When you turn back to Philippians
chapter 3, our text will be verse 9. I love these words. These
three words that we're going to take from verse 9 to serve
as our text are these, found in him, found in him. That pretty well sums up the
hope of a believer, isn't it? That's what salvation is, not
to be found in the church or found in the water. or found
in the doctrine, oh, but to be found in Him." That was Paul's
desire. He didn't want anything more
than that, to be found in Christ. Nothing else, nothing less, nothing
more, nothing better. There's nothing better for a
child of God. There's nothing better for a
sinner in this world to know, to be by the sweet assurance
God gives a believer by His Holy Spirit, to know that they're
in Christ Jesus. They're found in him. In verses
5 and 6, we read what Paul renounced. What he renounced. What he once
trusted in. Let's read them again. Verse
5. Circumcised the eighth day. What
a pedigree. What a pedigree. Of the stock
of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and Hebrew of the Hebrews as
touching the law of Pharisee. Concerning Zio, persecuting the
church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless,
blameless. Paul went on, and we'll read
that also again in a moment, and renounced all that. He threw
it all aside, just threw it all down. When I was looking this
over yesterday and thinking about it and reading those verses,
what Paul said he did with all those things that he once trusted
in, once relied in, once thought that he was pleasing God by doing,
weaving that robe of self-righteousness, and thought all the time that
surely God will accept him, his own righteousness. And then Paul
says he found something better, and he cast it all aside. It
reminded me of old blind Bartimaeus. Remember him? Remember him? And
I like Mark's account, Mark chapter 10, Can you just picture this
poor, blind beggar? I wonder how many days, I suppose
his whole life, until he began sitting there by the entrance
into Jericho, his whole life long, just begging, begging,
somebody help me. I'm a beggar, I'm poor. He sat
there in his rags. That's a picture of you and me
by nature, wasn't it? In Mark chapter 10, verse 46,
and they came to Jericho. Oh, here's a day like none other.
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming to Jericho. He won't be there
long. He's just passing through. Because
in the very next phrase there in verse 46, we read, and he
went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number
of people. Blind Bartimaeus, the son of
Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that
it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out. Oh, that my
sons and daughter and grandchildren would do this. Began to cry out. Oh, if they saw their need, they
would. Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged
him, be quiet. He doesn't have time for you,
Bartimaeus. Just hold your peace. He doesn't
have time for you. But he cried so much the more. So much the more. Easy for them
to say, hold your peace. They weren't poor. They weren't
blind. Bartimaeus felt, had a need. And he knew that only Christ
could meet that need. He cried so much the more. Thou
son of David. Obviously he had heard of Jesus
of Christ. He addressed him as the son of
David. Have mercy on me. And looky here. Lo and behold. Jesus stood still. Isn't that
a marvelous picture of His grace and mercy? Jesus stood, He's
on His way to Jerusalem. He's on His way to do what His
Father gave Him to do. He's on His way to lay down His
life for His sheep. He's there to bring in an everlasting
righteousness. He's going to satisfy divine
justice. It wouldn't be long after this
that He would cry the song of the victor that He was. It is
finished, but yet, yet, on the way to do that great work that
only he could do, that work that he was set aside before the foundation
of the world to do, he hears the cry of one poor blind beggar,
bam, he stops dead in his tracks. He always does, doesn't he? And
Jesus stood still, he stood still, and commanded him, that is, commanded
that Bartimaeus be called And they called the blind man and
said to him, be of good comfort. Be of good comfort. Cheer up,
Bartimaeus. Guess what? He's calling for
you. He's heard your cry. Can you
imagine that scene? Can you imagine the hope that
was filling the heart of blind Bartimaeus? There he sat, blind,
begging for help. Oh, but this day, as we say,
was like none other. Why? Because Jesus of Nazareth
was passing by. Aren't you thankful? Billy Cobb,
aren't you thankful that Jesus of Nazareth one day in his mercy
and grace came to where you were. You of all people. He came to
where you were. Like blind Bartimaeus was physically,
we were spiritually. Just dirt poor. Poor beggars. And we had nothing to pay. We
owe the debt to God Almighty. And we had nothing to pay. But
the very embodiment of God's rich grace was passing by at
that very moment. Can you picture that? Jesus Christ,
the Word made flesh. He that was in the beginning
with God, was God, hath made everything that is made. That
word was made flesh and dwelt among his people for a little
while. That very day, that very moment, he was passing by, lo
and behold, of all people, blind Bartimaeus. This wasn't no perchance. This wasn't no accident. All
this was deliberate. The Son of God came there just
as surely as he said, I must needs go through Samaria. I've
got a sheep there. I've got a sheep. The one that
the Father put in my hands is there and I've come to seek and
to save my people. And he still does. Bless his
name, he still does. I wonder, but he won't let me
go. He finds me. He finds me. Oh, we may fall,
but bless God we cannot fall away because underneath us are
the everlasting arms. They always catch us. They always
bring us back into the fold. Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy
upon me. Hmm. Barnabas sat there in darkness,
and the light of the world was passing by. He sat there in his
poverty, in his rags, and he who was in the embodiment of
God's rich grace was then and there passing by. No wonder he
cried out when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth began
to cry for mercy. As we mentioned, the reason.
