Sermon Notes
Sermon: God’s Righteousness by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: April 7, 2019
Key Scripture Passages: Philippians 3:1-14
Sermon Notes:
Good People
Can morally good people be found outside of Christianity? Anymore, we often here about how people can be good or can live moral lives without Christ or without being a part of the church. Yes, people who do not follow Christ can do good things and hold good morals. When we think about Paul, it was not openly sinful behavior that prevented him from accepting Christ. It was not bad things that Paul was doing that separated him from Christ, but rather it was the “good” things that he was doing. His life as a Pharisee would have been very commendable, an example to be followed. He lived a moral life, was obedient to the Law, defended the religions of his fathers, and he knew the Scriptures probably better than most people of his time. Honestly, Paul probably knew them better than we do today. Earlier this week, I read this quote: “Like most ‘religious’ people today, Paul had enough morality to keep him out of trouble, but not enough righteousness to get him into heaven” (Bible Exposition Commentary). If Paul, who had lived according to the Law, the law given to Moses by God, knew the Scriptures, was faithful to his religion, and lived a morally good life, then what was the problem? The problem was that Paul had a legalistic righteousness that never would have led him to be saved, because in this fallen world, he could never have attained sinless perfection on his own merit and his own works. He needed Christ.
Legalistic Righteousness
When we evangelize to people, must they become American before they can become Christian? Or must they embrace a Western mindset before they can become Christian? The early Christians faced the same sort of dilemma: must people become Jews before they became Christians. Paul’s answer is no, but one of the things that Paul was writing to the church in Philippi about was to warn them against Judaizers. Judaizers were a group of people that believed that new converts had to follow the Jewish law AND follow Christ. Having faith in Christ was in addition to following Jewish law, not a replacement.
As an apostle and missionary to the Gentiles, Paul’s opposition to the Judaizers was not because he lacked a Jewish pedigree. He valued both his Jewish heritage as well as his Roman citizenship. In addition, you probably could not get anyone more Jewish than Paul. In Philippians 3:4-11, he offers his proof.
Paul is ethnically Jewish and was from the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was one of Jacob’s favorite sons from his favorite wife, Rachel, and this was the tribe of the first king of the Israelites in the Old Testament. Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews, meaning that he still spoke Aramaic, even though he grew up in Tarsus where Greek was the primary language. Many of the Jews had been influenced by other cultures and had lost their native tongue of Aramaic, yet Paul still retained it as well as speaking Greek.
Paul was religiously Jewish. He had entered into the covenantal relationship promised to Abraham with his circumcision at 8 days old. Paul also was a Pharisee, the strictest Jewish sect. Paul, himself, had what they would have considered a “flawless” external record of legalistic righteousness, as he faithfully followed the Jewish Law. Paul not only followed the Law, but he zealously taught it, defended it, and persecuted those who stood against it. No one matched the zeal that Paul had as a Pharisee. His religious record was such that the Judaizers would have loved to have half of Paul’s accomplishments.
Today, we associate the label “Pharisee” with the concept of hypocrisy. However, that would not have been the case in Paul’s day. Back then, to be a Pharisee meant that you had reached the height of religious experience and had attained the highest ideal of a Jew one could hope to be. Measured by the Law or compared to other Jews, Paul was faithful and blameless. When he looked at others or himself, Paul could perceive righteousness. The Jews would have called Paul a righteous man.
God’s Righteousness & Pressing Forward
However, after his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul no longer compared himself to others or according to the Law. Rather, Paul compared himself to himself, desiring to be a renewed, better version of himself. And Paul compared himself to Christ, desiring to be more like Christ. Despite his “perfect” track record and faithfulness as a Jew, when he looked at Christ, Paul realizes that he is still an imperfect man who sins. He knows that he has not yet reached the goal of righteousness. He knows that he can’t do it on his own. Only Christ can provide the salvation and righteousness that he needs.
For Paul, his faith in Christ did not replace the role of the Law in his life and it did not make him feel less of a Jew. Rather, Paul’s faith in Christ made him whole, made him feel like a more completed Jew. Paul also did not lower his standards of morality. He actually held himself to an even higher standard of living.
We can learn from Paul’s example. Paul was humble. Of all of the Jews, Paul could have boasted and been “settled” in his faith and personal righteousness, especially if he compared himself to other Jews. It is so easy for us to become complacent in our faith. It is so easy to look at other church-goers and think, “Oh, we are doing more than they are, so we are good to go.” We are going to church, praying, reading the Bible…we are doing the minimal amount expected of us, checking things off our spiritual to-do list. Yet, we need a bit of spiritual dissatisfaction. We need to keep growing in our faith, knowledge, and relationship with Christ. We need a bit of opposition or resistance to keep pressing forward towards our goal of becoming more like Christ.
