WHAT DOES IT MEAN, “TO KNOW GOD”?
PHILIPPIANS 3: 10
The English language has several uses for the word "know”.
Ø We can know the material that we've studied. We can instinctively know that someone will act in a prescribed manner. We can know what a person means even when they are unable to adequately express their emotions.
Ø But this isn't the way that Paul is using the word KNOW.
The Greek usage for “know” for this occurrence means "to know in an intimate way." Hang with me for a moment. The Greek word for “know” is virtually a mirror image of the Hebrew usage of “know” which we find in Genesis 4: 1 "And Adam knew Eve his wife…"
Ø an intimate and a deeply personal relationship.
That's what Paul wanted for his life, and that's what we need as well - to want to know Christ intimately, personally. "I don't what to just know about Him…I WANT TO KNOW HIM!" II. TIMOTHY 1: 12
Knowing Christ intimately was Paul's passion!
Let’s take a look at some of the Apostle’s thinking that brought him to the conclusion of Verse 10. Let’s take our Bibles and turn to VERSE 3 – “Put no confidence in the flesh.”
As far as the religion and practice of Judaism, Paul personified perfection and now since he “knows” Christ, he realizes that even the so-called passionate practice of Judaism wasn’t doing a thing to draw him into a personal relationship with God.
I like what Billy Graham once said, “just because you are born in a garage, it doesn’t make you an automobile.” Religious activities, Church attendance, working in the Church, though these are good models, they do nothing to bring us closer to Christ, in fact they can gives us a “false sense of a relationship with God”.
Let’s look at the “things” that Paul once thought to be important. VERSE 4 – 8a
All of them are now, in Paul’s thinking a waste of time, they are rubbish – why? Because none of them accomplish that for which Paul was so passionately seeking – VERSE 8b - 10
Here’s the big question. “If we like Paul are to find the reality and the power and the relationship that we see in Verses 9 & 10, who must be first in our life?”
I’m not going to attempt to define what “first” means – we all know and we also know when Christ isn’t in first place - been there – done that
When I was a wee boy I heard a song that, before I became a rebellious teen – it made its way deeply into the recesses of my spirit
Nothing but leaves for the Master o, how His loving heart grieves,
When instead of the fruit He is seeking, we offer Him nothing but leaves.
I acknowledge to you that there have been times when in the daily motion of my Christian life that I did just what that song portrays – I chose to indulge my own private time for me rather than giving it to God. I said, “now God, this is what I want and what I am going to do” instead of listening to and obeying His voice which I heard but chose to ignore. “Do you resemble those remarks”? If you are human, and you are, you’ve done the same thing.
Paul wanted to experience in his life the exact, the same power of God that raised Christ from the dead. It’s important that we see verses 10 and 11 in particular and discover how they are a paradox or a self-contradictory statement - that which is expected in the natural life, is in this scripture - reversed!
In the natural life we expect death before resurrection but here we see that Paul is praying for
1. knowing the power of God that raised Christ and then
2. he wants to become like Christ in His death and then
3. somehow attain to resurrection.
o Don’t worry – there is a very simple answer to this complicated scripture.
Paul is actually referring to the power of resurrection first and then to his desire to conform to the likeness of Christ. PHILIPPIANS 3: 10 – 11 J.B. Phillips if you have a copy
As we read Paul's Epistles, Resurrection and Resurrection Power are a common theme. 36% of "N.T. Resurrection references" occur in Paul's writings. Resurrection was one of Paul's heart-songs and the reason was simple.
Ø The results of Christ's resurrection had transformed him from a sinner into a saint.
Ø The result of Resurrection Power had filled his life with the joy and the strength and the courage and the hopes and the dreams that only God could give
ROMANS 8: 11 I CORINTHIANS 15: 17 I CORINTHIANS 15: 50 – 56
Did you catch the results of Christ's resurrection?
Ø It freed Paul from the sins of the past, present and future
Ø It forgave Paul his sins and cleansed his life
Ø It guaranteed him an eternal home in Heaven.
Possibly the most difficult and controversial portion of Paul’s epistles is found right here in Verse 10
Ø I want to suffer with Him - I want to share in His death - and so somehow ???? attain to the resurrection of the dead!
It almost sounds as if this “knowing Christ” is the result of a weird mind set –
Ø God, cause me, make me to suffer – I want to die just as Jesus died and then somehow I might attain resurrection from the dead!
Ø Not only is that morbid, but it is evil! Here is the way that God set it up – TITUS 3: 5
Let’s clear this passage up in a simple way – not with a theological treatise but so that we can understand the beauty and even the reason for the self-denial and self control aspects of living for God. “The power of His resurrection” and the “fellowship of His sufferings” are not two separate items –
Ø they are left and right, up and down – they are a pair – they cannot be separated.
Paul wants to know and experience the “power of God – the power of Christ” so that he can successfully say NO to himself and YES to anything and everything that God wants.
This scripture can be accurately presented as, “I want my personal nature so transformed that it is dead to itself and all things here below and alive only to God.”
