I Count All Other Things as Loss

[0:00] All right, so open up your Bible to Philippians. We're in chapter 3. We're more than halfway through here.! The first couple chapters, Philippians is four chapters. The first couple of chapters are fairly dense.

[0:17] And so I think we spent 11 weeks going through those first two chapters. We won't spend as many weeks going through the last two chapters. But today we are going to look at just four verses, primarily four verses, Philippians chapter 3, verse 7 through 11.

[0:43] And so let's go ahead and we're going to read this. I'm actually going to start at the very beginning of the chapter to really put the context in our mind. You know, understanding the context of any individual verse or passage is so important.

[0:57] And so I want to make sure that we kind of register this context in our mind as we study these four verses today. So let's start at the beginning of chapter 3. It says this, Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so, circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

[1:53] What things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 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 death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

[2:40] And so, looking through this passage, as we read from the beginning of the chapter, looking at the context, kind of where we are, or how we got to verse 7, Paul's focus here is on how to live the Christian life, and that is by rejoicing in the Lord, celebrating what Christ accomplished for us, on the cross, through his salvation, and then all of the benefits that come along with that.

[3:17] And so, not only do we believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our salvation, but then as we continue to live the Christian life, we find our motivation to become more like him, by rejoicing in him, and what he accomplished for us.

[3:40] You know, I've heard it said, salvation starts with the grace of God. Salvation starts with God's grace. But Christian growth, growing in the Lord, comes when we learn to love him, and enjoy him, and rejoice in him.

[4:03] And then Paul gives a warning. And he says, listen, there are people that you need to be aware of. There are ideas that you need to be aware of. They will take away that joy you have in the Lord.

[4:18] They will deflect your boasting and your confidence that you have away from Christ Jesus towards religiosity, religious things, and moral performance.

[4:31] And you need to be aware of those things, he says. He says, and he gives lots of reasons why he might have, even more than all the rest of us do, to put his confidence in those things.

[4:47] And then he goes on to say, though all these things that he had, that he was born with, the breeding, the religious breeding that he had, the great performance regarding the law that he had, he ends with this in verse 7, And so he is going to continue his case for the value of Christ and what he has accomplished for us over any other thing that we might value in the world.

[5:30] And so again, that verse 7, he says, but what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Looking at this one verse, I want, there are three words that point to a, how do I put it, a way of thinking that Paul has.

[5:48] Those three words, he talks about counting, and he talks in terms of gain and loss. Counting and gain and loss.

[5:59] And these are terms that relate to accounting. I don't know if we have any accountants in here, but accounting is when you have certain, it has to do with money and assets, and you have ledgers in which you account for all the valuable things that you have.

[6:20] You have things that are assets, and then you have things that are debts, let's call them. Credits and debits, they're called.

[6:32] Things that are worth much to you, and things that tend to be liabilities on your, on your ledger or your accounting sheet. And this is how Paul is talking about all of these things.

[6:46] His, all of his religious value. Things that he previously valued. He's talking about how he's changing things on the ledger sheet.

[7:03] Now, if you own a home, then you probably have homeowner's insurance. If you don't, I would highly recommend it. Right?

[7:13] All it takes is a fire, and something so valuable, right, to us, goes up in flames, and it becomes, instead of an asset, it becomes what? A liability.

[7:24] Right? But, when you, go to an insurance company, to, get that, homeowner's policy, what they'll usually ask you to do, is say, hey, we need to know how valuable everything is.

[7:39] Both, the building itself, the land it's sitting on, and also, all the things, in the house. And so, you might go through an exercise, of inventorying, all of the valuable things, that you have, in your home.

[7:53] And you'll look at, well, how valuable is this building, that we sleep in? Maybe you have other buildings, on your property. You have furniture, right, that you paid a lot of money for.

[8:05] You have things like, appliances, refrigerators, washer and dryer, electronics, maybe you have computers, or other, things. Books.

