Well, good morning to everyone.
If you would, be opening your Bibles with me to the book of
Philippians. Philippians 3. As you're turning a couple of
announcements, I bring you greetings from our brethren in Lexington
and in Danville. Good services there. As the Lord
brings to mind that congregation in Danville, you pray for them.
Besides being brokenhearted, the loss of their dear pastor,
they're looking for a new one, and that's just an uncomfortable
situation. So pray for them as the Lord
brings them to your mind. Also, volume two of Henry Mahan's
bulletin articles has been printed now. I have some on order. I hope that they'll be here this
week. So we'll sell them here at cost, but it'll save you a
little bit of shipping if you want to buy one of the ones that
we have here. But I hope they'll be here this week. And last,
I had a very good and lengthy phone conversation yesterday
with Betty Gruver. And I hadn't heard anything about
this. I called her, and when I heard, you all may know, and I'm the
last one to know anything, but Walter has stage four bone cancer. There's nothing, they're not
giving him any treatment. the treatment they feel like
would just be detrimental, just make him sick and miserable and
wouldn't help him any. So that's the situation that
they're in. It's very difficult. And they're
still under, you know, lockdown because of this coronavirus.
And Betty told me that, you know, it's very difficult, especially
for the people out in the Pueblos Because they just had a hurricane
come in. And all the years they've been down, the first time this
happened, that hurricane just came and sat over them. It just
sat there and sat. And she said it rained day and
night, day and night, day and night. And that whole area is
so flat. But it flooded. It flooded. It
killed the people's animals. It's a horrible situation. She
said if the coronavirus didn't get them, the flood did. And
they can't move between Pueblos. One of the pastors, Elio, had
some supplies. They wouldn't let him go back
and forth in his truck between the Pueblos, but they would in
his motorcycle, oddly enough. So he was on his motorcycle trying
to take supplies into the people and things. So again, as the
Lord brings them to your mind, remember them in prayer. But
this is, Betty gave me a specific message to her, to you, to this
congregation. She said the Lord is good in
all things. Let's remember them in prayer.
All right, Philippians chapter 3, we'll read the first 11 verses. Finally, my brethren, rejoice
in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it's safe. Beware
of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For
we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and
rejoicing Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 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. 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. Concerning zeal,
persecuting the church. Touching the righteousness which
is in the law, blameless. But what things were gained to
me, those I count a 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've suffered the loss of
all things, and do count them but done, 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.
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect,
but I follow after. If that I may apprehend, that
for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." All right. Thank God for his word. Let's
bow together. in prayer. Our God and our Father, oh, how
thankful we are that out of your infinite goodness, mercy, and
grace to your people, you've given us one more opportunity
to meet together and to hear the same thing preached to us.
The same message of Christ Jesus, our Savior, preached over and
over and over again. Father, how thankful we are.
How thankful we are that you've given your people a heart where
hearing the gospel preached again is not grievous, but it's joyful,
needful, needful to our souls. Father, we're thankful. We're
thankful that you are God alone, that you rule and reign and everything
that happens in this creation is happening directly according
to your eternal will and purpose exactly on the time schedule
that you have ordained for it. Father, we know this and we're
thankful for it. Give us the grace, we pray, to
rest in Thee, knowing that Thou doest all things well. Deliver
us from getting so caught up in anxiety and fear and acting
like the world in such a way. Father, give us the faith and
the grace to have a quiet spirit. knowing that while these things
are painful, they're according to Thy will and purpose. And
Father, especially this morning, how we beg of Thee that You'd
give us an hour of true worship. How we beg of Thee that You'd
send Your Spirit upon us and enable us to have an hour of
worship where we'd forget about the cares and goings on of this
life. And Father, let us hear from
our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us hear of Christ our Savior
and worship Him. Give us a heart that would believe
the gospel that we hear preached. Father, I beg of thee in this
hour that you not leave me alone, that you not let your people
just hear the words of a man that will do anybody any good.
