In his sermon 'Gaining and Knowing Christ,' Jason Dohm explores Philippians chapter 3, focusing on the Apostle Paul's message about valuing Christ above all else. Paul emphasizes the importance of not placing confidence in the flesh but rather in the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. He describes his past achievements and status as a Pharisee as 'rubbish' compared to the excellence of knowing Christ. Dohm discusses the two kinds of righteousness: one from the law and another from God by faith, explaining that they are mutually exclusive. The sermon highlights the parables of treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great price from Matthew 13, illustrating the surpassing value of Christ. The sermon also addresses the necessity of repentance and forsaking worldly attachments to truly gain Christ. Finally, Dohm discusses how hardships can deepen believers' fellowship with Christ, reflecting His power and sufferings.

Okay, for context for our sermon today, I'm going to begin at the very beginning of chapter three. We're going to read one through eleven. We've got a repeat of this because Tyler gave us the new memory verses, so you can't get enough of this text. Philippians, chapter three. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

For me to write the same thing to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware of the mutilation. For we are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit.

Rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law blameless. But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed, I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Oh God, we eagerly await this text from You to understand it more, to dwell on it deeper, to consider the beauty of all that's offered here, the resurrection from the dead.

Oh God, may you resurrect souls this morning as this text is being preached. I pray for my brother that he would come and just be filled with your Spirit as He leads us in these words. Thank you Father, in Christ's name. Amen. The title of the sermon this morning is Gaining and Knowing Christ.

This is what Paul sets before us in his letter to the Philippians. Paul has gained Christ and knows Christ and he wants his readers to gain and to know and to treasure Christ above anything else in the world. And so he's appealing to us. Two sermons ago, I'm not counting the one last week that I didn't preach, but two ago of mine, Paul began to wage war against having confidence in the flesh. That's what verses 1-6 are about.

He is laying waste to any confidence you might put in what your flesh can produce, even the best that your flesh can produce, and how the withering judgment of God will banish anything like that forever. Here was Paul's methodology. His methodology was this. To show you his resume. He gives you his resume in the flesh.

It is crushingly better than mine. It is crushingly better than yours. So he rolls out his great resume according to the flesh and then he wads it up and he pitches it in the trash can as something that a holy God could never even allow into his presence. His point is, if my resume goes into the trash, then your resume has to go into the trash. If I have nothing to do, no hope, but to forsake my fleshly resume, then you certainly have no hope but to forsake your fleshly resume.

Then in the last sermon that I preached two weeks ago, we started this section, verses seven through eleven, and I said at that time that there are really two great themes. One great theme in this range of verses is the two kinds of righteousness. There is a righteousness from the law, and there is a righteousness from God by faith. In other words, it's God's righteousness, but you lay hold of it by faith, and that these two kinds of righteousness are both legitimate, but they're mutually exclusive. In other words, to have one of those kinds of righteousness you must completely renounce any claim at all to the other kind.

So if you want the righteousness from the law you have to completely renounce any claim on righteousness by faith. And the other is true also. If you're going to have the righteousness from God, God's righteousness that you lay claim to by a transfer of trust, then you must completely renounce any claim on the righteousness that comes from the law, righteousness from law keeping. Now the other great theme that I didn't even touch, So in the last sermon that I preached, I just carved out verse 9, and I talked about these two kinds of righteousness, and how they relate to each other, and developed how they really are mutually exclusive. Now we're going to the other great theme this week, and it's losing to game Christ and to know Christ.

This is what Paul is talking about. Losing. Losing a lot. Paul says all things in order to gain Christ and to know Christ. So it's an exchange.

It's an exchange in our favor, as we'll see. As we go to the text, let's go to the text in prayer. Our God, at all costs, may we be found to have gained your precious son, Jesus. Whatever it may cost us in this life, may we gain your Son. May we be found living a life of wisdom, having valued things rightly, and cast off all things of lesser value or no value in order to have the thing of priceless worth.

Your son. May we gain Him and may we know Him. Pray in Jesus' name, Amen. I'd like to begin by reading again chapter 3 verses 7 and 8, And then considering these two verses, Paul writes, But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ." So if you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, it's gaining some things losing others.

The blanks are gaining, losing. Gaining some things and losing others. Paul begins verse 7 with this transitional word, but. This is on the heels of him rolling out his resume to us, his resume in the flesh, all the things that might be in his favor. If he was going to cast confidence on his flesh, here's what he would have confidence in according to the flesh.

