23/08/2026
08.23.2026 | SUNDAY SERVICE
MAKE YOUR LIFE COUNT
- Ptr. Don Ganhinhin
📖Philippians 3:7–10
Introduction:
Everyone wants his or her life to count.
We want to make a difference. We want our family to remember us. We want our work to have meaning. We want to leave something behind that will outlive us.
But here is an important question:
“What really makes a life count?”
Is it money?
Is it education?
Is it position?
Is it popularity?
Is it the size of our house?
Is it the number of people who know our name?
Is it how successful we become?
The apostle Paul was a man who had everything the world values—status, education, influence, religious achievement. Yet in Philippians 3, he gives us a startling testimony: none of those things ultimately count.
Philippians 3:7–10, Shows us what it truly means to make life count—not by achievement, but by knowing God intimately.
I. LIFE COUNTS WHEN YOUR VALUES CHANGED- (Philippians 3:7) “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”
**Before Christ, Paul valued: His heritage; his citizenship; his education: his moral discipline; his reputation among men
But after encountering Christ, Paul did not merely adjust his priorities—he abandoned his old value system altogether.
**What changed? Not his intelligence. Not his circumstances. But his heart.
He discovered Christ. And when he discovered Christ, the things he once considered valuable were no longer at the center of his life.
Paul was essentially saying: “I have discovered what is truly worth living for.”
**A life that truly counts must be evaluated not by what we accumulate, but by what we are willing to surrender for Christ.
II. LIFE COUNTS WHEN YOUR SUPREME PURSUIT IS TO
KNOW CHRIST - (Philippians 3:8)
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
Notice Paul does not say Christ is one of many important things. He says Christ is of surpassing worth—above everything else. To Paul, knowing Christ is not merely beneficial—it is incomparable.
The word “knowing” here does not mean intellectual awareness. It speaks of personal, relational, experiential knowledge. This is not knowing about Christ.
This is knowing Christ as Lord. Paul says he has “suffered the loss of all things” and considers them “rubbish”—a word that refers to what is worthless,
discarded, and unfit to cling to.
Why? “In order that I may gain Christ.”
You cannot cling tightly to the world and fully grasp Christ at the same time.
III. LIFE COUNTS WHEN YOU RESTS IN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS
OF CHRIST (Philippians 3:9)
“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…”
Here Paul addresses the very heart of the gospel. Before Christ, Paul trusted in his own righteousness—his obedience, discipline, and religious performance. But now, he renounces all self-effort and rests entirely in the righteousness that comes from God.
To “be found in Him” means to stand before God clothed not in our goodness, but in Christ’s.
A life that counts is not built on what we have done for God, but on what Christ has done for us.
IV. LIFE COUNTS WHEN YOU PURSUES DEEPER FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST - (Philippians 3:10)
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”
Knowing Christ is not a one-time event—it is a lifelong pursuit.
Paul longs to know:
The power of Christ’s resurrection—His living, transforming strength.
The fellowship of His sufferings—sharing in Christ’s obedience, humility, and sacrifice
**Paul understood that intimacy with Christ is forged not only in victory, but also in suffering.
To know Christ deeply is to walk with Him through both triumph and trial.
APPLICATION:
How do we live out Philippians 3:7–10 this week?
1.Examine Your Values.
Ask honestly: What do I count as “gain”? What competes with Christ in my heart?
2. Pursue Christ Daily.
Knowing God intimately requires time in His Word, prayer, and obedience—not as routine, but
as relationship.
3. Release Self-Righteousness. Stop striving to earn what Christ has already secured. Rest in His finished work.
4. Embrace the Cost of Discipleship.
Intimacy with Christ may involve sacrifice—but it always leads to eternal gain.
CONCLUSION:
Everything fades—achievements, applause, and earthly
success. But one thing remains:
“The surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord.” You may not have Paul’s resume but you can have Paul’s passion.
, may it be said of us that when all else is stripped away, we chose what mattered most—not knowing more things, but knowing God deeply.
To God be the glory!
