SELLING ALL TO BUY THE PEARL
Philippians 3:6-9 November 21, 2010
Philippians 3:6-9 November 21, 2010
Paul is clearly saying, he continues to count all his human achievements as mere refuse. Why? He now understands he now can gain a great pearl of greater price in Jesus Christ.
The gaining of Christ is the purpose of the motive of Paul’s belief. As long as a person keeps clinging even to the slightest degree in his own righteousness, he cannot fully enjoy Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
SELLING ALL TO BUY THE PEARL
Philippians 3:6-9
Philippians 3:6-9
The Pearl of Great Price. In one of His most exquisite parables, our Saviour depicted a man leaving his house in the morning with a heavy bag of gold, and making his way to the market-place, where pearl-sellers displayed the precious ocean gems. He was seeking goodly pearls, and passed from stall to stall with the eye and touch of the connoisseur; but from each stall he turned away dissatisfied. At last he approached one of the sellers, and saw before him on the tray the most exquisite, perfect, and transparent pearl that his eyes had ever lit on. Asking the price, he discovered that it would take all the pearls he had bought, and all the gold in his pouch, to procure it. On starting, he had meant to get the pearls and keep his house and estate, but he learnt that to win that he must sell even these; and so pearls and gold, home and heritage, were all gladly parted with, that that one most priceless jewel might be his own. And always afterwards, when the purchase was concluded, though he was homeless and solitary, the fact that he had got that pearl more than compensated him; he counted all things else but loss.
When our Lord spoke that marvellously beautiful parable, He must have had Saul of Tarsus in His eye--a man with a rich religious nature, capable of an infinite hunger after God, who passed from one stall to another amid the religions of the world, seeking for the best. But finally, when he came where the gem of heaven and earth and sea, the pearl of great price, lay, translucent and glistening, he gladly sacrificed all he possessed to win it; and in this marvellous paragraph he tells us that he counted all things else as loss and refuse compared with Jesus Christ. Oh, that we may understand the superlative excellence of Jesus, and turn from everything that would divide our heart with Him!
Philippians 3:8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value (0f knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ .
Paul thinks that to be righteous by faith is infinitely better than all the righteousness that can come by works and ceremonies. He therefore utterly despises that which he once thought to be more precious that gold; and he takes possession of, as his greatest treasure that which he once trampled in the mire.
YET, DOUBTLESS, MORE THAN THAT
· Five particles before Paul proceeds (yea, indeed, therefore, at least, even), showing the force and passion of his conviction.
· I now regard all things as liabilities. I am still setting all things down to be a lost.
· All financial gain, material gain, physical gain, intellectual gain, moral gain, religious gain.
BUT LOSS:
· describes the state of coming into a worsened situation from previous advantage.
· The estimate was not a hasty conclusion from fallacious premises, nor the sudden leap of an enthusiasm which had for a moment urged him. It was his calm and deliberate judgment still.
· Anything which competes with Christ as to his peace and life he renounces.
· I did count them lost, and I am still counting them but lost, all my accomplishments.
· I refuse, I continue to resist the reoccurring temptation to rely on my works, rather than God’s grace for my standing before God.
· I will and have sold all things for Christ.
FOR THE EXCELLENCY OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST JESUS,
THE EXCELLENCY (Surpassing value)
· Is literally to hold above and so to stand out or be superior in rank, authority or power.
KNOWING CHRIST
ü is of incomparable worth--of more value than anything! The unfathomable riches of Christ (see note Ephesians 3:8) surpass the value of anything and everything.
knowing Christ means much more than knowledge about Christ, because Paul had that kind of historical information before he was saved.
knowing Christ means much more than knowledge about Christ, because Paul had that kind of historical information before he was saved.
ü To “know Christ” means to have a personal relationship with Him through faith.
ü You and I know about many people, even people who lived centuries ago, but we know personally very few.
ü “Christianity is Christ.” Salvation is knowing Him in a personal way." (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor or Logos
OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST
1. Personal knowledge.
2. Intelligent knowledge.
3. Affectionate knowledge .
4. Satisfying knowledge.
5. Exciting knowledge.
FOR WHOM I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS AND (continually) COUNT THEM BUT RUBBISH
· Anything which competes with Christ as to his peace and life he renounces.
· I did count them lost, and I am still counting them but lost, all my accomplishments.
· I refuse, I continue to resist the reoccurring temptation to rely on my works, rather than God’s grace for my standing before God.
· I will and have sold all things for Christ.
