Getting to Know Christ
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Philippians 3:1-10
Philippians 3:1-10
Introduction: Imagine
Going
To your favorite restaurant
and reading
a beautiful menu.
You can read
all about the food...
That the restaurant serves.
you can learn
its name,
what ingredients
are in it,
and how
it is made.
Why…
You might even
believe
that
the food is excellent.
But let me say
That…
simply reading
the menu …
will not make you full.
It only gives you
facts.
And
by the same token.
Learning facts
about Jesus
from a book …
or a lesson …
is like reading …
a menu.
Now…
It is good
to know who He is.
but
it is not the same
as experiencing …
Who…
The Lord Jesus is.
And therefore.
We desperately
Need…
To get to know Jesus…
Intimately!
And with that in mind.
Let’s read our text
For this morning.
The
Apostle Paul
wrote…
In Philippians 3:1–10 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss 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 dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
Let’s
Go to the Lord
In a word of prayer
(Pray)
I. Getting to know Christ Will give you joy
Declaration
Now
Notice
Our key verse
Once again…
If you would please.
The apostle Paul wrote
Here…
In verse 10
(Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
Now
Think about that.
Paul said...
That I may know Him.
now
in the Greek Language
From which…
This English text
Was translated from…
this word …
The word know…
describes
an intimate,
experiential knowledge.
In fact
It is the same kind
of close connection
shared
between
close family members …
or a husband …
and wife.
so
Paul was not
saying that…
he wanted to simply
To learn…
about Jesus;
But
he Was saying
he wanted to experience …
Jesus …
directly !
and live in daily
communion with Him.
And then…
in the rest
of
Philippians 3:10,…
Paul explains exactly
what
this intimate relationship
with Christ
And experiential knowledge
of Christ
Would look like …
in real life.
He said
I want to understand
Relate to...
And experience
The power
of His resurrection.
to experience
the same spiritual power
that brought Jesus
back
from the dead …
working in my daily life.
And that my friend…
Is the power of God!
And he said
I want to experience
The fellowship
of His sufferings
Sharing
in the hardships
or rejections
that come
from following Christ.
And in knowing Him…
I want to be willing
to be Conformed
to his death.
That is
To be willing
To Let go
of my own
desires
and ego …
So that I can
live completely
for God.
But
Again
Paul said
That I may know Him.
I just want
To get to know…
My Lord better.
I want to have
An intimate
Close
Profound
Relationship…
With my dear Savior.
And why?
In fact
We might ask…
Why…
Get to know Jesus Christ?
And
By the way
Knowing Jesus Christ…
In the context
Of verse 10 here…
And meeting Jesus Christ…
Are not the same thing.
see..
When you first
Meet Jesus Christ…
That’s
When you are saved.…
When you are born again…
When you have accepted Him…
As your Savior.
That’s what happened
to the apostle Paul
in Acts 9.
The Lord Jesus
Introduced
Himself
To Paul
In that chapter.
Paul then
Put his faith and trust
In Jesus.
He met Jesus there.
But once you
Have met Him…
That’s when
You ought to enter
Into a lifelong pursuit
Of getting to know Him
More intimately.
But again…
Why
Should we do this?
Well
That’s easy.
As believers…
And as members…
Of the Albemarle Baptist Church.
We ought to endeavor
To get to know
The Lord Jesus Christ…
More intimately…
Because
We are preparing
For eternity!
See
At any moment
(1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
In other words
Our eternity
As Christians
Could
Begin…
As soon as…
The very next moment.
It could commence
With our next breath.
And when it does.
We’ll meet the Lord Jesus
In the air…
Physically.
And then
So shall we
Ever!
Be with the Lord!!
see
We are preparing for eternity.
And since…
We are preparing
to
Spend
Eternity with Jesus.
Then…
It would be a pretty good idea
To get to know Jesus
Right now.
To be able to say
With the apostle Paul…
(Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
To
Be able to determine
To get to know Christ
More intimately.
To understand
An experience
The power of God
In my life.
