Greetings Friends -
A week ago, I had the opportunity to preach at my alma mater during their Monday night evening chapel. You can find the sermon audio below or you can click here to find the audio along with other sermons of mine. You can also click here to find the video of the sermon.
"I count everything as loss," says Paul, "because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." The driving force behind the Apostles ability to endure persecution, success, and opposition was an understanding in what they had in Jesus. "The surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus" was Paul called it. It was a knowledge of God that altered their lives, it changed who they were and where they placed their hope at a fundamental level. One of the reason I love Paul is that he represents both sides of the spectrum, on the one side, he had achieved everything the world could offer in regards to success (Phil. 3:4-6). And on the other side, he gave everything up when he found Jesus (Phil. 3:7-11).
I'm reminded of the story Jesus tells in Matthew 13, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." After coming into contact with the treasure, what made sense to this man was to give everything up so he could have the treasure. It was the only logical decision in light of what he had found. Our tendency is to read this story and begin thinking (maybe dreading) about what we must give up. But, this story is far more about what the man found than what he gave up. Jesus is the treasure. For the man it was a changing of perspective, it was no longer placing identity, worth, value, and purpose in the things he owns. But rather, exchanging those for what he had found in a greater treasure, Jesus. Our identity in Christ is the only identity that can sustain us through the good times and the bad. It is what carries us through troubles, failures, success, joys, depression, and everything in between.
May we recognize the ways we throw our hearts are pulled toward things which won't last.
May we lay down ourselves for the "surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus."
May we open our hearts and minds to the treasure we have in Jesus.
And may we be found in him recognizing the God who is for us and loves us.