Pressing Towards the Goal

Today's message today.

We're going to be in Philippians chapter 3.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

And I just want to say we're halfway there.

We're halfway there.

Philippians chapter 3.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 10.

And it's been one of my passions to get to know everyone in Pentwater and get to know the Pentwater way.

We're going to, yeah, also, you're dismissed the kids' connection there.

Yeah, you guys can go.

Yep.

Kids get to have a fun time with Miss Sarah.

She does a great job with them out there.

But hey, um my son and I were just like, you know, there's one thing we haven't done in Pentwater yet, and that was the pickleball, the pickleball tennis club.

And so we went over there and kind of got to know what's going on.

There's like this massive court of pickleball courts out in the woods.

I'm like in the middle of nowhere.

I'm like, where Pentwater just hides all these gems around.

And so we started looking around and uh we started to play this guy named Fritz.

Now I was thinking to myself, okay, this man's not moving much at all.

This is gonna be easy.

We're gonna send him the pickleball, and my son are gonna try to hit him over there.

And Fritz barely moves, but all of a sudden, he gets that ball.

It's like boom, and you're all of a sudden he got the point.

And every time you hit it towards him, boom, he got the point.

Boom, he got the point.

I'm like, what are they doing over here in the pickleball club?

These people, they don't mess around.

And uh, and so we're moving around like we're playing the Olympics.

Hudson and I are running all over the place.

We break into sweat.

Fritz is still standing there, just kind of standing, like boom, boom, boom, boom.

I'm just like, wow, these guys, they don't mess around.

They got every spin down, they got every single angle down, they know exactly what their paddles are gonna do when they hit the ball.

He's a professional at pickleball.

And I'm telling you what, the pickleball club, they are they know what they're doing.

And if you think you're athletic, you're not gonna be able to match what they can do there.

I thought I was pretty decent at pickleball until I played someone who actually knows pickleball.

Isn't that true in life?

In life at times.

Sometimes we feel pretty good about ourselves because we're comparing ourselves to people around us.

Paul could have done that.

He could have done that in Philippians.

In Philippians 3, Paul basically says, if anyone had reason to be confident in themselves, it was me.

His resume was impressive.

His religious credentials were impressive, his accomplishments were impressive, and suddenly everything he once thought made him impressive look completely different.

Because once you see the surpassing worth of Christ, you realize nothing compares.

Nothing compares to Jesus.

We live in a world that teaches us to build your resume.

Build your resume.

From the time you're young, answer all the questions like what have you accomplished in your life?

What have you built?

What have you earned?

What have you achieved?

And there's nothing wrong with all those accomplishments, but there's a huge difference between appreciating what God has allowed us to do and trusting in what he has done.

And that's where Paul takes us in Philippians chapter 3.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Because if anyone had a religious resume worth bragging about, it was the Apostle Paul.

He had the background, he had the education, he had the discipline, he had the reputation, he had the zeal, and he had the religion.

And if anyone could have said, God should be impressed with me, it was this man Paul.

But then Paul met Jesus.

Everything he once thought gained looked as if it was a loss.

Like the song, I love the song, turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Listen to these lyrics.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full into his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

Because Paul discovered something better.

He discovered Christ.

He discovered him.

And in this passage, Paul gives us three truths that completely change how we understand a Christian life.

And so if you're taking notes, the first is this stop trying.

I'm sorry, stop trusting what you've done.

Stop trusting what you have done.

In Philippians 3 and verse 1, it says, Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.

To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

Look out for the dogs.

Look out for the evildoers.

Look out for those who uh mutilate the flesh.

For we are the circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus, put no confidence in the flesh.

So I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also.

If anyone else thinks that he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I'll tell you right now, I have more.

Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of Hebrews, as the law of Pharisee, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness under the law, completely blameless.

So Paul begins his section with this command.

He's like, Finally, my brothers, rejoice.

Rejoice in the Lord, rejoice in him.

He said this word or some form of rejoice or joy 14 times in this letter.

Notice carefully where Paul tells them to find their joy.

He's like, Don't find it in your circumstances.

