James Shepherd

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

I mean, this idiom shows how people value the same things differently.

Someone might value something as trash, worthless, a waste of space,

and no longer need it in their life.

But another person might view the exact same thing as treasure,

something that is of immense value to them.

And this couldn't be more true during the time of council cleanup.

I find it both amazing what people will see as trash and will throw out

and what others would see as treasure and pick up

as you see people drive you along the streets with their utes

and their trailers and their trucks,

searching for the treasure amongst all the trash.

And I feel like being a poor, more college student,

doing ministry on the North Shore,

there's often more treasure than trash out there,

dumped on those streets.

It's only in my view, of course,

but I see a lot of perfectly good couches and dining tables,

beds, mattresses, TV, stereos that I presume actually work,

they look like they work,

toys, scooters, the likes, pots and pans, books, children's things.

Oh, there is so much stuff that gets thrown out

that I just look and go, man, is that really trash?

It amazes me to the point where I reckon I could furnish a whole house

with council cleanup furniture, and none of you would know.

Unless you threw it out, of course,

and you recognised I was yours previously.

However, all these couches and dining tables,

these TVs and stereos,

these things were once new.

These things were once considered something of valuable

because they're now out of date

or because they're broken or unnecessary.

It has caused their previous owner to reassess their value,

and now they have been considered as trash,

thrown out to make room for all the better and newer things in life.

I remember when the iPhone 5S came out a few years ago.

I was very excited.

I went to the Apple store in Castle Hill

and lined up at 6 in the morning with my friends.

We were in a line of about 200 of us.

I was about 100th in the line itself,

and everyone there was very, very excited.

We were all, like, talking about the iPhone.

Everyone was talking about what colour they would get as well.

When the first person walked into the store,

the Apple employees made an arch for them

and clapped and applauded them and cheered them on

as they got to their iPhone.

It was very, very exciting.

My friends and I, when we got our iPhones,

had an unboxing ceremony at the local cafe,

and I held my iPhone thinking,

this is precious to me.

This is amazing and invaluable to me.

Three years on,

I have no idea where my iPhone even is anymore.

I think I sold it because it was outdated,

and I was getting my new iPhone 6S.

Its value did not last.

It caused me to reassess the value of my iPhone 5S,

and I saw it as trash,

something that was broken and slowly dying.

And then someone else bought it.

And so my trash became someone else's treasure.

This is what our society does.

Because we participate in a society

built on novelty,

built on wanting the next best thing,

we always need to reassess

the value of the things in our life.

And so when our gadgets and toys and cars wear out,

we reassess their value.

When our jobs or schooling gets really tough

or too boring,

we reassess its value.

When our friendships and marriages get hard

and the joy,

which was there to begin with,

begins to dwindle,

we reassess its value.

These things we once treasured,

or began to treasure,

have slowly become ultimately trash in our lives.

And as Christians,

the gospel of our Lord Jesus

calls us to reassess

what is most precious and valuable in our life.

And if we truly believe the gospel,

it changes our perception

of what is truly valuable.

But as people who are driven

in the world by novelty,

we are always tempted to try and build upon

and develop upon the gospel itself,

importing ideas and concepts from the world,

making us view the gospel

through the lens of the things that we value.

Whether we go one way

and begin to think

that the gospel is all about

doing certain things right,

that Christianity is all about

obeying the law

and making sure you have done enough

to come before God rightly.

Or whether we go the other way

and say the gospel

is all about receiving material blessing

and living a lifestyle that's free

from having to worry about your sins.

These patterns,

these things distort

what is truly the gospel

and they shape our understanding of it.

We are always in danger

of corrupting the gospel,

distorting it,

and therefore losing it

when we fail to assess

the things we value in this world

through the lens of the gospel.

The gospel needs to be the lens

by which we look at the things

in our life that we value.

But too often,

we're looking at the gospel itself

through the things that we value.

And this danger is ever-present

and persistent.

