Back in Philippians chapter 3,
I want to read verse 10 again. This is our text. This was Paul's
goal. This was his ambition. One thing
that he strived for. He says there in verse 10 that
I may know him, that is Christ, and the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his
death. The title of the message is Saving
Faith, Knowing Christ. That's a brief definition, but
I think that sums it up pretty good. Saving faith is knowing
Christ. After all the dust has settled,
after time shall be no more, when God in glorious majesty
ushers all mankind before him, the only thing that matters. The only criteria whether I here
enter into the joy prepared for you or those awful words depart
from me, I never knew you, would depend upon this alone. Do I
know him? Do I know the Lord Jesus Christ? In John chapter 10, our Lord
told the religious leaders this. He was speaking to those, the
Pharisees, the Sadducees, who claimed to be the leaders of
the people, who claimed to be the teachers. And Christ told
them, it's not so. It's not so. You're not the shepherd. I'm the shepherd. I'm the good
shepherd. I know my sheep. I know my sheep. Christ knows who his sheep are
before he calls them. He knows them. He knows them
from eternity. He knows them before the world
was ever created when God Almighty committed them, entrusted them
into the hands of Christ as their savior, their surety, their mediator. Again, in that same chapter,
he said, my sheep, John 10, my sheep hear my voice. And I know
them. I know them. That is, I love
them, I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them, not
everybody, but them eternal life. And they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which
gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck
them out of my hand. But I only read half of that
verse in John 10 verse 14. where Christ said, I'm the good
shepherd and know my sheep. He went on to say, and am known
of mine. I know them and they know me.
Just as we love him because he first loved us, we know him because
he first knowed us. This is what Paul speaks of in
our text, the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
not a small thing. That's a rare thing. That's very
rare. That's a God-given faith. It didn't originate with you,
Billy Cobb. If you believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, it's because God granted you faith to see the Son of God. It didn't originate with man,
it's not sustained by man, and it's not because of man. It's
a gift of God. It's a gift. If God Almighty
If God Almighty hadn't granted me faith, I would never believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. I could be religious. I could
act spiritual. I could put on a show, but I
couldn't confess what Paul does here. I know him. I know him. Our Lord, again,
in Luke's gospel, chapter 10, verse 22, this is what he said. All things, all things. What
is that, Larry? That's all things. That's everything. There's nothing left out. There's
nothing that's not under his domain. There's nothing that
doesn't come under his rule and reign. All things are delivered
to me by my Father. And no man knoweth, no man knoweth
who the Son is. Oh, they can have a knowledge,
head knowledge as they call it of Jesus Christ, but they can't
really know who the son is, not in a saving way, but the father. And who the father is but the
son and he to whom the son will reveal him. Again, the blessedness
of a believer consists in his personal experience of knowing
Christ. Again, in Matthew 16, Along the
same subject, he says, he saith unto them, that is disciples,
whom say ye that I am? And Peter answered and said,
thou art the Christ. Thou art the Christ, the son
of the living God. Often, Peter, like most of us,
stuck his foot in his mouth when he should have kept quiet, spoke
up, and afterwards wished I'd have been better just to keep
that to myself. But he hit the nail on the head
here. What a testimony. Peter says, Thou art the Christ.
I don't have any doubt about that. Peter said, I don't have
any question about that. I'm not influenced by what the
other people are saying. Some say you're a prophet. Some
say you're John the Baptist risen from the dead. Let them say what
they will. I know better. Peter said, I know that you're
the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus Christ said to
him, Peter, you're smarter than the amount of people. That's
not what he said at all then. Peter, you've learned this on
your own. No, that's not what he said. Our Lord said to Peter,
Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah. You're a blessed man. You're
not a rich man, but you're a blessed man. You're not wealthy, but
you're blessed. Because my father's done something
for you that in his good and glorious wisdom is not done for
everybody else. Many he's passed by. Many he's
passed by, but Peter, he's revealed to you who I am. You're blessed. You're blessed now and you'll
be blessed forever. But my father has revealed this
to you, my father which is in heaven. And that brings us to
our first thought here in our text. The one thing Paul counted
that made all those things that he previously thought were precious
to be no more than rubbish. Paul says those things he mentioned
in verses 4, 5, and 6. His religious pedigree, his ancestry. He says, put it in the garbage
can and take it out to the dump. It's just rubbish. It's trash. Well then, Paul What do you count
precious now? You once considered that precious.