Don't find it in your accomplishments.

Find it in Christ.

And that is important because Paul's about to contrast two different ways of approaching God.

The first one says, Look what I have done.

God, look what I have done.

The other says, look at what Christ has done.

And the problem that Paul is addressing is in verse 2.

Paul's tone suddenly becomes very strong.

He says, look out for the dogs.

Look out for the evildoers.

Look out for those who mutilate the flesh.

Three times Paul says, look out.

Look out.

In other words, this is dangerous.

You got to pay attention.

Paul is warning them about teachers who were insisting that faith in Jesus was not enough.

They were teaching what Gentile believers also needed to take on this Jewish covenant marker, especially circumcision, to truly belong to the people of God.

And we often refer to teachers like this as the Judaizers.

Jesus plus.

I have Jesus and I had to have this in order to have salvation.

And now here is something worth noticing in the ancient world, the Jewish people sometimes use the word dogs.

Alright?

As a derogatory description for Gentiles.

Not really the nicest name.

Because dogs were viewed as these unclean scavengers.

Okay?

They're not seemed to have more rights than in America, like they have, there's more dogs in America.

I think they have more rights than people.

Just the other day, my wife and I were shopping and we're looking around and I'm like, notice this.

There's no drinking found for a human, but there's a dog center for the dog.

And they have all the water they can get, but there's nothing for humans.

These animals have more rights than us in our country.

And Paul turns the language around and he especially says, the people telling you that Jesus isn't enough are the ones that you need to watch out for.

These Judaizers aren't true.

It's not Jesus plus.

Jesus is the way.

And that's all you need.

And then Paul uses this incredible strong language instead of calling their circumcision the true covenant sign, he says, those who mutilate the flesh, there's this word play in the Greek here, the normal word connected to circumcision is per tom.

And Paul uses a similar sounding word, katone, carrying this idea of cutting mutilation of this.

A physical mark on your body is what he's saying.

Cannot make your heart right with God.

And they come and they see these Gentiles giving their life to Christ, and they're like, Well, you don't have the circumcision mark.

You don't have that.

And he's saying, no, that physical mark on your body cannot make your heart right with God.

It's external religion and it cannot accomplish the inward transformation that only God can give.

What makes someone a part of God's people?

It says in verse C, for we are the circumcision.

Paul is not saying circumcision was never important in Israel's history.

God had circumcision done with Abraham as this covenant signed before him.

But Paul is saying that with the coming of Christ, belonging to God's redeemed people, cannot be reduced to this external physical mark.

And notice how he describes God's people who worship by the Spirit of God and put no confidence in the flesh.

You think about that, it's three marks.

The Spirit is at work in them.

The Spirit's at work in them.

That's a mark of that Christ is their boast and the flesh is not their confidence.

And Paul uses this word flesh here.

It's not simply talking about this physical body.

In this context, he's talking about a human thing we depend on and establish our standing before God.

Heritage, religious credentials, these accomplishments, everything that we are tempted to point and say, look at me, this is why I should have confidence in myself.

But Paul puts his own resume on the table.

And Paul does something fascinating.

He essentially says, If you want to play this game, oh, let's have some fun with this.

I can play better than anybody.

And verse 4, if anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, he says, I have more.

You want to play this game?

And now Paul begins listing off his credentials, and we start to see this.

He piles his credentials on top of each other.

He says, Okay, let's play the game.

I'm circumcised on the eighth day.

And that meant that Paul had been raised according to the covenant instructions given to Israel.

He wasn't a Gentile who converted later.

He was somebody who joined Judaism as an adult from intimacy, from infancy.

His family carefully followed the law.

In other words, he had the right religious beginning.

Then he says, of the people of Israel.

Paul could have traced his ancestry to covenant people, and he wasn't merely casually interested in Judaism.

He belonged to the birth in Israel.

He had the right heritage.

And then he says, of the tribe of Benjamin.

He gets more specific.

Of this tribe, Benjamin.

Benjamin had an honor place in Israel's history.

Israel's first king, Saul, came from this tribe of Benjamin.

And Paul remembered his name.

It used to be Saul.

