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Introduction
Heinrik is a gardner and landscaper by trade. At least he was. Seven
years ago he decided he should make a little more money doing some-thing
else. He and a truck-driver friend of his hatched a plot to bilk an
insurance company out of 40,000 euros. It was really quite simple.
Heirik held onto a piece of lumber and his friend sawed off two fingers.
The deed done, Heinrik threw away the severed digits and filed for a
settlement. Just after filing the paperwork, the two men were bragging
about their little ruse in a tavern. Seated at a table nearby was a
government official who felt it was his duty to rat them out.
Because the money wasn’t enough, and the boasting was too hard to pass
up, Heinrik spent a year and a half behind bars as an eight fingered
prisoner. His chainsaw buddy was found to have a previous record and an
outstanding warrant, and he’s still in the Wuerzburg hoosegow.
Boastfulness is wrong and pride still goes before a fall.
Find and Follow Faith Friends and Heroes
Reading through Philippians 3 you might easily think the apostle Paul
was a braggart. After all, in
verse 15 he made the statement, all of us
who are mature should take such a view of things. Now he says
Join with others in following my example,
brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we
gave you. He says, you’d do well to emulate me and others like
me.
In one sense, we have enough record of Paul, and a thick
file full of his writings that establishes pretty well his humility. And
in another sense, in Paul we get a glimpse of an appropriate level of
confidence in God’s work in and through him such that he’s unafraid to
serve as an example. Maybe we all ought to strive for such godly
confidence!
After all, anyone who says so confidently, I
forget what’s behind and strain toward what is ahead, then actually
lives it out, deserves a hearing—and a following. Oswald Chambers wisely
said, When you meet a man or woman who puts Jesus Christ first, knit
that one to your soul.
So we have Paul writing from a jail
cell encouraging the Philippian believers to follow his example. But,
though his approach seems a bit brash, he elsewhere clarifies what he
means. There is an important proviso in Paul’s bold challenge. In
1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul said, Follow my
example, in as much as I follow the example of Christ. You know,
any one of us could rightfully say to his son or daughter, God has
made me your parent and I want to serve in that role as a good example
for you. And to the degree that you see me living out my life and faith
for Jesus Christ, you do the same.
His is not just a
provisional invitation, but a quite specific one. You see, an unbroken
read of this chapter makes it clear that Paul has not yet left his theme
back in
verses 13 and 14, where he humbly acknow-ledged that he had not yet
“arrived” and was still in process. With that in mind we can understand
that Paul is not saying, Do as I have done and you will be great, too!
No, he’s urging these disciples in the Lord to strive, to strain toward
the goal of Christlikeness, to press on toward the goal. You see, for
Paul, maturity is in the progression.
I like what Bono, the lead
singer of the band U2, says:
Your nature is a hard thing to change; it takes time…. I have heard of
people who have life-changing, miraculous turnarounds, people set free
from addiction after a single prayer, relationships saved where both
parties "let go, and let God." But it was not like that for me. For all
that "I was lost, I am found," it is probably more accurate to say, "I
was really lost. I'm a little less so at the moment." And then a little
less and a little less again. That to me is the spiritual life. The slow
reworking and rebooting the computer at regular intervals, reading the
small print of the service manual. It has slowly rebuilt me in a better
image. It has taken years, though, and it is not over yet.
But the invitation to follow him is also collegial. He is most
definitely NOT saying, Follow my lead because I’m the only one around
here worth following. He says, Take your pick boys! Look around—there
are lots of others who can serve you well as examples of Christian
maturity! Grab a role model, everybody! There is a principle here we
dare not pass by without comment. It’s an idea that is oddly not heard
much in the church. Let me exhort you in the way Paul exhorted our first
century brothers. Each of us would do well to develop a friendship with
another Christian who would help us. Some of you, probably only a
precious few, have someone like this. Someone with whom you have lowered
the walls, opened the gates, with whom you have become open and
transparent about your walk with Christ.
I want to urge the rest
of you to find a Christian friend like that. Paul spoke in
1 Corinthians about linking up with others with whom we are “equally
yoked,” and we normally attach that only to a marriage partner,
correctly urging one another to marry a Christian. But
2 Corinthians 6 is not a passage about marriage; it’s all about the
relationships we have with others.
I encourage you to pray for
God’s leading, find a brother or sister (it should be obvious that the
sexual issue be honored)—one who is at least as serious about his
personal spiritual maturity as you. But it is much better to find a
confidant who is a few steps ahead of you; after all, you want to be
challenged to grow, not to remain tepid in some state of tepid
mediocrity, right? Then, of course, your friend may not be stretched –
until you grow before his very eyes and serve as a model in the manner
of Paul.
