Sermon

Acceptance is received not earned

March 1, 2019 Grace Evangelical Church Newcastle - Sermons

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Well, good morning, everyone.
Welcome if you're visiting this morning.
See my cousin Mike and Heidi, welcome.
And John Lill from Sydney, friends from college, welcome.
Anyone else who's visiting, yeah, you're more than welcome with us
and hope you stick around for a cuppa afterwards.
Why don't we pray before we get into God's Word?
Would you pray with me?
Our Father, we ask that you would speak to us this morning
each one of us needs to hear you.
We know that we don't live on bread alone
but on every word that comes from you.
We need you, God, to live.
Lord, please speak to each one of us.
God, I pray that you would speak into our hearts
just how much we are safe in you.
In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Amen.
Well, on what grounds are you acceptable to God?
If you already believe in Jesus, you'll be thinking,
God's grace makes me acceptable.
That's why we've got grace in our very church name,
Grace Evangelical, for this reason.
We hear the words grace and mercy and love
in our songs, in our prayers, in our children's talks.
The idea of grace is everywhere.
We talk about it a lot, don't we?
And that's excellent, so we should.
On the grounds of God's grace, through faith in Jesus,
I am acceptable to God.
That is incredible.
Such good news.
But what does our society say?
On what grounds are you acceptable at school,
at uni, at work?
How are you acceptable in your social interactions?
It's not grace, is it?
It's your own merit, I think.
Merit is about what you bring to the table.
What value do you have to offer
that someone should recognise it
and should welcome you for it?
What do you bring to the table?
Do you have enough money?
Are you wearing the right clothes
with the right brand names?
Are you funny?
Is your body acceptable?
Are you skilled enough?
Are you knowledgeable enough?
Have you got enough marks at uni and school?
Have you secured a respectable job?
Are you performing in that job?
Are your kids thriving in school?
Are you achieving in every area of your life?
Career and fitness and family,
socially, romantically, sport.
It's a lot of pressure, isn't it?
The grounds of acceptance in our society
is our own merit.
It's the air we breathe every day, isn't it?
Now, I think we have a love-hate relationship with merit.
We hate it because it makes us live in fear, doesn't it?
Because either I fail to meet the standards
and I feel inadequate and I feel ashamed,
or I meet the standards
and I feel proud and confident for a few moments,
but I know that tomorrow I've got to work hard again
to make sure I keep up those standards.
We're constantly living in fear.
We hate merit because of that.
It's hard work.
It's a heavy burden.
But we also love merit.
We genuinely love it.
We love it because if my acceptance
is based on what I've earned,
I can control it.
I can control the acceptance.
I can demand what I've earned.
I've worked hard.
I deserve this holiday.
I deserve it.
It's my right.
I've worked hard for this money.
I can spend it whenever I want.
We want to be able to control it.
And think about relationship advice.
Isn't most advice about give and take?
You've got to give and take in a relationship.
Isn't that just saying,
if I do X, Y, and Z,
that person has to do what I want after that?
We love merit
because we can control our life
or we think we can.
So we hate merit because we live in fear,
but we love it because we get control.
When someone becomes a Christian,
there's a fundamental shift
from thinking about God
and this world and yourself
according to merit
or lack thereof
and a shift
to thinking according
to what Christ has done
on my behalf
and given to me freely
out of his love.
There's a huge shift that happens.
But still,
even as Christians,
every single day,
today,
every situation we're in,
we have to choose.
Am I going to die
to this old merit way of thinking
or am I going to rest
and rejoice
in the acceptance
God has given me in Christ?
Every situation,
we're confronted with that choice.
So let me try and explain that a bit more.
Jerry Bridges,
he explains our day-to-day problem like this.
A Christian believes
that when we're originally accepted by God,
it's by grace.
We know we're sinful.
We need God's forgiveness.
So we know we start by grace.
And a Christian also believes
that we're going to end by grace,
that God will only accept us
into the new creation
that he's promised
by his grace alone.
So start and finish,
we 100%,
we talk about grace,
don't we?
But what about in between?
What about in our day-to-day Christian walk?
Jerry Bridges describes it
as like a little mouse
running on a treadmill.
And I think we can all resonate with it.
So on a good week,
when I've read my Bible,
when I've gone to church
in small group,
when I've been kind
and not nasty,
on a good week,
when I haven't given in
to those besetting sins,
on a good week,
when I pray,
aren't we confident
that God loves us
and we're acceptable?
