The Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ
Text: Philippians 3:1-11
Core Idea: A Christian is someone who boasts in Christ, treasures Christ, and desires to know Christ more. May this be the description of all of us – to be a people who consider everything a loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, Lighthouse. It is always delightful to see you. We're going through the Book of Philippians – reflecting on what it means to press on with joy in all circumstances. And last week, we saw that Timothy, Epaphroditus, and Paul were living examples of what it means to live a life worthy of the gospel – in that, they were men of compassion, consistency, commitment, and cooperation. Now, the point of this passage wasn’t just to inform us of the practical ways of living a life worthy of the gospel but it was also to encourage us by reminding us that Timothy and Epaphroditus lived this way as ordinary Christians like you and me – implying that this is not an impossible task but an achievable calling since the same Spirit that empowered them is with us as well. Then Paul called us to emulate people like them so that we would learn from them and be inspired to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. Well, today, Paul will point our attention to those we shouldn’t emulate – false teachers who distort the gospel and lead people astray. Instead, he’ll call us to count all things as loss for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. Then with that in mind, please turn your Bibles to Philippians 3:1-11. Let me read this for us.
1 Further, my brothers and sisters, 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. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by His Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh – 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 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; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 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 on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
In verse 1, Paul returns to the theme he introduced earlier in the letter and tells the Philippians to continually rejoice in the Lord – to find their joy and hope in the Lord, to find the reason to get up in the morning in the Lord, to find the motivation to fight this good fight of faith in the Lord, to ground and anchor themselves in the Lord so that they won’t be tossed back and forth by the trials and troubles of life. Paul was most definitely aware of the reality that the Philippians were facing. He knew that they were being ridiculed, mocked, and treated unjustly. He knew that their possessions were being taken away. He knew that some were being imprisoned. And he certainly knew that their lives were now being threatened all because of their allegiance to Christ. Paul knew that being a Christian, living a life worthy of the gospel was not easy. And yet to these struggling Christians, he told them to rejoice in the Lord. By the way, I want you to notice that this message is the exact opposite of the prosperity gospel that’s so prevalent in our world today. The prosperity gospel (which really is no gospel at all) teaches that God wants to make you healthy and wealthy – and that if you’re not getting richer and healthier, there must be something wrong with you, that you’re not doing things right. They put the focus completely on us. But that’s not what Paul does here. He doesn’t talk about the things that they need to do to avoid suffering and persecution. Instead, he simply takes them to Christ – reminding them of who He is and who they are in Christ so that they will learn to joyfully live a life worthy of the gospel despite their suffering and persecution. Then let me point out three things from this passage.
· CHRISTIANS BOAST IN CHRIST
· CHRISTIANS TREASURE CHRIST
· CHRISTIANS DESIRE TO KNOW CHRIST MORE
1) CHRISTIANS BOAST IN CHRIST
Verse 2, “Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.” This warning appears to be quite abrupt considering that Paul’s tone so far has been overflowing with love and affection. Who was Paul referring to here? At first glance, one could speculate that he was talking about the gentiles because that’s what the Jews called anyone who was outside of the covenant community. Unlike our culture today, dogs back then were not household pets – it was rare to see that. Rather, they were stray animals, scavengers – roaming the streets to find whatever they could to eat. They were often considered nasty, unclean, and dangerous – detested and despised by many. So, it would be more helpful to note that they saw dogs as we see rats – they were creatures to be avoided at all costs. But that’s how the Jews saw the gentiles. So, it wouldn’t be weird if the original readers thought that Paul was referring to the gentiles here. But ironically, Paul was actually talking about a group of Jews called the Judaizers. Who were