Ken, welcome. Welcome. Thank you, Nick.
We're delighted to have you and you, Rachel.
Now, Ken, tell us a little bit about yourself.
We know that you're a member of the Middleton Church.
Yeah, Rachel and I have been going to the Middleton Church for nearly three years now.
And we must say that we've just found tremendous community and welcome
among the Baptist churches of Cork.
Shortly after we started going, the Munster Bible College course began.
And it was perfect timing for me because I was looking for something like that
to kind of get some sort of good understanding of the Word of God.
And I have to say we've grown from strength to strength as a couple
since joining Middleton Church under Andy, who has been very good to us.
Thank you. How did you come to know the Lord? Just very briefly.
Very briefly, short version.
There is some Christianity in my background.
My father is a faithful Christian and he was very faithful to us.
Growing up, he was very faithful to kind of share the gospel with us as we grew up
and, you know, just to read the Bible to us every night.
But, you know, regardless, and because of some mixed up ideas I had in my own head,
I just went off and started doing my own thing in my teens.
And very quickly, I just kind of found myself in the party scene socializing.
And one day, when I was at home, there was a knock on the door and there was two men doing cold calls
from the Cork Baptist Church.
And they shared a very simple gospel message with me, a message I was very, very familiar with.
But they said to me, you know, perhaps you should read a Bible if you have one, which I did.
And, well, there was some bit of a struggle for understanding.
Initially, I have to say, my life turned around dramatically at that point.
I think I finally really repented wholeheartedly of who I was and who I was trying to be.
And the Lord has been so faithful to us ever since.
And shortly after that, six months later, I met Rachel.
Six months later, we were engaged.
A year after that, we were married.
And here we are, really.
You know, it's been that fast, you know.
Okay, now we get the chance to ask Rachel how you came to know the Lord.
Oh, that's a tricky one.
That's a tricky one.
And we gather how you found Ken, or Ken found you.
Well, it's kind of a long story, but I'm not too sure that I was saved when I thought I was.
But I think the Lord was always drawing me to him.
But it was kind of after I met Ken and a few other things happened, the Lord really showed us, you know, the real truth of his word.
We had kind of some very funny ideas about things.
I don't think I understood sin properly.
So I couldn't repent properly.
If you don't understand it, you know, you don't know what you're being saved from.
So I think it was a journey along the way.
Just even since I met Ken, since we ended up in Middleton, I think the Lord has really, it's probably a process.
So I don't know if there's a bang on time.
But he's been very faithful to us.
Thank you very much.
There's a lot of truth in the line of the hymn, O love that will not let me go.
That's so true in my life as well.
So thank you very much.
Ken, will you stay here?
Ken's going to bring us God's word.
And we look forward to that.
I have something to put my water on.
Oh.
Don't mind if I take charge of the pulpit.
Okay.
It's been a lovely welcome we've received here.
As part of my prep for the sermon this morning,
I took the time to listen to all the other messages on this series on the church website,
which is a fantastic resource.
And I must say I was very blessed by it.
And it's great to hear such faithful preaching in Cork.
So anyway, I suppose we'll begin by reading our text.
So if you turn to Philippians 3, and we're going verses 1 to 11.
That's page 1180 in the Church Bible.
Philippians 3, 1 to 11, page 1180 in the Church Bible.
And we'll read it together.
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.
It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again.
And it is a safeguard for you.
Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil,
those mutilators of the flesh.
For it is we who are the circumcision,
we who worship by the Spirit of God,
who glory in Christ Jesus,
and who put no confidence in the flesh.
Though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put 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,
in regard to the law,
a Pharisee,
as for zeal,
persecuting the Church,
as for legalistic righteousness,
faultless.
But whatever was to my profit,
I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
What is more,
I consider everything a loss
compared to the surpassing greatness
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whose sake I have lost all things.
I consider them rubbish,
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 is through faith in Christ,
the righteousness that comes from God,
and is by faith.
I want to know Christ,
and the power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings,
becoming like Him in His death,
and so,
somehow,
to attain the resurrection from the dead.
Heavenly Father,
thank You for Your precious Word.
