Presented to the River Street Cafe, 26 August 2016
Read Philippians 3:15-19
Philippians 3 is a great chapter in a
great book. It is, among other things a great call to perseverance. You know
what perseverance is? Perseverance is the ability to get through difficult
times. And you know why God gives us the ability to get through difficult
times? Because He has even more difficult times for us to get through (cf.
Romans 5:3,4).
There is a popular song these days by
Meghan Trainor called Me Too. Its
chorus repeats, ‘if I were you, I’d wanna be me too.’
Philippians is a letter Paul wrote while
he was in jail awaiting execution. He voluntarily suffered so much. He didn’t
need to be there but because God is most important to him he is in jail, he is
on death row and instead of telling all his friends to pray for his release,
his ease, or to run for the hills so this doesn’t happen to them; Paul says in
essence, ‘if I were you (outside, free, and not on death row) I would want to
be me too.’ Paul writes, ‘Join together in following my example, brothers and
sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live
as we do’ even though it may cost you everything, even your freedom and your
life.
Paul goes on to write, ‘for, as I have
often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as
enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is
their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly
things.’ But you should live as I do and you will have real freedom.
This is quite important. Do you see why
Paul wishes we could be like him even though he is in jail? It is because he is
there serving God. Paul's life isn't easy. Paul gave up basically all claims to
an easy life when he became a Christian. That's when he began his journey
towards imprisonment and death and everyone knows that. This is why Philippians
is such an important letter. Philippi is a rich city. Paul, on death row here,
lets us know how to really have life abundantly. Paul, who used to be every bit
as privileged as the Philippians, tells them that he cries not because he is in
prison; he cries because they, who are free, really are missing out on
something. It is Paul who is living the free life of someone who is redeemed.
I saw an article in the National Post the
other week. It was about the curse of the lottery. Maybe even more than two-thirds
of big lottery winners in Canada are broke within seven years of becoming millionaires
and some have new or worse drug habits and some are now in jail for those habits
or for murder or for something else. Success, happiness, wholeness, life isn’t
about having it easy by getting things or getting away with things. If in this
life, if you have so much but do not have the love of God that produces the
contentment of holiness than you have nothing. And then, no matter how wealthy
you are, 'If I was you I'd wanna be me too'.
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