joy in Jesus and what Jesus has done for us! (Pointing to the cross)

To help us to understand how and why we can be filled with joy no matter what our outward circumstances might be, Paul points to himself as an example. Look at the opening verses of our text. Since there were false teachers in Philippi who were saying that faith in Jesus is not enough to be saved, you have to do something, you have to obey at least some of the Law of Moses (such as the Law of Circumcision) Paul writes, “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 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; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.”

It would have been extremely difficult if not completely impossible to find someone whose Jewish “credentials” could even come close to the apostle Paul’s. And back when Paul was still Saul he undoubtedly derived a great day of joy from his Jewish “credentials”! Humanly speaking, he was head and shoulders above every else! If— and I emphasize if— if salvation were by works, Saul would have been guaranteed entrance into heaven! That is what once brought Saul so much joy!

Is there any correlation between this portion of our text and religious people today? I think there are two ways to answer that question. First of all, we need to be careful, my friends. We need to be careful that we don’t look at the fact that we have been baptized, that we have been confirmed, that we are on the membership list of a congregation, that we come from a long line of people who have been members of the same congregation, that we attend church at least every now and then, that we give an offering when we have enough money left at the end of the week— we need to be careful that we do not look at these religious “credentials” as our source of joy, as our assurance that we will be saved.

Secondly, as we look around at the religious landscape today, we need to remember that any and every religion that is based on salvation by works has the potential of producing people whose religious “credentials” could parallel the “credentials” that Paul mentions here in our text. Whether it’s the Mormons or the Jehovah’s Witnesses or any other work-oriented religion, if someone believes that the harder they work and the better they live their life the closer they are to getting into heaven— well, that might make them great neighbors or great co-workers, but it does not give them a better chance of being saved for all of eternity.

Paul emphasizes that truth when he goes on to say in our text, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 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 and is by faith.”

Everything that was once a source of joy for Saul, everything that he used to put his confidence in for salvation— his heritage, his zealous keeping of the Law, his persecution of the church— Paul now considered all of it as “rubbish.” That, my friends, is actually a mild translation of the word that Paul used here. A more literal translation would be “dung” or “garbage”— something that you would want to avoid, something that you would want to get rid of as quickly as possible!

Why such a dramatic change? Because Paul knew. Paul knew that the absolute requirement for entry into heaven is “righteousness.” There are no exceptions. There are no substitutes. As a Pharisee Saul was fully convinced that he was doing everything that he needed to do in order to obtain the “righteousness” he needed. As Paul has just said, when it came to “legalistic righteousness” he was “faultless”! It was Saul’s encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) that “opened” Saul’s eyes! With the gift of faith that had been created in Paul’s heart he could see just how pathetic his “faultless” “legalistic righteousness” actually was! That’s why he described it as “garbage” that makes everything stink, as a pile of “dung” that needed to be hauled away. The “righteousness” that Paul needed to be saved, the “righteousness” we all need to be saved, is the “righteousness” that is given to us— “the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

The ”surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus” as his Lord, led the apostle Paul to say to the Philippians, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

These words reveal to us that Paul’s faith “connected” him to Jesus in a truly powerful and truly personal way! While Paul already “knew Christ,” while Paul had already seen the “power of his resurrection” when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, that wasn’t enough! Paul wanted to continue to grow even more in the grace and in the knowledge of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Paul’s powerful and personal connection to Jesus also meant that he would know firsthand “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” We all know the many persecutions that Paul endured as he boldly and faithfully proclaimed the message of the Gospel. Over and over again Jesus’ enemies directed their hatred for the Lord at Paul because Paul was so closely “connected” to Jesus!

That close personal connection to Jesus also served as a constant reminder to Paul that death was always close by. Remember— even as Paul wrote these words he was in prison awaiting trial before Caesar. He didn’t know if he would be condemned and executed or if he would be set free. Paul’s uncertainty as to what would happen at his trial is what led him to write, “and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Like each and every believer, like each and every one of us, Paul was confident that one day he would most certainly rise from the dead. For Paul the only uncertainty— the “somehow” he refers to here— centered on the manner of his death. Would he die a martyr’s death, or would he die a quiet and peaceful death? Either way, Paul had the joyful expectation of knowing that he would most certainly rise from the dead!