We feel confident.
We feel bright.
We feel close to him.
But what about on a bad week?
I haven't read my Bible personally.
I didn't go to small group.
I have been nasty
on purpose.
I did give in
to those besetting sins.
I didn't pray.
What happens then?
Don't we despair
and just feel
a massive sense of failure?
So what's going on?
One week,
we're confident.
The other week,
we just feel like a failure.
And what do we do
to try and fix it?
We just try harder
the next week.
So this is the performance
treadmill we're in
every single day.
God says,
through Paul
in our passage today,
acceptance is received,
not earned.
He began the good work
in saving us
and he will bring it
to completion.
We don't have to perform.
We can't possibly
perform
to God's standards.
But Christ
did it for us.
We can rest.
We can rest in that.
We can rejoice
and have joy
in that truth.
Every single situation.
So,
this morning,
let's get into our passage.
We're going to hear first
about a warning.
Don't
listen.
Don't listen
to evil thinking
that says
God wants you
to earn your acceptance.
Don't listen
to that thinking.
Why?
Because we
are the people
of God
who rely
and boast
in Christ,
not in ourselves.
And then,
Paul offers himself
as the ultimate
case study
in someone
who boasts
in Christ,
not in their own
ability.
And he lets us
in on his thinking.
He first says,
humanly speaking,
I can claim
more merit
than anyone.
then he shows us
it's all worthless.
Zero value.
I'd rather belong
to Christ
and participate
in his death
and resurrection.
And why is that?
Because God
accepts me
by giving me
righteousness
in Christ
through faith.
And therefore,
we can rejoice.
We can always
have joy.
A deep joy.
So,
as we
put ourselves
in the shoes
of the Philippian
church,
we have to remember
one important thing.
The early church
didn't consider
itself as
an offshoot
from Judaism.
The early church
thought of themselves
as in line
with the Old Testament.
Jesus was the
promised one,
the promised Messiah.
He set up
the new covenant
which the prophets
foretold.
They were in line
with the Old Testament.
But this begs
the question,
where's the place
of the Old Covenant
law now?
And then enter
some passionate
Jewish missionaries
who are moving
around the congregation
or preaching
in public
who are saying,
you have to still
be circumcised
and obey the law.
God requires this.
How would you respond?
Seems tricky,
doesn't it?
Here's how Paul
responds in verse 2.
Have a look.
Look out
for the dogs.
Look out
for the evildoers.
Look out
for those
who mutilate
the flesh.
Can you hear
the seriousness
that Paul takes
this threat,
this way of thinking?
This is some
of the strongest
language he uses
in all his letters
and he repeats
the warning three times.
Look out.
Be on your guard
with this kind of thinking.
It is deadly stuff.
And to discredit
the thinking,
he uses irony
which is kind of funny
and he just
dismantles them.
The Jews
prided themselves
on being so
ritually and morally
clean that they'll
call everyone else
dogs,
filthy dogs.
But no,
these law
imposing people,
they're the dogs,
they're the unclean
ones in God's eyes.
These Jews
prided themselves
on doing only good
according to the law.
No,
God sees them
as only doing evil.
They're not
trusting in Christ.
These Jews
insisting on
circumcision
as being the mark
of belonging
to God's people.
No,
you are mutilating
the flesh.
Don't listen
to these people.
Don't listen
to this type
of thinking.
So why
this strong language?
Christians
at Philippi,
don't listen
to this kind
of thinking
for a second.
Verse 3,
for we,
Jews
and Gentiles,
we
who trust
in Jesus Christ,
we are the circumcision.
We are God's
chosen
covenant
people.
We serve God
not according
to external laws.
We serve God
according to the
inwardly empowering
Holy Spirit
who works
in us
to want
and to do
what pleases
our Father.
we boast
in what
Jesus has
done for us.
We don't
put confidence
in ourselves.
That's
who we are.
That's
who God's
people are.
To help
us
see
and think
this way,
Paul offers
himself
as the case
study.
So let's
get into
Paul's mind.
But before
we do,
can I ask
you to
take a
moment
and think
what merit
could you
possibly
show God
that he
would approve
of you?
What merit
do you
have?
Humanly
speaking.
Would I
show this
sermon
to God?
You're
probably
thinking
that's
not a
good idea
Dave.
Don't
do that.
What would
you show?
