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Letter to Philippians, we're going to pick up where we left off this morning and the question that Pops up from the text that we will be looking at today this evening from verses 4 through 11, hopefully we can cover all of those verses is.
What do you consider as a true gain in life? What would you like to gain in life if you could gain anything in life? What would you consider to be the most precious gain in life? What is it that is really?
Precious and valuable is it position? Possessions, maybe fame reputation recognition family relationships a boyfriend a girlfriend fun fit body Etc, etc. Someone tells a story about a thief who broke into a department store at night.
Instead of stealing the items from the shelves what the thief did he decided to switch the price tags of the items. He took the price tags off of the big-screen TV and put them on ceramic mugs. He replaced the price tags of leather jackets with those of face towels and So on and so on.
When morning came Mass confusion began. Within an hour of the stores opening people were paying $2 for leather jackets $2 ,000 for ceramic mugs. We live in a world where price tags have been changed. They've been swapped.
We're constantly born bombarded with with the false Message of where true value and where true preciousness is found. The world values power. While God values weakness. 2nd Corinthians chapter 12. We value the world values a flashiness while God values meekness.
We value confidence himself while God values humility he values faith in him and. This gets really serious when it comes to our right standing before God when it comes to our eternal destiny our eternity.
It becomes very serious because if you misunderstand where true gain is found What is truly precious when it comes to what is most important in life? And that is our salvation and our right standing before God.
If you get that wrong if you miss where true gain is found at worst you will lose your life for eternity. At best if you keep forgetting where true value is found and what is really precious. You will be deprived of living in the true joy and freedom in Christian life.
So Paul in chapter 3 as we mentioned this morning, he's trying to fuel the joy of the believers in Philippians first he does that by warning them against the counterfeit version of Christianity then he in verse 3 he reassures them about the the real thing what is true Christianity about and.
So he speaks about the false version of Christianity as the one that puts confidence in one's belonging confidence in one's works and confidence in one's Rituals religious rituals. And he says true Christianity is marked by confidence in divine enablement true Christianity is marked by confidence in divine person and True Christianity is marked is characterized by confidence in divine merit.
And so now we're going to move on from verse 4. Let me pray before we read the passage. Father again, we are grateful that we can open your word and we can learn the truth about About you about ourselves about our standing before you we can learn truths about What's really precious in life and father as we do that tonight.
We pray that you would Awaken our minds our hearts that you would help us to be attentive and hungry for the truth of your word. And that again that you would help us not only to be the hearers but also doers of the word.
For your glory in Christ's name. Amen. Let's read verses 1 through 11. Finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and it is safe for you. Look out for the dogs.
Look out for the evildoers. Look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision. We who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also.
If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh I have more circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew of Hebrews as to the law a Pharisee as to zeal a persecutor of the church as to righteousness under the law blameless.
But Whatever gain I had I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for his sake. I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in Order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
Not having the righteousness of my own that comes from the law. But that which comes through faith in Christ the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and that I may know the power of his resurrection and may share his sufferings becoming like him in his death and By any means possible.
That I may attain the resurrection from the dead. So Paul wants us to realize where true value is found as he is done making the contrast between the counterfeit Christianity and the genuine form of Christianity.
Now He is going to explain to the Philippians what is so precious about the genuine understanding of Christianity? What it is? What is it so precious? What makes the gospel and specifically Christ? most more precious than anything else in life.
Especially when it comes to his right standing before God when it comes to his salvation. So in verse 1 we saw that the umbrella theme for chapter 3 is the Philippians joy in the Lord. It is the framework in which Paul writes what he writes and explains what he explains because he wants them.
He wants their joy to be fueled and their joy in the Lord specifically to be fueled. Therefore He is going to talk about the Lord. So in verse 2 he warned them in verse 3 he reassured them and then verses 4 He begins to share his own testimony.
He begins to speak about his own life. About his past gains becoming loss as he found the true gain that is Christ. And as Paul does that as he writes to the Philippians he wants us to realize what true value is.
Where true value is truly found what is it that is more precious in life than anything else. And as he does that he paints another contrast and The contrast is between false gain and true gain. So that you may be reminded of the basis of true Christian joy.
