"The Power! the Fellowship"
Philippians 3:7-10

March 18, 2007
by C.W. Powell

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” (Php 3:7-10 AV)

I want to say three things about this text after I place it in the context of Paul's epistle.

I. The Fullness that is in Jesus Christ;
II. The Power of His Resurrection;
III. The Fellowship of His Sufferings.

But let us get the verses in context. This book is about the fellowship of the Gospel, that is the work of the Holy Spirit. 1:5,6. Paul longs for all of the church to abound in love, in knowledge and judgment; to approve the things that are excellent, being filled with the fruits of righteousness. 1:10,11. To achieve this end, Paul exhorts them to have the mind of Christ: 2:1-5; to let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory, but let each esteem other better then themselves, not being intent on his own gifts, but being intent on the gifts of others. 2:4. Our Lord Jesus, himself, is the best example of this: although He is God, and needed nothing, for He is equal with God; yet, he made himself a true servant, humbled himself even to the death of the cross, in order to save the church. Because of this God has highly exalted Him, just as he will exalt every faith servant of God at the proper time. Paul gives himself as an example of this kind of mind, for he is willing to be "Poured out" as a drink offering on their sacrifice: he does not have to be the main event; he is willing to be adjunct, a sweet savor, on their main event. He also gives Timothy and their own pastor Epaphroditus as an example of this kind of servant.

As I said last week: Many commentators look on chapter 3 as a diversion, a break in the pattern of Paul's thought. I do not think so. For the following reason:

Introduction: My focus this morning is on those people who think about pleasing God, and are concerned about it. I will not speak of those who care nothing about God or religion. I think there are not many of those, although at the end of an age they may increase as the world is ripened for judgment.

A. Of the people who care about pleasing God, there are again two types, and are characterized by two different mentalities. They are illustrated in Scripture by Cain and Abel, and by Esau and Jacob, and by the First and Last Adam.

1. To please God by their works, by their attainments, by their privileges. Paul had been one of them; and there were people who were trying to bring the church into this mentality. Their trust is in privilege or moral or spiritual excellence. They belong to the right religion; they do good things; they have right doctrine; they find fault with others; they do the right ceremonies; and reject with horror the wrong ceremonies; They are careful to fulfill the minute moral or ceremonial requirements, but ignore the hypocrisy and malice that is in their own hearts.

2. To please God by faith. Paul testifies that he had to completely abandon the one mind-set in order to gain the other. vs. 8 But what he abandoned, he found in Christ. The false and the hypocritical he abandoned, and found the reality in Jesus Christ. He found a perfect, a complete, a genuine God-approved righteousness in Jesus Christ. Calvin says, “Paul, accordingly, acknowledges that nothing was so injurious to him as his own righteousness, inasmuch as he was by means of it shut out from Christ.”

3. That brings us to our text; for in finding this righteousness in Christ, Paul found far more than he had anticipated. For to gain this righteousness, Paul was united to Jesus Christ, and this union with Jesus Christ has consequences more than Paul could have known, even as a proud and accomplished Pharisee.

I. The fullness is in Jesus Christ. To be found in Christ is to Know Jesus Christ. It is impossible to be saved without the knowledge of Christ. This word means full knowledge. Two places: John 17:3: "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Romans 10:8-17. How shall they hear without a preacher. Why is the knowledge of Christ so vital. Because the fullness of the knowledge of God is hidden in Christ. You cannot be a Christian without knowing Christ: The reproach of the cross begins in that statement. Further: You cannot go to heaven without knowing Christ. Not just by being a good person.

A. I Cor. 1:30 “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” (1Co 1:30 AV)

B. Col. 1:14-19 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell…” (Col 1:9-19 AV)

C. Col. 2:6-10. “6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” (Col 2:6-10 AV) There is NO MORE; but the Fullness is the Fullness. If you are to know God, then you will know Him in Christ. If you do not know him in Christ, then you do not know him at all. The reproach of the Cross begins right here: confessing Christ as the only Savior of Men, because He is the only sacrifice for sins.

D. John 14:6: " “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (Joh 14:6 AV)

II. To be found in Christ is to know the power of His resurrection. There is newness of life in Christ.

A. 1John 3-6; “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” (1Jo 1:3-6 AV)

B. 1John 4:11-12 “11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” (1Jo 4:11-12 AV)

C. John 11:25,26 “25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (Joh 11:25-26 AV) He is the resurrection and the life: newness of life.

III. To be found in Christ is to know the Fellowship of His Sufferings. For you to become a Christian in your heart requires of you that which you cannot do. In fact, everything in your nature recoils against it and is strongly opposed. "The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

A. You may not be a Pharisee of the Pharisees; nor a Hebrew of the Hebrews of the tribe of Benjamin, but you are as much in opposition to the way of truth, as Saul of Tarsus was. And the call of the gospel is to you just as it was to Saul.

1. Look at II Cor. 5:15-17. To be in Christ is to be a new creature. “15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Co 5:15-17 AV) His death for you requires your death to yourself: You do not belong to yourself; you belong to Jesus Christ. He can do with you what He wills. You don’t have a right to your own opinion, your own work, your own ways. You belong to Christ. You do not belong to any man. The only slavery or servitude the Bible knows is servitude to Christ. The worst slavery of all is thinking that you belong to yourself. The only possible way of newness of life in Christ is through the Cross. Our newness of life comes through the broken body and shed blood of our Savior.You cannot come to Christ without coming to His cross. The cross says something about God and it says something about you. It says something of the horror that God has toward sin. God did not stay His hand of judgment, even when it was His Only Begotton Son who was hanging there. It says something about you--to believe in the Christ is to believe that you are worthy of death--to identify with his sufferings.

2. Just as newness of life works in you by the power of the Holy Spirit, so does the fellowship of his sufferings work in you by the power of His Spirit. The Cross abases the pride the flesh; the glory of man, the ambition of man.

3. Look at Matt. 16:21-26. “21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. 24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mt 16:21-26 AV) The way of the cross leads home.

4. Romans 8:17 "If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together...."

B. Gal. 6:12: "As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ..."

1. Philippians 1:29: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake...."
2. Acts 14:22: "Exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Why?

a. Because God has appointed them for His own purpose (Job)

b. To mortify the flesh, to abase pride, to subdue the old man. You have been predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. You naturally resist this, and rage against it, so that even if you are a Christian, there is a war going on inside you. Hard times and tribulations are sanctified to you by the Spirit to subdue the old man, by the grace of God; and you will be conformed to Christ by the fellowship of His sufferings.

c. To glorify God: that our faith does not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. To show that it is supernatural faith. There are many faiths that come and go, and a person may have several of them during his life-time. But there is only one that will endure the cross: that is the faith of Jesus Christ, worked in the heart by the Holy Spirit that unites to Christ, that can rejoice in tribulation and give glory to God. This is the faith of God's elect.

May God bless you.

Amen and Amen.