the Judaizers? They were devout Jews who accepted Jesus as Messiah but wanted to hold onto Judaism as well – which is why they taught that gentile Christians had to be circumcised if they truly wanted to become part of the people of God (hence, the label, “Those mutilators of the flesh”). Listen to the way Luke describes them in Acts 15:1, “Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.’” Now, even though the church leaders (like Paul, Barnabas, James, and Peter) strongly fought against this idea and preserved the gospel of grace through the Council of Jerusalem, many of these false teachers continued to promote this everywhere they went – causing a great deal of trouble in many churches. All that to say, the Judaizers were distorting the gospel, deceiving Christians, and dividing churches. No wonder Paul used very strong language to warn the Philippian Christians – he didn’t want anything to do with them. Then when Paul refers to them as dogs, he must have done it intentionally to show that it wasn’t the gentiles who were outside the covenant community but the Judaizers. Peter O’Brien writes, “Circumcision, the Judaizers’ greatest source of pride, is interpreted by the apostle as a sure sign they have no part in God’s people at all.” Now, if you thought he was being harsh here, Paul goes further and describes them as evildoers. Of course, this is not how the Judaizers would’ve perceived themselves. In fact, they would’ve viewed themselves as righteous and good – obeying the law, preserving the law, and promoting the law. But what they failed to realize was that their emphasis on the necessity of circumcision was actually denying the sufficiency of Christ for salvation – which would’ve been considered evil in the eyes of God. Again, it’s not that they were rejecting Jesus’ work on the cross – no, they knew how important that was. What made them evildoers was that they were considering circumcision to be as important as the cross. But by doing so, they were actually nullifying the work of Christ – no wonder Paul was harsh towards them.
Now, what we expect Paul to say at this point is that circumcision is outdated, that it should be banned, and that it’s the source of all evil. But that’s not what he says. In fact, he says in verse 3, “For it is we who are the circumcision.” If Paul called the Judaizers dogs to indicate that they were being excluded from the covenant community, here, he refers to the Philippians (gentile Christians) as the circumcised to indicate that they were now being included in the covenant community. This is important to point out because it shows us that the act of circumcision in itself isn’t evil – but to make circumcision the source of our confidence is. That’s exactly what the Judaizers were doing. They felt superior to others, they felt more secure, they felt more significant, and they felt more confident to stand before God because they were circumcised. Circumcision was what gave them worth, meaning, and assurance, not Christ. Then let me ask you, “What is the source of your confidence today? What makes you feel significant? Your power and position? Your achievements? What makes you feel secure? Your wealth? Your investments? Your work? The network of people you know? Your plans for the next 10 years? What makes you think that you’re on God’s good side? What makes you think that He loves you? Because you served the church every Sunday? Because you helped the poor? Because you did your devos regularly? Because you sinned less this past week? Where will your confidence come from when it’s time to stand before God? Your church attendance? Your attempt to live a moral life?” Don’t get me wrong – all those things that I just listed are good. They’re not inherently evil. But according to Paul, they can be if they become the ultimate thing – which is why, for Paul, the answer to all those questions was the same: Jesus Christ. Verse 3, “[Christians] boast in Christ Jesus and… put no confidence in the flesh.” Christians boast in Christ. What does this mean? Well, it’ll be helpful to note that the word “boast” in Greek can also be translated as “to glory in, to be consumed by, or to be obsessed with.” Then think of it like this. We know that people are obsessed with many different things – it could be money, sex, power, or pleasure. But according to Paul, Christians are obsessed with Christ. Think about that for a second. Christians are so consumed by Christ that they just can’t stop talking about Him. Why? Why are Christians so crazy about Jesus? Because we know that He alone makes our salvation possible – because we see that He has done everything necessary to save us from our sin and the wrath that we so richly deserve. In fact, Christians have nothing else to boast about because everything we now have is a gift from Him – a gift that has been freely given to us. Then what else is there to boast about other than the Giver of that gift Himself?
