Partners Confident in Christ

Thanks for reading Joe and Gus.

It would be great if you could keep Philippians chapter 3 open, that's what I'll be preaching from.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Hopefully you might have all received a sermon outline as you came in.

Has anyone not got a sermon outline?

Or is anyone not able to look on with a sermon outline? I think that's everyone.

Well, I trust that most people here are becoming reasonably familiar with Paul's letter to the Philippians,

as we not only have it preached to us, but also studying it in our small groups.

And if you're not in one, can I just say that you should consider joining one.

Come and have a chat with me afterward.

The most Elise and I have ever had in our lounge room for small group is about 18 people.

But if we take out some of the furniture and stand, then we could probably get 50 or something.

So there's plenty of room for you in a small group.

And Elise is looking a bit concerned, so if you come to me, then I'll actually refer you to another small group.

There's plenty of good ones going around.

But my point is that we're studying Philippians, and hopefully you're beginning to understand it

and to see why Steve chose this book to coincide with Vision Sunday two weeks ago

and with Commitment Sunday that's coming up in a few weeks' time.

Paul's vision for the Philippian church is one not of church numbers and logos

and ministry programs, as important as these things may be,

but his vision is of the glory of God and the supremacy of Christ,

the exclusivity of the gospel, the righteousness of God's people,

and the suffering of God's church.

And that should be our vision as well.

And particularly suffering.

We live in an evil age.

I'm not suggesting that it's necessarily more evil than 10 years ago

or 20 or 50 or 1,000 years ago,

but it's evil nonetheless.

And that realisation alone should convince us of the need to be ready to suffer.

But it's more than that.

The path of righteousness for God's people is costly.

If you haven't read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's wonderful book,

The Cost of Discipleship, you should.

You should read it.

And I think the title says it all.

The Cost of Discipleship.

There's no place for cheap discipleship and cheap grace.

It's costly.

But it's more than that.

The reality is,

and this is the number one reason that the church should prepare to suffer,

is that God promises that it will happen.

He promises that it will happen.

This is my first point on the sermon outline.

And our text of scripture really won't make any sense unless you believe this.

God has promised that his people will suffer,

and nothing is more certain than a promise in God's word.

And so you're a fool if you think that you can be a Christian and simply avoid it.

And you're a fool if you're a Christian and you fail to prepare for it.

And let me just give you a couple of examples from scripture.

In Acts chapter 14 verse 22,

Acts 14:22

Paul teaches that it is through many tribulations that we enter the kingdom.

In John chapter 15 verse 20,

John 15:20

Jesus himself says,

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

In 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 12,

1 Peter 4:12

the apostle tells the churches in Asia Minor,

Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you,

as though something strange were happening to you.

Don't be surprised, Christians.

It's not strange.

It's not unusual.

It's absolutely par for the course.

And as Paul himself writes in 2 Timothy,

2 Timothy 3:12

chapter 3 verse 12,

All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Now, you'll see on the sermon outline there,

I've got a point, the prosperity gospel.

I should say the prosperity so-called gospel.

And sometimes people ask why I often mention the prosperity gospel,

if we'll call it that,

and why I preach against it and why I hate it so much.

And this is why.

I hate any suggestion that the Christian life is about earthly prosperity because it is anti-Bible,

it's anti-Gospel,

it's anti-Jesus,

and it fails to prepare God's people.

God's saints for the suffering that they will experience.

And that they will experience more of the more they desire to live a righteous life that brings glory to God in Christ Jesus.

And so, after careful consideration,

you'll be pleased to know that I've decided not to preach a prosperity message tonight,

but rather I think my job, given this passage, is to prepare you to suffer.

And our text, as I said, is particularly helpful in that regard.

So, my second point is that God graciously prepares his people to suffer.

And I want to show you that from the text.

Look with me from verse 5.

It's about Paul's life,

and it was quite a remarkable life before he became a Christian, wasn't it?

Have a look with me.

Circumcised on the eighth day,

Paul had been sealed with the outward sign of God's grace.

Of the people of Israel,

he's of the correct religion.

Of the tribe of Benjamin,

his pedigree is without equal.

He's from the tribe that King Saul came from.

