Message By Eddie DSouza on August 30, 2026

Passage: Philippians 3:1–11

Topics: The Person of Christ, The Supremacy of Christ

I have been a Christian since November 2001. That is nearly a quarter of a century. As far as I can remember—for over twenty years—my favorite verse has been Philippians 3:8. “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” (I had a KJV translation with me back then). I am grateful to God for preserving me in the faith thus far and allowing me to preach this passage.

Before we get into the sermon itself, I want to bring the first verse to your attention to frame the passage in its proper context. Paul says that he is repeating himself. So this is connected with what he has said before. Moreover, his main point is a command: rejoice in the Lord. Regarding this command, seventeenth-century English pastor, Richard Baxter says, “The same God commandeth you to rejoice, who commandeth you to hear, and prayer and repent.”[1] You are commanded to rejoice in the Lord. Make the Lord your source of joy. The lasting source of true joy is not in the world but in God. This text explains why rejoicing in the Lord would be an appropriate response.

We rejoice in the Lord because of Christ’s surpassing worth. Christ’s surpassing worth is not merely our source of the greatest, deepest, and lasting joy, but because of Christ’s surpassing worth we abandon every other ground of confidence, count everything else as loss, seek to be found in him, and desire above all to know him.

So, there are five important outcomes of treasuring Christ above everything else in this passage. First, because Christ is worth more, I put no confidence in the flesh. That is, Christ is my confidence. Second, because Christ is worth more, I suffer the loss of all things. Christ revalues my achievements and possessions. Third, because Christ is worth more, I want to be found in him. Christ replaces my righteousness with his. Fourth, because Christ is worth more, I want to know him—even through suffering and resurrection. Christ becomes my deepest desire. Finally, because Christ is worth more, I rejoice in him. Christ becomes my greatest pleasure. Five points: my confidence, my gain, my righteousness, my goal, my joy.

My Confidence

Because Christ is worth more, I put no confidence in the flesh. Look at vv. 2–3. Paul warns the Philippians to watch out for the Judaizers who taught that Gentiles needed to observe Jewish practices to enjoy the benefits of the Jewish Messiah. Their logic is simple. The promises, the covenants, the kingdom belong to Israel (cf. Rom 9:4–5). Therefore, since Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise, the inaugurator of the new covenant in his blood, and the king of the kingdom of God, then Gentiles cannot join in without proselytizing to Judaism as well.

However, the Judaizers are wrong to conclude that the nations are to become Jewish. Paul asserts that the church is the circumcision. Look at v. 3. Jew or Gentile, we are the circumcision. That is, we are Israelites. We do not become Israelites by observing external practices, including the practice of circumcision. Paul calls it a mutilation (v. 2).

Look at that threefold warning against the Judaizers in v. 2. Look out for the dogs; look out for those workers of evil; look out for the mutilators. That is very strong language! Paul has the OT warnings in mind when he warns the Philippians of external religious observances.

Take, for example, Jeremiah 9:23–26. Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.” Jeremiah makes it clear that there is a difference between a ritual act of circumcision of the flesh and what God demands. God demands not outward conformity but genuine treasuring of him.

God said in Jeremiah that the ones circumcised in their heart boast in him, in knowing him. Now come back to Philippians. What does Paul say about who the church is? We are the circumcision. We who worship God in spirit. Do you remember Jesus’s words to the Samaritan woman in John 4? We are the circumcision who glory in Jesus. The word translated “glory” can be translated as “boast.” It is the same word in Jeremiah as well as in Philippians.

Therefore, we put no confidence in the flesh. Gentiles do not need to practice the outward ritual that the Jews had. We do not have other grounds of confidence, Jewish or from our own religious backgrounds anywhere in the world. We boast in Jesus. He is our confidence. The rock-bottom foundation on which our salvation is established is in the person of Jesus.

My Gain

Paul discovered that his true gain is Christ and put no confidence in the flesh. Look at vv. 3–8. He reminds the Philippians that he actually had reason to have confidence in the flesh. Many people do. However, he shows them that he had more reason to have confidence in the flesh because of his zealous Pharisaism. However, he counts it all as loss (v. 7).

Now, in order to make this more explicit, I will suggest that we read vv. 7–8 as follows. “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss on account of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss on account of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my lord. On account of him, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish.” What I have done is made all three places that the Greek preposition ‘dia with the accusative’ shows up to say “on account of.” In the ESV it says “for the sake of,” “because of,” and “for the his sake.” All of them are proper ways to translate it. However, I want you to see that it is the same underlying structure so that you can clearly see the beauty of what Paul is saying. So, I suggest that we read all three instances with “on account of” for consistency.

When Paul says in v. 7, “Whatever was gain to me, I now consider as loss for the sake of Christ,” as the ESV or NIV says, or “because of Christ,” as the NASB says, it does not mean that Paul blames Christ for his losses. The stock market crashed, and investors lost billions. That is not what Paul means.

The context makes it clear that Paul does not mean to blame Jesus in any way. However, we need more information. What is not clear is why, on account of Jesus, Paul counts all things that were gain to him as loss. Did Jesus threaten him to do so? Has Jesus promised anything to those who count their gain as loss?