Actually, let me jump down and read from verse 9 because Paul shares a lot more about this there – he said, “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 on the basis of faith.” Our righteousness doesn’t come from within – it comes from outside. This is true because, no matter how hard we try, we’ll never be able to live up to God’s standard – we will always come short. It’s like me trying to jump and touch the ceiling of this gym. No matter how much I train, I will never be able to do that. In fact, if you saw me try, you would just feel sorry for me because you know I will fail. You’ll probably think to yourself, “This man needs help. He’s clearly deluded. He needs to admit his inability to do this and give up now because the hope that’s keeping him jumping is false hope.” But so it is with our attempt to become righteous before God. I love what Pastor Paul Tripp wrote, “When it comes to right standing with God, hopelessness is the doorway to hope. You have to abandon hope in yourself in order to run in the hope of humility and confession to God. It is not hope you have earned but hope that has been earned by another and granted to you by grace. There would be no such thing as Christianity if there were any way that a human being could reconcile himself to God and stand righteous before Him based on his own performance. If this were possible, the gospel would be a lie and the biblical narrative would not be needed. But the gospel is not a lie; it is the most essential and most glorious message ever written and spoken. In His righteous life and substitutionary death, Jesus has made it possible for us to be forgiven, accepted, and declared righteous by God. This is the ultimate good news.” Brothers and sisters, Christ is the reason for our hope. He is our righteousness and life – the source of our significance, security, and salvation. Then do you truly believe this? If so, your Christian life must be a Christ-exalting life. Christians can be known for all sorts of things – being generous, passionate, and loving. But more than anything else, we should be known for our love and obsession for Christ – everything about our lives must be aimed at bringing Him glory. Does this describe you? This is a distinguishing characteristic of a Christian.
Now, if you’re not yet a believer, you can receive this righteousness today simply by turning away from your sins and trusting in Christ’s work on the cross – to believe that He died to pay for the penalty of your sins. Friends, let Him be your confidence. When you stand before God one day, nothing else will matter. All your possessions, power, achievements, and skills will mean absolutely nothing. It’ll never be enough to impress God. The greatest news is that we can be considered righteous before God through Jesus Christ – you just need to place your confidence in Him. Then I pray that you’ll do that today. Don’t delay.
2) CHRISTIANS TREASURE CHRIST
Verse 4, “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more.” Here, Paul was basically saying, “If you’re still not convinced, if you still think that you should be saved because of your background or achievements (circumcision), let me tell you about my credentials because I’m sure I would be more qualified than you.” Well, let me quickly go through them one by one. When he says that he was circumcised on the eighth day and that he’s of the people of Israel, he means that he wasn’t a convert to Judaism but that he was a Jew from the beginning – indicating his ethnic purity. When he says that he came from the tribe of Benjamin, he means that he comes from one of the two tribes of Israel that remained true to the house of David (the other being Judah) – indicating his family superiority. When he says that he’s a Hebrew of Hebrews, he means that he kept his Hebrew culture unlike other Jews who chose to immerse themselves into the Greek culture – indicating his patriotic heart. When he says that he’s a Pharisee, he means that he knew the law, memorized the law, and obeyed the law faithfully – indicating his passion for the Word. When he says that he persecuted the church, he means that he was actively defending and working for Judaism – indicating his religious zeal. And lastly, when he says that he was faultless in righteousness, it doesn’t mean that he was sinless but rather it means that he did everything he could to live out the law and to be a good person – indicating his moral lifestyle. All that to say, his credentials were impressive. In fact, it would’ve been harder to find an area of life where he was falling short. He was the kind of person who would’ve been accepted and praised wherever he went – an object of envy to many.