Now here's what Paul is saying –
Ø if my goal and my passion are to intimately know Christ…Verse 10 and if
Ø I am to know the power of His resurrection… Verse 10 and if
Ø I really know what it means to truly honor Christ in my life
o then I need to be crucified TO ME so that I can live for God
Paul is declaring not what he is, but what he longs to be and if we're going to mature as God intended for us to mature then we must first of all desire to know God intimately.
I want us to sing – it’s really a prayer – a song of surrender and commitment.
Search me O God and know my heart today;
Try me, O Lord, and know my thoughts I pray:
See if there be some wicked way in me,
Cleanse me from every sin and set me free.
Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;
I now surrender- Lord, in me abide.
O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival- start the work in me:
Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessing now, O Lord, I humbly plead.
If we're really going to "spiritually grow" as God's children;
Ø if we’re going to move beyond where we are –
Ø if we are, like Paul serious about a real relationship with God, then there are some benchmarks that we must follow.
1. We must admit that thankfully we aren’t what we were and that we’re quite possibly not exactly where we should be right now.
Here’s the Apostle’s take on that very matter, VERSE 12 – 13a
Let’s think about this for a bit. The moment a Christian stops growing he begins molding and decaying.
Paul is in prison…he's chained…he's facing a martyr’s death but he still looks up and says, "I’m not quite where I should spiritually be at the moment”. Even this great man knew that he had a long ways to go so he then went on to say
Ø I still have more to do for God and there are still more victories out there and there's still more grace to claim…I'M NOT DONE YET…
So here he is in prison declaring that
Ø he cannot become all God has for him to become, if he takes his relationship with God, casually.
I’m not going to define in this message what “a casual relationship with God” may mean to me or to you – it is up to us to listen to God as He calls “come closer – come closer”.
When we listen to God’s voice we’re going to have to make some serious choices.
2. Here is the second benchmark that we must reach if we are going to experience the “power of Christ” in our lives. The Apostle knew that developing this kind of a relationship would take a concentrated discipline and the serious surrender of his will. VERSE 12b – 14
No one ever developed muscles by watching how-to videos.
The Greek renders “I press on” as –"I over exert myself, I over-extend myself"
There is nothing more heartbreaking than a Christian who becomes lazy and self-indulgent – been there and done that and I discovered that God can't do anything for a lazy, self-indulgent Christian because they are content with where they are and they’re content to plod along.
In the NYC 26.2 mile marathon – everyone – the one who crosses the first to the ones who run and walk and talk and eventually cross the line – everyone receives a finisher’s medal and they can all claim, “yes I ran the NYC marathon and I have a finishers medal to prove it.”
Are they really marathoners? NOOO – they are “also rans” who as Job said of himself “and I made it but only by the skin of my teeth” Job 19:20
Listen to what happens to real winners I CORINTHIANS 9: 25 II TIMOTHY 4: 7 – 8 I PETER 5: 4
Paul is teaching us…"no matter what happens…no matter how we feel…God has more out there for us than we can possibly imagine so let’s overexert ourselves in reaching for it – go for the gold”!
Here’s a recap of the first two benchmarks
1) I still have a long way to go and I dare not become satisfied with where I am.
2) The 2nd benchmark is – discipline – I must allow my mind and my attitude to be controlled by God and not me. ROMANS 12: 1 – 2
And now we come to the 3rd benchmark - a benchmark that we can only reach when we have successfully, through God surrendered our will to Christ.
Ø Attaining this 3rd benchmark is something that must spontaneously develop from living close to God
Ø “God here I am – I’m Your’s – take me – use me – my will is now joyously surrendered to Your will.
Let’s look at the last part of VERSE 12 – to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
It is important to see the importance of one little word in this scripture –
Ø it does not read “to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of ‘FOR” me but rather it reads –
Ø “which or when Christ took hold OF me.
o Paul is saying…Verse 10 "Christ took hold of me on the Damascus Road" and now I want to take hold of Christ"
When God took hold of us, when God saved us He had a specific purpose for our lives and we're called to "search it out, grab hold of it and run with it!"
VERSE 13
We must never, ever blame and permit our past…our present – excellent, good, bad or indifferent to dictate what we are today and what we will be tomorrow. I really like the way that The 20th. Century N.T. words Verse 13 "I strain with every nerve for that which lies ahead."
Ø If a runner wants to win, he can't afford to "look over his shoulder!” HEBREWS 12: 2
We dare not keep our eyes on
Ø people and circumstances and feelings –
Ø we’ll mess up every time we do that…we must
Ø keep our eyes on Christ and let Him deal with people and circumstances as we surrender our feelings to Christ.
We don’t need to keep a nervous finger on our spiritual pulse – God is faithful – He won’t let us get into trouble
Ø He’ll not only keep us aware of where we are, but He will also
Ø show us how to become that which He wants us to become – see it in VERSE 15
And Paul concludes with a plea. I particularly like the way that “The Message” words it – “now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.” There is another way to read Verse 16 –
Ø “don’t become comfortable with where we are – keep on…”
We’re going to sing a closing song – a song that we sang a few minutes ago and now that we’ve had more time to listen to God speak to us – we can possibly sing this song differently.
See the Song on Page 5.
