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Sermon 2019-11-24 Geoff Follas

 

WHAT WE GAIN IN CHRIST

 

Philippians 3:5-11

For years Paul had worked so hard at his religion to be a holy, righteous, good, upstanding Jew. He believed that by keeping all the rules and rituals of his faith he could gain God’s favour.

But he was deceived because no one can ever make themselves good enough, righteous enough, pure enough for God and heaven.

But one day he met Jesus and realised that only Jesus could make a person good enough, righteous enough for Gods heaven. And He gave up all his religious and moral achievements and put his faith entirely in Jesus.

Paul discovered that Christianity is not a religion, it is not a moral or ethical code, it is not an impossible list of rules and laws….it is a relationship with Jesus Christ.

And in that relationship, we find forgiveness, peace with God, acceptance with God, eternal life. We receive a righteousness from God that no human being could ever attain by their own effort.

And it is all found in Jesus.

So when Paul came to Jesus he gave away all those things he had depended on to save him and get him to heaven. “I used to think they would profit me, but I now consider them a loss. They can do nothing for me. They can’t get me any closer to God, they can’t make me righteous or acceptable in His sight, they can’t get me into heaven…they are worthless, rubbish, dung.”

I gave them all up for Jesus.

What did Paul gain? He gained Jesus.

 

RELATIONSHIP v8

“I consider everything a loss…..Lord.”

The word knowing he is not just knowing about Jesus, it is not intellectual knowledge, it is to know Him personally. It is to be in a personal relationship with Him.

I remember seeing a TV programme about people in NZ who are devoted royalists. One couple had a big room in their home dedicated to the Royal family filled with books, magazine articles, pictures, statues, cups, plates all depicting the royal family. They know all there is to know about the queen, but they don’t know her personally.

And this is what Jesus offers us when we put our trust in Him…..a relationship with Him where we can actually get to know Him personally and intimately. A relationship that is closer than any human relationship we can ever know because Jesus comes by His Spirit to live in us.

When we turn from our sin and put our faith in Jesus, His Spirit comes into our lives and makes the living Jesus known to us.

John 16:14 “The Spirit will take what is of me and make it known to you.”

John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

John 14:23 “If anyone loves me, they will obey my teaching. My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

Jesus has come by His Spirit to live within the life of every believer and we have this amazing privilege of knowing the Son of God in an intimate personal relationship.

 

HOW CAN WE DEVELOP THAT RELATIONSHIP?

If we are to know anyone personally and intimately it means consciously interacting with them. spending time together.

Illustration: Courting.

Listening and responding [obeying].

 

1. HOW DOES THE LORD SPEAKS TO US?:
   1. Through the scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:16.

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that every child of God may be thoroughly equipped in every good work.”

The Bible is the record of God’s relationship and communication with people. When we read the bible we discover how God relates to people and what he communicates to people. By reading the Bible we can learn how to relate to God and recognise when He is communicating with us.

If we are to know Jesus, we need to read the Bible for two main reasons:

1. So that we can hear Jesus speak to us through the actual written words.
2. So we can recognise His voice when He speaks to us apart from the written word.

As we read the Bible regularly there will be many times we sense God is speaking directly and personally to us. It will be as though these words are specifically directed at us and may relate to something we are going through right at that time.

Because we are reading the Bible regularly when we sense God is speaking to us apart from the Bible we will be able to know if it is really God. God will never say anything that contradicts His written Word.

Illustration: Counterfeit banknotes. Bank staff are trained to know the real thing so that they can quickly detect the counterfeit.

Is it possible to get to know someone through reading their correspondence? Yes.

Illustration: During the second WW a married couple I knew well were separated for almost 5 years. He was sent overseas with the army while she remained in Britain. He wrote to her every week and shared his deepest thoughts and feelings with her. She told me that through his letters she got to know him more intimately than at any other time in their marriage. Quite an admission.

Here are some of the other ways God speaks to us:

1. 2. By His Spirit.

John 16:13-14 “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking what is mine and making it known to you.”

In the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit spoke directly to the believers. Once again the Holy Spirit will never contradict what God has said in the Bible, and He will always uphold the character and teaching of Jesus. 

1. 3. Through other people.

Preaching: Romans 10:14-17.

Prophecy: Acts 21:10-11. The gift of prophecy is a gift by which God can speak to us through other people.

Once again we are told to test all prophecy. If someone speaks to us and claims it is a Word from God, we need to ask these questions:

1. Does it agree with or contradict scripture?
2. Does it glorify Jesus or people?
3. Does it encourage or condemn?
4. If it is a personal Word, does it confirm what God has already shown me or is it something completely different? New Testament prophecy will confirm what God has already shown you.

