Pentecost 18, 2020
“Keep Your Eyes on the Prize”
Philippians 3:4b-14
[Recorded Service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WI3VRy4BCI]
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Before he was known as Paul; Saul was a Jew’s Jew or as Scripture puts it… “a Hebrew of Hebrews.” (Philippians 3:5) Saul was circumcised on the 8th day just as the law prescribed. He was of the tribe of Benjamin; the same tribe that King Saul, his name sake belonged to and the same area where Jerusalem was located. Saul was a highly regarded Pharisee that became famous for persecuting and murdering Christians.
Saul would say of himself that as far as “legalistic righteousness, (he was) faultless.” (Philippians 3:6) Saul was as close to a perfect Jew as you could get. Saul’s goal was to rid the world of all who, in his mind, mistakenly followed Jesus; those who he considered idolators.
Saul had everything going for him…so much so that He said: “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more!” (Philippians 3:4b) He was gaining prestige and power. He was a Roman citizen and likely had earthly wealth. His father was a businessman, tent maker, and came from the wealthy and important city of Tarsus. Saul grew up being well educated…tutored by Gamaliel, the best Jewish teacher money could buy. He traveled all over the known Roman world, could read and write in both Hebrew and Greek, had his own scribe to record his words.
Things were going great for Saul…until he journeyed to Damascus. There on the road to Damascus Jesus would appear to Saul. Saul was blinded. He was taken aback by Jesus question of why he persecuted Him? Saul would be led, blind, to those he sought to arrest. He would have to rely on his enemies for help. He would be forgiven, restored, and called by Christ to share His love and forgiveness with others.
In response to coming to faith in Christ Paul has this to say about all the worldly wealth and accolades he had: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 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 is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:7-11)
Saint Paul considered all of the earthly wealth and honor and prestige…all the comforts he had and the privileges they carried to be worthless; to be garbage compared to knowing Christ. Nothing in this world carried the value of Jesus and His love and His salvation. Life eternal meant more than any of the riches of this world.
In January of this year another very wealthy, notable, talented man died. While I do not think he was the greatest of all time… Kobe Bryant was certainly one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He had everything going for him, like Paul, wealth, prestige, honors, and more. He, like Paul, also fell into sin; a very public sin.
In a 2006 interview Stephen A. Smith speaks with Kobe Bryant about overcoming his very public sin. Smith “What did you learn from that whole experience. Just having to go through what you went through?” Kobe: “God is great.” Smith: “Is it that simple?” Kobe: “God is great. It don’t get no simpler than that bruh.” Smith: “Did you know that?...I mean everybody knows that but the way you know it now did you know it before that incident took place?” Kobe: “You can know it all you want but until you got to pick up that cross that you can’t carry and He picks it up for you and carries you and the cross…then you know.”
When Christ takes all of your sin; your burdens; your anxieties, troubles and pains upon His shoulder to the cross…then you know. God is great. And knowing Him is worth more than anything in this world. Knowing Jesus we look forward to the Resurrection. As people; believers that suffer from the effects of sin in our own lives we look forward to the life to come that is free from sin; free from the problems of this world; free from fighting and hurting, free from the Corona virus and cancer; free from murders and rapes; free from violence, hatred, prejudice, racism, and genocide. By faith we keep our eyes focused on Christ and the hope we have in Him.
This is what Paul focused on. This was his hope as well. But Paul also realized that until the day of resurrection comes…he is still in this world striving to gain life eternal. Paul says “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)
In this life it would serve us well to remember the meaning of the great Civil Rights song “Keep Your Eye on the Prize…Hold On.” “Paul and Silas bound in jail. Had no money for to go their bail. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. Paul and Silas thought they was lost. Dungeon shook and the chains come off. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on. I got my hand on the gospel plow. Won't take nothing for my journey now. Keep your eyes on the prize, hold on.”
These words remind us to remain steadfast in our determination. The words of that Spiritual referred to those who were determined to live a Christian life and were sung in the civil rights protest movement. They referred to being resolved to continue that protest and to share the love of Christ through the proclamation of the Gospel in spite of the possibility or the probability of very serious consequences. They did this knowing that “Thee Prize" was salvation; freedom from sin, death, and the devil found in Christ Jesus.
In this wicked world Christians need to keep their eye on the prize of life eternal won by Christ. We need to remain steadfast in sharing the love of Jesus to all people even at the risk of serious temporal consequences. We need to contend; fight for the faith. For this fight isn’t against the flesh of man but Satan. We do this because the prize of life eternal; of forgiveness; of Jesus is worth more than anything in this world.
So “come let us fix our eyes on Jesus. The author and perfector of our faith. Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2) to save you. By faith share the love of Jesus; share the good news that Christ died for all people. Keep your eye on the prize. Amen.
Now may the peace of God that passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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