Would you
show your
children
as evidence
of your
parenting,
of all the
sacrifices
you've
made?
would you
show your
Bible study
commitment,
your
niceness?
Would you
show how
well you
can articulate
theological
ideas?
Would you
show all
the books
you've
read?
Would you
show how
much money
you've
given away?
Would you
show how
reliable you
are in
your work
ethic?
What would
you show
God?
What merit
have you
got?
What do
you think
makes you
a good
person?
I
challenge
anyone
to have
more
merit
than me
says
Paul
humanly
speaking.
Let's
see how
we measure
up.
Circumcised
on the
eighth
day as
the law
of Moses
required.
I too
belonged to
the covenant
people.
I wasn't a
convert.
I'm a
descendant.
not just
any
descendant.
My
lineage
can be
traced back
to
Benjamin,
the tribe
who remained
loyal to
King David's
line, the
tribe who
was there
who returned
from exile.
And my
upbringing was
thoroughly
Hebrew in
every way.
And then
there's my
achievements.
As to the
law, I
studied hard
and I
disciplined
my entire
life under
the laws of
Moses and
the more
careful,
stringent laws
of the
Pharisees.
And as
to zeal, I
was 100%
loyal and
protective of
God's original
covenant.
I was burning
with passion.
And as to
righteousness under
the law, I
was blameless.
I wasn't
sinless, but
no one
could fault
me.
That's quite a
list, isn't
it?
How's your
merit list
looking compared
to this guy?
If anyone,
anyone,
could have
confidence based
on their
own merit
that God
would declare
them righteous,
this guy was
it.
This is the
man.
But what
does he
think of
all that?
But whatever
gain I had,
I counted as
loss for the
sake of
Christ.
When Christ
revealed himself
to me, I
saw what I
once measured
as gain for
what it really
was, worthless.
All my
merit is
really just
offensive in
God's eyes
because I'm
trying to
control God.
King David
prays in
Psalm 143

Psalms 143:2
verse 2, he
prays to God,
enter not into
judgment with
your servant,
judgment for
no one living
is righteous
before you.
No one
does what is
right.
No one can
stand on
their own
merit and
God look at
the evidence of
their life and
go, they are
good, they are
righteous.
No one.
David prays for
mercy, not
justice.
And what
about those
who try and
obey the
law?
We've seen
in chapter 2
of Philippians
already that
Christians are
called to
stand out as
children of
God without
blemish in
the midst of
a crooked and
twisted generation.
Now that
phrase, Paul
didn't come up
with that phrase,
he borrowed it
from Moses.
Just before
Moses died,
he wrote a
song to
teach God's
people how
to think
about God,
how to live
well before
God.
We see it in
Deuteronomy
32.
What does
Moses want to
tell Israel
before he
leaves them?
The first
thing he says
about Israel
in this song
is they
have dealt
corruptly
with God.
They are no
longer his
children because
they are
blemished.
They are
crooked and
twisted.
generation.
The law
never, never
gave anyone
grounds or
ability for
someone to
earn their
acceptance.
The law
only exposed
our sin,
forcing us
to rely on
what God
gives us,
not on our
own merit.
The law
never made
anyone
righteous.
So what's
the better
way to
think?
We see
Paul's
deepest
desire in
verses 10
and 11.
Here's how
to think.
That I
may know
him,
Christ,
and the
power of
his
resurrection.
When the
resurrected
Christ revealed
himself to
Paul,
he understood
in that
moment that
to be in
relationship with
Christ is to
be in right
relationship with
God.
He wanted the
acceptance that
Christ received
from the
Father,
resurrecting him.
He wants that
sure acceptance,
not the arrogant,
self-based,
wishful thinking.
He wants that
sure acceptance
in Christ.
He wants it so
much.
He wants to
know Christ so
much that he
wants fellowship
with him,
not only in the
good times but in
sufferings.
He knows that to
belong to Christ,
he needs to become
like him in his
death, that the
old self that
tries to earn
favour with God
needs to be put
to death.
the way we
experience the
power of the
resurrected life
requires this
putting the old
self to death.
He wants to
live that new
resurrected life in
right relationship
with God now.
He wants to
call God
Father now.
And he wants
the full
experience of
that resurrected
life later,
that by any
means possible I
may attain the
resurrection from
the dead.
He's not
expressing any
doubt here.
We see in verse
9 that he knows
that God counts
him as righteous.
