Do I Know Him?

Philippians 3-Part 3
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.   Philippians 3:10  (KJV)


LET IT GLOW

In the NLT verse 9 states: "I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith."

Righteousness? I can be righteous? I sure can't keep all of the Ten Commandments in one day, much less keep all those laws the Jews had. My righteousness is as filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6 tells me. Boy, I'd be in trouble if my righteousness depended upon me. I'm glad it doesn't. It's faith in Christ who clothes me in His righteousness so I can enter into the throne room before God. Besides that, He gives me the faith.

The foundation for Paul's spiritual life is in what Jesus has done for Paul, not what he has done, is doing, or will do for Jesus. And so it is for me. How about you?


LET IT GROW

Do I know? Whom do I know? Well, I know the President, the Osmonds, actors, singers, speakers, etc. Okay, I don't know them personally, but I can pick them out of a crowd. Of course, I know Jesus Christ as my Savior, too. Paul knew Him too, but wanted to know Jesus intimately. Come with me and see how Paul wanted to more about Jesus.

Holman Christian Standard Bible says in verse 10: "My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death."

New Living Translation says in verse 10: "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death."

Paul wanted to know four things: Christ, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, and conformity to His death.
This is Paul's goal-to know Christ. It was a simple plea of his heart. Paul wanted to know Jesus Christ as his complete Savior. He wanted to know Christ intimately, having  a fuller and richer experience, not just speculating about Him.

Shepherd's Notes says, "To know Christ is to be in an intimate relationship with Him, through faith. The person who knows Christ experiences the power of His Resurrection. For Paul, knowing Christ was better than the combined value of his former life. Christ exceeded everything else."

It is mind boggling to me to think that I can know and converse with the God who made this universe, who sustains everything, and He loves me.

"Paul's knowledge of Christ was imperfect; he knew but in part and therefore desired to know more of Christ, of the mystery and glories of His person, of the unsearchable riches of his grace, of His great salvation and the benefits of it, of His love, and to have a renewed and enlarged experience of communion with Him," states The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible.

Do I  know Christ intimately or do I keep Him at arm's length? Do I want to know Him intimately? He already knows me, inside and out, my thoughts and my heart, my past and my future.

Knowing Jesus means knowing the power of His resurrection, the new life that is imparted to us now, not when we die. (David Guzik)
Paul wanted to set his affections on things above, walk in newness of life, in likeness or imitation of Christ's resurrection. (John Gill)
The power of Chrsit's resurrection was seen after He was crucified, dead, and buried as God raised Him from death. Paul wants to kill sin in himself and be raised to newness of life. He was willing to do anything or suffer anything to attain resurrection. (Matthew Henry)

That sounds good, a bit challenging, but good. Agree?

Paul wanted to know Jesus in the fellowship of His sufferings.
Wait a minute, isn't that going a bit far? You mean I should be willing to suffer for Jesus? Paul was. Jesus did for me. Hmm. I see.

"Our apostle rejoiced in his sufferings for Christ, and was desirous of filling up the afflictions of Christ in his flesh, for his body's sake, the church," stated John Gill.

It is a part of following Jesus and being in  Christ. Suffering is a part of our heritage as "King's Kids"-we get to be part of the family of suffering (Romans 8:17). David Guzik
Get to? Oh, I never looked at suffering that way. It's a privilege to suffer for Christ. I considered it a result of my following Christ that I suffered.

In Luke 9:23, Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
Sounds like I have to get to the point of total surrender to whatever is God's will.

Lastly, Paul wanted to be conformed to Jesus' death. Either Paul was referring to a spiritual sense of dying daily unto sin (1Cor.15:31), having affections and lusts crucified (Gal.5:24), deeds of the body morified (Rom.8:13), and so planted in the likeness of His death (Rom.6:5), or he was referring to a corporeal sense, dying for Jesus (2Cor.4:10) and ready to suffer it whenever called to it. (John Gill)

To Paul, this was a goal worthy of any means to attain. Of course, one would have to die in order to be resurrected. Since Paul wrote this having experienced more suffering than I will ever experience, and he wrote it from imprisonment, this is a lived-out theology, not just a theory. (Paul did die a  martyr's death in Rome later.)

I do want to know Christ. I leave the suffering part and my death to Him. How about you?


LET IT GO

Stay clothed in Christ's righteousness.

Make it my goal knowing Christ  intimately.

Rejoice.