It is a wonderful blessing to gather together and worship our Lord.
I have been asked to share on Philippians 3:10:
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed unto His death.
I have already shared on this once. Our brother Godwin is sharing on being conformed to His death, and our brother Ted, who promised he would not share on it, spent more than an hour trampling in the vintage of Philippians 3.
We dare not grow weary of this passage. We are touched by the depth of this Scripture, even as we sang that song tonight: “My goal is God.”
Let us have a word of prayer, asking the Lord to help us tonight.
Lord Jesus, the true and faithful Witness, You have called us to be Your witnesses. For this, we need the power of the Holy Spirit. We wait upon You tonight, Lord—You who renew those who wait upon You.
Strengthen our bodies, our minds, and our hearts to follow after You. We thank You for Your precious Word. Now open it to us by the Holy Spirit.
We pray in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Again, please turn to Philippians 3. We want to continue looking at the testimony Paul gives us in this passage, beginning in verse 7.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:
for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law,
but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;
if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after,
if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us turn also to Isaiah 43 and look at a few verses there alongside our theme verse. Begin at Isaiah 43:10.
Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord,
and My servant whom I have chosen:
that ye may know and believe Me,
and understand that I am He:
before Me there was no God formed,
neither shall there be after Me.
I, even I, am the Lord;
and beside Me there is no Saviour.
I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed,
when there was no strange god among you:
therefore ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.
And then, in Isaiah 43:18-19:
Remember ye not the former things,
neither consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing;
now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert.
We are gathered here this week because God has called us: “You are My witnesses.”
We read what God said to Israel in Isaiah 43: “I am God. There is none other. I am He. I alone can save. I am God, and you are My witnesses.”
You can see in this passage that witnesses have a secondary importance. First is God. God speaks. God acts. God reveals Himself. God does something.
If God does not do anything, if God hides Himself, a witness has no value at all.
Jesus spoke to His disciples and said, “I am the resurrection and the life. You are My witnesses.” Why are we witnesses? Because there is no other name under heaven by which a man must be saved except Jesus.
“I am the Lord Jesus. I died and rose again. You are My witnesses.”
We discover from Peter a very interesting factor in this matter of being a witness. When Peter began to witness on the day of Pentecost, he gave an important context to his witness.
He said, “What you see is what the prophet Joel prophesied: ‘In the last days, I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh.’”
So we are witnesses at the end of the age. Peter said, “In the last days, I will pour out My Spirit.” We are witnesses to this.
What you see is a demonstration that this is the end of the age. So we are to be witnesses of our God.
Now, witnesses of God are different from an eyewitness in a court. In a court, a person gives an eyewitness account of what they have seen. But a witness for God is more than that.
The apostles witnessed the resurrection of Jesus that they saw with their eyes. But God’s witnesses are to speak of the things they have seen in the unseen, because God’s witnesses walk under an open heaven and see things that others cannot see.
We heard yesterday in Hebrews 11 that those who had a good testimony were those who saw things unseen. So it was Abel. So it was Enoch. So it was Noah. So it was Abraham. They saw unseen things and bore witness to them.
Now we are asked to be witnesses of things which are soon to take place. You remember the apostle John received the revelation of Jesus Christ concerning those things which must shortly come to pass.
John witnessed:
I saw the glorious Son of Man among the golden lampstands.
I saw the Lamb come out from the throne of God and take the scroll.
I heard the angels say, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ.”
I saw the dragon and his angels thrown down from heaven.
I beheld the Lord say, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men.”
I saw Jesus say, “Behold, I make all things new.”
John saw all those things. He bore witness that they were shortly to come to pass, and in the heavenlies he saw them as already done.
When the Lord says, “I am about to do something. Behold, I will do something new,” will you see it?
Why are we here as witnesses? Are you here merely to hear a brother preach whatever he wants? Are we witnesses, and you are here just to listen? What is the Lord doing right now in the midst of us?
Do we hear the testimony of others? Are we here merely to receive some Bible knowledge? What do you see the Lord doing now?
There was a famous Danish preacher whose congregation sometimes criticized his messages. He turned things around on his congregation.
He gave them a metaphor. He said that when you come for Sunday worship, you may imagine that this is a drama or a play. The preacher is the actor, the congregation is the audience, and God is the prompter offstage, reading the lines in case the actor forgets.