That was your hope. That was your foundation. That
was the reason you thought God accepted you. All those things. What is your hope now? Paul said
that I might know Christ. Everything, everything that I
ever knew or thought I knew before is nothing compared to this.
This excels them all. This is greater than all. These
are the true riches that I might know the Lord Jesus Christ. Yesterday I read a message that
Brother Henry Mahan preached in 1986. It was from his television
broadcast and it was transcribed and I enjoyed reading it. The
title of his message was Reflections of 60 Years. Bobby, I remember
Henry 10 years later preached the reflections of 70 years.
I was in Danville and had the privilege of hearing him preach
the message, reflections of 80 years. Same text, same grace,
same faithful God. Henry's text was from Psalm 39
verses 4 and 5. Lord, make me to know my end
and the measure of my days, what it is that I may know. how frail
I am. Behold, I was made my day as
a hand-breadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee. Barely
every man at his best state is altogether vanity, Selah." Think
about that. These things Henry wrote or preached,
these things have always been true. Truth never changes. Somebody said, if it's new, it's
not true, and if it's true, it's not new. That is God's truth.
It's everlasting as God is. Henry said, truth is absolute.
These things have to be learned. We have to learn them personally,
and we have to learn them individually. The only way to learn anything
is to experience it. I like that, don't you? He said,
we say that we believe certain things. We don't believe anything
until we experience it. When we experience it, then we
know. Paul here speaks from a personal experience. when he speaks of
this excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ. It's just not a mere
intellectual knowledge that Paul speaks of. He had that before.
Such knowledge would not require him suffering the loss of all
things. Such head knowledge would not
be worth the price he paid, would it? No, no. Most people, many
people, most people I know, they have that. They have a head knowledge. If Paul had undergone all that
he did, and sacrificed all that he had for such a knowledge as
that, it wouldn't be worth anything. Christ, Christ, Paul said, that's
the one I want to know. I want to know him. I want to
experience knowing him based upon a personal experience of
knowing the Lord. There are thousands who are ready
to profess they know Christ, they know Jesus Christ, but that
knowledge consists of nothing more than just an acquaintance
with a creed, or some doctrine, or a useless profession, a useless
profession, but has never, never been in living contact with the
living God, the Lord Jesus Christ, never known what it is to know
Him, to know Him, to hear Him speak, not the preacher, not
the soul winner, not mom, not dad, but to hear Jesus Christ
Himself speak as never a man could or ever can, Thy sins,
which are many, are all forgiven thee. Oh, the joy, the joy when
God is pleased to do that. I cannot know Christ through
another person's mind. I cannot love him with another
man's heart. And I cannot see him through
another's eyes. I must know him for myself. Listen to what Paul said in another
place. For the witch calls also suffer
these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed. Hm. For I know whom I have believed. Oh, my. So Paul, when he wrote
that, when he said those words to his beloved Timothy, he was
sitting in prison. He said, the time of my departure
is at hand. I can almost hear the footsteps
of my executioner coming now to take me out. The time of my
departure is at hand, but Timothy, I'm not ashamed. It's been a
worthy cause. the glorious gospel of the blessed
God which he committed to my trust. I'm not ashamed of that.
I never was since he called me that day on the Damascus Road
and revealed his son in me. For I know whom I have believed. Oh, my soul, that'll give you
a soft pillow to lay your head on in a dying hour, won't it?
Nothing else will. I heard someone preach one time
and they said, I've never heard a dying man or woman say, oh,
I wish I had a bigger bank account. I wish I had more property. I
wish I had a bigger house. Oh, no, Paul, so the only thing
that'll matter, that I might know him. I know whom I have
believed. What a joy. What a comfort, because
that day is coming. It's soon coming. Billy, when
every one of us will be called out to meet God one by one, I
don't know who will be next. It may be you, it may be me.
Oh, but the joy. The joy of knowing whom I have
believed. To be able to say with Paul,
I know Jesus Christ. I know him. And I'm persuaded
that he's able. Isn't he able? To keep that which
I've committed unto him against that day. The apostle speaks
with the holy confidence, doesn't he? and triumph. Oh, do you hear
the victory note in this song? I know whom I have believed.