Paul was a spiritual giant. To the Jews before his conversion (and after as well), they would have wanted to be like him in his zealous faithfulness to living according to the Law. To the Christians after his conversion, they would have wanted to be like him in his faith of Christ. When Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, it would have been about 30 years after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul’s reputation as both a Pharisee and as a Christian were well-established and unmatched by the people of his day. However, he knew that in comparison to Christ, all of his efforts and achievements were nothing. Paul continually strove to do better, to be better.
Paul was devoted to Christ. For a believer, to be devoted does not mean that we are good at everything. For example, a runner does run every category of racing. He specializes in something and concentrates on his specialization. The runner may be a sprinter and needs to train to go short distances very fast. Or the runner may be a marathoner and needs to build up his endurance by training to go long distances at an even pace.
Paul was focused on the direction that led him towards Christ. He was future-oriented and let go of the past, which he couldn’t change anyways. He did not forget his past, just like we can’t forget ours. However, it is possible to move forward, not getting stuck in the past. In the Bible, to forget means “no longer to be influenced by or affected by”. I once heard the following marker of forgiveness: to truly forgive someone does not mean that you don’t remember, but that you remember the incident without the pain or anger invoked by it. In other words, you are no longer affected or influenced by it. For Paul, he would have had past sins or past regrets, like his persecution of Christians. But he did not get stuck focusing on the bad things of the past. Rather, he kept his eyes forward and focused.
Paul lives an examined and intentional life. Paul purposefully focuses on God, on allowing God to work in him and through him, so that he may become more like Christ. Paul is patient, and it is no trouble to him to teach and reteach the essentials of the Christian faith to the churches that he planted as well as others. He took his time to continue his instruction and mentoring of them, even when he was no longer with them. Paul also kept pressing forward in life towards his goal of righteousness. This was not the legalistic righteousness that depended on his good works, but rather this was the righteousness that only God can give that depended upon Paul’s faith in Christ.
In the end, we must stand before the judge, before God. When a runner competes, it is not enough to just be fast, but he must also follow the rules. If he breaks the rules, he is still a runner, but he has been disqualified for that race. In our walk, we must remember to do more than training, we must follow the “spiritual rules” that we find in the Bible. It does not matter what we think or what the spectators think; what ultimately matters is what the judge thinks. It matters what God thinks. Therefore, I encourage you to keep your focus on Christ, developing your relationship with Him and letting God work in you and through you.
Sermon: God’s Righteousness by Rev. Jessica Johnson
Date: April 7, 2019
Key Scripture Passages: Philippians 3:1-14
Sermon Notes:
Good People
Can morally good people be found outside of Christianity? Anymore, we often here about how people can be good or can live moral lives without Christ or without being a part of the church. Yes, people who do not follow Christ can do good things and hold good morals. When we think about Paul, it was not openly sinful behavior that prevented him from accepting Christ. It was not bad things that Paul was doing that separated him from Christ, but rather it was the “good” things that he was doing. His life as a Pharisee would have been very commendable, an example to be followed. He lived a moral life, was obedient to the Law, defended the religions of his fathers, and he knew the Scriptures probably better than most people of his time. Honestly, Paul probably knew them better than we do today. Earlier this week, I read this quote: “Like most ‘religious’ people today, Paul had enough morality to keep him out of trouble, but not enough righteousness to get him into heaven” (Bible Exposition Commentary). If Paul, who had lived according to the Law, the law given to Moses by God, knew the Scriptures, was faithful to his religion, and lived a morally good life, then what was the problem? The problem was that Paul had a legalistic righteousness that never would have led him to be saved, because in this fallen world, he could never have attained sinless perfection on his own merit and his own works. He needed Christ.
Legalistic Righteousness
When we evangelize to people, must they become American before they can become Christian? Or must they embrace a Western mindset before they can become Christian? The early Christians faced the same sort of dilemma: must people become Jews before they became Christians. Paul’s answer is no, but one of the things that Paul was writing to the church in Philippi about was to warn them against Judaizers. Judaizers were a group of people that believed that new converts had to follow the Jewish law AND follow Christ. Having faith in Christ was in addition to following Jewish law, not a replacement.
As an apostle and missionary to the Gentiles, Paul’s opposition to the Judaizers was not because he lacked a Jewish pedigree. He valued both his Jewish heritage as well as his Roman citizenship. In addition, you probably could not get anyone more Jewish than Paul. In Philippians 3:4-11, he offers his proof.
Paul is ethnically Jewish and was from the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was one of Jacob’s favorite sons from his favorite wife, Rachel, and this was the tribe of the first king of the Israelites in the Old Testament. Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews, meaning that he still spoke Aramaic, even though he grew up in Tarsus where Greek was the primary language. Many of the Jews had been influenced by other cultures and had lost their native tongue of Aramaic, yet Paul still retained it as well as speaking Greek.
