Welcome to this week’s episode, a special rerun from our Speaking of Life archive. We hope you find its timeless message as meaningful today as it was when it was first shared.
Watch video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU8flzzfkc0
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 4016 | The Integrity of God’s Covenant
Michelle Fleming
A research study published in the Journal of Business Ethics in 2000 found that promise-keeping was not a high priority in the American workplace. In fact, only 30 percent of the 700 study participants kept their word in business, and if they were faced with legal action, even then only 57 percent would keep their word. News like this can be discouraging, but let me share the story of one CEO who kept his promise to his employees.
Josh James, the co-founder and former CEO of the web analytics company Omniture, was faced with a tough choice in December of 2000 when he had to lay off 48 employees—without severance—to save the company. James told the laid-off employees that if he ever found a way to pay them the severance they should have had, he would do it. Almost five years later, James was able to send those employees the severance money they were due. He demonstrated integrity in business, and as a result, some of those former employees came back to work for him when he started another company.
Integrity matters. Our God is a God of integrity, though, admittedly, we don’t always act like we believe it. A good example is Abram, who later was renamed, Abraham. He struggled to believe God’s promise to provide Abram with descendants. Note his conversation with God in Genesis 15.
Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him,
“Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you,
and your reward will be great.”
But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Genesis 15:1-3 (NLT)
Notice that Abram is already trying to take control of the problem and come up with a solution.
He’s doubting that God is going to keep his promise. Does God get angry with Abram when he doubts? Let’s see what happened next.
[Look Down]
Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
Genesis 15:4-5 (NRSV)
God reminds Abram of the original promise made. He doesn’t give Abram a list of things to do to help the process along. In fact, God shows Abram through a sacred ritual, that the promise coming true would have nothing to do with Abram’s efforts at all. God’s promise was a covenant he made that depends on God alone – proving his integrity.
And later, Abram had a son with his wife Sarah. God’s word is true.
The example of Josh James keeping his promise to his laid-off employees, even though he wasn’t legally obligated, illustrates the integrity of character we find in the story of Abram’s interaction and covenant with God. We can count on God to patiently remind us of his promises when we get discouraged and start thinking we need to do something to make those promises happen.
May you rest in the knowledge that the Father, Son, and Spirit will always keep their promises.
I’m Michelle Fleming, Speaking of Life.
For reference:
Program Transcript
Speaking Of Life 4016 | The Integrity of God’s Covenant
Michelle Fleming
A research study published in the Journal of Business Ethics in 2000 found that promise-keeping was not a high priority in the American workplace. In fact, only 30 percent of the 700 study participants kept their word in business, and if they were faced with legal action, even then only 57 percent would keep their word. News like this can be discouraging, but let me share the story of one CEO who kept his promise to his employees.
Josh James, the co-founder and former CEO of the web analytics company Omniture, was faced with a tough choice in December of 2000 when he had to lay off 48 employees—without severance—to save the company. James told the laid-off employees that if he ever found a way to pay them the severance they should have had, he would do it. Almost five years later, James was able to send those employees the severance money they were due. He demonstrated integrity in business, and as a result, some of those former employees came back to work for him when he started another company.
Integrity matters. Our God is a God of integrity, though, admittedly, we don’t always act like we believe it. A good example is Abram, who later was renamed, Abraham. He struggled to believe God’s promise to provide Abram with descendants. Note his conversation with God in Genesis 15.
Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him,
“Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you,
and your reward will be great.”
But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Genesis 15:1-3 (NLT)
Notice that Abram is already trying to take control of the problem and come up with a solution.
He’s doubting that God is going to keep his promise. Does God get angry with Abram when he doubts? Let’s see what happened next.
[Look Down]
Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
Genesis 15:4-5 (NRSV)
God reminds Abram of the original promise made. He doesn’t give Abram a list of things to do to help the process along. In fact, God shows Abram through a sacred ritual, that the promise coming true would have nothing to do with Abram’s efforts at all. God’s promise was a covenant he made that depends on God alone – proving his integrity.
