3 steps we can take to rejoice in knowing and becoming like Jesus
I. Refuse to Think That Your Gifts, Abilities, Actions, and Accomplishments Earn Righteousness (vv. 2-7)
Philippians 3:3b - …do not put confidence in the flesh…
A. Even when others try to convince you to put confidence in yourself (vv. 2-3)
Isaiah 64:5b-7a - Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, we continued in them a long time; and shall we be saved? For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, who arouses himself to take hold of You…
“Frequently, [Cotton Mather] set aside days for ‘personal Fasting and humiliation’ when he would ‘cry Mightily unto God’ for forgiveness and a renewed assurance of salvation. On February 7, 1707, he prepared himself for a sermon on ‘the Sacrifice of a Glorious Christ’ by fasting and contemplating ‘my horrible Corruptions and Miscarriages.’ To appreciate the merciful sacrifice of a ‘Glorious Christ’ in his sermon, he first had to focus on his own unworthiness in private meditation. Throughout the day, he noted: ‘I loathed and judged myself before the Lord exceedingly. The Victories which Temptation had obtained over me, filled me with unspeakable Confusion. I thought, that as vile as I was, yet it was my Duty to look still unto the Lord, for Pardon and Healing. So I pleaded the Great Sacrifice. I cried unto a Glorious Christ, that He would be my Advocate. I begg’d I begg’d, that an holy Heart might be bestowed upon me; because a Glorious Christ had purchased it for me, and by His Death purchased the Death of my Sin. I begg’d, that the dreadful wrath of Heaven, might not break forth against me, nor against my Flock, nor against my poor Family, for my sin.’” (Harry Stout, The New England Soul, p. 156)
Romans 2:29b - …circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
B. Even when you enjoyed a privileged background (vv. 4-5)
1. Circumcised the eighth day
2. Of the nation of Israel
3. Of the tribe of Benjamin
4. A Hebrew of Hebrews
C. Even when you have been sincere in your belief system (vv. 6-7)
1. As to the Law, a Pharisee
2. As to Zeal, a persecutor of the church
Galatians 1:13-14 - For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.
3. As to righteousness in the Law, blameless
Philippians 3:7 - But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
II. Boast and Place Your Confidence in Jesus (vv. 8-9)
Philippians 3:8-9 - More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of 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, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith…
A. Value knowing Christ and His righteousness above our accomplishments
B. Live confidently and expectantly in Christ
III. Press on in Your Knowledge and Commitment to Jesus (vv. 10-11)
Philippians 3:10-11- My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering, being conformed to his death assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.
“I consider myself as the most wretched of men, full of sores and corruption, and who has committed all sorts of crimes against his King; touched with a sensible regret I confess to Him all my wickedness, I ask His forgiveness, I abandon myself in His hands, that He may do what He pleases with me. This King, full of mercy and goodness, very far from chastising me, embraces me with love, makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands, gives me the key of His treasures; He converses and delights Himself with me incessantly, in a thousand and a thousand ways, and treats me in all respects as His favourite. It is thus I consider myself from time to time in His holy presence. My most usual method is this simple attention, and such a general passionate regard to GOD; to whom I find myself often attached with greater sweetness and delight than that of an infant at the mother’s breast: so that if I dare use the expression, I should choose to call this state the bosom of GOD, for the inexpressible sweetness which I taste and experience there. If sometimes my thoughts wander from it by necessity or infirmity, I am presently recalled by inward motions, so charming and delicious that I am ashamed to mention them. I desire your reverence to reflect rather upon my great wretchedness, of which you are fully informed, than upon the great favours which GOD does me, all unworthy and ungrateful as I am…Yet I cannot bear that this should be called delusion; because the soul which thus enjoys GOD desires herein nothing but Him. If this be delusion in me, it belongs to GOD to remedy it. Let Him do what He pleases with me: I desire only Him, and to be wholly devoted Him.” (Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God, p. 12)
A. Who He is and what He has done
Exodus 34:6-7a - Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin…”
Isaiah 55:7-8 - Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
B. Power of His resurrection
Romans 8:11 - But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
C. Fellowship of His sufferings
D. Knowing your future is secure
1 Corinthians 13:12 - For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
Matthew 7:21-23 - Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
Matthew 10:32 - Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
This morning, we continue our annual theme of Growing in Gospel Gratitude.