And this is why Paul writes

in chapter 3.

He does so for our safety,

it says in verse 1,

so that we might reassess

our relationship with the world itself,

viewing the things we value

through the lens of the gospel

that we might not lose Jesus

and therefore our faith.

And so let us open our Bibles

and reassess together

what it is we most value

as Paul reminds us once more

of the gospel.

So Paul begins by warning his readers

in verse 2,

watch out for those dogs,

those evildoers,

those mutilators of the flesh.

There are those in the church

whom Paul considers a threat

to the gospel.

The third category gives us a clue

as to who he's speaking of.

Jewish Christians

who want the law

to be a necessary part

of their faith.

Jewish Christians consider themselves

here in Philippi

better than others.

they consider themselves

exemplars of the faith

because they held the law

to a high regard.

They were even circumcised

and therefore meant

that they had the sign

that they were God's people

from the Old Testament.

They looked down at everyone else

because of who they were

and how they could hold the law.

These are the kinds of people

in church who are proud

of how much time they spend

reading the Bible

and looked down at other people

for not doing

as much as they can.

Those who gossip

about people's sins

behind their back.

Those who brag about

all the missionaries

they are supporting

and praying for.

Those who look at themselves

and thank God

they are not ultimately

like other sinful people.

Ultimately,

these people,

these kinds of people

value being seen

as better than others.

They value their status

above anything else.

And Paul says

to watch out

for these kinds of people.

They might portray

an image of holiness.

They might seem

to tick all the holy boxes

but they are nothing

more than dogs,

evildoers,

mutilators.

That last category

is particularly offensive,

particularly for

the Jewish Christians.

For Paul would not describe

them as circumcised

but would use a derogative term

instead,

mutilation.

to show that they are not

truly part of God's people.

He's saying,

yeah,

you might carry that sign

on your body

that you are part

of God's people

but that sign

is no more

of a mutilation

like the ancient pagans

who would mutilate

themselves

in the service

of their fake

and weak God.

You are no different

to them.

Paul is saying

that you are like

a pagan.

You are like someone

who doesn't believe

in a real God.

His strong,

offensive use

of the word

mutilator here

is so he can

be clear

about the kinds

of people

who are part

of God's people,

who are truly

circumcised,

that is,

who are truly

part of God's family.

And so in verse 3,

for it is we

who are the circumcision,

we who serve God

by his spirit,

who boast in Christ Jesus

and who put no confidence

in the flesh.

The true Christian

is marked by humility.

Unlike the proud

Jewish Christians

who value their deeds

and status

before the law,

justifying themselves

as exemplars

of the faith,

Paul says

the people of God

are those

who humbly trust

and boast

in the work

of Jesus,

knowing only

in him

they can receive

eternal life.

And above all else,

they value him

and treasure him

alone.

And we must realise

all of this so far

is in the context

of a warning.

we are called

to watch out

for these kinds

of people,

not because Paul

wants us to go

on like a witch hunt

and try and get rid

of them out of our

fold and our gathering,

although he would

want that.

He's warning

and he's out of concern

for us as a church

because such people

can be really damaging

to us

and to the gospel.

And the temptation

for the church

in Philippi

was to look

at these guys

and be impressed

by them,

to see them

as role models

for their faith,

to see the things

they valued,

which are status

and works,

and take them

on board

for themselves

and look at the gospel

through the things

that they valued

and then truly forget

what it actually means

to be the people

of God.

And Paul

is all too aware

of how easy

it is to slip back

into that mindset

of box-ticking

Christianity,

where the impressive

Christians

seems to be

the true examples

of faith

who then leaves

the rest of us

feeling bad

and somehow

less of a Christian

because we're not

able to be like them.

The issue is

that these Jews

have allowed

what they value,

their status

and their works,

to creep into

their view

of the gospel

and corrupt it.

And that's what

Paul is afraid

will happen

to the rest

of the church

if they continue

to look at

these guys

as role models

of the faith.