If you are younger in years or in Christian experience,
you especially should look for not just a friend. Look for a
hero. Ask God the Spirit to lead you to
someone who can disciple you into new levels of sanctification.
Remember, this is your goal, your calling in Christ. Learn the value of
belonging and becoming! Get hold of someone whose faith and obedience
are worth emulating, someone you can look up to in Christ. Find a Paul.
More than anything, as we live in a culture saturated with all
manner of things carnal and bereft of real meaning, we each need a
significant other person—and, strange as it may seem, spouses can rarely
fill that bill—someone who can edify you, love you, confront you,
challenge you—someone who knows when you lie.
But if all the good
guys are connecting with other good guys, how can a younger guy find a
hero? If all the truly mature women are hanging around with each other,
who’s left for the younger ones? Spiritual heroes and heroines must
find time to nurture not only themselves, but those they lead. In fact,
at every level of spiritual growth we each need a Paul who stretches us,
a Timothy whom we stretch and a Barnabas who stands alongside us.
Proverbs 27:17 is a proverb for good reason –
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens
another. God built into our souls a need for good, wholesome,
edifying friends. Don’t rob yourself of this precious commodity. Find a
friend, find a hero, find someone to keep you sharp. Find and Follow
Faith Friends and Faith Heroes.
Beware and Bemoan Enemies of the Cross
Look at
verse 18 with me, please: For as I have
often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as
enemies of the cross of Christ. Catch that! Though it may be very
obvious to you, know that that is the reason you need good Christian
associates. There is much to draw you away from your faith in the
company of others who are non-believers. Paul underscores an important
contrast here. And
1 Corinthians 15:33 counsels us: Do not be
misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Of those
who are in that second category, Paul writes in
verse 19, Their destiny is destruction,
their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their
mind is on earthly things. This is quite a description, isn’t it?
In a single verse of scripture Paul gives us a full range of analysis of
what drives the ungodly.
We’ll look at each of these phrases,
but keep in mind, there are actually two main categories of ungodliness:
License and legalism. People who ignore God’s Law, and people who
manipulate it. First, Paul says, Their god is their belly. The
word belly here is symbolic of the range of human appetites. He’s
talking about hedonism—the philosophy of life held by so many, some
intentionally and others accidentally, that the pursuit of pleasure is
the greatest good in life. And that pleasure is sought by satisfying
every urge and emotion however it is possible.
Dan Ahrens wrote a
book entitled Investing in Vice. Back in 2002 a new investment
vehicle surfaced: The vice fund. It focuses on “products or services
often considered socially irresponsible.” It , along with the Faming and
Casino fund rest on the sadly reliable truth that during economic
downturns the dark side of human nature will bring big profits as people
increasingly indulge in fambling, smoking, drinking, prostitution and
other vices. A 20% year over year return on investments in the vice fund
proves it.
Malcom Muggeridge wrote: God has made [our]
fantasies … so preposterously unrewarding that we are forced to turn to
him for help and for mercy. We seek wealth and find we've accumulated
worthless pieces of paper. We seek security and find we've acquired the
means to blow ourselves and our little earth to smithereens. We seek
carnal indulgence only to find ourselves involved in the prevailing
erotomania.
The belly gods are very much alive in modern
western culture. The next description is the compounded result of
hedonism: their glory is in their shame. The one whose behavior
rakes his conscience soon finds a need to either justify those behaviors
or go mad with guilt or the sadness of his depravity. He must rename,
requalify what he does (gambling becomes gaming; adultery becomes an
affair, drugs become recreation and wanton sexuality becomes hooking up
or casual encounters). The only alternative to renaming is flat out
boasting – Yes, I’m bad—and it’s so good!
Jude 16 – They follow their evil
desires…they boast about themselves. Their glory is their shame.
Paul’s final descriptive phrase is their
minds are on earthly things. The goals of the enemies of the
cross are earthbound. There is no consideration of eternity or
judgment—all that matters is the here and now. Aldous Huxley's book
Brave New World was written in 1932, but Huxley correctly forecast
some of the issues of the 21st century. Huxley's premise was that people
would come to love the things that enslaved them, and that they would
worship the technology that would undo their capacities to think. He
believed that by inflicting pleasure upon people, they could be
controlled, and ultimately ruined, by the trivia they pursued.
A
man in a 24-hour Chinese internet café played himself to death on online
games. Officials said he played one game for three solid days. He
collapsed and paramedics were unable to revive him. How sadly
representative of culture pursuig momentary, but meaningless things,
only to die early and enter an eternity of regret. This is perhaps why
Paul said, I say with tears…many live as enemies
of the cross…
While the ungodliness of the culture around
us continues to worsen—and as prophesied, it will—we ought to not only
shake our heads, but we ought to weep. Honestly, some of what I see
going on in people’s lives makes me extremely sad, even depressed.
