More on Knowing Christ -- 5/30/10

Sunday, May 30, 2010

More on Knowing Christ…

Phil. 3:10 +

For the past six weeks I have been feeding you a steady diet of Philippians 3, and that’s good. What a blessing to be able to go through portions of God’s Word. I was ready to forge ahead this morning, but somehow I sense the need to pause and reflect this morning. There is absolutely nothing more important than our subject matter these past two or three weeks. We could sum it all up with the opening words of Phil. 3:10, “That I may know him,” and the “him” is Christ. Paul counted everything as loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.

Let’s go back and read again Phil. 3:7-11…

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8. 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, 9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

I. Defining What It Means to Know Christ

First of all, let’s take a few moments to define what it means to know Christ. Some of you may not have been here last week, and some of us may simply need the reminder. By the way, I think I forgot to tell you that I am enlisting some of you to help me this morning. If some of you just sit and listen to me preach Sunday after Sunday, you will get the idea that this is a spectator sport, and that is not true. We must participate together in proclaiming God’s Word. So here’s the rule this morning. Some of you feel like you say too much, that you are up front too much. I understand and respect that. So before you speak, give others a chance. However, don’t wait too long. Some of the rest of you are afraid you might make a mistake. Join the crowd. If you do, you will probably end up learning more than anyone else.

So someone talk to us a minute about what it means to know Christ? I mean speak to us directly about that very term “know Christ.”…

[KEY: It is not about knowing about Christ, but about knowing Him personally and intimately. The use of the word “know” to speak of personal acquaintance is used throughout the Bible. For example, Ps. 1:6, “For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.]

II. The Privilege and Price of Knowing Christ

Now let’s talk about the privilege and price of knowing Christ.

A. The Privilege

Just think about it for a minute. Is it possible for a man like Fred to know Jesus Christ? Fred is a human being like us. We love him, but he falls a little short of perfection. We could probably name a few of his faults. We are supposed to believe that a man like that can be personally acquainted with this Jesus of Nazareth? It would be one thing, if he could just know about Christ, but we are talking about knowing Him personally.

Bear in mind who this Jesus is. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4). That “Word” is none other than Jesus Himself, because we read in 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…” It certainly sounds like this Jesus has been around forever. The text tells us that He is not only with God, but He is God. Everything the Lord God Almighty created He created through Jesus. We find out more about why Jesus is called the Word when we read John 1:18, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Some translations render it, “He explained Him.” That is certainly the idea. And then listen to John 14:7-9, "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 8. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?"

We could go on and on, but that should demonstrate the point. It is incredible that Fred Bundy, or Lavinda Olson, or Ron Tyson, or any one of us could actually be personally acquainted with the Son of God, who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Forgive me for not emphasizing this amazing truth before. That’s why we have to slow down, pause, and let these things sink in. We live in a world where people long to just get a glimpse of someone important. Guess who I saw today. I actually saw the friend of the son of a former President. Wow! You don’t mean it. We’re not talking about getting a glimpse of Jesus in the book; we’re talking about knowing Him.

No doubt, someone here will have the attitude: “Yes, but it isn’t like knowing a real person.” Please hear me. Jesus is more real than any person you have ever met. No, you can’t see him with the eyes, but He is real. That person you can see has only been around 20, 40, 60, maybe even 90 years. Jesus has existed forever and ever and ever. I assure you He has plenty of experience at being a person. He has cultivated more personal relationships than you can possibly imagine.

We talk about having a “personal relationship” with the Lord. There is nothing wrong with the term, but sometimes we use it so much that we have a tendency to forget the depth of what we’re talking about. God Himself has revealed through His Word that we can be personally acquainted with Jesus Himself. That’s why Paul’s great desire was to know Christ.

B. The Price

That’s the great privilege, but what about the price. What did it cost to bring this reality about? Think about it. Suppose that you wanted to meet your favorite President. It’s ashamed that I have to say “your favorite President,” but I do, because some of you might be so politically minded that you are not able to get past your politics to respect any man who is President of this country. So you want to meet your favorite President and you have been granted that privilege. That’s great, but it’s going to take some doing for that to happen. You’re a nobody. How could the President of these United States have time to know you even a little bit? Some powerful arrangements are going to have to be made.

So what had to happen in order for a person like Fred to become acquainted with King Jesus? This is where I need some more help. I’m giving you the easiest part now, the simple gospel…

[Justin gave a good explanation. I won’t try to recap it, but we could summarize it with I John 4:8-10…

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.]

What a price He paid.

He paid a debt He did not owe; I owed a debt I could not pay.

I needed someone to wash my sins away.

And now I sing a brand new song, “Amazing Grace.”

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

III. Knowing Christ Is the Center of All

I said earlier that there is nothing more important than the concept of knowing Christ. Our goal is Christ and to know Him. Sometimes we can forget that. When we do, may God quickly bring us back to this truth. If you need the reminder, let me ask you this: How important is eternal life? Do you think it is pretty important? I would say so. But what is eternal life? As Jesus prayed to His Father in the presence of His apostles, He defined eternal life: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (Jn. 17:3). If you don’t know Christ, you don’t have eternal life. Or if you want to look at it from the negative side, go back to Matt. 7:21-23…

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Someone might say, “This isn’t about knowing Jesus; it’s about Jesus knowing me.” In a sense, that is true, but that’s not the end of the story. These people thought they knew Jesus. However, the fact that Jesus didn’t know them proved that they didn’t know Him. Remember, this knowledge is personal acquaintance. If you know me, I know you. You may know all about me without me knowing you, but if you really know me, then I will know you.

I’m simply saying that knowing Christ is ultimately all that matters. For the Christian, everything relates back to knowing Him. Let me demonstrate that…

A. Knowing Christ and Spiritual Growth (the spiritual disciplines)

I’m talking about the healthy activities in which we engage, such as Bible study, prayer, and fellowship.

