Philippians 3:4-10
What Did Paul Want?
The title of the message is a bit strange. "What did Paul want?"
Your first thought might be, "How could we know?" Through his
writings. The unique thing about Scripture is although it is
inspired God allowed the men who wrote it to color it.
Your second thought might be, "What does it matter? Paul is dead. He
got it or he didn’t. What is that to me?" The answer to that is Paul
was a godly man and he wanted what he wanted because it was what God
wanted him to have. It is what God wants us to have as well.
What did Paul want?
I. \\#4-8\\ Look at what Paul GAVE UP.
A. This portion is autobiographical.
The early part of Paul’s life, he had worked in vain to earn
salvation. Of course, on the road to Damascus, he finally
realized he could not earn what was being offered as a free
gift.
B. At that time, Paul gave up these things for something he
wanted more.
1. He found out that they had not worked, that they could
not work, and that he had been on the wrong path.
2. Notice the things Paul gave up.
a. \\#5\\ Birthright - "stock of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews…"
(1) In olden days, there were classes of people and
one dare not venture out of their class.
(2) Middle class eliminated that by mixing both to
the upper and lower class.
(3) Closest we come is to doing something because
our parents did it that way before us.
b. Ritual - "Circumcised the eight day" - According to
the Scripture
c. Religion - "a Pharisee"
d. \\#6\\ Sincerity - He had "persecuted the church."
e. Works - "in the law, blameless"
C. These things may or may not bear any resemblance to your old
life, but they were all that Paul was!
1. He gave up all that he might have Christ.
2. And so he says in \\#8\\.
D. I think that t1he price for salvation is still the same.
1. That word repentance speaks much louder than most think.
2. It demands a turn about, stopping and going in the
opposite direction.
3. God may or may not bring awareness of His Lordship over
you at the point of salvation, but whether He does or
not, God is requiring you to give yourself to Him.
Matthew 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy
thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath,
and buyeth that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a
merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great
price, went and sold all that he had, and bought
it.
II. \\#10\\ What did Paul GET BACK?
A. \\#10\\ Paul gave them up "that he might Him."
1. All of the 3rd person pronouns in this section refer to
Jesus. You will be able to see that as we process
through the passage.
2. Paul gave those things up that he might know Jesus.
a. There are multiple levels on which to know Jesus.
(1) Savior - On the road to Damascus, Paul met Jesus
as his Savior.
(a) That in itself is a deep relationship.
(b) Knowing Jesus as Savior can, will, and
should become richer, fuller, and deeper
as you understand what He has done for you.
(c) Paul will allude to that in the remainder of
text.
(2) Service - Servant and Lord relationship.
(1) Many Christians seek to avoid this
relationship simply because they think of
work and lordship in a negative
connotation.
(2) Serving Jesus is work, but it yields
unlimited rewards including a personal
relationship with God.
(3) As a servant, Paul has healed many, called
blindness on a sinner \\#Acts 13:11\\,
been visited by angels \\#Acts 27:23\\,
been delivered by an earthquake
\\#Acts 16:26\\, and had been personally
directed by God \\#Acts 16:9\\.
b. Before I mention the third relationship we can know
Jesus in let me point something out about the word,
"know."
(1) It is a Greek word, second aorist in tense.
(2) That means that it has no reference to time. It
applies to the present, the past, and the
future.
(3) So Paul was not saying that when he gave up what
he did, he KNEW (met) Jesus. He is saying that
he began to get to know Him.
(4) Neither is he saying that when he started to
serve Jesus, he met Jesus as Lord; but rather
that he started getting to know Him.
(5) These relationships are not established at their
full depth, but they cannot to deepen as time
goes on.
(6) And Paul was saying that in giving them up, he
still wanted to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
c. The third relationship that Paul wanted to know Him
in.
(1) Savior
(2) Servant and Lord
(3) Satisfaction
(a) I think this is what Paul was speaking of
in this text.
(b) Although the relationships that Paul had
with Jesus could and would go deeper, he
wanted to know Jesus in a different way.
(c) Paul wanted to know Jesus in a personal
way.
i. Would it be blasphemous to say that
Paul wanted to know Jesus away from
work?
ii. Like Moses, Paul wanted to see Jesus
in His glory!
iii. This was not for salvation nor
ministry but for personal pleasure.
(d) To know Jesus in that way, Paul was willing
to go much further.
B. He wanted to know "the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering."
1. Paul so wanted to know Jesus in a personal way, that
he was willing and desirous to suffer with Jesus.
2. Friendship and relationships are established and deepened
through the things we share, the things we have in
common.
a. I have a relationship with you because we share this
worship service together.
b. Your relationship with me is actually deeper than my
relationship with most of you because I share with
you who I am for a few hours each week while you
just sit quietly.
c. Yet, as well as some of you may know me, none of you
know me as well as my children for we have shared
more things together.
d. And as well as they know me they do not know me as
well as my wife for we have shared even more things
in command.
3. A strong friendship moves across four plains.
a. Casual - conversation
b. Fellowship - Activities, meals together
c. Work
d. But the strongest tie is suffering
4. Paul was willing and desirous to join in with the
suffering that Jesus endured. In fact, he did.
C. Even to the point that Paul wanted to be conformed to Jesus’
death.
1. Paul was willing and desirous to die with Jesus that he
might know Jesus.
D. Paul wanted to know the power of Jesus’ resurrection.
1. In knowing Jesus, Paul wanted to know of His power as will
as His Person and pain.
2. Paul already had power for ministry - healing, cursing,
direction, protection.
3. I do not think Paul wanted to know the power of the
resurrection for more ministry—not in this letter.
4. I think he wanted to know the power of the resurrection
for his own needs and glorification.
a. Paul had spiritual needs? I think so.
b. \\#Romans 7:14-21\\
5. What would Paul need more power for? The same things you
and I do.
a. Failures
(1) Missed changes
(2) Things done wrong
(3) Things he failed to do right
(4) Things that he just had not been able to
accomplish.
b. Thoughts - Perhaps not the same as yours or mine but
we all have thoughts which hinder if not hurt us.
c. That he might be more like Christ.
III. \\#11\\ Look at what Paul was GOING FOR.
A. He wanted to attain to the resurrection of the dead.
1. I do not believe Paul was saying that he had not.
2. Why?
a. Because that would contradict the rest of the Bible.
b. Because he said as much.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended…
c. "Count" means "consider."
3. Paul knew that he was going to be apart of the
resurrection and wrote of it \\#1Thess 4:13-18\\ and
1Cor 15.
B. Paul knew he was apart of the resurrection of the dead but he
wanted to live in such a way that if he had to work to be
apart of it, he would make it!
1. "Know that you are eternally saved but live like you have
to earn it."
2. Paul wanted to get Jesus’ attention with his life, so each
day…
13 … forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are
before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
3. The "high calling" means the prize or reward given by
responding to God’s call.
4. We don’t work for salvation but Paul was working for his
rewards—and so should we.
So what did Paul want? He wanted more, more of Jesus, more
fellowship with Him, more of a relationship with Him, and more
recognition from Him.
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