But listen to what he says about all these things in verse 7, “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” He was basically saying, “All the things that I considered valuable, profitable, advantageous – all the things that were so precious to me once are no longer important to me. In fact, they’re more like a loss because they often hinder me from fully boasting in Christ.” Now, if that wasn’t extreme enough, he goes even further. Verse 8, “I consider everything [not just the things I listed in verses 5-6 but everything] a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” What did he mean by everything? Maybe he was referring to his Roman citizenship – which by the way was very valuable back then. Maybe his material possessions. Maybe his title as an apostle – the reputation he held. Or maybe his accomplishments – the planting of churches and discipling countless people. Whatever it was, Paul saw all of them as unimportant compared to knowing Christ. Now, I know that you wouldn’t be able to see this in our English translation but let me point out the grammar in this passage. In verse 7, the word “consider” is in the perfect tense which describes an action that has been completed already. But in verse 8, the word “consider” is actually in the present tense which describes something that’s ongoing right now. Then what Paul was saying was this, “In regard to all the credentials that I listed in verses 5-6, I’ve already learned to consider them a loss. But when it comes to everything else in life, I’m learning to consider them a loss every single day. I remind myself of this truth every morning and I reorient myself to this truth every evening because I know that the temptation to revert is too great. Every day, I count everything a loss. In fact, I consider them garbage compared to knowing Christ.” Now, this is a very gentle translation because the word “garbage” in Greek is more like reeking, moldy, rotting, stinky street garbage on a hot summer day. I’m sure all of us can imagine what that smells like. No wonder KJV translates it as “dung.” But this is how Paul saw everything. Now, if I can clarify – he didn’t mean that they really were bad and useless. He just meant that compared to knowing Christ nothing else mattered.
Brothers and sisters, this is the distinct mark of a Christian – they treasure Christ above all things. Christianity is not just an add-on. Christianity isn’t just something you add to your life. Christianity isn’t just a little power that you add to get you closer to your goals in life. No, when we become Christians, we undergo a radical reorientation – in that, what was once precious to us is no longer precious and the things that we once despised and ignored (maybe even scoffed at), we now begin to cherish. Then let me ask you, “Have you gone through this radical reorientation of life? Do you consider all things a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ? Are you daily, intentionally fighting to consider all things garbage compared to knowing Christ? If not, why not? What’s keeping you from seeing Christ as the greatest treasure of your heart?” Pastor Jeff Purswell said, “Boasting is marketing what we value and what we are confident of.” Then think about the things that you’re boasting about today, the things that give you meaning, joy, and security – it could be that you’re treasuring them more than Christ. If so, we should repent. We should reorient ourselves back to Christ. Friends, I’m convinced that we need to do this every single day just as Paul did because we have an enemy who is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for people to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). He’ll try to numb your heart with the pleasures of this world and burden your heart with the trials of this world. He’ll try to make us forget the surpassing worth of knowing Christ – instead, he’ll tempt you to settle with just knowing about Christ. He’ll tell you that you’ve done enough – and that Jesus is not worth losing everything for, maybe worth losing just some things. And what will make this even more difficult is that the people around you will call you a fool for living this way – that you’re wasting your life. This is why we need to daily reorient our hearts back to Christ – to earnestly ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see the surpassing worth of knowing Christ so that our hearts may be captivated by His beauty and glory. Friends, are you ready to be called a fool? Are you ready to live a “wasted” life? Christians boast in Christ because we treasure Christ.
3) CHRISTIANS DESIRE TO KNOW CHRIST MORE
Verse 10, “I want to know Christ.” Now, this statement is interesting because Paul already knew Christ. When he met Jesus on the Damascus Road, knowing about Christ had turned into knowing Christ. And ever since then, he has come to know Christ more and more. Then here’s a man who knew Christ better than anyone else at this time – but it still wasn’t enough for him. It didn’t satisfy him. He wanted more. The more he got to know Christ, his desire to know Christ just intensified even more. Now, there are two specific things that he wanted for himself which he describes in verse 10, “To know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Let’s quickly go through both.