That sinners don't do the same thing when they hear the glorious
gospel of the blessed God. The gospel that declares God
saves sinners. That gospel that says Jesus Christ
is able to save to the uttermost every sinner that comes unto
God by him. There's not a sinner so far gone. There's not a sinner so far buried
beneath the load of his sin that the alm of omnipotent mercy can't
reach down and lift him up. Look what he did to the man who
wrote these very words. from whom we took our text, that
is Saul of Tarsus. Jesus, thou son of David, have
mercy upon me. Oh, if they would cry for mercy,
they would find mercy. Was there ever a sinner, was
there ever a sinner who cried for mercy who didn't find it?
Ever? No, never was, never was. Like
that old song we sometimes sing, Oh, pass me not, oh gentle Savior. You remember? Remember that?
Remember when that was the only thing that mattered to you? Something
happened. You didn't understand it, you
couldn't explain it, but something happened. Jesus Christ came your
way. He got you lost before you were
just fine. You loved this world, lived in
this world, was satisfied in this world, and was going to
get all you could give. Didn't want anything else. This
is all that mattered. And then suddenly, suddenly,
somehow, you lost your taste for it. Something came over you. What was it? It was His grace.
It was the touch of the Master's hand. And He got you lost. And now, oh, what a change. Pass
me not was now your cry. Pass me not, O gentle Savior.
You never thought that way before, did you? Hear my humble cry while
on others thou art calling. Do not pass me by. If you pass
me by, I'm a goner. Let me at a throne of mercy find
a sweet relief. Kneeling there in deep contrition,
help my unbelief, trusting only in thy merit. would I seek thy
face, heal my wounded, broken spirit, save me by thy grace. Savior, Savior, hear my humble
cry. That's what Bartimaeus was doing.
While on others thou art calling, do not pass me by. Do not pass me by. And here you have another instance
of the Lord Jesus Christ always hearing the cry The heartfelt
cry of a real sinner. There's no question about the
Lord's power to save. His arm's not shortened that
He cannot save. No, His ear's not heavy that
it cannot hear. It heard Bartimaeus did. He heard
you and I. But when a true sinner cries
for mercy, they always find it. It always produces this result.
Jesus stands still. Jesus stands still. And they
said, Bartimaeus, you can cheer up now. Jesus is waiting for
you. He's calling for you. He's heard
your cry. He's standing still waiting for
you to be brought to him. And we read in verse 50 there
in Mark 10, and he, that is Bartimaeus, casting away his garment. That's
a picture of what Paul did. What those things that were once
counted Precious to him, he says, now, compared to Jesus Christ
and his righteousness, my righteousness is just dumb, and Paul just flung
it aside. Casting away his garment of self-righteousness,
as Bartimaeus did here, he rose and came to Jesus. He cast aside
his garment. That's what Paul said. Look in
verse 7 and 8 here in Philippians 3. But, but, what happened, Paul,
when Jesus Christ came to you? When he turned the light on,
when he revealed to you who you really were, what you really
were, and who he is, what happened, what things were gained to me,
those I counted lost were Christ. Yea, that was I count all things
lost. For the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but done, that I may win Christ. He let loose of his robe of self-righteousness. He cast it aside just like Bartimaeus
did his rag. And he laid hold of the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. A couple years ago I was preaching
up in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where Brother Carol Poole is
pastor. Brother Darwin Pruitt and I were
preaching together there. And Darwin told the story, if
I remember right, Now, this may be wrong, but I think Darwin
said that it was Marvin Stoniker's father owned a restaurant there
in Louisiana. I got Robin shaking her head,
so I feel better. I'm right. If she says I'm right,
I'm right. But owned a restaurant, and there
was a family there, and they were getting ready to leave.
But this little boy, four or five years old, he had him a
big ear of corn, just soaked in butter, just dripping in butter.