A Hebrew of Hebrews.

Now, this is an amazing statement,

and I think it shows that Paul was no mere adherent

to Judaism.

His life was actually the epitome of it.

In regard to the law,

a Pharisee.

Paul was part of the highest category of law keepers that there was.

And as to zeal,

persecuting the church.

He was so zealous for Judaism,

so zealous he thought for God,

that he led the persecution of God's enemies,

namely,

the church of Jesus Christ.

And as for legalistic righteousness,

faultless.

All of the above,

as well as his meticulous keeping of the law,

resulted in him being blameless before God,

or so he thought.

It's arguably an incredible life, isn't it?

And one that he describes, I think,

without even a hint of modesty or exaggeration.

But then,

on the Damascus road,

he met the resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ,

Lord and Saviour of God's people,

Messiah of Israel,

Son of the living God.

And Jesus told him,

in Acts chapter 9, verse 16,

Acts 9:16

how much he must suffer

for Jesus' sake.

And Paul prepared himself to do so.

How did he do that?

Well, he did it in the same way that Christians

are to prepare themselves today,

in the same way that we

are to prepare ourselves to suffer.

Look at verse 7.

Whatever was to my profit,

I now consider loss

for the sake of Christ.

This, friends,

is how Paul prepares to suffer.

This is how God wants us

to prepare to suffer as well.

He takes those things

that are gains to him,

all that are benefits,

all that he bases his life on,

all that he takes joy and pride

and pleasure and fulfillment

and value in,

all that he considers profit,

but instead of counting them as profit,

he counts them as loss

for the sake of Jesus Christ.

And this is no small thing.

It's a total paradigm shift

and it turns Paul's world upside down.

It's like the financial ledger.

Do people know about financial ledgers?

One of my, in fact,

my only academic claim to fame

is that in year 12,

I came in the top 10%

of two and three unit business studies.

And I can't remember much of it now,

but I do remember that

that there's two columns happening here.

There's profit and there's loss, right?

Can we agree on that?

There's a few people nodding here

who I'm sure have just been polite

and know a lot more

about financial statements than I do.

But before Paul was a Christian,

the profit column included human glory

and Jewish citizenship

and diligent law keeping.

And the loss column,

at least for Paul,

consisted exclusively

of the church of Jesus Christ.

And he would do all that he possibly could do

to alleviate further losses.

But when Paul met the risen Christ,

everything changed.

That which was loss,

namely and exclusively Jesus Christ,

became profit.

And that which was gain and profit

and reputation became loss.

And more than that,

it's not just that which had previously been profit

that he put in the loss column.

It's everything.

Look at verse eight.

What is more,

I consider everything a loss

compared to the surpassing greatness

of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord,

for whose sake I've lost all things.

I consider them rubbish.

He considers everything rubbish

that I may gain Christ.

Paul's single-minded mission to destroy Christ

had now become a single-minded mission

to gain Christ.

And that mission is costly.

Now I think we need to be careful

about speaking of costs here.

Sometimes I hear people,

sometimes I hear ministers

who were once lawyers or doctors or bankers,

speaking about the sacrifices

that they made

to become a minister of the gospel.

And I'm not really sure that such,

I'm not really sure that such talk is appropriate

and I'm not really sure it's in accord

with God's,

the Bible's idea that

calling is the work of God.

Ministry is a calling.

It's something that comes from God.

So what I'm talking about here

is not a way to describe a particular thing

or a job or an income

that a Christian has lost

or that being a Christian has cost you.

What I'm talking about

is what actually should be normative

for all Christians.

Have a look with me in verse 17.

Paul says,

join together in following my example, brothers.

This is the Christian life.

He's calling us to follow his example

of putting that which is profit

and making it loss

and that which is loss

making it profit.

It's not that as a Christian

there is a slight chance

that you might be called

to consider everything loss

for the sake of Christ.

Rather, that is precisely

what every Christian life

should look like.

And so,

what does it mean

to join together

in following Paul's example?

Let me just suggest

a practical framework

of three things

that this might possibly mean.

In fact,

that this definitely means.

Firstly,

it means that

if ever I have to choose

between Christ

and anything else,

I need to choose Christ.