1. Bible Study

Think about it. The key to getting what we need from the Bible is knowing Christ. If we study the Bible simply to gain knowledge, we have missed the point. That isn’t the goal. To make that the goal is to make the Bible like any other book. Our goal is to know Christ.

Wednesday night we read a couple of verses from Psalm 119. 119:14, "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches." 119:72, "The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver." How can it be that the Word of God is worth more to me than thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars? Because it points me to Christ. I realize that these verses are from the Old Testament, which was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, but that doesn’t change the fact that Jesus is the center of the Bible. As the New Testament looks back to Christ, so the Old Testament looks forward to Him. The Bible is worth more to me than silver and gold because all the money in the world cannot help me in any way to know Christ, but the Bible can. The Bible is our treasure chest because it points to the true treasure, the Lord Jesus Himself (remember the parable in Matt. 13:44).

2. Prayer

What about prayer? Do you struggle with prayer? I confess that I do. I am not the man of prayer that I want to be or God wants me to be. Here’s what I need -- I need to understand that knowing Christ is what will bring prayer to life for me. I get a glimpse of it, but I need to experience more of it. It is one thing to thank God for things and ask God for things; it is another to pray out of the overflow of knowing Jesus Christ.

Think about it. When you want to know someone, you want to learn about that person. That is one reason we come to the Bible, to learn about Jesus. But that’s only half the picture. When you want to know someone, you also want that person to know you. You long to discover the depths of that person, and you long to reveal your heart to that person. It is a continual process of discovery and revelation. Isn’t that what prayer is? When we understand that, prayer will move from routine to reality.

Prayer isn’t about routine and ritual; it’s about life. I see that when I read prayers from God’s Word. Ps. 73:25-28, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. 27. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. 28. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works." Go back and read the prayer of Abraham, as he was interceding for Lot, who was about to go down with Sodom. When we read it, we don’t always think of it as a prayer. It was just a conversation between Abraham and God. That’s exactly my point.

3. Fellowship

Fellowship is simply sharing our lives together, and the New Testament has much to say about it. The New Testament knows nothing of the “Lone Ranger” Christian. It is laced with “one anothers” -- love one another, pray for one another, care for one another, exhort one another, etc. That fellowship takes on real meaning when both you and I are longing to know Christ. We have the same life and our goal is to conform more closely to that life within us, the life of Christ Himself.

Listen to I John 1:1-3…

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Do you see how verse 3 links fellowship with the Lord so closely with fellowship with one another. That fellowship with the Lord is nothing more than knowing Him and coming to know Him better day by day.

B. Knowing Christ and Evangelism

What about knowing Christ and sharing Christ with others. I need help one more time. I know I’m catching you cold, but this does not require genius. Why is knowing Christ the key to evangelism? ….

[It’s simple, isn’t it. If knowing Christ is as great as we say it is, how can we know share the message with a world that has no hope?]

Let me remind you a biblical illustration of this truth. It comes from II Kings 7; you can read it later. Israel was under attack by the Syrian army. The siege was taking its toll and things were very bad there in the capital city of Samaria. A woman came and complained to the King, conveying this basic message: “My friend and I made an agreement. Yesterday we boiled my son and ate him. But now she has hid her son.” Meanwhile there were four men who were lepers. Because of their leprosy, they were outside the city. They were not allowed to fight in the army of Israel. They were desperate for food. They could go into the city and beg for food, but there just wasn’t any food to be had there. The other option was to go to the camp of the Syrian army, but the Syrians would probably kill them. They decided to take the chance, since they were going to starve to death any way.

When they came into the camp, there were no soldiers. The camp was still there, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. They went in one of the tents and found gold, silver, clothing, etc. They took it and hid it. Then they did the same with the contents of a second tent. But then their selfish actions began to bother them. How could they keep these things to themselves. News of this needed to be shared with the King and with the people of Samaria. It was cause for great rejoicing. So they went back to Samaria and told them what they had found.

What a picture! How much more should we tell the world what we have found in Christ! Our treasure is far greater than what those men found. Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him (I Cor. 2:9). May we have no peace until we are vessels by which the message of salvation is carried to the lost around us.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, friends and seekers, please hear me. It is extremely important that we not go through this too fast. Do you understand that we are on the edge of great danger, as we study this passage? You say, “How can we be in danger when we are thinking about such a wonderful passage of scripture?”

Let me remind you of a familiar passage of scripture. Let’s read it in Heb. 3:12-13, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 13. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Watch out that not a single one of you cultivates an evil heart of unbelief. He defines that as departing from the living God. That is not speaking about renouncing God, but rather it is a drifting away from God, standing aloof from God. Exhort one another -- that is, come alongside one another -- daily, so that not a single one of you will be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Note that sin is deceitful. Sin doesn’t overpower us as often as it deceives us. Sin blindsides us.

With that in mind, here is the danger in looking at this passage. The great danger is that we will read this passage, hear sermons on it, meditate on it, and ultimately leave it without it having any lasting effect on us. If and when that happens, our hearts will become harder. The Word of God never leaves us the same. We are either softened, left with an attitude of repentance and eager obedience, or we are hardened. What does it mean to be hardened? Simply not having an attitude of repentance and eager obedience.

This is a dangerous passage for you personally. If you are not a believer, and you come away from our study of this passage without a longing to know Christ, you are in serious trouble. Now, today, look to Jesus. Go back over in your mind what He has done for you. He who was in the presence of God the Father for all eternity left His throne of glory and came and died on the cross for sinners. Look at that Jesus until your heart breaks and you become desperate for Him.

Christian brothers and sisters, may God give us grace to exhort one another on the basis of this passage. Wednesday evening one of the brothers prayed that we might make this verse, these words -- “that I may know Him” -- the basis for praying for revival. I say “Amen” to that. “Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.”

