The Fellowship of His Sufferings
Philippians 3:8-11
Do you know Jesus? I am not asking whether or not you know about Him. Do you know Him? And if you do, do you know Him intimately? Do you have a desire for Christ, to really know Him, to reflect Him, to be like Him? Your relationship with Christ should be the highest priority in your life. The Apostle Paul’s burning desire and passion was to know Christ and to become like Him. He expresses that consuming desire in Philippians 3:8-11 where we read...
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 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 to the resurrection from the dead.
I. A Desire to know Christ.
A. Nothing can compare to knowing Christ
B. Verse 8 - “I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
C. His desire was to know Christ not to just know about Him. He wanted to have a covenantal relationship with Him.
D. In verse eight Paul refers to Christ as “my Lord” for the only time in his epistles. Everywhere else, when using a personal possessive pronoun, he calls Christ “our Lord.”
E. It is not enough for one to say “Christ is a Savior”, or even “Christ is our Savior”: he or she must know Him as “MY Savior”.
F. Paul states that nothing can compare to the value of having that relationship.
G. Matthew 16:26 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
H. Paul looking back at all the advantages he had through his heritage, his religious background, his inheritance, his position, his prospects, his ambitions sees them all as loss, in comparison to Christ. He sees them of no more value than dung or refuse.
I. Hebrews 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.”
J. Someone said, “Jesus is in every respect unique, and nothing can be compared with him. All history is incomprehensible without Jesus Christ.” For Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of the living God who came to rescue mankind from their sins
K. The greatest privilege and joy that anyone can experience is to have a personal intimate communion with this incomparable Christ as Savior and Lord.
L. Understand that there is no true joy in this world outside of the Lord. In Philippians 3:1a Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord!" Paul did not say to rejoice in people, possessions, things, or accomplishments but "Rejoice in the Lord!"
M. We must put everything out of our lives that would detract us from knowing Christ.
N. Verse 8 - “I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”
P I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand
I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;
I’d rather be true to His holy name
Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today. - (I’d Rather Have Jesus, Rhea F. Miller)
O. What we need are men, women, teens, boys and girls who know God other than by hearsay; who are willing to go all out in 100% commitment to know Him.
II. A Desire to reflect Christ
A. Verse 9 – “and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”
B. Barclay translates verse 9 – “and THAT IT MAY BE CLEAR TO ALL THAT I AM IN HIM, not because of any righteousness of my own, that righteousness whose source is the Law, but because of the righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, the righteousness whose source is God and whose basis is faith
C. Paul wanted the world to see that it was Christ and His righteousness that transformed persecuting Saul into serving Paul.
D. Romans 7:18 “For I know that in me that is my flesh, dwells no good thing.”
E. 1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
F. Paul realized that he possessed nothing in and of himself that would attract men to God; the only way any would come is by seeing Christ reflected in Him.
G. “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
All his wonderful passion and purity
O Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.” - Tom Jones
H. Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heave
I. Our lives as Christians are to be like Christ. Adam Dooley, Pastor of Redbank Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee said, “You can’t be like Christ if you’re not reflecting Christ, and you can’t reflect Christ if you don’t first behold Christ. We will not behold Him unless worship becomes the foundation upon which we build our lives for the Lord. This is what Christianity is all about! It’s not about us! It’s about Him! I sense a real emptiness in our souls because we allow our worship of God to focus primarily on our needs and desires. Thus, rather than behold Him, we look in the mirror of God’s Word with veiled faces; and all we see is ourselves. Rather than consider additional ways to worship God individually and corporately, we selfishly strategize how little we can worship God and still call ourselves Christians! No wonder we’re not transformed. – copied
J. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
III. A desire to not only to reflect Christ but to be identified with Christ
A. Verse 10 - that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
B. Fellowship - koinonia - means having in common or sharing with and describes an association involving close mutual interests and sharing. A partnership.
C. Someone has said, “Our Savior came to suffer for our sins on the cross. His entire ministry was marked by misunderstanding, opposition, betrayal, and death. While we can never enter into His sufferings in the same way that He suffered on the cross, there is a sense in which we can never be like Him if we do not go through suffering and learn to entrust our souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right”
D. 1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.”
E. There are two aspects to this fellowship of suffering that we endure. The first is that when we go through trials and suffering as believers we are not alone, Christ is there. The second begs the question how far will we go to be like Him.
F. The first is the refiner’s fire – Isaiah 48:10 “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction
G. God uses suffering to burn off the dross and purify us. But, we have to cooperate with Him by humbling ourselves under His mighty hand when we go through trials, trusting His sovereignty over our suffering, and casting all our cares on Him (1 Pet. 5:6-11).
H. The second is when we stand steadfastly for Christ.
I. 2 Timothy 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
J. This calls to mind a readiness to go all the way with Jesus, even to the point of death! Far too many believers view themselves as a victim! Everything in life is against them and they are so pitiful! They have it so hard all the time. The consecrated life is one that sees genuine suffering as a means of growing closer to the Lord. – source unknown
K. 2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
L. Paul’s attitude is summed up in the words he wrote in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