[8:16] I have a large collection, of books, and oh man, if all those things, burned up, I'd be pretty upset. And it would cost, a lot of money, to try to, restore, that collection, of books.

[8:27] And then, other precious things, like jewelry, things that you might have, collected over the years. And maybe, even things that you might have, inherited, right, from, from family, from mom, dad, from grandparents.

[8:41] grandparents. And I think about this, this is just an illustration. You know, some things, have been handed down to us.

[8:52] I think about jewelry, that we have, most of the time, that my wife has. I actually have some, different things, that I've also gotten, from my grandfather. Grandfather, grandfathers, and grandmothers, hand down, different things.

[9:05] For my grandfather, I have, a gun, a rifle, and then also, it's actually a dagger. So, both weapons. And, for my wife, she has been handed down, jewelry.

[9:23] But, imagine that there is, someone, a woman, and she has, as, she's doing this exercise, of evaluating things, in the home, and says, I got this, piece of jewelry, from my grandmother, and I know, it is so valuable, because she told me, she used to work, at Buckingham Palace, as a servant.

[9:48] And, the Queen, of England, gave her a gift, and told her, that this was jewelry, from her personal collection.

[9:59] And, so, she decides, well, I'm going to, the antique road show, is in town. Anybody ever seen that, on television? And, I'm going to go, and I'm going to have, a professional, evaluate just how much, this is worth.

[10:14] I know, it's got to be, at least in the hundreds, of thousands of dollars. If not, maybe in the millions. So, she goes, and there's an expert, and they look at it, and they talk about, all the details, of what they find.

[10:27] And, in the end, they say, it's basically, worthless. And, how devastating. And, so, what do you do, from there?

[10:39] Well, you take this, this jewelry, that you had, on your asset sheet, as something, so valuable, and you have to, take it off. This isn't an asset.

[10:51] This isn't, something of value. This is something, that is worthless. And, Paul talks here, in verse 7, but what things, were gained to me.

[11:06] He had some things, his, heritage, his, birth, being a Hebrew, of the Hebrews, his, religious prestige, as a Pharisee, and even his, careful attention, to keep the law.

[11:25] These were things, that he held, to be an asset, on his asset sheet, that he counted, as gain, a value to him.

[11:36] And, he says, you know what, now, in light of Christ, that means, nothing. It's worthless. I have counted it, loss, for, Christ, in light, of Christ, in light, of the value, of Christ.

[11:56] And, by the way, this whole, accounting thing, is a big idea, in scripture. There are, scripture verses, about God, making, accounting, accounting, accounting things, a certain way.

[12:09] And, there are scriptures, that speak of how, we need to, account things, a certain way. I think of, Romans 4, 17, where it says, that God, calls things, that be not, as though, they, were.

[12:27] He accounts things, even though, you look at them, it seems like, in reality, they're not that way. But, he calls them, he accounts them, to be something else.

[12:40] And, then we are told, that we ought, to do the same thing. That we ought, to account, in the same way, that God accounts. In Romans, 6, 11, Paul teaches this, he says, reckon yourself, or yourselves, and that's an accounting term, to reckon, or to account, yourselves, to be dead, indeed, to sin, but alive, to God.

[13:07] Accounting is an important, part of the walk, of faith, that we live. Let's move on, to verse 8, because he continues on, and doesn't stop, with this, just counting, things as loss, he takes it, even further.

[13:24] Yet, indeed, I also count, all things, loss, for the excellence, of the knowledge, of Christ Jesus, my Lord, through whom, I have suffered, the loss, of all things, and count them, as rubbish, that I may gain, Christ.

[13:42] He doesn't just stop, with all of his, religious, past, with his keeping, of the law, with his heritage, as a Jew. He broadens, the scope, of the things, that he counts, as worthless.

[13:56] He broadens it, to everything. All things. And what kinds, of things, might he be talking about? Well, I think he gives us, a hint here, when he talks about, how he has, actually suffered, the loss, of all things, in his own life, personally.

