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Gabe Stalnaker

In Christ

Philippians 3:8-9
Gabe Stalnaker • June, 24 2026 • Video & Audio
2 Articles 2,541 Sermons
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Gabe Stalnaker
Gabe Stalnaker • June, 24 2026
2 articles 2,541 sermons

Sermon Transcript

Auto-generated transcript • May contain errors

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Go with me back to one of my absolute favorite places to be in the scripture. This is truly one of my favorite places, Philippians three. I read something that a man wrote. That blessed me so much, it was a list of scriptures, that's what it was. And I want to use it for our outline for this message tonight. I hope this is a blessing to you. I believe it will be. I believe this will be.

Let's read these 11 verses one more time here. Philippians 3 verse 1. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. If you get a moment to get your mind on Christ, you will rejoice. You will. 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. That's false religion. Beware of false religion.

For we are the circumcision. We are God's people. We are God's elect, which worship God in the spirit. That means exactly as he has declared himself to be by his spirit in his word. These words are the inspired words of God's spirit. We are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, not in Christ Jesus and us. Just Christ Jesus.

And we have no confidence in the flesh. How much confidence do we have in the flesh? None. None. How much confidence should we have in the flesh? Let's get the ratio right. Let's get to the bottom of this. How much confidence should we have in this flesh? None. No confidence. Verse four, though I might also have confidence in the flesh, that means if any man would, it would be me. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more.

Circumcised the eighth day, I was thinking about the fact that his parents had to tell him that. Now let me tell you why you're saved, son, is because you were circumcised on the eighth day. Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin and Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law, a Pharisee.

I was a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, I persecuted the church. I went around persecuting the church. I was better than everybody. Touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Now you know that he wasn't blameless, but he thought he was. And that's what false religion produces, people who think they're keeping the law.

Verse seven, he said, but what things were gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 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. I've lost it all. I couldn't keep any of it. For whom I've suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung. that I may win Christ 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, 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."

Paul said Christ is everything. That's what he said. Christ is everything. He said everything else is nothing compared to him. He said, I count everything else that is loss. I count it to be loss compared to him. And he said, I would gladly lose everything if I could just be in him. I would gladly lose everything if I could just be in him. Now, why did Paul say that? Why did he say that? Here is the reason why. It's because God revealed to Paul something of what a sinner can have and has in Christ. God revealed to Paul what sinners who have been placed in Christ receive what they have, what they are, what their standing is in him.

And in seeing it and in being persuaded of it, Paul said, I want that and nothing else. I want that above everything else that is. Everything else that is is nothing compared to that. Oh, that I might be found in him. In seeing this, every child of God will say that. Every child of God will say that. Now, I have a list that some other man wrote. But I have a list of scriptures that either say in Christ or in him. And we're going to read them.

And in seeing this, we're going to see exactly why Paul and us and every other child of God will cast his whole desire, his whole hope, his only thing in life needful on being found in him. We're about to look at what we have in Christ. What we have in Christ. If we're in Christ, this is what we have. All right. This is what we are. This is our condition. Turn with me, if you would, to Romans chapter 8. Romans 8. While you're turning, let me ask this question.

How does a sinner get in Christ? How does a sinner get in Christ? Is there something that a sinner has to do in order to be in Christ? No. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30 says, Of God are you in Christ? Christ Jesus. It's something God does. It's something God does.

Well, all right, now, is it at least a decision or a choice? Even if he does it, is it a decision or a choice that a sinner has to make? No. Ephesians 1 verse 4 says, according as God the Father chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. That is a decision and a choice that God made before the foundation of the world. So God the Father made the decision to choose who would be in Christ, and God the Spirit did the work of setting them apart, taking them out of this lump, off of the dunghill, setting them apart, placing them in the Lord Jesus Christ, and then God's people are notified of the fact that they were chosen and placed in Christ when the gospel comes to them, when the preaching of God's word comes to them and reaches them, and God gives them faith to believe it. By faith, they believed that the Father chose them.

