But whatever things, whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for sake of Christ indeed that I may count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith, that I may know Him in the power of His resurrection and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead, not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me His own. May God richly bless both the reading and the hearing of His Holy Word. Now last Sunday night I began, or we, in preaching from Matthew 6 verses 19 through 21, we were laying a basis for sort of setting our chart for the new year that is upon us and therefore we're taking a little break from the book of Acts. I haven't forgotten about Acts, but I wanted to set the course for our mindset, preparing us for the year that is upon us. And we try to do this every January and I wanted to do so by challenging us or not challenging us, but really reminding us of the importance both individually and corporately of minding our treasure, evaluating our treasure. Now I know I remember growing up or being part of Southern Baptist circles when as it relates to stewardship and it is a staple in our teaching on stewardship that stewardship includes time, talent and treasure, but I want to look at treasure beyond that as part of our stewardship and I would argue that a proper sense of Christian stewardship begins with cherishing our true and greatest treasure and that treasure determines the priorities for our talents. It establishes the priority for our use of time and it establishes the priority that we place on our physical treasures which are secondary. So Matthew 6 becomes our launching pad over these next few weeks or next few messages in terms of establishing our treasure. Now in looking at Matthew 6, 19 through 21 and I want to kind of segue back into our text. In Matthew 6, specifically in verse 19, Jesus says not to lay up treasure on earth and look in and making that statement he is not saying that we are to deny or denigrate the value of physical possessions or earthly pleasures. We'll look at that. He's not saying when he says do not lay up your treasures on the earth. He is not saying don't enjoy and don't use things that are given to us in the earth. And then when he admonishes us positively in verse 20 to lay up our treasures in heaven instead of on earth, he is not telling us to send stuff up to heaven for safe keeping. That's not what he said. But rather by heavenly treasures what Jesus means and will flesh this out from other portions of New Testament scriptures. But by earthly or heavenly treasures what he means is the reconciled relationship that we have with the Father through the Son. And so that's the treasure that is laid up. And when he tells us to lay it up, he's not telling us to send up but he's really admonishing or encouraging his listeners to embrace by faith what God gives us in the gospel. Now let me demonstrate this in other portions of New Testament scripture. This treasure that Jesus tells us to lay up in heaven is what the Apostle Paul alludes to in Colossians chapter 1 verse 5. And here's the way he expresses it. He talks about the hope. Now notice the phrase here. The hope laid up for you in heaven. And then he goes on to connect it to our inheritance. But notice that phrase laid up for you which means you don't send anything up. Okay. But also in first Peter, first Peter chapter 1 verse 4. And you'll notice the similarity of Peter's words who was here when Jesus spoke the words in Matthew 6. But you'll notice the similarity. And first Peter chapter 1 verse 4 Peter talks about an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading. Now that corresponds to what Jesus says where Moth can't get to it. It can't deteriorate and thieves can't get to it. Okay. You notice the correlation, the similarity of adjectives that are used or the descriptions that are given. But then Peter also says this. He says that this inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading is kept for you, kept for you in heaven. It is kept for you by God's power who is guarding it. So again, he says this inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded. So the treasure that Jesus says we are to lay up is not anything that we are to send up. But it is something that we are to embrace by faith. And that treasure is undefiled. It is imperishable and it's unfading. And it corresponds to what Jesus says in Matthew 6 that it won't rust and no one can break in and steal it. And the reason it can't be stolen is because it's guarded by God himself. Now, in according to Peter, so again, when Jesus talks about laying up treasures in heaven, he is not telling us to do anything as if we are the ones who are laying up. But what both Peter and Paul tell us is that the heavenly treasures, if you have it, it has been laid up for you and you receive it by faith. And the point that's being made here is that that which is laid up for us and it will be revealed fully at a later date has benefits and pleasures for us right now. And so therefore, Jesus is not telling us to do anything. He is simply telling us, when he tells us, therefore in chapter 6 verse 20 or in verse 19, when he says don't lay up treasure in earth, basically what he is doing is he is telling us to value what has been laid up for us in heaven as of greater, as of the greatest treasure that we can possess. So he says in verse 20, lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, but in verse 19, don't lay up treasures on earth. And so what he is saying is don't put a higher value on the stuff that is fading over that which is laid up for you, which is not fading if that makes any sense. Now, the greatest treasure is what gives us our greatest pleasure. See, the our highest pleasure is what, there's a connection between pleasure and treasure. And so therefore, he tells us in verse 21 that wherever the heart is, the treasure is