[14:18] I think about, as you read through Paul, and sometimes he gives, descriptions of, how his life is going, and he'll talk about, how, you know, he was stoned, and he was shipwrecked, and how, he's gone hungry.

[14:35] He talks about, how he, is not married, and he does not enjoy, the comforts, and the benefits, of marriage. About how he doesn't, really have any, financial security.

[14:50] He doesn't really have, most of the time, a home, that he goes to, to lay down his head, each night. You know what, all of these things, are good things. They're things, that we ought to enjoy.

[15:02] Don't you agree? And even things, that God, would want us, to enjoy. All of these, worldly gifts, and worldly pleasures, things that God, designed for us, to enjoy.

[15:19] But what is he saying here, that we shouldn't enjoy, these things? No, he's saying, listen, he's making, this comparison, that when it comes, to the worth, and the value, of Jesus Christ, I count everything else, as completely, worthless.

[15:40] He uses, an interesting word. Now my translation, I'm reading, the New King James, when he compares it, he doesn't just, use the word loss, we just looked at that, loss and gain, asset liability, but he uses this word, in my translation, he calls, he says, I count them as rubbish.

[16:00] Rubbish, that's kind of an English word, like, sorry, I mean a British word, right? They call it, we call it, we would call it garbage. He counts all these things, as garbage.

[16:11] The British, they would call it rubbish, rubbish. But it's an interesting word, the Greek word here, I'll talk about this, a little bit, is skubalon, it's the only time, this word is ever used, in the New Testament.

[16:26] In a very literal sense, if you actually look, at the parts of the word, it literally means, thrown to the dogs. And that's, a description of garbage, right?

[16:39] Dogs eat garbage, a lot of times. But it is, describing, things that are, detestable, filthy. Now, if any of you have a, King James Bible, what's the word that it uses there?

[16:54] Dung. Dung. And is dung worthless? Is it filthy? Is it something that you, definitely want, to get out of your house? This is not just, any kind of garbage.

[17:06] It's not throwing out, the old pizza boxes, from last night's, dinner. Right? This is, when you've got, cottage cheese, that's been in your, refrigerator, for the last six months, and you pull it out, and you throw it in the trash, and it starts to reek, and, cause everybody to, their stomachs to turn.

[17:30] And that's something, that you want to get out, of your house, right? You're not just going to, ignore it, you're going to, throw it out. That's the kind of word here, that's, he's using. And so, continuing on, and looking at verse 8 here, he talks about, what is this thing, that he has gained, that he considers, everything else, as something, that he might throw out, with the garbage?

[18:01] Well, there's two phrases, that he uses. One, he talks about, the excellence, of the knowledge, of Christ. And listen, he's just talking about, the gospel message, that message, that good news, that we, can have, forgiveness, and righteousness, and eternal life, in him, because, of what, he accomplished, for us.

[18:32] It's the knowledge, about that gospel, about who Christ is, and, what he did for us, and all of the spiritual benefits, that he provides. You know, when it comes to him, Jesus, and what he did for us, everything else, in comparison, is like, garbage.

[18:52] It makes me think of, something that, really a principle, that Jesus taught, in his parables, when he was teaching, on the earth. Jesus taught a lot, about the kingdom, the kingdom of God.

[19:04] And his message, was to the Jewish people, they had been promised, a kingdom. And, he was going to, and still is, by the way, going to bring, that kingdom, to Israel. And, he was encouraging, through his preaching, through these parables, for people, to give, utmost attention, to the value, of this kingdom.

[19:25] And so, he would teach, parables. There's a short one here, Matthew chapter 13. And here's how the parable goes, it's very short. He says, again, the kingdom of heaven, is like a merchant, seeking beautiful pearls, who when he had found, one pearl, of great price, went and sold, all that he had, and he bought it.

[19:50] There's another parable, I didn't write this one down, but somebody found, a great treasure, and buried it in a field, and then again, did the same thing, sold everything, that he had, so he could buy, that field, with that treasure in it.

