$ PROFIT & LOSS $ (PHILIPPIANS

Transcription

1 Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost October 4, 2014 $ PROFIT & LOSS $ (PHILIPPIANS 3:4b-9) 4 If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. Introduction: As Americans you and I have heard the word self-esteem used time and again in our society. What is it anyway? According to a Wikipedia article self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs (for example, I am competent or I am worthy ) and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame. It is basically what we think about the self and how we feel about it. Synonyms of self-esteem include self-worth, self-regard, self -respect, self-love, and self-integrity. In the mid 1960s, Morris Rosenberg and social-learning theorists defined self-esteem in terms of a stable sense of personal worth or worthiness. Nathaniel Branden in 1969 defined self-esteem as the experience of being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and being worthy of happiness. According to Branden, self-esteem is the sum of self-confidence (a feeling of personal capacity) and self-respect (a feeling of personal worth). It exists as a consequence of the implicit judgment that every person does about, on one side, his/her ability to face life's challenges, that is, to understand and solve problems, and, on the other side, his right to achieve happiness, or, in other words, to respect and defend his own interests and needs. People with a healthy level of self-esteem:. Firmly believe in certain values and principles; able to act according to what they think to be the best choice.. Do not lose time worrying excessively about what happened in the past, nor about what could happen in the future. They learn from the past and plan for the future, but live in the present in-

2 tensely.. Trust in their capacity to solve problems, yet free to ask others for help when needed.. Consider themselves equal in dignity to others, rather than inferior or superior, while accepting differences in certain talents, personal prestige, or financial standing.. Resist manipulation and feel comfortable collaborating with others in a genuine way.. Are able to enjoy a great variety of activities.. Are sensitive to feelings/needs of others; claim no right to prosper at others' expense. A person with low self-esteem may show some of the following symptoms:. Heavy self-criticism, tending to create a habitual state of dissatisfaction with oneself.. Hypersensitivity to criticism, which makes one feel easily attacked and experience obstinate resentment against critics.. Chronic indecision, not so much because of lack of information, but from an exaggerated fear of making a mistake.. Excessive will to please: being unwilling to say no out of fear of displeasing the petitioner.. Neurotic guilt: exaggerates the magnitude of mistakes or offenses and complains about them indefinitely, never reaching full forgiveness.. Floating hostility, irritability out in the open, always on the verge of exploding even for unimportant things; an attitude characteristic of somebody who feels bad about everything, who is disappointed or unsatisfied with everything.. Defensive tendencies, a general negative (one is pessimistic about everything: life, future, and, above all, oneself) and a general lack of will to enjoy life. The subject of self-esteem can be quite superficial and even misleading, especially when it comes to the public educational system. All sorts of silly approaches have been used since the 1970s, which is exquisitely captured by a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip in Here is what Calvin had to say: Homework is bad for my self-esteem. It sends the message that I don't know enough!... So instead of trying to learn, I'm just concentrating on liking myself the way I am. Let s see how today s reading from Philippians relates to being built up in a positive sense. I. Paul s Former Basis for Self-Esteem (3:4-6) A Jew Par Excellance! 3:4-6 Paul claims to have tremendous pre-conversion confidence as a Jew and then goes on to give seven credentials to back up this claim. The first four relate to the heritage he was born with, while the last three focus on his own effort, choice, determination, and accomplishment.

3 3:4 Confidence in the flesh is actually a nice Biblical phrase for self-esteem. Paul basically feels good about himself because of his upbringing, culture, and personal accomplishments. Anyone else may refer to a hypothetical opponent whom Paul is challenging to a debate or duel of comparison. In other words, I have more means that Paul is at the top of his game! 3:5 Circumcised on the eighth day represented to the utmost Jewish parents obedience and dedication to God s law (Leviticus 12:3), and this was the proudest claim that any Jew could make. This was a true Jew from the cradle! Israel was the covenant name of the people of God, Yahweh s own chosen race. The tribe of Benjamin, while small (Psalm 68:27), was quite significant in light of these factors: [1] its ancestor was one of two sons born to Jacob/Israel s favorite wife Rachel (Genesis 30:23-24), [2] it was blessed by Moses as the beloved of the Lord (Deuteronomy 33:12), [3] the first king of Israel, Saul (the Apostle Paul s namesake), came from this tribe (1 Samuel 9:2), [4] it held the post of honor in the Israelite army (Judges 5:14; Hosea 5:8), [5] this tribe remained loyal to the house of David along with Judah after Solomon s reign has ended (1 Kings 12:21), [6] the holy city of Jerusalem and the temple were within its borders (Judges 1:21), and [7] after the exile members of this tribe remained faithful to the Lord as is seen particularly in someone like Mordecai who was of Benjamin (Ezra 4:1; Esther 2:5). Hebrew of Hebrews may generally mean being of pure Hebrew heritage, but here it refers to speaking Hebrew as well as embracing fully Jewish practices and culture. A Pharisee was a member of the sect of Judaism that held to a strict interpretation and very pious application of the Old Testament. (The name Pharisee means separated. ) These men were primarily from the middle class of Jewish society and believed in such doctrines as the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels and demons, and God s control of human history. They were by far the most respected and admired religious group in Jesus day. On the whole, the Jewish people held them in great esteem. The law (nomos), the five books of Moses from Genesis to Deuteronomy, was regarded by the Jews as the most important section of the Holy Scripture. The Apostle Paul makes a strong point of this also in Acts 26:4-5, when he is testifying before King Agrippa: The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. 3:6 Zeal (zēlos) here refers to spiritual passion and enthusiasm. Persecuting the church is seen as a very devoted and dedicated pursuit, since Christianity was perceived as being a threat to Judaism (see Acts 6:11-8:3). As for legalistic righteousness (kata dikaiosunēn tēn en nomō) is actually an excellent translation for a phrase that is literally translated as according to righteousness that is by law. Paul is by no means criticizing the Old Testament (especially the Torah or first five books of Moses!), but he is pointing out his former approach of attaining merit with God through his own acts/works of righteousness. Faultless (amemptos) was translated as blameless in 2:15. This term refers to outward conduct that is free from the criticism of others in the sense of being above reproach, and does not necessarily imply