And he was a mess. And they were trying to get him
to lay that ear of corn down so they could wipe him off and
get out of there and he wouldn't let go. He had a death grip on
that thing and they begged and they pleaded and he just wouldn't
let it go. And I think Darvin's daddy told the story, he came
over and said, would you mind if I tried something? And they
said, well sure, we need some help. So he reached in his pocket
and pulled out a Hershey bar. He knelt down in front of the
little boy and said, I'll give you that Hershey bar you let
go of that corn for that. It was gone. It was gone. Paul said, when I saw my own
righteousness, in comparison to the righteousness of Jesus
Christ, I let it go. I dropped it. It's done. And
now, Paul, what do you have now? Oh, I have what my works could
never produce. Now I'm clothed in the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Paul says, and now that's all
I want. I want to be found in Christ. Several things. And we won't
be long. I know it's warm. To be found
in Christ, as Paul tells us here, is to be found in the place of
perfect righteousness. Perfect righteousness. There's
a righteousness provided for sinners in Jesus Christ, and
it's complete, and it's perfect. And Paul says, I'll tell you
this, it's not my own righteousness. It's not my own righteousness.
To him, the only righteousness which availed was one which was
not his own, but had its source in and was imparted by God. God will only accept what God
himself provided. Isn't that what Abraham told
Isaac? Isaac, don't worry, God will provide himself a sacrifice. Remember when Adam fell and his
eyes were open and he heard the voice of God and he hid himself
and he sewed big leafs together to try to cover his shame, his
sin, his nakedness? In verse 7 of Genesis 3 we read,
and the eyes of them both were open and they knew that they
were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together
and made themselves righteous, made themselves aprons. It's
a picture of self-righteousness. That's what Paul once did. That's
what every sinner, apart from God's grace, attempts to do.
We're trying to do the same thing our daddy Adam did in the garden. Sew fig leaves together to hide
our shame and our sin, but it won't work. By our good deeds,
we hope to weave a fig leaf robe of self-righteousness. By moral
life, by religion, by religion, we thought that we would be accepted
by God. That's just our nature. That's
just our nature. It's human nature, fallen nature,
that makes us believe we can do, by our own works, by our
own effort, robe of weather rather weave a robe of self-righteousness
in which we can appear accepted before God and God looks at it
all, all of it, all of it, put it all in a pile together and
God looks at it and says, filthy rags, it's a stench in my nostrils,
get it away from me, filthy rags. Paul said concerning his brethren,
oh how he could identify with them because he was once in the
very same boat. Brethren, My heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is they might be saved. Oh, and so do
we. Our heart's desire and prayer
is for our children, our family, our friends, is they might be
saved. But oh, so many of them are in
this category. They have a zeal of God, but
not according to knowledge. They're ignorant. They're ignorant
of God's righteousness. And they go about to establish
their own righteousness, having not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God. And God says of it all, healthy
rice. It's not enough. I won't accept
it. I can't accept it. I can't accept
it. Why? Because it must be perfect. It must be perfect to be accepted. You remember what God did in
that story? In Genesis 3, we read this. Unto Adam also and
to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skin. God made
coats of skin and God clothed them. God clothed them. Those
coats of a sacrificed animal are a picture of Jesus Christ
who was sacrificed for us. And God clothing them with those
skins is a picture of a sinner robed in the perfect righteousness
of Jesus Christ. And God says, now that's acceptable.
That's acceptable. With that, I am well pleased.
A sinner robed in the righteousness of Christ, when hearing that
it must be perfect to be accepted, when God declares it must be
perfect to be accepted, he's not fearful. He can look back
and say, it is. It's perfect. Oh, what did the
hymn writer say? With his holy garments on, as
holy as God's own Son. The prophet said, I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord. And my soul shall be joyful in
my God. For he hath clothed me, he clothed
me, with the garments of salvation. He's covered me with the robe
of righteousness. That's the best robe. That's
the robe that the Father said concerning the prodigal son to
put it on him. Bring forth the best robe. The
best robe. God the Father puts the best
robe upon his children, upon his elect, upon his redeemed,
upon his called. The best robe. the righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, he's covered me with the
robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decketh himself
with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. When he shall come with trumpet
sound. People think that's a fairy tale, don't they? When he shall
come with trumpet sound. Oh, we've heard that all of our
life. Oh, but when he shall come with trumpet sound. when time
shall be no more. Oh, may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before
the throne. To him who is able to keep you
from falling and to present you without fault before the throne
of God, to him be glory, majesty, and power both now and forever. To be found in Christ is to be
found in that place, the only place where God accepts the The
only place. There's only one place where
God Almighty will meet with a sinner, will accept a sinner, will receive
a sinner, and that's in His Son. Nowhere else. Not in the church,
but in Christ. Not in what, but in whom. What
a joy, what a comfort it must have been to the apostle. The
same man who wrote the words of our text. When he sat in prison,
and he knew the time of his departure was at hand, He could almost
hear the footsteps of the executioner coming to the cell to take him
out. And he said, Timothy, I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed. I'm ready to depart. I'm ready
to go to be with Christ, because I know what I have believed,
Timothy. No, that's not what he said. I know whom. How precious
will that grace appear. I know whom I have believed,
and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've
committed unto him against that day. In Christ there's acceptance. How accepted is a believer? How accepted does God Almighty
that demands perfection accept the believer? As accepted as
Christ himself is. Now how about that? No wonder
Paul said, I want to be found in him. Could we be more accepted
than that? Could we be better accepted than
that? Wouldn't God have to reject His
Son to reject anyone that's in His Son? He would have to get
His Son first before He got to man. And that would never happen. Oh, I love this old hymn. That's
why I quote it so often. In the Beloved, God's marvelous
grace calls me to dwell in this wonderful place. God sees my
Savior, and then He sees me, in the beloved, accepted, accepted
and free. When I was about eight years
old, I think it was, my father worked in the coal mines that
shut down. So he went to Ohio, Youngstown,
Ohio, and got a job. And in a while, he sent and brought
us up there. Man, you talk about feeling out
of place. They made fun of how I talked. I never did feel comfortable. I felt out of place. I thought
they talked funny. They mocked me, made fun of me.