[20:04] That's the value, of the kingdom, of God. But also, how we ought, to value Christ. We ought to be willing, to sell everything, in order to gain, and put Jesus Christ, on our asset sheet.

[20:21] Take all assets, off, turn them into liabilities, so that we might gain, that one most important asset, of Jesus Christ. Christ. He, he finishes up with this, he says that I may, let me find it again, I count them all, as rubbish, that I may, gain, Christ.

[20:48] You know, as we, as we read this, and as I was studying, through this, there was a little bit, of a challenge, because it sounded like, in Paul's language, it sounds like, he's talking about, things that are not, yet accomplished.

[21:04] Things that still, need to happen. That I may, gain Christ. You might be thinking, well, haven't you gained, Christ already? Well, he has. But he's speaking about, basically, his, his evaluation, of things, when Christ, originally came to him.

[21:23] When he was given that offer. Christ, or, being a Pharisee. And, how he, viewed, this decision, at that time.

[21:34] And, still continues, to view it, now. He's saying, listen, this is the accounting process, that I already went through, when I ultimately, chose, Christ.

[21:48] And, these are the reasons, why I did that. Verse 9, he continues on. And, that I might be found, in him.

[22:00] 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. And, so now, he's going to continue on, and talking about, with this one asset, of Jesus Christ, we gain, other assets, along, with him.

[22:24] And, you know, gaining Christ, is more than just, forgiveness, of sins. God does, forgive our sins, but you know, he's done that, actually through, even under the law, throughout all of history, he's been willing, to forgive any sin, that anyone came, and asked him for.

[22:40] But, there's something more, that was done for us, through Jesus Christ. And, it's described here, when he says, and that I may be found, in him.

[22:53] When we trust in Christ, we, have a new identity, because we are, put together, in union, with, Christ.

[23:05] we are identified, with him, and in him. And, because of that, they're all, that opens the door, to all kinds, of benefits.

[23:16] Many, that the Bible speaks to. And here, he shares, just one of them. Probably, the most, important, one.

[23:26] He says, that I might be found, in him. And then, because of that, I no longer have, my own righteousness, which is, from keeping the law.

[23:39] But instead, I have a different righteousness. One that is, through faith in Christ. The righteousness, which is from God, a gift of God, by faith. You know, in light of Christ, since the cross, there is, a choice, of two kinds, of righteousness, that we might choose.

[24:00] Now, before the cross, there was really only one. Righteousness, that was merited, or earned, through the keeping, of the law. In Deuteronomy, chapter 6, 25, this is what Moses says, regarding the law, and keeping it.

[24:17] He says this, then it will be, righteousness for us, if we are careful, to observe, all these commandments, before the Lord, our God, as he has, commanded us.

[24:30] And that is one, perfectly valid, means, of gaining righteousness, is by keeping the law, by doing what is right, by doing, what God commands.

[24:44] And we can merit, or earn, righteousness. righteousness. And you know what? Some men of old, in the Old Testament, did an okay job of that.

[24:56] I think about, I wrote down, four people, that are described, in the Old Testament, as being righteous. One is Noah. Another one is Job.

[25:08] Another is Lot. Righteous Lot. Another is David. David actually called himself, righteous. And then the last one, is Daniel.

[25:22] And when I look at that list, I think, well, these guys, were, were, fairly faithful, faithful, but, I can also think of, lots of, times when they weren't, faithful.

[25:35] Right? I think of David, especially. Boy, did he sin against the Lord, in such, a grievous way. I think about, you know, Job.

[25:46] You know, he lived an upright life, in general. But man, God had some words for him, right? During his, his trial. And then I think about Lot. If you look at, the life of Lot, he was called, a righteous man.

[26:00] But, he, he, he made some, some major, mistakes, in his life. And so, even though these guys, earned, a certain degree, of righteousness, certainly wasn't perfect.

[26:19] And then there's another, righteousness, that's called, God's righteousness. righteousness. And we, instead of earning our own, we can be given a gift, of righteousness.

