“Won’t Get You into Heaven Anymore” (Philippians 3:4b-14)

The apostle, Paul, was a big man on campus.  Listen to his spiel: “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”

The Apostle Paul sounds pretty important . . . he’s got the pedigree, the right connections, the education, and the experience.  The man has status in the community, society, and culture of his time.  He has all the necessary markings to be held in esteem and position.  As far as he is concerned, he is someone . . . someone important.  He has got his place and that place is pretty high up the ladder.

We have all known people like the Paul that is speaking . . . people who let us know just how important they are . . . let us know where they stand within a group, family, community, workplace, or just about anywhere people gather.  Though we may not be as boastful about it as these people or the Apostle Paul, we too, know where we stand.  It is a part of human nature to establish our place within family, work, and social groups . . . it is a part of us to want to be included; thus we end up playing the same game as we witness with the Apostle Paul this morning.  As humans, we find status by our pedigree, accomplishments, and breeding . . . we find our place.  Unfortunately, it is a life-long struggle.

It is a struggle that I do not think any of us enjoy.  A struggle that we seem to spend a lifetime engaging in whether we realize it or not.  Think about it.  Within our families we spend a lot of time working on our place in the family.  When we went to school—no matter what level of education we were dealing with, we worked on where we were in the pecking order.  In the employment that we did or do . . . in the groups that we associate and socialize with . . . in sports . . . even, in the church.  We seem to be constantly trying to figure out where we stand.  We seem to be constantly trying to determine whether or not we belong.

It is gut-wrenching work to always be judged not by who we are, but by what our accomplishments and pedigree are.

To this, the Apostle Paul says: “I consider them garbage . . .”

This is a pretty major shift for a guy we just heard tooting his own horn about his importance and status.  But, that is what the apostle says, “I consider them garbage . . .” 

So, what changed?

One of my favorite singer/songwriters is John Prine.  Years ago, back during the Viet Nam War, he fell into the anti-war group as most artists did.  He wrote several songs against the consequences of war.  In particular, he wrote a song about putting patriotism and faith together called Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore.  It is about the dangers of assuming that there is some sort of hierarchy or specialness that assure a person a place in heaven . . . in the case of the song, it is patriotism. 

In the song, written during the war, a guy keeps being given flag decals to put on his car—which is something he does.  He does it to the point that he can no longer see out the windows of his car . . . has an accident . . . and ends up at the Pearly Gates of Heaven.  At the Pearly Gates the man is denied entrance as he is told, “But your flag decal won’t get you into Heaven anymore . . .”

And, guess what?  We know he is right.  The only thing that gets you into heaven is grace.  It is not what you have done.  It is not your status in the community.  It is not your wealth or power or education.  It is nothing but pure grace.  Plain and simple.  And, we know it.

Thus, the Apostle Paul declares: “I consider them garbage . . .”

Instead, the apostle states that what is important is who he as God created him to be . . . who he is in his relationship with Jesus.  What is important is his relationship with God.  That is what is important.  Or, as he says it: “ . . . but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”  In other words, what is going to get you into heaven is that intimate relationship with God . . . shown to us in Jesus. 

There is that word again—relationship.  As Paul sees it, we discover our “true self” as God created us to be, learn what it means to be as God created us to be, and learn to love ourselves for who we truly are.  It is not all of that stuff that the apostle calls “garbage”.   Then it is discovering how that relationship translates into intimacy with the Holy . . . that relationship between us and God.  Which then spills into how we relate to others.  It is not about accomplishments, status, or any of the other markers that are placed upon us by our families, employers, communities, and even cultures.

No, in the end, it is just us as God created us to be.  In the end, it comes down to that relationship between ourselves as individuals—do we love ourselves for who God created us to be.  It comes down to a willingness to step into a relationship with the Holy that God desires—do we truly love God and God’s will for us in our lives.  And, it comes down to our intentions of stepping into relationships that embrace all that love into the lives of others. 

Anything less than this, is garbage.  Not only is it garbage, it won’t get us into heaven anymore.

The Apostle Paul tells us that this human-made game that we get ourselves wrapped up in . . . this game of constantly attempting to see where we stack up in relation with others . . . this game of accumulating enough points . . . to make ourselves worthy in the eyes of God and others in order to get into heaven . . . is nothing more than garbage.  It is not worth the time and effort because it is through the pure grace of God that any of us find our worth and place in heaven.

It all comes down to relationships . . . the relationship that we have with ourselves, God, and others.  Are they loving, caring relationships?  During the season of Lent we are called upon to work on relationships . . . self, God, and others.  It sounds so simple, put it is hard work.  It is hard work to love ourselves for who God created us to be—not what others expect us to be.  It is difficult work to love God and do God’s will—not what the world tells us to do.  And, it is hard, difficult work to learn to love others as we are loved by God.  The tasks of Lent are work, but we have the witness of Jesus . . . his words and life to show us the way.  And, as the apostle tells us . . . it is the work of a lifetime.  The apostle warns us of this.

Paul writes: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.”

Because of this he tells us all that this is the work of the faithful . . . the work of those who follow Jesus.  To discover, accept, enrich, and grow those relationships which God has called us all to.  All that other stuff is garbage; thus, he encourages those who are listening to focus on that which matters: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

That goal is to do as Jesus told us all . . . to love ourselves, love God, and to love others.  Nothing else matters . . . nothing else will get us into heaven.  Amen.