because the greatest pleasure is what drives our pursuits. See, what it is that we desire is what drives our pursuits and that's what establishes our priority. So two summary statements before we move from Jesus' words in Matthew 6 and transition over to Paul's words in Philippians chapter 3, 2 summary thoughts. One, according to Matthew 6, 19, if our greatest pleasures and the pursuits that drive and define us and establish our priorities, if these things are established by earthly things, then we will invariably end up in frustration. So if the things that define us, if the things that establish our priorities, and if the things that give us our greatest pleasure can be stolen, can lose its value or can fade, then we will always end up in frustration. Now, by the way, that which, and because what he's talking about is the thing that you treasure is what determines how your time is spent, how your earthly treasures are spent and what your priorities are, and how your talents are used. The thing that gives you, and what Jesus is saying, according to Matthew 6, 19, is that if your priorities, if your life's priorities are established by your bank account, rather than your bank account being controlled by a greater treasure, then you're always going to be frustrated. You're always going to have stuff to complain about. There's never going to be enough. There's always going to be problems. If your time is controlled by anything by stuff that you see or stuff that will perish, again, you will always end in frustration. And likewise, if your talents are controlled by that which you see, that which is on earth, then it is your headed for futility. Now brothers and sisters, when we look at our own individual Christian lives, isn't that our case? Isn't that the problem? Isn't that where our sanctification part of where our sanctification lies? That sometimes we have invested too much of our time, our earthly treasures, or our talents to stuff that fades, and it has caused us to not properly value. In other words, we've put eternal value on stuff that's not eternal. But then second, second summary thought from chapter 6 before we move to Philippians 3 is according to verse 21 of chapter 6, where Jesus says that where the heart is, the treasure will be also. And the point here is that the heart, Jesus makes it clear that the heart reveals the treasure of a person. The heart is what will tell you what the treasure is, and the treasure is what establishes the priorities of pursuit and usage. You see, the heart, the heart is always connected to the treasure. And so whatever the heart has established its priority, it's according to what the treasure is. The heart reveals what the treasure is, but the treasure, that which we treasure tells us what our greatest pleasure is. Now that's basically what Jesus is saying in Matthew 6. He never says that food is not important. He never says that clothing is not important. He never says that money is not important, but he says it's not your greatest treasure. And so later in that same chapter when the disciples are wanting to pray, he says when you pray, don't bog your prayers down and all that stuff. It's not that it's not important, but your father knows. But you need to, if you're going to write a check, then write it on a greater treasure. In other words, if you're going to seek the power of the universe, then it ought to be according to a different treasure. And understanding the greatest treasure is what will put you in mind to seek from God or to approach God from a different vantage point. And this is what brings us to our passage this morning, where we see lived out or at least verbalized in the words of Paul, really what Jesus is admonishing in Matthew 6. The first thing that I want to call attention to is Paul's statement in verse 7, where he in very succinct terms, and I would dare say with poetic flair, Paul makes the case that the gospel is the greatest treasure. He makes that case. He doesn't specifically use the language of treasure and gospel, but notice what he says, which he calls the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. That is a summary of what the gospel is. It is to no Christ. And this knowledge of Christ, Paul says that it is of surpassing worth. In other words, what Paul is saying, see the end of which we are given in the gospel is the gift of the righteousness of Christ. So for Paul, the greatest treasure treasure that is beyond the worth of anything else is the worth of knowing what is revealed to us in the gospel, the knowledge of Christ. And so it's for this reason that he calls it the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. This is the treasure of such great worth that Paul says he says that there is nothing that is worth comparing to it. There is nothing he calls and think about that for a moment. What is the greatest treasure that a fallen human can discover in this life? And Paul equates it with the knowledge of Christ at the level of the gospel. It is worth, it is beyond anything else. It is the worth of it is greater than any religious experience. It is greater than any physical or earthly possession. It is in fact, it is as such, it is so valuable to no Christ. And all that is presented of him in the gospel that Paul says that everything else should be considered as loss. Powerful statement. Powerful statement. What is it that is worthy of being considered as loss? Everything else, all of his religious experiences. That's what he does in verses, in the verses that precede, verse seven, that he talks about his religious pedigree. And he says, I count all of that as loss. Brothers and sisters, think about that. Everything, every spiritual high, Paul says he was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He was a Jew among Jews. He was everything that you wanted but to no Christ as Christ is presented in the gospel is of surpassing worth, far