So the point is that Paul has counted all of those things that he's just listed as loss to gain Christ. Paul has counted his eighth-day circumcision as loss to gain Christ. Paul has counted his place among the people of God, his place among the Israelites as loss to gain Christ." Paul has counted loss as his place among a privileged tribe, the tribe of Benjamin. We talked about that last time. The tribe of Benjamin really was a privileged tribe in several ways.

He counted that loss to gain Christ. Paul counts as loss his status as a Pharisee, the strict ones, the good law keepers, the ones that had the better doctrine among the sects of the Jews. Paul counts that loss to gain Christ. Paul counts as loss, his zeal as lost to gain Christ. Paul counts as lost his blamelessness in law keeping.

In other words he had an outward appearance of being, but No one could blame him for being a law breaker. He counted that loss to gain Christ. Now my question is this, which of these things is sinful? Is it sinful to be an Israelite? Is it sinful to be a Benjamite?

Is it sinful to be circumcised according to the law on the eighth day? Is it sinful to be a Pharisee? Is it sinful to be strict about law keeping? Or to give close and careful attention to doctrine? Is it sinful to be zealous?

Is it sinful to have an outward compliance to the law of God? Which of those things is sinful? You could look at this and say, well, it says that his zeal expressed itself in persecution of the church and that was sinful. That's true. There are some expressions of these things in Paul's life that were sinful.

But the point here is that none of those things, being circumcised, being an Israelite, being a Benjamite, being zealous, being careful of your doctrine, and zealous about law keeping, having zeal, and being outwardly blameless in how you keep the law, how you go about keeping the law. None of those things in and of themselves are sinful. So Paul is not saying, I used to wallow around in the most outward sins and I loved it, but then I learned about Jesus and I don't wallow around in those sins anymore. Now that's true of many people's testimony. Praise the Lord.

They can say, I used to wallow around in the most outward, blatant, God-defying sins. And Then I met the Lord Jesus Christ and I don't do that anymore. I'm not devaluing that as a part of anybody's testimony. I'm just saying, when we're looking at Paul and what he's writing at the Philippians, that's not what he's saying. Praise the Lord if you can look and say, I turned my back on all that outward blatant sin in order to have Christ.

But Paul is saying something very different. Paul is saying, I turn my back on my righteousness. Many people say I turn my back on all my worst things in order to have Christ. Paul is saying, I turn my back on all my best things to have Christ. Turn my back on all my best things to have Christ.

God showed me that all my righteousness was filthy rags before a holy God. So I turned my back on all those filthy rags in order to have Christ. Paul is saying, I used to have confidence in those things. I used to trust in those things. I used to hope in those things.

But I have forsaken all of that forever to have Christ." Paul traded in this for that. Paul traded in any confidence, any hope, any trust in those things to have Christ. Paul says, I'm done with that forever to have Christ. Then in the beginning of verse 8, Paul goes a lot farther. Look in the beginning of verse 8.

Yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ. The best of me, I turn my back on the best of me in order to have Christ. And more than that, he just keeps going further as we work our way through the text. He goes farther. All things, loss.

Picture the scales. On the scales. Loss. Picture the scales. Everything on this side, and then Christ over here.

Paul says, the weight is over here with Christ. You can put everything else in the universe on the other side of the scales. And the weight is Christ. Give me Christ. Away from me with hoping in anything else in all of the universe, but Christ.

And then Paul goes farther again in saying two things. One, he really did lose all those things. We might say, I'm willing to lose everything to have Christ. And we should say that. But who here really had to lose everything to have Christ?

It's sort of talking a good game for us. It may be true or may not be true. With Paul, it was true. Paul walked away from everything to have Christ. This is speculation.

We don't know the answers to the questions I'm about to ask. Which one of Paul's relatives stood with Paul when he stopped being a Pharisee and started being a preacher of the gospel of Jesus? Which one of his friends did he have after that? Remember what Ananias said when God says go, Paul is there, wants you to pray for him, so he gets his sight back, Ananias says, God do you know what this man's been up to? Now if Ananias, this believer thought that of Paul, what did his relatives and friends think?

So Paul understands that as a Pharisee of Pharisees, as a son of a Pharisee, as one who is being trained up by a renowned rabbi in Gamaliel, enjoyed a place of privilege and status among the Jews, walked away from everything to be a preacher of the gospel and to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Paul says, I'm willing to give up everything and he gave up everything. Two, if I can find my place, I know it's here somewhere, there it is, that's why I circle these numbers. 2. He wasn't sorry at all.

