What Is Gain To Me Is Loss

TRANSCRIPT

Our text for today's message is taken from Philippians chapter 3 verse 7 to 9. Allow me to share what we have considered last Lord’s Day. In the preceding verses, Paul talked about the time before his conversion, in the past when he trusted in his own religious credentials. He trusted in the things he had inherited. He was circumcised on the eighth day. He was of the nation of Israel. He was of the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. And he also trusted in his own achievements according to the observation of the law. He was a Pharisee. He belonged to the strictest religious group in Israel at that time. According to his zeal, he was a persecutor of the church. He thought he was sincere, but he was sincerely wrong. He persecuted the Christians, those who believe in Jesus Christ and stood in the way of Judaism. According to the righteousness which he thought he could obtain from the law, he considered himself as blameless.

Then Paul went on to say in verse 7, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." The words “gain” and “loss” remind us of accounting terms. You can imagine the picture of an accounting balance sheet. On one column would be the gains and profits, on the other column would be the loss or deficits. All those things he once considered gain or profit, now he considered them as loss for the sake of Christ. In other words, he considered all his religious credentials which we had just mentioned a moment ago as nothing, as loss, and it was only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that really matters. That was why he said in verse 8, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ".

"Yeah, doubtless" means indeed, more than that. It strongly emphasizes the contrast between the religious credentials that could not save, that did not impress God, and the immeasurable benefits of knowing Jesus Christ. The word "excellency" means of surpassing value, something that is of the highest degree. When your child comes home from school and you ask him how was your examination, what was your result? If your child says to you, ‘Excellent,’ you know that is the highest score he can ever get. Better than average, good, outstanding. Nothing can ever supersede ‘excellent’. That is the idea. The knowledge of Christ supersedes everything. This knowledge of Christ is more than just a mere intellectual knowledge of the facts about Christ. It is to know Him personally; it is to know Him experientially.

How do we know? Because Paul said, "the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord". In other words, ‘I not only know facts about Him, but I know Him as my Lord. I know Him as my Saviour.’ Basically, it is to know Jesus for salvation. Today there are many people who may know the Bible, they may know facts about Jesus Christ, they may even quote Bible scripture to you. They may tell you many things about what the Bible says, especially pertaining to Jesus Christ, but they do not know Him. I pray that we will not just have this knowledge of Christ, knowing facts about him, but we will know him as our personal Lord and Saviour.

In the past, Paul had trusted all his religious credentials. He thought he could earn his salvation, he thought he could impress God. But now he considered all those things not only as loss, but he went as far as to say, ‘I count them as dung, that I may win Christ.’ It means the same thing, that I may gain Christ for salvation. Now this is a very strong word, "dung". It means waste, rubbish. It can even mean manure, something that is considered foul, to be thrown away. Not something precious, not something you would say as my gains, my profits. So he was using the strongest possible language to describe his disdain for all the things that he once thought were his credentials. He says they were but dung, rubbish.

I. God’s standard of righteousness

The title of our message is ‘What is Gain to Me is Loss’. Our first point is: God's standard of righteousness. Let us look at verse 9: "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith". Notice there are two kinds of righteousness mentioned here. One is a human righteousness based on human efforts, the other is God's standard of righteousness. "not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law" means the human righteousness which is produced by the law. Can a person keep the Ten Commandments perfectly and be righteous? No, we break them all the time. Can a person keep the Golden Rule perfectly, that we do unto others what we want others to do unto us? No, we often do the exact opposite.

Paul knew no matter how hard he tried, his observation of the law could not make him righteous before God. No man on this earth could ever keep the law of God perfectly and be declared righteous. The righteousness which is of God is God's standard of righteousness, which enables a person to have a right standing before Him and be accepted by Him. First of all, we must understand that God's standard of righteousness is perfect, and anyone who fails to meet that standard of perfection deserves to be separated from Him.

There are some people who cannot accept this truth, and they say, ‘How can God require such a high standard from us?’ But these people fail to recognise that there are so many things in our lives that have high requirements and standards, and we accept them naturally, spontaneously. For example, today there are some medical doctors and students in our church. The state government sets the standard to practice medicine. Anyone who wants to be a doctor must meet that standard. If you want to be a doctor, you must graduate from medical school. You must obtain a medical degree. This must be followed by an internship, supervised by perhaps a group of experienced doctors. Then you must pass an examination to obtain the license to practise medicine, and so forth. No one in the right frame of mind would trust another person who claims to be able to practice medicine if he or she does not fulfil these requirements. Nobody would question all these worldly standards, but yet we always question God's standards.

