A sermon delivered on Sunday, April 6, 2025 by Rev. Dr. Patrick H. Wrisley

Paul has a problem. Similar to the old adage, “When the cats away, the mice come out to play.” Paul is languishing in a prison cell in Rome, and he has heard there is a group of new teachers who are upsetting the congregation he established in Philippi. He cannot personally confront these people in person, so he writes the church a letter. These new teachers are telling the people something controversial. They claim that to be real, bona fide Christians, all male Gentile believers must be circumcised. This requirement is like their Jewish counterparts. These new teachers are telling people in the church that it’s not enough to believe in Jesus, but they must also live according to the old, prescribed dictates of the Jewish Law. Paul is none-too-pleased with these new teachers and meddling pastors and warns members of the church, “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!” (Phil 3:2).

We pick up in the letter immediately following this harsh word from the Apostle. Paul is reminding the Philippians by what authority he has in warning them of these false teachers. Listen to the Word of God.

Philippians 3:4b-14

                  ⁴ If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. ⁸More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, ¹¹if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. ¹²Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. ^[1]

There are two types of people in the world. There are those who use personal computers and those who use Macs. The saying is true and worthy of full acceptance, “Once you go Mac, you never go back!” The new life you experience in the Apple iOS-operating system is mind-expanding compared to the old PC DOS operating platforms. Everything is so much easier and intuitive on a Mac in comparison to a PC. I’ll never forget my conversion experience over 25 years ago. It was so liberating and easy: I discovered that all I had to do was open up the laptop and it immediately turned on and was ready to go! My old, PC, however, was like an old Chrysler – you would turn it on and it would take forever to crank up and work!

Paul is telling the members of the Philippian church to remember they are running on a new operating system. They are to be indebted to their Jewish heritage because Jesus emerged from that Jewish heritage himself. It was the Jewish heritage that shaped who Jesus was and provided the basis for the Good News he brought. Christians are to honor that heritage, be grateful for it but we are to build upon it. When Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak began Apple in 1976, they took what they knew about computers and the old DOS operating system and built something new on its foundation. The way the computers worked was similar but yet were entirely different. You simply cannot run Apple software on PC hardware.

Paul goes through a very intense and heavy resume that covers his ethnic, religious, and cultural status. Paul was born and raised in the Jewish faith and cultural traditions. He later became an elite member of spiritual leaders known for their scrupulous attention to the Jewish Law’s details. Paul is not bragging. He is telling the Philippian church that the upstart church leaders instructing the Gentile men about circumcision cannot compete with his street credibility. They cannot match the authority Paul has. 

The deal is this: Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension has installed a new divine operating system. This system is not based on showing fidelity to laws and precepts. It is based on Jesus’ expression of grace and sacrifice. Faith moves from a transactional “do” or “do not do” certain things to becoming a relational loyalty by following Jesus and his grace-full way of living. It moved from doing religious things and acts to being a loving human being in the way Jesus loved. It moves from living out a faith of woulds and shoulds to expressing one’s beliefs in God by loving others as God in Christ loved us. The old song is not “They’ll know we are Christians by our circumcisions” but “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

God has Isaiah the prophet tell the people, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? (Is 43.18-19)” Paul says it this way: Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.  These are words describing a new operating system. 

The old system said, “Follow the religious rules, you will be loved by God.” The new system says, “Give your heart and loyalty to Jesus and he will guide your steps.”^[2]

The old said, “An eye for an eye.” The news system says, “Love those who persecute you. Do good to those who hate you.”^[3]

The old system said, “Strength through power.” The new system says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”^[4]

Lent has been a time when we church-folk are asked to reflect upon our identity. Specifically, how do we arrive at our identity? Where do each of us get our cues as how to live out our identity? Is it from politics? Our economy? Do we get our identity from what we do for living? Maybe it comes from where we live and where we were bought up. Then again, maybe we get our identity from our educational accomplishments. The fact is, all of these items will come to form our identity and who we are. Paul emphasizes that his identity is focused on wanting to be more like Jesus. This perspective illuminates everything else.

Do our politics shine light on Christ, or does Jesus first shine light on our politics?

Do our personal economics shine light on Christ, or does Jesus first shine light on how we spend our money?

Do our professions or retirement shine light on Christ, or does Jesus first shine light on our professions or retirement?

Do our friendships shine light on Christ, or does Jesus shine light on our relationships?

Beloved, the beauty and power of Lent is it asks us to look at ourselves, our faith, and each other in a new way. Isaiah says, “Forget the former things…behold I do a new thing!” Paul says, “Forgetting what is behind, I press ahead to grab the prize.” The question du jour is this: Are we?

Being in the pastorate all these years, I share a sadness with my ministerial colleagues. Our sadness stems from the fact there are many professed Christians in our country. Their lives do not show any sort of transformative new identity in Christ. Then again, there are also those self-righteous Christians who wear us out. They tell or shame the rest of us and say we are doing it wrong. They will then try to regulate what we can read, talk about, or how to live. Either way, Jesus is missing. 

Paul is reminding us that the invitation to follow Jesus will change everything. It readjusts our way of seeing, speaking, and relating to others. It charts us on a new course. It forces the Church to see its neighbors and potential ministry adapt and change. It forces the Church to speak about Christ’s love and justice in ways that will differ from what FOX news or CNN says. It forces the Church to change the way it does ministry as it relates to the community. 

Have you ever gone hiking in these beautiful woods we call home in the Adirondacks? Imagine going on a hike together. Before we start, I tell you, “We’re going to hike to the waterfall together. But we are going to face backwards as we go.” How well do you think that would work? Well sadly, that’s the way many of us, including the Church in America today, is living our lives. We are walking into the future facing backwards – taking our cues and direction from the past without turning around and walking on a new path in front of us. Is it any wonder why the Church in our country is in decline?

Isaiah and Paul are encouraging us to turn around. We should forget what lies behind. Let Jesus’ Spirit shine light on a transformed way of living and being in the future. We still have time before Easter gets here to take them up on it. In the name of the one who is, who was, and who is to come. Amen. 

© 2025 Patrick H. Wrisley, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, NY 12801. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, New York and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission. All rights reserved.

^[1] New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

^[2] CP Joshua 1:1-9 & Eph 4:17-24.

^[3] CP Exodus 21:22-25 & Luke 6:27-36.

^[4] CP 2 Kings 25:1-7 & 2 Cor 12:9-10.