Tis not that I did choose thee. Lord, that could never be. And the Spirit did the work of separating them. I didn't separate myself. That's what, you know, you're going to have to separate yourself from sinners. Only God's Spirit can do that. I am a sinner. Like saying, you know, you can't be male anymore, you're gonna have to go stand over there. Well, I'll be male right over there, just like I'm male right here. I'll be a sinner over there, like I'm a sinner right here. And if you come stand with me, I'll be in the company of sinners.

By faith, God's people realize this is a work of God. This is not my decision. This is not my work. Here's what it is. I was given to Christ. That's what it is. I was given to Christ. And in Christ, he redeemed me. And in Christ, I'm safe. In Christ, I'm saved. In the Lord Jesus Christ. For every soul who has had that revealed to him or her, this is what we have. If we're in Christ, This is what we have in him, okay?

Look right here at Romans 8 verse 1. It says, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. That's what we have. No condemnation. What do we have in Christ? No condemnation. That's what we have. In our sin, because of all of our sin, we are so worthy of condemnation. We are so worthy of condemnation. But in Christ, there is not going to be any. There's not going to be any.

By the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, He separated condemnation from us as far as the East is from the West. He took our condemnation and he bore it away. And that's why Paul said, oh, that I might be found in him. He said, if I have all of these self-righteous religious works that I could bring before God and be judged in, and he said, I know I'd be condemned in them. I know I would be. But he said, I also know that if I could be found in Christ, that condemnation is over.

It's over. It's fully satisfied. It's gone. There's no condemnation left after the death of his cross. Oh, that I might be found in him. Oh, that we might be found in him. That's what we have in him. Number one, no condemnation. Every soul in Christ, no condemnation.

Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 1 it says, Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God and Sosthenes our brother unto the church of God which is at Corinth to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. What do we have in Christ?

Sanctification. What is sanctification? That's a big word. What is sanctification? The short answer is holiness. Holiness. It is separation from sin. Set apart. Inner purity in the eyes of God Almighty. Complete purity before Him. That's what we have in Christ. That's what we have in Christ. When God the Father looks at us in Christ, he sees us as being as good as God. That's amazing, isn't it? As holy and as perfect and as pure as God is.

You see why Paul said, I count everything else that I have done in my fleshly religion to be dung. It's done. He said, if I could just be in him, I'll have everything I need. Everything I need. In Christ, we have no condemnation and complete sanctification.

Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 5. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21. For he hath made him, that's the father made the son, to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made The righteousness of God in him. That makes me want to laugh. That makes me want to laugh. In Christ we are made to be the righteousness of God. That's bigger than just saying righteousness to me.

The righteousness of God. Every good and every perfect work that God is. Every good and perfect work that God earned. Every good and perfect work that God demands is freely given to us and it's applied to us to the point that we are made to be God's righteousness in him.

That's what we have. That's what we have. We who know nothing but sin. We who knew nothing but sin. That's what we have in Christ, this is what we've been given in Christ. If we have Christ, we don't need anything else. We don't need anything else. You know, there comes a point where we start to realize, okay, Christ is pretty important in this. At first, in false religion, Christ is, I don't know what he is, he's just, he's a helper, he's a son, he's a good man, he's a, salvation's on me. And all of a sudden we start to see, well, Christ is maybe a little bit more important than I thought he was.

Until finally we realize Christ is God Almighty. Christ is the very judge I'm going to have to stand before. And then the Lord reveals to his people, Christ is all. I'm telling you, Christ is all. We try to figure out you got Christ, but what about this? And what about this? And what about this? Christ is all. I'm telling you, Christ is all. If we have Christ, we don't need anything else. We don't need anything else. In him, we're not condemned because we are holy and right. Who is he that condemned? We're holy, we're righteous. As he is, so are we.

