Let us turn once again to God's
Word. I want to direct you this morning
to words that we find in Philippians. Paul's epistle to the Philippians
in chapter 3 and we read verses 10 and 11. Philippians chapter
3 verses 10 and 11 that I may know him and the power of his
resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made
conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto
the resurrection of the dead. Here then we see Paul expressing
something of his great desire that I may know him. Previously in verse 8 he speaks
of the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. And in his strong language, as
is so often the case with the Apostle when he comes to his
relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ, where he speaks there
of the excellence, the words suggest something superior, something
excelling, something surpassing the excellence of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus, my Lord. And this knowledge of which he
speaks is not merely an intellectual thing, it's not just a doctrinal,
notional, speculative knowledge of the letter of the truth revealed
here in the scriptures. It has to do with his own experience,
it's an experimental knowledge in that sense. Here is that man
who could say to the Galatians when he pleased God to reveal
his son, or what a revelation that was into his soul, how he
had such an experience of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. And are we those, as we come
together this morning, who can say that we know something of
that, that entails the Gospel coming into our very hearts,
the light shining in the darkness of our minds, not just ascending
to the truth as we see here on the page of Holy Scripture. but
for Christ to be so real to us. This was the experience, of course,
not only of Paul, but of those to whom he was ministering when
he writes to the Thessalonians. Remember how he speaks of the
Gospel to them? Our Gospel, he says, came not
unto you in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost,
and in much assurance. And when he writes to the Corinthians
also reminds them of the importance of that experimental knowledge. He is reviewing them in some
way. They were those, alas, though in many respects a gifted church,
yet they've been ensnared by false teachers. And Paul has
to write sharply to them. And there, writing in the fourth
chapter of his first epistle, he says, that he will know not
the speech of them that are puffed up, but the power for the kingdom
of God, he says, is not in word, but in power. It's not something then that
is attained by our own effort, by our own reasoning powers,
this knowledge of which Paul is speaking here in our text. This is his desire to know Christ,
the power of his resurrection, fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his debt, if by any means I might
attain unto the resurrection of the dead. I was struck recently
in reading a quotation from one of the Church Fathers, Ignatius,
describing what a Christian is. Ignatius says a Christian is
not the work of persuasion, but of majesty. It is only God who
can make the Christian. Was it not Joseph Hart, in the
lovely preface to his hymn book, who says, only he who made the
world can make a Christian. No man knoweth the song, says
Christ, saith the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father, saith
the Son. as he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal. And there must be that revelation
that comes from God. This is the religion that we
seek to contend for. It was the experience of those
that we read of here in the Word of God. When Peter makes his
great confession concerning Christ at Caesarea Philippi, what does
the Lord say? Blessed art thou, Simon, Son
of Jonah, flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto them, but
my Father which is in heaven. And so this morning as we turn
to these words that we've read for a text in Philippians chapter
3 and verses 10 and 11, I want us to consider the significance
of what he says here with regards to the power of the resurrection,
that I may know him, he says, and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his
death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection
of the dead. really just this one clause that
we find in the text where he speaks of the power of his resurrection. First of all, we see the importance
of the resurrection here with regards to the whole of the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ, that great work of redemption that
Christ came to accomplish here upon the earth. It was by the
resurrection from the dead, of course, that God the Father set
his own seal upon all that Christ has done. When he made that great
sacrifice for sins, this was the purpose of his coming into
the world. He came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, he says, and to give his life. A ransom
for many to pay the price of redemption. And that price of
course was to be paid to God in all his holiness, in all his
righteousness, in all his justice. That revelation that God had
given of himself and his own character in the law, that law
must be honoured and magnified, it must be fulfilled. And Christ
is the one who comes to pay that great debt that the sinner owed
to that Lord that had been broken. And God, I say, sets his seal
upon the work of Christ. He accepts it. He is declared,
he is marked out to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection
from the dead. we are told in Romans chapter
1 and verse 4. And this was the truth that the
apostles were to bear witness to throughout their ministry.
