I think Pastor Ernie wanted to get me up here as fast as possible. Maybe he wants to get out of here as fast as possible, too, so we'll see about that. Well, I hope you have enjoyed this trek through the Book of Philippians. I know I have. It's been a true blessing, and I'm happy to be able to continue that with you all this evening. So if you haven't already, please do open your Bibles to Philippians 3. That's where we're going to be continuing our series this evening. And as you do, I guess I wanted to just introduce, and I think many of you are aware that my wife and I had the privilege of spending some time overseas several years ago. And if any of you have traveled overseas, either living or even just visiting, you probably know that there's a lot of cultural and, of course, language differences in a lot of locations. Well, our destination was one of those being in Japan, and of course, we noticed several of those differences. Some of them were very obvious, and some were a little bit more subtle. One that would stand out, of course, is driving on the wrong side of the road. And I can say that because we drive on the right side of the road, so their side must be wrong by default. And while it's a big difference, it's really not that bad as long as you're driving and kind of following the other cars. And of course, you're opposite with everything, so you get the hang of it. Now, the passenger in your car may really wonder why you're turning the windshield wipers on every time you go to make a turn. So think about that in the context of everything being reversed when you get to your cars later this evening. So another difference, of course, is in greetings, right? If you're familiar with Japanese culture, they bow instead of shaking hands, which really, when you get over there, it takes a little getting used to not to stick your hand out so much. Considering COVID, it's probably a good thing that they bow instead of shaking hands, and maybe something we could have considered this year. I know upon our return, it took a little getting used to to start shaking hands again instead of bowing, but that was another difference. Also another cultural difference, and maybe if you've seen pictures of Japan or China in the east, is also congestion. You've probably seen the pictures of everyone crowding into a train or around someone. We as Americans get used to our personal space, and I can tell you it is definitely violated over there. when you're standing shoulder-to-shoulder with someone in the train. So there's a lot of differences. And similar to the train, the office space could also be very congested and compact. If you're familiar or have seen pictures, you're sitting desk-to-desk next to your coworkers, and I would say a stout American shoulder-width apart, you're rubbing up against shoulders with someone else. Well, I had one of those experiences one day. We were designing some parts with a younger Japanese man sitting next to me. And he leaned over, and he was a movie buff, actually. And he leaned over to me and said, do you know Arnold Schwarzenegger? And I looked at him and I said, no, I don't. Probably the same as you would answer that question if I were to ask you that tonight. I said, no, I don't know him. And he looked at me in disbelief. He said, how do you not know him? And this was several years ago. Arnold was the governor of California at the time, so he got not just his movie press, but also from his position as governor. So he was all over the news, and it was a big deal. And he couldn't imagine that I did not know Arnold Schwarzenegger. And I said, no, I don't know him. And I had to explain to him, you know, I live over here in Michigan, and he's over here in California, but he just could not get that. Well, the reason is, is because when he said, do you know him, similar to Lee, if I would ask you, I just read, you know, no, I don't know him personally, but I do know about him, which is what he meant. So that's a significant difference. And as I thought about that, and I thought about our text tonight, it's interesting that I think, I'm a little bit sober to think that when we say, do we know God, or if we ask each other, do we know God, a lot of us will answer the question, yes, but really mean maybe we just know about God and not truly know God. So I want us to think about that this evening. Your Bibles are open to the book of Philippians, chapter three, and as we begin to continue our study, I want to take us back to verse one and read as we ramp up and remind ourselves of the context that Jonathan took us through last week. So Philippians 3, beginning in verse 1, Paul writes, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision. For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God, in the glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more. Circumcise the eighth day of the nation 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 the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless. But whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, from whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ and be found in him. not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. So as we look at this text tonight, our text will really start in verse 7. And Paul writes, but, but. That's a transition word. When we come to that but, we have to stop and look at what came before it. And what came before it is what Jonathan took us through last week. Now, Jonathan mentioned that his text from last week ended in the middle of the paragraph of the ESV, but if you have a NASB, you'll see it starts at the beginning of the paragraph. But wherever that but lies, we still have to take a look back at what was before it to truly understand where we're going to go here on out. So let's take a quick refresh of verses 4 through 6 in particular. And I want you to note that Paul's prominent pedigree, Paul's prominent pedigree, Jonathan reminded us of this last week, and I will borrow a couple of the terms from Charles Ryrie as he uses a series of R's to explain it. Paul had his right, he had his circumcision, he talks about