He counted those things rubbish. In other words, there's not an Adam of the Apostle Paul that is pining away for the good old days. No. That wants to claw back some of that place of privilege and standing that he used to enjoy. Now, he's a criminal among his relatives and his friends.

He's a blasphemer. He used to think the Christians were blasphemers, and now that's what his former comrades think of him. He's a blasphemer. He's just railing against God now in the preaching of the Gospel. So he was willing to give it all up.

He did give it all up. And he's not sorry. You get no apology from Paul, and no regrets, and no pining away for the good old days. He counts it as rubbish. He counts it as garbage.

He counts it, according to King James, Dung! Dung! And honestly, when you look at the Greek word, that might be the best rendering. We have our waste paper basket where we ball up clean paper and throw it into. That is not what this word means.

Garbage isn't a bad thing, but you've got to be thinking about the kitchen trash. Paul counts that as dung. And Paul was convinced that he had traded dung for diamonds. This is the whole point of the passage. I traded dung for diamonds.

And so Paul, even though he walked away from everything, is happy about it. And he's not patting himself on the back for having done something that gained anything for God. He's claiming that the trade is all in his favor. Not that God got a diamond, but that he got a diamond and he traded his dung for it. He says, for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

The NASB renders it this way, in view of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. For the excellence. In view of the surpassing worth. The surpassing value. This is about value.

This is about what things are worth. This is about what is precious. This is about what ought to be treasured, rightly treasured. This isn't a mind trick where you convince yourself that something that's really hard is good, sort of. This is about rightly valuing.

People do mind tricks about value all the time, and you see them waste away their life chasing after things that are worth nothing. You don't have to go outside the city limits to see that. This isn't that. This is the opposite of that. This is a clear-eyed seeing of what really has value.

Saying, I'll trade everything of lesser value, even things that are okay in themselves. Zeal is okay. Being an Israelite is okay. Outwardly obeying the law is okay. I'll trade that To have the thing of great value.

Turn to Matthew 13. Jesus gives us back to back one verse parables about what the kingdom of heaven is like. And I view these two verses as interchangeable with what Paul is teaching. I think Paul is teaching exactly what Jesus is teaching in these two. Matthew 13 verses 44 and 45.

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure. Something of great value, something of great worth, hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. So again, when we look at this verse, pining away for the good old days is as far away from this man as you can get. He couldn't wait to get home and unload the things of lesser value in order to have the thing of greater value. And that man sells all to have it.

This is Paul counting all things, dung, rubbish, trash, in order to have this great thing of value, Christ. This thing of greatest value, Christ. Verse 45, again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. So you've got a merchant, he knows pearls, he's seeking fine pearls, but he comes across one that captivates him. That's the view in verse 45, like captivated.

So there's a liquidation. There's a liquidation of everything else in order to be able to get the one of great price. In both cases, the one is captivated about what can be gained, even at the sale of all. The sale of all is no problem in either verse. The sale of all is no problem in either verse.

The sale of all is no problem. The sale of all is a joyful occasion, because it's giving them the means to apprehend the thing that has captivated. This is Paul for joy over Christ Selling all, counting it all as refuse to have it. Listen to what Calvin says. Calvin is commenting on our verse in Philippians, but it could be said of Matthew 13 as well, so soon as Christ shines forth, all those things that formerly dazzled our eyes with a false splendor instantly vanish.

That's beautiful. Beautiful. I'll read it again. So soon as Christ shines forth, so soon as you recognize this field has a treasure in it, or if you're the pearl merchant, so soon as you see the one that just captivates you that you can't take your eyes off, you can't think about anything else. All those things that formerly dazzled our eyes with a false splendor, instantly vanish.

The pearl merchants spent in and out of pearls, buying, selling, buying, selling. The excellence of knowing Christ Jesus, the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus is such that you'll turn your back on it all, even the best things to have it, to gain it. Paul is speaking about two things here in these two verses, gaining Christ and knowing Christ. And a few things should be said. First, although salvation is truly by grace alone, through faith alone, that does not mean that there can be saving faith without repentance.

I'll say that again. It is true, absolutely true, unequivocally true, that salvation is by grace alone. It is a gift from God only through faith alone. There is only one way to be given that gift, and it is a transfer of trust to Christ. That does not mean that it is possible to have saving faith without repentance.