greater worth than anything that men could say about me. He said, okay, well, of course, his religious experience was without Christ so it's natural that he would consider it loss. But then look at what else Paul had lost. Paul's Paul had lost physical stuff as well because of his embrace of the gospel. And he says, everything that I lost is not worth what I gained. There's nothing that I've lost that is not more valuable than what I have gained in knowing Christ. But he takes it further. He says, there's nothing that I have. That's what he's saying when he says all things. There is nothing that I have lost in my before I came to Christ. There is nothing that I have lost since I have come to Christ and there is nothing that I presently possess that is of more worth to me than knowing Jesus. Now, is that religious hyperbole? Brothers and sisters, I know what we have been programmed to say. But is knowing Jesus? Look, check, check whatever it is that you have that is the most valuable thing is knowing Jesus of more worth than watching your bank account. Don't don't answer loud. Hey, man, don't don't answer loud. Is knowing Jesus of more worth than whatever you may gain in this world? Is it more valuable? Is it the most controlling aspect of your time? Knowing Jesus does it establish the priorities of how you are to use your talents? That's what Paul says here. He says to know him, to know Jesus is of surpassing worth that everything else and the word and and boy, if you want to get scholars, blue in the face, purple in the face or just red in the face, Christian scholars, you get them in a room to discuss the worth that's translated as rubbish. Because that's one of the reasons the old King James reached dawn. Because what Paul is saying that everything else that I have and everything else that I thought was worth something and everything that I have lost and anything that I could possibly gain in this world is not more valuable to me than to know Jesus. Brothers and sisters, that's what controls the talents of Paul, knowing Jesus. That is what controls not only the talents of Paul, that's why he made himself of Novel, that's why he says I am poured out as a drink offering. Why? Because to know Jesus is of great value than saving myself. That's what controls how he uses his earthly treasures. The knowledge of Jesus is greater than whatever revenue I have lost or gained and so it ought to be for us collectively. Knowledge of Jesus, John Calvin says it this way, he says, let us therefore learn from this, the value that we should set upon the knowledge of Christ alone. So in light of Matthew 621, since the gospel which is the knowledge of Christ is Paul's greatest treasure, his heart is inflamed by the gospel and his life's priorities are established by the gospel. There's one place in the Old Testament, we kind of see this fleshed out for us. David, who is certainly an example, an Old Testament example of what Paul talks about in Psalms 27 verse 4, David says, one thing I have desired of the Lord. In other words, the one passion of my heart, my greatest treasure is to be in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and notice what he says and the one thing I have desired and have sought after. Now is it any wonder that David is the greatest contributor not only to the the building of the tabernacle or the temple, but also the books or the words and songs of praise and worship. He wrote more Psalms than anyone else because his heart, the treasure that controlled his heart was the knowledge of God. Brothers and sisters, what Paul is telling us here is that what is of surpassing worth to him greater than anything he lost before he came to Christ and greater than anything that he lost because he came to Christ and greater than anything that he presently possessed was the knowledge of Jesus. Wow, the knowledge of Jesus. Can you imagine that thought, the knowledge of Jesus? And it's interesting that what is it that has caused us to run down rapid trails? What is it that has occupied more of our time than we would be willing to admit? It is not always the knowledge of Jesus. I'm not trying to shame anyone. I'm simply saying that as we enter into this new year, if you are in Christ and Christ is your greatest treasure, but our problem in our lives is we don't always recognize the value of the treasure. And so Paul gives us the first thing. He says the knowledge of Jesus. That's why I love that song. More about Jesus. And unfortunately, it's like, okay, I've got five minutes, but give me five minutes more. But Paul says, no, more, more about Jesus, more of Jesus. Let me hear. Let me hear him say, how many times can't, how can you get tired of Jesus saying, I love you? How can we grow weary in knowing that he lived for our righteousness? Did you ever get tired of hearing that he lived for my righteousness and died for my sins? But here's the problem. When the problem is, we know that that is our treasure, but there are other attachments that cause us to minimize the value of that treasure, and we raise the value of stuff that ought to be secondary. And that leads us to the second thing. In this passage in verse 8, the end of verse 8, Paul makes another statement. And he says, and I count them, speaking of everything that he presently possess, as well as stuff that he had lost because of his faith, he says at the end of verse 8, I count them as rubbish. And here's the phrase, in order that I may gain Christ. And it's that phrase that I may gain Christ that I want to consider because these are the words of a believer. And if he's a believer, then what does that mean? It means that he's already by faith in possession of Christ. So if he is already gained Christ, then what does he mean by gaining Christ in this context? And I think that is the challenge that ought to be hours individually and corporately throughout, as we begin this year, to gain Christ. He