And you may be reminded of what is it that is truly most precious in life. So first in verse 4 Paul begins to speak of his own life in Reference to those who put confidence in the flesh. He says if there's anyone in the world who could put confidence in the flesh.
It is me. Let me share with you about my life in the past and. So in verse 4 he begins to look at his life in the past and point out to the Philippians That if there is anyone who could put confidence in the flesh it is indeed him.
Verse 7 is a hinge on which this whole passage Swings it is the hinge that looks back to verses 4 and 6. But also looks forward to verses 8 through 11 and even verse 14. What proceeds what comes before verse 7 is?
What used to be gain for Paul once? Before he met Christ. But somehow now became worthless. Then what follows verse 7 is an Amplification and clarification of what true gain is for Paul now as he met Christ and he knows Christ.
So in verse 4 we're gonna look at from verse 4 to 6 as realizing the worthlessness of gaining flesh. Because this is really what Paul is trying to emphasize worthlessness of gaining flesh. So he begins to write so he says.
Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh. Also, if anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh I have more and in verse 5 he begins the list of his earthly fleshly prophets Gains that he once considered as gains and he speaks of himself as the one who was circumcised on the eighth day in verse 5.
In other words, he speaks of his inherited privileges and then he also speaks about his personal achievements. He says when it comes to my inherited privileges. I have few to share with you. I Was circumcised on the eighth day.
In other words, I have been given the right ritual. I'm not a proselyte. I was circumcised on the eighth day according to the requirements of the Abrahamic Covenant. Which is laid out for us in Genesis 17.
Specifically verse 12. So I'm not a proselyte. I'm a true Jew. Circumcised on the eighth day, but then he continues not only that I'm of the people of Israel he continues. He says not only I have the right ritual.
I have the right race as well. I'm not. I'm not a proselyte neither. I am from the family of proselytes. It's almost as if he's saying I'm the best of the best. The word here people of Israel is a more precise term referring to a race specifically.
He was from a pure Jewish family. He inherited all privileges of the covenant community. Privileges he enumerates in relation to Israel even after his conversion when he writes to Romans chapter 9 verses 4 5 where he says there's Israel's is the adoption of sons.
There's is the divine glory the covenants the receiving of the law the temple worship and the promises. There's are the patriarchs and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ who is God over all forever.
Praised I am one of them. I Have the right race. I have the right ritual and then he continues. He says I have the right family. I'm of the tribe of Benjamin. I'm a member of a highly esteemed tribe. Proselytes those who were Gentiles but wanted to become Jews.
Proselytes they could only become members of Israel as a whole. But Paul could trace his lineage. He could trace his family. Being of the tribe of Benjamin had at least triple significance. One is that Saul the first king of Israel was of the tribe of Benjamin.
That's first Samuel chapter 9. Benjamin was the only son of Jacob born in the promised land. That's Genesis chapter 35. The tribe of Benjamin was the only tribe that remained loyal to the house of David After the disruption of the monarchy.
Which is described in first Kings chapter 12. I Have the right ritual. I have the right race. I come from the right family and then I have the right upbringing. He mentions he says in verse 5. I'm a Hebrew of Hebrews.
Possibly most likely most commentators agree that what Paul is trying to say here is that he is he was brought up in a way Which allowed him to speak both Hebrew and Aramaic? The term probably refers to Jews who spoke both Hebrew and Aramaic even though being in dispersion and Paul is one of them.
A lot of Jews that were in dispersion day the Hellenist Jews. They didn't even know how to speak Hebrew or Aramaic. They only could speak Greek but poses I am Hebrew of Hebrews. I was brought up in Hebrew tradition.
I can speak Hebrew and I guess I can speak Aramaic. This probably refers to the faithful upbringing that he received in the Jewish culture and the Jewish language and the Jewish religion. He received the best Jewish education under the famous rabbi Gamaliel.
It's described in Acts 26 verses 4 and 5. I Have the right upbringing and then he jumps into those personal achievements of his Continuing in verse 5. He says us to the law. I'm a Pharisee. I Not only have the right ritual.
I do not only come from the right race. Not only from the right family. I and I do not only have the right upbringing. I also Used to have the right position. As to the law a Pharisee in other words Paul followed the law according to the interpretation of the particular school of thought as opposed to how others such as Sadducees or a scenes as they read the law in the first century Pharisee did not mean a hypocrite like it does today.