Paul was religiously Jewish. He had entered into the covenantal relationship promised to Abraham with his circumcision at 8 days old. Paul also was a Pharisee, the strictest Jewish sect. Paul, himself, had what they would have considered a “flawless” external record of legalistic righteousness, as he faithfully followed the Jewish Law. Paul not only followed the Law, but he zealously taught it, defended it, and persecuted those who stood against it. No one matched the zeal that Paul had as a Pharisee. His religious record was such that the Judaizers would have loved to have half of Paul’s accomplishments.
Today, we associate the label “Pharisee” with the concept of hypocrisy. However, that would not have been the case in Paul’s day. Back then, to be a Pharisee meant that you had reached the height of religious experience and had attained the highest ideal of a Jew one could hope to be. Measured by the Law or compared to other Jews, Paul was faithful and blameless. When he looked at others or himself, Paul could perceive righteousness. The Jews would have called Paul a righteous man.
God’s Righteousness & Pressing Forward
However, after his conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul no longer compared himself to others or according to the Law. Rather, Paul compared himself to himself, desiring to be a renewed, better version of himself. And Paul compared himself to Christ, desiring to be more like Christ. Despite his “perfect” track record and faithfulness as a Jew, when he looked at Christ, Paul realizes that he is still an imperfect man who sins. He knows that he has not yet reached the goal of righteousness. He knows that he can’t do it on his own. Only Christ can provide the salvation and righteousness that he needs.
For Paul, his faith in Christ did not replace the role of the Law in his life and it did not make him feel less of a Jew. Rather, Paul’s faith in Christ made him whole, made him feel like a more completed Jew. Paul also did not lower his standards of morality. He actually held himself to an even higher standard of living.
We can learn from Paul’s example. Paul was humble. Of all of the Jews, Paul could have boasted and been “settled” in his faith and personal righteousness, especially if he compared himself to other Jews. It is so easy for us to become complacent in our faith. It is so easy to look at other church-goers and think, “Oh, we are doing more than they are, so we are good to go.” We are going to church, praying, reading the Bible…we are doing the minimal amount expected of us, checking things off our spiritual to-do list. Yet, we need a bit of spiritual dissatisfaction. We need to keep growing in our faith, knowledge, and relationship with Christ. We need a bit of opposition or resistance to keep pressing forward towards our goal of becoming more like Christ.
Paul was a spiritual giant. To the Jews before his conversion (and after as well), they would have wanted to be like him in his zealous faithfulness to living according to the Law. To the Christians after his conversion, they would have wanted to be like him in his faith of Christ. When Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, it would have been about 30 years after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul’s reputation as both a Pharisee and as a Christian were well-established and unmatched by the people of his day. However, he knew that in comparison to Christ, all of his efforts and achievements were nothing. Paul continually strove to do better, to be better.
Paul was devoted to Christ. For a believer, to be devoted does not mean that we are good at everything. For example, a runner does run every category of racing. He specializes in something and concentrates on his specialization. The runner may be a sprinter and needs to train to go short distances very fast. Or the runner may be a marathoner and needs to build up his endurance by training to go long distances at an even pace.
Paul was focused on the direction that led him towards Christ. He was future-oriented and let go of the past, which he couldn’t change anyways. He did not forget his past, just like we can’t forget ours. However, it is possible to move forward, not getting stuck in the past. In the Bible, to forget means “no longer to be influenced by or affected by”. I once heard the following marker of forgiveness: to truly forgive someone does not mean that you don’t remember, but that you remember the incident without the pain or anger invoked by it. In other words, you are no longer affected or influenced by it. For Paul, he would have had past sins or past regrets, like his persecution of Christians. But he did not get stuck focusing on the bad things of the past. Rather, he kept his eyes forward and focused.
Paul lives an examined and intentional life. Paul purposefully focuses on God, on allowing God to work in him and through him, so that he may become more like Christ. Paul is patient, and it is no trouble to him to teach and reteach the essentials of the Christian faith to the churches that he planted as well as others. He took his time to continue his instruction and mentoring of them, even when he was no longer with them. Paul also kept pressing forward in life towards his goal of righteousness. This was not the legalistic righteousness that depended on his good works, but rather this was the righteousness that only God can give that depended upon Paul’s faith in Christ.
In the end, we must stand before the judge, before God. When a runner competes, it is not enough to just be fast, but he must also follow the rules. If he breaks the rules, he is still a runner, but he has been disqualified for that race. In our walk, we must remember to do more than training, we must follow the “spiritual rules” that we find in the Bible. It does not matter what we think or what the spectators think; what ultimately matters is what the judge thinks. It matters what God thinks. Therefore, I encourage you to keep your focus on Christ, developing your relationship with Him and letting God work in you and through you.
RSS Feed