And I hope that has been the case for you, as you consider the many implication of the good news of Christ and how it has impacted your life
*Prove It by David Crowder (listening to it a lot with boys)
*interesting conversation with Judah – do you know him? (seen in concert)
“Does he know your name, Papa?” (*no)
There is something powerful about knowing someone, and being known, isn’t there?
This value system is inexplicably bound up in the heart of a 6-year-old: he would have been impressed if David Crowder knew his Papa (*walked past: “hi Stefan”)
Why?
Because knowing someone implies involvement
If David Crowder knew my name, that would either mean we had some previous interaction that built meaningful involvement with one another (to the point of remembrance) or he cared enough to look into who I was and commit it to his memory
Either way, he would have sacrificed time and effort towards building involvement with me, or knowing me more
In today’s passage out of Philippians, Paul states that he has forsaken ALL THINGS for one single purpose: that he may… know Jesus (please turn there (Phil 3:1-11 (pg 155))
This desperate search to know Him began back in Act 9 (*explain context)
Jesus asks Him a question: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Did you hear that? Who is it that knew his name??
What’s Paul’s response to this question?
Paul, seeking the first taste of the satisfaction he had been seeking his whole life, asks the question that would eventually lead to him forsake ALL THINGS that he had held as precious to him, all for the inexhaustible and soul-satisfying answer…
What does he ask?: “who are you, Lord?”
In an act of incredibly grace, Jesus reveals Himself to Paul: “I am Jesus…”
Thus began the new focal point of Paul’s life – even to the degree that his name changed from Saul
He was not the same – and he wanted more
Looking now to our text: it begins with a call to rejoice—and very specifically—rejoice in the Lord
We’ll find out what that means as we walk through our text together…
Text
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. 7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of 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, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
God desires that we know Him – and what’s more – to become more like Jesus
Thus, “Rejoicing in the Lord” in this context is Rejoice in knowing and becoming like Jesus. I am going to suggest three steps we can take to rejoice in knowing and becoming like Jesus.
The first step towards rejoicing in the Lord out of our text is a call to…
I. Refuse to think that your gifts, abilities, actions, and accomplishments earn righteousness (vv. 2-7)
Paul, from his prison cell, gives a strange command to the church in Philippi: REJOICE!
He obviously couldn’t have meant in circumstances; his were pretty bleak
Maybe he was referencing all his accomplishment: after all, they were many
Paul begins by stating all the things he used to try to find meaning in and through
He lists out all the ways he previously sought to rejoice, and they all pointed to HIMSELF
But we have a tendency to do this as well, don’t we?
*counseling question: why should I let you into my heaven (out come the resumes)
What does the Word call us to?
Philippians 3:3b “do not put confidence in the flesh”
If we are convinced that anything we’ve done earns favor with God, He calls us away from that really fast!
Shred the resume, delete the file, throw away the computer, set the dumpster on fire: whatever you need to do to kill the tendency to place your confidence in the flesh…
A. Even when others try to convince you to put confidence in yourself (vv. 2-3)
He brings up a specific group of ppl here in the passage, saying: beware of the dogs, evil-workers, and mutilators (harsh reference to circumcision)
The group he was talking about was the Judiazers: a test case in those who put confidence in the flesh
They said in order to become right with God, you first needed to adhere to the Jewish law – namely circumcision
In other words, you were not right with Him until you did certain things in the flesh
i.e., start building your resume
But what does that resume truly amount to?
If we were to take a God-centered look at those works rather than a man-centered look, what do we see?
Isaiah 64 gives us this necessary insight:
Isaiah 64:5b-7a – Behold, You were angry, for we sinned, we continued in them a long time; and shall we be saved? For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls on Your name, who arouses himself to take hold of You;
When we add up all the things we do and present them to God, when we stand before his throne and show him all our deeds in the flesh, when we diligently write up our resume and turn it into Him for his approval: what does it all amount to?