I stand, Paul seemed to say, I'm standing on firm ground.
I know I have put my great trust in the hands of the best trustee,
Jesus Christ. I've committed everything to
him and it's saved. It saved my life, my soul, everything
I've committed to him. And that one Paul believed to
be the saving of his soul said this, this is life eternal. People give you, my soul, various,
various, various definitions as to what a Christian is. What
does it mean to be a Christian? Christ said this is life eternal,
that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent. Again, from that message I read
from Brother Henry, he said, yes, I have learned that salvation
is a person. Salvation is a living, vital
union with a person. Don't be satisfied with just
a profession, a doctrine, or an affiliation with a group of
religious people. Salvation is to know Christ and
to love Christ. Salvation is Christ in you, the
hope of glory. And that's a good hope. That's
a good hope, isn't it? Thank God. Thank God. If he made you thirsty to know
the living God, to know Jesus Christ, and he would not allow
you to rest short of anything else. He wouldn't allow you to
be satisfied with anything else. Oh, I must have Christ. I must
know Christ. Robin sent me this this morning.
I liked it so much, I had finished my notes, but I included this
in it. portion of an article by old
J.C. Philpott from Psalm 106, verse
4. Oh, visit me with your salvation. Oh, God, visit me with your salvation. Philpott wrote, he needs a visit
from God. He wants God to come and dwell
with him, take up his abode in his heart, discover himself to
him, manifest and reveal himself, sit down with him, and eat with
him, and walk with him, and dwell with him as God. And a living
soul can be satisfied with nothing short of this. If God makes a
man thirsty, he won't be satisfied till he drinks from the water
of life, Jesus Christ himself. He told that woman at the well,
whosoever drinks of this water, they're going to thirst again.
But, but, you drink of the water that I shall give you and you
will never thirst again. something, his saints of old.
He wants something for himself, rather, something that should
do his soul good. He wants something that shall
cheer him in fresh comfort and bless and profit him, remove
his burdens, settle his soul in peace. Peace. And therefore he wants a visitation
that the presence and power and mercy and love of God alone can
give. Oh God, visit me with your salvation. Oh, pass me not. Pass me not,
O gentle Savior. You ever cried that? Ever cried
that? Pass me not, O gentle Savior.
If you pass me by, if you don't pause, if you don't stop, if
you don't hear my cry, if you don't have mercy upon me, I'm
a goner. I'm a goner. Oh, Ralph Barnard
was preaching one time. We'd been preaching for several
nights at a church After he preached his last message, before he even
came down from the pulpit, two young men got up and walked up
to him, stood in front of him. Rolf, you know, I heard he was
a pretty rough customer. I never knew him, but I heard
he was pretty tough. He looked down at these two young men and
said, what do you want? And one said, I want to go to heaven
when I die. He said, oh, man, go back and sit down. And the
man just shuffled on back. No problem. The other young man
just stood there weeping. He said, I said, go sit down.
Barner told him, and he said, Mr. Barner, I just can't do it.
I can't do it. I just can't do it. I must have
Christ. I must have his grace and glory,
his mercy. I can't leave here. I can't leave
here. I don't want to lay down in my
bed tonight without knowing that my sins are forgiven. I must
have mercy. And old Bernard said, young man,
I believe God's got something for you. Oh, pass me not, oh
gentle Savior, hear my humble cry. Oh, what a joy, what a joy
to know that my sins are all forgiven. Baba used to sing this. I requested her to sing it more
than once, many times. Love with an everlasting love,
drawn by grace that loved to know, spirit sent from Christ
above, thou hast taught me it is so. Oh, this full and precious
peace, from his presence all divine, in a love that cannot
cease, I am his and he is mine. Heaven and earth may fade and
flee, firstborn light and gloom decline, but while God and I
shall be, I am his and he is mine. I know my sheep and my
sheep know me. God, by the prophet Jeremiah,
said this, Thus saith the Lord, let not the wise man glory in
his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might. Let not
the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth glory
in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me. Knoweth me, that
I am the Lord which exercised lovingkindness and judgment and
righteousness in the earth, For in these things I delight, saith
the Lord. Here's the second question. Why? Why is it so? Why must salvation
rest here in knowing Christ? Is there no other way to enter
glory? Is there no other way to know God except through Jesus
Christ? Because salvation, deliverance,
and eternal life is of the Lord. It's a miracle of His grace.
