Please turn again to Philippians 3. We will read verses 10 and 11.
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
If by any means I may attain unto the out-resurrection from among the dead.
Dear heavenly Father, as we gather here this morning, we want to thank Thee for being so gracious to us and for leading us through these last few days. Thou hast brought us to this hour. It is all Thy mercy and grace, for which we are most thankful.
We praise and thank Thee that Thou hast gathered us again this morning. We know that Thy heart’s desire is to reveal Thy Son to us.
We pray that Thou wilt remove any veil that may be upon our hearts, that the light of Thy countenance may shine upon us, and that we may see the glory of the Lord today.
Our desire, our longing, is to know Thee. We want to know the power of Thy resurrection. We are willing to have fellowship with Thy sufferings, and, Lord, we do want to be conformed to Thy death, knowing that there is a glorious out-resurrection waiting for us.
Dear Lord, we pray that Thou wilt not allow us to draw back. Enable us to press on toward the goal until that day when we shall see Thee. There we will worship and serve Thee forever.
Hear our cry. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thank God for gathering us together again this morning. I think by this time we will know this key verse by heart.
This is the passion of the apostle Paul: how he longed to know Christ. On the road to Damascus, he was met by Christ, and this Christ captured his heart.
The more he knew Him, the more he wanted to know Him. So he cried out, “Oh, that I may know Him.”
Brothers and sisters, we thank the Lord that we do know Him. But this knowledge of Him should increase within our hearts a desire to know Him more. May this passion fill each one of us.
If we really have this hunger and thirst after Him, we know that this is exactly what God wants to do toward us. It is the good pleasure of the Father to reveal His Son in us.
Whenever He finds anyone whose heart is one with His heart, whose desire is to know Christ, how it pleases the Father’s heart—and how He will reveal His Son.
Brothers and sisters, as we long to know Christ, we find how much Paul did know Christ. We firmly believe that it will be the same with us, because our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
This morning, we shared especially on knowing Christ in His death. We know that the death of Christ is a mystery. How can Christ, who abides forever, die? How can the Originator of life die? How can the Son of God ever die?
This is a great mystery in the universe. Even before the foundation of the world, God had already decided that His Son should be the Lamb. From the foundation of the world, He is the Lamb slain.
Because God knows everything, out of His love He created the universe. Out of His love, He created man. He gave the whole creation to His Son, and especially man He gave to His Son as His greatest gift.
Yet He knew beforehand that this man, whom He created, would rebel against Him. This man, whom He loved so much, would fall into sin, and the wages of sin is death.
How could God solve this dilemma? On the one hand, He is the just God. He must act justly. The soul that sins must die. Yet, on the other hand, God is love, and He does not want anyone to perish.
He wants everyone to be a precious gift to His beloved Son. How could God solve this problem?
In order to do that, He sent His beloved Son into this world. God cannot die; therefore, God must come to be a man. The One who knew no sin could die for us sinners, that we might become the righteousness of God.
We know that the very purpose of our Lord Jesus coming into this world was to die. He died that we may live. What love is behind this!
Brothers and sisters, whenever we think of the death of our Lord Jesus, whenever we survey the cross, we marvel that He should love us—who are such great sinners—so much.
His death is a great mystery. His death is all-compassing; it deals with all the problems in the world. His death is different from all other deaths because His death is an atoning death.
By His death, not only are we human beings restored to God, but even the whole creation will be reconciled to the fullness of God.
That is the reason why we remember the Lord at His table. It is not a ritual or a formality.
In spite of the great love that He has bestowed upon us, He knows how ungrateful we are and how forgetful we are. Because He loves us so deeply, He does not want us to forget Him. He wants us to remember Him.
So He commands us to remember Him: to remember how He shed His blood for the remission of our sins; how He had His body broken, that we might be made whole; and that we may be reconciled to God our Father.
It is a command—a command of love. He wants us to remember His death because His death means so much.