We always question God's requirements. In a similar fashion, anyone who wants to enter into the kingdom of God, he or she would have to meet God's standard. God has a right to set His own standard. The only difference between God's requirements and the requirements that you and I face in this world is that no one has ever met God's standard on his own, and no one will. The Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Again, some people may think, ‘Well, I have always been good and righteous in my lifetime. I've done many good works, I've contributed much to society, to charity.’ In the eyes of the world, you may be considered good and righteous. The world may even present you with the Nobel Prize. But the world is not the judge; God is the ultimate Judge. Hebrews 9 verse 27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." One day we will have to stand before God and be judged according to His standard, which is perfect. And we can never be righteous by God's standard, we can never be perfectly holy, we can never be without sin. On our own, no one can ever stand before God and be declared righteous. Isaiah the prophet said in Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

Once someone said to me, ’How can the Bible say all our righteousness are as filthy rags? How can those good works, those acts of charity, those acts of mercy, those acts of generosity, be filthy rags?’ The reason is because those so-called good works are tainted with sin. Let's say you gave $100 to the beggar in the street, and as you are about to walk away, the beggar says to you, ‘You are the most generous person I've ever met. You are the only one who is so generous to give me $100, which I have never received before.’ Immediately, a sense of pride creeps into your heart. ‘Wow, he just called me the most generous person. I may well be the most generous person.’

Or perhaps you want to serve the Lord by playing the piano, by singing in the choir, by leading in the worship service, because you want to be recognised, you want to be praised by the people. Or you want to open up your home to invite visitors to come because you want to be known as the most hospitable person in the church. Can you see how our good works are often tainted with sin, however little? In the eyes of the perfect Almighty God, they are like rags stained with sin. Just like a piece of cloth where you see these stains, big ones, small ones, all over the cloth. God calls it filthy rags.

So all our righteousness and good works are corrupted because of sin. In the deepest recesses of our hearts, there is jealousy, envy, pride, anger, bitterness, and other hidden agendas. Indeed, Jeremiah 17 verse 9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" That is why God's Word in Romans 3 verse 10 declares, "There is none righteous, no, not one". According to God's perfect standard, no one is righteous. The only way for us to be declared righteous is for sin to be out of the way. It is for sin to be removed, and the only way for sin to be removed is that sin has to be dealt with, the penalty of our sins has to be paid. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the unblemished Lamb of God, came into this world. He lived a perfect life, He kept the laws of God 100 percent perfect to fulfil all righteousness on our behalf. He was crucified, He suffered, He died, shedding His precious blood on the cross of Calvary. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. On the cross, Christ carried all our sins. And those of us who believe in Him, we receive His righteousness.

At the cross, there was this transaction which Martin Luther, the Reformer, calls it the ‘wonderful exchange’. And that was based on 2 Corinthians 5:21. Let me read for you: “For he hath made him” – Jesus – “to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” In other words, the repentant sinner has his sins imputed to Christ. Christ bore his sins on the cross of Calvary, and there was this wonderful exchange, this transaction, so to speak. That Christ's righteousness is now imputed to the repentant sinner. And when God sees this repentant sinner, He sees this sinner clothed with the righteousness of His Son. This is the heart of the Gospel.

God demands from man what man could never achieve or attain. He demands perfect righteousness. Some people may ask, ‘That is not fair. How could God demand that? Why doesn't God just lower His standard a bit?’ Well, let's say God lowered His standard a little bit. Let's presume God says, "Well, in order to be saved, you just have to be a little intelligent." Do you think that is fair? No, that would not be fair to those who are intellectually challenged. Or let's say God says, "In order to be saved, you just have to be a little rich." No, that will not be fair for all those who are poor. And the list goes on and on. If God says, ‘You just have to be moral,’ what about those who struggle with morality? Well, that would not be fair. So God set the standard that is perfect, and nobody could qualify, nobody could then boast. And God sent His only begotten Son to come into this world, died on the cross, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. And God says to you, God says to me, ‘I will give you My righteousness, no matter who you are, if you believe.’

II. God provision for His righteousness

This brings us to our second point: God's provision for His righteousness. Look back to our text, Philippians 3:9: "not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith”. The faith of Christ refers to the total dependence and trust in Jesus Christ for the necessary requirements to enter God's kingdom. And the last phrase at the end, "by faith" means on the basis of faith. God's provision for His righteousness is on the basis of faith. You must believe.

There are many people who are puzzled about this thing called faith. Allow me to give you an illustration. We all know that the dictionary defines faith as having confidence and trust in something or someone. Sometimes it can simply be defined as belief. In other words, faith is to believe. In fact, faith is one of the most common realities of life that all people experience. Faith, what do we mean? We all live by faith every day of our lives. Do you know that? Believers and unbelievers, we turn on the tap, fill the glass, drink the water. We believe it is all right and we know nothing about what is in there. We have no idea about what is in the pipes. We believe, when we drive our car across the bridge, we believe that the bridge will be able to hold us up together with our cars. We believe in the engineers who designed it, we believe in the workers who build it and maintain it. We believe in the signage that says ‘drive across safely’. When we hop onto the bus on our way home after work, we believe that the one sitting in front driving the vehicle is the employee of the transportation company. We believe the signage says where it says it is going.