Then the preacher said, “You are wrong. God is the audience. You are the actors, and I am the one prompting from offstage.”
So the issue is not merely what we have to say here tonight. At the end of this age, in these last days, what are we witnesses to?
In Acts 1:8, Jesus said:
Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto Me.
The disciples witnessed to the things they saw and heard from the Lord Jesus. Many people were saved, and many were ushered into the kingdom of God.
Last time we mentioned that the apostle Paul was one of those who was saved through the witness of Stephen. We have already heard that in Acts 26 Paul testified that, when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus said, “I have appointed you to be a servant and a witness of all that you have seen and all that you will see.”
For the rest of Paul’s life, when he went to a new city, he preached how he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He witnessed that Jesus was risen from the dead, that He was the glorious Lord and Messiah.
As Paul began to serve the Lord and witness faithfully, the Lord began to open heaven and reveal more and more of Who He was.
When Paul met Jesus, his Messiah, on the road to Damascus, he had no idea that he had met the Creator of the universe.
But the more the Lord revealed Himself, the more Paul bore witness of it. Paul became a steward of the macrocosmic Christ and the microcosmic Christ: Christ, the Lord and preeminent in the whole universe, and Christ dwelling in you.
Seeing such greatness changed Paul. It transformed him.
Now, I know I am speaking to some people here who are very, very smart. There may be somebody here with a double doctorate. There is one double doctorate I cannot believe anybody can receive and remain sane.
Can you imagine being a doctor and professor of astronomy and a doctor and professor of atomic research? The astronomers are going crazy today. The universe is exploding with galaxies and galaxies.
The more they build big telescopes and send satellites out with cameras, the more they see unbelievable things. It is driving them crazy. Maybe there is some astronomer here. Maybe you are crazy already.
But can you imagine also being a doctor in atomic research, under the microscope seeing that whole universe that cannot be seen—even particles you do not see, but you know are there? It is crazy.
I only know one fellow who is a professor in physics. That is Christian Chen, and his head almost explodes.
Here is Paul’s witness: you cannot know the macrocosmic and microcosmic Christ without being overwhelmed with the unfathomable riches that are in Christ Jesus.
But Paul boiled it all down to its very essence:
Tonight, we want to speak concerning the knowledge Paul is reaching out toward, knowledge yet to be attained.
When you look at his testimony in Philippians 3:7-14, there are tremendous fragments needing understanding in his testimony. He says that he wants to be found in Christ. That is not talking about his salvation. There is something more there.
He wants to know more about Christ in the power of His resurrection. There is more of Christ to be known in the fellowship of His sufferings. There is yet more of Christ to know as we are conformed unto His death.
Paul also mentions things yet to be attained:
I want to lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of.
I do not consider myself to have attained it yet.
I want to gain Christ.
I want to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Somehow, there is a goal ahead of me.
There is a prize waiting for me.
There is a high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
All these fragments Paul rolls one upon another in his testimony of Jesus. We simply want to look at what these things mean.
Before we begin, let us make three initial statements.
First, all these statements—being laid hold of, gaining Christ, and being conformed to His death—are fuller definitions of what it means to know Him. All these things have to do with knowing Him in His person, in His work, and in His glory.
Second, all these things mentioned must be available to every Christian believer. They are not for just an elite few, or only for the apostles. They are for every Christian.
Third, when you look over all these statements, they all involve something further and beyond our initial salvation and coming to the Lord.
Tonight, I want to take this testimony and break it into three parts. Let us see what Paul is reaching out toward.
First, we look at the middle of his testimony in Philippians 3:12:
I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
The Lord Jesus laid hold of the apostle Paul for a reason. Jesus’ initial statement was, “I have called you for this purpose: for you to be a witness of the things which you have seen and will see.”
Paul immediately obeyed and began to witness in the synagogue that Jesus was the Messiah. As Paul obeyed and grew in the Lord, he became a teacher, an apostle, and a bondservant.
But is this really why the Lord Jesus apprehended the apostle Paul? Does God need an apostle Paul? The Lord was after something more.
The only way for the Lord to bring Paul up into His higher calling was to show more of Himself to this wonderful apostle. Jesus revealed Himself again and again and again to Paul.
The Lord revealed mysteries to Paul that had been hidden in the heart of God since the beginning of time. Yet everything Paul saw of the mysteries of God was through the lens of Christ.