It's very possible his name reflected that proud tribal heritage.

And when Israel's kingdom divided, Benjamin remained closely connected.

And Paul wasn't saying somewhere in my ancestry there might have been a connection.

He knew his tribe.

He knew that he was from the best family line, the Benjamin tribe.

And then Hebrew of Hebrews, Paul is stressing the depth of his Jewish heritage.

He wasn't merely Jewish on paper.

He had been raised within the heritage and the tradition.

And Acts tells us that Paul was born in Tarsus, but later trained in Jerusalem under Gemiel, one of the most respected Jewish teachers of his day.

Paul knew the scriptures.

He knew traditions.

He knew the religious world, right culture, right religious background.

And then he says, as the law, a Pharisee.

He was a Pharisee.

Sometimes Christians hear that word Pharisee and we think, oh, that's not good.

That's a bad guy.

In this time and day, it was a good thing.

But historically, the Pharisees were known for taking obedience to the law to the extreme.

They were serious.

You know, made me think of public safety.

I mean, they just go all out on the public safety side of things.

They were committed to this careful interpretation and application of God's commands.

So Paul wasn't merely saying, oh, I'm casually religious.

He's saying, I belong to one of the strictest religious groups of my day.

This man knew his theology, he knew scripture, he knew doctrine, he knew religious discipline, and he had all the right religious training from the best of the best.

And then he says, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church, then he says this before meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was so convinced that Christianity was wrong that he actively tried to destroy the church.

Acts tells us he approved Stephen's execution, one of the first martyrs in the faith, where they stoned this man.

He approved it.

He entered homes, he dragged believers away, he received authorization to pursue Christians as far as Damascus.

Paul's not proud of the persecution.

Later, he describes himself as someone who persecuted God's church.

His point here is want to talk about commitment.

I was committed.

There was no half-heartedness in my life.

I had the right passion and the right zeal.

And then he says, as to righteousness under the law, he was blameless.

He says this, and Paul is not claiming that he had never sinned, but he is talking about this outward record of Torah observance.

If someone insisted or inspected Paul's religious life from the outside, it was an obvious scandal that they could point towards and say, Oh, there's a problem with Paul.

He did it all.

He was this religious man.

You can see on the screen the list of the things that made this man right.

Can you go back to the other slide there, please?

He was had the right beginning, the right heritage, family, culture, religious groups, passion, and the right behavior.

And Paul had everything that religious people were tempted to trust in their lives.

Paul had every religious people that were tempted in their lives, and Paul could have had a great resume.

He did.

He had one of the best.

But Paul is essentially saying if anyone could have trusted his religious resume, it was me.

And what did Paul discover?

None of it mattered.

None of it could save him.

None of it mattered at all.

Because salvation is not God's reward for impressive people.

Salvation is God's gift to guilty people through Jesus Christ.

You imagine going to a job interview.

You bring your resume, you bring the best of the best, you bring your accomplishments, you bring everything that you've experienced, you bring your references, you bring your rewards, you bring your certificates, you bring everything that you've accomplished in life.

And they're looking at it right before you.

And then afterwards you say, here's what I've done, here's what I can offer, here's why you should hire me and your company.

Now imagine standing before a holy God doing the same thing.

God, I've attended church since I was a wee little man.

I've been going to church for a long time.

Hey, God, I have given so much of my money.

I have served faithfully every single day.

I've tried to be a good person.

Oh, I was baptized.

I taught Sunday school and no one wanted to do it.

I raised Christian kids.

I've been in the church for 45 years.

God, I've even been in the PTW.

Like, here's my credentials.

I have to tell you this morning.

God says that resume cannot deal with your sin.

Because here's the problem heaven's not a position for applying for.

And we mainly make that that.

Heaven's not a position to apply for.

You cannot gratify yourself for salvation.

You cannot accumulate enough religious things in your life.

We don't need to bring our resume before God.

We need God to rescue us.

And so the Apostle Paul had all this religious stuff that anyone would be like, oh my goodness, this is the man.

And he's like, it's meaningless.

It means nothing.

Because I've met something even better.