Thank You for Your great kindness to us,
that You would choose to reveal Yourself to us
through Your Word this morning.
I pray that by Your Spirit,
You would open the minds,
the hearts,
and the ears of all of us here
to receive the Word.
And I pray that it would do the work
that You would have it do in us,
even now,
here,
and today.
For Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Before we begin to examine our portion of God's Word for today,
I thought it would be helpful to do a recap
of what you've covered in this series up until now.
Where we are in chapter 3,
we're just passing the halfway point in Paul's letter,
which is as good a time as any to take stock,
and also because the first verse in our text
assumes that we have read or heard
what was written up until now.
Let's consider the letter as a whole for a moment.
Paul's letter to the Philippians
is commonly known as the epistle of joy,
and rightly so.
However,
our modern understanding
and usage of the word joy
has changed somewhat from its original concept,
and a brief recap of the messages from recent weeks
will help remind us of that.
I'm going to take a little bit of time
to set this up,
because I want you to understand this concept of joy.
A good understanding
of the biblical idea of joy
is very important for grasping
what is at the core of Paul's message.
As we have been hearing through this sermon series,
Paul was enduring extremely difficult circumstances
as he wrote,
or as he more likely dictated this letter.
The Philippians themselves
were not unfamiliar with suffering,
as we will see later.
You see,
joy is something that is not without context.
Joy is not something that is without a wider setting
that gives it meaning.
As you may have gathered from the other sermons,
or know yourself from direct experience,
joy is something that becomes very real
in times of difficulty.
In fact,
joy is something that is hard won
in hard times.
But joy is not an end in itself.
So let's quickly go to the beginning of the letter.
The epistle opens in chapter 1 with gratitude.
Paul greets them
with an expression of heartfelt thankfulness to God
for the people of the Philippian church.
Paul is almost always grateful
in his letters for people,
not circumstances or things.
He is grateful for their loyalty to him
and for their partnership with him
in the work of the gospel.
His gratitude is enhanced
by his sure and certain confidence
in the God who had saved them.
And yet he would bring
that divine work he had started in them
to completion
on the day that Christ returns.
Paul goes on to express to them
that in his concern for the church,
he had the same type of sacrificial love for them
as Christ did.
He wanted this love to abound between them
as they lived and suffered for Christ together,
even as he was absent from them
because of his imprisonment.
He told the Philippians
how even his imprisonment
should be a source of joy for them.
As Paul found himself chained
to Roman guards in his cell,
he realized that he had a captive audience.
Because of this,
the gospel message
had now been smuggled
into the very heart
of the imperial household.
Paul didn't even mind
that there were those
who were now dismissive of him
in his absence.
In fact,
he drew comfort from it
and rejoiced.
Because of these people's rivalry
with Paul,
even as they explained
the message they were seeking
to undermine,
Christ was being proclaimed.
And Paul rejoiced.
Paul rejoiced
and drew comfort
even as he awaited
an uncertain fate in prison
because he knew
that either by his life
or by his death,
the kingdom would advance.
The Philippians' experience
of persecution
was a sign to them
of their salvation
because,
as he explains to them,
suffering has been appointed
to the life of every believer.
Even the presence of persecution
could be a source
of assurance for them.
In chapter 2,
he orders them
to continue
to strive together
in mutual,
humble service
for the sake of the gospel
by giving the example
of Christ himself.
Christ set aside
every privilege,
every right,
and every entitlement
he had
in service to us,
just as Paul wished
the Philippian church members
would do for each other.
They should serve each other
without complaint,
remembering
that they were living
their lives
in the sight
of a holy God
and so shine
as lights
in a crooked
and twisted world.
In so doing,
they emulated
Christ,
their Savior.
More comfort,
more joy.
Paul also knew
that he might
very well
not leave prison alive,
but rejoiced
and drew comfort
from this too
because
if he was martyred,
he would then
be with Christ.
He reminds the church
that even his death
in service
should be a source
of joy to them
as it was to him.
Chapter 2 concludes
with Paul's commendation
of Timothy
and Epaphroditus
as worthy role models
for the church.
These two servants
had proved themselves
to be selfless
in their work
for the gospel
and were precious
to Paul.