However,

there's another danger

here as well.

It's to go

in the totally

opposite direction

and promote

freedom

from having to

live in any

certain way.

Believe in the mantra

that Paul spoke

against in Romans

which is

why not sin

that grace

may abound

all the more?

And that response

is also dangerous.

And there are

people in churches

who promote

this kind of response.

They say

it's okay

to sleep

with your boyfriend

or your girlfriend

outside of marriage.

It's okay

to lie in your tax return

to get a little bit

more back

from the government.

It's okay

to get drunk

not that bad

as long as you

don't hurt anyone.

And God doesn't

want you to give

money to church

that's okay.

God just wants

you to love him.

Such proponents

who say these things

of this kind

of message

misunderstand

the gospel

because

of the things

they value.

They are looking

at the gospel

through the things

they value.

And they value

material things.

They value

their lifestyles

and their freedoms.

And so in turn

looking at the gospel

through those values

they have corrupted it

and distorted it

and have led

many people away

from it as well.

We need to watch out

for these people.

For people who tell us

that the gospel

is all about works

and achieving

some sort of status

before God

that we can be

right before him.

But we all seem

to watch out

for the other extreme

as well.

Saying that it

doesn't matter

about how you act

and how you live.

Just believe

and Jesus

will still love you.

We must

clearly anchor

our mind

and our heart

that to belong

to the people

of God

is to serve him

the power

of the spirits.

to boast

only in Jesus

and what he has done

for us

and to put no confidence

in ourselves.

It's a call

to humbly trust

in Jesus

and in him

alone.

However

the antithesis

of humbleness

is pride.

And the world

would feed our pride

by having us think

we are capable

of our own salvation

whether it's eternal

or simply just

to live the good life.

the world

would use

the things

we value

to infiltrate

our thinking

twisting our

perception of them

making us view

the gospel

through the lens

of what we value most

and therefore

opening us up

to being distorted

and misunderstood.

And hence

what you get

is the dogs

in Philippians.

You get

the liberalist

Christians

of then and now

who say

you can do

whatever you want.

Paul knows

all too well

this danger

and how easily

the gospel

can become corrupted

and distorted

and so he puts

himself forward

as a case study

that we might

truly grasp

but there is no

benefit

in being like

those

he's opposing

here

and there's no

benefit

in looking at

the gospel

for the values

of those

lifestyles

and freedoms

of the liberalist

type Christians

that we would

not be tempted

by these things.

From verse 4

Though I myself

have reasons

for such confidence

if someone else

thinks they have

reasons to put

confidence in the flesh

I have more

circumcised

in the eighth day

of the people

of Israel

of the tribe

of Benjamin

a Hebrew

of Hebrews

in regards

to the law

a Pharisee

as for zeal

persecuting

the church

as for righteousness

based on the law

faultless.