And to be willing
To
Embrace
His sufferings
And rejection.
and to let go
of my own desires
and ego …
In order
to live completely
for God…
That
I may know Him!
How important!
Discussion
But
Right about now
You might be asking…
Pastor
How is it possible
To get to know Christ…
Intimately?
To be able to have
this
intimate,
experiential knowledge.?
the same kind of close connection
shared
between close family members
or a husband
and wife.
How can I
Get
To know the Lord Jesus
Like that?
Well
I’ll tell you.
There are several ways
That can help you
Get to know Jesus better.
That is…
More intimately.
And
The first one
Is self-evident.
It is…
Communication.
See
Families
Must communicate.
Right?
They
Must be willing
And engage
In constant communication.
Husbands and wives…
If they intend
To stay together…
And that, happily…
They must engage
In
Constant
Continual communication.
They must be willing
To talk about everything…
And anything.
They must be willing
To share hurts
And joys.
They
Must be willing
To discuss aspirations
And desires.
They must be willing
To help loved ones
With their shortcomings.
They must be willing
To build up
One another.
Through
Constantly
Speaking
One to another.
And in like manner…
If I want to get to know
My Lord Jesus Christ
In a more intimate way.
Then
I need
To be willing
To speak to Him
Regularly.
Often.
And continually.
As a matter fact
Paul said
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
And
By the way.
Prayer
Is when I communicate
With the Lord.
It is when
I share with Him
My burdens.
It is when
I
Share with Him
My blessings
My aspirations
My desires.
And even my praise.
But Paul said
I ought to be doing that
Continually!
That is
I ought always
Being in an attitude
Of prayer.
By the way…
Let me read you
That entire passage
In 1 Thessalonians 5
Paul said…
And listen carefully…
Beginning…
In verse 16…
He said
(1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
But see
We ought to be
Communicating with God…
At
All times.
In fact
I’m reminded
Of the words of the psalmist
In Psalm 5:3
He said
Psalm 5:3 “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”
So
In the morning
Even
Before we begin our day
We ought to direct
Our prayer…
We ought to communicate
With our Lord.
And then
Scripture says
In Psalm 141:2 “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; And the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
So
He was saying.
I’m going to pray
An evening as well.
I’m gonna pray
Both
In the morning
And in the evening.
I’m going to talk
To my Lord.
I
Am going to share
With Him
The things on my heart
That burden me
And bless me.
I’m going to tell Him
About these things…
Both morning…
And evening!
and
Furthermore
The psalmist
Went on to say
I’m going to share these things
With my Lord
Throughout the day.
He said
In Psalm 55:17 “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: And he shall hear my voice.”
He
Was saying simply…
I’m going to pray
All day long.
When I wake up
In the morning…
Before I go to bed
At night…
And all
Throughout the day.
I
And going to commune with…
Share burdens with…
Seek direction from…
Plea for the help of…
And praise…
My dear Lord!
And the point is.
As we prepare
For eternity
We
Need to get to know our Lord
Intimately…
But that’s going to take
Constant communication
From us…
To our Lord.
Praying
In times of trouble
James 5:13 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”
Praying
In times of joy
James 5:13 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”
Praying
When I am worried
(Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
That word careful
By the way
Means to worry.
Paul
Was saying
When I’m worried
That’s the time
To pray .
We ought to pray
Always.
So that we can acquire
An intimate knowledge
Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Deliberation
But
Not only is it important
To pray
In order to have
Communication with the Lord
That leads
To a more intimate knowledge
Of Him.
But we ought
also…
Let
Our Lord
Communicate with us.
And dear friend.
The only way
The Lord
Can communicate with us…
Is the Bible!
see
He
doesn’t speak to us
Through dreams
Like He did
In days gone by.
But He speaks to us…
Through His Word.
In fact
The writer
Of the book of Hebrews
Said
in Hebrews 1:1–2 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”
So
If we want to get to know our Lord
More intimately
We need
Constant communication…
Between us.