In church, I think that this passage may be especially dangerous for people like us.

Because Paul's not primarily addressing people who had no interest in God, he's confronting religious confidence.

Sometimes the hardest people to convince that they desperately need grace are people who have spent their whole lives around religion.

Because over time we can begin trusting in good things.

I grew up in the Christian home, so I'm good to go.

I've been religious my whole life.

I know the scriptures, I've been faithful.

I went to Iwana all my life.

I've sacrificed more than anyone in this house.

I've done the right things.

And Paul says none of those things can be the foundation of your confidence before God.

Heaven's not a position worth flying for.

Church attendance is good.

Baptism is good.

Serving is good.

Giving is good.

Even Bible knowledge is good, but good things become spiritually dangerous when we start asking them to do what only Jesus can do.

Your baptism didn't die for you.

Your service didn't die for you.

Your giving didn't die for you.

Your good works didn't die for you.

Jesus died for you.

So here's the question: What am I really trusting in?

When I look at the foundation of my life, what am I actually trusting my whole life on?

Is it my religious resume, like Apostle Paul was pointing out?

Is it my earthly resume of like, look at what I have and all these things?

What am I really trusting in in my life?

If somebody asks you today, how are you right before God?

What would you say?

What would your answer look like?

What would it begin with?

Oh, I have.

Or would your answer begin with?

Christ.

That's the only reason.

Jesus lived the life I can never live.

Jesus died the death.

I deserve to die.

Jesus rose from the grave.

Jesus paid for my sin.

Jesus saved me by grace.

And from this movement, Paul wants us to make from confidence in me to confidence in Christ.

We gotta stop trusting what we've done.

It's meaningless.

And the Apostle Paul could have trusted in what he has done.

He says, no, it's rubbish.

I don't need that.

All I need is Christ.

Stop trusting what you've done.

Number two, treasure what Christ has done.

Stop trusting what you've done and treasure what Christ has done.

Look what happened here in verse 7.

But whatever gain I had after this resume of religious stuff he brought before us, whatever gain I had, I count it as loss for the sake of Christ.

Indeed, I count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish.

In order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having the righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.

So Paul just gave us the religious resume.

Everything he once thought was gain.

He counts as loss.

He's using this accounting language.

Everything he once considered spiritual prophet gets moved to the lost column.

It means nothing.

In verse 8, because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ my Lord, Paul discovers something infinitely more valuable than anything that he could put his finger on.

Jesus wasn't simply an addition to Paul's treasure, Jesus became the treasure.

Martin Luther would later write the true treasure of the church is the most holy gospel of the glory and the grace of God.

That's Paul's point.

Once you understand the treasure of Christ, everything gets re-evaluated in your life.

Everything.

And Paul continues, for his sake I have suffered the loss of all things.

I count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ.

That word rubbish in the Greek, Paul is basically describing it's garbage or waste.

I'm going to argue this morning, he wasn't British.

They always say, oh, that's rubbish.

That's not what the Apostle Paul was, but it definitely is true.

He says it's garbage.

It's waste.

Paul's not trying to say, he's not saying his heritage of knowledge of scripture was evil.

He's saying compared to knowing Christ, nothing else will ever come close to competing.

Nothing.

He had found something even better.

And when you discover the greatest treasure, you can release the lesser treasure.

The heart of the gospel.

Then Paul gets to verse 9 and be found in him not having the righteousness of my own that comes from the law.

That's huge.

Paul contrasts two kinds of righteousness: my righteousness, things I have accomplished, the things that I have earned, the things I've produced, the things I bring before the Lord.

And he says, God's righteousness.

What Christ accomplishes, what God gives, what we receive through faith.

Martin Luther would call this alien righteousness.

That sounds strange to us, but Luther simply meant a righteousness that comes from outside of us.

Luther later wrote, the first is alien righteousness, that is the righteousness of another.

Whose righteousness?

It's Christ.

In Philippians 3, 9, and being found in him, having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ.

A righteousness from God that depends on faith.

Paul says, I don't want to stand before God with the righteousness that I produce.

I want to be found in Christ.