Ordinary conversation:

Sometimes people can say something to us and it can touch us deeply or even convict us. This may be intentional or even unintentional on their part.

Have you ever had the experience of having someone say to you, “God spoke to me through something you said the other day.” And you may not even have been aware of what was happening.

Through their actions:

Sometimes God uses people’s behaviour to highlight things in us He wants us to deal with…reactions.

Sometimes he uses people as a visual demonstration of his love.

1. 4. Creation

Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of His hands. day by day they pour forth speech, night after night they display knowledge.”

In Romans 1 we read that Creation speaks of God’s eternal power and Divine nature.

Have you ever watched a sunset, or looked into the starry sky or witnessed a little child being born and felt drawn to God in awesome wonder through it all.

1. 5. Music, books, films, art.

2 Kings 3. There was an incident in the life of Elisha where the King of Israel asked him to bring a Word from God. Elisha asked for a harpist to play his instrument and while the music played the Lord began to speak to Elisha.

Sometimes God uses music to soften our hearts so that we can hear Him speak.

1. 6. Experiences of life, good and bad.

Romans 8:28.

God calls us through the good experiences of life to praise and thank Him. He calls us through the difficult experiences to depend on Him, to draw from His resources to growth and change.

1. 7. The needs around us.

Matthew 25:31-46. Parable of the sheep and goats.

God calls us through those who are in need, suffering, oppressed, abused, discouraged, unsaved…to pray, to share or respond in some practical way.

 

1. HOW WE CAN BE RESPONSIVE?

1. 1. Have a listening ear and an obedient heart.

The main reason many believers do not hear the Lord speak is that they are not listening with ears that want to hear Him speak. They are too busy listening to their own desires and concerns.

Jesus often said to the people around Him, “Those who have ears, let them hear what I am saying.” And in Revelation 2:29 he said to the believers in Asia “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Those who are listening because they want to hear God speaking.

Illustration: Lady at Stratford. “You are a good preacher because God speaks to me through your messages.” “It’s nothing to do with my preaching, it’s to do with your hearing. You come to church wanting to hear God speak to you so you can put it into practice.”  

It’s interesting that the words for listening and obeying in the Greek are closely linked. Listen is akuo and obey is hupakuo – go beyond hearing. I respond to what I hear.

At the beginning of each day ask God to touch you, to speak to you through anything or anyone He chooses and go forth into that day with a heart that is alert to listen and willing to respond.

1. 2. When you feel touched, talk to God about it.

If you feel touched, moved, convicted or affected by anything, don’t push it aside. Talk to God about it. “Is this you Lord? Are you saying something to me through this? How do you want me to respond….pray, repent, be reconciled, forgive, share, give practical help?

3. Obey

Obedience is the key to our relationship with Jesus. It is not that we obey in order to be saved, but obedience proves we love Jesus and brings us closer to Him.

Every time we obey the Lord it increases our awareness of His voice, it makes it easier for us to recognise His voice. “My sheep know my voice and they follow me.”

Do it immediately. Put it off and you are more likely to do nothing.

Every time we resist God or disobey Him we muffle His voice, we make it more difficult to hear Him clearly.

 

RIGHTEOUSNESS v9

When Jesus died on the cross He took our sinfulness upon Himself and gave us His righteousness, His perfect moral goodness as a gift to be received by faith. So Jesus has become our righteousness.

 

POWER v10

“The power of His resurrection.”

No other work of Christ so graphically demonstrated His power. When Jesus rose from the dead He showed that He had power over the physical and spiritual world.

That same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us through the Spirit of Jesus who lives within every true believer.

Power to love, serve and follow Christ. Power to overcome evil and the forces of darkness. Power to counteract the weak tendencies in human nature. Power to live a life that is pleasing to God. Power to do what God commands us.

 

IDENTIFICATION v10

“The fellowship of sharing in His suffering…death.”

Paul is not saying here, “I want to suffer.” He’s not asking for trouble.

Obviously Paul is not saying, “I want to suffer for the sins of the world.” Jesus has already done that and no human being is pure enough for that.

How does Jesus suffer today?

Paul discovered that on the Damascus Rd. He had been persecuting believers and Jesus said, “Why are you persecuting me.”

Jesus suffers when His people suffer. In Isaiah 63:9 we read that when God’s people suffered, He suffered with them.

And Paul said I am willing to suffer not just for Jesus but with Jesus. I am willing to be ridiculed, mocked, rejected, attacked, persecuted for Jesus, even to die for Him, because when that happens I experience an even greater intimacy with Jesus. He is with me, sharing the pain.

The deepest moments of spiritual intimacy with Jesus are often through suffering.

Illustration: Richard Wumbrandt was imprisoned by the communists for 16 years because of his faith in Christ. His suffering during those years was terrible. After he was released he said that those years in prison brought him closer to Christ than at any other time in his life. 