Knowing Christ Today -- 5/23/10

Sunday, May 23, 2010

CHRIST IN THE PRESENT

Phil. 3:7-11

Read Phil. 3:3-11…

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8. 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, 9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

We have been dealing with this passage for a while. For me, it has been a blessing. Remember that the key is verse 7, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” Last week we took some time to consider what it was that Paul gained. He counted all the things of verse 5-6 as loss, but what gain did he put in their place? This passage makes it crystal clear that Paul’s new gain was Christ. Instead of trusting his spiritual privilege that came through birth and his own personal accomplishments in keeping the law and zealously pursuing God, he came to trust Christ and Christ alone. In connection with that, Paul laid out two kinds of righteousness -- the law kind of righteousness and the faith kind of righteousness. The law kind of righteousness trusts my own ability to please God by doing the right things. The other trusts Christ alone, who lived a life that perfectly pleased God. I can have the righteousness of Christ, because He paid the punishment for my sins and made His righteousness available to me. But make no mistake about it, we cannot combine these two kinds of righteousness. I must trust either my own righteousness or Christ’s righteousness. To try to trust both is to trust myself and not trust Christ, for the Lord Jesus will not add His righteousness to mine. In reality, I have no righteousness of my own, because all of my righteous deeds are like filthy rags. Praise God that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is totally sufficient to please God, and we can have that righteousness.

If we stopped at verse 7, the picture would look like this: “There came a point in time where I clearly saw that all the things in which I was trusting did not equal righteousness. They could not make me right with God. It was at that point that I counted those things loss for the sake of Christ. It was then that I gained Christ as my righteousness.” A good biblical term for that exchange is “conversion.” We read last week the account of Paul’s conversion, as he was on his way to Damascus to round up Christians. We said that Acts 9 gives the historical account of that conversion, focusing on the objective outward aspect, while Philippians 3 tells us more of what was happening on the inside of Paul.

So a person is converted. That is, He quits trusting his own righteousness and trusts Christ. He becomes a child of God, a saint, a Christian. That’s wonderful, but then what? Come back to Jesus’ parable that we read last week. A man gives up all he has and claims Jesus Christ as his treasure. That’s great, but then what? Once I have the treasure, it’s all over. I got what I wanted, so that’s it. Right?

Several years ago I was reading about some of the Olympic champions. You can’t watch the Olympic events without being amazed by what those athletes can do. It doesn’t matter whether it is an Olympic skier twisting five times and flipping three times in the air before landing perfectly on his skis or a sprinter who covers a hundred yards before we would have time to get started--what they do is utterly astounding. Now when one of those athletes steps up on the platform and receives the gold medal, what a sense of accomplishment. Our amazement at their accomplishment is equaled only at our amazement when we see the kind of training that leads up to their performance. We’re talking about years of grueling discipline. You can rest assured that the Olympic champion has said “No” to most of the simple pleasures that we enjoy. That only adds to the joy and fulfillment he/she experiences on the medal platform.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the end of the story. The article I read talked about the dark days that often follow the reception of the gold medal. Quite a number of these athletes experience deep depression. How could that be? It is because they have accomplished everything they had hoped for and there is nothing left. Now there is no reason to continue training, because they have the gold medal in their possession. Their whole life has been focused on achieving that one thing, and now they have it. That gold medal brought joy and fulfillment and ecstasy for a short time, but it is often followed by a great sense of emptiness and lostness.

Is that the way it is for the one who gains Christ as his treasure? Paul addresses that question in this passage.

I. Life in the Present Tense

First of all, I want to call attention to the tenses of the verbs in verses 7 and 8. Don’t worry, this grammar lesson will be short, simple, and almost painless. Even a child can understand it. Begin in verse 7, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” Last week we noticed that the word “count” was used three times in verses 7 and 8. Here in verse 7, what tense is the verb? Yes, past tense. I am aware that the Greek language has some more specific tenses. If you want to be technical, this is the perfect tense, but for our purposes we will call it a past tense. It talks about something that happened (or began to happen) in the past. Paul counted all things as loss. Now come to verse 8, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency (surpassing value) of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” So what tense is “count” in this verse? Yes, it is present tense.

Some of you are probably thinking, “So what?” Don’t be so quick to dismiss this simple change. Paul not only counted those things as loss in the past, but in the present he counts all things but loss. This was not an attitude that he had in the past and then lost. It continues into the present. When he was writing this letter over 25 years later, he is still counting those things and all things as loss. After a time, Paul did not go back to counting those things of verse 5-6 as gain; he still counts them (and everything else) as loss in comparison to the surpassing value of knowing Christ. By implication, if he is still counting those things but loss, that means he is still counting the surpassing value of knowing Christ as his great gain.

Now continue with me in verse 8, “For whom I have suffered the loss of all things…” “Suffered the loss of” is the translation of one word, a verb which is another of those accounting terms. It is the verbal form of the word “loss.” That’s right, same exact word as in verse 7 (except it is verb instead of noun). So what tense is this verb “suffered the loss of”? Yes, again it is a past tense (aorist, to be specific). There was a time in the past when Paul’s gains became loss. But guess what, that isn’t the end of the sentence. Let’s read it again: “For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them as dung…” There is that word “count” again. What tense is it? That’s right -- it is present tense. Paul suffered the loss of all things in the past and at present he is still considering them to be garbage. Basically, he is saying the same thing he said in verse 7 and the first part of verse 8. He is saying in a little different way, but the repetition is for emphasis. In both cases, we see that the attitude in the past continues into the present. The years in between have not changed Paul’s mind.

Brothers and sisters, seeking friends, Paul is saying something to us that is of supreme importance. He could have just restricted what he was saying to the past, but he didn’t. He deliberately emphasizes that his attitude at conversion continues right up until the present day.

We often go over this, but let’s do it again. What is the proper tense of salvation? Should we say, “I was saved,” or “I am being saved,” or “I will be saved”? Yes, that’s right. All three are true. Salvation is in the past, the present, and the future. I was saved in the past; that is justification (associated with conversion). I am being saved in the present; that is sanctification, a continual process of being set apart to God. I will be saved in the future; that is glorification, when I will be home with the Lord forever and ever to live with Him.