When a couple marries, the man asks, ‘Will you marry me?’ and the woman would answer, ‘Yes.’ The whole conversation takes only five words, but between these two persons who know and trust each other, those five words constitute a pledge of faith that was intended to last until death. We all live by faith, and this is the only way for us to survive. Faith in the spiritual dimension is far different from all these kinds of faith that we just mentioned, but it has the same idea. The difference is in the object. We believe and trust in God. We believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is absolutely faithful and who will always keep His promises.

The Bible tells us that the power of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ can save, but it will only save those who believe (Romans 1:16). Believe what? Believe that Jesus is the only Saviour of the world. Believe that Jesus is who He said He was. Believe that Jesus came for the very reason He said He came, He died for the very reason He said He died, and He was risen from the dead on the third day. Believe that the One who saves us will save us unto the uttermost. Believe that Jesus said, ‘No man can pluck you out of my hand’ (John 10:28). Believe that Jesus said, ‘In My Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, for where I am, you will be also’ (John 14:2-3).

God said it, we believe it, that settles it. That is biblical faith. To believe in God and His Word, that is the difference between the spiritual dimension of faith and the faith that we exercise every day of our lives, like the people in the world. It has the same idea, but the difference is in the object. We believe in God and His Word 100 percent. It is not about believing our own righteousness. Salvation is not baptism, salvation is not coming to church, salvation is not singing those hymns, giving of your tithes and offerings. It is not about conforming to certain rules and regulations, observing certain commandments. It is not about morality. Salvation comes when the person recognises that he has absolutely no resources at all, he is totally lost and undone. And then he looks to the cross and trusts in what Jesus had done on the cross of Calvary to save him from eternal punishment. And he says to God, ‘I believe it. I believe in You.’ And it doesn't matter who that person is.

But in spite of this wonderful truth, that faith is one of the most common realities of life, yet whenever we talk to people about faith in God, they tend to look at us as one of the strange aliens from another planet, right? People believe in so many things, they trust other people with their lives. They trust the doctors with their health, they trust banks and financial institutions with their wealth. They put all their money into the bank. They trust the educational systems to train their children. Every day of their lives, they have learned to trust and believe. But they just would not trust in God, and they find trusting and believing in God is something so strange. No wonder the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Today, if you and I believe, it is not because we are good, we are righteous, we are smart and intelligent. It is because God has illumined our minds and convicted our hearts. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. That is why Ephesians 2:8 tells us that the faith that we believe in God is a gift, it is a gift from God Himself. And we are so thankful. Dear friends, have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, or are you still clinging on to your own good works, your achievements, your accomplishments, your own righteousness?

Allow me to share this story as I come to a close. The late preacher Harry Ironside once presented the gospel on the streets of California, and he was interrupted by someone who said to him, ‘Sir, look here, there are hundreds of religions in this country, and the followers of each religion say theirs is the right one. How can we know which one is the true religion?’ Ironside replied, ‘Many religions? That is strange, because I have heard of only two. Maybe they are different shades of opinions in the hundreds of religions, but basically there are only two: the one who looks to salvation by doing, by performing, and the other looks to salvation by something already done, a finished work. So the question is very simple: Can you save yourself, or do you need to be saved by another? If you can be your own saviour, then you do not need to hear my message. But if you cannot, then you may well listen to this message of the gospel.’

How true. On one hand stands all the religions of this world which basically focus on salvation by works. You must do and keep doing and earn your place in heaven in whatever shapes or forms. On the other hand stands Christianity alone which says salvation is by faith alone, believing in God and His Word and what Jesus Christ has done on the cross for us. Perhaps in the past you have trusted in your own righteousness. You have trusted in your own good works. Today you realise that, ‘My righteousness cannot save me, my good works cannot save me. I cannot be my own saviour,’ and you turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, the only One who can save you. Praise be to God.

Then you can say like the Apostle Paul, ‘What is gain to me in the past is loss, I consider them loss, and they are like dung for the knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ.’ Nothing can supersede salvation in Jesus Christ, dear friends, nothing. Nothing can buy a person’s salvation. Jesus Himself said, “what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). You may have gained many things in this life, but if you draw your last breath, all these things that you cling onto, like I often said, the old preacher would say, you are swinging into eternity, hanging on the horse's hair and it will snap. You cannot hang on to your own righteousness. You can only hang on to Christ and Christ alone.

