We have been learning that the counting of loss is not about diminishing the lesser but learning how to magnify the greater. Paul’s points in the last few verses were not that his former joys were unfounded but that in Jesus he has found a far greater joy. Our witness is at times hurt by two things not recognizing the surpassing joy that is in Jesus and attempting to exalt Jesus by diminishing lesser things. Jesus stands on His own, He does not need us to poke holes in the lesser things but to actually live from the fullness of His sufficiency. If we were truly joyful in Christ and over Christ we would never need to point out the diminishing value of lesser things because the increasing greatness of Jesus would be evident not only to us but through us. When Jesus is truly seen, there is no need to diminish the lesser, the greatness of Jesus does that all by itself, as the song says, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Tonight, we move from knowledge to fellowship, from the utmost height of Paul’s definition of knowing Jesus toward the ultimate outcome of having unity with each other. Paul’s point continues to be that the lesser things divide us but the true joy of knowing Jesus leads to the true treasure of living in unity with each other.