This becomes extremely important in our day, especially because of the lack of understanding in this area. Too often salvation is spoken of as a thing of the past. A man says that he is saved. “What does that mean?” He responds, “I made a commitment.” In the present he appears to have no interest in the Lord whatsoever. He doesn’t read the Word of God; he doesn’t seek fellowship with other believers; his language doesn’t reflect a relationship with Christ. For him, salvation is totally a thing of the past. Apparently, he has convinced himself that a commitment in the past will guarantee heaven in the future, regardless of what happens in the present. If you talk to people about the Lord, you know exactly what I am talking about, because it is so common.

Is the past important? Certainly so. If there wasn’t a point in the past at which you were made right with God through faith, then you have no relationship with Christ. But a relationship with Christ is not some commodity that you purchased in the past and can pack away until it is needed to guarantee you heaven in the last day. Jesus Christ is not a commodity; He is a person.

Think back with me to Jesus’ little parable about the hidden treasure. A man discovers the treasure that is hidden in the field. He then hides it, and with great joy goes, sells everything he has, and buys that field. Now the treasure is his. That’s where the parable ends. Jesus has made his point. Anyone who discovers that Jesus is indeed the great treasure will give everything he has in order to have Jesus. But please allow me to ask a follow-up question. Once the man has purchased the field that contains the treasure, what will he do? Will he continue life as usual, knowing that the treasure is buried in his field? Of course, not. He will dig up the treasure and explore what he has made his own. Consider a treasure chest. It is wonderful to own the treasure chest, but now you must find out more about all the treasures that it contains. We read these words in Col. 2:3, "In whom [Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Jesus is the treasure chest. Once we find Him, we spend a lifetime -- even an eternity -- exploring the treasure that we have found.

Please allow me to read you a couple of paragraphs from A. W. Tozer’s essay “Following Hard After God”…

The doctrine of justification by faith--a Biblical truth, and a blessed relief from sterile legalism and unavailing self-effort--has in our time fallen into evil company and been interpreted by many in such manner as actually to bar men from the knowledge of God. The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made mechanical and spiritless. Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the moral life and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego. Christ may be `received' without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. The man is `saved,' but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God. In fact he is specifically taught to be satisfied and encouraged to be content with little.

The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His Word. We have almost forgotten that God is a Person and, as such, can be cultivated as any person can. It is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities, but full knowledge of one personality by another cannot be achieved in one encounter. It is only after long and loving mental intercourse that the full possibilities of both can be explored.

Logically, we might think that once you find something, the seeking is over, but that is not the case with our wonderful Lord. The more we taste of Him, the more we desire Him. “O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (Ps. 34:8).

Can you see this attitude in Paul? He not only counted those things as loss, but he keeps on counting all things but loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ. As he continues to get better acquainted with Jesus, he consciously keeps on counting those things as garbage for the sake of his Lord. It was not a mechanical transaction for Paul. Conversion was a life-transforming beginning that would have no end. It was the beginning of a precious relationship that grew and grew and grew.

II. The Glory of Knowing Christ

So we see that Paul has emphasized the continuing nature of this relationship with Christ. In verse 8 he talks about the surpassing value of knowing Christ. Just how great is the value of knowing Him? That is what we are going to focus on now.

First of all, notice that this is a growing relationship. Let’s read the end of verse 8, along with the first part of verse 9, “For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” Remember that Paul had been a Christian for over 25 years by this time. After all this time, he still longs to gain Christ. But I thought he had already gained Christ. Isn’t that what we said? Yes, he had gained Christ, but now we see that he still desires to gain Christ. What that tells us is that the Lord Jesus Christ is inexhaustible; there is always more. He is the treasure, but no one has yet discovered all the riches of that treasure.

At the beginning of verse 9, we see that Paul wants to be found in Christ. When? Is he talking about his desire in the past? Or is he talking about the end? Is he saying, “When it’s all said and done and my life on this earth is wrapped up, I want to be found in Christ?” He is talking about both the past and the future. That was his desire initially, but that is also what he wants in the end. But that is also what he desires for the present. The faith kind of righteousness described in verse 9 not only qualified Paul to come to Christ initially and will enable him to live with Christ in heaven, but it qualifies him to enjoy knowing Christ now.

Then we come to the focal point in verse 10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death.” It’s as if Paul were saying, “I have stated that my desire is to gain Christ. Yes, I want to be found in Him. Now let me make it just as clear as I possibly can. I want to know Christ. That is the great desire of my heart. That is what I wanted 25 years ago; now more than ever I want to know Him; I always want to know Him.” Paul had no greater desire than to know Jesus Christ. That is why in verse 8 he talks about the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.

One commentator breaks this passage down and lists the things that Paul gained when he came to Christ -- righteousness, power, triumph in suffering, and glory. I don’t want to say that isn’t true, but I fear that by looking at it this way, we might miss the main point. Paul desired to know Christ. All these other things were just aspects of knowing Him. We have to be on our guard when it comes to the gain syndrome. We are living in a day when people are encouraged to follow Jesus so they can get things. Follow Jesus and you will have happiness, and forgiveness, and joy, and security. Friends, those are only the by-products. The treasure is knowing Him. Paul understood that.

Let’s consider an illustration. It certainly isn’t a perfect illustration, because it is difficult to compare anything to knowing the Lord, but perhaps it will be helpful. I met Rhonda in the summer of 1972. We spent about eight weeks working together as summer missionaries. It was a very enjoyable summer. Rhonda and I were co-workers. We didn’t spend our time day-dreaming about one another or anything like that. We simply got to know one another in a natural way, as we did Vacation Bible Schools and other things together. However, I must admit that the more I got to know Rhonda, the more I wanted to know Rhonda, and that desire did not cease when the summer ended and we returned to our respective homes.

So what did I want from Rhonda? I wanted to know her. I wasn’t interested in what she could give me; I just wanted to know her. We moved from working together on a daily basis to corresponding from a distance. It was great for us because through that cassette tape correspondence, we were able to come to know each other much better. Two summers after we met, we were married, and we continued to come to know each other. I knew Rhonda much better than I did during that first summer we spent together.

