I want you to look around you and see the people that you come in contact with from day today. Ask yourself a couple of questions. Do you know them? If so, how well do you know them? Would you like to know some of them better? Maybe some of you are thinking about some individual you would like to know better. Have you ever heard the song,” Getting to Know You, Getting to Know More about You.”? It’s pretty exciting starting to know someone. Maybe some of you wish they didn’t know some individuals as well as they do. It wasn’t always that way. Whatever the case, you can see the meaning of the word know is relative to the degree you have chosen to know. How well we know someone or something is totally dependent on our effort to know that person or thing. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, addresses the subject of knowing someone he wanted to know, Jesus Christ.
Please refer to Philippians chapter 3 verse 10.
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.
In the previous verses the Apostle gives us a brief qualification of himself as a religious man. This was not a man that lacked discipline. Starting at verse 4 – 8 he tells us that he was an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin a “Hebrew of Hebrews “. He was a Pharisee so he knew the law. As a matter of fact he studied under one of the most respected teachers of that day, Gamaliel. This guy had it together. According to the law he was blameless. But this all changed one day while he was headed to the city of Damascus. You see, he was on a mission. He had in his possession authorization to gather the Christians in Damascus to persecute them. When Jesus appeared to him, the bible states in Acts chapter 9, the glory of the Lord was so bright it blinded him and knocked him off his horse. The short conversation that Paul had with the Lord, changed his life. He had to get to know this person.
In our getting to know Christ, we will find that what was so important to us fades in the excellence of knowing Him. This will reveal itself as a passionate desire to know Him more.
That I Might Know Him.
To what depth was Paul speaking in reference to knowing Christ. The word “Know”, or ginosko as it is in the original, means to absolutely know, To be sure. To understand.
Barnes, in his commentary, says “To be fully acquainted with His nature, His character, His work, and with the salvation He has wrought out.”
In a moment the Apostle Paul realized that the things he thought were so important to him weren’t that important anymore. Verse 7, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. “
I can remember when the most important things to my son Matthew were fixing up his car, the latest computer game, payday, food and T.V. Then he met a girl. All his priorities changed. All of the things that were important to him were replaced by an intense desire to “Get to know her”. He fell in love. The apostle Paul fell in love on the road to Damascus.
His desire to know Christ was so intense that he was willing to forget about himself and actually know Christ to the point of taking on His identity. To lay aside his own way of doing right to allow the righteousness of Christ to come forth in him.
In verse 8 he said that all he was and all he had done to be who he was, became lost for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ. And to be found in Him, Verse 9, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul wanted to merge into Christ. To be lost in the image of the Son of God. To be consumed by His glory to the point to where there was no definition between Christ and Paul.
The apostle Paul tells us that there is no way that he could aspire to such a level of righteousness so it must be the righteousness of God through the Faith of Christ.
In his letter to the Christians at Rome he says in reference to this righteousness in chapter 5 verses 16 & 17,
And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. [17] If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
It is not even our faith but it is “through the Faith of Christ”. In Hebrews 12:2 we read;
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
And in Ephesians. 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
To Know Christ in this manner is to become one with Christ. To lose all identity and identify with Christ.
This is the plan of God. In His prayer for the disciples in John Chapter 17 Jesus is praying for us to His Father. Starting at verse 19
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. [20] Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; [21] That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. [22] And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: [23] I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
We cannot reach this level of knowledge by our will or our actions, but we must completely abandon our will and our righteousness and step into Christ. We read in Psalms 24 verses 3-5,
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? [4] He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. [5] He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Jim Elliot was a missionary to South America. In his commitment to knowing Jesus he said, “He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Jim Elliot gave his life for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ a long time before he was killed by a tribe of headhunters.
Paul expounds on this knowledge in three areas in order to express the depth of his desire.
The first is His resurrection power. This word “Power” expressed here comes from the Greek word “dunamis” which is defined as force, miraculous power, ability, abundance, might, strength. It is where we get our word dynamite.
The power that was manifested at Christ’s resurrection was greater than any power manifested in history.
Jesus was dead. Satan and every demon in hell was in opposition to his resurrection. Yet the grave could not hold Him. Hallelujah!!! This power is available to us as children of God. This power is always working in our behalf. Ephes. 1:19 states,
And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
This resurrection power is a Quickening Power. This power creates life and it resides in the believer. Romans 8;11; But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
The power dwells in you. A stick of dynamite doesn’t manifest any power until it explodes. In Romans chapter 12; 2 we read … and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. This word transformed is interesting. It is metamorphoo. It means to change, transfigure or as it is translated here transform. Literally it means to allow that which you have received to break out and be expressed. It is the same word that was translated transfigured in Matthew 17; 2 when on the mount Jesus was “Transfigured” before his disciples. At that moment they no longer saw Jesus the man but they saw Christ the Son of God shining forth and talking to the 2 prophets, Moses and Elias. Wow, so what Paul is exhorting us to do is to,”…not allow the world to force us into its mold but allow that which we have received to shine forth”. THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD!
This is an Unmatched Power not bound by the restrictions of our intellect or words as referred to in Ephes. 3:20
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
We can only recognize this power by knowing Him because He is that power.
In John 11:24-25 Jesus makes this profession Himself.
Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. [25] Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Through an intimate knowledge of Jesus this power can be manifested to the world.
The second area of knowing Christ that Paul speaks of here is not as appealing as the previous. We like the power. We look for the manifestations. But we cannot know Christ in that way until we are willing to experience this.
And the fellowship of his sufferings,
Let’s think about how Christ suffered.
Who hurt Christ? Let’s look at a prophecy concerning this in Zechariah 13:6.
And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
We like the power, DYNAMITE. It makes things happen.
Paul desired to know Christ even to the extent of fellowshipping in his sufferings. This word fellowship is “koininia”. It means to partnership or to be a participant. We need to identify with Christ in this way also.
Christ gave Himself for us. He put himself in harms way that he might deliver us.
Titus 2:14 says that Hegave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Are we willing to give of ourselves in that degree that we may be able to bring deliverance? Or do we have our limits? I cannot make myself operate for any length of time in this capacity. Yet it is our responsibility as children of God to go to the gates of hell and snatch people from the power of Satan.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27
Now understand that this can only come by having that intimate relationship with Christ. The only way that this can be manifested is by participating in Christ’s burden and allowing Him to take the lead in our lives. We really only have one responsibility and that is to know Him. By knowing Him, He will be manifested in and through us.
The third area Paul takes about here in Philippians 3, 10 is:
Being made conformable unto his death.
Conformable is “Summorphos” to be jointly formed, similar, fashioned like unto.
Becoming as Christ was at the time of His death.
How was Christ at the time of His death? Turn to Luke 22; 42
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
This is the greatest obstacle we face. Our will. Oh how great the hand of God could move if He was not hindered by us.
We have to understand everything. Sometimes God moves in ways that are so high above our ways that it is beyond our comprehension.
We have a responsibility to follow on to know the Lord. This is His will for you.
In conclusion I would like to read from Matthew 7:21-23.
Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
What is His will for you? His will is that you come to know Him and become one with Him.
Let’s continue, verse [22] many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
It is not in the shout, and I love the shout.
It is not in the song, though music is important to me.
It is not in the weeping, and nothing is as refreshing as a good cry.
It is not in the laughter, even though a merry maketh like a medicine.
It is in an intimate, one on one personal relationship that comes from complete surrender to the person of Christ.
It’s all about Him.
IT IS IN THE KNOWING.