Let us mention a few of the revelations Paul received. Paul saw the revelation of the Godhead in Jesus Christ. When Paul met Jesus Christ, he met the Father. When Paul met Jesus Christ, he met the Holy Spirit.
He said:
In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Jesus revealed Himself within Paul. Then Paul had his great message to all the Gentiles:
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Then Paul, with all his serving, all his will, and all his strength, met his match when the cross of Jesus Christ broke him. He came to Galatians 2:20:
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
At some point, Paul, looking at the image of Christ, became aware of something:
We have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son.
God has chosen us, God has justified us, and God will glorify us. What a revelation.
When Paul fellowshipped with the brothers and sisters, he saw that the church was Christ’s Body, that Christ was the Head, that He was its life, and that He was its direction. It was a spiritual, living organism.
God revealed to Paul how He would one day restore Israel. At the same time, God revealed to Paul that Gentiles and Jews were joint heirs in the kingdom of God together.
Paul saw that the cross was the power of God to deal with Satan, the world, our old man, and even our human wisdom.
If that were not enough, Paul also saw the imminent return of the Lord Jesus and the rapture.
Coming into the excellency of such knowledge regarding Christ has to change your life.
The first conclusion we come to in this testimony in Philippians 3 is this: this is a pursuit of love.
Paul is like the Shulamite woman running to find Solomon. To know Him is to love. What a wonderful testimony he has in this. He is absolutely captivated.
He is like Moses up on the mountain. You remember how much Moses loved the Lord. As he interceded for Israel, he said, “Lord, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me Your ways.”
Then Moses said, “Lord, show me Your glory.” The Lord had to say, “Moses, back off.” But you can see the love.
Paul’s was also a love pursuit of the Christ he had come to know. He was like David, who had a heart for the Lord:
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord.
Paul was captured. But are you captured? I hope you have no small knowledge of Jesus Christ. The most excellent knowledge you will ever gain is to discover Who Jesus Christ is. That is Paul’s testimony.
Now, how do we get to know Him? Maybe we should take one of these buildings on this campus and make it a monastery. We can all go there and read our Bible all day long and pray all day long to get to know God.
I see some have not spent much time in a monastery. The weather is perfect. We could go out among the trees or down to the ocean and just see God.
If you go to a monastery and study the Bible, you will learn some things about Christ. If you pray, you will get to know Christ.
But Paul learned over the years that there are three avenues by which we come to know and love the Lord.
First, you always meet the living Lord on resurrection ground.
As we live our lives and serve the Lord, we want to know Him. But we get to know Him in a moment of weakness, in a time of failure, when we feel emptiness, or when our minds are anxious.
That is to say, when death has been working upon us, we meet Him in resurrection power. It was in weakness that Paul met power.
Maybe in your family or in your fellowship, you go through times when it seems that death is upon everything you are doing. Suddenly, in the midst of that, the Lord breathes upon it and brings resurrection life.
We like to meet the Lord in all kinds of ways by our own efforts and doings, but it is on resurrection ground that Paul discovered, “I have met the Lord.”
Paul is also testifying that we meet the Lord Jesus when we share in the fellowship of His sufferings.
Now, we suffer sometimes because of sin, but this is not what Paul is referring to. It is in fellowship with His sufferings that we find Him.
Jesus said, “The world will hate you because it hated Me.” Have you ever suffered because you witnessed for Christ? Have you ever suffered for righteousness’ sake?
Rejoice, for great is your reward in heaven.
Have you ever learned obedience from the things that you suffered? How many of you think obedience is easy? Especially if you have children, you realize obedience is very difficult.
The Lord says, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me.” How many of you still have a rash on your neck from the yoke, where the Lord taught you obedience and you suffered?
Have you ever suffered for His name’s sake? Have you ever suffered for the sake of the Body of Christ?
Paul says:
I do my part in filling up that which is lacking of the sufferings in the Body of Christ.
When you fellowship in His suffering, you will meet the Lord Who is closer than a brother.
When you go through tribulations, you meet the God of all comfort. He comes very close. You touch His mercy. When you are suffering, He never adds to your suffering. He draws closer and closer.
Paul says, “I have learned this.” Do you want to know the Lord? You will know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings, even being conformed to the likeness of His death.
Why would the Lord want to conform us to the likeness of His death? I thought He died so that we could all be happy.
But we find those same things working in us that our brother shared last night: those seven steps of humility, obedience, sacrifice, and even death.