A Pharisee for the first century Jew was a position of good reputation of a high position in the society. In Acts 26 verse 5 Paul says All Jews in Jerusalem They have known for a long time if they are willing to testify that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee and the word strictest that he uses in the book of Acts is Does not mean most restrictive the word there means most accurate most accurate party of our religion.
Pharisaism as the first central Jewish historian Josephus described it favored older teachers and ancestral tradition extended purity laws and Affirmed Orthodox doctrines that would be rejected by other religious groups Such as resurrection and the final judgment.
It was the most respected school of thought among most Jews and he says I'm one of them. If anyone can boast I can boast and then he says us to zeal a persecutor of the church. That doesn't sound like something to boast about but what I believe that he's saying here is that he's saying I've had the right commitment.
His persecution of the church was an evidence of his zeal for the law and for the traditions which Judaizers were trying to impress upon the Gentile believers and he says I've had the right zeal and my persecuting of the church is a proof for that.
I Believe what he's saying here is that he is like the Phineas in the Old Testament the story described in the book of Numbers chapter 25. There if you might remember the people of Israel began to sleep with the foreign women which then led Israel to the worship of Baal worship of false gods and We read in Numbers 25 that Lord's anger was kindled and the judges of Israel were told to hang the guilty in the midst of the day daylight Sun.
Meanwhile and men came with the foreign women to the camp of Israel and Phineas. They he could not stand this so he grabbed a spear. He went to their tent and killed them both. Then the Lord said that it was Phineas that turned back God's wrath from the camp of Israel.
It was his zeal. For going after those who would be disrupting the true religious The law the Jewish law the Mosaic law. So as to the zeal a persecutor of the church having the right commitment. His persecuting of the church as the sign of his zeal and then he says as to righteousness under the law blameless.
So I've also had the right morality what Paul is saying here. He lived an exemplary life. As one commandator points out. The point here is rather that anyone Interested could have checked the record of Paul and could find that Paul had never been charged with transgressing the law.
Consequently, no one could argue that his conversion to Christianity was attributable to prior failure in his Jewish lifestyle. So what Paul is saying he's saying that my Turning to Christianity is not because I don't have much to put confidence in when it comes to my own Performance.
He says when it comes to my own performance I have all confidence in the world to put confidence in myself. I'm the best of the best. If you want to play the game Judaizers, I win. I Win. I've got it all Come from the best family the right ritual the right race the right upbringing right position right commitment, right?
Morality here was a real giant when it comes to reasons for confidence in the flesh. Here's the Rockefeller and Bill Gates of fleshly gain and then in verse 7 comes this wonderful reversal but Whatever gain I had in reference to the things described above I Counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
I Considered loss. I suffered loss. He says and then later I considered those things as rubbish. Paul tells us that he now regards his previous Assets his gains not merrily as without worth but as positively.
Damaging a spiritual liabilities. As far as to call them rubbish in the process of reevaluation Paul perceived with horror that the things he had Viewed as benefiting him had in reality been working to destroy him because they were binding him to his need.
Blinding him to his need for the real righteousness which God required. But now he's so clearly. Now he begins to describe the true preciousness in life and that is Jesus Christ. Now he's so clearly he was blinded on the road to Damascus, but he wasn't blind anymore.
It is when he was blinded on the road on number two Damascus. This is when he truly saw Reality for what it truly is that there is nothing more precious than Lord Jesus Christ himself. Faced with Christ he saw the foolishness of his past confidence and embraced the new way.
He found a true worth true value Christ in whom all his confidence now was placed. I think of this and I think of many testimonies. That we we do evangelistic camps in in Poland. Try to do them every year and people come non-believers come to those camps.
I remember my mom was one of those camps. She came to me. There would be a testimony someone would share testimony every evening and at the end of the camp. My mother comes to me and she says these are wonderful stories.
I love to hear to those stories in the evenings those testimonies, but it's just all those people. They've hit the bottom their life was really miserable before they came. Before they became believers and she says I don't think that's for me.
Because what my mom was thinking she was thinking my life is not really that miserable. And I think sometimes we might be intimidated by thinking. I don't have such a great testimony. I have not been on the bottom.