Paul was willing
to send them back
to the Philippian church
because they were
uniquely qualified
to provide
the selfless leadership
that they needed.
They were exemplars
of joy
and concern
for the welfare
of the church.
I want you to note this.
Paul loved
this church.
he really loved them.
His affection for them
is warm
and it's real
and it shines up
from the page.
He anticipates
their concern
for them
in prison
and he seeks
to reassure him.
He is deeply grateful
for their gift
that they had sent
to him.
He knew them well.
They were Christ-centered
together.
They had struggled
and suffered
for the gospel
together.
They had suffered
affliction
together.
They had suffered
persecution
together.
They had experienced
profound and deep
fellowship together
because nothing
opens and softens
the heart
like suffering.
Paul was so fond
of them
that he boasts
about the Philippian church
and their near neighbors
in his letter
to the churches
in Corinth.
This is 2 Corinthians 8,
1-5
and I'll just read it
for you.
You don't need to go there.
And now,
brothers and sisters,
we want you to know
about the grace
that God has given
the Macedonian churches.
In the midst
of a very severe trial,
their overflowing joy
and their extreme poverty
welled up
in rich generosity.
For I testify
that they gave
as much
as they were able
and even beyond
their ability.
Entirely on their own,
they urgently pleaded
with us
for the privilege
of sharing
in this service
to the Lord's people.
And they exceeded
our expectations.
They gave,
first of all,
to the Lord
and then,
by the will of God,
also to us.
This warmth
and love
that abounded
between Paul
and the members
of the church
in Philippi
had been forged
and shaped
in the heat
of seething
and violent opposition.
They all knew
that their suffering
was part of the deal.
They accepted it
as normal.
Even more than that,
they saw it
as a sign
of their salvation
from God.
As they stood together,
holding firm
to God's word
and serving
each other loyally,
they comforted
each other
in their grief.
They bound up
each other's wounds
and encouraged
each other,
remembering
that even
their very ability
to serve
was a gift
from God.
They rejoiced
in the God
who one day
would finish
the work
he had started
in them.
This
is the proper
context
for joy.
Joy
is not really
a feeling
or a mood
or an emotion.
It is not euphoria
or even happiness,
although it can lead you there.
It is an attitude.
Better still,
it is a deliberate approach
to every circumstance
that is founded
on a sure
and certain
confidence
in God's promises.
This is what Paul
means
when he says
rejoice.
Joy
does not
well up within us
when our circumstances
change for the better,
but happiness
might.
No,
joy
or confidence
in God
gives the grounds
for contentment
even in dire
circumstances.
It does not
necessarily
overflow
into happiness,
but it can.
If it leads
to a feeling
at all,
then it leads
far more often
to a peace
or a feeling
of security,
even when
all your circumstances
suggest otherwise.
This is a better
sense
of the biblical
concept of joy.
And no,
this is where we turn
to our assigned text
because this is where
it begins.
It begins
with joy.
So let's go to
chapter 3
and verse 1
and read it together.
Finally,
my brothers,
rejoice
in the Lord.
It is no trouble
for me to write
the same things
to you again
and it is a safeguard
for you.
Rejoice in the Lord.
Why?
Because the Lord
is the source
and grounding
of our joy,
our confidence.
There is no
other place
to find joy
joy.
And Paul makes
no apologies
for repeating
himself,
for writing
these same things
about joy
over and over
again throughout
his letter.
Why?
Because,
as Paul says,
joy in the Lord
or confidence
in the Lord
is a safeguard
for us.
It protects us.
Now that seems
like an odd
statement,
doesn't it?
why would Paul
say that joy
is safe?
Does that mean
a lack of joy
is dangerous?
Well,
joy is safe.
Here's another way
of putting it,
by asking another
question.
What is it
exactly
that protects us
when we're vulnerable?
and I'm referring
specifically now
to moments
of temptation.
The temptations
that beset
all of us,
particularly
in moments
of acute
suffering
or opposition,
will try
and separate
us from
our source
of joy
and confidence
by offering
a false
alternative.
When the
beta of
temptation
is presented,
what is it
that reminds
us of our
right priorities?
Isn't it
God's word?