And later, Abram had a son with his wife Sarah. God’s word is true.
The example of Josh James keeping his promise to his laid-off employees, even though he wasn’t legally obligated, illustrates the integrity of character we find in the story of Abram’s interaction and covenant with God. We can count on God to patiently remind us of his promises when we get discouraged and start thinking we need to do something to make those promises happen.
May you rest in the knowledge that the Father, Son, and Spirit will always keep their promises.
I’m Michelle Fleming, Speaking of Life.
For reference:
Psalm 27:1–14 · Genesis 15:1–12, 17–18 · Philippians 3:17–4:1 · Luke 13:31–35
We continue our contemplation and reflection on this Second Sunday of Easter Preparation as we move toward Easter. We’re learning about being in relationship with a God who chose to become vulnerable in the human Person of Jesus, and we’re being reminded about our own vulnerability, especially when it comes to being comfortable with half-truths and easy answers that benefit us while others are deprived.
Our weekly theme is God’s holy timeline. As we noted in last week’s sermon, personal and collective transformation takes a while and is rarely easy, smooth, or even linear. There are periods of stability, followed by times of stress, which are ultimately resolved, and we find ourselves to be changed, hopefully to be more expansive in the way we perceive the world than we were originally. For example, King David is believed to have authored Psalm 27 while he was running away from King Saul. It was a difficult time for David, facing unjust persecution, and the psalm affirms his belief that God was looking out for him. David’s fear turns to hope for the future, regardless of the difficulties he faced in the short term. Genesis 15 features Abraham’s vision when God established a covenant with him to bless him with numerous descendants despite his lack of an heir at the moment. The Gospel reading from Luke 13 takes place after the Transfiguration when some friendly Pharisees warn Jesus about Herod’s intent to kill him. Jesus tells them he has to be on his way to Jerusalem anyway, and then he laments over those in Jerusalem, longing to gather them under his wings like a mother hen. Our sermon text in Philippians explores our tendency to look for easy shortcuts to spiritual transformation outside the context of relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
There Are No Shortcuts
Philippians 3:17–4:1 NRSVUE
Forbes magazine ponders this question. In its May 16, 2024, issue, “Do Get Rich Quick Schemes Really Work?” Journalist Melissa Houston dissects the anatomy of a get rich quick scheme, identifying three main components:
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- High returns with low effort.
- Strong sense of urgency.
- Anecdotal success stories.
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The reason these schemes fail, she writes, is that they lack a sustainable or long-term strategy, often bypassing ongoing effort and proven principles. These schemes also are riskier, and many people end up losing money rather than making it. Lastly, get rich quick schemes often involve deception or outright illegal activity.
You probably have heard about get rich quick scams and know enough to stay away from them. [Examples may be helpful.] But our sermon text today shows how we try to figure out an easier way to achieve just about anything. This inclination to make our lives easier has led to some great inventions. However, when it comes to our relationships with God or with each other, there are no shortcuts. Anything that appears to provide the same “return” with minimal effort, despite the examples we might see, is not the spiritual transformation we are looking for. We can be easily enticed by those who seem spiritual or who profess to have “special knowledge.” However, as a “priesthood of believers” (1 Peter 2:9), we don’t need to rely on those who try to convince us they have a direct line to the Divine. In truth, God’s holy timeline requires sustainable investment in relationship with the Divine as we seek to be transformed by Christ. Let’s read our sermon text.
Context of Philippians 3
Paul begins the third chapter of Philippians with a warning against those who were trying to persuade others that circumcision was necessary to follow Christ:
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! For it is we who are the circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:2–3 NRSVUE
The “shortcut” of circumcision meant nothing in the environment of grace through Jesus Christ.