In Acts chapter 1 where they come together and they agree
that one must now be chosen to replace Judas Iscariot, the betrayer,
They cast lots, remember, and the lot falls upon the man Matthias. But Matthias then joins the other
apostles. And what is the ministry of these
apostles? There in the end of Acts chapter
1, Wherefore of these men which accompanied with us all the time
that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from
the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up
from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his
resurrection. Here is the apostolic ministry
then, they are witnesses of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And we are told how the two were
appointed, Joseph called Barsabas, Sir Nanjustus and Matthias, and
they prayed and they caused lots and the lot falls upon Matthias.
and he is chosen then with the others to be a witness, the witness
of the resurrection. And so when we see Peter in the
next chapter preaching on the day of Pentecost, what is the
content of his ministry, he speaks of Christ's resurrection.
Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by with the hands of crucified and slain,
whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because
it was not possible that he should be holden of it." Now Peter immediately
bears witness to his resurrection. God raised him up. In other words,
God received what he had done. God was pleased to accept that
work of obedience, even obedience unto death, the death of the
cross. And as it was with Peter, so
we see it was the same in the ministry of Paul the Apostle. He likewise preaches the resurrection. We see him in Acts 17 at Athens
amongst the Greek philosophers. We read of them there at verse
18, certain philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics
encountered him. And some said, what will this
babbler say? Others some, he seemeth to be
a set-aforth of strange gods. Why was he a set-aforth of strange
gods? Because he preached unto them
Jesus and the resurrection. These men constantly bore their
testimony, their witness to the glorious truth that Christ who
had died had risen again from the dead. And by the resurrection
God had set his seal upon all that work, that great work of
redemption. For the sinner must not only
know that Christ has accomplished his redemption, but he must also
see how in the resurrection God has accepted him. And therefore
sin is truly forgiven, sin is abolished. The importance then
of the resurrection with regards to that great redeeming work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is Paul's desire, to
know something of these things, the power of his resurrection. That we see it not only in terms
of Christ's work, his obedience to the will of God, his accomplishments
of all that he had undertaken in the covenant. We see the power
of the resurrection do we not also in that great doctrine of
regeneration. The power of his resurrection,
this is what Paul wants to know, he wants to feel it in his own
person, know it in his own soul. Now the word that we have here,
the power It's an interesting word. When we look at the etymology
of certain English words, we see that they're rooted in this
particular word. It's the word dunamis. And so
you see such words as dynamite, which is a source of power, of
course. Even dynamite have their roots in this particular word. It's a strong word that Paul
is employing. as he expresses himself that
I may know him and the power of his resurrection and how necessary
it is with regards to our experience
when we are made to feel what we are as those who are dead
in trespasses and in sin. We sang it just now of course
in that hymn of Isaac Watts However, we can do nothing to save ourselves. All we discover as we seek to
save ourselves is our complete and utter impotence. Our situation
is such that we are helpless. There is no hope in ourselves
with those who in their very natures are dead in trespasses
and in sin. And so if there is to be any
experience of salvation, we must know something of God's power
coming into our poor lives. And Paul, remember, speaks of
it to the Ephesians. He speaks of the exceeding greatness
of his power. It's the same word that we have
here in the text. There in Ephesians 1.19, the
exceeding greatness of His power to us who do believe according
to the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ
when He raised Him from the dead. All the wonder of it, what was
there in the resurrection of Christ when He was raised again
from the dead must come even into our lives. The exceeding