It's a miracle. It's a work and an operation
of God. Salvation includes a new birth,
a new creation. It's the work that only God himself
can perform. One day the disciples asked him,
as they watched a young man that impressed them, walk away. And heard what Christ said to
them. They said, then who can be saved? Who can be saved? You
remember what our Christ said? Now, most preachers today, the
majority of them, will say that it's easy. It's not a problem. Christ said, no, that's not so.
Who can be saved? He said, with men, it's impossible. Impossible. Salvation is only
possible with God, because all things are possible with Him.
Once more, once more, from Brother Henry's message, he said, I've
learned this. I've experienced this, and I know it to be true.
Salvation is of the Lord. I'm glad that's so, aren't you?
He said, I've seen in these 40 years I've been preaching that
so many people get religion. I've seen them walk aisles. I've
seen them shake the preacher's hand. I've seen them sign pledge
cards. I've seen them go into the inquiry
room. I've seen them make professions,
join churches and get baptized. I've seen people reform their
lives. I've even seen them preach and teach and occupy pulpits.
pastor and occupy offices in the church. So many of them turn
away and they fall away. We've seen it. It's heartbreaking,
it's sad, isn't it? They depart from the faith. This
makes it clearer and clearer to me every day that salvation
is of the Lord. Will you also go away? Oh, thank
God. If you can say, I've got no place
else to go. It's a work of God. and a miracle
of his grace. It's a work that only God performs.
A man cannot create within himself a new heart. A man cannot give
himself a new nature, but God can. A man cannot make himself
born again, but God can. This is what Jonah learned. He
learned it the hard way. Jonah 2 at 9, salvation is of
the Lord. Jonah knew he got himself into
that mess. But he knew only God could get
him out. Only God could get him out. Jesus Christ is the only
name God has given under heaven whereby we must be saved. Because
only he, that is Christ, has trod the winepress of God's wrath,
and he did it alone. He by himself purged our sins. The Father gave his Son, and
the Son gave himself, and by himself, we read this in Hebrews
1 and 3, He purged our sins. No one aided Him in that mighty
work of redemption. No. He by Himself entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for
us. God made Jesus Christ to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. One is as certain as the other.
Was Christ made sin? then all those for whom he was
made sin will be made the righteousness of God in him. What did Christ
do? He purged our sins. What does
that mean? It means he put them away. It
means he paid for them. It means he affectionately paid
the price. We're redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ, and that blood, the blood of Christ cleanseth
us from all sin. He totally satisfied God's law
and justice on the behalf of his people. God says now, viewing
Christ, I will remember your sins no more. No more. I will separate them as far from
you as the east is from the west. I will cast them into the depths
of the sea. I will cast them behind my back. I will remember
them again no more. Christ himself purged our sins. You know, the Catholic Church
has included in all their other lies A doctrine of purgatory. I guess that's a halfway house.
A man dies, he's not quite good enough for heaven, but he's not
quite bad enough for hell, so he goes to a halfway house until
the priest, after giving enough money to, will pray him out. There's no such thing as purgatory.
There is not a letter, not a word in the word of God about that.
No such thing. A believer's purging is right
here. Here is where our sins were purged.
