Taking a short stroll through Philippians 3:7-10

After several years in ministry and many more as a member of the kingdom of God I can surely and securely say that I am fully aware of my relationship with Christ and that it is a blessing to be secure in that relationship. I have known many pastors, preachers, evangelists, Christian workers and laymen over my 35 years as a believer but those that come across or have stated their relational security in Christ have been few and far between. Please do not think that I am saying that all of these people that I have known are lost, I am not saying that. Nor am I saying that they were not safe and secure in Christ. What I am referring to is that the majority of them knew only the legal aspect of their salvation and never experienced the true freedom and blessing that we have once we understand our relational position in Him.


There is a passage in Scripture which says, “I had But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. (8) 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 (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; (10) That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,” (Philippians 3:7-10). I had preached on this passage several times over my 20 years of pulpit ministry and I know that the Apostle Paul had a deeper meaning to this other than what I had thought it to mean. I am safe in my relationship with Christ so I know him but it wasn’t until about 10 years ago that I really understood Paul’s thought process. What I have and what I continue to gain in life are nothing in the light of eternity. They are nothing in the light and presence of Christ. He is all in all and all I really want in this life.


Like most, I have a wife and family, I have a job that produces the funds needed to survive. I have a ministry within the local church. All is good but all is nothing in the light of my precious Savior. Paul stated in verse 8, “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.” After we receive Christ as savior we at best are His beloved brethren which is a wonderful thought but we are more than that, we are His slaves. He owns us and as a true master is conscious of our needs, our wants and works in and through us to meet them or give us understanding of why not. Paul said “I also count all things loss…” why? Was he giving up? Not so, he understood that all else drastically pales in the light of His presence. If we allow things to get in the way of this relationship the relationship truly suffers. His goal was to “count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus…” He wanted nothing to get in the way of this relationship. Once we truly begin to understand all that we have in Christ we too can begin to understand this thought of Paul’s.


Why most fail to experience this closeness is his statement, “… for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, ...” We let the things of this world grasp a tight hold upon us and actually stunt the possibility of our growth in Christ. Paul wants us to go the extra mile so that you can freely understand and grow in our relationship with Christ. It is only then that we can learn that there is nothing here on earth that is worth getting in the way of the preciousness of this relationship. Paul concludes verse 8 by saying, “…and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Not only are we to learn to let go of earthly things but we need to see them as what they are. They are rubbish, they are scrap in the presence of Christ. Many hold onto the scrap pile longing for a relationship with Him but their hold upon things will not let them reach for that which the Lord Jesus offers us. When we do so we soon learn to understand the depth of verse 9 which says, “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;”


We are not just in Christ but we are found righteous in Him because He has given /extended to us His righteousness. Righteousness that is given to us by grace through faith, notice, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast. (10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10) It is through grace and saving faith that we receive the Righteousness of Christ. We are as Paul said, His workmanship we are his property but above all we are His beloved.


I want to finish this thought looking back at Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” It is because of faith that we can obtain his righteousness. For some that is good enough, for some they are content just know that they are saved but it was not enough for me. As I continued to study the Word of God and labored in prayer for a better knowledge of Christ I finally received that for which I asked and now because of His Grace I can plead as Paul, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” I do know Him better and more intimately than ever before. I also have both the knowledge of this relationship but also a fear of displeasing Him. Along with this knowledge comes “the fellowship of his suffering” this includes the rejection of those we call brethren, of those that we call friend. This includes the ability to overlook their faults, their reasoning’s and their imperfections and see Christ. In doing so, I have found and experience this passage including the last statement which says, “…being conformed to His death.” Without trying to sound super pious and Holy, I believe that I have learned that sometime being conformed to His death means to do and recognize His will and place it over mine. It shows me that His will be done and He can get the glory even when I do not see it or it hurts me in the end. I can clearly state that this week I have found a closeness in the Lord through rejection that I have ever known and I praise His name for it.

Hold that Sword!