In Philippians 3:17–4:1, we notice that Paul encourages believers to consider his own example (v. 17). However, previously in Philippians 3:1–6, Paul admits that he is far from perfect. He reminds readers that he was a “a persecutor of the church.” Despite his Jewish pedigree and education, he tells readers in Philippians 3:7–8 that what he thought mattered really didn’t.
Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ … Philippians 3:7–8 NRSVUE
Paul can criticize those who are trying to enforce the Law upon new believers because he was “a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees” (Acts 23:6). Barclay’s Commentary says this:
So Paul proves to these Jews that he has the right to speak. He is not condemning Judaism from the outside. He had experienced it at its highest point; and he knew that it was nothing compared with the joy which Christ had given. He knew that the only way to peace was to abandon the way of human achievement and accept the way of grace.
We can see in Philippians 3 that Paul is addressing those who were trying to create unnecessary requirements for following Jesus. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Paul wrote about it in the letter to the Romans, too:
Not knowing the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. Romans 10:3 NRSVUE
We, too, can sometimes lay burdens on people based on our personal opinions of what we think God is asking of us. [Examples may be helpful.] We want tangible shortcuts for the transformation that takes place over a lifetime of living, loving, and following Jesus. This is a problem, according to Paul, as the Philippians could be led astray by others offering an easier or programmatic way. So could we.
Enemies of the cross of Christ
Let’s consider how “enemies of the cross” live their lives, and what a life reflecting our citizenship in heaven might look like.
Paul says in Philippians 3:18–19 that the enemies of the cross of Christ have these characteristic behaviors:
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- Their end is destruction.
- Their god is the belly.
- Their glory is in their shame.
- Their minds are set on earthly things.
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Rather than interpreting these phrases as encouragement to view the body and its needs or desires as inherently sinful, Professor Emerita of Homiletics Susan Hedahl notes that v. 18–19 conveys a pattern of living, not individual shortcomings. She writes:
In other words, their mindset, actions, and orientation war against everything Paul considers Christian … Paul is asking, in this passage, for believers not simply to “behave” but to look at the meaning of all they do in relationship to a much larger power and reality.
Destruction, shame, and an earthly (rather than kingdom of heaven) orientation — these describe the pervasive state of sin from which we’re all in need of rescue. And the good news is Jesus Christ “transforms the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of His glory.”
The preoccupation with “earthly things” also hints at viewing success and what constitutes a good life through the lens of culture. [Examples may be helpful.] This is often connected to systems of power within a society, and unfortunately, it is far from living the life of love Jesus lived in caring for the poor and sick. When we buy into worldly systems of power and support leaders who use fear and scarcity, we are taking our eyes off the example of Jesus and substituting the antithesis of what He lived on earth.
Citizenship in heaven
Philippi was a Roman colony, and as such, citizenship was an important concept. Roman citizenship offered legal and political privileges as Paul wrote about in Acts 16:37–38, Acts 22:25–28, and Acts 25. Earlier in Philippians 1:27, Paul implies that believers should consider how they live:
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel. Philippians 1:27 NRSVUE
While most translations render it as “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel,” New Testament Studies lecturer Elizabeth Shively writes that the literal translation is “live as citizens worthy of the gospel.” As “citizens worthy of the gospel,” this way of life is not a solitary path. Rather, it is a communal activity. Notice Philippians 3:17 begins with, “Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me,” and Paul encourages the church to imitate his example of humble care for others.
This way of humble living, caring for “the least of these,” is the way we follow Christ because “just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). Though this was part of a parable Jesus told, the message of humble care for others, especially those most vulnerable, was conveyed throughout his life and demonstrated by his actions. While we can’t save the world like Jesus did, we can “stand firm in the Lord in this way” (Philippians 4:1 NRSVUE). In this way, we show non-Christians that our lives reflect the One we profess to follow. Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” When we live as if our citizenship is in heaven, not as part of this world’s corrupt power systems, we offer an example worth imitating.