He purged our sin. He purged them. He did it by
himself. He purged all of our sins, the
past, the present, the future, all of them he purged, he put
away. Here's Parton full of sins that's past. It matters not how
black they're cast. And oh, my soul, with wonder
of you, for sins to come, here's Parton too. Who did that? Christ himself. all alone walked
the winepress of God's wrath. Someone put it this way. The
royal bath in which black souls are washed white was drawn from
the blood of Christ. The royal banquet of mercy was
served up by one host, the Lord of Glory. He's the Redeemer who
by himself, without you, without me, without church, without anyone,
purged our sins. Therefore, in light of that,
Who can lay anything to the charge of God's at lay? God justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ
died. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
son, is an effectual atonement, a sin offering for sacrifice
and for cleansing. Where is he now? Hebrews 1 and
3 after he purged our sins we read he sat down. When he had
by himself purged our sins he sat down at the right hand of
the majesty in heaven on high. He sat down. What does that mean? It means the work of redemption
was complete. Finished. It means Christ offered
himself to God and it means God accepted the sacrifice. He accepted
the atonement Christ made on behalf of his people. Now God
can be just in justifying a sinner. On the grounds of justice satisfied,
God is now faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins. In the light of Christ being
made sin for his people, God declares of all those whose sins
Christ bore in his own body on the tree, deliver his soul from
going down to the pit. Why? How? I found a ransom. I found a ransom. From hence,
this is one of Toplady's old hymns. From whence this fear
and unbelief Has not the Father put to grief His spotless Son
for me? And will the righteous judge
of men Condemn me for that debt of sin Which Lord was charged
to thee? Complete atonement thou hast
made, And to the utmost farthing paid, What e'er thy people owed,
How then can wrath on me take place, If sheltered in his righteousness
and sprinkled with his blood. If thou hast my discharge procured,
and freely in my room endured the whole of wrath divine, payment
God cannot twice demand, first at my bleeding surety's hand,
and then again at mine. As he told that mob in the garden,
if it's me you seek, here I am, take me, but you've got to let
my sheep go. If you take me, my sheep has
to go free. Here's the last question. How
can a sinner know him, know him, win him, and be found in him? You remember when Paul and Silas
was in Philippi, and they were in prison, thrown in jail for
preaching the gospel. Remember there was an earthquake
and the prison doors just flew open, and the jailer assumed
all the prisoners had escaped, and he was responsible for them.
He would have to answer for them, so he was just going to commit
suicide. And Peter, or I'm sorry, Paul shouted out, don't hurt
yourself, no need to do that, we're all here. And the jailer
came trembling, trembling, fell down before them, and said, sirs,
what must I do to be saved? What must I do to be saved? And
Paul and Silas gave one answer, one answer. Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy house. Look what grace has done. Look
what the grace that is in Christ Jesus does. And the jailer took
them, that is Paul and Silas, the same hour of the night, and
washed their stripes and was baptized. How about that? Was
baptized. He in all his straight way. And
when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before
them and rejoiced, believing God with all of his house. There
sat another trophy, of that one who is able to save to the uttermost
all that come unto God by him. Remember what he said, other
sheep I have, which are not of this foal, them also I must bring. My, so what encouragement those
words are. What incentive, reason to preach
the gospel, to continue to preach the gospel to many or few, to
all those God opens a door and gives you opportunity to do so.
Why? Because other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring. I must bring. I will bring them to myself in
time. I'll draw them to myself. I will
keep them. I'll preserve them. And then
I'll bring them all the way to glory. Them also I must bring. For the Son of Man is come to
seek and to save. that which was lost. Thank God
that Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is a successful Savior. He does the seeking and He does
the finding and He does the saving. He does it all. Knowing Him,
knowing Him is the only thing that prepares a sinner when they
leave this world to stand before God, to meet God. Not His work,
but the work of Christ on his behalf. Another hymn, and we'll
wrap this up. Not what my hands have done can
save my guilty soul. Not what my toiling flesh has
borne can make my spirit whole. Not what I feel or do can give
me peace with God. Not all my prayers and sighs
and tears can bear my awful load. Thy work alone, O Christ, can
ease this weight of sin. Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
can give me peace within. Thy love to me, O God, not mine,
O Lord, to thee, can rid me of this darkened rest and set my
spirit free. And every sinner that believes
on Jesus Christ has everlasting life and shall never come into
condemnation. By that faith, which is the gift
of God, every believer can join Old Simeon when he said, Lord,
let me die. Lord now let us thy servant depart
in peace according to thy word for my eyes have seen thy salvation. Matthew Henry said this on that
verse he said what a poor thing does this world look to what
a poor thing does this world look to one that has Christ in
his arms and salvation in his eye. Those that have welcomed
Christ may welcome death like Simeon A child of God departs
in peace, peace with God, because being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now may we
remember Christ who made peace with God through us and put his
peace in us. Thy word alone, O Christ, thy
work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin. Thy blood
alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within. Now the God
of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Amen. God bless you. Thank you
for your attention.