Let us pray. Father in heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider this portion of Scriptures. And help us never to be proud of what we do. If we are believers, we do all these things because Thou has strengthened us and empowered us. For those unbelievers who still trust in their own good works and righteousness, O Lord, may Thou convict their hearts of their foolishness. There's nothing they can hang on, nothing they can do to earn them a place in heaven. They cannot be their own saviour; they need a Saviour. And the Saviour had come, and He is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that through the conviction that comes from Thy Spirit, that these unbelieving loved ones and friends of ours will come to know Thee in a salvific way. And this is what is most precious, this is the excellency of knowing our Lord Jesus, which nothing can be compared to. What is gain to me is loss indeed. We give Thee thanks, and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. God’s standard of righteousness
• II. God provision for His righteousness

THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS

The Church at Philippi

The Church at Philippi

Philippians 1:1-2

The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)

The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)

Philippians 1:3-5

Elements of True Joy

Elements of True Joy

Philippians 1:3-6

The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)

The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)

Philippians 1:6

What are the Things Most Important to Us?

What are the Things Most Important to Us?

Philippians 1:7-8

Growing in Godliness

Growing in Godliness

Philippians 1:9-11

Message 5: Praying for the Church

Message 5: Praying for the Church

Philippians 1:9-11

Growing in Godliness

Growing in Godliness

Philippians 1:9-11

Are All Things Really Working For Good?

Are All Things Really Working For Good?

Philippians 1:12-14

In Times of Adversity

In Times of Adversity

Philippians 1:12-18

Trouble in the Church

Trouble in the Church

Philippians 1:15-18

For to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is Gain

For to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is Gain

Philippians 1:19-26

To Live is Christ

To Live is Christ

Philippians 1:19-26

Living Worthy of the Gospel

Living Worthy of the Gospel

Philippians 1:27-30

Live your life worthy of the Gospel

Live your life worthy of the Gospel

Philippians 1:27-30

Let's Have Fellowship

Let's Have Fellowship

Philippians 2:1-4

The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)

The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)

Philippians 2:1-2

Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)

Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)

Philippians 2:3-4

The Ultimate Example

The Ultimate Example

Philippians 2:5-8

The Ultimate Example

The Ultimate Example

Philippians 2:5-11

What Is Christmas?

What Is Christmas?

Philippians 2:6-11

The Greatest Name

The Greatest Name

Philippians 2:9-11

Work Out Your Own Salvation

Work Out Your Own Salvation

Philippians 2:12-18

Living a Sanctified Life

Living a Sanctified Life

Philippians 2:12-13

Moving Forward Not Backward

Moving Forward Not Backward

Philippians 2:13-14

Stop Murmuring and Complaining

Stop Murmuring and Complaining

Philippians 2:14-16

The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: Paul

The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: Paul

Philippians 2:17-18

The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: Timothy

The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: Timothy

Philippians 2:19-24

The Importance of Spiritual Discernment

The Importance of Spiritual Discernment

Philippians 3:1-2

True Believers Worship God in Spirit and in Truth

True Believers Worship God in Spirit and in Truth

Philippians 3:3, John 4:4-30

Nothing to Boast Of

Nothing to Boast Of

Philippians 3:3-6

What Is Gain To Me Is Loss

What Is Gain To Me Is Loss

Philippians 3:7-9

The Power of Christ's Resurrection

The Power of Christ's Resurrection

Philippians 3:10-11

What are Your Spiritual Goals?

What are Your Spiritual Goals?

Philippians 3:10-11

Pressing Toward The Mark

Pressing Toward The Mark

Philippians 3:12-14

Pressing Toward the Mark

Pressing Toward the Mark

Philippians 3:13-14

Morning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for You

Morning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for You

Philippians 3:13-14

How to Know the Will of God

How to Know the Will of God

Philippians 3:15

Who Are You Following?

Who Are You Following?

Philippians 3:16-19

Heavenly Or Earthly Minded

Heavenly Or Earthly Minded

Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57

How Do You Stand Fast?

How Do You Stand Fast?

Philippians 4:1

How to Maintain Christian Unity

How to Maintain Christian Unity

Philippians 4:2-3

Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]

Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]

Philippians 4:4-7

The Cure for Anxiety

The Cure for Anxiety

Philippians 4:6-7

Message 6: Praying for the Troubled

Message 6: Praying for the Troubled

Philippians 4:6-7

Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]

Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]

Philippians 4:8-9

Learning To Be Content [Part 1]

Learning To Be Content [Part 1]

Philippians 4:10-12

Learning To Be Content [Part 2]

Learning To Be Content [Part 2]

Philippians 4:13-19

How To Be An Overcoming Christian

How To Be An Overcoming Christian

Philippians 4:13

My God Shall Supply All Your Needs

My God Shall Supply All Your Needs

Philippians 4:19

Living By Grace and For God's Glory

Living By Grace and For God's Glory

Philippians 4:20-23