Jasper's First Baptist Church

When you open to Philippians 3, you meet a man who has experienced a personal revolution. The Apostle Paul has undergone a complete reversal of values on one particular day when he was journeying to Damascus. That was the day he met Christ.

Up until that day, Paul was a cocky, self-assured, self-righteous hyper-religious man. He was at the top of his game in his profession, a model of religious zeal. He was very impressed with himself, and thought God was too.

Then Jesus confronted him in his sin, and immediately two things became evident:
1. I must abandon my self-righteousness, v. 7-8: "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 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..."

2. I must rely on the righteousness of Christ, v. 9-11.
Verses 9-11 are one, long sentence in the Greek Paul spoke, presenting three reasons why this is the only way to be right with God, the only hope of heaven, the only solid ground we have. He told us what happened to him in v. 1-8 (and this is also what happens for us when we're saved); now he gives us why we must abandon self-righteousness and run to Christ alone!

FOUND IN HIM: The Joy of Our Salvation, v. 9: "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."

So now Jesus is now Paul’s permanent address. He may be in Rome or Philippi or Jerusalem; he may be healthy or sick, free or in prison, but he will always be in Christ. It’s not enough be “near” Jesus or “around” the things of Christ. True salvation means being “in Christ.”

Paul explains what this means in v. 9: not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ. This is bookkeeping language, describing how God changes your "account." He moves your sin and your deserved judgment off your ledger sheet and onto Christ’s. And in its place, He credits you with the perfect righteousness of His Son.

The Bible speaks of this incredible exchange often.
1 Corinthians 1:30: And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption."

Galatians 3:26-27: "for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

2 Corinthians 5:21: "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

John Bunyan, the author of the Christian allegory, Pilgrim's Progress, struggled terribly before settling his faith in Christ. These are his words:
"One day as I was passing into the field . . . this sentence fell upon my soul: ‘Your righteousness is in heaven.’ And methought I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God's right hand; there…was my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, he [lacks] My righteousness, for that was [right in front of] Him.

"I also saw…that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse, for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, ‘the same yesterday, today and, and forever’ (Heb. 13:8)."

The lyrics to the song, “Before the Throne of God Above,” capture this so wonderfully. Verse 3 sings, "Behold Him there, the risen Lamb/ My perfect, spotless Righteousness/ The great unchangeable I AM/ The King of glory and of grace/ One with Himself, I cannot die/ My soul is purchased by His blood/ My life is hid with Christ on high/ With Christ my Savior and my God/ With Christ my Savior and my God."

This is so important: Are you in Christ today? Being found in Him is the only place in the universe where you can truly be safe and know real joy, now and forever!

KNOWING HIM: The Joy of Our Sanctification, v. 10: "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death."

Sanctification is the process by which God takes a forgiven sinner and transforms his or her character, attitude, and actions so that they look more and more like Christ. Paul’s shorthand for sanctification is right here in v. 10: it’s knowing Him.

There are two Greek words in the New Testament for knowing. One is the word "oida," which speaks of knowing something through study or explanation. It’s a fact-based knowing, gained through the intellectual process of learning, like what happens in a classroom. That is not the word that is used here. This is the word "gingko." It means to know by experience. This is a personal, relational, experiential knowledge that suggests intimacy, closeness, even friendship.

Paul mentions three areas where we need to experience Christ in v. 10:
--Know the power of His resurrection.
Romans 8:11:"If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

--Know the fellowship of HIs suffering.
There is a communion with Christ in times of sorrow and hardship that is so deep--a fellowship and camaraderie that comes to us in our suffering IF we turn to Him and lean on His strong arms. When believers go through hardships or trouble or pain--when we’re wounded by words or afflicted by disease or stricken by sorrows—there is an intimacy like in no other time, a pulling in close to Jesus that takes place when we turn to Him. Jesus is touched with the feelings of our infirmities, Hebrews 4 says. Isaiah called Him a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.

--Know His death.
What was Jesus like in His death? What characteristics marked Him in His death on the cross? Here’s what I wrote down: incredibly loving, deeply humble, utterly selfless, fully giving, totally obedient. That’s what God wants to build into my life and yours.

And there’s only one way that I can become like this: I have to die. Jesus told us it would be necessary. "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23)--die to myself, put to death what is worldly in me, kill the impulses and break those habits that pull me away from Christ and present my body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).

Paul is giving us reasons; he’s explaining why abandoning our righteousness and embracing His is the only way to be right with God, ready for heaven, and joyful on the journey. Being found in Him—that’s solid assurance and real hope--the joy of our salvation. And knowing Him--that's experiencing His power in our lives, His nearness when things get tough, and His work to change me and make me Christlike.

One more reason remains:

PERFECTED BY HIM—that’s the joy of heaven, v. 11: "that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."

This takes us to the finish line of our salvation, when we will find these mortal bodies putting on immortality and are fitted for eternity. That’s perfection! That’s glory! That’s heaven!

Though Paul doesn’t build a case for it here, our resurrection is built upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 makes this plain: "Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."

There is a glory here that is bigger than we even realize! The resurrection of Christ assures us that in our resurrection, we don’t just receive comfort for what we’ve lost in this life; we receive the restoration of what we’ve lost. You don't just get your body back; you get the body you always wanted but you never had. You don't just get your life back; you get the life that you always wanted that you never had.

Jesus Christ is walking proof that you will miss nothing! Nothing! It's all coming in the future. It's going to be unimaginably wonderful!!

There is no religion, no philosophy, and no human being who can offer this kind of future. The proof, the evidence, the reasons why our best works and noblest efforts won’t work with God is right here: we need a righteousness that can only be provided in Christ, a holiness that can only created by His Spirit, and a resurrection to restoration that can only come from the Lord of life, who is the firstfruits of our resurrection.

So if you’re not a Christian, let me ask you: Why wouldn’t you want this? To have your sins forgiven and be right with God, to be changed from the inside out into a better person, and to know that the best is yet to come. You’re not being honest with yourself if you don’t want this.