If I ever have to choose

between Christ

and anything else,

I need to choose Christ.

Secondly,

I need to deal

with the things of this world

in such a way

that they show themselves

to be a loss

and Christ

to be my only prophet.

I know a few of you

are writing them down

so I'm going to say it again.

I need to deal

with the things

of this world

in such a way

that they show themselves

to be loss

and Christ

to be my only prophet.

And thirdly,

the third thing

of this practical framework

is if and when

I lose any

or all of the things

of this world,

I need to remember

that in Paul's words,

I'm losing rubbish

and my prophet

is still in Christ.

If and when

I am called

by God

to lose

any

or all

the things

of this world,

I'm losing rubbish

and I need

to remember that.

Because Paul says,

I consider

everything loss

compared

to the surpassing

greatness

of knowing

Christ

Jesus

my Lord.

Now it's worth

reiterating here

that I'm

still on,

is it the first

or the second

point?

I think I'm still

on the second

point.

And that is

that Paul

prepared himself

to suffer

and that we must

do the same thing.

Every Christian

must count

as loss

all that is

not Christ

for he

is their

only gain.

And that

is preparation

for suffering.

How do you

prepare for

suffering?

You count

everything as

loss

and make

Christ

your only

gain.

And so

you should

count as

loss

those things

which

are pleasurable

and which

bring you

glory

and in which

you find

your identity.

Everything

is loss

apart from

Christ.

Money,

jobs,

friendships,

university

degrees,

qualifications,

marriage,

family,

children,

health,

strength,

sex,

sports,

hobbies,

possessions

or if

you like

Paul,

religion,

Anglicanism.

Not that

Paul was an

Anglican but

the traditions

here at

St. Paul's

Church,

your Bible

study group,

the church

music you

like,

you need to

count it all

as loss

for the sake

of knowing

Jesus Christ.

Now

losing some

of these

things is

never a big

deal,

it's never

a great

loss.

But losing

some of

them

really is.

And I

don't want

to in

any way

trivialise

the loss

of a

family

member

or a

friend.

I would

never

suggest

that the

end of

a marriage,

however that

end occurs,

is anything

less than

tragic.

Even

losing the

ability to

participate

in a

hobby or

a sport

that you

love,

that can

be a

painful

occasion and

an occasion

for tears.

But the

Christian should

be prepared

not only

for the

loss of

the

things of

the

world,

but also

for the

gain of

Jesus

Christ.

And we'll

look at

that shortly.

Now up to

the middle

of verse

8, it

looks like

there's a

lot of

preparation

going on,

but not a

lot of

suffering.

As I

thought about

that, it

reminded me

of this

kid at my

primary school

who was in

the Scouts

and who

took the

motto of

the Scouting

movement

very seriously.

The motto

is be

prepared,

and he

took it

very seriously

indeed.

Despite

living only

one street

away, he

never came

to school

without a

compass and

two analogue

wristwatches

so that even

if a compass

and one of

the watches

failed, he

could still

find due

north at

least in

daylight hours.

He wanted

very much to

be prepared

even if this

was to his

social detriment.

Although I

must say that

the social

detriment no

longer existed

when a few

of us worked

out that being

prepared also

included carrying

emergency flares

and an array of

hunting knives as

standard issue.

But the point

is that not

much was going

to happen to

this boy in

the bad

lands of

Neutral

Bay, not

so the

Christian life.

Being prepared

for suffering,

being prepared

for suffering

rather, is not

just an abstract

concept like

being prepared

to need to

kill your own

dinner at

Neutral Bay.

It's something

that the Bible

for the

Christian promises

will happen.

And the

Apostle Paul

experienced it.

He speaks in

more detail

elsewhere,

doesn't he,

about his

suffering.

But even in

the passage that

we're looking at

tonight, we get

a glimpse of it.

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.

Paul really did

suffer.

For Jesus' sake,

he lost all

things.

So friends, the

godly life is one

of suffering.

It happened to

Paul and it

happened to

Peter and it

happened to

Job.

It happened

to Stephen.

It happened

to James.

It happened

to Jesus.