More information comes in v. 8. He says, “Yes indeed! I count all things as loss, on account of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Knowing Jesus is worth more than all the gain that Paul had. He revalues his achievements and possessions in the light of the high value of knowing Jesus.

Because Christ is worth more, Paul counts whatever gain he had as loss, as well as suffers the loss of all things and counts them as rubbish. These two are slightly different. The first one describes Paul’s achievements or credentials. Whatever he was, he counts as loss on account of knowing Christ. Second, whatever he possesses, that is, continues to possess, he suffers loss on account of Christ. He continues to suffer loss for the sake of Christ. If v. 7 describes an attitude, v. 8 goes a step further, describing his attitude to the present and ongoing experience of suffering.

Because of the surpassing worth of Jesus himself, Paul says I want to gain Christ (v. 8). Paul does not care about what he loses. He knows what he wants to gain. He wants Christ as his gain. He treasures Christ over everything else. Knowing Christ revalues everything.

My Righteousness

Paul has another purpose in counting all things as loss. He says, “Because Christ is worth more, I want to be found in him.” Look at v. 9. Christ replaces my righteousness with his. Paul says that he wants to be found in Christ. He wants to be united with Christ. He does not want to gain Christ as a possession for his collection. He wants to be found in Christ. He is Christ’s possession.

Remember Jesus’s words in John 15.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Paul says he wants to be united with Jesus, to abide in Jesus, to be nourished by the vine that Jesus is. To drink from the fountain of life. To have life and vitality that does not come from himself but comes from Christ.

Paul said earlier in Phil 3:6 that he was blameless as to the law. He had earned a righteousness that came from the law. But he no longer desires that. He desires the righteousness which comes through faith in Christ. This is the righteousness from God that is based on faith.

Remember what Romans 3 teaches:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe… Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Remember what we heard from Jeremiah. God wants us to boast in him and not in our works.

It is lawful, it is according to the law and the prophets, the whole OT, that we are to desire to uphold the law by having a righteousness that is not based on works but based on faith. Christ replaces my righteousness with his.

My Goal

Because Christ is worth more, I want to know him—even through suffering and resurrection. Christ becomes my deepest desire. Look at v. 10. Paul is not merely willing to suffer to gain Christ; he wants to share in the suffering of Christ. He wants to have the resurrection with which Christ has been raised. Paul wants to know Christ so intimately that he wants to experience what Christ experienced in suffering, death, and resurrection in his life and beyond.

No, Paul is not depressed nor suicidal in any way. He does not desire pain and suffering for the sake of pain and suffering. He wants to know Jesus in such a manner that he fellowships with Jesus in every way.

This becomes a bit clearer to us when we consider the underlying word translated ‘becoming like him.’ The underlying word appears only once in the NT. It can be translated as continually conforming myself to his death or continually being conformed to his death. Remember, in Romans 6, he says we are buried with Christ. He has the same idea here: his whole life with all its suffering is a conformation to the death of Christ. That is why he says we apostles are like men sentenced to death (1 Cor 4:9). He is not ashamed to carry his cross daily and conform himself to the death of Christ in his service for Christ.

His goal to know Christ intimately is to attain the resurrection from the dead. He does not want to be among those of whom it will be said, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt 7:23). He wants Jesus to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He wants Jesus to say, “Enter into my joy.” His goal is the resurrection of the dead—to be with Jesus forever.

This life, with all its hardships, is the way to the end. He does not mind the hardships of the journey not only because the end is desirable but because the company in his journey is also Jesus. His life is fellowship with the sufferings of Jesus. His resurrection life is fellowship with the glory of Jesus.

My Joy

Finally, because Christ is worth more, I rejoice in him. Christ becomes my greatest pleasure. I am not gloomy, dejected, depressed, unable to press on, or finished. I am joyful, grateful, on the way to meet Jesus face to face. My faith will become sight. My joy is Jesus. Whether I finish this sermon or not; whether I make it home tonight or not; whether I preach next Sunday as scheduled or not, I do not know. But this much I know for sure: my last stop will be Jesus, my joy.

That is what Paul knew for sure. He wanted the Philippians to get that. Despite everything going on in life, this was the most important teaching: rejoice in the Lord! Treasure Christ our Lord, for he is the rock-bottom foundation of our faith. If Christ is not worth more than everything else in your life, then there will not only be reduced joy in your life, there will be no solid ground for confidence; you will have to work hard in the rat race of life for credentials; you will have to earn your own righteousness; and be torn between various desires… all for nothing. There is no purpose to any of it unless they are found in Christ.

Conclusion

Ask yourself these questions. What am I trusting for my salvation? If the answer is not Jesus, you have no salvation. What am I willing to lose? If the answer is not everything, you cannot have Jesus. What do I want to gain? If the answer is not Jesus, you are wasting your life. Whom do I ultimately want to know? If the answer is not Jesus, you have no hope in a fallen world. What do I most delight in? If the answer is not Jesus, your joy will be shallow and short-lived.

Jesus is of surpassing worth. Do not let him pass you by this morning. In all your getting, get Jesus.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baxter, Richard. The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter. Translated by William Orme. Vol. 3. James Duncan, 1830.

 

[1] Richard Baxter, The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter, trans. William Orme (James Duncan, 1830), 3:324.