That I Might Know Him Phil 3+4 — Phil Beach Jr.

Knowing Christ Above Earthly Attainments

Philippians, Philippians chapter 4. In Philippians chapter 3, Paul just began to explain how in his own personal life, knowing Jesus Christ was more important to him than all his fleshly attainments. Now if you go to chapter 3 beginning in verse 1 or beginning in in verse number 4 through verse number 6, Paul describes all of his earthly attainments as a Pharisee.

And he lets the Philippians know that in his inner heart all of those earthly attainments and all of the things, now listen carefully, for which men would praise him for. In comparison in knowing Jesus, they are trash.

Dung. One translation says. May I suggest this morning, beloved, that such a posture of considering everything in comparison in knowing Christ to be trash, such a hard posture is God's will, not just for the mighty Apostle Paul, but for the little nobody called Mike and Phil.

For us little nobodies, whose name will never become like that of Apostle Paul, or D. L. Moody, or Charles Finney, or John Calvin, or any of the great men of God through the ages. No, it's not just for them that God has allotted that they would come to the place where before thousands of people they would say, Beloved, God has caused my soul to abhor all of my earthly accomplishments that I might know him, and in comparison to the knowing of him, all of these are but dung.

We would look at the great men of old, Wesley, Peter, James, John, all of them write down John Huss, and say, Wow! What a spiritual person! But beloved, may I say that God wants us nobodies to begin to recognize the bliss.

I say bliss because I know of no other word the bliss, the utter heavenly ecstasy of being free, free to say nothing else matters to me, nothing. My money, my job, God can take it for us. Because he can't take from me the desire to know Jesus Christ.

My family, how many have had families being shaken the past few years? Relationships and families. But oh beloved, there's an anchor for the soul in such a dilemma, and that is, it doesn't matter. Let him take it.

I want Jesus Christ, and knowing that he will never leave me nor forsake me, knowing that he will be the lover of my soul and speak to me and comfort me, I will stand by his grace. That's what Paul was saying, beloved.

Surrendering Personal Gain to the Lordship of Christ

Verse 7, chapter 3, but what things were gained to me, that is, everything that somehow wrought for me some kind of a personal advantage. How much is our life wrapped around seeking those things that in some way personally profit us?

Is there anything wrong with that? Well, you let God tell you. In some cases, no. In some, yes. What God are you serving? The God of salary. What God are you serving? The God of ensuring a good retirement.

Depends. Only God knows the heart. And beloved, if you're one of his, and you have prayed the prayer, Lord be the, if you've said Jesus be the Lord of all, I guarantee he's gonna put his finger on every area of your life.

So when it happens, don't be troubled. Just hold tight. He's seeking to be the Lord of all. So that's the context that we're dealing with. And then Paul, after he described, listen, after he described the holy aspiration that was wrought in him to know Christ, to want to know him more than anything, he projected that on the true church, hoping that that would spread throughout the whole church, and that a whole bunch of little Pauls would run around saying, I don't care, but that I might know Jesus.

Rejecting Gossip and Seeking Holy Fire

Paul said, that's good fire. We got a lot of gossip in the church today, and that's fire, but you know the Bible says in James, that's hellfire. That's hellfire. I don't know about you, but I don't want any hellfire in church.

I want holy ghost fire. How about you? A lot of Christians are being consumed by fire, but it's not the fire that comes from above. It's the fire that comes from hell, and it's consuming and tearing up relationships, and festering all kinds of feelings of envy, and jealousy, and contention, and I say away with it.

Repent. Turn from it, because it'll destroy. But the fire, burning in the soul, that causes you to say, oh Lord, nothing but thy will. Now Lord, I know what that's going to mean. It might mean this, and that, and this, but nevertheless, you will become my refuge, and I will find strength in you, but that's the fire we need.

Warning Against False Teachers and Greed

Then in verse 17, chapter 3, Paul begins to deal with a group of people that were mingling into the church, who didn't share this one goal of knowing Jesus Christ, but were spots in the love feast. They were there mingling in.

Listen, they were sowing a different spirit into the heart of people. The great apostle Paul was saying, you people love God with all your heart. These phonies were mingling in. You know, there's a way you can get rich, by serving Jesus.

Verse 17, brethren, be followers together of me, and mark, the Greek word for mark there is set, oh I forgot, to set a noticeable sign upon. To set a noticeable sign upon. Now watch, mark them which walk so as ye have for us as an example.

In other words, Paul was saying, listen, make sure you know everyone in the church that is reflecting the same kind of example that I reflected to you. And you know what that example was? Love God with all your heart.

Don't let covetousness get into your life. Don't let greed get a hold of you. Don't begin to see how you can personally profit by using Jesus as a means for financial gain. Don't do any of that stuff.

You walk as pilgrims and sojourners in this world. You stay spotted, and you stay completely free from being contaminated by the damnable ideologies of this world. You stay as little lambs before God.

You let the love of God grow in your hearts. You be faithful, earn a buck. If God does give you the power to make money, then you make sure that you don't get covetous, but you use it in order to help those that don't have.

That was Paul's example. Don't take advantage of people, but there is a group in there. Verse 18, For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping. They are enemies of the cross of Christ.

The Cross as Forgiveness and Crucifixion of the Old Life

Listen, what does the cross of Christ mean to the Christian? Number one, the place where our sins are forgiven. Number two, the place where we are nailed. That is our old life. Our old man is crucified with Christ, Paul said.

So not only does the cross of Christ mean the place where we can say, Hallelujah! God forgave my sins on Calvary, now I'm going to go my merry old way. No. No. The cross of Christ is a crisis by which we experience forgiveness of sins, and then a daily crisis by which we are yielding our life to God, losing our old way and our own way in exchange for God's way.