[26:33] Instead, what we might call, imputed righteousness. A righteousness, that is accounted to us, on our ledger, regardless, of what we have, or have not, earned.

[26:49] where God, counts us, as righteous. Because, we are in union, with Christ. Because, we are identified, with him, with Christ.

[27:03] He counts us, as righteous, because, Jesus Christ, himself, is righteous. righteousness. And, as it says here, that this righteousness, is something, that we get, is it by earning it, is it by keeping the law?

[27:21] No, but by faith, alone. And so, there hasn't always, been a choice, between two righteous, two types of righteousness, right? As we read in Deuteronomy, under the law, you had one way, you had to keep the law.

[27:36] And there were, there were accommodations, right? If you, broke the law, the sacrifices. But, when we have a choice, of our righteousness, that we earn, or Jesus Christ's, righteousness, as a gift, his perfect, unblemished, pure righteousness, it's a no-brainer.

[28:03] He continues on, in verse 10, that I may know him, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his suffering, being conformed, to his death.

[28:19] These are things, that he's talking about, that he has gained, through Christ. He mentions here, the power of his resurrection. In Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 5, Paul talks about, the power, this resurrection power, that works in us, through our salvation.

[28:44] It says this, even when we were dead, in our transgressions, in our trespasses, and sins, he made us alive, together, with Christ, and raised us up, with him, and seated us, with him, in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.

[29:03] That is, resurrection power, the same power, of the Holy Spirit, that was used, to raise Jesus, from the dead, is at work, in us, when we put our faith, and trust, in Christ.

[29:16] And not only that, he wasn't just at work, in our salvation, but continues to be, at work in us. If you go back, one chapter in Ephesians, to chapter 1, Paul is, telling the Ephesians, that he's praying for them, and he tells them, exactly what his prayer, looks like.

[29:33] And he's saying, when I pray, I am praying, that your eyes, would be open. I want you to know, what Christ, has done in you. And he says this, Ephesians 1, 19, that you would know, what is the exceeding, greatness, of his power, Christ's power, towards us, who believe.

[29:53] The exceeding, greatness, of God's power, towards us, who believe. And then he gives, an even further description. According to the working, of his mighty power, which he worked, in Christ, when he raised him, from the dead, and seated him, at his right hand, in the heavenly places.

[30:12] This, is the resurrection power, the power, that God used, to raise Jesus, from death. That power, is at work, in us.

[30:23] And making us alive, unto God, and as we'll see here, in just a little bit, raising up, our physical bodies, up as well. And he also looks at, so, one of the benefits, that I'm choosing, that I want to add, to my offset sheet, is, I want the resurrection, power of God.

[30:42] Then he says, something else. And also, one of the things, that we get to add, to our asset sheet, is, the fellowship, of his suffering, being conformed, to his death.

[30:53] Now that doesn't, really sound like, something that we want, to add to our asset sheet. Fellowship, of his suffering, and death.

[31:05] That word fellowship, by the way, it's one, in fact, I just used it, during the announcements, I talked about us, fellowshipping. It's about us, you know, really hanging out, and enjoying each other's company. But that's, not how the Bible uses, that word fellowship.

[31:17] The word fellowship, is a word, that really means, partnership, or camaraderie, participation. And so, we participate, in his, suffering, and death.

[31:32] And ultimately, we are conformed, to his death. That's one of the benefits, of being in Christ. Now, that doesn't sound, like a benefit. But, several times, throughout the scriptures, Paul, talks to us, about our life, in Christ, and why it is, so important, that we, would die, with Christ.

[31:58] You know, when Jesus Christ died, the, the, actually, the Old Testament prophet, talks about, the, talks about, the prince, the Messiah coming, and it mentions, in Daniel, that he would be, cut off, from the earth.

[32:13] Cut off, that's a, that's a word, it's a euphemism, for being killed. And so, Jesus was, cut off, from the world, when he died.

[32:29] And you know what, because we're, identified with him, God considers, that we also, because we are in him, we have been, cut off, from the world.