Saving faith and repentance always, always, always, 100% of the time travel together always. So anywhere where you see faith, where there's not a forsaking and a turning away, that's not saving faith. You can just say that because the New Testament says it again and again and again and again. You cannot have Jesus Christ and have confidence in the flesh. You cannot have Him.

You cannot have Jesus Christ and be ruled by the love of the world. You cannot have Him. You say, well, I think I'm a Christian, but there's still some love in the world in me? That's not what I said. In particular portions, I'm very careful to write down exactly what I mean.

You cannot have Jesus Christ and be ruled by the love of the world. I know we're stubborn more often than we should be stubborn and I know that we're stupid more often than we should be stupid. I'm making allowance for that. You cannot be ruled by the love of the world and have Christ. Many want to gain Christ but walk away from nothing.

Impossible! Many want to gain Christ, But they don't want to walk away from anything. They don't want to be different at all. They want to have all the things that they used to have. Hey, that just means, that just means they've not seen the captivating thing.

So, we don't want to turn this into works righteousness. Okay, like we need to try harder at turning our back on the love of the world. You just need to understand if you're in that position, you've not seen the pearl of great price. You've not laid your eyes on the treasure in the field. And so you're not willing to go sell everything.

The one who's seen the grand's treasure in the field runs home to sell it all. For joy over it, he sells it all. If there's an intractable reluctance to part from things, it just means you've not been captivated by Christ. That's what it means. Many agreeing with me right now have things that they won't walk away from.

If that continues through time, you won't, and You won't, and you won't, and you won't, and you won't, and you will not loosen your white knuckled fingers grasping onto your idol. You will prove that you were never captivated by Christ. You never really trusted him. Turn to Luke 14. Turn to Luke 14.

I want to prove to you I'm not making this stuff up. I didn't write the mail, I just delivered it. Luke 14. This is Jesus saying that. Luke 14, 26-33.

This is Jesus. 26 through 33. This is Jesus. If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, in his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. So I've been saying it easy.

I've been going light on it. This is Jesus. If it wasn't enough that Paul would turn his back on lawful things and even good things. Zeal is good. Outward law keeping is good.

But he would turn his back on those things. Jesus talks about your mom and your dad, your wife, your children. If your Love for Christ doesn't surpass the love for these other things, even lawful things, even good things, even things that we are commanded to, doesn't surpass it so that it makes those other things look like hatred. You cannot be Jesus' disciple. That's what Jesus says.

If you are not his disciple, you are not born again. For which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it. Lest, after he has laid the foundation that is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with 10, 000 to meet him who comes against him with 20, 000. Or else while the other is still a great way off he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.

So likewise, whoever does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. Just think about that last verse. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple." That is a far cry from the begging that happens in most evangelistic appeals. Oh, please come to Christ. Please, please, please come to Christ.

You won't have to give up much. Come to Christ. That's not exactly the gospel as Jesus preached it. The gospel extends radical grace. Go listen to the last sermon I preached on verse 9.

That was the make you uncomfortable, is this antinomian preaching kind of sermon. We should be guilty of that from time to time. Preaching those kinds of sermons about the radical grace of God, but the Gospel makes radical demands. Don't be bothered too much that it's hard to reconcile that. Don't be too bothered.

Just know that these are two things that must be embraced by people who believe the Bible. Yes, radical grace is extended. The worst of sinners can be wiped clean before God. But the Gospel also makes radical demands. You cannot cling to your idols and drag those idols with you to heaven.

That's never going to happen. So that's first. Although salvation is truly by grace alone through faith alone, that does not mean that you can be saving faith without repentance. Second, yes gaining Christ and being found in him, and thereby laying hold of his righteousness is a great prize. But the other great prize is knowing him.

It's easy to come to this text and get the first great prize and just sort of skim over the second great prize. It is a great prize to lay hold of the righteousness of God by faith and lay claim to what Jesus did on the cross and be found in Christ so that when God sees you, He actually sees Christ. And you get the favor that Christ deserves. Praise the Lord, but that's not the only treasure here. The other treasure here is knowing Christ.

This cannot be only an intellectual knowledge about Jesus. That never cost anyone everything. This is about, I trade everything to have Christ. You don't have to do that to know theological things about Jesus. You don't have to do that.