I often sit across the desk from couples both young and old, married for years or just recently. They come to me with a plethora of marital problems or stumbling blocks and many expect an immediate return for their visit. They come in expecting that I will take one side over the other. The only side that I am to take much to their chagrin is that of God’s. After allowing them time to lay their cards on the table, to lay out their issues and sometime to vent, I begin by letting them know that with God there is hope. More often than not one of the major issues that people have is that they lack communication. They may talk to each other but they fail to communicate with each other. As a matter of fact, by the time they come to me, most of the communication between many couples is in the form of yelling or strait out accusations in nature. Here is a couple that had come together with visions of grandeur. They had come together as two in love ready to board the ship called marriage and sail off into the sunset of life. Now after a dose of reality they are at whit’s end. The glamour of marriage had manifested itself into something that neither party had expected. They come face to face with the reality that the person they thought that they married was in fact just a front to please the other. Now committed to one another in the commitment of marriage all they let the façade fall and the real personalities are manifested back into shapes of laziness, anger, bitterness and selfishness. The pristine ship that sailed off into the sunset now sails into my office resembling something like the Flying Dutchman from “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Sails worn and tattered, the hull showing signs of being dashed against the rocks. The gunnels damaged because of enemy fire and sitting heavy in the water due to the excess baggage it now carries. The once happy crew is now bitter and sad after facing many hours of rough seas, heavy winds and tumultuous storms. Instead of a couple they now look more like two people who cant wait to find a safe harbor in hopes to abandon ship. Couples come in with their own agenda in mind saying that they communicate but resemble Captain Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones at then end of “At World’s End”. Earnestly attacking each other with the goal to win and at the same time the ship is in dire straits as it is caught in a Maelstrom (a very powerful whirlpool). I am of course using this film sequence as a metaphorical picture of this couples marriage going down “the proverbial toilet” because they fail to recognize the damage that they are doing to each other or to the marriage. When we argue with someone it is your full intent to win. No one ever gets into an argument to lose it. We are in it to win, no matter the cost. We are to win even to the harm of the one we are arguing with. All too often couples will argue with one another causing undue harm to one another because they have to win, refusing to give ground, even to the one that they love. The Bible clearly tell us in Ephesians 4 that we are to speak to each other, “…’Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another.” (Ephesians 4:25) In the eyes of God a couple is one, made one flesh in marriage and we are on in Christ as well. We must remember that this verse reminds every couple that we must speak to each other. Next we find in Ephesians 4:15 that Paul says that we are to speak and that we are to do so in love, “…speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ.” Speaking the truth in love means no hurtful or cutting words. Remove your selfish desires and motives remembering that words can and do cut deep. Who ever coined the words, “Sticks and stones may break my bones (but words will never hurt me,” must have lived alone somewhere because words truly do hurt. So when we do speak we are to do so in love, we do so lovingly. Finally, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29). So before you go charging in like Captain Jack, prepared to hack and cut away at your partner that God tells us that this type of communication is NOT allowed. If we follow His rules of communication we find that we can get our point across in love and at the same time save the relationship with our spouse.

