I was asked by Brian in bringing God's Word to this event to deal with the statement in Philippians 3 verse 10 concerning the fellowship of Christ's suffering. He didn't insist I should deal with it, but I'm one who is always up for a good challenge, especially when it is there in the word of God. And so, consequently, I... gladly obliged to study and prepare and come and share this with you. I'm not sure that what will come out is what he would have preferred, but I trust it will be according to God's word. So if we could just, at this moment, I will read beginning from verse one and all the way to verse 11. Philippians chapter 3. 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 mutilate the flesh. For we are the real circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Though I myself have risen for confidence in the flesh also, If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more. Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law, a Pharisee, as to zeal, a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness, under the law blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as 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 a 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. that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Let's pause for a brief word of prayer. Great God of heaven, We thank you for your word, the light that it sheds upon our path in life, in dealing with personal, family, domestic, church, and even national issues, that they might be dealt with in a way that conforms to your will. And Lord, as we pause briefly this afternoon to think together concerning the subject of having fellowship in the suffering of your son. We pray that you will be our instructor. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, my one guess for having been asked to deal with this subject is that this SEED conference is dealing with the theme of fellowship. And although the ESV that I am reading from uses the word sharing his sufferings, the word there is koinonia, and consequently, the statement fellowship is only appropriate. And what we're doing this afternoon is really looking at this statement, first of all, seeking to understand it, and then secondly, seeking to apply it to ourselves primarily as those who are in leadership and teaching positions in our churches. And I have no doubt that at some stage in your Christian life, you have alighted upon this passage and really wondered what on earth the Apostle Paul was speaking about here. There is a depth that Invariably, you feel you are not quite sounding as you read these phrases in verse 10, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. that by any means possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead. And if you are still in that position of wrestling, wandering, not quite feeling that your feet have touched the ground, I do want to say that I'm not sure that I will give the final answer to those questions and doubts. However, my aim is to arrive at some meaning to this text and then seek to apply it to all of us. First of all then, what do we learn concerning this passage from the context? And looking at the context here, we need to appreciate that the epistle that Paul wrote to the Philippians is probably the happiest of all the epistles. The word joy comes through again and again and again. especially bearing in mind that it was written from prison, clearly a letter like this wins any person's heart. You immediately feel this is a place you would like to be. The Philippians played a decisive role in the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul. It was the first port of entry into Europe that he touched upon. He had a decisive ministry there, beginning with the conversion of Lydia, and then proceeding to the conversion of the jailer, and so on and so forth. There was the woman that was making all kinds of predictions, who was also delivered from the spirits that were making her make money for others. They were real fruits of that ministry in Paul's life in that church. But even after the church was planted, it's a church that continued supporting Paul's ministry as he then went through Macedonia and Achaia, planting other churches and you notice this particularly in chapter four where he speaks about this that you know you continued supporting my ministry. And even when Paul was in prison writing this epistle, again this church sent Epaphroditus over to him, no doubt with supplies, to go and minister to him through the word, to go and minister to him through this physical means. So he had a wonderful relationship with this church and consequently writes this most joyful epistle to them. There's one place where Paul clearly gets angry, and it's this same chapter. Hence, in verse two, speaks about looking out for the dogs. Now, you will know that he wasn't talking about the kind of dog that Uncle Bob has just come from feeding back home. It's a... It's not any canine creature. He's talking about human beings here. Look out for the evildoers. Look out for those who mutilate the flesh. And he's coming to a subject that he felt very strongly about. And what is it? It was a company of teachers that must have been making their way on the hills of wherever Paul went, who were basically teaching that, yes, believing in Jesus is correct, but it's not enough. That apart from faith in Christ, In order for us to be saved, we also need to obey the law of Moses, and more specifically, that you ought to be circumcised. that this is the channel, the initiation process by which you enter into God's covenant people. So the way it was with Israel, the way it was with the Gentiles that attached themselves to the Jewish cult of worship, that's the way it must also be with the Christian church. Wherever Paul came across this, his response or his reaction was very strong. You will remember to the Galatians, Paul writes using similar language, strong language. He insists that anybody who is teaching anything other than the pure gospel that he had shared, that such a person must receive the anathema. even if it's an angel from heaven, even if it's me, Paul, we must all suffer the same consequence. In