Paul’s words illustrate to us that we don’t just shake our heads at
paganism, we bemoan, we lament the lost condition.
Why are
Christians susceptible to such deep sadness over the condition of lost
people? It’s not just the horrible prospects of impending judgment, it
is also the contrast. We know what life can be for someone who knows the
Lord. And it contrasts so sharply with the shallowness and emptiness of
hopeless people. Romans 8 explains that we who have the first fruits of
the Spirit of God understand more than anyone the desperation of the
unredeemed world, and in that we do suffer.
Let me use
Romans 8 to segue into the contrast that Paul has set up. Read with
me
Romans 8:22-23, 25-26 then
Romans 8:18-21.
But we are citizens of heaven
This is exactly where Paul goes next in
Philippians 3. But our citizenship is in
heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control,
will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious
body.
One day in October 2005, Moses Bittock celebrated an
experience he had waited a lifetime to achieve. That day at the
DesMoines, Iowa, federal building, the native Kenyan finally became a
United States citizen. That would have been enough.
On his way
home from the federal building he stopped at a service station for gas
and checked the numbers in the “Hot Lotto Game.” The hapless Kenyan
American had won $1.89 million! He said, “It doesn’t happen anywhere—I
guess only in America.” In an infinitely greater dimension, the
Christian has become heir to incomprehensible, eternal blessings.
Take hope, dear Christians! This is your destiny, because, as
1 Peter 2:25 puts it, though you were like
sheep going astray… you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer
of your souls. Your destiny is radically different from those who
have no hope. When you came to Christ, you became a new, naturalized
citizen of heaven, even though you still sojourn here.
The majesty of the coming Lord
As citizens of that future home, which in many senses has already become
our native land, we anticipate the great event that will herald the
beginning of glory for us. It is such a grand event that, even if we die
before it gets here, God is going to wake us up, just in time, to
experience it all! One day, our Savior will come, blasting out of the
heavens, bringing reward for His people and judgment for His enemies.
Every eye will see Him and every knee will fold before Him. No one
will ever again have the dubious privilege of denying Him His rightful
honor as the Son of God and Lord of all, from then on. A pent up power
will be released on that occasion—an enormous explosion of all that was
ever true and right and just and holy.
We will recognize this
explosive power instantly, because Paul tells us that it will be the
same power that enables Jesus to claim Lordship over all of creation.
That explosion will be set off by the confession of billions of human
beings that Jesus Christ is Lord. Most of those confessing will do so
with overwhelming regret that they hadn’t done so before. The rest of us
will exult, I mean exult, in the proud, now vindicated pronouncement, He
is Lord.
The transformation of our bodies
Paul says our lowly bodies will be transformed. By “lowly” he means that
the bodies (and lives) we now exist in will be shown to be so far
inferior as to be almost shameful. These bodies now are opaque. They
cannot allow the glory of God which we have come to possess in Christ to
shine through. But when we are given glorified bodies—and we will be
given glorified bodies—all the glory of God will show.
We will be
absolutely changed, morphed into someone who is just like Jesus! We who
now imperfectly share in the divine life of Christ will be freed unto a
perfect experience and expression of the likeness of Jesus. God will do
this. His very special promise, like icing on the cake of our eternal
home in heaven, like winning the lottery in addition to gaining
citizenship, is that we get new bodies, just like the post-resurrection
body of the Lord.
The anticipation of our hope
Vincent Van Gogh and the color yellow
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
Yellow is not my favorite color. But
now that I know the story of Vincent van Gogh, I have come to value
yellow differently. This famous Dutch painter, sadly, tossed away the
truth imparted him in his Christian home and sank into depression and
destruction. By the grace of God, as he later began to embrace the truth
again, his life took on hope, and he gave that hope color.
The
best-kept secret of van Gogh's life is that the truth he was discovering
is seen in the gradual increase of the presence of the color yellow in
his paintings. Yellow evoked (for him) the hope and warmth of the truth
of God's love. In one of his depressive periods, seen in his famous
The Starry Night, one finds a yellow sun and yellow swirling stars,
because van Gogh thought truth was present only in nature. Tragically,
the church, which stands tall in this painting and should be the house
of truth, is about the only item in the painting showing no traces of
yellow. But by the time he painted The Raising of Lazarus, his life was
on the mend as he began to face the truth about himself. The entire
picture is (blindingly) bathed in yellow. In fact, van Gogh put his own
face on Lazarus to express his own hope in the Resurrection.
Yellow tells the whole story: life can begin all over again because of
the truth of God's love. Each of us, whether with actual yellows or
metaphorical yellows, can begin to paint our lives with the fresh hope
of a new beginning.
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