That's not the price to be paid to have an intellectual grasp of Christ and who He is and what He did. This is knowing Christ, an experiential knowledge of Christ. Let J.C. Ryle have a say here. This is from Practical Religion, Chapter 1.

J.C. Ryle says this, Let me ask whether we know anything of living the life of habitual communion with Christ. By communion I mean that habit of abiding in Christ, which our Lord speaks of as essential to Christian fruitfulness. Let it be distinctly understood that union with Christ is one thing and communion is another. There can be no communion with the Lord Jesus Christ without union first.

But unhappily, there may be union with the Lord Jesus, and afterwards little or no communion at all. Union is the common privilege of all who feel their sins and truly repent and come to Christ by faith, and are accepted, forgiven, and justified in Him. Too many believers, it may be feared, never get beyond this stage. Partly from ignorance, partly from laziness, partly from fear of man, partly from secret love of the world, partly from some un-mortified, besetting sin, they are content with little faith, and a little hope, and a little peace, and a little measure of holiness. And they live on all their lives in this condition, doubting, weak, halting, and bearing fruit only thirty-fold to the end of their days." We read that and we think thirty-fold is great.

This comes out of Jesus' parable also in Matthew 13 that says that Christians bear 30, 60, 100 fold. So this is the least fruitfulness of Christians. He ends by saying this, Communion with Christ is the privilege of those who are continually striving to grow in grace, and faith, and knowledge, and conformity to the mind of Christ in all things. Who do not look to the things behind and count not themselves to have attained, but press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. He's actually now pulling in words from next week's text in Philippians 3.

Union is the bud, but communion is the flower. Union is the babe, but Communion is the strong man. He that has union with Christ does well. He that enjoys communion with Him does far better. I think if J.C.

Ryle knew of my prayerless life, he would be grieved. There's so much left to be gained by us. Yes, union with Christ, laying hold of the righteousness of God by faith is a treasure. But if that's all we have, so much has been left unexperienced. There's communion to be had with Him, to be with Him.

You know, there's not just one kind of prayer. There's one kind that nurtures communion with Christ. And there's another kind that just asks for the needs of the day and moves on and there's really no fellowship with Christ in it. And I know which kind normally characterizes my prayers. Characterizes my prayers.

If you only have one New Year's resolution, this is probably a good one. To go beyond union with Christ. I'm speaking to Christians here. I'm assuming that there is union with Christ, that you've laid hold of Jesus' work by faith. But if that's true, go beyond it.

Go claim your privileges. To be with Christ and to know Him. It is terribly unproductive. It takes time and energy. No one will ever see the output of it really.

But you'll be the winner. You'll be the gainer. This is about gain. This is the text about gain. Back to Philippians 3, verses 10 and 11.

I'm skipping 9 because I preached on 9 a couple of weeks ago. If you weren't here, Jim Santles, go listen to it. Verse 10. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." In these verses we have knowing Christ, His power, and His sufferings. If you're taking notes on the handout and you're filling in blanks, Christ, power, sufferings.

Knowing Christ, His power, and His sufferings. Here's my exhortation to you as we come to this verse. Don't make these independent and wall them off from each other. Please don't do that. They are put here together for a reason.

They are related to one another. They have a relationship that is very important. I am going to try to develop that. In other words, knowing Christ has a relationship with knowing God's power. Knowing Christ has a relationship with knowing God's power.

Knowing Christ has a relationship with coming into the fellowship of His sufferings. These really aren't separate topics at all. They are very closely related. Now, what does it mean to know the power of his resurrection? Turn to Ephesians 1.

It's just a few pages over. Go back to Ephesians 1. What does it mean to know the power of his resurrection? In 1, 18-20, I think Paul is speaking about the same thing and he just unfolds it for us. So we'll let him comment on his own letter from another letter.

Ephesians 1 verses 18 through 20. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places." Paul is asking that our eyes be opened to knowing some things. And one of those things that he wants us to know is the exceeding greatness of God's power toward us who believe. And then he goes on to describe the greatness of that power. He said it's the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

Paul wants you to know God's mighty power working in you and through you. It's the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. That power, He wants you to feel it surging in you and through you. To experience it, to really know it. Again, not a book study, but an experiencing of it in life So that you can know without a shadow of a doubt that the same mighty power that raised Jesus up from the dead has surged in you and through you to give you what you need when you need it.

