I Want To Know Him - Really Know Him
INTRODUCTION
So many sermons could be preached from this passage of scripture we are studying today. However, we have studied Christian joy so much lately, and even though it is very important, we re going to by pass Paul’s treatment of this subject today and go beyond that point and look carefully at other parts of his message to us.
To Paul, conversion was not just a moment that he experienced on the Damascus Road. So many people feel that you can go to some altar, have an experience with Jesus and that it all there is to it. Conversion is something that stays with you. It is not just for the moment. True, it happens in a moment, but it continues for a lifetime. God, through Christ, sets us aside and prepares us to be used for His glory. We bring Him nothing; we have nothing to offer Him but ourselves and our entire life. Paul deals with the idea that some think they have so much to offer Christ.
I. PAUL’S PRIVILEGES.
A. Circumcised then he was eight days old.
This was the commandment of God to Abraham. Genesis 17:12 (NLT) "From generation to generation, every male child must be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth. This applies not only to members of your family but also to the servants born in your household and the foreign-born servants whom you have purchased." This commandment has been repeated as a permanent Law of Israel: Leviticus 12:3 (NLT) On the eighth day the boy’s foreskin must be circumcised. Paul is saying that he was born into the Jewish faith and knows its privileges and observed its ceremonies since his birth.
B. He was of the race of Israel.
When the Jewish people wanted to stress their special relationship to God it was the word Israelite they used. That was the name given Jacob after he has wrestled with the angel. Genesis 32:28 (NLT) “'Your name will no longer be Jacob,'” the man told him. “'From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.'” By calling himself an Israelite, Paul was stressing the absolute purity of his descent.
C. He was of the tribe of Benjamin.
Not only was he an n Israelite; he belonged to the elite of Israel. The tribe of Benjamin has a special place in Israel. Benjamin was the child of Rachel and was the only one of the 23 patriarchs to be born in the Pro missed Land. It was from the tribe of Benjamin that the first king of Israel had come. Then Paul went on to list his accomplishments..
II. PAUL’S ACOMPLISHMENTS.
A. A Hebrew born of Hebrew parents.
He was a true Israelite. He still spoke the Hebrew language.
B. He was a trained Pharisee.
C. He was a persecutor of the church.
D. He was blameless according to the Law.
E. But then God broke through.
Philippians 3:7-8 (NLT) 7 "I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ..."
III. I WANT TO REALLY KNOW CHRIST - WHAT IT MEANS.
A. To KNOW Christ means to KNOW Him through personal, experiential knowledge.
Not to know FACTS about Him or doctrine about Him.It should be the goal of every believer to know Him personally. And this is a life-long process. When the Bible tells us that we are to believe in Jesus for salvation, it never means that we are to believe certain facts about Him. These facts are important, but the area that needs to be addressed is commitment. Paul mentioned three very important things he wanted to fully know about Christ.
B. To know the POWER of His resurrection.
He wanted the experience the POWER of the Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead. Do you know that the power of the Holy Spirit is available to every believer? He has raised us from SPIRITUAL death. And from physical death in the future Romans 8:11 (NIV) "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
WOW! OH WOW!
C. To know the FELLOWSHIP of His suffering.
Lady at Alpharetta First Baptist wanted to know what that means. Paul wasn’t talking about death on the cross. He couldn’t share in that experience.
4. But Paul wanted to participate with Christ in suffering for the gospel. Even though he had suffered for the gospel and was I imprisoned now: He was willing to experience even MORE suffering for the gospel. Colossians 1:24 (NIV) "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church."
Believers share His death as we DIE to sin and our former life.
D. To be fully UNITED with Christ.
When we are fully united with Christ, we experience that power that raised Him from the dead. That same MIGHTY power will help us live NEW lives: Lives that have been CHANGED by the power of God.
CONCLUSION
To KNOW Christ is not to be skilled in theology; it is to know Him with such intimacy that in the end we are as united with Him as we are with those we love on earth. And we share in HIS experiences.