in verse 5. He had his race. He was from the nation of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. He had his religion. He was a Jewish Pharisee. He had his record. He was persecuting the church. And he also had his righteousness. He was found blameless in terms of the law. As Jonathan summarized it, Paul had advantages from his birth that were given to him, and he had advantages from his life that he had accumulated and accomplished on his own. Paul was at the top of his Jewish career, as it were, being a Pharisee, being found in junction with the law blameless. Paul had a lot going for him. He had been born into and then created these things. They had become his gain. He had confidence in the flesh, he says. but they were gained. He says in verse 7, So we're taking a turn from his prominent pedigree and we're turning to his passionate prioritization. It's all about Christ, not about what he had done, but it's all about Christ, he says. I want you to note the word count there. He says, We're going to slow down and focus on this word count or have counted for a minute because we're going to come back to it in future verses as well. The Greek term have counted, it means to suppose or to consider, to think or to judge. It carries the idea of stopping, thinking deeply about something, reflecting, and then making a decision on it. So think about that in this context. And also note the tense of it. It's have counted. It's a perfect tense. So not only did he count, he has counted in the past, and he's also continuing to count these things as loss in his present situation. That's important. Hang on to that. So Paul makes the transition in verse 7 to say, all of these things that were gained to me, now I count as loss for the sake of Christ. So as we continue to dive through these verses, I want you to note that verse 8, continuing through verse 11 in your NASB is all one sentence. So for all of you that love grammar, this should be a fun one for you. We know this is common for Paul, he loves to add piece and piece and piece onto his sentences, but Paul is just overwhelming and overflowing that he's combined everything into one statement here. So let's dive in, and as we do, I want to take these verses, and I'd like us to break it down into five different points, and then into two categories to help you remember them tonight. So the two categories that we'll break these down into are going to be two noes and three woes. I know what you're thinking, I just said three woes. Now this is not the W-O-E-S woes, as in woe is me. Eeyore is not in the room this evening. This is W-H-O-A-S woes. The kind of woes that when you read and when you understand it, you can step back and say, woe. It's the type of woe of getting off of a rollercoaster ride and reflecting back, or standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. This is what we want to see from this text tonight. Two noes and three woes. And I know after that introduction you want to get to the woes. But we have to get through the noes first, because they lay the foundation. So let's start and dive in. The title of this message is Know Your God, because that's what we're going to be focusing on this evening. So when we look at verse 8, I want you to note, first of all, that Paul says he wants to know Him personally. He wants to know Jesus personally. Listen to what he writes. He says, Did you hear he says, he calls Jesus, my Lord? And he says, I want to gain Christ. We're in the King James, I want to win Christ. Paul is saying, I want Jesus Christ to be mine as I am his. So we need to know him personally. I want you to know three things about this personal knowledge of him. We're going to talk about making it intense, we're going to talk about making it intimate, and then thirdly, we're going to talk about making it identifiable. So first, let's talk about making it intense. We want to know, and Paul wanted to know, everything about Christ. Note the build-up in Paul's crescendo as he goes through verse 8. He says more than that. More than what, we ask? Well, more than everything that he had just talked about in verse 7, which he then referenced in verse 6. More than that. That term seems to flow for us, but in the Greek, that term, more than that, is actually a compilation of four to five Greek participles, that if we were to read them literally, would say something like this. But, indeed, therefore, at least, even. Now while that sounds all Greek to us, because it is, the phrase is used to stress the importance of what Paul is about to say. So we read it simply more than that, or indeed, or what is more, or yea doubtless. And again, more than that, those things that Paul says in verse 7, which then he referred to in verse 6. In verse 7, Paul says, those things, whatever things were gained to me, his prominent pedigree, he says, all of that was loss. And now in verse 8, Paul builds on that. He says, more than just my prominent pedigree, more than those gains to me, he says, I count everything as loss. So he's building it. This is the buildup of Paul's crescendo. But notice also the balance of Paul's comparison. What is he balancing these things against? Paul's comparing all things against what as he considers them loss. He says more than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. We heard that word count again. So again, Paul has stopped, he's thought, he's considered He's reflected, and he's made a decision. Not only do I count my prominent pedigree, those things that were gained to me, but I am now considering everything as loss. That we're count in verse 8 is in the present tense. So that means, again, Paul right now is counting that, but then also in the future, it's implied. Paul says, I count all things. He's thought, he's reflected, and he's drawn that conclusion. All things are loss. compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ. I wonder if you were to look at your life tonight and assess, and you were to balance in this comparison that Paul is making, all things versus the knowledge of Christ, what would you put in that all things blank this evening? Would it be