Paul said there were people in that time who were no longer clinging to the old rugged cross, and therefore they were sowing all kinds of wrong spirits and wrong attitudes into the church, which was causing them to think twice.

Well, maybe I don't have to give all my life to Jesus. Maybe he can become second. Let's face it, I'm an important person, and God's not really wanting me to give everything I have to him. Yeah, you're right.

I can float around in the world. Hey, maybe Paul wasn't, that's it, that's it, Paul was an extreme case. It's not like, it's not like that. The majority is not like the minority. That's it. Oh, I feel much better now.

Boy, I don't feel this convicting power, this, my, it's good to be, it's good to be out from under the influence of Paul. That's what these people were doing. They were seducing them. They were taking them from the influence of the Apostles Doctrine and beginning to teach their own versions of the gospel.

Well, the cross of Christ is nice, but it's not everything. It's not? It's not everything? What book are you reading? My Bible tells me the cross of Christ is everything, and without it, we've got nothing.

Earthly-Minded Enemies and the Heavenly Citizenship of Believers

Okay, this is the setting. Paul's warning them. Verse 19, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly. Now, the word belly there is the inner parts, and it can refer to both the natural belly, but allegorically, symbolically, it represents the lower nature, the carnal nature, whose God is their belly.

In other words, the only person that these people are concerned about, it's not the person of Jesus, it's themselves and their own self-interests. Paul said, watch out, watch out, because they talk it real good.

How many read Pilgrim's Progress? He's got a few characters in there that resemble this. Here, now, hey, listen, listen. Don't think we're playing the game where we're pointing at them and making ourselves...

Are you standing? Take heed, lest you fall. I'm applying this to me. I hope you're applying it to you. Whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. Our conversation is in heaven. Now, see, the believer takes up a new residence.

Oh, my. Set your things, set your mind on things above. Just saw my watch. That's got to be wrong. That is our way of... The word conversation there, it's not just your talk, it's your lifestyle. Are you living as if you're going to heaven any minute?

From whence we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like it under his glorious body, according to the working, thereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Standing Firm in the Lord and Following Jesus

Now, we have one of those words again, therefore. Remember what we do with the word therefore? Because of the preceding facts, in light of what I just said, that's what the word therefore means. In light of what I just said, listen to what I'm about to say.

That's what the word therefore means. Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand in the Lord, my dearly beloved. Why is he telling them to stand in the Lord? Because he was just explaining some of these deceivers who were shaking him.

Stand fast. Don't get sidetracked. Recognize the central message of Christianity is to follow Jesus Christ and to let him have his way in all your life. And Jesus said, if they hated me, they'll hate you.

Thinking on True, Pure, and Virtuous Things

All right, verse 8, chapter 4. This is what we want to close on. Now he gets to talking back to those whose hearts are right with God. And beloved, let's close on this. The move of God's Spirit was beautiful, but beloved, this is the practical day-by-day way to keep yourself in a right posture before God.

This will ensure that God will begin to possess your mind and your body, which is what he wants. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, now make a mental note of these things or write them down, because society is going to tempt you in everywhere and where you look to transgress this command.

Finally, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, that takes care of 99 of television. Now who's going to argue? Tell me what's honest and pure, unless you might find a good old-fashioned preacher.

Then you sit and go, Amen, brother. You say, now that's, you're getting into personal convictions, brother. I don't see that here. It just simply says true and honest. Okay, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, the word pure there means free from mixture.

Beloved, do you know if you fill your mind and you fill your heart with impure things, it's going to affect you. Whatsoever things are lovely, all that word, you know, the only lovely thing is Jesus, nature, and his people, those who are begotten of him.

If you really get down to it, there's some lovely things, but isn't it lovely to watch fall? How many enjoy breaking the leaves? My kids make big leaves and dive into them. I don't know, but I won't do it.

Whatsoever things are of good rapport, that is, listen to things that are not slanted with gossip, slander, character assassination, good rapport. See? Good rapport. Now, this is the word. If there be any virtue, praise, listen now, think on these things.

Though, that's one, now, all right, there's one category. Think on all these things. Number two, those things which you have both learned and received and heard. So, that means the scriptures, because we can't hear Paul anymore.

So, that refers to whatever in life lines up with verse 8, you can enjoy. Whatever in life lines up with verse 8, you determine that between you and God. Secondly, the Word of God. Those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, while again, we can't see Paul, but we know his life by reading the Bible, do.

And the God of peace shall be with you. That's my closing this morning. Whatever in life is pure and lovely and true and honest and just and virtuous, be involved in, and the Word of God, be involved in, and beloved, the God of peace will be with you.

Amen. God bless each and every one this morning. Oh, nobody go anywhere. We want to just pass out. Let me see, today's Sunday, Monday, 5th, Tuesday, 6, 6 and 7. All right, this is beginning on the 13th of June.

I'm sorry. We're beginning our Bible school classes, November 13th, and the place, the location will be right here in Brotherton Ferry Recital. Yes, thank you. It will be in this building, in room 22, which is right through the door there, where the nursery is.

Tuesday and Thursday, starting a week from this Tuesday from 7 to 9, bring a notebook and bring a pencil. We're going to go through the Bible. Tuesdays will be the Old Testament, Thursdays will be the New Testament.

And I want to just encourage you that we have provided, now we have provided five services weekly, so that those who can't come to some can come to others. Our objective, to teach the Word of God to God's people.

So now you've got five services to choose from. Take advantage of it. God bless you. Want to sing a song?