fact, to the Galatians who were believing this and moving in that direction, Paul refers to them as having been bewitched. He says, I can't believe it. Who has bewitched you that you should be going in that direction? Well, that's what Paul was dealing with here. And it's not so much that the Philippians had followed this teaching the way in which the Galatians had done, but what he is saying is this, that those who in fact are coming in teaching this, look out for them. Don't follow them at all in that direction. Instead, follow me. And that's what the context is in which we find our text. Paul is responding by asserting that true circumcision is what the Holy Spirit has done to our hearts when we put our trust in Christ. Having said, look out for these dogs, he says in verse 3, for we are the real circumcision. who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus. Those of us in whom the Holy Spirit has worked bringing about regeneration, salvation, and consequently, we base all our trust in the person and finished work of Jesus, we are the true circumcision. That's basically the message that Paul has between verse two and verse 11. I think the slight difficulty we have with this passage is that Paul then proceeds to personalize what he is teaching. He doesn't always do this, but no doubt here, he immediately goes on to say, though I myself have risen to have confidence in the flesh, he shows that if anybody ought to have been a Judaizer, Should have been me, sore or poor, but I'm not. And then goes into the positive to just speak about the way in which everything that would have been to his credit, he has thrown into the rubbish pit and remained with Jesus and Jesus alone. So in personalizing his teaching, what he's essentially doing is showing the exclusiveness and sufficiency of Christ. That's all he's doing. Jesus is not just sufficient, he's the only one. There is no other. Anything else that begins to be added to Jesus is a subtraction from Jesus. He stands alone. And that's the reason why Paul says, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things. And I don't feel that I've really lost anything because as it goes on to say, and I count them as rubbish. thrown them all away gladly so that with both hands I can hang on to the cross and the cross alone. And clearly as we look at verse 9 and verse 10, which is where I will finally alight, The exclusiveness and sufficiency of Christ is, first of all, for our justification. Look at verse 9. He says there, in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him, not having a 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. He's referring there to the fact that the righteousness upon which God accepts me is not a righteousness woven together through my obedience to the law, but it is a righteousness exclusively based on the person and work of Jesus Christ, period. It's not my own It's the righteousness from God, the righteousness of Christ, the righteousness by faith. But in the second place, this exclusiveness and sufficiency of Christ is also for our sanctification. And that's what verse 10 onwards is all about. So when he says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, he's talking about the power that enables him to overcome sin, to grow in holiness, to be more and more conformed to the image of Christ. And I'd like to suggest, as I hope to show in a few moments, that even when he goes on to say, I may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead. It's all to do with this growth in grace, becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. conforming to his image. Now, in a sense, it is these two that make up what the Judaizers were trying to do. On the one hand, they were basically saying that for God to accept you, you must not only believe in Jesus, but you must also conform to Moses's law, go through all those rituals, and therefore, you are within the covenant people. But that's not all. It was the law of Moses and your efforts in keeping it that was being taught as the way in which you are living a life that is now pleasing to God. So it's you seeking to do this that makes God happy with you. And it's fairly clear, especially from the Galatians when Paul writes to them, because he argues this way. He says, now, tell me, Do you honestly think that you would have begun the Christian life by faith in Christ, and now you're thinking that you can manage it within your own strength? I mean, surely, think again. Because that's altogether wrong. Paul basically says the same to the Colossians. You will recall he argues in the third chapter, first of all, against this conforming to do's and don'ts and rules here and there and so on. He's against that and he says that the way in which you have come to know Christ, that's the way in which you must build your life on Christ. So you don't begin with Christ and then hope you can build your Christian life on another foundation, which is what, in effect, the Judaizers were bringing into the lives of the believers. Yes, yes, you accepted Jesus. Not against that. But you know, you need something more. And through this teaching, through ensuring that you follow the laws of Moses, you are going to be better Christians. Better Christians. And Paul is saying no to that. that it is all about Christ. And you can't miss it because immediately after our text, verse 12 goes on to speak about this better, pushing forward. Not that I've already obtained this or I'm already made perfect. So it's no longer speaking about justification. I mean, justification doesn't make you perfect. He's talking about sanctification, growing towards perfection. And he's saying, I'm pressing on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Very well then, let's now think about the text itself. I hope in a small way, I have shown you that verse nine and verse 10, they're dealing with justification and sanctification, both of them being in Christ Jesus. Let's move on to verse 10 and look at sanctification. What is Paul saying there? In a sense, I have touched on it. Although he is using his own example and is talking about his desire, his passion, the message is this, that we never