the sinful pleasures you enjoy as those in Romans 1 do who reject God? Would it be money or works righteousness as the rich young ruler in Matthew 19? Would it be religious ritual as the Judaizers or the Pharisees in Jesus' day? Paul's saying, I've weighed everything against the knowledge of Christ and see it as loss. Everything. Paul is putting into practice what Jesus asks of his disciples in Matthew 6, 24 through 26, when he says, then Jesus said to his disciples, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will a profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Paul's saying, I've weighed everything against the knowledge of Christ, and I choose the knowledge of Christ. All else is lost. That's the balance in Paul's comparison. But it gets more exciting. I want you to note the breadth of Paul's conclusion. To what extent does he compare and go to in this weighing? He says, more than that, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count or consider them, but rubbish, so that I can know Christ, may gain Christ. This is the breadth of Paul's conclusion. He says, all else is rubbish. I consider it rubbish. Refuge, dung, if you have a King James Version in front of you. Now, that word, it can mean the stuff that monkeys throw at each other in the zoo, or it can also mean, as it's translated here, rubbish or refuse, scraps from a table after a banquet. Now, while I appreciate the descriptiveness that the King James Version uses, contextually and personally, I think the NASB has it right when it says rubbish or refuse. You may ask why. Well, if you recall that the Jews often referred to the Gentiles as dogs. If you look back in verse 2 that we read earlier, Paul is warning the Philippians, he says, beware of the dogs, in reference to the Judaizers of the day. the false circumcision. So it makes sense that now Paul would say, all these things that were gained to me, this religious right, circumcision, the fact that I was a Pharisee, the law and my blamelessness, I count all of that to be loss, rubbish, the kind of stuff that you sweep off the table and feed to the dogs that Paul is warning the Philippians about. That connection seems to make sense. Let them have this food. Let them enjoy it. This is not for us. We have something much greater. So that's the breadth of Paul's conclusion. So our knowledge, our desire to know God needs to be intense. But that's not all. We also need to make sure that we make it intimate. We see that in verse 8 and verse 10 as well. Paul says, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. The word know here is important because it does not refer to just simply a head knowledge. He's using it to say a desire to know here in the noun form, but the word that's used here carries the idea of experience as well. It's not just up here in the head, it's not just a knowledge about, but it's a true interconnection, a personal knowledge of Christ that he's wanting. The verb form of the word in the Greek means to recognize or understand, and we see it used in the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. Interestingly enough, if you were to look back in your Bibles to Genesis 4, this is how we could find that word used. Now the man, Adam, had relations with his wife, Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. The ESV will say, now Adam knew Eve, his wife. There's an intimate relationship there, just as there's an intimate experience that Paul's talking about here. So, we need to have that desire. In John 10, 14 through 15, Jesus says, Now after hearing that, do you want Jesus to know us in the terms of just facts, or to truly know us? Jesus says, I know the Father and He knows me. We know that Jesus and the Father are one. That is the closeness of this word, know, that Paul's using here. We want to experience, he wants to experience to that level of intimacy, that close of a connection, he wants to have with Christ. And hopefully that's our prayer as well. In 1 John 5, 20, John writes, and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true. and we are in him who is true, in his son Jesus Christ. This is the true God in eternal life. So our knowledge, our desire, it needs to be intimate. We need to make it intimate. And then finally, as we talk about our personal knowledge, we also need to make it identifiable. Note the phrase that we brush through a little bit quickly. Paul says, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. That phrase is easy to skip over quickly, but Paul is saying, I've suffered the loss of all things for the sake of Christ. It was clear to anyone looking at Paul's life that he had all of these things, he had all of this gain before, but he lost for the sake of Christ. He weighed that, and he gave that up when he got to know Christ Jesus, and he was that important to him. We need to take note of that. Is it clear in your life that you know Christ? Do others see evidence in your life? Do they see your desire to know Christ? Or do you look more like the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked, what more does he need to do? And Jesus tells him, and he walked away sad because he was not willing to give that up. 1 John 3, 7-8, John writes, Little children, make sure that no one deceives you. The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. He continues in verse 10, By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious. Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. Our lives need to reflect Christ. And hopefully that's the case for you tonight. So we must know Christ personally. And hand-in-hand with knowing Christ personally, we also need to understand and hopefully know Christ positionally, because these two go together. So take a look at verse 9 with me, as we look to know him positionally. Paul says, that I may gain Christ, in verse 8, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. This is the doctrine of justification, right here. Paul says, to know him, I want to be found in him. He wants to gain his righteousness, not his own, We ask, why does Paul need to be found in Christ? Well, thankfully, Paul explains it in this one verse just here for us. And as we look at it, I want you to note our, or Paul's, failure in righteousness. or failure in righteousness. Paul says that I may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law. So Paul recognizes that he had obtained this. He had obtained, in verse 6, righteousness as it pertains to the law, per se. But he's already said in verse 7, and then in verse 8, that's loss. That's not true righteousness. Paul recognized that he had a failed ownership. in and of himself. He says, not having a righteousness of my own. Paul could not have that righteousness. He could not create that. This is what Paul thought originally that he could boast in, but now he's reflecting, he's saying, no, I can't boast in that. I can't boast in my own righteousness. Romans 3, Verse 10 through 12, Paul says, So there's a failed ownership on Paul's part. He recognizes that. Righteousness cannot come from himself. But not only is there a failed ownership in Paul, there's also a failed source in the law. Listen to what he says. He says, Paul's recognizing that the law is an unbearable yoke. The law cannot create righteousness. The law can only expose unrighteousness. To understand that deeper, turn with me to Romans 3. Keep your finger in Philippians, we're gonna come back quickly, but turn over to Romans 3. What does Paul write in Romans 3 along these lines? In verse 19, Paul writes, Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God. Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight, for through the law comes a knowledge of sin. The law doesn't generate righteousness, it exposes unrighteousness. And back in Philippians 3, Paul recognizes that. saying, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law. But what does he say? He says the source is not the law. The failure is on our side. There's a failure in righteousness, but he also recognizes his, Jesus' achievement in righteousness. He says, but that which was through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. So hopefully your finger's still in Romans 3 and you didn't give that position up. If not, quickly flip back. But I'll continue reading. We read Romans 3, 19 and 20. Let's continue reading in verse 21. Paul writes, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in his blood through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because in the forbearance of God, he passed over the sins previously committed. For the demonstration, I say, of his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just, and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, by a law of faith. For we maintain that man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. The achievement is not in ourself. The achievement was not in Paul. He recognized that. He says the achievement is in Christ. The righteousness is his. I want you to note that this righteousness comes from God on the basis of faith. and it's through Christ. This righteousness is not infused to us. Paul's recognizing, I don't get this righteousness. I do not become more righteous over time. He says, in regards to the law in verse six, I was found blameless of my own doing. Paul will not be righteous in this world, and he recognizes that. The righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. As Pastor Ernie talked about this morning, Our sin is imputed or laid on Christ, and Christ's righteousness is imputed or laid on us. It's attributed to us. Not in this life nor the life to come will we ever become righteous by anything of our own doing or the doing of others other than Christ. His righteousness is imputed to us. The avenue is through faith. The goal, we're looking at it as in Christ, and the source is from God. Paul writes about this as well in Ephesians 2, 8 and 9, when he writes, Paul had works. He said that in verse 6. In verse 4, he said, I could boast. But then he recognizes that no, he can't. because the righteousness is not his. It's Christ's. It's Christ's. John MacArthur, speaking of faith in God, as it refers to positionally knowing him, says this, it involves more than mere intellectual assent to the truth of the gospel. Saving faith includes trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and surrender to his lordship. It's not about just knowing about Jesus. It's not about just knowing who God is. It's about knowing him personally and positionally, having a true relationship with him. So these are the two knows, if you've been keeping track. We know him personally, we know him positionally, we've laid the foundation. So now let's talk about the three woes. Continue reading in verse 10, Paul writes that, The first woe is we need to experience his power, experience his power. That's what Paul wants to do here. He says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. What kind of power is Paul referring to here? The Greek word dunamis is might, ability, ability to overcome resistance. We get the term dynamite derived from it. I want you to notice a couple things regarding experiencing this power. First of all, the extent of the power. Paul says, I want to know him and the power of his resurrection. Why of his resurrection? Why of the resurrection? Note that the resurrection is the epitome of display of power. Jesus conquers all the powers of the world in both the physical and spiritual through the resurrection. We know that Jesus possessed physical power, and we've seen this through his miracles throughout the Gospels. When Jesus was alive, he had power within him to heal the sick. Listen, and you don't have to turn there, but I'm going to flip over to Luke 8, verses 43 to 46 as well, just to further make this point. So Luke 8, verse 43, you're familiar with this story and this miracle. And a woman who had a hemorrhage for 12 years and could not be healed anymore came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus said, who is the one who touched me? And while they were all denying it, Peter said, Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on you. But Jesus said, someone did touch me, for I was aware that power had gone out of me. When the women saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before him and declared what had happened. Jesus was full of power in his life, to the extent that this woman was healed by just touching the cloak of his garment. But in the resurrection, Jesus wasn't even alive. He was dead. Yet still, he displays this power. John 10, 17 and 18. Jesus says, Jesus had the authority, even from the grave, to raise himself. That's power. That's the extent. That's the power of Jesus' resurrection that Paul is saying he wants to know. That's the extent of the power. But look also, what's the application of this power? To whom is it applied? It's applied to the believer. You hear that statement and you say, wow, are we really filled with that kind of power? Yes, we are. Jesus says in Acts 1.8, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Paul writes in Ephesians 3, verse 20, Now to him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to him be the glory in the churches and in Christ Jesus. Are we doing miracles today? No. Does that mean that we don't have the same power within us that others had? No. Christ's power, God's power, is indwelling in us through the Holy Spirit, if we know Him personally and positionally. We have that power within us. You say, well, if we're not doing miracles, what are we using that power for today? Well, this is the purpose of the power. We looked at the extent and the application, but what's the purpose of this power? It's to live for him. To live for God. Paul recognized this. In and of himself, he cannot conquer sin. If your finger happens to still be in the book of Romans, or even if it's not, turn over to Romans 7 with me real quick. Romans 7. Listen to what Paul says, beginning in verse 18. Paul says, for I know that nothing good dwells in me that is in my flesh. For the willing is present in me, but the doing of good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me. the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin, which is in my members. Wretched man that I am, who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then on the one hand I myself, With my mind I am serving the law of God, but on the other with my flesh the law of sin. Paul says, I struggle every day with sin. You and I struggle every day with sin. But we have the power within us, through the Holy Spirit, to fight against that. We'll keep your fingers a little bit busy. Look at Colossians 1 with me real briefly. Colossians 1, verse 9. As we talk about this power, why do we have this power in us, this great power from Christ? Paul writes in verse 9 of chapter 1, "...for this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that you will walk in the manner worthy of the Lord to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience, joyously giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. Did you catch that verse 11? We have the power in us for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience. We need that power, don't we, sometimes in this world? To remain steadfast and patient And when we do so, it's not our glory. It's not in and of itself. It's God's glory. We have the power of His resurrection in which we share, dying to sin and being raised to life through Christ. It's for His glory. We have the power over sin, the power over temptation, the power to witness, the power for service, the power to minister. It's within us if we know Christ. It's for His glory. If you can't sit back and say, woe to that, I challenge you to reread some of those verses again. So note the progression. We know Christ personally. We know him positionally. We receive the Holy Spirit, and we get the opportunity to experience his power. And it all starts with knowing him. So that's the first woe. Look back to Philippians 3, and back to verse 10, if you will. Paul continues, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death. Not only does Paul want to experience his power, not only should we want to experience his power, but we should also want, as Paul did, to experience his suffering. His suffering. You say, what? We just talked about power, and now you want to talk about suffering? Yes. Suffering is part of the Christian life. Paul told the Philippians back in chapter 1, verses 29 through 30, that they're going to suffer just as he has suffered. And Paul says, I want to know him and the fellowship of his suffering. Note that word, fellowship. That word, fellowship, it's a partnership, communion, a participation in. As we experience his suffering, as Paul wants to, I want you to note that we commune with him in trials. We commune with Christ in trials. When do we typically focus more on God? Is it when things are going well or when we're struggling? I think we all know the answer to that. When we can no longer rely on our flesh, we turn to God often. John MacArthur summarizes, Paul acknowledges that to truly know Christ, he would suffer. He told the Philippians that they would suffer. We know that we will suffer. But in Hebrews 4.15, the author writes, For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but the one who has been tempted in all things as we are yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We commune with Christ in trials. He's experienced life. He's experienced trials here yet. He could conquer them through his power, which we have in us. We receive comfort from him in trials as well. Not only do we commune with him, but we receive comfort from him. Turn, if you will, to 2 Corinthians 1. I know I'm keeping you busy this evening. It's good, keep the fingers moving. 