I have not been a drug addict. I have not experienced tremendous trouble and suffering in life and Yet here we have Paul who says of all the people in the world I'm probably the biggest success. I have everything I can think of in my life.
I could boast about it and Everything I was successful. So I think it's very comforting for us that the testimony of Lord's grace in our life is never about How better life was or how successful our life might have been.
Christ is not only for those who hit the bottom in their life through different experiences. It is for everyone it is even for those who have been most successful in life. And they think they've gained everything that's precious.
What Paul is saying everything in this world that you might consider as precious is as nothing in comparison to Christ and on the example of that Paul is saying The preciousness of Christ is greater than anything else in this world.
And he begins to describe from verse 8 the worthiness of gaining Christ. So he described the worthlessness of gaining flesh. Now. He begins to talk about the worthiness of gaining Christ. I Like how Silva translates verses 7 to 8 a commentator.
He translates them as never nevertheless. Whatever category of virtues virtues used to be my assets these very things I have learned to consider a loss for the sake of Christ. Let me be clearer. I Continue to consider everything achieved in the flesh to be a loss for the sake of his of the incomparable Value of knowing Christ Jesus my lord it is for his sake that I have willingly Sustained the loss of all things.
Indeed, I consider them no better than done so that I may gain Christ. Every fleshly confidence was destructive to Paul's life in the sight of God. Verse 8. As we move to verse 8 we see that in the center stands verse 8 the sentence.
He counted all things as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Just think about this long sentence that Paul puts there knowing Christ in light of knowing Christ. No in light of its worth of knowing Christ surpassing worth of knowing Christ surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.
Surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my lord in view of the value of knowing Christ. Everything became loss. He gained the right perspective when he saw Christ. He now knew that true gain. He saw reality from the right perspective as I think about there's a tale about a frog on the bottom of the well and the bird on the top of a well discussing what does sky look like and The frog says oh, it's just a small round circle and the bird says you have no idea.
It's vast beyond measure. You cannot see the end of it. You cannot see the beginning it goes forever. Paul gains the right perspective. He saw the true value in life surpassing value worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.
If there's anything worth getting to know it's Christ. If there's anything worth committing ourselves to in life. It's Christ. Christ is the way the truth and the life. Christ is the Lord of Lords. He is the King of Kings.
He is the bread of life. He is the Good Shepherd that lays his life down for the sheep. Christ is the light of the world. He's the resurrection and the life. He is the gate to salvation in Philippians chapter 2 verses 9 to 11.
We read therefore God exalted him Christ in the highest place and gave him name that is above every name. That are the name of Jesus. Every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and Every tongue might acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father in His name there is power in his name.
There's salvation in his name's Demons flee in his name. Prayers are answered for his name. The angels are in readiness to obey his commands to his name water and wind submit. No name will last as long as the name of Jesus.
He is the cornerstone. He's the bread of life. He's the treasure hidden treasure in the field. He is the life. He is the head teacher. He is the Lord of the harvest the rock of our salvation. He's the true witness.
He is the wisdom from God. He is the righteousness from God. He's the sanctification from God. He's the true Lord. He is our true rest. Paul here is like the man from the parable with Jesus told who found a treasure in the field.
But had to get rid of everything in order to get the field with the treasure. But it was worth it. But it was worth it because there was nothing more precious than the treasure, which he found the kingdom of God.
Everything everything seemed as lost in comparison to the treasure. Which he had found for the sinner. Christ is the Lamb of God that takes the sins of the world away. For the Christian. He is the son of the Living God the Savior the Redeemer and the Lord of all.
His name is above every name and his name is Jesus Christ. There is nothing more precious than him. One day every knee will bow before him every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Every atheist every Buddhist Muslim so-called Christian Counterfeit Christian will fail fall before the only true God because all roads lead to God.
All roads lead to the judgment hole. But only one way leads to the throne of grace and that is Jesus Christ. That is why Paul can look at everything in his life and say it is as rubbish in comparison to the worth.
Surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. The true and only gain when it comes to our salvations especially ones are standing before God and our life with God is knowing Christ. And then from verse 8 to 11 Paul begins to describe this threefold reason why Christ is more precious than anything else in life.