We are conformed to the likeness of His death. Through that experience, we understand more about the Lord. We understand His heart. We understand His feelings about things.
It is hard to explain, but when you go through something—even unto death—with the Lord, you understand things you never understood before.
I am part of a special fellowship of sufferers. I did not ask to be part of this.
Over thirty years ago, my oldest son—the son I loved—his name was Dana. He died in a car crash.
The Lord comforted me, but my soul was broken and devastated. Yet through that, I have become part of a special fellowship.
I travel to many places all over the world, and somebody comes up to me who has heard that I lost a son. They lost a son or a daughter, and we are one.
They can pour out their heart to me. I have no answer for them, but they are comforted. They just see that I am still alive.
We are bound together in an understanding that came out of this experience.
You understand what I am saying? Even in these kinds of times, we come to understand the Lord: “Lord, now I understand why Your heart was so heavy when everybody else was rejoicing. Now I see.”
“You are My witnesses,” says the Lord. “I am Christ Jesus. Do you love Me? Do you know Me?”
Brothers and sisters, one of the greatest tragedies in the world today is Christians who do not really know the Lord Jesus.
“You are My witnesses.” Share the Lord you have come to experience.
This is the first thing we say about the testimony: it is a testimony of love’s pursuit.
Here is the second thing we learn from his testimony: we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Paul, in his testimony, is very clear that there is a goal, there is a prize, there is a kingdom, and there are things to be done in order to attain this reward.
In Philippians 3, we see this specifically in two places. The first is this:
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
What is Paul talking about? This is not simply the general resurrection. All Christians will be resurrected. But what is this out-resurrection?
For those who understand the kingdom, we see that there is a reward given to those who overcome and are faithful to their King. Turn to Revelation 20.
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them:
and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection:
on such the second death hath no power,
but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Paul’s testimony is that there is a kingdom, that he serves a King, and that he wants to attain to the rewards in the kingdom.
Brothers and sisters, this is a completely missing note of the gospel in the church worldwide. We are almost embarrassed about rewards. “I do not want much reward. Just give me a little house over in the corner of heaven.”
After all, we are all saved. We were all rewarded already by grace. What more is there really to do? This brother is faithful; this brother is unfaithful. What is the difference? They are both saved.
Let me tell you something: Paul is striving for something that he sees is a wonderful goal. Some people say, “I do not know about the millennium and this thousand years. I will just sleep for a thousand years, and then I will go to heaven.”
Paul says, “You are wrong.”
Within the calling of every one of us is a destiny and a place of reward in the kingdom of God. To live and reign with Jesus in the kingdom is in your DNA.
If you miss your reward, you will have regret—deep regret. Your being has been aborted. Your purpose has been aborted.
A second fragment in this testimony is found in Philippians 3:14:
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let me break this down. “I press toward the mark.” That means there is a finish line. Once I cross the finish line, I get a prize. The finish line is upward, toward the Lord.
Within the calling of every Christian, there is a heavenly aspect and a higher calling to be pursued.
We see this even in the lives of Old Testament people like Abraham. He began following the God of glory, and he ended up seeking a city built by God.
Beyond our vocation, beyond our service on this earth, there is yet a vocation and a calling upward.
The writer of Hebrews exhorted the Jewish Christians: “You are partakers of a heavenly calling.” That heavenly calling is toward Jesus, your Apostle and High Priest, Who sits enthroned there. That is part of your calling.
This matter of the kingdom is the most wonderful revelation, and to serve the King is the most wonderful responsibility.
Why is it that nobody talks about rewards in the kingdom? Jesus talked about it. He said, “Store up your treasures in heaven. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
We receive a wonderful understanding of rewards: crowns, a rod of ruling, thrones, positions, and all such things.
We know from 2 Timothy that Paul knew he had a race to run, a fight to fight, a faith to keep, and a crown waiting for him.
But we do not want to get distracted by the rewards. What kind of crown is your crown? Do I get a Chinese crown? I do not know.
What is the main point Paul is making about kingdom rewards? You gain Christ. That is your reward.
My goal is God Himself. Once it was the blessing; now it is the Lord.
Paul is talking about a marriage here. This is a wonderful reward.
The third matter we find in Paul’s testimony is this: not only is it a pursuit of love, and not only is it an awareness that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, but Paul sees that the Lord is near.
Is this your testimony? The more and more you know the Lord, the closer He is.