greatness of His power, His mighty power, is what we must know,
we must know that living union then with the resurrected Christ. And we have the promise, we have
the promise in the Old Testament, Isaiah 26, 19 Christ says, Thy
dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they
rise. All there is a union between
Christ in his resurrection and that that comes into the soul
of the sinner when he is born again by the Spirit of God. Again Christ in the Gospel says,
because I live, ye shall live also. Or as we examine ourselves
under the Word of God, can we say that we've known what it
is for that life, for that spiritual life, to come into our souls
which were in their very nature dead, in trespasses and in sins. To be those who are partakers
of that new nature, that divine nature, the life of God coming
into the soul of a man. A man must be born again, he
must be born from above. Here then we see the importance
of the resurrection with regards to our own experience. in that
great work of regeneration. There is a real, living, vital
union with the resurrected Christ. Now it's true that when we consider
the truth of union with Christ, it is threefold. Paul says here
in verse 9 that his desire is to be found in Him. and in Him. There is, we know, an eternal
union between Christ and the Church. It goes back, of course, before
time, it goes back into the councils of eternity, goes back into the
great covenant of grace, entered into by the persons in the garden. As Paul says in Ephesians chapter
1, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world. There is such a truth then as
eternal union. All the election of Christ were
chosen in Christ before ever God created the heavens and the
earth. And as there is an eternal union,
so there is also what we might term an historical union. And we see that as Christ appears
here upon the earth. He doesn't take upon him the
nature of angels, it says, but he takes upon himself the seed
of Abraham. He's not taking upon him the seed of Adam. He has not
taken upon him all men, but he identifies himself with Abramson. And Abram, of course, is the
father of the faithful. He is the father of all them
that believe. And so when Christ comes into
this world in the fullness of the time, when he is made of
a woman, when he is made under the law, He is there in the low
place of Abram's seed. And for as much as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, Paul tells us, he likewise has
taken part of the same. He becomes a real man. And what
does he do as a man? He represents his seed, the seed
of Abram. He comes in that sense as the
new man. In the first man, in the first
Adam, all sinned. In this new man, this second
man, the Lord from heaven, he accomplishes righteousness as
he stands in that law path. He fulfills all righteousness.
He is obedient to all God's commandments. And then, having obeyed the Lord
and honoured it by the obedience of his sinless life, he makes
the great sin-atoning sacrifice, he bears the punishment that
was there deserved. As by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. Oh, there is a union, you see.
Work out in time, historically, as Christ comes. to be the representative,
the surety of his people, and to die as their substitute. To be found in him, to know that
we have an interest in all that Christ accomplished. There is
an eternal union, there is an historical union, and then there
is this experimental union. And it involves faith, does it
not? This is what Paul says in verse
9, to 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. The exceeding greatness of his
power, remember, to us who do believe. Oh, to have that faith
we need to know something of the power of God. The greatness
of that power of God. That faith that is of the operation
of God. And this is how the sinner comes
to experience the blessings of that union. Oh friends, if Christ
did not rise, his people are not saved. If Christ did not
rise, there is no salvation for the sinner. If Christ be not
raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins. We read
those words, did we not, there in that 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians. All that resides is empty vanity
if Christ is not risen again from the dead. But Christ is risen. And he is as that one who is
risen, the quickening spirit. The last Adam was named a quickening
spirit it seems. All there is life you see. Vital
life. Where there is that faith, that
trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. The importance then of the resurrection.