The word
that tells us
about God's
love for us.
His love
that is so
deep,
mysterious
and profound
that it shows
us in him
even before
the foundation
of the world.
That love
which caused
him to set
aside
the glories
of heaven.
That love
which compelled
him to become
a man,
living a short,
sorrowful
and painful
life in
perfect obedience
on our behalf
so that we
could be credited
with his
perfect work.
That love
which compelled
him to die
an agonizing,
wretched death
in our place.
Taking the
punishment we
deserved,
knowing he would
rise again to
glory and reign
over us
as one of us.
That love
which takes
delight in
interceding for us
even now
before the
Father
as our
great and
merciful
high priest
and our
loving elder
brother.
Joy
or confidence
in God
makes temptation
to sin
seem bland
by comparison.
It makes
any temptation
offered
repulsive.
Joy
is a
deliberate act.
Joy in the
Lord
prayerfully
reminds itself
of God's
promises
and lets
the bait
of temptation
rot on the
hook.
Now that
Paul
has assured
his beloved
Philippian church
of the benefit
of joy,
of confidence
and trust
in God
as a safeguard,
he now
points out
the danger
that awaits
them because
obviously
there is
something he
needs to warn
them about.
Joy is not
a Pollyanna
mentality
where we're
all in a
journey together
being wafted
along in a
gentle breeze
under the
loving gaze
of a
mutant
benign God.
There is
real danger
for this
Philippian church
but they
can't beware
of the
danger
unless they're
first being
made aware
of it.
To verse
2.
Watch out
for those
dogs,
those
evildoers,
those
mutilators
of the
flesh.
Now that
Paul is
absent from
his beloved
congregation
and confined
to a
prison cell,
he is
concerned for
his brothers
and sisters
in Philippi.
He anticipates
that even as
he communicates
to them,
there are
wolves closing
in on his
beloved flock.
These were
the Judaizers.
Judaizers
were false
Christians who
would press
gang naive
believers into
thinking that
they had to
conform to
defunct old
covenant laws.
Paul knew
that he would
not be around
to give a
point-by-point
rebuttal to
their teaching.
So,
clever teacher
that he is,
he applies
some memorable
labels to
these false
preachers to
draw attention
to the lies
that are in
their message.
He first
calls them
dogs.
Unlike our
modern world,
where kittens
and puppies
receive worship
on the internet,
dogs in
Paul's era
were an
unwelcome
sight.
They were
feral and
riddled with
diseases,
and they
would eat
anything,
no matter
how repulsive.
Dogs
was an
insulting
nickname for
Gentiles,
used by
self-righteous
Jews who
were proud
of their
dietary laws
and hygienic
eating practices.
These laws,
along with
others,
were now
being added
to the
gospel of
God's grace
by these
Judaizers.
They were
preaching a
gospel of
law-bound
righteousness,
a profoundly
evil act
which subverts
the gospel
of God's
grace.
And hence,
Paul's ironic
name of
evildoers for
these deceitful
preachers.
These men
were preaching
their own
self-righteousness.
They sought
to draw the
Philippians
trust away
from the
past faithfulness
and future
promises of
God and
focus on
their own
accomplishments
and religious
compliance.
This is a
recipe for
both self-condemnation
and for
sinful pride.
However,
his most
cutting insult
is reserved
for their
preaching of
circumcision.
Mutilators,
he calls
them,
revealing how
their practice
of circumcision
is nothing
more than
an empty
religious ritual,
no better
than the
self-cutting
Baal
worshippers
who battled
with Elijah
on Mount
Carmel.
To verse
three.
For it is
we who are
the circumcision,
we who
worship by
the Spirit
of God,
who glory
in Christ
Jesus,
and who
put no
confidence
in the
flesh.
for all
their legal
bluster
and
bloviating,
these false
preachers
who are
adding all
these extra
requirements
to the
gospel of
Christ
were in
fact merely
heaping
condemnation
on themselves.
Not merely
because they
were preaching
another gospel
as awful
as that
was,
but also
for thinking
that they
could be
righteous
apart from
God.
Remember,
Abraham was
justified by
faith before
he was
circumcised.