said, well, wait a minute, we're already half Christ. Yeah, you do. But let's open up what he means by gaining Christ because he considers the knowledge of Christ of surpassing worth greater than anything else that he has experienced. So what does he mean in this context for a believer to gain Christ? And I think the best way to put it is to explain what Paul was saying here is to really kind of look at what Paul says elsewhere. What he means here is, as we see, for instance, in Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 5 verses 15 and 16 where Paul says this, he says, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. And in some translations, I think in the King James, it says, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil, redeeming the time because the days are evil. And so basically what Paul means there is that everyone is given time, and then he goes on to talk about to know the will of God. And so here's what he's means by redeeming the time, the words that's translated there, is almost that you have to make an effort to properly use your time. You have to make time. People ask, well, how do you get time to do this? You don't. You just make it. And that's what Paul is saying, redeeming the time because the days are evil and when you live in evil days, you will always be challenged in terms of how you use your time. So when he says, redeeming the time, what he means there is to make a conscious effort to set apart your time. By the way, that's one of the reasons we have a problem with the Lord's day because we don't put forth an effort to guard it. You know, people talk about and we see more here in Miami where you have yards and no fences. But you know, we had selfish neighbors in California because you know, your elementary school, you play a football, your football field is your neighbor's lawn. And you're lawn and, you know, so all those connected lawns, and you just play football, and then neighbors didn't like kids playing on their lawn. So you know what they did is they put fences up. And it made it harder. In fact, it cut your football field in half. If your neighbor on either side put a fence up. But I noticed that here we don't have as many fences and so people can can therefore invade the space and and and park up on, you know, the sidewalk and all the rest of it because there are no gates to keep you out. There are no fences that have been set up and part of the problem with the Sabbath that that people have with the Sabbath. The reason anything can run through it is because we haven't put any fences up. So when Paul says in Ephesians that redeem the time, the world will tell you, it's Sunday is the day to get ready for Monday, but the redeem you have to make it an effort. You have to put forth an effort. And so when he says that that I may gain Christ, what he's not talking about is gaining him unto salvation, but the idea of the sentiment that's expressed here is that he will not allow anything to interfere, to interfere with or obscure the surpassing worth of knowing Christ in the same way that you have to put forth time to redeem or put forth an effort to redeem the Lord's time. Therefore, we also must put forth an effort to make sure that nothing outshines. Nothing is deemed more valuable than the knowledge of Christ. The point that he is making is that when you live in Ephesians is that when you live in evil days, you can be so consumed by the evil of the day that the glory of the Lord can be eclipsed. And so likewise, when Paul speaks of gaining Christ in this context, what he means is not allowing things that have been lost or things that are presently possess to not allow any of that to diminish the surpassing worth of the knowledge of Jesus. In other words, there's a defense that's used sometimes in the court that I'm guilty by reason of temporary insanity. In other words, I'm usually fairly sane, but in that moment I lost it and I acted in a way that's inconsistent with the way I normally act. And some people will use that. He went temporarily insane. But brothers and sisters, every time every time we are surrounded by stuff good or bad, Christians have a tendency to become temporarily insane. We are either driven crazy by the stuff that's going on and forget that Jesus is better. Or sometimes we are consumed by the stuff that we have in our pockets and we forget Jesus is better. So therefore because we have diminished the present value of Christ, we everything becomes crisis. We're scared of next week because we forget right now Jesus is better. We're afraid and so people, we listen to the prognosticators and we turn on our financial news and we see trouble brewing and we forget that we'll be all right. We forget that Jesus is better and that he's in control. When we find ourselves depressed, we forget Jesus is bigger than my pain. When we've been wrong by others, we forget. More greater is he who is for you than he who it is that is against you. So we pay all the lip service to the one who is against us and we diminish the one who is for us. Paul says that here is the knowledge that is worth, that is of surpassing work to know Jesus. The knowledge of Jesus is of greater treasure and value than anything that I have lost. Anything that I have lost prior to knowing Christ, anything that I have lost because of Christ and anything that I presently possess and he says therefore I'm striving to gain him. That's what he means when he tells the the the Ephesians at the end of his letter and he he gives all the prayer petitions in chapter six and he says and pray for me, pray for me that I would I would see that a door would be open and that when that door is open that I would preach the gospel as I ought. Now why would he make such a possession or such a petition because as he was asking the church to pray, he was imprisoned and sometimes in prison you think more of the change that binds you physically