Philippians 3 verses 1 – 11
The testimony of the apostle Paul
Paul could say “if any man be in
Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away behold all things are
become new.” (2 Corinthians 5 verse 17)
We have received a new start if we have come to the foot of the rugged
cross and accepted Christ as Saviour and Lord.
If the apostle Paul was here how would he start to begin his testimony?
The first thing he would say was “I
was a man who was deceived.” As Paul wrote to the Philippian believers he
is defending himself against false teachers who came into the fellowship. They are telling you that if you live as good
a life as you possibly can you will be all right, earn the measure with God,
when you close your eyes in death he will allow you to enter into heaven. These men are living good lives, not going to
say anything against that but they are depending on the flesh. Verse 4 “Though I might also have confidence
in the flesh. If any other man thinketh
that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more.” Paul doesn’t make
any bones about it. I was trusting in
the flesh, I have far more than they think they have, I had more of an
advantage than anyone else. Paul was
speaking to people who had been deceived into believing that their birth gave
them more than any man. In Romans 3 verse
23 Paul said “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Then he puts up a hypothetical question. What does it profit to be a Jew? What benefit is there in being a Jew? It was to them that the Lord came to first of
all. The oracle was passed down to the
descendants of Abraham but Paul says don’t depend on that getting you into
heaven. There was a time when I looked
to all these things – verse 5 “circumcised the eighth day of the stock of
Israel”. He was taken by the leader of
the law and the act of circumcision was performed on him as the word of God
instructed his parents to do. He came
from the tribe of Benjamin, that is where royalty came from. King Saul came from the tribe of
Benjamin. See how much Paul has going
for him. Acts 22 verse 3 I was taught in
the Jewish religion by the most honoured man of all – Gamaliel “as touching the
law, a Pharisee”. Galatians 1 verse 4 - “yet
I was deceived.” I sat at the very best
teacher the Jewish religion could have brought forth at that time. Could almost imagine Paul telling us he took
time to read through all the books of the law, listened to him, to all the
historical things that happened. When it
came to the Passover lamb in Exodus 12 I didn’t realise anything about the
blood shed for my sins. He didn’t know
that that spoke of the Messiah my Saviour the one called Jesus who was hanged
between 2 thieves and gave his life for me.
I knew nothing of that. Knew
nothing of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53, that this was Jesus who was
taken out and hanged between thieves.
The devil is the greatest deceiver of all time. He stepped into the Garden of Eden and
deceived Eve. God said to Eve “of every
tree in the Garden you may eat of but one tree you cannot eat of it. In that
day you will die.” The serpent came to
Eve “I think God is taking you for a fool here.
Do you mean to say that the day you eat of that fruit you will die, you
will not”. Eve was deceived. The apostle Paul was deceived because he came
of a great lineage, because of his good name.
How many are deceived by good characteristics, brought up in a church parents
were members from the earliest days, taken to Sunday School, took communion
later in life then became an elder later on.
Just like Paul were deceived all the time thinking one day that heavens
door would be opened and they would be allowed to enter in. That is where people’s testimonies begin –
how they were deceived, how they were good enough and could never attain
God’s. The devil is a master at
deceiving. He deceived Saul of Tarsus
for so long. Maybe he has deceived you
and you are not saved. You think you are
on way to heaven and home. 2 Timothy 3
verses 13 “but evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and
being deceived.” So much going for them
but they have been deceived.
Paul would also say he was a man
who was disturbed. Something happened to disturb Saul of
Tarsus. We are dealing with this young
religious Jewish fellow, head strong, proud, fervent in what he believed. Acts 9 “I have heard by many of this man how
much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem.” The Bible says there is nothing too hard for
the Lord. Saul of Tarsus was an evil,
wicked, bad tempered young man. The
incident that disturbed Saul so much was the day they stoned Stephen to
death. Saul had actually signed his
death warrant. Stephen was described as full
of faith and the Holy Ghost. Mighty
things were happening in the church as a result of his preaching. The council brought him in, tried him and
sentenced him to death. They ran to Saul
and asked him “what shall we do with this man?”
Saul told them to put him to death.
They told him they needed his signature to do that. Saul signed the death warrant of that martyr
Stephen. Saul kept the raiment of them
that slew him. Stephen is now facing
this angry Sanhedrin who couldn’t argue with Stephen because his face was of an
angel. They couldn’t get around him
because of the Holy Spirit answering their questions on Stephen’s behalf. The only thing they could do was to stone him
to death. Saul gathered the clothes of the men who stoned him. He stood and watched that event. Stephen’s words must have hit Saul hard as he
stood and watched what was happening, as they stoned Stephen he was calling on
God “receive my spirit”. Here’s the man
in the throes of death who kneeled down and cried with a loud voice “lay not this
sin to their charge.” Notice the
certainty of this young man’s death. In
death he had no bitterness because he prayed for his persecutors. Saul must have become broken hearted. We must come to that place where we are really
broken hearted for the sins we have committed before God. Always has to be that point when false pride
is disturbed to bring us to God. When
Enoch saw the baby Methuselah he thought to himself what a miracle here. From that point on he walked with God. Need to do that. Need to have that place of disturbance.
Paul would say he was a man who
came to a decision. In Acts 8 he was causing havoc with the
little church in Jerusalem. One day when
standing before Agrippa he said “I was making my way up to Jerusalem I was
brought to my knees on that day.” It was
a place of decision. We will never drift
into God’s salvation. It is by decision
only. God the Holy Spirit shows us our great
need of salvation, shows the sacrifice of his son and the merits of blood shed,
never enter into heaven unless we confess our sins and take the Lord as Saviour
but we have to make that decision ourselves.
You and I were not born as a child of God, a Christian. No way.
Not brought up in a godly home and made Christians that way. It is by decision. It is the only decision you and I can make
for ourselves. Paul said “Lord what
would you have me to do?”
The other thought Paul had was deployment. Sad thing is testimony is seen as end at
salvation. Hear about the depravity and
sin entered into. Hear how churchy they
were then come into contact with Jesus Christ.
This is where the testimony ends.
That is really only where the testimony begins. Saul said “Lord what would you have me to
do?” He was deployed in the battle against the enemy to take the word of God
out into the highways and byways. He was
deployed. Our testimonies don’t end
there. We might stand and tell what sort
of life we lived and how we took Jesus as Saviour but what about now? Are we deployed against the enemy? Out to win souls. Have we a love for the Lord? Do we want to see souls saved? Are we deployed for the Lord?
Paul was deceived – all are.
Thank God he deals with us, brings us to place where we are disturbed,
takes us through to place of decision then he deploys us in to his army to see
others saved.