But Father, let us hear from thee. Let us hear a word from
thee. And what we pray for ourselves,
we pray for your people everywhere, Father, who are meeting together
today. Bless in a mighty way, we pray. And Father, for those
who are sick and hurting, heartbroken. Father, we pray for them. We
pray for our brother Walter and Betty and that family that you'd
be with them in a special, special way at this time. We pray that
you'd give the medical people understanding to control this
pain and give them peace of heart, Father, and cause them and us
to look to thee. For our brethren in Danville,
Father, we pray you'd comfort their hearts, that you'd lead
and guide. Send them a man. your man who'd be faithful to
continue to preach Christ there. We pray for our world, Father,
at this time, that you would provide some relief from this
pandemic, that you would give some peace in the land, some
common sense and caring for one another, that there'd be some
peace in the land, that your people could live a quiet and
peaceable life. All these things we ask and we
give thanks in that name which is above every name. The name
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alright, Philippians chapter
3. I titled the message this morning, Oh that I may know Him. Oh that I may know Him. When
it comes right down to it, that's all that matters. That I may
know Him. I have a few points on this this
subject that I might know him. Number one is this. I want to
know Christ. I want to know the person of
Christ. Verse 10, the apostle says that I may know him. Now, that is the desire of every
regenerated heart. I want to know Christ. I want to know him. I don't want
to know just the history of Christ, like I know the history of other
historical figures. Those things are very interesting
to me. I love to read about historical figures. It's always just been
very fascinating, interesting to me. But I want to have more
than a passing fancy of knowing some facts about Christ. I want
to know him. I want to know him. I don't want
to just know the doctrine that Christ taught. I want to know
him, him. I don't want to know the signs
of his seasons, the signs of his second coming and what's
going to happen in his coming. I want to know Christ. I want
to know him who is coming. That's what I want. Now every
believer can say, I know Christ. They can say that because it's
true. Every believer knows Christ because knowing Christ is life
eternal. That's why our Lord said this
is life eternal, that they might know thee. the only true God
in Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. So if you have eternal
life, you already know Christ. But I want to know Him better,
don't you? I want to experience Christ in my soul. That's what
I want. I want to have a vital living
union with Christ, with the person, so that I am joined to Him. I want to experience the joy
of knowing that in Christ, because of Him, My sin is pardoned. I
want to know the joy because of who the Lord Jesus Christ
is, because what He has done, that my sin is forgiven, that
it's been blotted out by His precious blood. I want to know
the joy of knowing I'm accepted in the beloved. I want to know
Him. I don't want to just have good religion. I don't want to
act pious because I think I've got all my doctrinal ducks in
a row. I want to know Christ. That's what I want for me. That's
what I want for you. I want to know Christ. That has
been, from the time this ministry began, way back in the very,
very beginning, that has been the goal of this ministry. When John was the pastor and
when I am now, that Christ be preeminent. Christ be preeminent. That our goal, our focus, our
attention be on Him, that He is preached. And the Apostle
here warns us about being religious, but not knowing Christ and not
following Christ. And he can warn us about it because
he lived it. Look up here in verse 1, chapter 3. Finally,
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you,
to me indeed it's not grievous, but for you it's safe. Paul says
rejoice in the Lord. In the Lord. Rejoice in who the
Lord is. Rejoice in the majesty of His
person. Rejoice. That He, think of who
He is. The Son of God. Think who He
is. God in the flesh. He, the perfect, holy, righteous
Son of God. That He would love a sinner like
you enough to die for you. Now rejoice in that. Rejoice
that that He would give Himself to redeem you. Rejoice that He
is your righteousness, that He is your sanctification, that
He is your keeper. You don't have to preserve yourself.
He preserved you. Rejoice in that. Rejoice in who
He is, that He is able to save to the uttermost all that come
to God by Him. Oh, rejoice in that. Rejoice
that He's your mediator before the Father. Rejoice. You think about this right at
this very second. The Lord Jesus Christ is sitting at the right
hand of the Father pleading His blood for our sin. The sin right
here in this service. Here we are trying to worship
God. We're so full of sin and damn everyone else to hell for
ten eternities. And He, He is sitting at the right hand of
the Father pleading His blood for the forgiveness of our sin.
Oh, rejoice in that. Rejoice. You have the great privilege
of hearing the Gospel of Christ. You have the great privilege
of hearing Christ preached. over and over and over again. And it's not grievous to you.
It's not grievous to think I'm going to get the same message
as you, but it's a joy to you. If that's not grievous to you,
but it's a joy to you, God's been merciful to your soul. Now
rejoice. Rejoice to have the opportunity
to hear of Christ. And make it your business to
seek to know Christ. Don't seek to know religion.