Now comes the question: So when did I completely come to know Rhonda? If you are married, you chuckle, because you know the answer to that question. I still don’t completely know Rhonda. I never will, but I come to know her better all the time. Realistically, I have to say that the desire to know her does not hold the same kind of excitement it did back in those courting days. But, on the other hand, my motives are much purer now than they were then. While my desire was to know her, I can’t say that such desire was not mixed with wanting to get certain things from her. Now my desire is much more to know her so that I can give myself to her in a way that will help her and glorify God.

That is an inadequate illustration, because it is impossible to compare a human being with the Lord Himself and human relationships with our relationship to Him. Nevertheless, there is a certain parallel. When we first came to know the Lord and the lifelong burden was lifted, we experienced a certain excitement that was unique and unrepeatable. Praise God, that wasn’t the end, but only the beginning. We know Him much better today than we did then. And our desire to know Him has matured. We have learned that we do not come to know Him in order that we might have other things; we come to know Him so that we might know and enjoy and please Him. The question was asked Wednesday evening, “When we seek God, what is our goal?” Surely the clearest and most accurate answer is simply this: “Our goal in seeking God is God Himself.” As one older preacher used to say, “We don’t seek God’s hand, but we seek God’s face.” It isn’t what we are trying to get from God, but what we find in God. We aren’t looking for what He can give us; we are longing to be in His presence.

Isn’t that the great message of many of the Psalms we know so well? “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place?” (Ps. 24:3). “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" (Ps. 42:1-2). Ps. 63:1-8…

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2. To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6. When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8. My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

Now come back to Phil. 3:10, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection.” Yes, Paul does want to know the power of Christ’s resurrection, but it isn’t like this resurrection power is a separate commodity. As we come to know Christ, we do indeed come to know His resurrection power, because Jesus cannot be separated from the power He exerts. Ultimately, Paul wanted to know the resurrection power of Christ so that God might be glorified in and through his life. We could read scripture after scripture where Paul speaks of that power that raised Christ from the dead, but we would find that the concept can never be divorced from the glory of God. Col. 3:1 (NASV), “Therefore if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” That resurrection power has raised us from the dead and seated us with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). Rom. 7:4, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." Note how that resurrection power is related to bringing forth fruit for God. We could go on and on, but understand that Paul’s desire to know the power of Christ’s resurrection is not for the purpose of going out and doing great miracles, but it is for the purpose of bringing glory to His Lord.

We see the same connection in the next words, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings.” Paul not only wants to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, but also the fellowship of His sufferings. What is that all about? Some believe that Paul was saying that he wanted to be able to learn from Christ how to be triumphant in suffering (John MacArthur). Perhaps there is some truth in that, but I think the meaning of this is much simpler. Literally, Paul is saying that he wants to share in Christ’s suffering. He desires to suffer with Christ? Why? Because He desires to know Christ. Because he desperately longs to know Christ, he wants to share every possible experience with Him, including suffering. When I read this, I am always reminded of those men who went through World War II together. They have bond that is hard for us to understand. It is a bond forged through suffering. Because of the suffering they endured together, they know each other in a very special way. That’s what Paul is talking about. He doesn’t just want to know the Lord in the good times, but he desires to share in suffering with Christ. We get a taste of this in Col. 1:24, "Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church." As Paul suffered on behalf of his brothers and sisters, he was suffering with Christ, and what a bond of fellowship that forged between Paul and his Lord.

Then these words, “being made conformable to his death.” Paul longed to be made like Christ in His death. Paul is not talking about dying on a cross like Jesus did. It goes much deeper than that. Perhaps there is no better commentary on this concept than what Paul wrote in Rom. 6:4-11…

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7. For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul longed to be free from sin. If he couldn’t be free from the very presence of sin, then he wanted to be free from its power. Why? So that he could walk more closely with his Lord and magnify Him more completely to everyone with whom he came in contact. As Christ was a blessing in his death, so Paul wanted to be a blessing to others, as he continued to die to self. He wrote to the Corinthians, “I die daily” (15:31).

Now we come to verse 11, “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” What is Paul talking about? While we can’t divorce what he is saying from the distant future and the final resurrection, I’m not sure that is primarily what he is talking about. He has just talked about being conformed to Christ’s death. It seems clear that he is not longing to die physically like Jesus died. Rather, it has to do with a dying to sin. In the same way, it seems to follow that Paul is talking about that resurrection life to which the believer is raised. Remember, every believer has been raised up and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 2:6). We read earlier about this resurrection life in Rom. 6. Let’s read again Rom. 6:4-5, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." It’s clear from the context that Paul is not talking there about a physical resurrection at the last day, but rather about living the resurrected life of Christ in the here and now.

Nevertheless, this longing to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being made like Jesus in His death, will not be fully accomplished until the final resurrection, when the believer is taken home to be with the Lord forever and ever. That’s when sin will be completely conquered and we will truly be in the image of Christ.

On the surface, it may seem that Paul is not sure about his salvation. Again, we have to see this passage in light of the context. The rest of this passage does not reveal any doubt in Paul’s mind that he will continue to know Christ. Other passages clearly reveal Paul’s absolute confidence that he will spend eternity with the Lord. Rather than expressing doubt, these words reveal the deep humility of Paul’s heart. It’s almost as if he is saying that he isn’t worthy to attain to the final resurrection. Therefore he continues to strive to know Christ more and more and more.

Conclusion

Do you see how it is all centered in that intense desire to know Christ? That is the thing that drove Paul. I pray that God will burn these words deep within us -- “that I may know Him.” For us they are words of testing and they are words of encouragement. Oh yes, they test us, don’t they? Can you say with the conviction of your heart, “I long to know Christ. That’s why I am here today. That’s why I read my Bible and pray. That’s why I am a part of this church. It’s all a part of my deep longing to know my Lord. Everything else in life is nothing compared to that longing.”