His righteousness is far better than what I could ever do.

And Luther describes saving his faith this way faith takes hold of Christ.

God accounts his faith, the righteous, for righteousness.

This faith for righteousness.

Don't miss that.

Faith does not say, look what I have accomplished.

Faith says, Look what I'm holding on to.

I'm holding on to Jesus.

Luther uh puts It simply, true faith lays hold of Christ and leans on him alone.

Not Jesus plus, Jesus alone.

And that's the gospel Paul's preaching.

Jesus lived the whole life we could never live.

Jesus died for our sin.

He rose from the grave, and through faith you receive righteousness that isn't our own.

We come with our sin.

Christ provides his righteousness for us.

That's a great exchange.

Taking everything that we've ever accomplished, giving it to the Lord and saying, I don't want my righteousness.

I want yours.

That's the gospel.

Imagine a child in this room today clutching 10 pennies, thinking, man, I am rich.

I have 10 pennies.

This is awesome.

And then someone comes up to him later and gives him a$100 bill.

Now, from the kid's perspective, he's looking at that$100 bill.

It's just a piece of paper.

I have actually like copper coins here in my hand.

Like these are valuable.

And he has no idea the worth of that piece of paper.

His hands would probably start to open up once he realizes that his pennies are nothing compared to that$100 bill.

Paul spent years clutching on this religious resume, the things that he thought he should be striving for.

And once he figures out who Christ is, he comes before and he says, It's not valuable whatsoever.

It's pennies in the eyes of Jesus.

This reputation, this achievement, status, accomplishments.

Then Paul saw Christ and his hands started to loosen on the grip of those pennies.

He said, This is far, far more valuable.

These pennies are rubbish.

I want you, Jesus.

I want you.

And here's one of the things you gotta ask.

You let go of the lesser things when you see the greater treasure.

I've tested this with my kids.

I see it all the time.

When they don't know the value, it's really fun because they choose the lesser a lot of times.

But when they find out the value, they choose the better value every single time.

And when we see the lesser things, you see the greater treasure.

And here's where this becomes incredibly practical.

Some Christians spend their whole lives looking inward.

Am I good enough?

Am I praying enough?

Am I serving enough?

Am I am I doing enough?

And constantly sharing ourselves usually produce one of those two things: pride or despair.

And the gospel says, stop.

The gospel says, look at Christ.

Stop looking at your pride and your despair.

Look at Christ.

Look at the cross.

Look at grace.

Look at the resurrection.

Look at his righteousness.

Your hope isn't found how perfectly you perform.

Your hope is found how completely Christ has provided.

Luther said that Christ's death and resurrection alone can save and free us from sin.

So Christianity isn't primarily try harder.

It's trust Christ.

Treasure Christ.

Give up your pennies that are worthless in exchange for something far more valuable, Christ.

And I have to ask this question this morning.

Has Jesus become ordinary today?

Have we had far too much of a grip on something else?

So we're like, this is where it's at, and we've loosened our grip on Christ.

We've lost the priority of what's more valuable in our own lives.

Nothing compares to Christ.

We got to treasure what Christ has done.

Last but not least, spend your life knowing Christ.

I want to know him more.

If he is far more valuable, let's get to know that over the thing that's a lesser value.

Philippians 3 10 says, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share his suffering, become like him in his death.

Paul reaches his heart beat the entire passage.

I want to know him.

I want more to do with Christ than anything.

Think about who is saying this.

Paul already had been following Christ for years.

He had encountered the risen Christ in the road of Damascus.

He had seen him, he had preached throughout the Roman world, planted churches, preached the gospel of Christ.

Yet after all those years, Paul doesn't say, Oh, I know him enough.

He says, I want more.

I want to know him more.

So what does that word know even mean?

To know.

Paul is talking about more than collecting information in Scripture, knowing God is deeply relational.

Paul certainly wanted to know the truth about Christ.

Theology mattered enormously to Paul, but biblical knowledge isn't meant to lead to relationship, trust, and obedience and transformation.

There's a difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing someone.

I can know someone's biography, their birthday, their accomplishments, and still never really have a true relationship with him.