4 the concept of sinless perfection. II. Paul s Brand New Perspective (3:7-9) Rotten Rubbish to Real Riches! 3:7 But (alla) indicates a strong contrast with the preceding. Profit (kerdos) was translated as gain in 1:21, emphasizing an actual benefit. Consider (hēgeomai) indicates that Paul has truly given this issue careful thought that has led him to his current conclusion. Loss (zēmia) was used at times as a business term and is the opposite of profit (kerdos), similar to our concept of assets and liabilities in different columns on a balance sheet. It is interesting to note that the word profit is plural in the Greek, while loss is singular. In other words, all these supposed gains were simply one big loss! For the sake of (dia) is not really accurate, for this preposition is to be translated as on account of or because of in which Christ is the reason or basis for Paul s perspective on seeming gains that truly constituted a loss. 3:8 More than that (alla menounge kai) is quite an emphatic expression in the Greek. Count (hēgeomai) was translated as consider in verse 7, yet here it is in the Greek present tense which indicates Paul s current and ongoing perspective. Compared to (dia) was just used in verse 7 and should also be translated here as on account of or because of. Surpassing greatness (huperechō) is also ultimate advantage or supreme value. For whose sake (dia hon) is a misleading translation, which should be something like on account of whom. The NIV s rendering can imply that this was somehow for Christ s benefit ( for His sake ), which is definitely not implied in the grammar or context. Have lost (zēmioomai) is related to the noun loss (zēmia) that was used in 3:7. This verb is in the Greek aorist tense, which here indicates a definite loss in the past. Rubbish (skubalon) is a very offensive term that can describe human waste product (as in the King James Version s dung ) or unwanted food that is thrown out on the trash heap (as in the New Living Translation s garbage ). This word is plural which shows that piles of garbage or dung are in view. How ghastly! Gain (kerdainō) is a verb that is related to the noun profit (kerdos) in 3:7. 3:9 There are four expressions in this verse that point away from Paul s own self-effort and point to God s initiative: be found, not my own, through faith, and from God. Be found (heuriskō) is in the passive voice which shows that God is the true agent of change. This verb contains an element of surprise, pointing to God s wondrous grace. Righteousness (dikaiosunē) refers to a right relationship with God. Righteousness in the Scriptures is not primarily a matter of performing actions conforming to a set of absolute legal standards, but here refers to a right standing with God through faith.

5 Of my own (emēn) is in the emphatic position by being put before dikaiosunē in the Greek text. The point that is being emphasized is the folly and ineffectiveness of a ME-centered type of righteousness. On the contrary, it truly comes from God. From the law (ek nomou) refers not to the Old Testament itself, since it in no way teaches a righteousness based upon self-effort but is grounded in God. Rather, this is a legalistic approach that is not commended in Scripture. Faith (pistis) is not merely intellectual belief, but involves real trust and reliance. Concluding Application: However impressive Paul s Jewish qualifications may be, he now as a Christian considers them to be useless. In other words, he used to think very highly of himself and his accomplishments, but as a believer he sees how it is Jesus who truly has made the impact in his life spiritually. His bragging ( glory ) is solely in Christ Jesus (3:3), and his past perspective and accomplishments are regarded as rubbish (3:8). Paul is in fact being an excellent example of revering Christ and giving all glory to Him rather than taking credit for his own performance, whether pre- or post-conversion. It is so easy to get caught up with a self-centered approach to religion in which we want to get the credit and recognition for all the great things we have done. This is nothing short of pride, which is an abomination to God and is so antithetical to genuine faith. Dear Lord, please keep us from building up our own egos instead of depending upon and delighting in who You are and all that You have done. Continually drive us to the cross of Your dear Son, Father, and encourage us by the power of His resurrection. May You receive all the praise. Amen! Wrapped up with CHRIST-esteem rather SELF-esteem, Pastor Steve Waterman