Praise God for these words of testing. If my desire is not to know Christ, then I need to know it. Have I settled into a religious routine? Am I just going through the motions? Have I developed other motives? Do I just want to make sure that I am as spiritual as the person next to me? Do I long to know Christ more now than I did a year ago? What is it that has surpassing value in my life? Where is my treasure?

But I said that these are also words of encouragement -- “that I may know Christ.” That can be your desire. This very moment you can taste and see that the Lord is good. You can come to realize that nothing else in all of life can compare with the surpassing value of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. You can long to know Him and you can know Him. This is the good news. Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, through whom the Almighty created everything there is… that Jesus has made Himself available through His life on this earth, His death, and His resurrection.

Perhaps you are here and believe you belong to the Lord, but that longing to know Him has grown dim. Is God pricking your heart even now, reminding you of the tragedy of trading knowing Christ for the lesser things of this world? Good news -- you can repent and believe right now. Call it what it is -- sin. When you do, your Lord has promised to forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Ask Him to renew that longing to know Christ which you have experienced in the past.

If you haven’t experienced that longing to know Christ, then you don’t belong to Him. It doesn’t matter if you have been baptized, been a member of a church, learned the Bible, or anything else. A true follower of Jesus has seen and valued the prize of knowing Christ. I have good news for you too -- you can know Christ. During these last couple of weeks has the Lord given you a glimpse of the surpassing value of knowing Christ? Do you see how no other relationship can even begin to compare with knowing Him? Do you recognize your sin in rejecting Him? You may have believed that He is the Son of God and died for your sins, but you haven’t valued Him. You figured you could still run your own life. In so doing, you have refused the very Christ who died for you. He went to the cross and paid for your sins, bearing the punishment in your place. You have spurned the great treasure, the Lord Himself. Friend, cry out to the Lord. Admit that you can’t fix yourself and throw yourself on His mercy. He will give you a heart of repentance and faith. Throw out all self-confidence and trust the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone.

You Can Gain Christ through Faith -- 5/16/10

Sunday, May 16, 2010

YOU CAN GAIN CHRIST THROUGH FAITH

Phil. 3:7-9

Jesus told a little parable that goes like this: The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that is hidden in a field. When a man finds that treasure, he hides it again and the joy at the prospect of owning that treasure drives him to sell everything he has and buy that field. Then Jesus added another parable like it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a man looking for valuable pearls. When he finds one, he sells everything he has so that he can buy that precious pearl.

What do you think Jesus was trying to say? It is obvious that He wasn’t just interested in hidden treasure and pearls. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the treasure and the pearl represent Jesus Himself. He is the treasure; He is the pearl of great price. Surely when a person sees the value of Jesus Christ, he will give up everything he has in order to have Him.

Sometimes the question is asked, “Does a person have to give up anything in order to follow Jesus?” We can respond to that by sharpening the focus of the question and giving a definite answer: “The one who sees Jesus for who He is gladly gives up everything in order to follow Him.” That’s what this passage in Philippians 3 is all about. The key is verse 7, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” We find the what things in verses 5-6, “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." Paul not only gave up all that had been dear to him, but he counted them as loss. He considered them garbage.

Let me make it clear again that Paul was not saying it was a bad thing to grow up with great spiritual privilege. Remember that he was circumcised the 8^th day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin. Nor was he saying that it was bad to value the law of God and to pursue God with zeal. Paul was emphasizing that it is very detrimental to trust in either spiritual privilege or personal achievements. And why did Paul trust in those things in the first place? Because he thought they added up to righteousness before God. But when Paul saw the righteous Christ, he realized that all his “gains” did not equal righteousness. Compared to Jesus, all his own righteous deeds were like filthy rags. Like the prophet Isaiah, who saw the Lord high and lifted up, Paul saw himself as lost and undone.

Last week we took from Phil. 3:4-7 the principle, “Don’t Count on Your Own Righteousness.” Today, as we look primarily at verses 8-9, we are going to expand on that principle. This is no small thing for Paul, and it is no small thing in our world today. There is a pride deep within the heart of natural man which longs to make its own way, to earn its own reward. As we read in Prov. 16:18, “Pride goeth before destruction…,” so it is for the person who tries to make himself righteous before God. That is the way of death and destruction that ends up in hell forever and ever. As we will see, Paul lays out two kinds of righteousness -- a law kind of righteousness and a faith kind of righteousness. We will be looking at them again this morning. Before we come to that emphasis in verse 9, we first want to look at what it was that Paul gained.

Let’s read our passage again… (Phil. 3:4-11)

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: 5. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8. 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, 9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

I. What Is Our Gain?

Back to verse 7, which holds the key to this passage: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” Remember that Paul speaks with the language of an accountant -- gain, loss, count. Everything that was on the “gain” side of his ledger was removed, because he counted it loss. So what took its place? Did anything take its place? Absolutely. All of us have a “gain” column. We have our assets. All of us have something which is very dear to us. For Paul, it had been those things of verses 5-6. Those are the things in which he was trusting. Now that they are no longer dear to him, what is dear to him?

Now let’s read together verses 7-9a, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8. 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, 9. And be found in him…” Notice first of all that Paul uses the word “count” three times in this brief space. Twice he says that he counted those things loss, and the third time he says he counts them as garbage (rubbish, dung). Now this is what I want us to see, in each case there is something that follows. Verse 7, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” Verse 8, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” And then later in verse 8, “For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them as dung.”

While you are looking at these three phrases, notice the presence of the word “for” in each one of them. Translations will differ, and I can’t find any other than the KJV that renders this word the same in each instance. It is the same word, though “for” is not a very good translation. The Greek word is “dia” (dia), and it means “on account of,” “because of,” “for the sake of” (when used with the accusative case of the noun, as here). In order to be consistent, let’s translate it “for the sake of.” Paul counted those things but loss for the sake of Christ. Yes, he counted all things but loss for the sake of the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ his Lord. He suffered the loss of all things for the sake “of whom,” and it is clear that the “whom” refers to Christ Jesus his Lord. What could possibly be clearer. What Paul gained was Christ. All his counting loss was for the sake of Christ.