Not only do we see God setting his seal upon Christ's great
work of redemption by raising him from the dead and receiving
him now into the very heavens, we see the significance of the
resurrection in terms of our living union with him, those
who are trusting in him for salvation. And so as there is faith we must
also here recognise the doctrine of justification. See how the
resurrection is necessary to the whole work of salvation,
the work of redemption, the work of regeneration, and now the
work of justification. Christ arose from the dead a
justified person. He was vindicated in the resurrection. Isn't this part of that great
mystery of the gospel? Paul speaks of it there in 1
Timothy 3.16, without controversy, he says, great is the mystery
of Godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world. Those remarkable statements. He speaks then of his incarnation,
that's part of the mystery. God was manifest in the flesh. Our God contracted to a span
incomprehensibly made man, says George Wesley in the hymn. Oh,
what a mystery is this, that that babe that was born to the
Virgin Mary was never anything less than true almighty God. His shoulders held up heaven
and earth when Mary held up him. How the angel came and told her
that what was conceived in her womb she was a virgin. She was
not a sinless woman but she was a virgin. She could rejoice in
God her Saviour and yet she is with child. it was the power
of the highs that overshadowed her and so she is told that holy
thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the son of God God manifest in the flesh and
then God justified in the spirit and doesn't that remind us of
his resurrection from the dead here is his justification, here
is his vindication The grave was unable to hold him. He rises
again from the dead. He triumphs not only over sin
and Satan, he triumphs over death. He triumphs over the grave. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin. The
strength of sin is the law, but thanks be to God which giveth
us the victory. through our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is that one then who is justified, put to death in the flesh, quickened
by the Spirit, justified in the Spirit. And then we read of the
preaching, and as faith comes by the preaching, preached unto
the Gentiles, believed on in the world, or this is the gospel
that is to be proclaimed even to the end of the age and then
his glorification in his seed of angels he is received up into
glory. He who rose again from the dead is the one who is now received
into the highest heaven. I have spoken of this in the
psalm 24th Psalm, which of course is messianic, it speaks of the
Lord Jesus Christ, does it not? This is the one who ascends into
the hill of the Lord, who stands in his holy presence, he that
hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul
under vanity nor sworn disequally. This is the sinless man. the
Holy, Righteous Christ. And what do we have there at
the end of Psalm 24? Lift up your heads, O ye gates. Be ye
lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come
in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord Strong and Mighty, the
Lord Mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates,
even lift them up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory
shall come in. Who is this King of Glory? the
Lord of Hosts. He is the King of Glory. He is received up then into Glory. And so we can say again in the
language of prophetic scripture He is near the justifier. Who
will contend with Him? Who can contend with Him? Or the Father has received Him
now. received him into the very heavens
and there he sits enthroned at the right hand of the Majesty
on high. He who was delivered for our
offences and raised again for our justification. All the justification
of the sinner is bound up with Christ's resurrection from the
dead. This is what's to be preached
in. This is what Paul desires to be found in him. He says,
not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that
which is through the face of Christ, the righteousness which
is of God by faith. This is justifying righteousness. By him all that believe, says
Paul, are justified from all things that they could not be
justified from by the deeds of the law. it is Christ who is
the justification of his people and he is there as the justified
man in the very presence of God and so that sinner who is believing
in him can also stand in the very presence
of God justified, accounted righteous though in himself the sinner
but then also We think of the power of his resurrection in
terms of these great truths of scripture. Fourthly, we see it
in terms of the mortification of sin. The mortification of
sin. What does Paul say in our text?
That I may know him, he says, and the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of his sovereigns being made conformable unto his
death. Oh, there is sanctification in Christ
also, as there is justification. So there is sanctification. And
that sanctification, what does it involve? The mortification,
the putting to death of the deeds of the body. Paul again says to the Galatians
concerning himself, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live,
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me, and gave himself for me." How the Christian you see has
to persevere in the ways of holiness. This is the Christian's calling.
I press toward the mark, he says in verse 14, for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Oh, this is the Christian's
calling, is it not? To put to death the deeds of
the flesh. And how does the Christian do
that? We cannot do it of ourselves.
Paul says, if he through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of
the body, he shall live. Friends, we can only do it by
the Holy Spirit. We cannot do it of ourselves.