Filthy rags
When we take a sober, God-centered look at our deeds, it produces a much less justified result
Cotton Mather, puritan preacher, provides insight regarding his own examination of his resume…
“Frequently, [Cotton Mather] set aside days for ‘personal Fasting and humiliation’ when he would ‘cry Mightily unto God’ for forgiveness and a renewed assurance of salvation. On February 7, 1707, he prepared himself for a sermon on ‘the Sacrifice of a Glorious Christ’ by fasting and contemplating ‘my horrible Corruptions and Miscarriages.’ To appreciate the merciful sacrifice of a ‘Glorious Christ’ in his sermon, he first had to focus on his own unworthiness in private meditation. Throughout the day, he noted: ‘I loathed and judged myself before the Lord exceedingly. The Victories which Temptation had obtained over me, filled me with unspeakable Confusion. I thought, that as vile as I was, yet it was my Duty to look still unto the Lord, for Pardon and Healing. So I pleaded the Great Sacrifice. I cried unto a Glorious Christ, that He would be my Advocate. I begg’d I begg’d, that an holy Heart might be bestowed upon me; because a Glorious Christ had purchased it for me, and by His Death purchased the Death of my Sin. I begg’d, that the dreadful wrath of Heaven, might not break forth against me, nor against my Flock, nor against my poor Family, for my sin.’ – Harry Stout, The New England Soul (p. 156).
Pastor Green said it best in his message over the passage last week: “The Lord graciously reminds us that rather than think about us, we think about Christ. We do not focus on outward circumcision, but rather the circumcision of our hearts done by the Spirit.
This is seen in Romans 2:
Romans 2:29b – circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God
So we don’t allow others to convince us to place our confidence in the flesh…
B. Even when you enjoyed a privileged background (vv. 4-5)
Before it took its permanent residence in the dumpster, Paul whipped out his resume for our review – and to a Jew living in that day (especially a Judiazer), it would have been quite impressive
He starts will all of the items that were outside of his control…
1. Circumcised the eighth day
This was in strict adherence to the OT law to show who was a part of the covenant people of God
His parents were by-the-book in this matter
2. Of the nation of Israel
He was a direct descended of the blood-line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
This was a big deal, since there was a distinction between those descended of Abraham and those who were later grafted in
3. Of the tribe of Benjamin
The tribe of Benjamin had a nice and impressive resume of their own
They were a tough clan who at one point almost stood up against the rest of the 11 tribes (though not for the best of reasons)
Additionally:
Benjamin was a son of Jacob’s favorite wife: Rachel
The tribe of Benjamin got Jerusalem when they went into the promise land, ensuring closeness in regards to the presence of the Lord
Saul, Israel’s first kind, was of tribe of Benjamin (likely whom Paul was named after)
When the kingdom split after Solomon, only two tribes remain faithful to the Davidic kingdom – Judah (tribe of David) and Benjamin.
Esther and Mordecai, the ones God used to save the nation from genocide, were from the tribe of Benjamin.
This led to the claim of him being…
4. A Hebrew of Hebrews
The Israelites were such a conquered people that they were often spread abroad
It was common that the Hebrews would take on the language and culture of their surrounding inhabitants
Not so for Paul’s family
Though he was born in a Roman colony, his family maintained the language and culture – even sending Paul to study in Jerusalem under the esteemed teacher Gamaliel
In looking at the items outside of his control, his resume was pretty rock-solid
But he wasn’t placing any stock in his resume and nor should we…
C. Even when you have been sincere in your belief system (vv. 6-7)
Paul transitions from the items outside of his control into the things that he could “reasonably” boast in as his own doing…
1. As to the Law, a Pharisee
*elite righteousness (“surpass that of the pharisees”)
*elite scholarship
*teacher of dogs, evil-doers, & mutilators
2. As to Zeal, a persecutor of the church
*a step beyond the Judiazers in protecting the nation
Paul also alludes to this in his letter to the Galatians:
Galatians 1:13-14 “For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.”