And he wants fellowship with Jesus.

Christianity is not know less theology, it is let the truth you know lead you to Christ you love.

It brings you.

Theology is faith-seeking understanding.

I'm just trying to know.

I'm trying to understand.

I'm trying to draw closer to Christ because I want to know him.

And Paul wants that truth to become relationship, the power of the resurrection, he says.

Resurrection was not merely something Paul believed.

It happened to Jesus in the past.

Resurrection changed everything.

Jesus defeated death.

The tomb was empty.

Christ was alive.

And the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is now working in his people.

Paul is not talking about some vague spiritual feeling.

He wants the risen Christ to transform life and the way that he lived.

Think about Paul's own story.

Before Damascus, Paul was persecuting Christians.

He encountered the risen Christ.

His direction changed, his purpose changed, his identity changed, his entire life changed.

That's the resurrection power.

The resurrection does not promise life after death.

The resurrection creates a new kind of life before death.

It means our old patterns don't have to rule us forever in our lives.

Sin doesn't get the final word.

Our past doesn't get the final word.

Christ does.

But then Paul says something surprising and may share in his suffering.

He wants to share in his suffering.

We might expect Paul to say, I want that resurrection power in my life, but everybody would like that part.

But Paul says, I want to share in his suffering.

And remember where Paul is writing this.

He's in prison.

He already is suffering for Christ, writing this letter.

And so he's not preaching from anything comfortable whatsoever.

He knows what it costs to follow Jesus.

Earlier in Philippians, Paul already told the church it has been granted to you for the sake of Christ.

You should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.

Philippians was written to believers who understood the pressure, the opposition that was against them all of the time.

Paul is teaching them that suffering does not necessarily mean Christ has abandoned them.

Sometimes suffering comes precisely because they belong to Christ.

So what does share in suffering actually mean?

Paul is not saying our suffering adds something to Christ's death, Jesus' sacrifice is complete.

Nothing needs to be added to the cross.

Paul means that following Christ can lead us in the same pattern that Christ walked.

Jesus obeyed, but his obedience cost him something.

Jesus loved, but his love cost him something.

Jesus served and his service cost him.

Jesus surrendered himself to the Father's will.

And Paul says, I want my life to look like that.

I want to surrender it just like Christ did.

This connects back to Philippians chapter 2, having this mind among ourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

He humbled himself, became obedient even to the point of death on a cross.

He wanted that in his own life.

I don't just want to admire that pattern, he says.

I want my life to be shaped by it.

I don't want to just know.

I want to actually live this out in my life, becoming like him.

And Christ comes first.

His plans don't come first, even his life doesn't come first.

Christ comes first.

And that's the progression of this passage in verses four through six.

Look what I've accomplished.

Look what I've accomplished in verses seven through nine.

None of that compares to Christ.

And in verse 10, now I want the rest of my life to know Christ and become like Christ.

In my opinion, that is spiritual maturity.

Maturity is realizing how much more of Jesus you want.

Knowing what the greater value is.

Knowing that the things of this world are like pennies compared to the value of knowing more of who Christ is.

And there's several in this room who are married.

Imagine a man who has been married for 30 years saying, okay, I don't need to spend more time with my wife.

I know her.

I got to know her over one year.

We're still married, but we don't need to spend time together anymore.

You know that that's not normal in a marriage.

In marriage, you want to get to know the person.

You can't have enough of it.

I thought I knew this about you, but I want to get to know you more and spend my life to get to know who you are as a person, and I'm learning something new every day.

Becoming a student of your bride, becoming a student of your groom, and knowing more about that person.

And there's times in our lives where we say, Oh, I prayed the prayer.

I did the prayer of salvation.

I'm good to go.

I don't need to talk to God ever again.

I would argue this morning, you're missing on one of the greatest treasures.

And Paul's even in prison, and he has this immense joy, joy in the journey, because his life was not aimlessly looking at pennies.

He was looking at the value of who Christ was.

Let us not miss out on that in this world.

That I may know him.

Relationship creates this pursuit.

It's never a one and done.

I want to continue to pursue to get to know.