We have that same certainty, my friends! When we were baptized with water in the Name of the Triune God we too were “united” with Christ. We were united with Him in His life. We were united with Him in His death. We were united with Him in His resurrection from the dead. And now through regular study of God’s holy Word and through regular reception of God’s holy Supper the Holy Spirit brings the glory of Christ and the power of His resurrection into ever clearer focus for us. As the Holy Spirit continues to work in our hearts and in our lives we experience the glory of Christ and the power of His resurrection as we rejoice more and more in the forgiveness that Jesus won for us. (Pointing to the cross) As the Holy Spirit continues to work in our hearts and in our lives, as our faith and trust in our Savior continues to grow stronger and stronger, we gain more and more victories over sin. As the Holy Spirit continues to work in our hearts and in our lives, as He gives us the power to stand up to the ridicule and the persecution that the devil and this sinful world brings against us, we not only “share” in His sufferings (Pointing to the cross) but we become even more confident that no matter how and no matter when we die we will most certainly “attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

While our goal as saved child of God is to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we always need to remember that we will not reach our goal of perfection until we get to home to heaven. That’s why we need to say along with Paul, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Since our justification is 100% God’s work our justification is complete and secure. Here Paul is talking about our life of sanctification— how we live as a saved child of God. Our life of sanctification is an ongoing process. None of us— not you, not me— none of us can ever rightfully say, “It is finished! I have reached my goal!” Living our life as a child of God in this sinful world is a constant struggle. The apostle Paul himself has taught us to confess, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do— this I keep on doing…What a wretched man I am!” (Romans 7:18, 19, 24).

To help us understand what the life of a child of God here on this earth is like, Paul uses the picture of a long-distance runner. When a person is running a long-distance race they don’t keep looking back over their shoulder. They focus on reaching the finish line. They strain and they stretch every muscle so that in the end they can reach their goal.

The “goal” that God has set before each and every one of us is the “prize” of eternal life and perfect glory in heaven. This “goal” has already been won for us, hasn’t it! Through faith in Jesus’ perfect life, through faith in Jesus’ innocent suffering and death on the cross and through faith in Jesus’ physical resurrection from the dead heaven is already ours! And yet, day by day we need to crucify our own sinful nature so that we don’t lose the “prize”! Day by day we need to “forget what is behind.” It does us no good to look back at our past sins and failures, continually grieving over them even though they have been completely paid for through the holy precious blood of Christ. Looking back over our past sins only gives Satan an opportunity to try and trap us in the quicksand of despair. It is also not good for us to pat ourselves on the back for the times that we have defeated Satan’s temptations. That would open us up to the equally deadly traps of pride and spiritual laziness.

Instead, we would do well to follow Paul’s example, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Knowing for certain that one day we will be with Jesus in heaven, knowing for certain what the future holds for us— that has a direct positive impact on our present-day life. How so? Let’s go back to our True of False quiz. True or False: Jesus went to the cross to destroy death and to secure for you the gift of eternal life. True or False: Because of what Jesus did for you on the cross, all of your sins are completely forgiven, you have been dressed in a beautiful white robe of perfect righteous, plus, you have been Declared: Not Guilty! by God Himself. True or False: On the day of resurrection you will experience never-ending joy, peace and perfection as you stand face-to-face with your dear Lord and Savior. Since the answer to all of those statements is a resounding “Yes!” there is no need to let someone’s criticism bother us. There is no need to worry about tomorrow. There is no reason to be unhappy or dissatisfied with our life. Even if the entire world tried to convince us that we are nothing but worthless trash— we know the truth. We know the truth that in His eyes (Pointing to the cross) we are right now, in the present and will forever be His priceless treasure!

To God be the glory!

Amen