As he so often

does

Paul applies

the logic

to himself

You know

these Jewish

Christians

they might have

a lot to boast

about

they might have

done a lot

of good works

and they are

circumcised as well

so yeah

they might be

pretty good Jews

but no one

compares to Paul

Paul is the Jew

he is the

Jew you want to be

pretty much

he doesn't get

much better

he's almost

perfect

and so if anyone

could know God

as a Jew

it would be Paul

and if you had

the credentials

that Paul had

as a Jew

you'd be thrilled

you'd be stoked

because you knew

that Paul

was someone

who could know God

and yet

in a sharp reversal

the treasure

becomes the trash

verse 7

the terminology

here Paul uses

of loss

and gain

is basic

commerce language

and he's borrowing

it to help

him describe

how much

he considers

Jesus to be

the ultimate

thing he values

and how his

credentials

his status

his past life

as a Jew

is ultimately

just worthless

and therefore

trash

so if you think

of a balance sheet

before Paul

heard the gospel

all his credentials

were listed

as positive

as profit

as gain

you know

as a Jew

it looked immensely

profitable

you probably

want to invest

in Paul

he was a very

good investment

but then when he

heard the gospel

it all changed

he came to know

something of

unprecedented value

that was now

his

and this calls

Paul to reassess

everything

in his balance sheet

and without

question

or pondering

he straight away

gets his list

of credentials

and strikes them

out

as a loss

their asset

value had

dropped

significantly

to the point

where they

were no longer

profitable

and more

than that

they weren't

just no longer

profitable

they were now

a liability

they are now

costly

to Paul

and so he

has to strike

them out

and get rid

of them

lest these

liabilities

would now

affect

or even

take away

what he has

gained

as something

so precious

in Jesus

indeed he

feels so

strong

seeing

seeing

the things

not only

as he

wants

valued

as

merely

lost

but also

as

trash

and garbage

in verse

9

now the

translation

here is

probably

not strong

enough

the word

used

is

skubala

it's

more or less

of an

ancient

swear word

and the

early church

fathers

who were

reading

Paul

were so

embarrassed

by Paul's

use of

the word

they tried

to kind

of soften

it a little

bit

saying no

Paul

didn't

really

mean

that

he more

meant

just

you know

not very

nice

not very

good

worthless

but in

reality

the word

describes

something

vulgar

and abhorrent

it's better

understood

as someone's

excrement

dung

and crap

are probably

the strongest

words I could

use in front

of you right

now

but that's

how he

considers his

past credentials

crap

it might

seem so

drastic

and offensive

and it

should

but Paul

is so

deeply

convicted

that if

he doesn't

draw the

line

to such

an extreme

if he

gives

even some

value to

his past

credentials

then he

will be

giving them

a foothold

into his

heart

he'll be

giving them

a chance

for him

to then

view the

gospel

through

his

credentials

the lens

of his

credentials

and that's

just not

worth it

for Paul

so much

so that he

sits in

prison

writing

these words

having

truly lost

everything

that he's

ever had

but having

kept and

having always

gained

Jesus

which is

all he

needs

you see

the danger

for Paul

is that

if he

places any

value in

these things

he'd be

tempted to

also place

his confidence

in these

things as

well

and therefore

his confidence

for them

in salvation

and that's

the primary

issue for us

here

it's the

temptation to

look at the

things we

value in

our life

and place

our confidence

and our

trust in

them above

Christ

allowing

them

allowing

them

for the

gospel

to become

corrupted

and distorted

it's a

subtle danger

but one

that comes

at great

cost

if it's

left

unchecked

indeed

what's at

stake

for Paul

was the

knowledge

that came

by gaining

Christ

a knowledge

unsurpassed

in value

verse 9

and be

found in

him

not having

a righteousness

of my own

that comes

from the

Lord

but that

which is

through faith

in Christ

the righteousness

that comes

from God

and the

basis of

faith

I want

to know

Christ

yes

to know

the power

of his

resurrection

and participation

in his

sufferings

but becoming

like him

in his

death

and so

somehow

attaining

to the

resurrection

from the

dead

the knowledge

of Christ

that we

are made

right with

God

through faith

alone

that we

are made

righteous

through

Christ's

own work

itself

that we

partake

not only

in his

suffering

but in his

resurrection

that we

can one

day be

assured

that our

own

resurrection

as well

all of

this

our

knowledge

in Jesus

is at

stake

for Paul

when we

fail to

consider

everything

loss

a liability

to gain

Jesus

what are

the things

in your

life

that are

potentially

becoming

more and

more of a

liability

to your

faith

is it

your desire

to be

seen

as holy

and good

are you

beginning to

think that

to be

saved