We
Need to speak to the Lord
By praying.
And we need
To allow Him…
To speak to us…
Through His Word.
And if we will.
We will find
the
Words of the psalmist
To be true.
He said to God
(Psalm 119:105 “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.”
We will find...
What the psalmist said
In verse 11
Of Psalm 119
To be true as well
(Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.”
But
If we want to get to know
Our dear Lord
More intimately.
We must be willing
To engage
Into a conversation…
with Him continually.
Where
We speak to Him…
and He…
Speaks to us!
There is
A second Avenue…
To more intimate knowledge
Of our Savior.
Not only must we
Engage in communication.
But we must also
Be
Where the Lord is.
Somebody said
Preacher.
Where is the Lord?
Well obviously…
At this very moment
Our Savior…
Is at the right hand of God.
That’s what Stephen said…
As he was being stoned…
To death.
he
Said
in Acts 7:56 “...... Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”
So obviously
The Lord Jesus Christ
Is in heaven right now.
But let me say
That the Lord…
Is among us here…
By way
of His Holy Spirit!
In fact
The Lord Jesus Christ said
In Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
So the truth is
At this very moment…
The Lord is here
In our midst.…
In the church.
So
If you want to gain
A more intimate knowledge
Of your Lord…
In preparation
For eternity.
You will then…
Need to determine…
To be in church…
Every time
The doors are open.
Because listen please.
Every single time
These church doors are open…
Our Savior…
Is in our midst.
Jesus is with us…
At every church service.
For
Every prayer meeting.
Every missions conference.
And every revival.
He is in our midst!
So
If you want to get to know Him
More intimately…
You then need to be
Where He is…!
And
He is
Always in church.
But…
Let me ask you
Are you?
Are you always there
Even…
If you’re on vacation?
That is
When
You go out of town?
Do you find a place
To go to church on Sunday?
And while you’re in town…
Do you meet with the Lord
Every service?
Well
Many don’t.
But
Listen please.
If you want to get to know
Your precious Lord
More intimately…
You need to first
Communicate with Him…
Continually.
And…
At
The same time too
You need to corral with Him…
Routinely.
Be
Where He is.
That is…
Where we assemble together…
in His Name.
But again
Back in our text
Paul said
(Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
But
As we read
Philippians 3…
Together
And especially…
Our text…
For today…
We find that…
The apostle Paul
Suggests to us…
That
Getting to know
The Lord Jesus Christ…
Intimately….
Will Bless us…
In three major areas.
And that is…
What I want to talk about
This morning…
In the time…
That we have left.
And
First of all…
Getting to know Christ
Intimately…
Will give you joy.
In fact
Read with me again
Versus 1 – 3.
Paul
Said
(Philippians 3:1–3 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”
Now
Think about that.
Paul begins
This chapter…
by telling the church
At Philippi…
to
rejoice …
in the Lord.
And listen please.
This is not
Some casual feeling;
But rather…
it is a deep,
settled peace
that comes …
from focusing on God.
That comes
From intimate knowledge…
Experiential knowledge…
With our Lord.
This word rejoice…
By the way…
comes from
the Greek word
chairo,
which
means
to be glad,
to be full of cheer,
and to delight in.
it means
finding your ultimate happiness
in who
Jesus Christ is.
It means
Finding delight
in His love …
for you.
and what He has done
For you.
So
It is not simply
The absence of sadness.
But
It is the continual presence
Of the Savior
In one’s thoughts
And in one’s heart.
And let me say that
Rejoicing…
Or joy…
is not Based
on
Circumstances!
And let me tell you why…
I say that.
When Paul wrote
this letter ...
And specifically
When he wrote
Rejoice in the Lord.
Delegation
he
was in prison.
He was not in
The Holiday Inn
Or even in a place
Where they get ice cream
On Thursday.
No…
He was in a Roman prison cell.
Probably
Chained
To a wall
Or to the floor.
It was cold
Damp
And must.
Yet…
Paul said…
Rejoice in the Lord!
And in say that...