I was never so happy. Five years later, we moved back
to West Virginia. I was comfortable then. I was
in my surroundings. Oh, how comfortable it is. I can't find words to tell you. You know what I mean. You there
in Christ Jesus, you know what I mean. Oh, how comfortable it
is to be found in here. to be accepted in Him, to know
that God sees my Savior and then He sees me in the Beloved, accepted
and free. Possessing Christ, we possess
all spiritual blessings that are in Christ. You get Christ
and you get everything. You get Christ and you have everything
God has to give for a sinner. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all A-L-L-R. That leaves nothing out. That
means we like nothing. All spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ. In having Christ, we have all
things in Christ. All that is, every possible blessing
for time, as long as life shall last, it won't stop then. Oh
no, then we'll have a greater awareness of those blessings
when we open our eyes in glory. And so should we ever be with
the Lord. All blessings for time and eternity. That leaves nothing out. That
means we lack nothing. We're complete. We're complete
in Christ. If we're in Christ, we have to
be complete. Because it pleased God that in
him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Therefore,
ye are complete in him. O dear Savior, when before thy
bar all tribes and tongues assembled are, among thy chosen will I
be, at that, at thy right hand, complete in thee. Accepted while
we live, Accepted when we die, accepted when we stand before
God, because we're accepted in to be loved and that never changes. That never changes. Nothing that
happens. Oh, time and decay, all change
and decay. All around I see, everything's
changing. Oh, my soul, daily, daily. Oh,
but Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and forever, he never
changes. If I'm accepted in Christ today,
I will beat him no matter what. I can't mess this up. Oh, bless
his name, I can't mess it up. Nevertheless, Peter wrote in
the second epistle, nevertheless, we according to his promise look
for new heavens and a new earth where he dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent
that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless. Again, Colossians chapter 1 verse
21, and you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now had he reconciled in the body
of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable
and unreprovable in his sight. Yea, justified, O blessed thought,
and sanctified, salvation wrought. Thy blood hath parted and bought
for me, and glorified I too shall be. But of Him, of Him, that
is of God, this is God's doing. He provides the robe of righteousness
and He puts it on. But of Him are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God has made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption. Of Him, God's work. And God's
doing, God's providing, God does it all. Salvation is of the Lord.
And every needy sinner will say, oh, I'm glad it is. I'm so thankful that it is. Here's
the third thing. To be found in Christ is to be
in that place, the only place of no condemnation. No condemnation. Romans 8 and 1. There is therefore
now Right now. Child of God, now. No matter
what. No condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus. Just as that manslayer fled to
the city of refuge, that avenger of blood was on his heels. As
long as he was outside the city of refuge, he was liable to be
destroyed, be put to death, be caught. Oh, but once he entered
into that city of refuge, he couldn't be touched. He couldn't
be touched, even so, being in Christ Jesus, we can't be touched. God's satisfied, there's no condemnation,
right now, whether you feel like it or not. And much of the time
we don't. No matter where now may find
you. Now may find you weeping, may find you burdened, may find
you cast down, may find you like Paul. Before he wrote these blessed
words in Romans 8 and 1, there is therefore now no condemnation. He had just said, he had just
said previous to that, almost in the same breath, O wretched
man that I am, everything I do, everything I think, everything
I touch, every act of worship, everything is mixed with sin.