There are no shortcuts to spiritual transformation and relationship. It requires high effort but offers high returns, and Paul provides a testimonial worthy of imitation as well as a call for urgency in Philippians 3:17–4:1. It’s a process that takes a lifetime and one that we walk in community with each other and with our Beloved.
Call to Action: During the Easter Preparation season, think about what you believe makes life meaningful. Consider how much space worldly success takes up in that mental list and how living a life of transformation looks in terms of body, mind, and spirit.
For Reference:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissahouston/2024/05/16/do-get-rich-quick-schemes-really-work/
Cathy Deddo—Year C Easter Preparation 2
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR059-Deddo-YearC-EasterPrep2.mp3
March 16, 2025 — Second Sunday in Easter Preparation
Philippians 3:17-4:1
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Program Transcript
Cathy Deddo—Year C Easter Preparation 2
Anthony: We’ll transition to our next pericope of the month. It’s Philippians 3:17-4:1. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the Second Sunday of Easter Prep, Lent on March 16.
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4 1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. So the apostle gives his readers a warning about living as enemies of the cross of Christ.
What a trepidatious warning. In what ways should we modern readers be on guard about living as if we are enemies to Christ’s cross?
Cathy: Okay. Well, Paul begins this section encouraging the Philippians to imitate him, right? That’s where this passage begins, and to pay attention to, or to focus on those who are walking or living according to the pattern of Paul’s own following after Christ himself.
The reason that he gives this is because there are so many who are living or walking as enemies of the Cross of Christ who could influence them. So, Paul is basically, at the beginning of the passage, pointing out two opposite ways of living or, in the Greek, walking in our lives. And as Christians, basically, who are we to pattern our lives after?
Well, Paul is saying on the positive side: those who are following after Christ. But he’s also taking the time in this passage to help them recognize the patterns of those who live opposed to the grace of God that has been given to us in Jesus and why doing that will never lead to light.
First point I want to make is that he is saying in this world there are competing voices, competing ways to live. It’s kind of obvious, but I don’t know if we always realize this. We do not live in a neutral space in this world. And we need to be wise by who we’re influenced by. We actually live in a world that is hostile to the grace of God. Paul says there are many who walk as enemies of the cross, who are actually opposed to God’s grace, who reject it and promote its rejection.
Here he repeats this fact with tears. He’s clearly grieved by their rejection of God. And concerned about the undermining effect these people have already had on the Philippian Christians. So, his warning is basically indicating, he says this at the end, to stand firm in Christ. And this isn’t a passive activity for Christians in the fallen world.
We live in a world where, as we’ve already talked about, there’s all kinds of voices and pressures around us that are happy to tempt us to distrust God and his good purposes for us and for all of his creation. I think this, in and of itself, is helpful for us to remember. I think that’s the first point.
Paul is using really strong and sobering language here, since he knows the danger they’re in. And it is kind of shocking, isn’t it? How can it be that some, even many, would oppose the wonderful grace of God that is offered to us in Christ? But Paul is indicating here, although it makes no sense, that there’s no good reason to regard Jesus as an enemy, yet there are those who do. And we shouldn’t be naive about this.
The result of that situation is there are many ways that we can be tempted to live contrary to the grace of God, and these temptations might come from some people that we deeply care about. In some sense, they always come from those we care about to some degree, and I think we often find ourselves sharing in Paul’s tears and the tears of Jesus over Jerusalem.
Now, it’s interesting to me that Paul says these people live as enemies of the Cross of Christ. I thought a lot about this. Isn’t the Cross of Christ where we see the very center and heart of God’s grace? It’s right there where we see what it costs to extend his grace to us, to come down and rescue us, to free us from the grasp of evil and death and our rebellion against them.
It really is the measure of our deep need. I think it is humbling and hard to look at how costly our rescue is to God. I think sometimes we really don’t know if we want grace to be so costly to him. Surely we’re not that bad, that deceived, that lost, that God himself would have to come and be rejected, and spat upon, and lied about, and mocked, and stripped, humiliated, killed in the most shameful way possible, to save us, to rescue us, to lead us to life.