Paul had mastered the art of one-upmanship, and he was about to pull the trump card:
3. As to righteousness in the Law, blameless
This is not a claim to sinlessness – he knew that the law necessarily included atonement for sin – an offering he had made often
Rather, he could look at what was required of the law from a human perspective and was found to be guiltless
To us, that would look like never speeding, never J-walking, never turning right on red when the intersection prohibits it, and so forth
Whether you are looking at the things outside of Paul’s control or within it, he had a very impressive resume
It may not seem impressive to us today, but the sentiment holds true in every way
Do you find yourself placing your trust in the items on YOUR resume that were outside of your control?
Your parents are Christians or you were born and baptized into this or that church, so you’re good before God
God sees that on your resume and thinks “filthy rags”
Do you find yourself placing your trust in things on your resume that you could chalk up as your own effort?
I’m this smart, I’m this good of a person, I’m this religious, I’m this zealous
When we present these to God as reasons why we ought to be accepted, they prove to work against us…
Don’t get me wrong: on their face, these are good things: growing up in a Christian home (what a blessing) or fighting for purity and righteous living
But when we try to apply these to justification for a right-standing with a holy God, they become the excess of filthy pride
Why?
Because of where the focus is placed
Presenting these as a reason for Jesus to “know” you is detestable when you are looking through a God-centered focus
*gospel plug (shred the resume (think they’re good OR bad))
Let’s join Paul in an overall attitude of Philippians 3:7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
So all of that is in the shredder
What now?
Continuing with the accounting terms of counting as loss or counting as value:
II. Boast and place your confidence in Jesus (vv. 8-9)
Look at vv 8-9 with me…
Philippians 3:8-9 – More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of 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, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith
Paul previously thought God should “know him” because of his previous accomplishments
Once he had that encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, everything changed
Now all he wanted was to…
A. Value Knowing Christ and His righteousness above our accomplishments
Ironically, it isn’t until his resume is in the trash-heap that he gains Christ
If we hold on to all of the “this is why you should accept me’s” – we prove that we have not come to know or gain Christ
To truly know Jesus is to desire Him beyond all things (*repeat)
And anything that would threaten to get in the way is eagerly and readily tossed aside
What are you holding onto?
What is preventing you from diving headlong into the boundless pleasures that come with asking… “Who are you, Lord?”
Whatever you imagine that you would “lose” – Jesus promises that it is net GAIN
“On one side stands everything the world has to offer, including the privileged world of learned and disciplined Judaism. On the other side stands Jesus Christ and “the righteousness from God and is by faith.” Paul insists that there is no contest.” (D. A. Carson, Basics for Believers, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996, 84).
And once we have Him, once we know Him, we can…
B. Live confidently and expectantly in Christ
How did Paul begin this argument? What was his first command?
“be bummed in your circumstances”
“complain about the ways people have failed you”
“be sad because your resume is garbage”
No – he said: REJOICE… in the LORD!
That latter portion is just as essential as the first – it’s important to REJOICE – but not just in anything
*algebra – variable vs constants
Everything in life is a variable – your circumstances can change, your health can change, the people around you can change
What never changes?
“On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand”
If you are living to know Jesus, then you have the capacity to REJOICE in the LORD – confidently and expectantly
Where do we go from here?
III. Press on in your knowledge and commitment to Jesus (vv. 10-11)
The CSB translates the final portion of our passage like this…
“My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering, being conformed to his death assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.”