He just made it very clear that he is most precious. That there is nothing else and now he is going to tell us a threefold reason why he's going to give us some examples. Why Christ is so precious and it is a threefold reason not three.
Because it's not three reasons from which a Christian must pick and choose. It is really they all come in a package. It's like all-inclusive, you know, it's everything comes together. It's really one reason with three dimensions to it.
It's inseparable from each other. The three things that Paul is going to describe. They're intertwined. It's all three different sides to the same jewel. So Paul closes verse 8 with the assertion that his former gains he considered rubbish and from the end of verse 8 He begins to give reasons why everything in light of Christ was rubbish.
Why having Christ as his Savior and Lord so far surpassed anything that came from his own efforts. That he would be able to attain in his own flesh. I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law.
But that which comes through faith in Christ the righteousness from God that depends on Faith and here Paul's gives us this first dimension of the preciousness of Christ beyond everything else. Because through Christ comes perfect righteousness.
This is what he focuses on from verse 8b till the verse 9 Paul said he counted all things as lost that I may gain Christ. Paul here uses the language of exchange. Language of trade. It was impossible to rely on the former values and at the same time have Christ.
It is one or the other. You must let go of any degree of trust that you place in yourself in order that you may put Christ in the place of your trust. Paul lets go of his own performance because he wants to gain Christ and Be found in him.
He says this really father explains what he meant by the first statement. I Want to gain Christ. That is I want to be found in him as I stand before God one day. I want to be found in Christ. This idea of being in Christ was central to Paul's theology.
He saw every person as being either in Adam or as in Christ. He describes it very clearly in the book of Romans chapter 5 and Paul wants to be in Christ. In Romans chapter 5 we read therefore verses 18 and 19.
Therefore as one trespass Led to condemnation for all men. So one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For us by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners. So by the one man's obedience The many will be made righteous in Romans 3 23 Paul says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
So in Paul is thinking about his life. He wants to be found in Christ. Redemption is in Christ thus Paul wants to be in Christ. Justification is in Christ. Therefore Paul wants to be in Christ and Because of him you are in Christ Jesus.
Paul writes to the Corinthians Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God righteousness and sanctification and redemption. It is interesting because the phrase to be found Really means to be to prove to be it means to prove to be to be shown to be to turn out to be.
So what Paul is saying when I stand before God I want to be. I want to turn out to be not In and of myself not in my own not in my performance not in myself. I want to be found in Christ. I want to be shown to be in Christ.
The idea here is that Paul doesn't want to prove anything anymore by his own performance. He wants to be in Christ. He doesn't want to show off his performance. He wants to be shown to be in Christ on the basis of Christ's performance.
His righteousness because he continues I want to be found in him not having a righteousness of my own. We're looking at verse 9. That comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ. The righteousness from God that depends on faith so he wants to be found in Christ because of the righteousness that comes from Christ and.
And really there are two ways to translate this verse. When it comes to Greek to the original language. There are two ways to look at the faith in Christ where Paul says not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law.
But that which comes either through faith in Christ. But it also may be translated as that which comes through faith of Christ. Faithfulness of Christ the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
No matter how we translate this verse both are true both are biblical doctrines. We are saved by faith in Christ, but we are also saved by the faithfulness of Christ and. Therefore there are many commentators who would much rather translate this passage as the faithfulness of Christ.
Because this phrase a similar one can be found in Romans 3 3 the same grammatical construct Romans 3 3 says. What if some were unfaithful. Does their faithfulness nullify the faithfulness of God? So there is the mentioning of the faithfulness of God.
Here the same phrase grammatical construct says the faithfulness of Christ. Christ's faithfulness is not a denial of the need of having faith in Christ as a concept of Pauline theology. Both are true.
So no matter which one we take as the translation for this verse both are true. But it's interesting because when we think of the faithfulness of Christ the active obedience of Christ. It is and indeed a very precious thing for us to know and understand.
Human righteousness is deficient. God's righteousness. Christ's righteousness is perfect. What we need is a Righteousness but not of our own because we don't have any. Paul says I don't want to be found with my own Righteousness according to the law.
I want to be found in with righteousness of God and the one that comes from the faithfulness of Christ. It is the foreign righteousness. It is God's righteousness. It is the righteousness which Christ reflected and lived out perfectly.