In this whole chapter, we see how Paul is writing against the
legalists, you see. Those who want to marry together,
as it were, Christ and Moses. Those who want to bring together
gospel and law. It's not enough, they say, to
have Christ, you must also submit to circumcision, you must come
under the law. This was that erroneous, that
heretical teaching that Paul is having to counter time and
again, certainly we see it as he writes in the Epistles of
Galatians. But it's here also to the Philippians,
he speaks of these legalists, you see, who think there's something
for the sinner to do with himself. in his own strength. How does
he begin the chapter? Finally, my brethren, he says,
rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
to me, indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware
of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware
of the concision. For we are the circumcision.
which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and
have no confidence in the flesh. There is no confidence in the
flesh. He speaks of these who make so much of circumcision
and the necessity of these gentile believers to be brought under
the law. He says they are not practicing
circumcision but concision. That is illegal cuttings and
piercings in the body. Beware of them, he says, and
the language again is typical Pauline language. Beware of dogs,
beware of evil workers, beware of the concision, these legals. Or the true circumcision, it's
a spiritual circumcision. It is the work of the spirit
that is so necessary for those who are dying to our sinful souls,
mortifying the deeds of the body, that no flair should glory in
his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption, that as it is written, he that gloryeth must
glory in the Lord. And we need then to know that
Spirit of Christ, if we are going to be those friends who would
seek to put off the deeds of the body, to crucify them, or to know something
of the power, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings,
to be crucified with Christ, to be made conformable unto his
death. And then fifthly here, there
is glorification ultimately, is there not? Christ's resurrection,
Christ's resurrection is the guarantee of the glorification
of the Christian believer. We read it, that remarkable chapter,
1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 20, Now is Christ risen from
the dead? and become the firstfruits of
them that slept. For since by man came death,
by man came also the resurrection from the dead. For as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. For this is the glorification of the believers
in our ultimate The sting of death is gone. O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victim?
The sting of death, he says, is sin. The strength of sin is
the Lord. But thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. There were believers,
and doubtless there are believers yet, and maybe it's true of some
of us who are fearful. fearful of the end when we come
to die. No one else died with us. We've
only experienced happiness to die. We die all alone and we
read of some who all their lifetime were subject to bondage because
of that great fear. It's such an intruder you see.
His death, then God's made Adam God created thee. They were not made to die were
they? Death comes as a consequence of man's sin, man's disobedience. It's the soul that sinneth that
dies. Death then is a dreadful thing, a terrible intruder. But we read of that ministry
of the Lord Jesus Christ to those who fearful. There in Hebrews
2, for as much sin as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
he also himself likewise took part of the saying that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that
is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were
all their lifetime subject to bondage. Christ grants deliverance
even to the fearful. And we see it, do we not, in
this great doctrine of the resurrection. He is the firstfruits, He is
the firstfruits. And that is the guarantee of
the full harvest, the firstfruits of them that slept. What does
He say to that feet there upon the cross as he comes to die and yet there in the eleventh
hour we see him trusted in Christ remember me you see when thou
comest into thy kingdom and Christ's answer was to die shalt thou
be with me in paradise oh it is truly absent from the body
and it's present with the Lord. How Christ prays for his own
disciples there in his great high priestly prayer in John
17, Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with
me where I am that they may behold my glory. He is the Resurrected
Christ. And as he is risen so he is ascended
and so he is glorified. And this is the lot of the believer. Even to behold something of the
glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what God has laid up
in store for those that love him. How the resurrection you
see is so necessary to every part, the whole of salvation. How in it we see that great work
of redemption has been received, accepted, sealed by God the Father. How in it we see the importance
of our regeneration. We must know something of the
power of His resurrection in our own souls. How here we see
the great doctrine of our justification. Christ is justified. as he is
raised from the dead, put to death in the flesh, quickened
by the Spirit he is. Now here we find the mortification
of our sins, to be crucified with Christ, and yet to live,
and yet not I says Paul, but Christ liveth in me. Christ liveth
in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself
for me and then ultimately of course that glorification to
be like him when we see him as he is. Here then is something
of Paul's great desire that I may know him, he says, and the power
of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable
unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection
of the dead. May the Lord be pleased to bless
this great doctrine of Christ's resurrection to our souls. Amen.