“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Something happened to Paul that made him do an about-turn. He was forced to retrace his steps…to make a 180 degree turn in his thinking, believing, and doing. What happened?

In his mad march to Damascus…to do another clean-up job of rounding up the “traitors”…these Jesus freaks…and take them back to Jerusalem for processing, Paul met someone who shocked him right off his horse…onto the ground…with his face in the dirt. That “someone” knew his name…knew where he was going…and knew what he was planning to do. That would be enough to shock anyone!

“As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭9‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The voice from the light did one simple thing…He took control…and gave one simple instruction…”Do why I tell you!” That was all! But, in those few seconds it took to speak to Paul, Paul’s life changed forever. 

All the hard work Paul has done, from when he could first remember, to score points with God, was gone. It had all collapsed into nothing. It had evaporated like the hot air inside him. He was empty, deflated, and ready for a new assignment. He asked one simple question…

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.”

…and got one simple answer, but with a voice full of knowledge and authority…

“And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭9‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT

…and that was all Paul needed to set him on a new course. 

“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now let’s go back to our text. 

Paul’s encounter with Jesus transformed his perspective. 

From thinking that acceptance with God was all up to him, to letting go of every last privilege,  advantage, and effort…and, most of all, killing the pride that drove his self-righteousness…Paul was undone. He lay before Jesus Christ…the one he had scorned as a fake and an imposter…face down…in the dirt…before Him. 

Then Paul stood up, blind, but changed. Not only did he open his hands and let go of everything he had trusted in, he also dumped his own righteousness into the trash can as worthless and an insult to God. 

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Everything he had counted on as his passport to the Father lay in tatters. He could use nothing he had achieved in his entire life to impress God. 

The one who demanded spotless and flawless perfection as the way to reconciliation, now offered him what He demanded…as a gift. 

What Jesus required of…then Saul, now Paul…, perfect righteousness… He  had earned Himself by His perfect life…as a man… and then freely gave it away. All Paul needed to stand before God, whole and perfectly holy, was to believe in the one who offered him the gift…to receive the gift of righteousness, and to relinquish all rights to himself. 

That’s it? That’s it! Not working? Yes! Not working…just resting in the one who did all the work. There would still be work to do…not to impress God…but to work with Him. What would that work look like? It would be real work to stay dead to the self that keeps demanding its own way…and to humbly submit to his new owner…the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Paul discovered…and so must we…. That God’s work is to recreate us into His image…the image He gave Adam before Adam sinned. We inherited from Adam his spoiled image which is rebellion and enmity against God. Our “work” is to believe in Him and to work with Him to restore His image by resting in what He has done for us. 

To be continued