Philippians Sermon Week 7 - Knowing Jesus

Intro/Welcome

There is nothing better than knowing Christ Jesus (x3)

There no sensation more satisfying

no gift more gratifying

no experience more exhilarating

no relationship more rewarding

no practice more pleasurable

no destination more desirable

no blessing more beautiful

no goal more glorious

than knowing Christ Jesus.

This is the message today.

This is the message of Philippians

This is the message of the Bible.

Welcome to One Hope

We believe this with our whole hearts.

He is our One Hope.

We’ll be in Phil 3:1-11 today.

Philippians 3:1–11 CSB

1 In addition, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh—4 although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. 7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

This is the Word of the Lord

Pray

There is nothing better than knowing Jesus

Knowing Christ

Let’s start at the most important

Where Paul makes a startling claim.

ANNOTATION

Phil 3:7 “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.”

“Everything that was gain”

Everything I had gained by my own power, in my own way, all of my achievements were nothing

What Paul will call “a righteousness of my own from the Law” - Phil 3:9

Paul’s “everything”

Philippians 3:5–6 CSB

5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.

Paul was as ‘righteous’ as they come.

He was moving up in power and prestige

He zealously defended his God against heresy!

But when he MET JESUS

Personally — everything changed.

But they were nothing in comparison to that which is everything.

Acts 9:4-5 — Conversion

ANNOTATION

Phil 3:7 “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.”

Loss = lost value = worthless

“Everything is loss”

But he goes further, not just everything I had gained

ANNOTATION

PHil 3:8 “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

I count EVERYTHING as loss, as less than.

Everything? — Yes Everything.

The best this life has to offer

The best drugs.

The best sex.

The best food.

The best experiences.

The best drink.

The best success.

The highest achievements

The deepest relationships

All is as nothing in comparison to knowing Christ

“the surpassing value (or worth) of knowing Christ Jesus”

ANNOTATION

Phil 3:8 “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Nothing is of more value than knowing Christ

Nothing is more satisfying than knowing Christ

Nothing is more fulfilling than knowing Christ

Nothing is more lovely than Knowing Christ

Nothing is more worthy than knowing Christ

The language here is emphatic

ILL:

Bucket of water in comparison to the ocean

Holding a candle up to the sun

The weight of a grain of sand in comparison to the whole earth

There simply is no comparison in Paul’s Mind.

it is of surpassing worth, value

Personal Knowing

ANNOTATION

Phil 3:8 “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

This is NOT knowing about Christ Jesus.

Greek Thought: Rational, Understanding, Intellectual, Philosophical

Hebrew: Deeply Personal, Experiential

Ill: experiencing deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

Jesus Christ (God) is not a concept or doctrine. He is a person who seeks a deep personal relationship with you.

Not as a Proposition, Premise or Philosophically but as a Person

It is “knowing” him in a deeply personal way.

It is a personal relationship — Personal Experience.

as you would another person

It means a relational knowing

It is the difference between knowing that honey is sweet and tasting that honey is sweet

It is the difference between reading about a hurricane and experiencing one.

It is the difference between understanding the mathematical equations of wind resistance and jumping out of plane and feeling the full force of the wind against your whole body.

This is Knowing Christ Jesus

“My LORD”

ANNOTATION

Phil 3:8 “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

This is the only place where Paul uses this phrase “my Lord” — personal, singular, possessive.

Galatians 2:20 CSB

20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Do you know Jesus in this way?

PERS: The day Jesus became real to me. I’ve walked with him in relationship ever since.

What about you?

Do you know him in this way?

Paul’s heart for you is that you would know Him in this way

My heart for you is that you would know him in this way

as more magnificent and significant than any momentary pursuit.

How do I know Jesus in this way?

Phil 3:8-9 “Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

may gain him = to know him

be found in hm = to be in him

How? — By Faith.

But putting your trust in Him rather than in yourself.

Righteousness

righteousness = Rightness — a right relationship with God

It is what we all most desperately

to be made right

right with ourselves, right with others, and right with God.

“righteousness from the law” — righteousness of man

Phil 3:8-9 “not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

This was Paul, this is all of us.

Seeking to ‘justify’ our lives, to make right our lives, to give our lives meaning.

Never will satisfy, never will live up, will never achieve because of SIN

This is what the World cannot see

Ecclesiastes 7:20 CSB

20 There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 CSB

29 Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.”

This is what Paul meant by having ‘confidence’ in his flesh, that is in his human efforts.