graduate from Christ. Never. Jesus is not a starting point. And then after that, you go on to deal with something else. Sanctification is a fruit of a growing experiential knowledge of Christ. That's what it is. It is as I desire to know him and to experience the power of his resurrection, partake of the fruit of his suffering, become like him in union with his death, that I grow. to be the mature person in Christ that God wants me to be. Let me say it again. Sanctification is not about me simply trying to follow the laws of God. It is primarily about me experiencing the power of his resurrection, partaking of the fruit of his suffering, and becoming like him in union with his death. In other words, Christ's suffering His death and His resurrection have sanctifying properties, which become yours in an ever increasing measure as you fellowship with Him. Now, Romans 6 is a darling in this matter. So please do tend with me there. Because what Paul is saying in Philippians, and applying it to himself, is what he essentially says in Romans, but then using it to challenge the Roman Christians. I touched on this briefly yesterday. I think it was when dealing with some other aspect of fellowship. Romans 6, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? Let me explain the question. In Romans 5, Paul was essentially teaching the freeness of salvation in Christ. We died in Adam, we are made alive in Christ. We are treated as enemies of God because we are in Adam. We are treated as friends of God because we are in Christ. Adam merited our damnation. Christ merited our justification and acceptance by God. Therefore, all we are and can ever hope for As far as our relationship with God is concerned, it's packaged in what Jesus has earned for us. We simply walk into it freely by faith. That's what chapter 5 is about. Clearly, it raises the question, hang on, are you suggesting it doesn't matter how I live? If I sin this much, the grace of God in Christ Jesus will cover all that. Now, that's dangerous teaching. That's really what this one is about. Paul's answer is not to go back to chapter 5 and steal a few things from there so that now he's saying and not saying at the same time. No, no, no. He still leaves justification as it is. Freely, by grace, merited by Christ Jesus, complete. You cannot add anything to it. You can't subtract anything from it. But what he does in chapter 6 is to add how God has secured our sanctification. And it is also through the death of Jesus Christ. But it is what the Holy Spirit now does in applying the death of Christ in that area. Listen to this. By no means, how can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us were baptized or immersed into Christ Jesus? We're baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead, By the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Let me just quickly try and explain that. Paul is saying, look, when Jesus Christ died, he died in the context where sin had mastery, sin ruled, sin reigned. He died. was buried and he was raised to newness of life in the sphere where God's rule reigns. And he's saying, when the Holy Spirit immersed you into Christ, at the point of your conversion, The fruit of that transition became yours. You are no longer here. You are here. In Christ Jesus. In his death. In his burial. In his resurrection. And that's all he's saying from verse 5 downwards. Until he says in verse 11, So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin, that is dead to the realm where sin rules, and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Reckon yourself to have made this transition. This is what has actually happened in you. It's crazy for you to even begin thinking that you can therefore go back and live that kind of life. You've died to save. We're now alive to God in Christ Jesus. And your responsibility now is what he goes on to say in verse 12 downwards. And basically it is to put to death the misdeeds of the body. It's to do the mopping up operation. That's what it is. He's done the work. Yours is to simply follow the leader. is to be in fellowship with him while he leads you the rest of the way. And that's what the remainder of Romans chapter six is all about right into seven and eight and so on. So that's what is dealing with here in Philippians and chapter three. The resurrection, the suffering, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through this historic event, my sanctification has been secured. And therefore Paul says, all I want is this experiential knowledge of him, this fellowship with him in his suffering, in the fruit of his suffering. All I want is to be conformed to him again in union with him in his death. And if you can allow me to skip a lot of what we see in verse 12 downwards, I want to go to the very last verse because Paul induces and abandons referring to himself and then gets back to everyone when he says brothers join in imitating me in verse 17 and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us but in verse 21 he finally says this work of sanctification will finish when Jesus returns Verse 20, but our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. So what Paul is essentially saying here is that we are mad to think that our sanctification is something we go somewhere else for. That Jesus was only sufficient to clean up our records in heaven. but not sufficient to clean up our defiled hearts on earth. That's madness. We should not tolerate it. And as Paul puts it here, anybody who comes to you that way, treat them harshly. Or at least he does, he calls them dogs. But rather, like Paul, Our chief business is our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He's done it all. but not as a historic person that we have left 2,000 years ago or like a museum piece that we can then every so often go and visit and look at. He is a living person. It is in fellowship with him that we grow from one degree of glory to the other. Very quickly, how does this affect our ministry? What bearing does it have on how we carry our ministries as pastors and church leaders? First of all, We need to be wary of individuals who seem to suggest that Christ is not enough, either for