Because he is the perfect image of God. He is God himself and those who are found to be in him will be found righteous not on the basis of their activity performance. But on the basis of the perfect and obedient life of Christ.
Which none of us was ever able to live and would never be able to live. But it is his righteousness. It is his perfect obedience as theologians call it the active obedience of Christ. Which means that Christ had to live a life of perfect obedience to God in order to earn righteousness for us.
Which we don't have. He had to obey the law for his whole life on our behalf. So that the positive merits of his perfect obedience could be counted to us. While his suffering and dying for our sins his obedience in his suffering and death on the cross is Called by the theologians passive obedience of Christ.
His death on the cross for the forgiveness and redemption and redemption from our sins. One theologian says we must ask ourselves. Whose lifelong record of obedience we would rather rely on for our standing before God Christ's or your own.
As we think about the life of Christ we ought to ask ourselves. Was it good enough to deserve God's approval and Are we willing to rely on his record of obedience for our eternal destiny and our right standing before God?
I? Think the story of John Boone in us. He describes his biography and the book grace abounding to the chief of sinners as he says one day. John Boone is known for his continuous struggle with his own sin.
And he describes in the book one day as I was passing into the field. This sentence fell upon my soul. Thy righteousness is in heaven and I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God's right hand there.
I say was my righteousness. So that whatever I was and whatever I was doing God would not say of me. He wants he lacks my righteousness. For that was just before in front of him. The true righteousness one was in front of him.
I also saw Moreover that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better. Nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness wars. For my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself. The same yesterday today and forever.
My righteousness is in heaven. It stands before the throne of God and it is Christ himself. Christ is more precious than any performance than anything else. We can gain in life. Our performance condemns us.
Christ's righteousness saves us. Your performance will either make you proud and arrogant or it will make you miserable. Because you will see how deficient you are, but Christ's performance his righteousness frees you.
Makes you justified righteous. It's the same yesterday today and forever. It doesn't get better when your faith is strong. It doesn't get any worse when your faith is weak. Isn't that a wonderful reality?
Isn't that precious? Look away from yourself rest in him lean on him. Remember Christ is your righteousness. Christ is your righteousness. So Paul considers Christ more precious than anything anything else in life because through Christ comes perfect righteousness.
He wants to be found in him having his righteousness through faith in God. Though Adams righteousness could not for long endure my Savior's holiness. It is forever sure and Then secondly he points out through Christ comes sanctifying power.
That's verse 10 verse 10. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share in his sufferings becoming like him in his death. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection that I may know him and May share in his sufferings to become like him.
To be like him. Knowledge as more than what? The contents of our brains of our intellectual knowledge, but as a personal knowledge and a relationship with God through Christ. I want to know him. I want to experience the power of his resurrection.
I want to know him. I want to walk with him live with him. This then gives the content of Paul's deep desire. I want to come to know Christ in a life-shaping way. I want to be made like him. I do not want to just rely on the imputed righteousness of Christ.
But I also want to be changed in the con Conformed the righteousness of Christ as I pursue life with Christ. I want to experience the power of his resurrection in my life and be made like him. And he also talks about sharing in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings and in so doing become like him in his death.
These sufferings were not Christ's Substitutionary sufferings on the cross. Of course, those were finished completed. We never participate in Christ's sufferings in a substitutionary sense. We never Look out for a seek out for suffering in order to add something to our salvation.
It was accomplished once and for all through the suffering of Christ on the cross. And yet there is something in post theology in the theology of the Bible. But as we live out the gospel we do participate we have fellowship in the sufferings of Christ.
Paul is saying in the sharing in his sufferings. I know him. I know experience his power. It is interesting because it also in letter to Philippians in chapter 1 Paul says it has been granted to us. Not only to believe in him, but also to suffer but also to suffer.
He considers it as a gift of Salvation that he may participate in the sufferings of Christ. That he may be conformed to his image also in his obedience in death. That he may be made like Christ even in that sense as he participates in his sufferings that he suffers for the sake of Christ.
Isn't it that in suffering we learn that the father is the father of all comfort that God is indeed God of all comfort. It is in the affliction that we really learn what we intellectually know to be true.
