God Confronts His people

If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day… as to the law, a Pharisee … and as to righteousness under the law, blameless.  But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed, I count everything as loss …. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish. Philippians 3:4-8

Last week we looked at the words of the prophet Isaiah who told us our righteous deeds are like filthy garments.  This week we look at a man who realized this after years and years of trying to do good, trying to obey the law of God at every point.  Paul (or I should say Saul) was the most outstanding Jew.  He was a strict Pharisee, who would sacrifice daily for his sins, wash ceremonially for cleansing, keep the Sabbath, keep the holy days, read the bible, and pray to God every day. 

What he does here is explain how he missed it all.  The whole point of the law was to point out that he had nothing to bring to God on his own and that we have nothing to bring to God our own!  We desperately need a Savior who can take away our sins and give us a pure unspotted righteousness!  Our righteousness (apart from Jesus) is as Paul says rubbish!  The translators here were very weak in their rendition of what Paul was actually saying.  What He was trying to say is that all of His previous efforts as Pharisee are like a pile of dog ….  (you get the idea)

God is declaring to us today, that apart from the work of Jesus all of our good efforts to try and please God are nothing but a pile of dog…  Let this sink in.   Now let us once again confess our sins to God running to Jesus for His righteousness.  

God’s people confess their sins

Christians:

-Do I have any good or “righteous” deeds that I thought would cause God to love me more to confess?

-Have I truly forsaken “my righteousness” and whole-heartedly embraced Jesus’ righteousness?  Look at what it looks like from Paul.

-Do I feel free to suffer for Jesus sake knowing what He has done for me?

Agnostics/Skeptics:

-Am I ready to embrace the good news that Jesus is the Creator God who loves me enough to take on human flesh and die on a cross to save me from my prideful righteousness as well as my obvious sins?

God mercifully forgives His people

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order 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 comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- Philippians 3:8-9 

God gives righteousness freely to those who have placed their complete trust in Jesus Christ.  If you have forsaken your righteousness and are found in Christ today, the good news is that all your sins are forgiven, you are completely clean!

Congregation: THANKS BE TO GOD!