our salvation or our sanctification. In fact, I'm quickly going to add, we too must never be guilty of this as we minister among God's people. Christ is enough. He's more than enough. He is the exclusive, preeminent, and all-sufficient Savior. Now, brethren, those of you are pastors will know that every so often God's people will come to you with situations in their lives that need to be dealt with. And it's very easy for us, we're now dealing with those situations, to, without realizing it, move from Christ, the fellowship that they have with him, what he has promised to do with their lives, and move straight into pragmatism. I recall not too long ago visiting the U.K., and a couple that I knew from Zambia who've since moved to the U.K. crossed England to come and meet with me. They had major marriage problems. So as they shared with me what the problems were, I asked, look, surely you've at least sought counsel. I doubt that you're waiting for me to come. What have you been told? Well, this is not a joke. But the gentleman said that the pastor had told him. that in order to solve the interpersonal difficulties between himself and his wife, what he needed to do was to take his wife for a candlelight dinner in order to have this warm, romantic environment. it would deal with this problem. And I remember thinking, and where does Jesus fit into the equation here? All I did was to take him and her to Ephesians and say, look, Mom, The Bible says, submit to your husband as the church submits to Christ. Are you seeking to do that? Are you talking to the Lord himself to enable you to do that? I turned to the husband. While he was going, uh-huh, tell her. And I said, the Bible says you are to love your wife as Christ loved the church. Are you having dealings with him, saying to him, Lord, this is difficult. I need your grace in the light of the issues that I'm dealing with here. Are you in fellowship with him? Are you praying to him? Are you studying the way in which Jesus has loved the church? Well, both of them said no, and that's the homework I gave them. You can go from one psychologist after the other concerning marriage, but if you don't go to Christ and have dealings with him in terms of his expectations of you, and also seeking that through his word, his spirit, you may be made to be the husband or wife that you ought to be, you are not really going to grow in sanctification in your marriage. You won't. And it's the same with everything. It doesn't matter what it is. Ultimately, it's as we walk with him, in fellowship with him, as His Spirit takes His Word and applies it to our lives, that's the way in which we grow in grace in any area. I wonder whether that's how we are carrying out our ministries. I wonder whether by the time our ministries come to an end and we are gathered with our fathers, that God's people will remain with Christ and with Christ alone. That that's the message we left them with, rather than popular psychology. Let me run on to another part. And this brings us closer to the text. Our own lives must eloquently preach this as a living reality. God's people must not only hear this in sermons, but must also see it in our lives. That all we want is to know Christ more in his resurrection, in his suffering, and in his death. that the healing power that oozes out of that historic event and out of that historic person is that which will continue working in us as we grow in our fellowship with him. Our lives must speak eloquently of it. One of the older versions begins verse 10 this way. Oh, that I may know him. And it captures it. That this is not just a doctrinal statement. This is about the heartbeat of the apostle. This is what he was all about. Oh, that I might know Christ. Paul, you met him on the road to Damascus. He became your savior there. Indeed, you've written powerfully concerning this Jesus. What do you mean that you may know him? Well, Paul felt as if up to that point, he was only knee deep in this vast ocean called Christ. He longed for more and more and more of Him. Knowing very well that it is in this growing relationship with my beloved Savior that my life will be transformed more and more and more into his image. Brethren, are our lives eloquently preaching this reality? When God's people have been with us and we've had heart-to-heart talk, we've dealt with the real issues of life, do they go home with this aroma on them? That our pastor, our church leader, has but one desire in life, to drink deeper. of this great vast ocean called Christ. That's what this passage is all about. It teaches us a very basic lesson concerning the nature of the Christian faith, and that it's not about legalism. It's not about antinomianism. It's none of those two. Rather, it seeks to achieve conformity to God's law out of a growing, loving relationship with the Savior. It is as we have fellowship with him. that grace flows from his heart into ours by the Spirit of the living God, putting to death our sins and giving life to the virtues, the fruit that truly honors God. To try and do it any other way is to fail. In fact, it's to produce a miserable bunch of Christians. It's to produce miserable hypocrites, pretending to be what they know absolutely nothing about. It's only as we live in the fellowship of Christ's suffering that we rejoice in Him, even as we grow in Him. May God help us all to exude this kind of Christianity, which alone is biblical. May God really help us to live the rest of our lives in fellowship with his suffering. Let's pray. Eternal and gracious God, we thank you for the example of Paul, that in his various writings he has left biographical information that gives us windows to peep into what true Christianity looked like in the first generation. Oh God, how we pray that we may see something of that reflected in our walk with you today. And especially with this matter, grant, O Lord, that Jesus might be everything to us, Savior, Lord, example, sanctifier. Indeed, our very bridegroom with whom we long to be conformed and to spend eternity. Oh, God, help us to spread the aroma of Christ wherever we are, for he is all-sufficient. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.