Likewise, verse 8 said, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”
There is a sweetness that comes from knowing Christ that cannot be found anywhere else – so sweet that Paul forsook all to get it
Brother Lawrence, a lay brother of the Carmelite monastery in the 17th century displays a beautiful depiction of this pursuit of knowing Him…
“I consider myself as the most wretched of men, full of sores and corruption, and who has committed all sorts of crimes against his King; touched with a sensible regret I confess to Him all my wickedness, I ask His forgiveness, I abandon myself in His hands, that He may do what He pleases with me. This King, full of mercy and goodness, very far from chastising me, embraces me with love, makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands, gives me the key of His treasures; He converses and delights Himself with me incessantly, in a thousand and a thousand ways, and treats me in all respects as His favourite. It is thus I consider myself from time to time in His holy presence. My most usual method is this simple attention, and such a general passionate regard to GOD; to whom I find myself often attached with greater sweetness and delight than that of an infant at the mother’s breast: so that if I dare use the expression, I should choose to call this state the bosom of GOD, for the inexpressible sweetness which I taste and experience there. If sometimes my thoughts wander from it by necessity or infirmity, I am presently recalled by inward motions, so charming and delicious that I am ashamed to mention them. I desire your reverence to reflect rather upon my great wretchedness, of which you are fully informed, than upon the great favours which GOD does me, all unworthy and ungrateful as I am….Yet I cannot bear that this should be called delusion; because the soul which thus enjoys GOD desires herein nothing but Him. If this be delusion in me, it belongs to GOD to remedy it. Let Him do what He pleases with me: I desire only Him, and to be wholly devoted Him.” – Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God (12).
Woah…
Do you think Brother Lawrence had a hard time rejoicing in the Lord?
And following the logic of our passage (specifically v 10), to know Jesus is also to become more like Him
So to become more like Him, we need to know Him…
A. Who He is and what He has done
Do you know what Jesus is like?
If I claimed to know David Crowder, you might ask me a question to test that knowledge
“oh yeah? What’s his wife’s name? Where does he live? What’s his favorite hobby?”
Because if I claim to know someone, it stands to follow that I would know a thing or two about them, correct?
And those things I would know about them would need to be accurate…
In other words, I can’t say his wife’s name is Debora when it’s really Toni (with an “i” – yes, I googled it)
So it is with Jesus – to know Him, we must have a deepening and accurate knowledge of who He is and what He’s done
Here are two basic and profound passages about who God is – what He is like and what He’s done:
Exodus 34:6-7a – Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin
Or another passage in Isaiah…
Isaiah 55:7-8 – Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
Isn’t He awesome??
The more I get to know Him and His ways (which are totally different than mine, but isn’t that exciting??), the more I come to know Him. To love Him. To rejoice in Him
Paul specifically points out his desire to know more of the…
B. Power of His Resurrection
Think about that for a minute… coming to know more about the power of Christ’s resurrection
Paul talks about this as well in Romans 8:
Romans 8:11 – But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
What would you rather think about – the best possible combination for Purdue’s starting offensive line this upcoming season, or the implications of the resurrection power that dwells in you (if you are in Christ)?
Dwelling on this is essential for the next portion – Paul wants to know Jesus so bad that He desires to endure the…
C. Fellowship of his sufferings
Suffering comes from at least 4 sources.
1) Living in a sin cursed world (Gen 3)
2) Living around sin cursed people (Gen 6)
3) Our own foolish choices (2 Sam 11 (David and Bathsheba))
4) Because we love Jesus
While Jesus never experienced suffering as a result of folly, He was acquainted with all the rest
When we likewise suffer, it can be a speed course on Christlikeness, allowing us to know Him more
And as we press on in our knowledge and commitment to Jesus, we can do so…
D. Knowing your future is secure
Verse 11 is certainly not an example of Paul’s lapse in confidence regarding his security in Christ
Rather, he was looking forward to the physical resurrection that he would one day enjoy in Christ (according to commentator Peter O’Brien)
That day, as Scripture says, will be totally different
1 Corinthians 13:12 – For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
A time is coming when our knowledge of Jesus will be vastly greater than our capacity to know Him now
But that shouldn’t stop us from rejoicing in the Lord today
Growing in our knowledge of Him today
Becoming more like Him today
Conclusion
In fact, the stakes couldn’t be any higher
Jesus paints a haunting picture in Matthew 7…
Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
Knowing Christ (and more importantly, Him knowing you) is worth the loss of all things for the sake of gaining Him
And 3 chapters later, He provides this encouragement:
Matthew 10:32 – “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”
That’s quite a bit better than David Crowder knowing my name…
Brothers and sisters: ask the question, “who are you, Lord?” He is faithful to answer
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