How humiliating. The grace of God poured out at the Cross offends our pride. The Cross of Christ fully challenges any attempt to justify ourselves, to give ourselves life, identity, meaning, or significance. And this is why some live rejecting it as enemies of the Cross. We can be tempted at times to be ashamed of what Christ has had to do for us.
But Jesus himself rejected the shame that was aimed at him to give us eternal life. And he is not ashamed of us. That’s why turning to Christ involves true repentance. Turning away from pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency, self-centeredness to receive life from the Lord himself.
And when we are dealing with people who live as enemies of the Cross, that’s what they don’t want to do. We don’t want to have to stop justifying ourselves. They don’t want to find themselves not sufficient. In order to help these Christians who have already died to their pride and receive the extravagant grace of God, Paul expands on what walking as an enemy of the Christ looks like in verse 19, “their end is destruction, their God is the belly, and their glory is their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.” I’m just going to look at two of the phrases here. (That’s too much, obviously.) First, he says their God is the belly. The people whom Paul is warning about worship comfort and pleasure here and now. They want to go their own way; they want to avoid suffering and discipline and live in the moment.
They want to give themselves whatever pleasures they create. That is the way of those ashamed. By contrast, Paul and the Philippian Christians were suffering for their faith in Christ, as Paul has already made clear earlier in the letter. And we know there are many Christians today in the world who suffer for living under the good and reign of Christ. Some even dying for their faith.
Jesus, we recall, told his disciples that in this world we would have tribulations. And I think it’s when we’re suffering that this temptation to listen to those who are living as enemies of the Cross can be strong.
Secondly, Paul says their minds are set on earthly things. And this is already obviously connected to the worship of immediate pleasures. They’re caught up in wanting all they can have from this earthly life: security, control, lack of suffering, power, fame. Well, they are lovers of the world and what they believe it can offer them. So how do Christians stand firm in Christ when encountering these influences?
Well, Paul reminds them and us that our ultimate citizenship is in heaven. We actually don’t belong to this fallen world. We are not its possessions, and we are not its slaves. Which, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go ahead and answer your second question, because this is connected, which is to talk a little bit about having our citizenship in heaven.
Paul indicates, again, that this is not our home. We are here as ambassadors, as resident aliens, as foreigners, because we belong heart, soul, and body to the living triune God. We’re united to him, and that means that all we’re dealing with here good, evil will not be the last word about who we are, what the meaning of our lives will be, what our purpose and the final end will amount to.
Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, will have the last word about us. And hopefully that helps us to be able to take this world lightly. And going back to the looking at your sufferings as slight and momentary because we know where we really belong. We live anticipating the glorious and sure future coming of Christ.
And I love this. [Paul] says, [Jesus] will return and transform our body of humiliation to conform it to the body of his glory, which is what he kind of goes through, right? He had a body of humiliation, but it was resurrected glorious. And he shares that with us. He will do this with the same power that enables him as Lord to place all things under his feet.
We see his power in his own suffering and death and vindicating resurrection. And once again, we will not be ashamed. We will be completely vindicated in our faith and our hope in Jesus Christ, belonging to him, to walk in the pattern of the gospel, to stand firm in an often hostile world. It means to live in light of this sure and certain future, knowing that what is coming is infinitely better than any life we can try to create for ourselves here.
We can work diligently in Christ to know him and to make him known, but at the same time, we can take ourselves and our efforts lightly. Our trust is in his presence, his working, not in ourselves, not in any earthly power. He alone can make everything new, put everything right. Yes, it’s hidden right now, but it will be gloriously manifested one day.
We are not alone. We can turn again each day to fill our vision with Jesus, fill up our hope in him. We can weep over those who are rejecting his grace at this point and intercede for them. But we don’t have to be tempted to walk in their ways, which only leads to hopelessness and destruction.
