Gladly Losing Everything Series

2. Gen 15:6, Isa 53:6, 2 Cor 5:21, Gal 1:8-9

3. Illustration: Roman Catholicism—faith plus penance, JWs—faith and door knocking, Church of Christ—faith plus baptism,

4. The gospel of Jesus is this: we can know Him because he who knew no sin, became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God by faith in Christ. Anyone who says faith plus anything is teaching false doctrine. This is so important! It’s not just that false doctrine is incorrect, but if you believe this one, you are not trusting fully in Christ for your salvation. So this particular false teaching is damning. You must give up on being good. If you have hope that being a pretty good person will help you get to heaven, you are mistaken, and eternally so. Jesus calls us to repent from our goodness, because even it looks gross to a holy God. He calls us to believe on Christ with all our being, for this right standing before God comes ONLY through Christ’s righteousness. Repent and believe.

C. Losing Life – True Life in Christ (v. 10-11)

1. Again Paul stresses knowing Christ. He doesn’t want the church to be carried away to anything other than complete and total trust of Jesus Christ. No laws, no prescriptions, no prohibitions, no taxes that will make you right with God. In light of vv. 5-6, we know that Paul has lost everything. Now, not only does Paul continue his teaching on knowing, but he takes it further again! He explains the aims in the knowing—three of them. In these he reminds us of a present power to overcome and live the Christian life by faith, as well as the future power of Christ’s resurrection that we will know in heaven. Without either of these, the other would lose its meaning. He spoke of fellowship of his sufferings, and being conformed unto His death. Nobody wants that, but he says that he actively lives his life dying to sin, enduring pain, seeking Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. And he was glad with it. He chose to call them rubbish, because he knew of a better possession on the other side. He looked for the resurrection.

2. Phil 1:29, Col 1:24, Heb 10:34, 11:24-26

3. Illustration: I was looking up from my prayer time in the morning the other day to check how long I had been praying, Fred’s testimony of a changed life

4. I can’t emphasize that enough, you must know Christ. Not have a salvation experience, a church membership, teach a bible study, but do you know Him? Not about Him, about the bible, about church planting or missions, but do you know Christ. Remember that in all your spiritual disciplines, you are seeking knowledge of the power of His resurrection, but you are doing it by faith not by numbers, but don’t we all do that? Are we a bodily presentation of the sufferings of Christ? That is what our friends and neighbors need to see. As you suffer in and with Christ, you will know Him better. The persecuted church knows Christ most of us do. Have you lost your life, simply to find greater, more abundant life, even a life of suffering, in Christ? This is knowing Him. This is the power of the resurrection. This is the fellowship of suffering and being conformed to His death.