Paul
Was demonstrating
that our joy …
in the Lord …
does not depend …
on having …
a perfect life…
or good circumstances.
See
we
Can be having
A rotten day…
And still rejoice…
IN!!
The Lord!!!
Somebody said
Preacher?
How can I do that?
How
Can I possibly
Have joy…
When I’m facing problems?
When I’m enduring
Dilemma?
When I’m going through
The most difficult time
Of my life?
How
Can I rejoice
In times like that?
Well
That simple.
Just
Get to know your Savior
Better.
Just
Spend time
Talking to Him…
Morning
Noon
And night.
And at the same time too..
Let Him
Talk to you
From the Scripture.
Letting It
Be that lamp
Unto your feet
And that light
Undo your path.
Just
Communicate with the Lord…
And then
Be
Where He is…
Even
In the hard times!
And if you will…
If you’ll have that
Constant fellowship
With the Lord Jesus Christ…
And…
You’ll find…
That even
In the most difficult
of times…
You’ll find
That getting to know the Lord
Will help you
Have joy
In your life!
By the way
Sometimes
Christians
Make a fatal mistake…
That
When they’re having problems.
When disappointments
Inundate their hearts.
When difficulties
Surround them.
They
Don’t go to church.
Sometimes
They don’t pray.
They don’t read the Bible
Like they should.
Oh but listen…
If you want to have
The joy of the Lord
And
Who doesn’t.
But if you want to have
The joy of the Lord…
And by the way
The joy of the Lord
gives believers
spiritual
and emotional power
to face daily struggles,
Nehemiah 8:10 “.... the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
And
The joy of the Lord
helps Christians
endure hardships
and trials
with a good attitude,
much like Jesus
endured the cross
because of the joy
set before Him
It says
in Hebrews 12:2
But
If you want to have
The joy of the Lord.
If you want to be able
To rejoice
In the Lord…
Even while living
In times like these…
You…
my friend…
Need
To get to know Christ better.
You need to know Jesus
More intimately.
More closely.
You need to communicate
With Jesus constantly.
You need to corral with Jesus…
Continually!
And
If you will
You’ll find the joy of the Lord
Is your strength
II. Getting to know Christ will help you with your priorities (v.4-8)
Declaration
Secondly
Getting to know the Lord
More intimately
Will help you
With your priorities
As well.
And let me say
That… our priorities
Ought to be this way:
Jesus first!
That
Ought to be our priority.
Jesus
Should be first
In our life.
Not second.
Not third.
But first place!
But we struggle with that
Sometimes…
Don’t we?
Paul
Alluded to that
Here in our text.
Read with me
Versus 4 – 8
Here
In Philippians 3
Paul said
(Philippians 3:4–8 “Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss 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 dung, that I may win Christ,”
Now
Think about
What Paul is saying here.
He was saying
Even I…
If I’m not careful…
Have a tendency
To put confidence
In my flesh.
That phrase
By the way
means …
relying on My own effort,
My own
personal achievements,
religious background,
or social status
It
Is essentially
Making myself
And… all that I am…
First.
It is prioritizing
Myself:
My accomplishments.
My achievements.
My background.
And my status…
As first!
And
Paul said
From a human point…
of view…
I have
A lot of reasons
Where I felt like…
I could prioritize myself…
as First!
Again
He said
I was
(Philippians 3:5–6 “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”
Paul was saying…
From a human standpoint……
In and of myself…
I was flawless.
So why wouldn’t I
Prioritize myself…
As first?
Discussion
Oh but
In reality…
Paul
Had
An overwhelming desire
To get to know Jesus
Intimately.
Paul…
Was in constant communication
With the Lord Jesus.
Paul
Was continually
Corralling
Where his Savior was…
The Church of God.
And therefore
Paul said…
That though
From a human standpoint...
I
Could easily
Prioritize myself
As first.
But instead…
After getting to know Jesus…
More intimately…
He said…
(Philippians 3:7 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.”
In
Other words.