Two thousand years ago, He was crucified on the cross. This is a fact. Two thousand years ago, there on the cross, He accomplished the work of redemption.
Two thousand years ago, His death solved all our problems. Therefore, before He passed away, He shouted, “It is finished.” The work of redemption is finished. You cannot add anything to it, and you should not take anything away from it.
His death is a fact. The value of His death is eternal. It never changes because of time or space. It never changes because of you or me.
His cross is a fact, and the effect of His crucifixion is eternal. The value never changes. This is the eternal truth.
Brothers and sisters, the cross is eternal. Those who lived before the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus looked forward to the cross, and as they looked, they lived.
We who live after the crucifixion look back to the cross, and as we look, we live, because His death has eternal value.
This is the foundation of our faith. This is the foundation upon which we stand. We are saved and built up upon this foundation.
We say this is objective truth. What do we mean by objective? It means that it is something done outside of you and me. It is something that God has done in Christ for us, and it is finished.
This is the ground on which we stand. But, brothers and sisters, just to know the objective truth is not enough.
Just to believe that two thousand years ago Christ died on the cross is not enough. It is enough for God, but so far as we are concerned, it is not enough.
This objective truth is eternal and never changes. Yet this truth has to become our subjective experience. The death of our Lord Jesus, which happened two thousand years ago, has to become real in us today as our death.
Unless this happens, He may have done everything for us, and we still have nothing. So, brothers and sisters, it is very, very important that we apprehend and appropriate the objective truth of the death of Christ into our subjective experience in life.
There is a hymn I like very much. It is called “The Cross of Christ.” I will read to you the first verse:
Though Christ a thousand times
In Bethlehem be born,
But not within thyself,
Thy soul is still forlorn.The cross on Golgotha
Will not save thy soul;
The cross within thine own heart
Alone can make thee whole.O Cross of Christ, I take Thee
Into this heart of mine,
To help me die to my own self
And rise to Thy life divine.
Brothers and sisters, here in this hymn it says Christ can be born in Bethlehem a thousand times, but if He is not born in you, you still do not have anything.
The cross on Golgotha cannot save you merely as an outward fact. It is the cross that is in you that saves you.
The refrain says, “O Cross of Christ, I take Thee into my heart, to help me die to my own self. Then I might rise up to live in life divine.”
Unless the death of Christ becomes a reality in us, unless His cross is not only planted in Golgotha but is planted in our heart, even though great things have been done, we receive nothing.
So far as we are concerned, it is most important. I cannot emphasize it more. It is extremely essential that we do not look at the death of our Lord Jesus merely as an historical occurrence.
In the book of the Qur’an, in Islam, they can recognize Jesus as the Son of God, but never once is the death of Christ acknowledged. Brothers and sisters, the death of our Lord Jesus is a principal element of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Just acknowledging the fact of His death, even understanding the value of His death, is not enough. If we have not received His death into us, so that His death becomes our death, nothing is being done.
Now, who wants to long for death? We long for life. But only when our eyes are opened and we see the value of His death will we long that His death may be our death.
So the apostle Paul says, “Oh, that I may be conformed to His death.”
In the Chinese Bible, another translation is sometimes used: “imitate.” But when you think of imitation, you think of something done outwardly.
Just like children: they know how to imitate. Therefore, we older people need to be very careful, because children have this instinct to imitate.
Imitation is not real. Outwardly, they can imitate exactly alike, but inwardly it is altogether different. They are still children; they have not grown up yet. They can talk like grown-ups and act like grown-ups, but when such things happen, it is laughable.
The Bible uses the word conformed. Even though this word is sometimes translated “imitate,” conformity gives you the idea of something happening within.
Here is a form, and you are to be conformed to that form. You are being molded. The mold is already there; it is a perfect mold. How are you going to multiply it? You pour into that mold, and when it comes out, it is exactly the same.
So you find that conformity is something inward. It is not just taking something upon you. It is something that you enter into, and you come out the same.