The great
irony is,
as Paul is
showing,
that these
Judaizers were
in fact the
new Gentiles.
Christians
were now the
true circumcision
who worshipped
by the Spirit
and put no
confidence in
our own
ability to
keep a set
of laws or
to please
God by our
own works or
the fulfillment
of rituals.
The Old
Covenant had
run its
course and
had served
its purpose
and had
demonstrated our
inability to
keep these
requirements.
The gospel of
grace teaches
us that Christ
has done all
these things on
our behalf,
and more than
that, he is
the very
fulfillment of
those things.
Now, as we
turn to verse
four, we see
that if anyone
had grown
to base
their joy or
their confidence
in their own
works, it
was Paul.
Verse four
to six.
Though I
myself have
reasons for
such confidence,
if someone
else thinks
they have
reasons to
put 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,
in regard
to the law,
a Pharisee,
as for zeal,
persecuting the
church, as for
righteousness based
on the law,
faultless.
Paul didn't
just dismiss
these Judaizers
out of hand.
On their own
terms, he
excelled them
all.
Again, he is
anticipating that
these false
teachers would
sweep into the
sanctuary with
their heads
high, regaling
these wide-eyed
and innocent
believers with
their impressive
knowledge of
old covenant
laws and
requirements.
They would
have them
bound up with
their laws and
their loopholes
in minutes flat,
and Paul knows
it.
And he sets
out to pop
their bubbles
with a list of
achievements that
none of these
wolves could touch.
This is not
ego.
This is
argument,
because it is
crucial that he
pulls the rug
out from under
these deceivers.
Paul had
every one of
the qualities
required by the
Judaizers, and
more.
He was circumcised
on the eighth
day according to
the letter of
the law, not
later as an
adult convert.
He was of the
people of Israel,
or a true Jew
racially and able
to verify his
lineage, speaking
of which, the
tribe of Benjamin,
who along with
Judah were of
Jewish royalty and
very prominent.
And the very
fact that he
knew his tribe
at all showed
that he also
knew there had
been no mixed
marriages in his
ancestry, because
all the tribal
records had been
destroyed during
the Babylonian
invasion.
He was a
Hebrew of
Hebrews.
He had
inherited and
had been
maintaining the
tradition, the
language, and the
culture of his
people wholeheartedly.
He was a
Pharisee, a
member of a
sect that had
the aim of
drawing the
Jewish people
back to a
proper observance
of the law of
God.
Now, initially,
this movement was
sincere, but by
Jesus' time, had
become mostly
legalistic and
crushing.
However, even
still, Paul was
not merely a
Pharisee.
He was not
merely just making
up the numbers.
Prior to his
conversion, he had
been a zealot to
the point of
persecuting the
church.
He saw it as
his duty to
crush this
cult, these
followers of
the Nazarene
blasphemer,
Jesus.
Lastly, he
was blameless
before the
law.
Now, Paul is
not claiming to
be sinless, but
he is saying that
his obedience to
the law was
wholehearted and
it was sincere.
Insofar as
anybody could
obey the law,
he did.
And not only
that, he did
it better than
anyone.
This is where
Paul left these
teachers in the
dust.
He had outworked
and outstriven
them all.
But he is not
finished.
This is where he
turns their false
gospel upside
down and pulls
it inside out.
Verses 7 to
9.
But whatever
was to my
prophet, I
now consider
loss for the
sake of
Christ.
What is
more, I
consider everything
a loss compared
to the surpassing
greatness of
knowing Christ
Jesus, my
Lord, for
whose sake I
have lost all
things.
I consider them
rubbish 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 is through
faith in Christ.
The righteousness
that comes from
God and is by
faith.
All these gains
he had.
All these
achievements.
All those years
of striving.
Years of dogged
obedience.
years of
theological
accomplishments.
Years of
memorizing
scripture.
Years of his
cultural reverence
and deference.
All of it
was worth
nothing.
Paul says
that he
considers it
all garbage.
And he's not
merely saying that
these things are
disposable.
But much
worse than that,
they are
repulsive.
repulsive as
excrement.
The word
Paul uses,
skubalon in
the Greek,
is a startling
image.
It does mean
excrement and
there is no
getting around
that.