and right

before God

you need

to be at

least this

good

or have

done this

in your

life

and have

never done

that

is it

your desire

to be

comfortable

and happy

are you

beginning to

think that

it's

unimaginable

that God

would ever

ever take

away good

things from

you

that he

would ever

let you

suffer

and then still

be good

somehow

these

things

are

liabilities

the gospel

calls us

to consider

garbage

lest

we lose

our faith

in the

true knowledge

of Jesus

they have

potential

to shipwreck

your faith

and make you

lose sight

of the truth

they have the

potential to

destroy your

knowledge

of what is

true

what in

your life

that you

value

is becoming

more and

more of a

liability

what is it

as you sit

here now

reassessing your

relationship with

the world

what are the

things in your

life

the things

that you

value

that might

become your

liability to

what you

should value

most

Jesus

how do we

continue to

not lose

sight

of Jesus

how do we

stop everyday

things in our

life becoming

too valuable

because reality

is we're

bombarded

every single

day by a

world that

tells us to

value this

or value that

value your own

comfort

value your own

happiness

value your own

life above

anything else

it's hard to

keep Jesus at the

centre of our

life

it's hard to

continue to

see him as

the most precious

and valuable

thing in our

life when the

world is saying

otherwise

and we only

gather here

once a week

the world is

bombarding us

six other

days of the

week 24

7

so how do

we not

lose sight of

Jesus and

how do we

continue to

value him

above all

else that we

might not let

liabilities in

our life

take that away

it's very simple

actually but

very hard to

do

and at the

beginning of

the first

verse

he says

Paul at the

very beginning

further my

brothers and

sisters rejoice

rejoice in

the Lord

Paul's command

to watch out

for those in

the church who

might warp our

understanding of

the gospel stems

from his ultimate

purpose for us

his ultimate

command for us

as a church

and that is to

rejoice rejoice

always in Jesus

to never forget

who and what

is at the

centre of your

life of our

life to choose

daily to make

the object of

your joy and

of your delight

your passion

Jesus who

is supremely

more valuable

than anything

you could ever

gain in this

life he has

made a way for

you to know

God he is the

one who can

give you what

the world is

searching for in

all the wrong

places eternal

life he is the

one who gives us

hope in times of

suffering and

despair and in a

chaotic world we

can hold on to

him knowing that

he will bring

us through and

so daily choose

him choose to

take joy in

him choose to

rejoice in

him continue to

make him the

object of joy in

your life make

reading the word

a priority make

prayer a priority

make gathering

together in small

group a priority

that you might

continue to look

at the world for

the lens of the

gospel and not the

world through the

gospel the world

will always be

there to feed our

pride to tempt us

to find value in

things of the

world and so it

will always bombard

us and it will

always be difficult

but that's why we

have this right

now that's why we

gather together

because what we're

doing here right

now is reminding

each other of the

good news of

Jesus we gather

here each Sunday

to continue to

reassess our life

against the

gospel itself to

continue to tell

each other the

good news of

Jesus that we

might continue to

place him in our

life as the most

valuable thing there

is we remind each

other of this good

news so for those

of us who doubt

that good news we

can be encouraged

encouraged to

continue trusting

in Jesus as the

most ultimate and

valuable thing and

for those of us

here who have

forgotten that who

have begun to

value other things

in the world we

come to him remind

each other that no

Jesus is the most

valuable thing and

so repent and turn

back to Jesus that

we might continue to

rejoice in him and

him alone because he

is the most satisfying

thing the most worthy

thing of our time and

our praise there is

nothing better in this

whole world than

gaining and keeping

Jesus which is yours

today and this

evening so continue to

rejoice in him let me

pray heavenly father we

thank you so much that

in your word you are

merciful to us and

you reveal to us how

we can know you through

your son we pray father

that we would not be

tempted by this world

to value other things

to look and to read the

gospel through the

things of this world

that we value but father

we continue to reassess

ourselves always through

the lens of the gospel

would we always see how

incredibly wonderful it

is the gift of your son

that he has come to save

us and to die for us

that we might know you

father we pray that we

would never take our

eyes off of him that we

would continue to always

trust in him and to see

him as the most valuable

thing in our life that we

would always keep him for

all eternity and we pray

this in your son's precious

name amen