A Changed Man – Philippians 3:3-14 (Life of Paul Series, Chief of Sinners Part 3)

Pastor opens by greeting all Hillside campuses, online viewers across the U.S. and the world.
Occasion: Mother’s Day—specific prayer that every mom feels honored, blessed, grateful.
Biblical categories of motherhood:
- Biological mothers.
- Adoptive mothers.
- Spiritual mothers (women who serve as matriarchs when biological family is absent; New-Testament precedent).
Public appreciation: Congregation applauds mothers.
Humorous nods to the realities of motherhood:
- Stepping on a Lego at 3 a.m.
- Ironing three shirts, making breakfast, resolving “WWE conflicts” in the car—all before church.
Tender acknowledgement of pain:
- Viewers who are grieving a mother’s recent death.
- Couples/women waiting or longing for children.
- Pastoral reminder: “God sees you; your church family sees you.”

Paul wrote 13 of 27 New-Testament books; Luke wrote Acts (second half = Paul’s biography).
Planning analogy: a 41–42 k-ft, 550-knot fly-over—big-picture view.
Three nested mini-series:
1. Chief of Sinners (3 weeks) – today is week 3.
2. Guardian of the Truth (6 weeks) – begins next Sunday; six key doctrinal passages.
3. Apostle to the Gentiles (6 weeks) – six destinations from Acts, ending in Rome and Paul’s impending death.

Central question: How did God transform a church-persecutor into a church-planter?
Teaching triad: Genuine spiritual transformation always involves
1. Change from our past.
2. Change in our perspective.
3. Change of our purpose.
Personal challenge: “Map Paul’s journey onto your own AC/BC story” (After Christ / Before Christ vs. ACDC joke).

Paul lists seven credentials—four inherited, three chosen.

#	Credential	Category	Notes
1	“Circumcised on the eighth day”	Parental obedience	Exact Torah compliance (opp. “7,307th-day” adult convert circumcision).
2	“Of the people of Israel”	Race/ethnicity	Pure Israeli bloodline.
3	“Of the tribe of Benjamin”	Family heritage	Tribe of King Saul; Paul’s Jewish name = Saul of Tarsus.
4	“A Hebrew of Hebrews”	Cultural fidelity	Resisted Hellenization (Greek language, dress, philosophy).
5	“As to the Law, a Pharisee”	Religious sect	Elite guardian of Torah & oral tradition.
6	“As for zeal, persecuting the church”	Personal passion	Acts 9:1; Gal 1; 1 Cor 15—all confirm violent crusade.
7	“As for righteousness based on the Law, faultless”	Moral record	Not sinless but meticulously kept every sacrificial requirement.

Result: An impeccable CV/résumé—yet entirely flesh-based.

Ledger reversal: Former assets → liabilities; Christ = sole asset ( $\text{Gain} - \text{Loss} = 0$ apart from Him).
$\forall\,x\;\bigl(x\in\text{My Gains}\bigr)\;\Rightarrow\;x=\text{Loss}$ when compared to Christ.
Greek word σκύβαλον (skubalon) = refuse, trash heap, dog dung, even human excrement.
- Illustration: City dump outside Jerusalem; odor imagery (trash + stray dogs).
- Pastor’s comic riff: milk “second sniff,” bathroom spray (rosewood-vanilla masking but odor persists) → self-righteousness attempts to mask spiritual stench (cf. Romans 3:13 “throats are open graves”).
Everything is “garbage” so that “I may gain Christ and be found in Him.”
Righteousness source:
- Not $\text{Law-performance}$ .
- But $\text{Faith-in/faith-of Christ}$ (Greek πίστις Χριστοῦ—debated genitive).
Double gift (Phil 1:29): Faith + Suffering.
Theological note: Salvation secured by Christ’s passive obedience (atoning death) and active obedience (perfect law-keeping life).

Triple ambition:
1. Know Christ (personal intimacy).
2. Experience power of His resurrection.
3. Participate in His sufferings, becoming like Him in death.
Eschatology: “Somehow attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Growth mindset:
- Not already obtained; Christian life = ongoing pursuit.
- “Press on” / “strain toward what is ahead.”
Athletic/goal language:
- Goal $=\;\text{Prize of the upward (heavenward) call}$ .
- Single-minded focus: Forget what is behind; eyes on eternity.

Trials produce endurance; Paul’s imprisonments illustrate rejoicing under hardship (hymns in jail, Acts 16).

Lego at 3 a.m. – Parenting sacrifice.
ACDC vs. AC/BC – Humorous segue to “before/after Christ.”
Private-jet fly-over – Series overview metaphor (high altitude, big picture).
Résumé/CV brag sheet – Contrast with gospel humility.
Dump & dog dung – Graphic image of sin’s offensiveness.
Second-sniff milk test / Peeking in tissues – Human fascination with unpleasant smells.
Pepperoni pizza & Coke lunch – Invitation to share personal testimony using Paul’s template.

Church family must honor mothers yet hold space for grief and longing.
Religious ritual (circumcision, moral résumé) cannot justify; only relationship with Christ.
Christian identity frees believers from performance-driven worth and guilt-driven shame.
Receiving Christ: not a one-time transaction but a lifelong adventure and mission.

Suggested exercise: Draft your testimony in these three paragraphs; ensure Christ—not moral improvement—is the focal point.