Turn with me to Galatians 3. Galatians 3 verse 26. It says, For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. The children of God. Paul said, Oh, that I might be found in him. In Christ, we are children of God, born of the Spirit, adopted by the blood. In Christ, we are God's family. In Christ, we are God's family. Do you love your family? In Christ, we're God's family. Compared to that, everything else is dung. It really is, it's just dung.

Bear with me to Ephesians 1. We quoted verse four just a moment ago. Um, it says, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. But look at verse three, it says, blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. In Christ, we have every spiritual blessing that heaven possesses. You know, I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again.

It would be wonderful. It would truly be wonderful if the Lord would just allow us to come into his kingdom. If he would just let us come into the kingdom, if he would just open the gates to us and not shut us out and let us just live inside the walls, how wonderful and glorious that would be. But in Christ, that's not how it's going to be. That is not how it's going to be. That's not how it is right now. In Christ, that's not how it is right now.

In Christ, every blessing of heaven that the Father has given to Christ, the Father has given to us. If He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us? All things. All spiritual blessings in Christ, whatever heaven deems to be a blessing.

Verse six right here says we have acceptance, full acceptance in the beloved, in him, in Christ. Verse seven says we have redemption, full redemption. in him. Verse 11 says we have an eternal inheritance. This is what we have in him. Look at Ephesians 2 verse 6.

It says, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We are seated together in heavenly places in Him. We are seated together in Him, in heavenly places. Not only are we not condemned by His throne, we are sitting with Him in His throne, in Him.

Paul, upon hearing this, you know, Paul wrote to the Ephesians, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, Paul wrote to the Romans and the Spirit of God was telling him this and he was writing it. And upon receiving this word to the Philippians and writing these things down, he said, throw my works away.

Just give me him. Can you imagine the joy that man was experiencing as he was writing all this down? but God who is rich in mercy for his great love. Just give me him. Turn to Philippians 2. I'm almost finished. Philippians 2, verse 1. Philippians 2 verse 1 says, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy.

In Christ we have consoling comfort, love, fellowship, we have the heart of mercy. That's what God's people have. Now, in the world, we have tribulation. But that's not what we have in Christ. That's not at all what we have in Christ. Look at Philippians 3 verse 14.

Philippians 3.14, it says, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In Christ, we have the prize of the high calling of God. What is the prize? Christ is the prize. Christ is the prize. Turn with me to Colossians 1.

Colossians 1 verse 19, it says, For it pleased the father that in him should all fullness dwell. In Christ we have all fullness. All fullness of what? If you look at chapter two, verse nine, it says, for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in him. The fullness of the Godhead, the fullness of completion, the fullness. In Him, we're complete. The fullness of everything. All right, one more. This is the last one. I believe you're going to be very glad we turned to this one. You watch and see if you're not extremely glad that we turned to this one. Go to 1 John 3. Verse John 3 verse 5 says, And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins.

And in Him is no sin. What do we have in Christ? If we're in Christ, what do we have? No sin. Not just no condemnation. No sin. No sin. No condemnation. Perfect sanctification. The righteousness of God. Adoption into his family. Every spiritual blessing that heaven possesses. A seated place with him. all consolation, comfort, and love, the prize of the high calling of God, all the fullness of the Godhead, and, if that's not enough, no sin.

After hearing all of that, would you rather go back to your self-righteous efforts before God, or would you just rather have Christ? Lord, put me in Christ. Just put me in Christ. David said in Psalm 103, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Every benefit that a child of God has in him. So don't forget him. Don't forget him. Oh, that we might win Christ and be found in him. That's the only thing that matters. That is the only thing that matters. Amen.
Gabe Stalnaker
About Gabe Stalnaker
Gabe Stalnaker is the pastor of the Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church located at 2709 Rock Springs Rd, Kingsport, Tennessee 37664. You may contact him by phone at (423) 723-8103 or e-mail at gabestalnaker@hotmail.com
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Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church
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