Paul is saying,
and I'm not
going any
further than he
is here,
that if you
Philippians strive
to please God
in your own
strength,
according to
these Judaizers
teaching,
if you try and
please God with
your own
accomplishments,
if you grasp
onto your
own morality,
your own
achievements,
and your own
status to try
and haul
yourself up
that sheer
cliff,
you will find
to your
horror that
you'll have
grasped hold
of something
rather unpleasant.
That disgust,
that revulsion,
that is what
Paul is
alluding to.
And that
disgust,
that dismay,
and even
horror,
is the
proper response
to religious
attempts to
please God.
Not because
God is in
heaven,
lying on a
futon somewhere,
kind of like
mulling over
what a great
legalist he
isn't,
but because
God actually
is perfectly
holy.
He is
perfectly good,
and perfectly
righteous,
and pure.
He detests
sin.
He is
totally
unlike us.
Let's take
a look at
Isaiah,
who was
another
religious
athlete,
by the way.
When he
was confronted
with the
divine vision
in chapter
six of his
book,
what was
his response?
Let's turn
there,
actually,
to Isaiah
chapter six,
and we'll
go through
it together,
Isaiah six.
And that
is page
690 in
the church
Bible,
Isaiah
six.
Sorry,
my lectern is
coming down
here.
All right.
Isaiah
chapter six,
690 in
the Bible.
In the
year that
King Uzziah
died,
I saw
the Lord
seated on
a throne,
high and
exalted,
and a
train of
his robe
filled the
temple.
Above him
were seraphs,
each with
six wings,
which with
two wings
they covered
their faces,
with two
they covered
their feet,
and with two
they were
flying,
and they
were calling
to one
another,
holy,
is the
Lord
Almighty.
The
whole
earth
is full
of his
glory,
and at
the sound
of their
voices,
the doorposts
and thresholds
shook,
and the
temple was
filled with
smoke.
Woe to
me,
I cried,
I am
ruined,
for I am
a man of
unclean lips,
and live
among a
people of
unclean lips,
and my
eyes have
seen the
King,
the Lord
Almighty.
Then one
of the
seraphs flew
to me,
with a
live call
in his
hand,
which he
had taken
with tongues
from the
altar.
With it,
he touched
my mouth,
and said,
See,
this has
touched
your lips,
your guilt
is taken
away,
and your
sin
atoned
for.
Isaiah,
who was a
devout Jew,
and a true
believer,
when confronted
with the
sight of
God,
was
horrified,
terrified.
What did
he say?
Woe to
me.
He thought
he was
lost for
all eternity.
Suddenly,
and instantly,
he was
excruciatingly
aware of
his sin,
in a way
he had
never been
before.
His sin
was now
naked and
exposed.
It was
writhing and
shrieking in
the unbearable
light of
God's throne
room.
But then,
a curious
thing happens.
One of the
seraphim
picked up
a live
coal with
a pair
of tongues,
pressed it
to Isaiah's
tainted
lips,
and said,
see,
this has
touched
your lips,
your guilt
is taken
away,
and your
sin
atoned
for.
Like
Paul,
Isaiah
had his
gospel
moment.
He
realized
that he
did not
have a
righteousness
of his
own that
comes from
the law,
but that
which comes
from God
on the
basis of
faith.
Faith
in Christ's
atoning
sacrifice
as sufficient
to cover
his sin
and objective
guilt
before God.
That's how
he could
count
everything
else,
everything
else,
as loss.
let's go
back to
our text
in
Philippians
3,
and we'll
go to
verses
10 and
11.
I want
to know
Christ
and the
power of
his
resurrection
and the
fellowship
of sharing
in his
sufferings,
becoming
like him
in his
death,
and so
somehow
to
attain
to the
resurrection
of the
dead.
Still,
as we
come to
the end
of the
passage
for today,
what does
that mean
for us?
How do we
apply this?
It's all
very well
saying that
we should
consider our
status and
achievements
rubbish,
but how does
that lead
to knowing
the power
of his
resurrection?
It means
this,
Philippi
was an
obedient
church,
and Philippi
was a
suffering
church.