This is the beginning of our spiritual life. We're raised from the dead. We're dead in our sins and transgressions. And if you've come into Christ, it's because God raised you from the dead. But it continues.

The same power that raised Christ from the dead, and raises us from the dead spiritually, is available to surge in us and through us, to give us what we need when we need it in this life. Think of the encouragement that comes from this truth. Is there something in your life right now that is just beyond you? Just too big. Insurmountable.

Well God raised Jesus from the dead. It is not insurmountable for Him. I think that's what Paul is saying here in summary. Your things are little. He can raise the dead.

The things that are insurmountable for us are easy for him because he has the kind of power that can raise up Jesus Christ from the dead. We should take great encouragement from this to know that he can overwhelm any of our problems. Any second, any nanosecond. And what does it mean to know the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death? Well, back in Philippians, Paul spoke of Jesus' death in chapter 2 verse 8.

I think this informs us of what he's getting at here. Listen again or look at what Paul says about Jesus' death in chapter 2 verse 8. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. So this is that section about the incarnation, God taking on flesh, and he was found in appearance as a man, and Jesus humbled himself and became obedient, all the way to the point of the death of the cross, a shameful death. The cross was for Jesus the expression of his humble obedience to his father.

In his humanness, he didn't want to drink that cup. That's what Gethsemane is all about. If there's another way, let the cup pass. But not my will. He humbles himself.

But not my will, your will. In his humanness, He didn't want to drink that cup, but he humbled himself and he drank the cup all the way down to the bitter dregs and beyond, to purchase a people with his blood. To have fellowship in the sufferings of Jesus is to be brought into hardships by a sovereign God, as Jesus was, and to walk in humble obedience anyway. I think that's what Paul is teaching here. To have fellowship in the sufferings of Jesus, to enter into the sufferings of Jesus, is to be brought into things that are contrary to what we wanted by God, brought into hardships, just like Jesus was, and to walk in humble obedience anyway.

This is exactly what we saw in Luke 14. You have to love Christ above father, mother, spouse, children, your life. Love for Christ has to be preeminent. You have to take up your cross. Jesus says this again in Luke 9, but he says some different things.

This is about taking up the cross. It's exactly what Paul is teaching about in our text. Turn to Luke 9. Luke 9. Jesus is going to say take up your cross again daily again but he's going to say things, some things also around it that completely interrelate with our text.

Luke 9. I'll be reading 23 through 25. Then he said to them all, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost?

We're right back to profit and loss again. We're right back to gaining and losing again. What profit is it if you gain the whole world, if you gain all things, But lose your soul because you're not found in Christ. So our calling is to follow Jesus. He went to the cross in humble obedience and we are to just lay down our life day after day to follow Him.

To walk in His steps. This is what it means to enter into the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to his death. For Jesus it was a physical death. For ours it's very symbolic. We are laying down our lives day after day to live for him who gave us life.

So let's bring these things together. I said they were connected. Knowing the Lord Jesus and knowing the power of His resurrection and knowing the fellowship of His sufferings are connected. As God brings us into hardships and we are throwing ourselves on Christ and we are feeding on Christ, knowing Him, we see His mighty power working in and through us. Do you see how they're related?

God brings you into hardships so that those who are feeding on Him, knowing Him, abiding in Him, find the power of God working in them to give them what they need in the hardships. Maybe God brought you into your current hardships to bring you into closer fellowship with himself. That's my theory about your hardships and mine. That God has brought us into them against our wills. We didn't pick that and we wouldn't have picked it and we're not that happy about being in our hardships.

But maybe God has brought us into them in His sovereign wisdom in order to bring us near to himself. That would be merciful. Knowing that we'll find knowing him to be of such value that the hardships will seem like nothing. And we'll say, God it was wise and good of you. Thank you for bringing these hardships because now I'm closer to you.

Now I know you better. Turn to 2 Corinthians. This is our last stop. 2 Corinthians 4, I think Paul wraps these things together, knowing God and abiding in Him and participating in His sufferings. 2 Corinthians 4, 7-10.

Paul writes, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side yet not crushed. We are perplexed but not in despair. Persecuted but not forsaken. Struck down but not destroyed.

Always carrying about in the body the dying the Lord Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. This is what Paul is saying. He is looking around at their hardships and all the things that are pressing in on him from every side. He is saying all this participation in the sufferings of Christ makes the life of Christ be manifest in us. All this entering into the death of Christ is making the life of Christ burst forth in us.

