Knowing Jesus Experientially Philippians 3:8-11, NRSV Massanetta Springs Conference Center, July 19-21, 2013 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. INTRO: Review: We have looked at the passion and drive of Paul with his deep desire to know Christ above anything else. Today we ask the question, what does mean to know Christ personally, experientially? How is this done? ILL: David Loleng story about knowing CS Lewis. 1. A Better Knowledge of Christ s Person (vv. 8-9) "In order that I may gain Christ and be found in him" A. Know that God found you and offers His righteousness to you. 1. Reformed understanding is that God is sovereign, and God is continually reaching out to humanity, all we need to do is to reach to God's extension of love through faith. not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. A. There is nothing you do to obtain this righteousness/right standing before God, in Paul's case especially by strict adherence to the Law, or any rules or regulations but by faith 1. Grace is the free gift of God constituted by faith A. The greatest thing that has ever happened to Apostle Paul: knowing Christ. The greatest thing that will ever happen to Paul, knowing Christ better. Knowing Christ does not stop at a past understanding Knowing Christ can be categorized in two stages - intellectual knowledge and personal knowledge Intellectual knowledge is knowing about Christ: his existence, his relevance, and validity.
a. Apostles creed: And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; b. Even the demons knew who Jesus was but it was intellectual knowledge. 1. A person can have intellectual knowledge of Christ, but they must go further in their understanding to a personal knowledge. a. Knowing Christ does not stop an an intellectual knowledge but but the transition must take place from intellectual knowledge to a personal knowledge. 1. Paul says, I consider everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord 2. Not just Lord, or everyone s Lord or lord of the PCUSA but writes MY lord! This is personal. Intellectual conviction concerning Jesus must lead inevitably to moral demand...faith and trust. 1. If Jesus is Lord of my thinking, he must be Lord of my acting 2. If Jesus is Savior in my convictions, he must save me of my sin. 3. This requires a response of faith and an act of trust 4. EX: Say you want to go to London. It s like boarding a plane. Intellectual conviction tells you that it is really an airplane, that it can fly, and it will take you to London. All these things are necessary, but inadequate to get you to London. You must eventually get on the plane. 5. Knowing Jesus is the same way. At some point in a person s life they must take the step of acting on what you know. When you do this, you begin to align your life in the way Jesus created us to live. 6. ILL: James Cheung, The Big Story. Three words to know Christ better i. Time - through God word, learning of God, the spiritual disciplines: silence, solitude, journaling. ii. Talk - continuous conversation, especially when you are reading scripture. "Lord, I don't understand that!" The more you talk to God the more you talk about your inner most feelings. 1. Five levels of communication: cliche, information, ideas,
iii. emotions, heart to heart Trust 1. Some people never learn of Christ's faithfulness because they never put themselves in a position where they are dependent solely upon God faithfulness. A Better Knowledge of Christ s Power (v. 10a) I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection A. Do you think Paul wanted to intellectually know about the resurrection of Jesus Christ? 1. The word of "know" means to know by experience. 2. He did not want to know a past event in history. He did not want to simply know what happens to Jesus. 3. Paul wants to experientially know the resurrection but also the power. 4. So, how does one do that if Christ already did that? A. "power" means the ability to overcome resistance. 1. The power which brought Christ forth from the dead now operates in believers lives since they have been raised with Christ (Col. 3:1). How? 2. Power to overcome sin 3. When you live your life in Christlikeness there are things in your life that you know pulls you always from God. 4. Paul is setting forth his goals and ambitions as an example to follow. He wanted to so much be like Christ and united to Christ, A Better Knowledge of Christ s Passion (v. 10c-11) and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. a. This does not mean that Paul wanted to die for the sins of the world the way that Christ did. b. Eph 5:2 Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 1. Paul is urging us to be like Christ in his death...to love with selfgiving Calvary love. c. Paul wanted to join in Christ s sufferings in a different sense. He wanted to stand with Christ in such an indivisible union that when the abuses and persecution that Christ suffered also fell
on him, as he knew they would, he could receive them a Jesus did. He wanted to react like Jesus, for to the extent he would endure abuse from the world, it would draw him closer to the Lord. d. Where difficult times and pain draws us closer to the Lord e. Complete obedience to God f. Suffering is a part of the Christian life. a. Passages on Suffering a. Bob and Ginger lifestyle [read from Stowell s book] Joseph Stowell in Far From Home says, When our spirituality is characterized by self-sufficiency rather than a God-sufficiency, we rarely feel the need to depend on God, nor do we often find our souls consumed with a passionate desire for Him. (p. 44) How does one experience Christ? Colossians 3:12-17 As God s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 1. compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience 2. practicing forgivness with love 3. Thankfulness 4. Read God word 5. worship 6. model Jesus