We shared last time that Paul says, “Have a gentle spirit. Rejoice. Again I say, rejoice. The Lord is near.”
In Paul’s pressing forward, you get the sense of someone stretching out as a witness, seeing something just beyond the veil. He is almost there, reaching out toward it because the Lord is coming so soon.
The Lord would have us to be witnesses, even like John the apostle. John saw something unseen. He heard something. What did he hear three times?
Behold, I come quickly.
How did John respond?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
That is a testimony. “I see Him. Come.”
That is Paul: “I am stretching out. I see Him. The Lord is near. I am within grasp of this higher calling.”
It is not out of reach. It is a little further extension, and I will gain the Lord. It is that close.
You will notice that this is the atmosphere of the whole letter to the Philippians. There is a unique phrase regarding His coming in this letter. It is used three times:
The day of Christ.
Paul uses it in Philippians to refer to the day when the Lord establishes His Messiahship and His throne and marries His bride. That is the day of Christ.
Paul evaluates everything in terms of the day of Christ. Look at Philippians 1:6:
Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ.
The Lord has begun, and He will complete it by the day of Christ.
In Philippians 1:10, Paul speaks about gaining knowledge and discerning love:
That ye may approve things that are excellent;
that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
Paul wants those saints to remain sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. That is the bride who has been espoused to the Lord: keep sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.
Then, in Philippians 2:16:
Holding forth the word of life;
that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,
that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Let us summarize Philippians 3:7-14. Paul witnesses to three things.
First, Jesus Christ is altogether lovely, and I am pursuing Him out of love for Him.
Second, Jesus is my blessed King, and I want to serve Him faithfully until I receive my reward and gain Christ.
Third, I want to testify of something I see just around the corner: He is near.
That takes us back to Isaiah 43:
Behold, I am about to do something new. Will you see it?
You are My witnesses, and I am God.
When the church stands and says, “Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus,” He will come.
Does all this seem too far off for you, as though it is well beyond your grasp? Does Paul live in another zone?
I ask you one question. It is a hymn that we sing:
Have you heard Him, seen Him, known Him?
Is not yours a captive heart?
Are you captured by Him? Do you say with the disciples, “Where else can we go?”
If that is the case, you are nearer than you think. The Lord is so gracious, so merciful.
We may never have the knowledge or ministry of the apostle Paul, but we can have the same heart.
When Mary anointed Jesus’ feet, her ministry was a little ministry. But she is recorded as having received her reward.
Kingdom rewards do not only go to people who do great things like the apostle Paul. Kingdom rewards go to the one who is faithful in little things.
Hear the Lord Jesus speak:
Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things,
I will make thee ruler over many things.
If you feel that this testimony of Paul is beyond your reach, I want to remind you that God has made full provision for every believer to reach their goal.
All who are born of the Spirit have entered the kingdom of God. Full provision for abundant entry into the kingdom has already been provided for you, according to the apostle Peter. Just keep on increasing.
Do not say to yourself, “Well, I cannot love Jesus like Paul loved Jesus.” The same agape of God that was shed into Paul’s heart has been shed into our hearts, and we can agape because He first agaped us.
Everybody has a calling in the Body of Christ. Within that calling is the higher calling upward toward the Lord.
The Lord has given us not only signs of the kingdom and clues of the kingdom, but witnesses to help us run the race, looking unto Jesus, Who is the Author and Finisher of that race.
There is a cross for you. All strain, worry, and unbelief are swallowed up in blessed hope. It is not about you. He is faithful.
This is not out of reach. The kingdom is within grasp. The King is at the door. Are you a witness of that?
I have one more thing to say to you. There is an abiding place for you. Jesus has gone and prepared it for you, and He is coming to receive you unto Himself.
Nobody made it clearer than the apostle Paul that we do not look to ourselves to be faithful, but we look to Him, the Faithful One. He has begun, and He will finish.
Now, we are witnesses. What is the Lord doing? What is happening right now? Do you see it under an open heaven?
Then bear witness of it, and it will come to pass.
You are My witnesses, and I am God.
Amen. Let us pray.
Lord, we are so thankful that we can cast all our care upon You. That which we have come to know about You has caused us to be captured by Your love.
Now we want to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily besets us, and run the race looking unto Jesus.
Come, Lord Jesus. Perfect Your work among us. Prepare us for the day of Christ.
We pray in Jesus, our Messiah, the King’s name. Amen.