Seek to know Christ. Verse 2, the apostle says, beware
of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware
of the concision. Now, these dogs and evil workers
and the concision, it's just different names for the same
thing. In Paul's day, it was Judaizing teachers. And we don't
have people trying to bring us back under the religion of the
Jews, but it's the same thing today. It's people who try to
impose their work's religion on you. They have a form of religion. They're very religious, but their
religion is religion without the person of Christ. They might
use the name of Jesus, but it's all you. It's what you do. It's
not Christ. And Paul calls them dogs. He
calls them dogs because they are in it for their belly. That's
just the way a dog is. Our dogs know by the time of
the evening that Janet is going to get up and give them a treat.
I mean, I don't know how they know, but they know it's time.
I just can't believe anybody can be that excited over a dog
treat, but they are because they're in it for their belly. That's
a dog. That's a dog. And it could be
money. Maybe it's the applause and the praise. I don't know,
but they're dogs. They're called evil workers because
they have a form of righteousness, but they deny the power thereof.
They deny that it's Christ's righteousness. Religion without
Christ, religion that is our works, our works to establish
our own righteousness is evil. That's what the apostle's saying
here. They're called the concision because they're the mutilators
of the flesh. They insisted that people be circumcised in order
to be saved. They work on the flesh, but they
don't work on the heart. It's just all an outward show.
But salvation is a heart work. Salvation is in the heart. Salvation
is not work of the flesh. It's God's work on the heart.
Salvation is a circumcision of the heart. It's the giving of
a new heart, not the activity of the flesh. That's what Paul
says in verse three. For we are the circumcision,
which worship God in the spirit. Here's the people you know. They've
got a circumcised heart. They worship God in the spirit.
They rejoice in Christ Jesus. and they have no confidence in
the flesh. They have no confidence in what they do in the flesh.
It's all Christ. And this is what I want. If you
know God, this is what you want. I want to know Christ. I don't
want to know the religion, the motions of religion, the rituals
of religion. I want to know Christ. I want
to hear of Christ. Don't tell me laws. Don't preach
to me laws. Don't preach to me all the things
that I have to do to improve my situation. That's just my
works. Those things cannot save. They're just going to depress
my soul. Don't preach that to me. Preach Christ to me. Preach Christ. I want to know
Him. Because all those other things, they can't save. They can't help your soul in
any way. And the Apostle Paul knew that better than every last
one of us. Look what he says here in verse 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. Circumcised
the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,
and Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting
the church. Touching the righteousness which
is in the law, blameless. Saul of Tarsus kept the law perfectly. I don't think he's making something
up here. I really don't think Saul of Tarsus could ever think
of a time outwardly he broke the law. I don't think he could
think of a time he'd done it. I mean, you know, he was wrong.
But I mean, as far as his understanding of the law at that time, outwardly,
he thought he kept it all just right. I mean, even when he had
no control, he was circumcised eighth day. Not seventh day,
not eighth day, no, the eighth day, right when he was supposed
to be. But you know what? Saul didn't
have any spiritual life. Saul didn't have any faith. He
didn't have any peace of heart. Not until he met Christ. When
he met Christ, everything changed. Look at verse 7. But what things
were gained to me? Those I count a 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've suffered
the loss of all things, and to count them but done, that I may
win Christ. Now, Paul counted all his religious
activity. Outwardly, it was perfect. People
were impressed by it. He was pretty impressed by it
at one time, wasn't he? But he counted all that religious activity
to be lost. And this is an accounting term.
It's what you put in the lost column. This is just all lost
to the business. There's no profit in it. Paul
said, that was all my religious activity. Paul counted all of
his religious activity to be done, to be manure. and you know
it has to be done with manure. It's got to be thrown out, doesn't
it? You're not keeping it in your
living room. You're not dressing yourself in it. It's got to be
thrown out. It's got to be washed away. Paul said, that was my
religious activity. And when Paul met Christ, he
gladly gave up trusting in all of that loss. He quit trusting
in all of that dung, and he trusted Christ. He gave up trusting in
everything about himself and everything he'd ever done so
that he could trust Christ. He said, Paul said, this is what
I want, that I may win Christ and be found in Him. Not having
my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ. The righteousness which is of
God by faith. See, salvation is accomplished
by the faith of Christ. Not our faith. It's by the faith
of Christ. It's the faithfulness of Christ
to do everything the father gave him to do. It's the faith of
Christ that made him obey the law perfectly, that do everything
that it took to save his people from their sin. He satisfied
the law by his faith, his faithful service. And that salvation is
received by faith in Christ. It's accomplished by the faith
of Christ. It's received by faith in Christ. Not my works, not
my religion, faith in Christ. Salvation, would you be saved?