Those things…
That the average person
Would think
Would propel me
to first place...
Man
After I got to know Jesus
Intimately…
I considered
All of those things….
A total loss
They became
Nothing to me.
And then listen
To verse 8
He said
(Philippians 3:8 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss 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 dung, that I may win Christ,”
Now
Do you know
What Paul is saying?
Because I’ve gotten to know
My Lord Jesus…
Intimately…
I have realized
What John the Baptist said
In John 3
John
Said
(John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
In other words
Jesus must be first!
And I
Must be last.
And…
That is...
The priority.
Jesus
Must be first:
When it comes to my time.
Jesus
Must be first
When it comes
To the use of my talents.
Jesus
Must be first
When
It comes
To the doling out
Of my treasure.
Jesus
Must be first…
In totality.
He must increase.
But I…
Must decrease!
And
Paul said
As I have got to know Him....
More intimately
I was able
Not only
To rejoice in the Lord
Through every trial
And every heart ache.
But
At the same time too
I’ve been able
To get my priorities
Straight.
And by the way…
Our Savior…
Made our priorities…
Known.
In fact
Keep your place here
In the book of Philippians.
And turn back
To the gospel of Matthew
And chapter 6.
And read with me
Verse 33.
Our Savior said…
And
Listen carefully…
To the first phrase.
But Jesus said
(Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
In other words
Put Jesus
Ahead of everything.
Give him
The priority.
Make
Him
The preeminent one…
That in all things…
He might have…
The preeminence…
Paul said…
In Colossians 1:18.
Just seek Jesus first.
And
If you’ll simply
Get to know Him…
Intimately…
As your Savior
As your sustainer
As your source…
For guidance
And strength.
If
You’ll just get to know
The Lord Jesus better.
You will not only
Be able to have
The joy of the Lord.
But you will likewise…
Have no problem…
Putting Jesus first!
Deliberation
But
Sadly
I’ve known Christians
Who don’t.
I’ve known Christians
Who
When it comes to their time
Put themselves first.
They’ll say things like
I
Simply don’t have time
To get involved
In some ministry.
I don’t have time
To be in church
Every time the doors are open.
I don’t have time
To read my Bible through
Every year.
And
Do you know why…
They think like that?
It is because
They’re not getting to know Jesus
Intimately.
Likewise
Some Christians
Who
When
it comes
to their talent
Put themselves first.
They think of themselves.
I’ve got to use my talent…
Exclusively…
For me and mine.
To help me
And mine.
And
They say that
Because they don’t know
The Lord Jesus
On an intimate level.
And there are some
Who
When it comes
to their treasure…
Put themselves first.
They
Wouldn’t think
of tithing.
Or giving to missions.
Because in their opinion…
It is me first.
But they think that way.
Because they don’t know
The Lord Jesus…
Intimately!
Now…
They
know him
In terms of salvation.
But not in terms
Of saturation.
They haven’t saturated
Their hearts
With the Lord Jesus Christ
In an intimate way.
And therefore
So often
They don’t have the joy
Of the Lord.
That
When problems come along…
They gripe.
Or complain.
or moan.
And
Their priorities
Are all wrong.
As far as they are concerned…
It is me first.
And if there’s time…
Then Jesus…
Can fit somewhere…
On the priority scale.
Oh
But listen please.
Getting to know Christ
Will give you
The joy of the Lord.
When you get to know Him
Very intimately…
It’ll cause you to rejoice…
Even…
If
Like Paul…
You’re in prison.
And when you get to know Jesus
More intimately.
It will cause you
To have the right priorities…
Where
You consider…
All
Of the things
regarding you…
As a loss.
And you Will feel like
Jesus
Is your only gain!
But
Let me ask you,
Do you have the joy
Of the Lord?
In every circumstance?
Do you place Jesus
As first in your life?
Can you say
With John the Baptist…
that
The Lord Jesus…
Must increase…
And I must decrease?
If you can’t…
Maybe
It is because
You’re not getting to know Jesus...