He's not expressing
doubt.
And we see in
verses 20 and
21 that the
Christian is waiting
for that resurrection
to happen.
The Christian isn't
just wishing for it,
they know they're
going to get it.
So he's not
expressing doubt.
I think Paul is
saying the way or
route I'm going to
take to get to the
resurrection, I'm
not sure.
I could die in
prison tonight or
I go on serving
the church, which
requires a daily
dying.
Either way, I'm
not sure what's
going to happen
there, but I want
to experience that
final resurrection.
Paul treasures
Christ and so he
wants more of him.
But to do that, he
knows that now is
the time of sharing
in his humble mind
of choosing to die
in obedience to the
Father, in the
service of others.
And later on he
knows that he's
going to experience
that final
resurrection.
That's Paul's goal,
the resurrected
life.
So what is it
exactly that makes
us acceptable to
God?
Let's have a look at
verses 8 and 9.
They explain it for
us.
Paul says,
I have suffered the
loss of all things.
I think he's
expressing that this
actually hurts.
He has suffered the
loss.
It's actually losing
what he once relied
on to give him
life.
His reputation,
his sense of
superiority to
others, any sense
of self-made
accomplishments.
He's had to give
all this up.
We actually have to
give it up and it's
going to hurt.
But on the other
hand, Paul sees all
this stuff and he
now sees it for what
it truly is.
He uses a word that
I'm not quite game to
say publicly right
now.
He uses crude
language to describe
what worth this
stuff actually has.
I use the word
manure, but it's a
worse word than that
in Greek.
Em and I have just
started a compost bin.
We're trying to help
the planet or something
like that.
Less waste, which is
really good.
It's working.
Anyway, this compost
bin, every time I lift
the lid to put more
veggies in, I'm just
hit with this powerful
stench.
It's disgusting.
It's good for the
environment, not good
for your nostrils.
If you lift the lid and
have a close look at
your merit, it stinks.
God does not like the
smell.
It stinks.
Count it for what it
truly is.
Here's what's actually
valuable.
Being found in
Christ, receiving
righteousness from
God, receiving it.
Christ.
We heard in chapter
two, Christ was the
obedient one to the
Father.
Christ was the only
one with true and
consistent humility.
Christ is the only
righteous one.
If you want to be
righteous, you have to
share his righteousness.
It's on offer to you.
Share it by trusting in
Jesus, giving your life
to him.
faith is not a
different way to earn
merit with God.
Faith is not relying on
yourself, but relying on
Christ and what he's done
for you.
This is the only way to be
acceptable with God.
That day of God's
judgment, when he decides
whether you are righteous
or evil, deserving of
eternal life or eternal
death, that judgment
has already happened
to Jesus.
He was condemned for
our evil.
Our evil, which in part
is us striving for our
merit, that was
condemned in Christ.
When he was raised, we
are raised with him,
counted righteous with
him.
That final judgment has
already happened when
Jesus rose from the
dead.
You are righteous
if you have faith in
Christ because of his
righteousness.
We share in it.
We receive it.
Oh, what a relief.
If you are entrusting
yourself to Christ,
heaven has started.
We're waiting for the
full thing, of course,
but it's already
begun.
You can call God
Father.
If you are still
trying to earn your
way in life and with
God, stop living in
this fear.
Stop trying to
control your life.
Come and rest in
Christ.
Come and have joy in
him.
Acceptance with God is
received.
It's not earned.
So while we are
waiting for this final
resurrection, how
should our right
relationship with God
affect our thinking?
Let's get inside our
minds.
Verse 1 tells us what
we should do.
Rejoice in the
Lord.
Those who rely on
their own merit can
never rest, can never
have joy because in
five minutes time you
could stuff it up big
time.
But we are in
Christ.
We will always be in
Christ.
So in him we can
rest and rejoice in
our relationship with
God.
We have relationship
with God now and we
know that we're going
to be raised.
That's a certain hope.
We can rejoice in
that.
That frees us to lay
down our lives in
obedience to God.
Not trying to earn
it.
That's not real
obedience.
But if we know we're
righteous in him we
can obey God,
delighting to obey
God in service of
others.
And that's going to be
painful.
But even in that pain
that reminds us that
we belong to Christ.
And so even in that
pain we can rejoice.
It's a deep joy.
So what might this look
like if we think this
way, if we're rejoicing
in receiving our
acceptance rather than
trying to earn it?