So here's the question this morning: Are you still pursuing Jesus?

Is there a pursuit?

Or it's like I've been saved for 30 years and I don't want to talk to him ever again.

I don't need to.

I got everything I need.

I'm retired in a really nice area called Pentwater.

I don't need Jesus anymore.

Is that your relationship?

Because I'd argue you're missing the greatest purpose, the greatest value you've settled for pennies when you have Christ.

Are you pursuing Jesus?

Not simply you attending church and serving or you know Bible facts.

Do you actually pursue after Jesus?

Are you knowing Christ more?

Is his word changing the way that you think?

Are you becoming quicker to obey, more generous, more humble, more willing to surrender, more like Jesus?

God is forming the life of Christ in us right now.

And here's what I love about Paul.

After years of ministry, church planting, preaching sermons, suffering, after seeing God do incredible things, Paul still had not arrived.

This man still had not arrived.

He's like, I want to know more.

I need more of Jesus in my life.

Have you spent your life knowing Christ with that same pursuit, that same, I want to know him?

Paul gives us this progression.

Stop.

Stop trusting in your own resume.

Stop trusting the things of this earth and start trusting in God.

And then he says, treasure what Christ has done.

And spend your life knowing Christ.

From self to Christ.

So let's ask you this morning what do you treasure?

You know what?

What are you treasuring in your life?

Am I still pursuing Jesus in my own life?

Stop trusting what you've done.

Treasure what Christ has done.

Spend your life knowing Christ.

One of the greatest privileges I get to do is to be in the Word of God.

And I keep going back to the Word of God.

I'm just like, it's a well.

It's a well that never runs dry.

And I just want to know more.

Every time I go to I want more.

Like, God, show me who you are.

I want more of you and less of me.

Is that your passion?

Maybe it is in once in your life when you first met Christ and you kind of lost that zeal for the Lord.

I want to create space in this service this morning where you guys can spend some time with your Savior and reflecting on a song, Knowing You Jesus.

Written by Kendrick Graham.

This man was obsessed with knowing more about who Jesus was.

Do you have that same obsession in your life of knowing who Christ is more and knowing what he has done for you?

And so I want to create some space where you guys can spend some time with your Savior.

Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you.

There is no greater thing.

Is that true of your life?

Is that true of your relationship with Jesus?

Is Jesus ultimately the treasure of your life or of the things of this world the treasure of your life?

And so I just want to encourage you guys to spend some time.

Spend some time with your Savior.

And be honest with yourself.

Honest.

Do I really want to know him?

All I want cell to build my life.

All this release and waste competition.

You're my joy my righteousness.

You possess by faith of your best.

You're much, you're my right for you.

No man.

You're my joy my righteousness.

Take it away, church.

May we stop listening to the lies of the enemy, but we stop trusting in the things that we've accomplished in this world.

May we look at them like pennies.

And the reality of knowing you.

We thank you this morning that we get the awesome privilege of knowing you.

Forgive us for the times in our life where other things have taken that place where you deserve to be.

May we count everything that we've accomplished in this world as rubbish.

Take a little note from the British and that, Father.

It's rubbish.

And everything that we know would point to it's all about you.

May you be the center of our lives.

May we reflect that in our lives, as the Apostle Paul realized in that pro in that prison there in Rome.

We thank you for the letter to the Philippian church.

We thank you for helping us, Father.

And may we want that and desire that with the same zeal the Apostle Paul had, knowing you and all that people said.

That should bring us a lot of joy.

And we can show that, and it's okay to show it in church and outside at your jobs and wherever.

But as believers and brothers and sisters, we should be feel free to express that joy as we sing together.

So let's let's do that.

He came to me.

Live up he came to me.

The living word on the life he came to the hospital.

Father, we come to you this morning acknowledging our hopeless position, that we are unrighteous.

We also acknowledge your love and the power that you have.

The love that was shown by your the sacrifice of your son.

We ask you, Father, that you help us to know Jesus.

To make our hearts right with you, to love you with all of our heart, our souls, our minds and our strength.

Help us to surrender ourselves to you.