In other words, to be conformed to His death is to be like His death. What His death means is what our death means. All the value of His death is ours. It is something that happens within us.
That is the reason why you find in Romans 8 that God’s eternal purpose is that we may be conformed to the image of His beloved Son. We are to be conformed to the image of His Son’s death, that we may be conformed to the image of His Son’s life.
This means that we may take on all the inner character of our Lord Jesus, that we may be like Him. This is the will of God.
But we have to be conformed to His death, because His death puts to death everything that is not of His Son. Everything that is not of God cannot return to God; it has to be put to death. This is what the death of our Lord Jesus has done for us.
Brothers and sisters, this morning I would like to share together how to be conformed to His death. His death is an eternal reality, but how much of His death is real in our lives? How far have we been conformed to His death?
This is something that we need to bring before the Lord. I would like to relate a few principles. With these principles, we will be able to be conformed to His death.
In every spiritual thing, we need revelation, because spiritual things are far beyond our natural understanding. The natural man does not understand the things of God; he thinks that they are foolishness.
Brothers and sisters, so far as we ourselves are concerned, we can never understand anything spiritual. You may be the wisest person in the world. You may be able to understand everything under the sun. But when you come to spiritual things, there is a block.
In all spiritual things, we need revelation. We need God to reveal to us. It is very humbling, but this is where we are. This is real. Do not think that by your own cleverness you can enter into spiritual reality.
First of all, we need revelation. We need God to reveal the death of Christ to us. Otherwise, we will not appreciate His death.
“What has His death to do with me? I do not want to die. I want to live.” But one day God opens our eyes, and we begin to see how precious and valuable His death is.
This is the only way to our salvation. This is the only way that will lead us back to the fullness of God. When you receive such revelation, you begin to appreciate His death.
The more He reveals to you the value of the death of Christ, the more you long to know His death. I believe that, first of all, in order to be conformed to His death, we need a revelation of the value of His death.
Secondly, everything that is from God is grace. God is a God of grace. He gives us everything; He prepares everything, and then He gives it to us.
It is grace. Grace is given freely to all. Grace does not choose whom to give; grace gives freely and never charges anything.
But because it is grace, the only way to receive grace is by faith. If you want to receive grace by any other means, you will not get it. The more you try, the more you reject grace.
So you find that to be conformed to His death requires faith. What is faith?
In Hebrews 11:1, I like the translation of Darby because I feel that it really shows you the picture.
Now faith is the substantiating of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
I think this is not so much a definition as an explanation of what faith is. There is something, but how can you make that something your own experience?
Here is a podium. It is here. Before we came to this conference and entered this hall, this podium was already here. It is a fact—an accomplished fact.
When you enter through the door, immediately you see this podium. By seeing it, you actually receive it into yourself; it becomes an experience to you. This podium is not only outside of you. Because you see it, you substantiate it into your being.
Here is a substance. It is there whether you are here or not; it is already here. But when you come in, because you have eyes to see, your eyes substantiate this substance to be your experience.
Suppose a blind person cannot see, and people tell him that there is a podium there. He says, “No, there is none, because I cannot see it.” His not seeing it does not eliminate this podium, but because he cannot see it, he cannot enjoy it. He and the podium are apart.
It is by seeing that these things become one. And that is what faith is.
Christ died two thousand years ago. It is a fact. The value of His death is eternal. It is always there; it never changes.
But when you come to the cross of Christ, and when you lift the eyes of faith, then you find that the value of His death comes into your being, and you are saved.
Brothers and sisters, in order to be conformed to His death, we need faith. We need to believe what God has already done in Christ Jesus.
We need to look away from everything. We need to look away from our feelings. We need to look away from our own reasoning. Look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
That is the way you receive. By faith, you believe His death.
Thirdly, in order to be conformed, you have to be first deformed. We have an old form, and we have held that form for a long time.
In order to be conformed to the death of Christ, you have to be deformed—to be melted first. Therefore, there must be a breaking in order that we may be poured into the mold.