[32:39] And specifically, cut off, from the sin, that is in the world. Even, our own, very sin, not just, other people's sin, we have been, cut off, we have been, crucified, when it comes, to the worldly system, and even, our own sin.

[32:58] He speaks to this, in Romans 6, if you want to take time, to open there, Romans 6, because I'm going to, read, five different, five different verses, here in this passage.

[33:11] Romans 6, chapter 6. This whole, chapter 6, is about, the importance of death, in a Christian life. But we'll just look, at these few verses, Romans 6, verse 6.

[33:26] He says, knowing this, that our old man, was crucified, with him. That the body of sin, might be done, away with. That our body, as part of that old man, that was sinful, and wretched, might die.

[33:45] Might be done, away with. In a, spiritual, in a symbolic sense. That we should, no longer be, slaves, of sin. We would, no longer, be under, its power.

[33:55] Specifically, its condemning power. For he, who has died, has been freed, from sin. And you die, just like Jesus, died to the world.

[34:07] He's been freed, from the world, and its system. We also, when we die, with Christ, die, to sin. And it no longer, has power over us.

[34:19] Now, if we died, with Christ, we believe, that we shall also, live, with him. Knowing that Christ, having been raised, from the dead, dies, no more. Death, no longer, has dominion, over him.

[34:32] For the death, that he died, he died, to sin, once, for all. But the life, that he lives, he lives, to God. Likewise, you also, reckon yourself, to be dead, indeed to sin, but alive, to God, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

[34:48] There's that same passage, that we read earlier, about the importance, of the life of faith, that we reckon, ourselves, to be crucified, to have suffered, and died, just like Jesus, did.

[35:00] Because, sin no longer, has any power, over us. As long as you're, in the world, as long as you're, alive, to the world, the world, has power, over you. As long as you're, dead, you know what else, has power, or as long as you're, alive, sorry, as long as you're, alive, you know what else, has power, over you?

[35:17] Death. But Christ, having been raised, from the dead, it says here, dies no more.

[35:29] That same thing, is true, for us. So in being, identified, with Jesus's, suffering, and his death, we are no longer, identified, with sin.

[35:41] We're not even, identified, with our own sin. And that sounds, crazy. But this is such, an important part, of the Christian life, is that even if we fail, God forbid that, we would ever sin.

[35:58] Sin is such a horrible, thing that, causes pain, and misery, in our own families, and all over the world. But as Christians, we need to understand, the death that we have died, in Christ.

[36:12] And we need to reckon, we need to account, ourselves, each and every day, as dead unto sin, and alive, unto God.

[36:24] Galatians 2.20, speaks to this, same idea. This is a, verse that I think, many people know. I have been crucified, with Christ, Paul says. It is no longer, I who live, but Christ lives in me.

[36:36] And the life, which I now live, in the flesh, I live by faith, in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself, for me. That's the life, of faith, that we live.

[36:47] We consider ourselves, dead, we consider ourselves, crucified. We're dead to the world, and alive unto God. And we rejoice, we rejoice, in our Savior.

[36:59] The last verse, here, verse 11, he says this, finally, if by any means, I may attain, to the resurrection, of the dead. He's saying, listen, I've moved, all of these other things, off of my accounting sheet, off of my asset sheet, off of my balance sheet, and I've added, only one thing, Jesus Christ, and what he accomplished, for me, and all of the great benefits, that come, with him.

[37:25] And he says, here's the reason, why? If by any means, I might attain, to the resurrection, of the dead. There is something, to be gained, and we call that, eternal life.

[37:36] You know, the resurrection, of the dead, this is an interesting word, because that word, resurrection, is actually, unique here. There's this little prefix, added to it. The prefix, X, which means, to come out of.

[37:52] And the resurrection, the Bible actually teaches, that at the end, at the end of days, all men will be resurrected, both the righteous, and the unrighteous, both believers, and unbelievers. But some people, will be resurrected, to death, death, and then others, to life.

[38:10] And I think, he here, is talking about, he's not just looking, to gain, a resurrection, but he wants, the resurrection, to life. That's why, all of this matters.