Salvation is so simple. People write great big books
on salvation. Would you be saved? It's this
simple. Trust Christ. That's all it is. Salvation is simply trusting
Christ, His person, who He is, to be everything I need to be
saved. Would you be saved? Trust Christ. Trust Him. Now listen, you've
got to trust Christ. Trust Christ. You can't trust
two things at once. You can't be trusting your works
and Christ. You can't be trusting your morality
and Christ. You can't be trusting your pious
doctrine or religion and trust Christ. It's one or the other.
So the Apostle Paul said, I've had this up. And I'm gladly going
to give up all my loss. I'm gladly going to give up all
the dung of my works so I can trust Christ. And Paul and every
believer, this is what we want. I want to know Christ. I want
to know Him so well and to experience Him. I want to know Him so well
that I'm one with Him. We want to know Christ intimate.
I want to experience this relationship with Christ so that I'm found
in Christ, in Him, so that I'm one with Him. At the end of verse
8 when Paul says, I may win Christ, that word win is gain. I want
to know Christ so I can get rid of all my loss. I want to know
Christ so I can get rid of all the loss of my works that could
never profit my soul so I have gain. I want to give up this
loss so I can have gain. So that I can gain Christ. So
I can gain His righteousness, not mine. So I can gain His blood
which will cleanse me from all of my sin. I want to know Christ
so I can gain life in Him, not death in Adam. See, gaining Christ,
gaining Him, now that's profit for your soul. Because that's
eternal life. Nothing can be more profitable
to your soul than eternal life. And I tell you how that's gained.
By trusting Christ. By trusting Him. And I want to
gain Christ so that I'm one with Him. So that I am found in Christ. Now if I'm in Christ, in His
body, then I am what He is. That's what being in Him means.
And that's what Paul means here. So that when the Father comes
looking for me, when He comes looking for me, I'll tell you
what I want. The only thing I want is for the Father to see His
Son. That's all I want. Because I'm hidden in Christ.
So when He looks at me, all He sees is Christ my substitute. Who already bore all of God's
wrath against my sin. When the Father comes looking
for me, all I want Him to see is Christ. So that He sees me
as righteous in Christ. When Scripture talks about being
baptized into Christ, that's what it means. To be put into
Christ so that when the Father sees me, all He sees is His Son. I want to be like Noah. When
that rain started falling, where was Noah? In the ark. When God comes looking for me,
you know where I want to be? I want to be in Christ. If so,
I'll live just like Noah lived. I want to be like that manslayer.
He fled to the city of refuge And if he's found in the city
of refuge, the avenger of blood couldn't touch him. That's where
I want to be found in Christ. Just like the manslayer is found
in the city of refuge. I want to be found clothed in
Christ. I don't want to be found naked
in Adam. I want to be found clothed in
Christ. When my sin is judged, and really at any time, in any
of my dealings with God, any time, all I want to be found
is hiding in Christ. That's what the songwriter said,
when he sees me, he sees the blood of the Lamb. He sees me
as worthy and not as I am. That's my heart's desire. And
it's your heart's desire too if you know Christ. I want to
be found in Christ. Now I do know Christ. And many
of you do too. By God's grace we can say, truthfully
say this, I know Christ. But Paul is talking about more
than knowing Christ better. And we all want to know Christ
better, too. But he's talking about more than that. He's talking
about the experience of Christ in the heart. I want to experience
the overwhelming wonder of who Christ is. I want to experience
the overwhelming wonder of his redemptive glory. I would like
to be overwhelmed with who Christ is, not just the gifts that He
gives me and the benefits that He gives me, but who He is, His
redemptive glory. I want to experience the overwhelming
wonder of His love for me by experiencing Him. God's love
passes all understanding. I know I can't understand it
with my human mind, but I want to experience it in the heart.
That's what Paul's talking about here. I want to experience the
overwhelming wonder that the Son of God would take my sin
away from me. I want to experience that in the heart. I want to
experience the overwhelming wonder of Christ's sacrifice for me.