As Paul writes in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 God is the God of all comfort we really learn what it means that God is God of all comfort when there is affliction in our life and. So Paul wants to participate even in sufferings of Christ.
To become like him to be made like him. So he Considers Christ to be more precious than anything else in life because through Christ comes perfect righteousness. Through Christ comes the power of his resurrection the power for sanctification the resources for life conformed to the image of Christ himself and Then lastly in verse 11. He says because through Christ comes future resurrection.
So Christ is more precious than anything else in life. That by any means possible I may attain the resurrection. From the dead writes Paul in verse 11 the resurrection occurs at the time of the Lord's return to earth.
That will finalize the application of the resurrection power to the life of a Christian. The resurrection power which we experience daily when we are trying to walk with the Lord and be conformed to the image of his Son The Jesus Christ.
But then the resurrection power culminates when we are being when we will be transformed to the likeness of his body as Paul continues in Philippians chapter 3 in verse 20 where he says our Citizenship is in heaven and from it.
We await a Savior the Lord Jesus Christ who will Transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. So he knows that through Christ comes the future resurrection.
Not only resurrection power for today, but future resurrection when we will be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Beautifully and perfectly there will be no more sin outside of us and there will be no more sin to struggle with within us and therefore Paul can say Everything is as rubbish in comparison to that.
You see unlike the burglar in the story from the beginning who swaps prices and puts them on wrong products. God in his word swaps prices and puts them on the right object and he says look to Christ. There is nothing more precious than him.
There is nothing outside of Christ that has any worth for the salvation of one's soul. Since salvation is the most precious reality in one's life. The one in whom and by whom we are saved becomes the most precious possession for us and that is Christ.
Just to close with a brief story of Ignatius. One of the early church fathers the second century bishop of Antioch. Well, he was condemned by the Roman Emperor and he was thrown to be devoured by wild beasts and Ignatius he left us a very honest record of his thoughts and his feelings what he was experiencing as he was Anticipating his very soon approaching Martyrdom and his letter to the believers in Rome.
Those believers were looking for ways how to rescue Ignatius from the upcoming death. But he writes to them about his upcoming execution. Never again. Will I have an opportunity like this to meet God?
Sing praises to the father through Jesus Christ that he has deemed me the bishop of Syria. Worthy to be found in the West after being brought from the East. What a joy it is to be like the Sun slipping beneath the horizon of this world as I head towards God.
Knowing I will soon rise up to meet him. The visible things of earth aren't so great. He writes if I'm allowed to suffer then I'll become the freed slave of Jesus Christ. Which means I will rise up and find myself free in him.
For now though. I'm just a prisoner learning to give up all my desires. May nothing at all. What a weather of this world or the invisible world above fight against me and prevent me from reaching Jesus Christ.
Bring on the fire. He writes bring on the cross the hordes of wild beasts. Let the cuttings and Dissections begin. The wrenching of my bones the dicing of my limbs the grinding of my entire body. The hideous tortures of the devil let all this before me only let me attain Jesus Christ.
That echoes the testimony of Apostle Paul in the letter to Philippians. So looking at chapter 3 the verses we studied where there is no Christ. There is no true value. But no Christ, and you know true value.
This is what Paul is trying to tell us. I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I'd rather be his than have riches untold. I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands. I'd rather be led by his nailed-pierced hands.
Let us pray Father we thank you for your son Jesus Christ. We thank you for the treasure. That through Christ comes the perfect righteousness that we don't have in and of ourselves. The righteousness that is ours condemns us and the righteousness of your son Jesus Christ saves us and his work is perfect work in his life and his death in his resurrection.
We thank you for the power the resurrection power that comes through Christ. That we are not slaves to sin anymore but we can be slaves to you the slaves to righteousness and be conformed to the image of Christ and.
We thank you that through Christ comes the future resurrection. The hope that we can grab. Grab on to and and look with expectation and joy and we may we may think of this life that for us Christ to live is Christ and and therefore to die is gain.
And the assurance of the wonderful hope that we have that comes through Christ. We thank you for that. We thank you for the reminders that come from your word. Fuel our joy as we think about these truths, even as we go away from this place.
We may glorify you in Christ's name. Amen.