Martin Luther

For Paul …”flesh” means the highest righteousness, wisdom, worship, religion, understanding, and will of which the world is capable. Therefore the monk is not justified by his order, nor the priest by the Mass and the canonical hours, nor the philosopher by wisdom, nor the theologian by theology, nor the Turk by the Koran, nor the Jew by Moses. In other words, no matter how wise and righteous men may be according to reason and the divine Law, yet with all their works, merits, Masses, righteousnesses, and acts of worship they are not justified. (Luther on Galatians)

We are all trying to ‘justify’ our lives.

Isaiah 64:6 NIV

6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Filthy — as dung

But there is good news.

We don’t have to achieve righteousness, or rightness,

we need only recieve it.

Come before God ask for Mercy not Justice

We will stand their and try to justify our lives.

why we were the exception

how our intentions were good.

But we need to be asking for Mercy.

becuase rightness comes not by achieving, but by recieving

“the righteousness of Christ”

Phil 3:8-9 “not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.

Faith in Christ, Trust in Christ’s righteousness given to you.

“the faithfulness of Christ” — obedience to the Father

“righteousness from God, based on Faith”

God has made you right by the life of Jesus.

This is the gospel message.

You don’t have to achieve your own righteousness only to confess your need for it and to receive it in Jesus.

Knowing Jesus now and forever.

Knowing Jesus begins here:

justification — being made right — declared righteousness

sins washed away

the path made clear

Relationship made possible

But in continues on through eternity.

ANNOTATION

John 17:3 “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent—Jesus Christ.

x — infinity

knowing, personally.

“how many buckets would it take to empty the ocean”

forever

ILL: Golden Coral

This is the glory and joy of knowing Christ

It begins when we first believe and goes on to eternity.

a point / line to eternity

ILL: Knowing a Person, still learning my wife, a finite human being, imaging an infinite being.

Experiencing the Christ Life

ANNOTATION

Phil 3:10-11 “10 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

How then do we know Christ now? Experience him?

Through:

The Power of his resurrection

The fellowship of his sufferings

=conformity to Christ

This is actually discipleship.

It’s how we change, how we grow, how we become more like Jesus.

Discipleship:

following Jesus and become more like him, both his heart and his life.

“being conformed” = passive = something done to us, but that we participate in.

word is MORPHE — sun morphe = Form

Phil 2:6-7 of Christ

We are being ‘formed’ to be more like Jesus

both the heart of jesus

the life of jesus.

It is an inside out process.

“his death”

why did Jesus die?

For sin, for your and mine.

Because he died FOR sin, we now have died TO sin

Gal 6:14 “The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world.”

It is dead to sin, but alive to God (Romans 6)

How?

By the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings.

These two go together

In fact is is precisely b/c we life in a broken world that the power of his resurrection is made known

Paul — your power is made perfect in my weakness

The Power of the Resurrection is made manifest precisely in our suffering. In our brokenness

We are all experiencing this to varying degrees

Covid-19 - restriction of freedoms

Injustices such as racism that continue on.

We have an unbelievable power, ability available to us.

the power of resurrection.

Only the power of resurrection can put sin to death.

The True Circumcision

Philippians 3:3 CSB

3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh—

True Circumcision = true heart change

Romans 2:29 CSB

29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That person’s praise is not from people but from God.

Who worship / live by the Spirit of God

Boast in HIM, not in ourselves

This is the disciples life, knowing him by his power in the midst of our pain

becoming like him in an experience like his.

This is how we are coming to KNOW JESUS in a more deep and intimate way.

He is with you, wherever you go.

He is available to you where you are.

There are enemies

There are enemies that want to keep this from you.

Philippians 3:2 CSB

2 Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.

focus on man, not your self

Satan and lies.

multitues of demons

against you “knowing’ Jesus in this way.

thorugh suffering, thorugh sin.

In our culture “amusing ourselves to death”

He will bring us death and we will love him for it

Close

We want you to know Christ

personally and through his power in your pain.

In fellowship with him and with each other.

Paul’s heart, our heart.

There is nothing better than knowing Christ Jesus

That you would know Jesus

not as a proposition, or a premise or a philosophical idea

but as a Person

who deeply loves you.

who gave himself for you

who invites you to know him.

And that one day you will experience

full restoration, full reconciliation, full vindication, full salvation

Romans 8:18 CSB

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

This is our HOPE

No matter the situation,

Christ is available to you here now

He desires you.

Will you know him? Experience him.

bind yourself to him

abide in him

Become like him.

Let’s Pray