That is the reason why certain sufferings are involved.
You know, the apostle Paul, in Philippians 3:10, said, “That I may know Him.” How do I know Him? In what substantial way can I know Him?
He says, “Know the power of His resurrection.” Our Lord Jesus is the resurrection and the life. There is such power in that resurrection life, because resurrection is life out of death.
Resurrection is life entering into death and coming out of death. That is resurrection. There is no power greater than the power of resurrection.
In order to know Him, we need to know the power of His resurrection. We know that His life is in us, and His life is so dynamic. His life within us is able to do anything.
We need to know Christ in His resurrection.
I sometimes wonder why Paul put it this way. If it were left to me, probably my theology would be: “To know Him, and to know His death, that I may know the power of His resurrection.” But Paul said, “To know the power of His resurrection,” before being conformed to His death.
Why? Without knowing the power of His resurrection, we dare not be conformed to His death, because that involves suffering—the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.
Of course, we cannot share in the sufferings of His atoning death. On the cross, He died for us and for our sins. We have no part in that. All we need is to receive what He has done for us.
But there is another part of His suffering. When He was a man on earth, even though He was sinless, as a man He was tempted in all things. As a man, His will was perfect, but He had to lay down His own will:
Not My will, but Thine, be done.
He said, “My time does not belong to Me. Your time is always ready. You can do anything you want to, but I cannot. I am a bondslave to God.”
He suffered because He was different. He suffered because He did not belong to this world. He suffered for righteousness’ sake. He suffered for love’s sake.
This is the part of His suffering that God calls fellowship. In fellowshipping with His sufferings, we are being conformed to His death.
Without knowing the power of His resurrection, we dare not, and we cannot, be conformed to His death. There is a certain measure of the power of His resurrection that we have to know first.
Then we can have fellowship with His sufferings and be conformed to His death.
Brothers and sisters, let us now be ready to apply these principles. So far as our being saved is concerned, I think we do not need to go over it in detail.
Before we believed in the Lord Jesus, we were all proud of ourselves. We thought that we were righteous, that we could go to God on our own merit.
“If I do not go to heaven, heaven will be empty.” You may not say it, but you mean it. This is why you feel that you do not need the Savior.
What the Holy Spirit does is that He has to break us down first.
And He, when He is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
of sin, because they believe not on Me;
of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold Me no more;
of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been judged.
Brothers and sisters, first the Holy Spirit has to break us down. He will create within us a guilty conscience because we do not believe in Christ Jesus.
The greatest sin in the world is to reject Christ Jesus, because Christ Jesus is the love of God extended to mankind. The greatest sin is rejecting the love of God.
Of righteousness: because our Lord has returned to the Father. He is the only One who has the right to be in the presence of God. This is righteousness.
Do we have such righteousness? You may have righteousness to stand before men, but to stand before God requires a righteousness that nobody has—absolute righteousness. Otherwise, you will be smitten to death.
Our Lord Jesus has that righteousness. He is the righteous One who is by the side of God the Father. He is the standard of righteousness. We do not have that.
Of judgment: because even the whole world will be judged, and all that are in the world will be judged. You are no exception.
Then we begin to realize that our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. They cannot cover our nakedness before God. Only then do we cry out, “How can I be saved?”
Then it pleases God to reveal His Son to you. Look and live. By faith, you receive the grace of God, and you are saved. You find that His death has taken away your sins.
Brothers and sisters, when you believe in the Lord Jesus, you take the first step to be conformed to His death. You receive His death as your death.
Now, we said yesterday that the cross stands between the world and you. The cross separates us from the world.
We are in the world, but we are not of the world, because God has already called us out of the world. Today we are strangers and sojourners on this earth. We are aliens in a foreign land, traveling toward our own country.
That is what we are. But, brothers and sisters, after we are saved, do we still love the world?
We are not even conscious of what the world system, under Satan, really is. We have no desire to be saved from this evil.