If it isn’t clear enough, Paul summarizes is bluntly at the end of verse 8, “that I may win Christ.” If your translation has “that I may gain Christ,” that is an ever better translation. Why do I say that? Because it is the same word that is used in verse 7, “But what things were gain to me…” Yes, it is the same exact word. Paul has moved out of his gain column his trust in spiritual privilege and personal achievements and has replaced them with Christ. He gave them all up that he might gain Christ. What an exchange for Paul. “I was trusting the fact that I was circumcised on the 8^th day, that I was an Israelite from birth, that I could trace my lineage as being from the tribe of Benjamin, that I was a true Hebrew in every sense of the word, that I was a Pharisee, that I zealously persecuted the church, and that I obeyed the law so completely no one could find anything to blame in my life. But now I am done with that and I am trusting Christ.”

Understand that Paul is not adding Christ to his gains. When he moves Christ into the gain column, everything else is kicked out. Paul is no longer trusting his spiritual privileges and personal achievements. That is the whole point of saying that he counted them as loss. As a matter of fact, in verse 8 he makes an even stronger statement. Not only did he count the things of verses 5 and 6 as loss, but he counted “all things” as loss. What does “all things” include? Everything but Christ. Name anything you can possibly name. If it isn’t Christ, but Paul counted it loss. He is simply saying that when he encountered the living Christ, he refused to trust in anything else.

We are living in a religious society that specializes in making Jesus an “add on.” There is a false gospel that is preached, and it goes something like this: “Friend, you think you have it all together. You may have a nice job and a nice family. You get along well with people. All that is great, but if you look deep inside, you will have to admit that something is missing. That something is Jesus. If you will just trust Jesus, He will fill that empty spot on the inside and life will be all that it was meant to be.” It’s an “add on gospel.” Just add Jesus to what you already have, and everything will be right. That is the lie that will lead to destruction. The person who truly gains Christ will count everything else as loss.

When we look at what Jesus said, there is good reason to believe that Paul got his language from the Lord Himself. Let’s read the words of Jesus in Matt. 16:24-26…

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

The word translated “lose” in verse 25 is not the word we have here in Phil. 3. It can mean “to lose” or “to destroy.” We could read verse 25, “For whosoever wants to save his life shall destroy it.” But then when we come to verse 26, we find the words “gain” and “lose,” and they are the exact words that Paul uses here in Phil. 3. What profit is there in gaining the whole world, if you lose your own soul (life)? Then Jesus adds the searching question at the end of verse 26, “Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” It is the same kind of language. Up until he met Christ, Paul was trying to save his life. By piling up things in his “gain” column, Paul was trying to save his own life. In reality, he was losing it; he was destroying it. But when he counted all things loss in order to gain Christ, he gave up trying to save it. He gave up the whole world in order that his own soul might be gained for all eternity. Paul made the right exchange -- all things for Christ. If that exchange hadn’t taken place, then Paul would have hung on to all things and lost his own soul.

I urge you to audit your spiritual books. How is your accounting? What will give in exchange for your soul? You may not be counting on spiritual privilege, as Paul was, but remember that Paul expands his “what things” to “all things.” If you are trusting in anything other than Christ, then you will lose your life. You will destroy it. But if you lay it down in order to gain Christ, you will find it. That is, you will find real life. You may be tempted to add Jesus on to the things in which you are trusting. Don’t be deceived. Jesus will not be added on to your other things. He must be your treasure.

Now let’s come back to our text and look again at the three occurrences of that preposition “for” (dia). In the first and third instance, it is “for (the sake of) Christ,” but the middle one is a bit different. Let’s read the first part of verse 8 again, “Yea doubltess, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” While it is obvious that the gain is Christ, Paul specifically speaks of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.

What is this knowledge of Christ? I could speak of Rob’s and Alisa’s knowledge of computers. Both of them work with computers and they know a great deal about them. Is this the kind of knowledge Paul is talking about? No, not at all. There is a text book kind of knowledge, but there is also an acquaintance kind of knowledge. Norman has a great knowledge of Rita. That means that he is well acquainted with Rita. He has been gaining this knowledge for almost 50 years. He knows Rita in an intimate and loving way. That is the kind of knowledge of which Paul is speaking here. We see it even more clearly in verse 10, “That I may know him…” We will be looking more at that next week. For now suffice it to say that when Paul speaks of gaining Christ, he is not talking about gaining a commodity that you can sell at the market place. He is talking about a relationship that is personal and precious.

We still don’t have the complete picture, because Paul speaks of “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.” Again, translations will differ at this point. This is a word of comparison. It root word literally means “to have or hold over.” It speaks of being better than. The idea is probably best captured by the translation “surpassing value” (NASV; “surpassing worth,” ESV, Amplified; “surpassing greatness,” NIV). Paul is still using the language of accounting. This personal intimate knowledge of Jesus is worth more than anything else in the universe. Paul is willing to sacrifice everything in order to know Christ, because nothing else can compare.

We could go on and on, because knowing Christ has no end. Lord willing, we will explore more of this next Sunday.

II. How Do We Gain Christ?

So we have seen very clearly that Paul’s new gain was Christ and a precious relationship with Him. Knowing Christ was worth more to Paul than anything else. In verse 9 the apostle comes back to the idea of how a person gains Christ. To be more accurate, he tells us how not to gain Christ and then how we can gain Him. Paul speaks of a law kind of righteousness and a faith kind of righteousness.

Let’s read it in verse 9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" Paul’s desire is that ultimately he will be found in Christ. “In Christ” is one of Paul’s favorite terms, being found over 160 times in his letters. But in order to be found in Christ, righteousness is required. In order to know Christ, a person must be righteous. Jesus is righteous and He cannot have an intimate relationship with a human being who is not also righteous. So now Paul deals with what kind of righteousness will bring a person into Christ’s presence.