Oh, I want to know that. I want to experience the wonder
that Christ is my righteousness. I don't have to establish one
by my own works, but that Christ is my righteousness. I want to
experience that in the heart. If I experience that in the heart,
I tell you what, I'll have peace. If Christ is my righteousness,
I don't have to establish it on my own, but Christ is my righteousness,
I'm going to have peace in the heart, because I know I'm accepted
of the Father. I want to experience the wonder
of Christ's presence in my heart. I want to experience that. His
presence in my heart that gives me faith, that keeps me faithful,
that keeps me needing Him, I want to experience the overwhelming
wonder of communion with Christ. When I'm all alone at night and
I commune with Him, He's in my heart. I want to experience in
my heart the grace that is found in Christ Jesus. That's why the
Lord told His disciples, you learn of Me. Learn of Me. If
you know Christ, you'll know everything you need to know.
Learn of Him. Learn of Him. I want to know
Christ. I mean, I want to know Him right
now. So that when I see Him in resurrection glory, I'm going
to know Him. That's what our brother Job said. Job said, boys,
this is what I know. I mean, my life's a mess. This
thing's horrible. But this is what I know. Our Redeemer lives. And He's coming back. Job talked
about His second coming before He came the first time. He's
come back to stand on this earth. And with these eyes, Job said,
I'm going to see Him. And He won't be a stranger. I'm
going to know Him. That's what I want. And then
when he comes, to be made just like him. Him. See, the issue
is Christ. It's not living in big mansions,
streets of gold and pearly gates. The issue is Christ. To be made
like him. Oh, I want to know him. I want
to know him. I want to experience the person
of Christ in my heart. Alright, number two. I want to
know the power of Christ's resurrection. In verse 10, Paul says that I
may know Him and the power of His resurrection. Now, I want
to know the power of Christ's resurrection by experiencing
it in the new birth. I don't want to just know the
historical fact after three days Christ rose from the dead. I
want to experience that by the new birth in my heart. Look at
Ephesians chapter 1. The same power that raised Christ
from the grave. is the same power that gives
a dead center of spiritual life. Ephesians 1 verse 18. The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his
calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to us were to believe according to the working of his mighty
power. Here's his mighty power. which He wrought in Christ when
He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right
hand in heavenly places. Now that power which was wrought
in Christ and raised Him from the dead, set Him on the right
hand in heavenly places, that same power is working in us,
Paul says, working in us in the new birth, by giving the new
birth. It's the power of God. Look at
1 Peter chapter 1. I want to know that power. I
want to be born again. 1 Peter 1. Here's how the power that God
uses to give his people life, the new birth. 1 Peter 1, verse
3. Blessed be God and the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively, living hope. How? by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead. The same power that raised Jesus
Christ from the dead is the same power that gives life, that gives
the new birth to God's people. And I want to know that power.
I don't want to just know, okay, well, that's a doctrinal fact.
I want to experience it. I want to experience the joy
of having life in my soul. I want to know the virtue I want
to know the goodness, the righteousness that comes to me from Christ's
resurrection. I want to experience that. I want to know the security
of Christ's resurrection. Now what does that mean? What
is the security of Christ's resurrection? Well, it's justification. It's
being made without sin. Christ was delivered for our
offenses and he was raised again for our justification. The resurrection
of Christ is the evidence. His sacrifice justified his people. The father made his son sin for
his people. Well, if that sin was still on
him, he'd have to stay dead. Why was he resurrected from the
ground? Because his sacrifice put that sin away. Death could
not hold him because the sin that causes death was taken away
by his sacrifice. I want to experience the wonder
of having no sin. because Christ took it away.
I want to experience that power that actually makes my sin to
be gone and makes me accepted before the Father. That power
is only in Christ. I can't do it. I can't quit sinning.
I can't take my sin away. But Christ did. And I want to
experience the power of that, the security. If my sin had been
taken away by the Son of God, what do I have to fear? Not one
thing. Not one thing. And I want to
know the fellowship of Christ's resurrection. Now the word fellowship
means partaker or sharer. I want to share in Christ's resurrection. Death could not hold the Savior
because the sin that was put on him was gone. He was raised
from the dead. Well, I want to be a sharer in that. Spiritual
death can't hold me either. Not if Christ died for me. He
put my sin away so that I have spiritual life right now. And it's all because of Christ.