 

GLORY v11

“So that somehow…”

Paul is not uncertain that he will be raised from the dead and he is not saying here that he has to work for it.

He just felt so unworthy, and every true believer does.

But for everyone who belongs to Jesus, resurrection is a certainty.

Listen to these words of Jesus in John 5:24

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; they have crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God and those who hear will live.” 

Christianity is not a religion it is Jesus and in Jesus is everything we need to make us righteous in God’s eyes, acceptable for heaven and enable us to live a life that is pleasing to God and a blessing to others.

That is why Paul says, “I want to know Christ…”

He knew Jesus, but he still wanted to know Him more.

In fact, he says in verse 12 I haven’t got to the place where I can say, “I know Jesus as fully as it is possible to know Him.”, but I am pressing on in that direction. It will take all of eternity.

If you make your main goal in life anything less than Jesus, you are in for a huge disappointment. Because every other goal is tied to this life and is short-lived.

If we aim to be successful in some area, when we achieve our goal, that’s it. We have reached our limit.

If it’s financial and material security, it’s of no use to you once you lose your health or if you die.

If it is lasting harmony and intimacy in relationships, they only last while the other person lives. When they are gone you discover you placed all your hopes and happiness in a human being.

If it is to achieve some high standard in an area of expertise, what is there after the Olympics or Carnegie Hall or the Emmy awards?

That’s it.

If it is public recognition or popularity, what happens when the next star rises and you become a has-been?

Illustration: Tom Hanks who received the Academy Award for best actor two years in a row said that his greatest fear was that this moment of glory was fleeting. It wouldn’t last; what would happen when the lights went out and the crowds went home? Would anyone want him to make another movie?

They all have built-in limitations; you can only go so far.

Some Christians don’t see Jesus as the goal of their faith but as someone who can help them achieve their own personal goals and exists to fulfil their wants and desires. So Jesus becomes simply a means to their ends. Jesus is not loved, served, followed for Himself. He is only valued for what we can get out of Him. A blessing machine.

If we simply use Jesus to help us gain success, happiness, blessing, health, wealth or prosperity when we have gained this stuff Jesus becomes of no use to us. We lose interest in Him and become absorbed in the fringe benefits. Or when He doesn’t give us the blessings we want we walk away from him. All these secondary goals have limitations and are temporary and short-lived.

There are no limits to how far, how deep we can go with Jesus because even death can’t put limits on that relationship, it’s eternal.

When you come to the end of this life, all your achievements, possessions and aspirations outside of Christ will be of no use to you. The only thing you can take into eternity with you is Jesus. Everything else you leave on this side. And if you don’t have Jesus you have nothing.

I discovered long ago that the only payoff in the Gospel is Jesus. Why do I want to go to heaven? To be with Jesus.

Joni Earikson used to sing this song:

I heard someone describe the Holy City

With streets of gold and pearly gates and mansions everywhere

Where Flowers never fade nor lose their beauty

And treasures to behold beyond compare

They tell me that there’ll be no tears or sorrow

The clouds of pain and suffering will part to skies of blue

But if you ask me what I really want in heaven

There’s only just one thing I want to do

 

The only thing I want is to be with Jesus

Just to see Him smile and say well done

What a day that’s going to be

I want to feel His strong and loving arms just hold me by His side

And to be with Him throughout eternity.

Just to be with him is heaven enough for me

 

I want to end this morning by asking you a question: What is your main goal in life?

Is it to know, love, serve, obey Jesus as much as it is possible this side of heaven?

Perhaps you have become distracted from this goal and have been lured away by other inferior goals and somehow you’ve lost your way.

You don’t feel close to God, the relationship has broken down. The love has grown cold and the desire has died away. Emptiness, meaninglessness, you’ve been looking around for other interests and amusements to fill the void, but they don’t bring lasting satisfaction or fulfilment.

This morning Jesus is calling you back to himself.

William Cowper 18^th Century wrote this hymn:

O for a closer walk with God,

A calm and heavenly frame,

A light to shine upon the road

That leads me to the Lamb!

 

Where is the blessedness I knew,

When first I saw the Lord?

Where is the soul-refreshing view

Of Jesus, and His Word?

 

What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!

How sweet their memory still!

But they have left an aching void

The world can never fill.

 

Return, O Holy Ghost, return,

Sweet messenger of rest;

I hate the sins that made You mourn

And drove You from my breast.

 

The dearest idol I have known,

Whate’er that idol be

Help me to tear it from Thy throne,

And worship only Thee.

 

So shall my walk be close with God,

Calm and serene my frame;

So purer light shall mark the road

That leads me to the Lamb