He beings with the word “not.” He says, “Not having my own righteousness, which is of the law.” This is the negative side. He testifies plainly that his own righteousness will not give him a right standing with God, will not bring him into the presence of Christ. When he speaks of his own righteousness, he is referring back to those things in verses 5-6. Those seven things that we have looked at equaled his own righteousness. He was trusting in those things to make him right with God.

He further describes his own righteousness with the words “which is of the law.” What does he mean by that? Paul was basing his righteousness on his ability to keep the law. His circumcision was according to the law. His being of the stock of Israel was based on the fact that the descendants of Israel were the people of God. His being a Pharisee identified him as one whose whole life was wrapped up in the law of God -- interpreting it, obeying it, guarding it, teaching it, proclaiming it. Concerning that law, he was blameless. Paul had based his righteousness on the hope that he was keeping the law in a way that was pleasing to God, in a way that would earn him acceptance with God.

Now let’s apply Paul’s word to our own lives. You may say, “I’m not like Paul. I have never tried to keep God’s law the way Paul did.” Maybe you haven’t done it the same extent, but have you set up a standard of your own and tried to keep it? That standard, no doubt, has something to do with God’s law. Perhaps you have added your own special features to it. Is there some standard you are trying to achieve in order to accepted by God? If I can just live a decent life day by day and help those around me, surely that will be acceptable to God. If I can add to that the fact that I go to church services, read the Bible, and pray, that will give me that much more chance. And if I am baptized, that ought to do it. That is “my own righteousness, which is of the law.” It is a law kind of righteousness. It is you setting a standard and trying to reach it in order to be acceptable to God.

Paul contrasts this law kind of righteousness with the other kind of righteousness. Lets’ read it again in verse 9, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" Notice the “but” right in the middle of the verse. These two kinds of righteousness are opposites. You either have one or the other, not both. This second righteousness is the one which is through the faith of Christ. “Through the faith of Christ” is a very literal translation. Most every other translation (except those which are deliberately literal, such as Darby and Young) will render it “through faith in Christ.” In the original language, it can mean the faith exercised by Christ or Christ as the object of one’s faith. The context here seems to demand that we understand it as one putting faith in Christ.

Paul then further defines this righteousness which comes through faith in Christ with the words “the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Literally, it says, “the out of God righteousness upon the faith.” The source of this righteousness is none other than God Himself. This is not a righteousness that we attain; it is righteousness that God bestows upon us. And it is based solely upon faith. Note the importance of faith. This righteousness comes through faith in Christ. Yes, it is based upon faith.

So what is it that makes these two kinds of righteousness such complete opposites? One is my righteousness; the other is God’s righteousness. One is centered in keeping the law; the other rests upon faith in Christ. While the one holds out hope that I can keep the law well enough to please God, the other acknowledges that only Jesus can keep God’s law. The one strives to gain acceptance through doing; the other receives acceptance in the Beloved through faith. Ultimately, the one trusts self and rejects Christ, while the other despairs of self and trusts Christ. My own righteousness and the righteousness which is through faith in Christ are total and exact opposites. They cannot coexist at all.

Conclusion

Earlier this morning we read the conversion experience of Paul (Saul at that time). We are told very little about what went on inside Saul. Actually, we aren’t even told much about how God saved him. Luke, the writer, gives us the historical record, what could be observed by one looking on from the outside. Jesus appeared to Saul in a blinding light. Then He set Ananias to deal with Saul. After three days, Saul was able to see again, after which he arose and was baptized. Then we read that he began to preach Christ. Acts 9 is the historical record.

Aren’t you glad we have Philippians 3. In this passage, Paul tells us what was happening on the inside. “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for the sake of Christ. Yea doubtless, I count all things but loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God based on faith.”

In Acts 9, we see the sovereign hand of Almighty God deliver Saul from darkness and translate him into the kingdom of His dear Son. It is the record of the supernatural miracle in his life. That might give us the idea that Saul was totally passive, but that is not the case. I like the way John MacArthur puts it….

Salvation is a sovereign act of God by which He invades the sinner's darkness, gives him light, and saves him. But salvation does not annihilate, obliterate, destroy, or bypass human faculties. It stimulates human faculties. And so what you have in Philippians 3 is the record of what was going on in Paul's mind and emotions and will on the inside as these days in Damascus were passing. (Sermon: “The Surpassing Value of Knowing Christ”)

The longer we walk with Christ the better we understand all that was involved when He saved us. Next week we will focus more on the present tense of the believer’s life with respect to this passage.

Let’s close with a reminder about a man who responded to the Lord differently than what Paul did. We know him as the rich young ruler. In many ways, he was similar to Paul. He had plenty of reason to trust in the flesh. His gain column was full. The fact that he was a ruler most likely meant that he was the ruler of a synagogue. Therefore, he was a highly respected Jew. When Jesus listed several of the commandments, he confidently affirmed that he had kept them all of his life. The fact that he was rich was likely interpreted to mean that God had richly blessed him for his faithful service. Then Jesus said to him, “Go sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow me.” In other words, count it all loss and make me your gain. That young man said, “No.” Instead of counting everything loss and gaining Christ, he counted everything gain and lost Christ. What a tragedy.

You can be like Paul, or you can be like the rich young ruler. You can pursue your own righteousness, or you can put your trust in Christ and gain true righteousness. You might ask, “Why is important that I put my trust in Christ?” It is because Jesus is the one whom the Father sent to rescue you from your sins. You haven’t lived a righteous life, but Jesus did. He pleased the Father in all things. According to the pictures of the Old Testament, He is the perfect sacrifice that God sent to die in your place. You deserve to be punished for your sins, to be cut off from God forever and ever. But God demonstrated His love by sending His Son to die in your place, to take on Himself the wrath of God, that you might go free. If you trust your own righteousness, you are saying to God, “No, thank you for sending your Son to die on the cross and bear your wrath, but I think I can make it on my own. I will trust the things that I have done to make me acceptable in your sight.”

I urge you this morning to put your faith in Christ. Admit that you have no righteousness of your own. All your good deeds add up to filthy rags. Throw yourself on the One who is completely righteous.