Intimately.
III. Getting snow Christ Will help you do right
Declaration
Finally
This morning.
Not only
Will getting to know Jesus
Intimately…
Enable you
To have the joy of the Lord
In your heart…
Even amid trials.
And
Not only
Will Knowing Jesus
Intimately…
Enable you
To have
Christ honoring priorities…
Where He is always first.
But
At the same time too...
Knowing the Lord Jesus
Intimately
Will help you
Do right.
And back in Philippians 3
Listen again
To versus 7 – 9
Paul
Said
(Philippians 3:7–9 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss 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 dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”
Now
Do you know
What Paul was saying?
He was saying…
Among other things…
That
Because
I got to know Jesus
Intimately…
Experientially…
I’ve gotten close to Him…
Through constant communication
And continual
Corralling.
Well…
I’ve
Not only learned
To have the right priorities
In my life…
Where Jesus is first.
But I’ve also learned…
To have
The right brand…
Of righteousness…
Of just doing right.
See
There are two different brands
Of righteousness
That people can have.
There is
Their own righteousness.
And there is
The righteousness
which is of God
by faith.
But
Let me warn us
This morning.
our own righteousness…
Our own brand
Of what is right…
Is flawed.
And dangerous!
In fact
Solomon
Wrote
In Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.”
See
Our brand
Of doing right
Is flawed
And dangerous.
But unfortunately…
People
Often live
Like folks did...
In the days of the judges.
In fact…
The Bible says
In Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
And...
Doesn’t that sound...
Like so many people today?
They
Talk about
Their own truth…
Doing
What is right
In their own eyes.
And listen please…
Not just people…
In the world
But
Sometimes…
Even Christians…
Live that way!
They have
Their own brand
Of righteousness…
Of what it means
To do right.
But
Listen please.
When you get to know Jesus
More intimately.
More closely.
When you get to know Jesus
Very personally.
Because
You are in
Constant
Communication with Him…
where
He speaks to you
Through the Bible…
And you speak to Him
In prayer…
Morning
Noon and night.
And when
You are constantly
Corralling with Him
In the church house
You’ll have
His brand
Of righteousness.
You’ll be Able to say…
With
the
Apostle Paul
(Philippians 3:7–10 “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss 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 dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
Determination
But
Let me ask you
My fellow Christian.
Do you live
By your own brand
Of righteousness?
Your own way
Of thinking…
About right?
If
You do
(Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, But the end thereof are the ways of death.”
In other words
You’re making
A serious mistake.
And you better correct it...
Before you end up
With a problem…
You can not fix!
You
Better get to know Jesus
More intimately.
And let me ask you this.
Do you have
The joy of the Lord?
Can you say
With Paul
What he said
In Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
Or…
Rather than rejoicing…
Maybe you’re constantly
Remorseful?
morose?
Sad hearted?
Especially…
During trying times?
Well if so…
You
Don’t know Jesus
Intimately!
Or maybe
At this very hour.
Your priorities
Are all wrong.
That
When it comes to
Your time
Your talent
And your treasure…
You make yourself
First…
Instead of the Lord.
Well if so…
Then I suggest
That
You
My friend…
Need to get to know Jesus
More intimately.
Paul said
(Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
And
In a moment
When the piano begins to play
You might need to come
To the altar
And commence
Getting to know Jesus better…
Getting to know Jesus
More intimately.
You
Might need to commit
To spending more time
In two-way communication
With the Lord.
And you might need to commit
To spending more time
Corralling with Jesus
In the Lord’s house…
I hope you will.
But
Finally…
If you don’t know Jesus
As your Savior.
If you haven’t personally
Put your faith and trust
in Him.
Then
When the piano begins to play
I
Want to invite you
To come to Jesus.
And if you’re not sure how
Then
In just a moment.…
When the piano begins to play…
Walk down the aisle…
And let us help you.
And…
If
You’re listening from home
And would like…
Spiritual help…
Call us…
On the telephone
Conclusion: Let’s close in prayer