Here I'm going to rely on
Tim Keller because he
really helps to show the
difference between an
earning merit religious way
of thinking and a gospel
receiving way of thinking.
So let me just use a few
of his words.
Merit thinks I obey
God, therefore I'm
accepted.
Gospel thinks I'm
accepted, therefore I
obey God.
Merit thinks motivation
is based on fear and
insecurity.
Gospel thinks motivation
is based on grateful joy.
Merit thinks when I'm
criticized, I'm furious
and devastated because it
is essential for me to
think of myself as a good
person.
Threats to that self-image
must be destroyed at all
costs.
That's the merit way of
thinking.
Gospel thinks when I'm
criticized, I struggle.
But it's not essential for
me to think of myself as a
good person.
My identity is not built on
my performance but on God's
love for me in Christ.
Merit thinks my self-view
swings between two poles.
If and when I'm living up to
my standards, I feel
confident but then I'm prone
to be proud and unsympathetic
to people who fail.
If and when I'm not living up
to standards, I feel humble
but not confident.
I feel like a failure.
That's the merit way of
thinking.
Gospel thinks my self-view is
not based on a view of
myself as a moral achiever.
In Christ, I am at once
sinful and lost, yet accepted.
I am so bad he had to die for
me and so loved he was glad
to die for me.
This leads me to deeper
humility and deeper
confidence.
The way of thinking along the
lines of merit and gospel,
they're completely different,
aren't they?
Completely different.
Our passage is telling us
think gospel in everyday life.
So what might this look like?
When you're tempted to sin in
that same way today as yesterday,
or when you're burdened with guilt
and shame immediately after sinning
in that way, let's be thinking
acceptance is received, not
earned.
God loves me in Christ as much
in this moment of temptation
or guilt.
He loves me just as much in those
moments as he does in every other
moment because it doesn't depend
on me.
It depends on Christ.
So I can move back into the
struggle.
When you feel like you're failing
as a child, as a parent, when
you're failing as a spouse or as a
friend or in your job, let's be
thinking acceptance is received, not
earned.
My main identity is that I am in full
and right relationship with God
because I belong to Christ.
No amount of failure can touch that.
So I can move back into the struggle.
When you're weighed down and just
restrained by sickness or mental
health and you feel like you've got
nothing to offer, let's be thinking
acceptance is received, not earned.
Christ has shared all of himself, all
of his relationship with the Father, all
of his plans to restore the world with
me, all of it I have received in him
so I can have deep joy even while I'm
hurting, hurting bad.
I can have deep joy in that and I can
move back into the struggle.
When we're frantically trying to serve
in those ministries, when we're
anxiously trying to put on a respectable
front as being a good Christian, let's
be thinking acceptance is received, not
earned.
I can rest.
I can rest in how God sees me because of
Christ.
So I can move back into the struggle of
being genuinely concerned for others.
When someone in the church doesn't meet
your standards, perhaps they are clearly not
meeting God's standards either.
Let's be thinking.
Acceptance is received, not earned.
I want them to know they are fully and always
loved by God so that they can move back into
the struggle.
When we see people in our society openly
sinning against God, even proud of the fact,
let's be thinking acceptance is received, not earned.
I really want that person to know the love and
acceptance that I've received.
Please God, show them your son.
If we are to live worthy of the gospel, if we are to
have joy in the Lord being our motivation, then we've got
to think acceptance is received.
It's not earned.
Would you pray with me?
Let's pray.
Our Father, I pray that you would heal the broken
hearted this morning in the knowledge that you love
them fully in Christ.
Lord, give them strength in that love, in that joy to
keep struggling on trusting you.
Lord, I pray for those of us who are trying to put on a
good front, a good face in this church community,
struggling to serve in ministries just to be seen for
doing good.
Lord, I pray that you would help us to rest in you,
in the righteousness you've given us in Christ.
Help us to rest and have joy and serve one another out of
love.
Lord, for those of us who are weighed down in sin,
I pray that you would help us to see ourselves as you see us
in Christ.
That you love us fully in those moments as every other
moment.
Thank you, God.
Father, I pray that you would help us as a community to look at
one another as you see us.
Lord, help us to extend your grace to others as much as we want
it for ourselves.
God, help us to be a people who boast in what you've given us in
Christ, not in ourselves.
Oh, that would be such a joyful way to live and so pleasing to you.
And so we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Amen.