Anthony: And in light of what Cathy just said, we can reread chapter 4, verse 1. “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown. Stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.“ Amen. Amen.
Program Transcript
Cathy Deddo—Year C Easter Preparation 2
Anthony: We’ll transition to our next pericope of the month. It’s Philippians 3:17-4:1. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for the Second Sunday of Easter Prep, Lent on March 16.
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4 1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. So the apostle gives his readers a warning about living as enemies of the cross of Christ.
What a trepidatious warning. In what ways should we modern readers be on guard about living as if we are enemies to Christ’s cross?
Cathy: Okay. Well, Paul begins this section encouraging the Philippians to imitate him, right? That’s where this passage begins, and to pay attention to, or to focus on those who are walking or living according to the pattern of Paul’s own following after Christ himself.
The reason that he gives this is because there are so many who are living or walking as enemies of the Cross of Christ who could influence them. So, Paul is basically, at the beginning of the passage, pointing out two opposite ways of living or, in the Greek, walking in our lives. And as Christians, basically, who are we to pattern our lives after?
Well, Paul is saying on the positive side: those who are following after Christ. But he’s also taking the time in this passage to help them recognize the patterns of those who live opposed to the grace of God that has been given to us in Jesus and why doing that will never lead to light.
First point I want to make is that he is saying in this world there are competing voices, competing ways to live. It’s kind of obvious, but I don’t know if we always realize this. We do not live in a neutral space in this world. And we need to be wise by who we’re influenced by. We actually live in a world that is hostile to the grace of God. Paul says there are many who walk as enemies of the cross, who are actually opposed to God’s grace, who reject it and promote its rejection.
Here he repeats this fact with tears. He’s clearly grieved by their rejection of God. And concerned about the undermining effect these people have already had on the Philippian Christians. So, his warning is basically indicating, he says this at the end, to stand firm in Christ. And this isn’t a passive activity for Christians in the fallen world.
We live in a world where, as we’ve already talked about, there’s all kinds of voices and pressures around us that are happy to tempt us to distrust God and his good purposes for us and for all of his creation. I think this, in and of itself, is helpful for us to remember. I think that’s the first point.
Paul is using really strong and sobering language here, since he knows the danger they’re in. And it is kind of shocking, isn’t it? How can it be that some, even many, would oppose the wonderful grace of God that is offered to us in Christ? But Paul is indicating here, although it makes no sense, that there’s no good reason to regard Jesus as an enemy, yet there are those who do. And we shouldn’t be naive about this.
The result of that situation is there are many ways that we can be tempted to live contrary to the grace of God, and these temptations might come from some people that we deeply care about. In some sense, they always come from those we care about to some degree, and I think we often find ourselves sharing in Paul’s tears and the tears of Jesus over Jerusalem.
Now, it’s interesting to me that Paul says these people live as enemies of the Cross of Christ. I thought a lot about this. Isn’t the Cross of Christ where we see the very center and heart of God’s grace? It’s right there where we see what it costs to extend his grace to us, to come down and rescue us, to free us from the grasp of evil and death and our rebellion against them.
It really is the measure of our deep need. I think it is humbling and hard to look at how costly our rescue is to God. I think sometimes we really don’t know if we want grace to be so costly to him. Surely we’re not that bad, that deceived, that lost, that God himself would have to come and be rejected, and spat upon, and lied about, and mocked, and stripped, humiliated, killed in the most shameful way possible, to save us, to rescue us, to lead us to life.
How humiliating. The grace of God poured out at the Cross offends our pride. The Cross of Christ fully challenges any attempt to justify ourselves, to give ourselves life, identity, meaning, or significance. And this is why some live rejecting it as enemies of the Cross. We can be tempted at times to be ashamed of what Christ has had to do for us.
But Jesus himself rejected the shame that was aimed at him to give us eternal life. And he is not ashamed of us. That’s why turning to Christ involves true repentance. Turning away from pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency, self-centeredness to receive life from the Lord himself.