Disappointed In God Part 2

As I have mentioned before, I do believe that one of the main proponents that cause’s believers to be enter a state of disappointed with God is because they do not want to wait for God’s timing. They ask and then sit watching and waiting, some even checking their watch to check on the time elapse waiting for their answer. The faster our advance into the fast service way of life in which we live in the more disappointed believers become with God because He does not perform on their time line. It is possible to see the help come if we concentrate hard enough for it but that too takes time and it can also be hard to do. Matthew 17:20, “So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." It is our unbelief that feeds our disappointment in God. Dr. B.M Page used to quote this passage often adding, “faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, the problem is, most believers do not have enough faith to move the mustard seed.” When we pray, we may not have the faith to move mountains. We may pray that God will make the tumor just disappear (and He can do so) but our unbelief can cause it to fall short. We often pray for relief from pain, for a good night’s sleep, a better doctor, better medication, or for simple safety and or a night’s protection. What we must understand is that when you do pray, look for the leading of the Holy Spirit but at the same time refrain from looking for an expedient answer. God works but not always in the time frame that we expect. You may want to see a loved one healed and that is great. It is wonderful if it is God’s moment for it, but it is very often disappointing if it is not. It is right to expect an answer but all too often we are not willing to accept the answer that is given. If we go to the Scriptures to the night of Jesus’ betrayal, we find that He went to the Garden of Gethsemane where He prayed fervently for the strength to go through the trial ahead. He was not asking to not go through what lay ahead as some believe (Matthew 26:36-46). I believe that He was asking for strength for the trial at hand (that which He was going through in the Garden with Satan) and strength for the test of the Cross which lay ahead of him. If we follow the beliefs of some this would be disappointing if it were not for one small Biblical truth. Jesus was prepared to go wherever God took him. In this test or trial there is no voice or light from heaven. What we do find is something very subtle, we find out how God truly works in the lives of a believer. We find the Saviour on His face before God praying and sweating due to this wrestling with Satan, we also find in the wings of this arena an angel who appeared to Him, and was there to strengthen Him through this battle (Luke 22:41-43). As God did for His Son, He will do for you and me. In this setting we find Jesus bringing His all to the Father and being willing to adapt His hopes to the Father’s plan and to do the will of God. Too often we face disappointed and discouragement because we fail to do the same, we fail to adapt our hopes and to do the will of the Father. The truth of the matter is that whether we are asking for something big or little we need to look for the subtlety of God, listen for the still small voice and be prepared to join Him in winning the fight before the enemy. We are not to give up, nor are we to give in but remember that at all times that the Battle is the Lord’s. We are to go forth in the power and strength of the Lord. When Jesus sent out his disciples, he said, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16. Notice he did not send them to fight, He sent them out into the battle not as warriors but as wise servants. Not aggressively but subtly, patiently, not self serving but doing their best to be God serving. Paul told the Romans, “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? (25) But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (26) Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:24-26 We are to make our requests known to God and then trust Him. You can ask as big as you want. Trust God to do that which He does in His own timing, not yours and do not forget to be thankful for it. Hebrews 13:5-6, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ (6) So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” If you are to truly break free of the shackles that have held you captive and allow God to be God. Renew your relationship with Him and refresh yourself in Him. There are a lot of verses in Scripture that will help you to do so. I have listed a few verses below that I suggest that you begin with. Write them down, meditate on them, trust them re refresh your relationship with the Heavenly Father and renew yourself in Him. Psalm 68:5; John 1:10-13; Romans 8:22-25; Galatians 4:1-7; Ephesians 1:3-6 One final thought and that is to offer you a word of caution. As you begin this process be prepared to face the fact that there might be an issue in your past that you have not dealt with. If this is true, He will bring them to light and they must be dealt with. If we have past issues that have not been confronted and dealt with they can and will affect your relationship with God. It could possibly be that the disappointment that you are currently experiencing may be a direct result of some unconfessed sin or unresolved issues that you hold onto. I do believe that they can and will affect us in ways that we are not even aware of. This is especially true in how we view God and our relationship with Him and with others. Some will not need to dig as deeply as others to find something He will want you to deal with. I do encourage all to trust God to reveal to you anything that He wants you to look at. Disappointment is often a direct result of a struggling or stagnant relationship with the Lord. Too often, we find that our desire for God turns out to be the direct result of some selfish desire on our part to use Him and not for Him to reveal Himself in and through us. If this is true in your life I encourage you that you do not sacrifice your relationship with God because of some damaged emotions, do not to cast blame on Him but reach out to Him. Trust in Him and accept the hope that lies with Christ. If you are to gain an understanding of your situation and if you desire to gain insight into why you are going through the trials that you are then your path begins with a returning to the Lord. Once you restore your relationship out with the Lord, He will help you with the other issues that you are dealing with. He can and will help you to understand and cope with your struggles in the light of His Word. With that being done you will see that He will have also provided you that which is needed in regards to your feelings and emotions.