O wretched man that I am, who's going to deliver me? And in the
next breath, he says, there's no condemnation. All that is
true, but there's still no condemnation. Yes, we may be cast down, but
we'll never be cast out. We'll never be condemned. Why?
Because in the Beloved, how safe my retreat. In the Beloved, accounted
complete. Who can condemn me? Who is He
that condemns me? It is God that's justified. Who
can condemn me? In Him I am free. Savior and
Keeper forever is He. Romans 8 begins with stating
the happy condition of a believer. In Christ Jesus there's no condemnation
and it ends with no separation. No condemnation and no separation. There's nothing that can prevent
a child of God from going home to the Father's house. Nothing. He closes with the challenge
of all created power. Anything in Paul's day, anything
that might be in the future, Paul says, I challenge anything
to separate a child of God from the love of God that's in Christ
Jesus, it's not gonna happen. Hear the captain of our salvation.
Hear our great high priest that's now passed into the heavens and
appearing in the presence of God for us. Listen to this. Father,
Father, oh, he always hears The prayers of his son. Father, I
will that they also whom you've given me be with me where I am. My soul. Those loved ones that you
miss so terribly, oh think about where they are. Where Christ
is. They're with Christ. Need to
say any more? They're with Christ. They're
beholding the king and his beauty. We've seen so many, haven't we?
Go to be with the master. Oh, they're with him. Father,
I will that those whom you gave me be with me where I am that
they may behold my glory. Oh, that will be glory for me.
Which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation
of the world. Who's going to prevent that from
happening? Who can stop that? Why would
that not be realized? Oh, this is the will of Him that
has His way all the time, everywhere with everyone. He wills that
His people be with Him. That's why He said, I'm going
away to prepare a place for you. If it wasn't true, I wouldn't
be telling you this. You can count on this. And if
I go and prepare that place, I'm going to come and get you
and take you back to that place. So shall we ever be with the
Lord. Last of all, to be found in Christ
is to be assured of this, we've already touched on it, a place
in heaven, in everlasting glory. When that time comes when all
mankind are brought before the throne of a thrice holy God,
and this is taking place, this is taking place, I saw a great
white throne, And him that sat on it, from whose face the earth
and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for
them. And I saw the dead, small and
great, the great men, the celebrities, stand before God. And the books
were opened, and another book was opened, another book was
opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books according
to their works. And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it. And death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them. And they were judged every man
according to their works. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire. What unspeakable joy, can you
imagine? What unspeakable joy it will
be in the heart of those who at that very moment are found
in Him. And hear Him say to them, His
sheep, His elect, His redeemed, His called, His chosen, enter
into joy, prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Oh, how secure. I told you about when I was a
boy being caught out after dark and living in the last house
up at Holla and just being scared to death walking up that thing
after dark. I was sure every rustle of a leaf was a werewolf
going to get me. But then when I got home and
went up to my room and mom came up and tucked me in and put that
old blanket down around me, I wasn't scared anymore. I wasn't scared
really. I was home. I was safe. And when all mankind are ushered
in the presence of God, And men are being cast out, even those
who said, Lord, Lord, we did everything, we did all these
in your name. And he says, I don't know, you depart from me. Oh,
what a joy it will be for this sinner to be found in him, to
be found in him. When he shall come with trumpet
sound, oh, may I then in him be found, dressed in his righteousness
alone, faultless to stand before the throne. Giving thanks unto
the Father, which hath made us meet, This is Colossians 1 and
12. Made us meet, that means fit,
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, and had
delivered us from the power of darkness, and had translated
us into the kingdom of his dear son. Fit, deserving, meet. It's fit that the redeemed should
be with Christ in glory. It's right, it's right to be
with Christ. Me and Bobby exchanged a few
texts yesterday. She always encourages her pastor.
She always comments on the book. Just always. And Bobby said,
oh Larry, it is indeed a fact that the greater our trials,
the more we need Christ. I think it was old Spurgeon said,
oh I have a great need of Christ and I have a great Christ for
my need. The more we need Christ every hour, oh how I need that. We just don't get stronger. We
get more dependent upon him alone and I thought that's good. That's
good. Oh yes, we never outgrow our
need of grace, do we? Oh, to be found in Him. That's good. If ye then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ
setteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life
is here with Christ in God. When Christ, not if Christ, but
when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then should ye
also appear with him, with him, with him, oh that's heaven, with
him in glory. Our head is there, our home is
there, our treasure is there, our hope is there forever and
soon, soon by his grace we'll be there with him also in glory. Thank God for that grace that
enables a sinner to be found in him. God bless you, thank
you for your teach.