It's who He is. It's life in Him. I want to experience
that. I want to experience the power
of Christ's resurrected life that keeps me faithful. I want
to remain faithful to Christ. I want to remain needy, really
and truly. I want to remain needy. Christ,
hungering and thirsting after Him. I want that in the power
of His resurrected life that keeps me coming back time after
time after time after time to hear the same gospel message
preached over and over and over again. I want that experience
in my life that makes me walk with God, just like Enoch did
of old, to walk trusting Him, just trusting Him. I want that
experience, that power of Christ's resurrected life, that when I'm
driving down the road, when I'm going to work, when I'm cutting
the grass, when I'm taking care of my home, when I'm raising
my family and taking care of all the responsibilities of this
life, that in my heart I'm worshiping God. That's what I want. That's
what I want. I want to experience how that
Christ's resurrection has given me a new home to think about. Now, this world is not the believer's
home. You know that, don't you? This
world is not the believer's home. Well, I have some advice for
you at this time. I don't, maybe during the Civil War, but the
history of this country, I can't imagine a time our country has
been more divided than it is right now. Can I tell you something
that will make you happier? This world is not our home. Don't
get all caught up in it. Don't get all caught up. We were
visiting Jan's mom last week. And she lives right there on
the border of the Indian Reservation. So besides the politics of this
country, there's the politics of the tribe and things. And they're making some decisions
about what to do and what not to do. You know, I didn't pay
one bit of attention to that. Not one bit. Because I don't
live there. You'd be a whole lot happier.
If you do not get so caught up in what's going on in this world,
you don't live here. I mean, you live here, but your
citizenship's not. You're just passing through.
Be informed enough to be a good citizen, but now don't get twisted
up in everything that's going on in this world. This is not
our home. Look at the book of Colossians
chapter three. This is not our home. Colossians chapter 3. If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your affections, set your
mind, set your heart, set your focus. This is what's important.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you're dead and your life
is hid with Christ in God. Now the cross of Christ, the
death of Christ, has caused the world to be crucified to me and
me to be crucified to the world. So we live in this world, but
don't be consumed by it. God's just going to burn it up.
I don't care what people do. God's just going to burn it up
one day. Don't be consumed with it. If you don't be consumed
with something, here's what you ought to be consumed with. Christ. Set your affection on Him. Thinking on Him. Being consumed
with Him. instead of being consumed with
the goings on of this life is going to make for a happier child
of God. I promise you it will. I promise you. And then I want
to know the victory of Christ's resurrection. I want to know
the victory of it. Here's the victory of Christ's
resurrection. Christ is the first fruits and there's more to follow.
Christ won the victory over the grave. Every single time I ever
preach a funeral and we come to the graveside of a dear believer,
I always say this, always. This is the site of their resurrection.
This is not defeat. No, this is not defeat at all.
You know why? It's a time of sorrow. It's a time of loss. But it's
not a time of divinity. You know why? Our Savior's won
a victory over the grave. He came out of it. And you will
too. You will too. This is not defeat. And listen, the thing about the
resurrection is a person. It's because of who died and
who rose again. Because of the perfection of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He's made his people perfect
too. And many more are going to be raised from the grave.
And when we're raised from the grave, it's not just that we're
raised again. is to be made like Christ. You see that? I hope I'm getting
this across. It's all Him. It's to be raised in a body just
like His perfect body. Now, that's the victory. And
even though I don't have that in this flesh, this sinful flesh
right now, experiencing Christ's resurrection lets me enjoy that
victory, even though I'm still in the body of sin. See, knowing
the power of Christ's resurrection lets me live on Christ. Not live
on my faith. live on Christ, and that's what
I want to experience. All right, thirdly, I want to
know the fellowship of his sufferings. Verse 10 in our text, Philippians
chapter 3, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of his sufferings. Now, as a little boy, that verse,
that phrase frightened me to death, because here's one I don't
want to suffer like Christ suffered. I don't want to suffer all those
physical things. Do you? I don't even want to
suffer the hatred of men like he suffered. I don't want to
suffer those things. But that's not what Paul means here. Now,
if, just let me say this, if the Lord calls on me to suffer
for Christ's sake, if he calls on me to suffer for the gospel's
sake, it is my earnest prayer that the Lord give me the grace
to suffer patiently and willingly. for such a great cause as the
cause of our Savior. But that's not what Paul's talking
about in context here. What he's talking about is this.
I want to know. I want to experience the benefits
of Christ's suffering. I want to be a partaker of all
of the benefits of Christ's sacrifice. I want to be a partaker of his
righteousness, of his holiness. I want to be a partaker of his
life. I want to be a partaker, a sharer in his peace. He told
the disciple, my peace I give unto you. That's why I want to
experience his peace. I want to experience reconciliation
with the father that I lost in Adam. I want to experience that.
