Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Philippians

Philippians 3:7-11 08/03/03

Introduction: Anyone ever audit a class in school? Auditing is when you sit in a class and listen to the lectures and discussions…but you don’t have to do any of the work or even read the textbooks. You just sit and listen.

Why would someone audit a class? Perhaps because it is an especially tough subject and they want to get a head start for when they  actually take the class for credit and have to read the books and do the course work. But, it means they will have to pay twice for the class. Perhaps not the full amount, but you will still have to pay. This is where a profit/loss comparison comes in handy. Is it worth the extra expense to audit the class or should you save money by taking the class for credit and studying real hard? For some where money is an issue, and lack of confidence in a particular course is perceived, this is an important decision.

Explanation: The same can be said for many who have considered the profit/loss statement of their Christianity and have decided that it is much easier and more convenient to just audit the Christian life.

For them, on the plus side…they are saved and going to heaven. They go through the Christian life, never having to be inconvenienced by studying the text, doing the course work or participating actively in ministry. They may regularly attend worship services but rarely put into practice anything they hear.
 
For them, on the loss side is all the time it will take to truly be a disciple of Jesus and become more like him. But, they also go through the Christian life never knowing the joy and power found by participating in the work of God and living by the Word of God.

Transition: So, what does God’s Word have to say about the Christian’s profit/loss statement? Let’s see.

Phil 3:7  ‘Profit and Loss’
Paul says I have weighed the profit and examined the loss. I have thought about and reflected upon my accomplishments, the things I have done in and with my life. And I have come to this decision…it all means nothing! Nothing I have done, nothing I am now doing, nothing I can ever possibly do will get me what I want.

What did Paul want? To be found righteous before God. That just means he wanted to be in a right relationship with God such that he would gain eternal life in heaven. And isn’t that what we all really want? For God to accept us, love us and welcome us into heaven?

Paul was telling us and the Philippians that being good and in Paul case, being really good, is just not good enough.

Transition: In vs 8-9 Paul expands this discussion about the loses and gains of the Christian life.

Phil. 3:8-9  ‘Loss and Gain’
Paul considers as loss not just what he had already mentioned but everything he could do.
In exchange for what he considered as loss, his life accomplishments and credentials, he gained the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ… personally.

Again, understand that there may not be anything inherently wrong with your life’s accomplishments, religious activities or good works. BUT, Paul was saying when compared to what Christ has already done, everything else is useless. Nothing else compared to knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Not only did Paul gain a personal knowledge of Christ, he said that he had gained Christ. What is that about? Well, knowing we would ask that question, Paul explains when he said in the text ‘and be found in him’. Paul understood that when God now looks at Paul, God sees Christ…because Paul is in Christ…in relationship with him through faith.

And because of that, Paul had gained righteousness. This was what he had tried to work for as a Pharisee. But he came to realize that his own personal attempts at being righteous (right with God) just didn’t work.
He finally understood that it was his relationship with Jesus Christ that provided him with the righteousness of God…a right standing before God.

And it was the righteousness of God, given to him by God through faith in Jesus Christ, that was the foundation for all of Paul’s life. It was Jesus’, not Paul righteousness that would gain him access to heaven.

If you want to  be someone in God’s sight, personal accomplishments won’t get you there. This is whether you are a Christian or not. In fact, they will lead you in the wrong direction.

You will spend your life driven by the anxiety of feeling that you haven’t done enough. You give. You serve. You sacrifice hoping to win God’s acceptance and love. There is never a sense of peace or joy, only a relentless, pressure to try to measure up.

This pursuit of accomplishments has one of two destinations:
 1. You become proud of your own accomplishments and feel you deserve something from God or

 2. You give up on God altogether out of pure frustration.

Transition: So what’s the bottom line for one who wants to be assured of a right relationship with God and  eternal life in heaven?

Phil. 3:10-11 ‘The Bottom Line’
This is so powerful I want to break it up into phrases.

I want to know Christ

What is the greatest desire of the Christian life? Throughout Scripture, the great men and women of God say that their greatest passion is to know God. We sang a prayer, the passion of Davids life…

Ps 42:1 ‘As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for you, O God.’

The greatest desire of a true follower of Jesus Christ is to know God. Every other desire should pale in significance to this one.

But knowing God in Christ is so much more than just reading and studying about him in the Bible. Knowing is a word that describes intimacy, and a close relationship. And the greatest wonder of all is that this kind of intimacy, this kind of relationship is possible with the Creator of the universe.

And the power of his resurrection

Did you know that if you are a Christian you have already been resurrected? Rom. 6 says that we have died with Christ, been buried with Christ and we have been raised with Christ. But that doesn’t mean we experience the power of the Resurrection.

Paul was saying that he wanted to know what it is like to live a resurrected life, to no longer be in bondage to sin. IN fact, he believed he could have victory over sin in his life.

Knowing Christ and the power of his resurrection means you have the power to live in the way God calls you to live…NOW not when you die.

And the sharing of his sufferings

When you live a resurrected life, when you represent Jesus to those around you, you will suffer, as Christ suffered. Resurrection living comes with a cost…the loss of your agenda and the following of God’s will.

By becoming like him in his death if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

As Christ died for sin, we who place our faith in him are to die to sin. And to have the assurance that we too will join Jesus in heaven one day.

Conclusion
Lets get practical.
    Do you sometimes feel defeated as a Christian?
    Do you seem to have no power over your sin?
    Is worship just a duty and personal devotions a drudgery?
    Does God seem distant at times of greatest stress?

Perhaps, just perhaps it is because you know God here (head) but not really here (heart).

Perhaps the knowledge of God has been nothing more than a persistent intellectual pursuit, instead of a passionate love affair from the heart.

You see, when you know Jesus here (heart), then you will also know
     -that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered in to the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.

You see, when you know Jesus here (heart), then you will also know
     -that he has gone to prepare a place for you, and he will come again and receive you unto himself.

You see, when you know Jesus here (heart), then you will also know
     -that until he comes back he is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

You see, when you know Jesus here (heart), then you will also know
     -that he is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.

You see, when you know Jesus here (heart), then you will also know
     -that he will never leave you or forsake you.

What is your spiritual bottom line?

    Is it to do all you can to earn God’s favor, love and acceptance? Or is it to know Christ and trust in his ability to make you right with God?

Let me encourage you to be like Paul and have one, true and holy  passion…to know and follow hard after Christ.