than you will of the Savior who sets you free and Paul is saying in essence I may be chained to an unbeliever and God forbid the only thing that he hears from me is nobody knows the trouble I see. He says let me see and what he's asking is not that opportunities would be given opportunities are given when you know what the treasure is and he's praying that his his grasp of the treasure that is Christ would not be obscured by his physical imprisonment so that when opportunity presents itself that he would open his mouth as he ought and the word of the gospel would have three course through him. Brothers and sisters Paul has told us in the first place that the knowledge of Christ is of the greatest value it's the most valuable thing that he possesses is to know Jesus and him crucified and the reason it's of greater value because it it tells him not only of right now but it tells him that there it gets better that's why it's in book of the Philippians Paul says I'm torn between so I don't know it's it's it's better for you for me to be here but for me the best thing is to be with Jesus I know him and I know that there's nothing better than to know him and to be with him and what he said set forth before me is it I'll be with him for all eternity we get to be in his presence for all eternity that's of great enduring knowledge brothers and sisters living in a fallen world as fallen people there are things that compete and tell us that things are of more value more importance than the knowledge of Christ the gospel itself it's propagation as well as it's embrace and so Paul therefore secondly praise that that he would gain Christ that he would know him and not to the point of you know sometimes you try to tell people well you know the Lord loves you and and in your your will be okay I say well I know but and and and that's what Paul is I think what he's praying for deliver me from putting a but on the knowledge that I am loved by such a Jesus that brings us to the third and final thing that I want to consider from this passage and it comes from verse 12 and verse 12 Paul having told us that the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus as Lord can't be valued by anything else but now in verse 12 he gives us a reason for this pressing pursuit to gain the knowledge of Christ now here's what we're used to in verse 12 we we love that statement where he says I'm pressing I'm pressing onward and and so he tells us in verse 12 he says not that I've already obtained or am already perfect but I press on I press on that's what that's what we pray that that we would press on but but notice the motive that he gives for pressing on the motive that he gives for pressing on it's not because of what he'll gain in the future see if we're not pressing on we're not pressing on so that we can or Paul says he's not pressing on so that he can get something in the future but he says the reason I am pressing on in other words the reason I am making such a concerted effort to not allow anything to eclipse the beauty and the worth of the treasure that is Jesus the reason for it is real simple because brothers and sisters Jesus has made me his own that's why why why is it that he's pressing on why and he goes on to say I'm pressing on to the upward calling in Christ Jesus he's not pressing on so that he because he doesn't know what the end will be what drives him what drives him is not the the golden crown that's in front of him what drives him is the knowledge that Jesus has claimed him as his own Jesus the eternal second person of the Godhead has condescended into human flesh and sought out an enemy of the church and an enemy of God and has claimed him as his own and the knowledge that Jesus has claimed him as his own he who was without sin became sin for us left his riches in glory to seek out this center that's why Paul would say elsewhere he came to die for centers of whom I am chief Paul doesn't put future glory as a reason for seeking to gain a right knowledge of Christ he puts this as his motive I want to know Jesus more because he's claimed me as his own no conditions on that brothers and sisters you are known and you are loved by an everlasting loving God and Jesus has forever identified with your flesh here is what ought to drive us not so that we can get something because we have been given this tremendous privilege that when no one else could and no one else would reconcile you to God Jesus did and when we when our prayers are offered before the Father he doesn't look at our prayers and and check down the list to see well what did he didn't ask for this before isn't this the one but the last time yes he know what he hears is not our foolishness the merits by which he gives us our hearts desire is not ours he sees us through the righteousness of the Sun and that's why Paul says there is no greater treasure than the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus as my Lord and I have to fight to make sure that the stock markets don't eclipse the worth of that treasure I have to fight to make sure that the sin around me doesn't diminish the beauty of that treasure brothers and sisters violence in the cities and disease in the hospitals does not diminish the worth of the fact that he loved me and he has claimed me as his own and so we fight to let that knowledge control our affections because where your treasure is that's where your heart is whatever your whatever your heart gravitates to it's because that's where your treasure is and I pray brothers and sisters that our treasures the greatest thing that we treasure this year is not what we've lost and is not fear of what we'll face but the thing that will trump above all things is the knowledge of Jesus and that he has claimed you as his own and he will never leave nor forsake you that's the greatest treasure and I pray that we would see its value even as the days continue to grow evil. Amen