They are experiencing the life of Christ because of the hardships. It makes the life of Christ manifest. I want that. I want that. I want that.

If it takes hardships to have the life of Christ bursting forth, to show himself abundant even in hardships. To show really, it's hard for him to show his magnificence to us in all prosperity, all comfort. It's just hard. You want to know his worth. You come into the valley of the shadow of death and you find that there's joy in him even there.

And he's glorified by you seeing it. Finally, verse 11. I'll read it again. We're back in Philippians 3, verse 11. If by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the dead, Is this Paul expressing doubt?

The Apostle Paul, no assurance of salvation, no. It's Paul rejecting presumption. He's doing two things here. He's pointing us to the one thing that will give you entrance into the resurrection from the dead. It's the righteousness from God by faith.

It's being found in Christ. And He's rejecting prideful presumption about his own state. Listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians 4 verses 3 through 5. You can jot this down, there's no time to turn there. 1 Corinthians 4, 3 through 5.

Paul says, but with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, Yet I am not justified by this, but he who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God.

Paul didn't consider it his business to micro-inspect himself about whether he was in the Lord or not. His job was to trust in Christ and to try to live for him. He did not obsess about those things. He said, I don't even judge myself. I don't care if you judge me, and you can drag me in front of any human court.

I won't care about their verdict. I don't even judge myself because I know even though there's nothing in my conscience that's bothering me, that doesn't justify me. Paul says that. Christ justifies me, and He'll have the say at the end. A couple of chapters later in 1 Corinthians 9.27 he says, but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection lest when I preach to others, I myself should become disqualified." Paul doesn't think out of the realm of possibility that he's actually a hypocrite.

And that after having preached the gospel of so many others, he would be disqualified and prove himself to never have been in Christ. It's his job to just be vigilant over his soul and over his life. This is how Paul thought. This is how we should think. It's not my job to micro-inspect everything.

It's not my job to try to peek into the book of life in heaven. It is close to you. It's your job to be vigilant over your life, to throw yourself wholly on Christ, and to keep moving, Not to presume upon the grace of God that you know all things. Applications. If you're not a Christian, pray that God would reveal himself to you.

If you're not a Christian, I'm not saying become a Christian. I'm saying what is necessary is to be able to see the pearl of great price. This is how false converts are made. Somebody gets a twinge of conscience, and so they say, to escape the fires of hell, I guess, if this is the way, I'll take that way. That is not true Christianity.

I'm not saying That can't be a part of your testimony. That invalidates your testimony. If that's a part of it, I'm just saying, if that's all there is, if that's as far as your testimony goes, and you've never seen Christ as all valuable, so that for joy over it, you'll go and sell it, that, Friends, this ebbs and flows. I'm not putting forth a Christianity that's just like mountain peak to mountain peak and you never come down in between and that is not consistent with the New Testament so I'm not trying to preach that. I know there are ebbs and flows in this.

I'm just saying, if there was never a point where you saw Christ as all lovely, all beautiful, all worthy, you should worry. Because short of that, you'll never be willing to sell all with joy to have Christ. Never! That is required. Jesus says it.

Unless you forsake everything, you can't be my disciple. If you're not a disciple, you're not born again. Secondly, if you're a Christian, are you drinking deeply of Christ or just sipping occasionally? This is the real question. Are you drinking deeply of Christ?

Paul is just setting the goblet before you today. He is also saying, there's a price To drinking deeply of Christ. Well, can I just sip occasionally and still be saved? Yes, you can! Go in peace.

That's what you want. You want to sip occasionally of Christ. Still be saved. Yes, many can and do that. They will be found in heaven.

Paul says they will have escaped through the flames. All their work will be burnt up, but they will get through. There might be a little smell of smoke on them, but they'll be in heaven. So yes, yes you can. Paul's begging us not to be satisfied there.

He's begging us. Why is he begging us? Because he's drunk deeply of Christ. He found the price to be paid for that. The trading of dung for diamonds.

So he's trying to offer us diamonds. He's trying. God, we find ourselves laid bare by an understanding of this passage. We find ourselves satisfied. We find ourselves asking, how little can I pay?

Thank you for your free grace. We know we never buy our way in. God rid us of the question, how little can I pay? God set us to wondering how much can we gain. How much can we gain.

Let us trade the dung for the diamond. God, May this year be a year of knowing you, knowing you, drinking deeply. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.