And so, if

nothing else, the

Christian is in

excellent company

when he suffers

and prepares to

suffer.

But the

Christian can

also suffer

not only

prepared to

do so, but

in the knowledge

that suffering

has a goal

and a purpose.

Through our

suffering, we

know Jesus.

Jesus.

And when we

suffer as a

Christian, we

don't just

know Jesus, but

we know him in

a unique and

special way.

Think back with

me to Acts

Acts 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9 when

Jesus says to

Saul, who

becomes Paul, who

wrote this letter

to the Philippians,

Saul, Saul, why

do you persecute

me, says Jesus.

Now, Jesus

wasn't personally

suffering, but his

people were.

And Jesus

identifies with

and knows his

suffering people in

a really special

and unique way.

Or in Acts

Acts 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7 when

Stephen is about

to be stoned to

death for his

witness to Christ.

Verses 55 and

56 say, but

Stephen, full of

the Holy Spirit,

looked up to

heaven and saw

the glory of God

and Jesus standing

at the right hand

of God.

Look, he said,

I see heaven

open and the

son of man

standing at the

right hand of

God.

There's a special

revelation of

God's care and

comfort and

compassion to

those who

suffer.

Or in 1

1 Peter 4:14

Peter chapter 4

verse 14,

if you are

insulted because

of the name of

Christ, you are

blessed for the

spirit of glory

and of God

rests on you.

And in

tonight's text,

Paul makes it

clear again and

again that in

suffering we can

know Christ

more.

And that's

something that

every Christian

should want and

that's why every

Christian should

prepare.

But have a look at

Paul talking about

this deep relationship

with Jesus.

Verse 7, I now

consider loss for

the sake of

Christ.

Verse 8, the

surpassing greatness

of knowing Christ

Jesus my Lord.

Verse 8, again, I

consider all things

rubbish that I may

gain Christ.

Verse 9, Paul

suffers so as to

be found in him,

so as to be found

in Jesus.

In verse 10, Paul

suffers the loss of

all things to know

Christ.

Are you seeing a

pattern here,

friends?

It's all about

knowing Christ and

knowing him more.

And in verse 10,

Paul explains what

that means.

It's about knowing

the power of his

resurrection, knowing

the fellowship of

sharing in his

sufferings, becoming

like him in his

death, and somehow

to attain the

resurrection from

the dead.

It's only in Christ

Jesus that we may

attain the

resurrection from

the dead, and that

is Paul's goal in

suffering and God's

purpose in suffering,

to know Jesus that

he might live

forever.

And it's only by the

grace of God, through

faith in Christ, that

we are made righteous

and able to share in

Christ's resurrection,

and in any of these

things.

Just before we finish,

let's have a quick

look at verse 3, where

Paul talks about

confidence in the

flesh, which

essentially means being

saved by works.

It's ironic that we

even use the term

saved by works,

because no one's

works have ever

saved them.

The opposite, of

course, to saved by

works is the

gospel, saved by

grace.

And that's what

Paul wants you to

know in verses 1 to

4, and in verses

9 and 10.

Even your faith in

Christ is by the

grace of God.

And because it is

from God, Paul is

able to say to the

suffering Christian,

and to those who

prepare to suffer, and

I'll close with these

words from verse 13,

and then we'll pray.

Paul's able to say to

the suffering Christians,

brothers, I do not

consider myself yet to

have taken hold of it,

to have taken hold of

the resurrection, but

one thing I do,

forgetting what is

behind and straining

toward what is

ahead.

I press on toward

the goal to win the

prize for which God

has called me

heavenward in Christ

Jesus.

Dear God, we thank

you for your word,

and that it contains

not just that which is

required for salvation,

but that which you

require of those to

whom salvation has

been given.

Please, God, please,

God, prepare us to

suffer as Christians.

Help us count as loss

all that brings us

pleasure and meaning

and satisfaction and

happiness.

Help us count as loss

everything that is not

Christ.

And in doing so,

please prepare us for

the suffering that you

promise to your

people.

And help us count only

Jesus as prophet,

that we may be found

in him, knowing him

and the power of his

resurrection, and

somehow, somehow by

your grace, attaining

the resurrection of the

dead.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.