I want to experience Christ's sufferings so that I know that
when Christ died, he died for me. What would you give to know
that when Christ died, he died for me? How can I possibly know
that? You want the answer? It's God-given
faith. If you believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, then Christ died for you. It's the only evidence you
have. It's the only evidence you have that Christ died for
you is if you believe Christ. If you believe Him, Christ died
for you. And what a joy. Isn't that a
joy to be able to believe Christ? And I deeply desire the experience
of that, don't you? To believe Him. Knowing Christ's sufferings,
being a sharer, a partaker in that, that lets me live a life
of faith in complete dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ. And
it'll make for a happier child of God, too. And then here's
the last thing, fourth thing. I want to know. I want to experience
what it is to be made conformable unto Christ's death. Paul says
in the end of verse 10 that I may being made conformable unto his
death. There are two things I want us
to see here. Number one is this. I want to experience being made
conformable unto Christ's death by daily dying to sin. And I don't die daily to sin
by quitting sinning or sinning less than I used to do because
I can't do that. I can't not sin. You can't either.
In this flesh, it's impossible. We can't quit sinning. So to
daily die to sin is this, to daily, every minute, trusting
Christ. I want to experience the daily
dependence on Christ for the forgiveness of my sin. I want
to have the daily dependence of living on Christ's death,
on his sacrifice, the results of his death for me. I want to
experience the joy of the forgiveness of my sin that's found in Christ.
That's what I want to experience. But second, I want to experience
being made conformable unto the death of Christ by living as
closely as I can to the attitude of the Savior. I want to experience
this. I want to experience this, to
live in humble service to God, just like the Savior did. I want to live in humble service
to you. That is my heart's desire. To live in humble service to
you. There's nothing in this life
I want more than that. Not to be taken over by the pride
of the flesh or seek to get credit and recognition for myself. I
want to live in humble service to God and to you. And I'll show
you where I get that from. Look back at page of Philippians
chapter 2. This is being made conformable unto His death. Philippians
2. If there be, therefore, any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any vows and mercies, fulfill ye, my joy, that you
be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of
one mind. Let nothing be done through strife
or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem other
better than themselves. Look not every man on his own
things. Don't think about yourself first. but every man also on
the things of others. Think about what's best for others
first. Think about what others need first. Now let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the
form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation. He took upon him the form of
a servant and was made in the likeness of men. And being found
and fashioned as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name, that the name of Jesus every nation bow, the things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to
the glory of God the Father. Now that's why I want to be made
conformable to the death of Christ, to who he is, To be humble. To humble myself. To take on
me the form of a servant and be obedient to God. And to publicly
confess, not just one day in glory, but right now, that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Now that's the
believer's desire in me. To be like Christ. To follow
Him. And I'll tell you how we do that.
It's by selflessness. It's by thinking about others
before we think about ourselves. It's thinking about what's best
for somebody else before I think about what's best for me. Particularly,
I mean, that's true in your neighbors and your job, but particularly
right here, to think about others first. We follow Christ by serving
God's church and serving God's people even when it costs us,
just like our Savior did. And you can say that makes your
door mad if you want to. You can worry the others will
take advantage of you if you do that if you want to. And let
me just give you fair warning, they probably will. But living
in that kind of humble service gives the hearts of God's people
great joy. Living in that kind of humble
service, humility, not looking out for myself first, makes for
a happier, more content child of God. And that's my desire. That's my desire to experience
that in my heart. That's my desire for me and for
you. I hope God will bless that to
your heart. So let's bow together in prayer. Our Father, how we thank you
for your word. How we thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ and
the revelation of him that you've given to us. And Father, I beg
of you that you give each heart here this morning faith, faith
to believe Christ, faith to look to him, faith to depend upon
him, faith to follow him. Father, in everything that is
said and done here, that this morning and the days and weeks
and years ahead, as long as you give us, Father, let Christ be
preeminent. Let his name be preached here.
Let his name reach the hearts of your people to save them,
comfort and courage and feed them. Father, how we thank you
for our Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank you, Father, for
each other. Thank you for this congregation.
And Father, I pray that you'd give us the grace and the ability
to be a help, to be an encouragement one to another. As we're pilgrims
together, going through this life, cause us to be a help to
one another as we press on for that high calling of God in Christ
Jesus our Savior. For it's in His precious name
we pray and give thanks. Amen. Well, all right, you all
just missed.