Paul was
an obedient
servant,
and Paul
was a
suffering
servant.
And
obedience to
Christ,
following
Christ,
means that
we too
will suffer
for him.
Paul had
only just
said earlier
in chapter
1,
verse 29,
for it
has been
granted
to you
on behalf
of Christ
not only
to believe
in him,
but also
to suffer
for him.
Paul wants
his beloved
brothers and
sisters in
Philippi to
prepare for
the inevitable
continuation of
their suffering
by turning
worldly
values
upside down.
what does
he say to
them and
to us
in our
text today?
Rejoice.
Draw your
comfort from
the promises
of God.
This will
keep you
from the
temptations
of a
worldly
mindset.
Speaking of
which,
set aside
worldly
religious
attempts
to please
God
with works
or rituals
or supposed
spiritual
feats.
It is
futile
and will
only foster
a competitive
spirit.
Suffering
and loss
is the
price of
obedience
in God's
upside down
economy.
We draw
our strength
and our
confidence
from the
certain
promises
of our
all-powerful
God.
This is
the heart
of Christian
joy.
And this
is the
heart
of Paul's
letter.
Where Christ
led the way
by setting
aside his
divine
privileges,
Paul reveals
to us
the same
process
as it
works out
in the
regenerated
mind
of the
believer
who,
upon
finding
treasure
hidden
in a
field,
sells
all that
he has
and buys
that field.
I'll
close
with this
fundamental
truth of
the New
Testament.
Here it
is.
The more
faithful you
are to
Christ,
the more
you will
suffer for
him.
And the
deeper the
fellowship you
will have
with him.
That's
knowing
Christ,
not merely
knowing about
him.
What deeper
fellowship could
we have with
Christ than
to lay our
lives down
for the same
cause that
he did?
to reach
a lost
world,
to minister
to his
beloved and
suffering
church.
Back in
verse 8,
when Paul
says that
he counts
everything as
lost,
that he
might gain
Christ,
he is
using
accounting
terminology.
We could
say that
those of
these losses
are nothing
by comparison
to the
kingdom of
heaven.
We
shouldn't
over
spiritualize
this.
They are
still tangible.
These
losses will
cost you
something.
They will
hurt here
and now.
The good
news is
we don't
do this
alone.
That is
the purpose
of the
church.
And we
won't have
to do it
forever.
We will
strive for
the gospel
together.
We will
suffer
affliction
together.
We will
suffer
persecution
together.
If we
do those
things
together,
then we
will
experience
profound
and deep
fellowship
with Christ
and with
each other.
Because
nothing opens
and softens
the heart
like mutual
suffering.
Lastly,
Paul ties
knowing Christ
to participation
in his
sufferings.
participation
in his
sufferings
means that
we will
become like
him in
his death.
That could
potentially mean
martyrdom.
It will
certainly mean
honoring Christ
in the myriad
moral decisions
we make
every day.
I don't
need to
explain to
you how
this could
cost you
dearly in
our present
world.
God.
But this
is the
context for
true joy,
a confidence
and trust
in the
holy and
righteous
God
who has
been so
faithful to
us.
This is the
God who
parted the
Red Sea
and delivered
his people.
This is the
God who
comforted and
rescued a
sobbing
Hagar.
prayer.
The God
who heard
Hannah's
prayer.
The God
who afflicted
a bewildered
Job.
The God
who burned
in the
heart of
David who
would write
the sound
book of
Jesus.
The God
who terrified
Isaiah.
The God
who became
a man.
Living a
perfect life
on our
behalf.
taking on
himself the
shame and
the punishment
for our
sin.
The God
who died
in our
place and
now reigns
over us
as one
of us
and whoever
lives to
intercede
for us.
The God
who spoke
the heavens
and the
earth and
us into
existence is
with you.
Your
church,
his church
is with
you.
And by
his grace,
as we
become like
him in
dying to
ourselves,
we can
be certain
that we
will attain
that same
resurrection
from the
dead our
saviour did.
That
glorious day
when we
are called
to meet
him in
the air,
when we
will be
like him
because we
will see
him as
he is.
Amen.
Let's
introduce
our
song.
And our
closing hymn,
I think,
is knowing