And when we are dealing with people who live as enemies of the Cross, that’s what they don’t want to do. We don’t want to have to stop justifying ourselves. They don’t want to find themselves not sufficient. In order to help these Christians who have already died to their pride and receive the extravagant grace of God, Paul expands on what walking as an enemy of the Christ looks like in verse 19, “their end is destruction, their God is the belly, and their glory is their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.” I’m just going to look at two of the phrases here. (That’s too much, obviously.) First, he says their God is the belly. The people whom Paul is warning about worship comfort and pleasure here and now. They want to go their own way; they want to avoid suffering and discipline and live in the moment.
They want to give themselves whatever pleasures they create. That is the way of those ashamed. By contrast, Paul and the Philippian Christians were suffering for their faith in Christ, as Paul has already made clear earlier in the letter. And we know there are many Christians today in the world who suffer for living under the good and reign of Christ. Some even dying for their faith.
Jesus, we recall, told his disciples that in this world we would have tribulations. And I think it’s when we’re suffering that this temptation to listen to those who are living as enemies of the Cross can be strong.
Secondly, Paul says their minds are set on earthly things. And this is already obviously connected to the worship of immediate pleasures. They’re caught up in wanting all they can have from this earthly life: security, control, lack of suffering, power, fame. Well, they are lovers of the world and what they believe it can offer them. So how do Christians stand firm in Christ when encountering these influences?
Well, Paul reminds them and us that our ultimate citizenship is in heaven. We actually don’t belong to this fallen world. We are not its possessions, and we are not its slaves. Which, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go ahead and answer your second question, because this is connected, which is to talk a little bit about having our citizenship in heaven.
Paul indicates, again, that this is not our home. We are here as ambassadors, as resident aliens, as foreigners, because we belong heart, soul, and body to the living triune God. We’re united to him, and that means that all we’re dealing with here good, evil will not be the last word about who we are, what the meaning of our lives will be, what our purpose and the final end will amount to.
Jesus Christ, our risen Lord, will have the last word about us. And hopefully that helps us to be able to take this world lightly. And going back to the looking at your sufferings as slight and momentary because we know where we really belong. We live anticipating the glorious and sure future coming of Christ.
And I love this. [Paul] says, [Jesus] will return and transform our body of humiliation to conform it to the body of his glory, which is what he kind of goes through, right? He had a body of humiliation, but it was resurrected glorious. And he shares that with us. He will do this with the same power that enables him as Lord to place all things under his feet.
We see his power in his own suffering and death and vindicating resurrection. And once again, we will not be ashamed. We will be completely vindicated in our faith and our hope in Jesus Christ, belonging to him, to walk in the pattern of the gospel, to stand firm in an often hostile world. It means to live in light of this sure and certain future, knowing that what is coming is infinitely better than any life we can try to create for ourselves here.
We can work diligently in Christ to know him and to make him known, but at the same time, we can take ourselves and our efforts lightly. Our trust is in his presence, his working, not in ourselves, not in any earthly power. He alone can make everything new, put everything right. Yes, it’s hidden right now, but it will be gloriously manifested one day.
We are not alone. We can turn again each day to fill our vision with Jesus, fill up our hope in him. We can weep over those who are rejecting his grace at this point and intercede for them. But we don’t have to be tempted to walk in their ways, which only leads to hopelessness and destruction.
Anthony: And in light of what Cathy just said, we can reread chapter 4, verse 1. “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown. Stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.“ Amen. Amen.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- How does our desire to follow Christ in tangible, concrete ways sometimes lead to legalistic efforts?
- Some Jewish Christians were expecting Gentile believers to follow the command of circumcision. Do we ever put unnecessary burdens or requirements on new believers?
- Could Paul’s call to “imitate me” be an encouragement to be discipled by other believers? How so?
- As people whose citizenship is not of this world, how is this reflected in our lives personally and collectively?