The Bible says, “Do not be conformed to this world.” The world is also a mold. It is a system of form. Satan has put everything in this world into a giant system under his rule. He is the adversary of God.
We are in the world, but thank God He has delivered us. We are not of the world. We are heavenly people upon this earth. We are different. We are separated. We are a holy nation.
But do we realize that? Do we realize that the world crucified our Lord? How can we befriend this world? How can we even expect the world to love us? How can we follow the trend and current of the world?
Do not be conformed to the world. Do not squeeze yourself into the mold, the fashion of this world. You are too good; you are too dignified. You are a child of God.
And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
I want to say a word to the young people. We older people sometimes try to tell the younger ones, “Do not love the world, because if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you.”
Do not love the world and the things of the world: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
How many times do our young people say, “You have already tasted the world. It is easy for you to say. But to us, the world is a new continent. We want to explore, and we want to know exactly what it is.”
Until they suffer enough, they will not be conformed to this world. A young person needs a vision of what the world really is.
The god of this world has blinded our eyes. He makes us see the world as a mirage. You see water and rush to it, but it is not water; it is sand. It cannot quench your thirst.
In the early days, many people going west died because they saw a mirage. The world comes out before you, but you do not see it for what it is; you love it.
How can you prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God? When we tell young people, “Love the will of God; prove it in your life,” they may ask, “What is the will of God?”
The reply may be, “Anything that is against me is the will of God.” No wonder they do not love the will of God. How can you force them to love the will of God? Impossible.
Brothers and sisters, how can you be conformed to the death of Christ in relation to the world? Consecration is so important.
The first thing after a person is saved, while he is still in his first love, is to present his body as a living sacrifice.
“Lord, this body is redeemed by You. I have no right to live for myself. Willingly, voluntarily, gladly, I give myself to You. I give up all my rights. I hand myself over to You.”
“Now You are my Lord. You can use my body; You can use my all, in whatever way You want.”
Brothers and sisters, have you so given yourself to the One who loves you so much? Do you keep anything from Him?
If you do this, the Holy Spirit will transform you and renew your mind. Your mind, formerly set toward the world, will be renewed and set upon God.
When this happens, it is easy not to be conformed to the world. It is easy to prove the acceptable, good, and perfect will of God.
Look at Paul. He said, in effect, “What I boasted in before, what I was proud of before, I now consider loss, because these things keep me away from Christ.”
“Now I turn my mind to know Christ—the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.” What can we compare with that?
Oh, brothers and sisters, young people, it breaks my heart to see young people who are redeemed by the Lord, yet captured by the world. May God have mercy.
We can apply this to every aspect of the death of our Lord Jesus.
How many of God’s people are content to live in the outer court? “As long as I am saved, even if only my two feet are just behind the door of heaven, I am happy.”
But is God happy? How many of God’s people are content with serving in the holy place—with Christian work, good work for God? This is their life. Is that all? Is God satisfied?
God needs you to serve Him, but does He lack anything? How many of God’s people really desire to live behind the veil—to commune, to gaze upon His face, to worship Him, and to listen to His voice—so that they may go out and bring the good tidings to the world?
The veil is rent. Christ has died. The way to the holiest is open. Why remain outside?
We are here to satisfy God’s heart. No matter how satisfied we are, it is not enough. Brothers and sisters, how far have we been conformed to His death?
It is true: it takes time. You do not become spiritual overnight. We need to press on, being conformed to His death, that we may attain unto the out-resurrection from among the dead.
One day, when our Lord shall come back, we shall be resurrected, and we shall reign with Him. There we shall see His face, and there we shall serve Him forever.
Dear heavenly Father, we thank Thee because it is Thy good pleasure to reveal Thy Son in us.
O Lord, reveal Thy Son to us, that we may know Him and the power of His resurrection; that we may have fellowship with His sufferings; and that we may partake in that out-resurrection from among the dead.
It is all for Thy sake. Bless Thy people, Lord. Rescue us from everything that is outside of Thee, and bring us into all that is in Christ.