Chief of Sinners?

Series on Philippians

VI Paul’s Changed Life

A Paul’s Former Confidence, Text: 3:4-6

Title: Chief of Sinners?

Introduction

So Paul once had confidence in his performance, verse 4, Though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more But later he said in I Timothy 1:15 that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. What a startling contrast between his view before his conversion and then after. This is what we should all experience as adults who come from a non-Christian situation. We see our depravity and the uselessness of our efforts. F.F. Bruce an eminent New Testament scholar sums it up in this way, He says, “Paul made the grade and found it inadequate.” So, first, I want to talk to you about ways we can put confidence in the flesh and not in the Lord.

I Ways to put Confidence in the flesh

A Ceremony

. We see the ceremonial approach in verse 5, circumcised on the eighth day, Paul was circumcised on the eighth day according to OT Law. There is a good bit of irony here because the Judaizers were insisting that gentile converts be circumcised. Paul was circumcised according to the law and he says it doesn’t mean anything. You cannot possibly know the number of superstitious persons that have brought me babies to be baptized. Though they were not members of any church, nor did they care to be, they were certain that if their baby was baptized it would be saved. And then persons came to me to be married, totally convinced that if a Pastor married them their marriage would be wonderful. People do not understand that ceremonies are not a substitute for life. Baptism is a sign that each child belongs to God, but the parents are asked if they will bring the child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The point is that the ceremony is a sign of faith, but it is not a guarantee of success. The success has to do with God’s calling and also our efforts and not the ceremony. This is why Paul says in Corinthians 1:17, For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. You cancel out the cross when you think that baptism saves. Strike one.

B Conception

Again in verse 5, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. How many people are counting on their parents’ faith for salvation? I am a Christian because my parents are Christians. How does this differ from I am a Buddhist because my parents were Buddhists? Benjamin was one of two out of 12 loyal tribes. The other was Judah. They were the only tribes that stayed with Jerusalem as the God ordained place of worship when Jereboam rebelled and set up an altar in the north. Jacob’s blessing on his youngest son Benjamin in Genesis 49:27 was Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoiL According to Judges 5:8 “Lead on, 0 Benjamin” was the battle cry of IsraeL Paul whose given name was Saul was named after the first king of Israel who was a Benjamite. Every year in the festival of Purim Israel celebrated their deliverance under bold Queen Esther who along with Mordecai was a Benjamite. My point is that it would be hard to find a better pedigree than Paul’s. But as it is with dogs, so it is with people. A great pedigree does not make a good pet. Paul files his pedigree in the trash. Strike 2.

C Convention

Again in verse 5, in regard to the law, a Pharisee. Paul followed in his Father’s footsteps. In Acts 23:6 he identifies himself as the son of a Pharisee. Now in the Jewish community of the first century it was regarded as a plus if you followed in your Father’s footsteps. Paul’s father made sure that he was trained at the feet of Gamaliel, an eminent rabbinical Pharisee. My son is a CPA and a CFO. I am grateful for his expertise in April. Do I care that he is not a minister? No! He does his job better than me. In the 1950’s I was on a trip to New York to visit Union Theological seminary. They took us to an old Episcopal Cathedral and we sat and listened to the Rector drone on about how he had been the minister for many years and his predecessor was his Father. As a relatively new Christian I remember thinking what difference does it make if you do not preach the gospel. That’s Paul’s point. Strike 3.

D Conviction

Paul adds in verse 6,as for zeal, persecuting the church. Muslims have zeal. Jehovah’s Witnesses have zeal. You can be zealous for nothing, like Buc’s fans, or zealous for the wrong things like Muslims. Zeal is good. Jesus said he was zealous for his father’s house. However, convictions are not verified by zeal but by the eternal truth of the Bible. Listen to Paul’s testimonies In I Corinthians 15 he writes, 9 and 10, For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. In Galatians 1:13-16 he adds, For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles. The point is that neither Paul’s zeal as a Pharisee or his zeal as a Christian made any difference in his personal salvation. You get extra strikes if you do that. Strike 4

E Commitment

Paul concludes with the words of verse 6, as for legalistic rlghteousness,faultless. Paul simply means that he had fulfilled the requirements of pharisaic interpretations of the law and every Pharisee cheered. Later he meditated upon his life and concluded in Romans that the good that he wished he had done he did not do, and the evil that he did not want to do, he had done and he continued in this struggle. But his point here is that his contemporaries saw him as faultless. He met the standards of his culture. They all said he was a good guy. But their opinion did not matter, God’s did. Strike 5, you are out

II Why Not?

This is going to be the briefest second point in any sermon you have heard. Paul had no confidence in his heritage and his life. He will go on to discuss what he did have confidence in. Your assignment here is to make sure that you do not put any confidence in ceremonies, parents, training, zeal, or obedience. Jesus alone saves and you must put your trust in him alone and not in yourself.