Title: Loss and Gains (Philippians 3:4-9)
Contents
This is the season when the tree discards its leaves. If the tree does not discard its leaves, it cannot produce buds in the spring. And there will be no growth of trees. Therefore, trees boldly discard old leaves in order to obtain new ones. Discard as thoroughly as cruel. So it endures the cold, grows, and produces more stylish leaves in the new spring.
We all want a stable and peaceful life. But that stability and comfort can be a swamp of inertia and a trap. If you are trapped in that swamp of stability and peace, the wings of faith that should soar high into the sky like an eagle are folded. Your spiritual wings will be broken. No matter how gorgeous a flower is, it cannot bear fruit unless it throws away its petals.
When you have the courage to lose, and when you have the courage to let go, there is also the opportunity to gain. The Apostle Paul said, "I have lost everything for him and count it as dung, so that Christ may be gained and found in him." Paul was a man who knew clearly what he had to lose and what he had to gain. So he was able to become a man of great faith.
saints,
Let's increase the worship time little by little. Let's increase our prayer time little by little. Let us increase our giving of time for Christ Jesus, even little by little. Only then will we be able to restore our spiritual joy and spiritual power. Conversely, if this time is continuously reduced, it should not be. To do that, you will have things to lose instead. In order to obtain such a precious thing, there must be some things that must be thrown away.
This kind of debt makes them think about how they can lead a happy life of faith, make them feel proud of being a member of Hankwang Church, and provide a church and ranch where they want to stay for a long time.
What did Paul regard as harm, loss, or excrement in order to gain? As we can see in today's text, Paul was a man who had much to be proud of and trusted in the flesh. However, he lost what he could trust in the flesh and regarded it as excrement. He was circumcised eight days after birth. They were of the house of Israel, and in terms of tribe, they were the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Hebrew among the Hebrews. He was genuine. They were pure Israelites, of immemorial blood of Ibain.
Academically, he was a student of Gamaliel. To put it bluntly these days, he was an elite graduating from a first-class university. By law, he was a Pharisee. Moreover, he was zealous in persecuting the church. He was blameless in the righteousness of the law. These were things that Paul was proud of. However, all these things were regarded as harm and excrement, and they were lost. It was thrown away like a fallen leaf.
Anyone can easily throw away any of these things, such as things that have been used and worn out, things that are out of fashion, things that are not usable because they break down, or things that cause damage due to possession. However, it is not easy at all to regard all that was useful to me as harm and to throw away the things that make me proud.
Hebrews 11:24-26 says, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and preferred to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a while, and to receive reproach for Christ's sake. were regarded as greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt, because they looked to their reward.” If he had lived in peace as the son of Pharaoh's princess, he could enjoy wealth and glory to the fullest, and if he did, he could become the emperor of great Egypt. I threw it away.
How did the Apostle Paul abandon the things that were useful to him? It was thrown away as if it had been thrown away. Excreta refers to filth that is completely useless or even harmful. Excreta is something you don't want to look back on, even if it comes from you. Excrement is what makes you turn your head when you see it, and you want to close your eyes and not your nose. It means that the things that I longed for, valued, and valued more than life were regarded as filth and thrown away.
At least, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior must make this decision at least once.
Even after meeting the Lord, attending church for a long time, or holding an office, are there believers who do not develop faith or zeal? There are certainly things that prevent faith from being built. Even if it is useful to me, I must throw it away. That is how faith is built.
I have no intention of demanding the sacrifices of the members for the greed of myself or the church itself. I really don't want to. I don't want to minister like that. But for the sake of Christ and for the sake of your faith maturity, I will strongly demand that you never remain in the presence of guests or spectators for the sake of the truth.
Paul regarded even what was good for him as harmful and excrement for Christ's sake, but what about us now? You may not know whether they are living their life cherishing even such things as excrement. Because of these things, we cannot stand firm in our faith.
We see a fundamental change in mindset after the Apostle Paul met Jesus Christ. I gave up everything I cherished in the past. Past privileges, past religions, past wealth, past comforts, past powers and statuses everything was discarded as filth.
So Paul became a man of faith. It is difficult to become a person of faith without having lost anything and lost nothing. It would be foolish to expect to have faith while still enjoying everything in the world.
Why did the Apostle Paul want to lose everything after meeting Jesus Christ and make the decision to regard it as excrement? What did you rejoice in losing in order to gain?
First, it was because they wanted to lose these physical and worldly things and gain Jesus Christ. In order to obtain Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life, we have given up things less than that. In today's text, Paul said, "Because the knowledge of Jesus is the noblest." I bless you in the name of the Lord that you also believe so.
We need to know that Jesus Christ is the most precious and irreplaceable and precious Person. Only then will you be able to give up something else in order to gain Him. The martyrs were martyred to gain Jesus.
In order to gain Christ, we must give up the obstacles. I hope you don't worry about losing a friend because of your faith in Jesus Christ. I hope you don't mind losing your hobbies in the world. The only way to gain Christ is this way, which will be the Christian's highest and final glory.
Second, it was to be found in Jesus Christ. Verse 9 says, “I am to be found in him, which I have not of the law, but through faith in Christ, the righteousness of God by faith.” At one time, before the apostle Paul became Paul, there was a time when Paul fell into narcissism and forgot his true existence.
That's why he went around trying to catch and kill those who believed in Jesus Christ. Then, one day, he met Jesus Christ in Damascus, and at that moment, Paul immediately discovered his ugly self. In other words, he came to know that he was truly an unforgivable evil sinner, foolish than anyone else in the world, and that he was the ugliest person. That was when he himself met Christ. Previously he saw himself physically, but after meeting Jesus Christ he saw himself in faith in Christ.
We must also learn how to lose in order to gain Christ. In order to be found in Christ, you must be able to view everything that was good for you as detrimental and waste. Only Christians who live with the belief, philosophy, and faith of life lost and gained can enjoy the power and glory that comes from Christ. Only those who have practiced the decision to lose and gain in this way will know and appreciate how happy and abundant the Christian life is.