First, Paul wanted to know the power of His resurrection. In other words, he wanted to experience the same life-giving power by which God raised Jesus from the dead in his life as well – he wanted to experience more of this power that makes things that seem impossible possible. Then this is what we should desire as well because let’s be honest – it really feels impossible to live a life worthy of the gospel. It seems impossible to be joyful when we’re going through unbearable trials of life. It seems impossible to be generous when it seems like we don’t have much. It seems impossible to love and serve others when we’re hurting inside. It seems impossible to forgive those who have wronged us when the pain is still fresh. It seems impossible to celebrate with others for all the ways that they were blessed when it feels like so many things have been taken away from us. It seems impossible to come to God when we’re crushed by the weight of guilt and shame. It seems impossible to lose all things for the sake of gaining Christ. But we must remember that this power that is able to make the impossible possible is available to you and me – the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within us to make us holy, to help us understand God’s love and mercy, and to help us endure life’s hardships. Then we should ask for more of it.
Second, Paul wanted to become like Christ by participating in His sufferings. Now, it’s important to note that Paul doesn’t just say, “I want to suffer” – rather, he says, “I want to become like Christ in His death and share in His sufferings.” What this means is that if you belong to Christ, if your allegiance is to Christ, you will suffer because Christ suffered. Jesus said in John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you… If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.” Following Jesus means that we will be hated – that’s the unavoidable reality for Christians. I know – this is not the most exciting thing to hear on a Sunday morning but that’s what Jesus wants us to know. He doesn’t hide it – He doesn’t pretend like everything’s going to be easy. He lays it out in the open because He doesn’t want us to be misinformed – if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you will be hated by the world. Why? Because the world hates Jesus. Now, you might say, “But so many people respect Jesus and what He had to say. They think that He was a good teacher.” Now, that may be true but that’s because they don’t really know the true message of the gospel. The gospel is a threat to the world because it tells us that we are hopeless and helpless sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus is a threat to the world because He doesn’t just come to us as a teacher, but as the King who calls us to submit to His lordship. No wonder we will be hated – we live in a world that wants to remain on its throne. And yet Paul shares that that’s exactly what he wants to do – share in His sufferings. Why? Because it will help him know Christ better. Have you ever thought of your suffering that way? When you suffer for the cause of Christ, you have an opportunity to know Him better. How? Because it will cause you to draw yourself closer to Him, because you’ll learn to rely on Him, because you’ll learn to let go of your ambitions and live for His glory, and so on. Now, if you ever feel like you don’t have what it takes to do this, remember that we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. He will sustain you and empower you to stand firm in your hardships. Then let me ask you, “Are you suffering for the cause of Christ today?” If so, be encouraged because it’s proof that you belong to Him, that you share in His sufferings. So, don’t distance yourself from Him – draw yourself closer to Him. He’ll strengthen and comfort you.
CONCLUSION
Let me end with this thought. Paul began this passage by saying in verse 1, “It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” I love this because it really informs the reason for all that I do every single Sunday as your pastor. To preach the same things to you is an expression of my love and care for you. Every week you’re here, I’m going to proclaim the gospel to you, review the gospel with you, and apply the gospel for you – not only for the good of the unbelievers but also for the building up of the believers. I’m not going to try to impress you with anything new for the sake of being different – I’m just going to be saying the same things to you. And just so you know, it’s no trouble for me to do that – and I pray that that won’t be a problem for you as well. In fact, I pray that you’ll rejoice in this, give thanks to God for this, and keep me accountable so that I will do this with conviction and clarity. Lighthouse family, a Christian is someone who boasts in Christ, treasures Christ, and desires to know Christ more. Then may this be the description of all of us – to be a people who consider everything a loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Read verses 2-6. Paul realized he had put his confidence in the wrong place. What are some ways that you are personally tempted to place your faith in your flesh? When have you placed your confidence in the wrong place and how did it turn out? Why do we tend to base our worth as Christians on our performance?
2) Read verses 7-8. Paul explains his conversion and the resulting life change of having righteousness in Jesus. Then share about the moment you placed your trust in Jesus. What kind of reorientation of life did you experience?
3) What can you do to start considering everything as loss for the sake of knowing Christ? What might be the greatest stumbling block that will keep you from seeing Christ as the greatest treasure of your heart?
4) Read verse 10. Paul wanted to know Jesus. How are you growing in your relationship with Jesus and learning to know Him better?