[38:24] That's why, getting your accounting right, is so important. You know, some people, because of the language here, and I've read that this verse, this particular phrase, is especially difficult, to translate.

[38:37] But that phrase, if by any means, sounds like, hey, I've still got to try, to work towards, gaining this resurrection, from the dead.

[38:50] But I think, what he means is, that he's saying, hey, whatever it takes, this is the ultimate goal, is to have life, forever, with God.

[39:03] And whatever it takes, to get that, I'm going to do it. Whatever assets, I need to put on my asset sheet, that's what I'm going to do. And are there, ten different assets, that you could, put on your asset sheet, to get eternal life?

[39:18] Maybe there's three, and we get to choose one. Is that right? No. There is only one asset, that you can put, on your asset sheet, to gain, what he's talking about, this resurrection of the dead, unto life.

[39:32] That one, and only asset, is Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And that's why, he's saying, all of these other things, I count them, as loss, I count them, as garbage.

[39:46] Because there's one thing, that's more important, than anything else. And that is, living with God, forever. In Romans chapter 8, verse 10, and we'll finish up, with this.

[39:57] Paul talks about, this resurrection power, that we talked about, that gave us life, spiritual life, but God isn't finished. And if Christ is in you, he says, this is Romans 8, chapter 10, excuse me, chapter 8, verse 10, Romans 8, 10, and if Christ is in you, the body is dead, because of sin, but the spirit is life, because of righteousness.

[40:19] Our spirit is alive, even though our body decays, our spirit is alive, unto God, because of the righteousness, that we have been gifted, through Christ. But if the spirit of him, who raised Jesus from the dead, dwells in you, he who raised Christ, from the dead, will also give life, to your mortal bodies, through his spirit, who dwells in you.

[40:43] And this is something, that all of us as believers, get to look forward to. There's many things, that we benefit now, especially spiritual benefits, but there is coming a day, in which that same power, that works in us right now, will do its final work, in resurrecting our bodies, even to life, that we will suffer pain, and misery, and even death, no longer.

[41:11] And that right there, is worth taking, every valuable thing, that we might consider, considering it as trash, even though, right, we talked about all those things, that we have in life, they're truly worthwhile, they're truly valuable, but we consider those things, as loss, and even as garbage, for the sake, of Christ, when it comes, when it compares, to knowing Christ, and being found, in him.

[41:42] And is it hard, to be found in Christ? Is it hard, to know him? As it says in, was it Romans chapter 10, do we have to, climb a great mountain, in order to find Christ?

[41:59] Do we have to, go through the depths, of the ocean, in order to find him? No, the Bible says, that that word of the gospel, that good news, that knowledge about Christ, and what he's done, is right in front of you.

[42:13] And all you have to do, is believe it. Confess with your mouth, and believe in your heart, that God has raised him, from the dead, and you will be saved.

[42:23] You'll be found, in him. If there's anybody, here this morning, that has not done that, that's all there is to it. And you can have, the most important asset, of all eternity, on your asset sheet.

[42:40] And have that life, eternal, that God wants us to have. He, wants us, to live forever, and not just live forever, but to live forever, with him.

[42:51] And we ought to, value that, just as much, as he do, as he does. Amen. Let's end, with a word of prayer. Father, thank you for, the scriptures, thank you for your word.

[43:05] Lord, I pray that, you would work in us, as believers, that we would, continue to, prioritize, and, have the right kind, of accounting, as we look at, what's valuable, in life.

[43:20] What is the most, valuable, thing. And, Father, I pray that we would, also continue, as believers, to share, this same gospel message, with others, those who, have not believed, those, who are not believers, and encourage them, to have the same, kind of accounting, to, to pursue, the only thing, the only asset, the only thing, of value in life, that can give them, what is most important, that is life, eternal, with God.

[43:59] Give us the boldness, Father, and the courage, to share that message, with all of those, around us. We thank you for these things, in Jesus name, Amen.