How Are You Measuring Success?
Philippians 3:7-9

In a time where we praise success, we applaud the accomplishments of those who have overcome incredible odds to reach their goals. We cannot help but admire the efforts of both candidates in this year’s Presidential Election. Their journey was an uphill struggle. This election will make history, as it will determine whether America has its first African-American President or first female Vice President.

We also witnessed the journey toward high achievement in this year’s Olympics, which reflected the results of hard work, sacrifice and perseverance. And so we count their achievements successful.

In our text, Paul talks to us about his own success. We would consider him one born with a silver spoon in his hand. He was a citizen of Tarsus. When he lived there, only families with wealth and reputation could be considered a Tarsian citizen. His family was among the wealthy Jewish elite. Paul attended perhaps the finest school of its time and sat under the great teacher, Gamaliel.

But Paul discovered something was missing. There was still no satisfaction until he ran into a detour on the road to Damascus. He met Jesus! The dynamics of the meeting, which led to his conversion, were so overwhelming that he was willing to forfeit all the accomplishments of his past for the sake of Christ.  We hear of people who talk about life-changing experiences. Paul had such an experience when he met Jesus. It changed his life forever! In his own words, Paul said, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”

In verse 6, he refers to the great zeal he had to do what he had thought was the right thing. He was a devout Jew who believed very firmly in the Law. As a result, he had a problem with a group called the Christians. The Christians were viewed as antagonists to the Jewish Faith. They were believed to be another radical group. As a good rabbi committed to the Faith, Paul felt these Christians must be stopped. So he made it his religious duty to persecute the Church. Like so many today, he found righteousness in doing what he thought was a bunch of good things!  His righteousness was in keeping the Law. But no matter how hard they tried, the Jews could not keep the Law, though it was foundational in their belief.

This put Jesus at odds with them because He looked at the Law, which was summed up in the Ten Commandments, and said, “Let me give you a new commandment. Of all my commandments, love ye one another as I have loved you.” Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, which was blasphemous to the Pharisees. It wasn’t until the Damascus Road experience that Paul realized Jesus really was the Son of God! As a result, Jesus changed his life.

This is precisely what happens when we accept Christ. He does not save us to negotiate life with us. He does not save us to provide a list of wonderful recommendations for life! He saves us to take charge of our lives so we live to His glory. And when He took over Paul’s life, Paul said, “All the things that seemed important to me before, I count but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” Our salvation is by grace. Therefore, there is no charge to us. The price was already paid on Calvary. However, this relationship costs something. Some of us have lost friends and family because of our commitment to Jesus Christ.

Paul said his losses were all right because everything he thought he had, he now counted as waste, so that he might win Christ!Barnes said, “A man cannot make other things his ‘gain,’ and also ‘gain Christ.’ He who loses all, and even himself, on account of Christ, gains Christ: Christ is his, and he is Christ’s, and when he has gained Christ, he has gained it all.” Maybe you’re doing well financially. Maybe you’ve got a good job, but something is still missing! Maybe you’ve tried a lot of things and still can’t seem to find satisfaction. Paul said “That’s where I was.” Solomon said, “I did everything to pamper myself. I didn’t keep anything from my personal enjoyment, but it was all vanity.”

Our righteousness is not found in keeping the works of the law, but it is through faith in Christ. God doesn't measure our success based on our accomplishments in this world. Instead, He measures it by a single standard – our faith in Jesus Christ!

Many people seek all kinds of accolades from men. They seek accolades through positions. They seek them through education. And all of these things are wonderful, but having them without knowing Christ will not get you to heaven. Vic Pentz said it best when he stated, “Nothing fails quite so totally as success without God.”

No matter how good we become, no matter how perfect we think we are, our righteousness and perfection is only in Christ and Christ alone! When we put our trust in Christ, God takes our faith and counts it as righteousness.
  
You may have heard about that stress test called the Holmes Social Readjustment Rating Scale, which was printed in popular magazines. It gives you a stress score to events that happen to you in any given year. If you lose a spouse, it's scored as 100; divorce is 73; separation is 65. If we gave that stress test to the average person who would have experienced the problems that confronted Paul, their stress level would have probably blown the top right off their head. Everything that happened in Paul’s life during the writing of this letter would seem stressful and certainly not give the impression of success. But despite it all, instead of seeing loss, he was there, like a rock, still ready to go forward, because he saw in Christ gain! He counted success as knowing his Savior, Jesus Christ!