2 Corinthians 1. I wanna look briefly at verses three through seven. Paul to the Corinthians writes, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if when we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation, or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer. Our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers in our suffering, so also you are sharers in our comfort. That power that we just talked about is important to help comfort us in our times of suffering. And Paul recognizes that. We read in Colossians 1.11, strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the attaining of steadfastness and patience. That helps in trials as well. Second Corinthians 12.10, Paul writes, therefore I am well content with weakness, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Notice how suffering and power work together. We've been building through the no's, and now in through the woe's, we've covered the power, and suffering goes right along with it. Have you suffered for Christ? Have you had the privilege to fellowship with Him in those sufferings? If you have, then with Paul, you can attest that you want to know the suffering and experience this fellowship with Christ. So Paul says, I want to experience the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Finally, Paul says, I want to experience his glory. I want to experience his glory. Before we get to the glory part, let's look at the statement leading into it. Paul writes, I want you to note that that word attain has the idea of to reach at or to arrive at. It's not that I may attain from my own might, necessarily. So don't confuse what Paul's saying here. Paul is not striving or hoping to attain to the resurrection. Paul's not uncertain that he will be with God, nor is he saying, I hope or that I might attain in my own efforts. We've covered that. Paul says, I had my own efforts in verse six. I viewed them as loss in verse seven. That's not what Paul's saying here. What he is saying is he's coming to the statement in an attitude of humility, as we see elsewhere in his epistles. Paul has said elsewhere that he views himself as the least of the apostles or the least of the saints. So Paul's coming with that attitude here. And as we continue in the passage in verse 12 in the coming weeks, we'll see more of that. So Paul is not looking to hope to attain in that way. But he is looking forward to the resurrection. And that word resurrection is a very interesting term. That word resurrection literally means out-resurrection. It's the only time it's used in the New Testament. Likely referring to the rapture. It has a tendency to mean a partial resurrection out from among other corpses. So what Paul is saying is, I want to know Christ so that I might attain to glory. I might reach glory. I might arrive at it. Think about the joy that Paul's looking forward to in being raptured. What greater joy than to know your Savior is coming to rescue you out of a world of darkness and take you with him to a world of light. We've read that Paul is struggling with his flesh in Romans 7. In Romans 8.23, if we were to continue reading through the course of Romans 8, we see that we groan for redemption. Paul writes, and not only this, but also we ourselves, having the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves. waiting eagerly for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. What is Paul looking forward to? He's looking forward to the event that he writes about in 1 Corinthians 15. I'll read that for you briefly. 1 Corinthians 15, Paul tells the Corinthians and relates to them about the rapture that he's looking forward to. He writes in verse 51, behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this imperishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul recognizes that it's through Jesus that he will someday experience glory with him. It's not of himself. It's not what he has done. It's only through Christ. So we've covered our two no's in our three woes this evening. Paul says they're worth all that he had, all that he can consider. He gave it all up for Christ. So tonight I do ask you, consider your relationship with Jesus, with Christ. Can you truly say that you know him? Or is God, is Jesus just an Arnold to you? Is he just an actor or a celebrity that you've seen in the movie of A Friend's Life? Is he simply the governor or ruler of your neighbor's life state? Or do you have a personal, positional relationship with him? I hope that you do. But if you don't, please recognize tonight that you are in need of Jesus' righteousness. Recognize your sin for what it is. and your efforts for what they are is useless to help you. Be broken over your sin, repent and turn from it, and ask God this evening to forgive you and to give you Christ's righteousness in place of your own. And if you do know him personally, and if you do know him positionally through Christ's sacrifice, do you know him experientially? Do you know him experientially? Can you say with Paul that all is lost compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, your Lord? If not, look for those opportunities to deepen your experiential knowledge of him. Look for opportunities to experience his power in your life, his fellowship in suffering, and look forward to the day when we can fully experience his glory with him in heaven. Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank you for this book of Philippians. We thank you for Paul, who you used to write it, and we thank you for the challenges and promises in it, Lord. We thank you that we have hope of the future, and we thank you for the challenge that we need to know you while we're here on earth, when we have a chance, Lord. Help us to grow our knowledge of you personally. Help us all, if we haven't already in this room, to put our trust in you positionally, Lord, and help us all, once we've done that, to truly experience your power, the fellowship in your suffering. And Lord, we look forward to the day that we can see you in glory as well. We thank you for the opportunity this evening that you've given us to gather together. We thank you for those who have joined us via the livestream as well. And Lord, we pray that you would keep this fresh in our minds, Help us each and every day to reflect and to have a desire to know you better so that we may know you well. Not just facts about you, but be truly involved with you each and every day. Thank you, Lord, for the graces you've given us. Be with us as we leave this evening and we continue through our week. Help us to go and share the good news of what you've done for us with others. We ask these things in your son's name. Amen.