“Resolving to Know Christ”
INTRODUCTION
Good morning and Happy New Year. This is a time of year when we anticipate what the next year will bring. We have traditions of celebrating the previous year with family and friends. We also have traditions of setting expectations and hopes for the coming year. One way we do that is by making resolutions for ourselves that many times are forgotten after a short period of time all though they were well meaning. Here are some examples of resolutions made by a Mother:
ILLUSTRATION
A Mother’s Resolutions
1. When I forget to go to the grocery store, I will not boil the macaroni necklaces my children made for me in preschool.
2. I will pack the kids’ lunch boxes the night before so I don’t throw in a slab of frozen lasagna as they’re running for the bus. "It’ll defrost by lunch. If not, you can suck it like an ice pop."
3. I will resist the urge to explain to strangers why my son is wearing winter boots, a bathing suit bottom, and an inside-out and backward pajama top. I will be grateful that he is able to dress himself.
4. I will not tell my children that the Play-Doh dried up just because I don’t feel like cleaning up after they use it, even though I know it means I’ll spend the evening harvesting the colored stuff from the carpet fibers, chair cushions and the dog’s fur.
5. I will always protect the rights of my children, especially their right to remain silent.
6. I will learn to accept the outbursts and tantrums as a part of life. After all, I promised to love my husband for better or worse.
7. When my husband and I go to a restaurant without the kids, I will not roll up his sleeves or move the knives from his reach. I will not accompany him to the bathroom and remind him to wash his hands with soap. If my husband wants dessert at the end of the meal, I will not tell him it depends on his behavior.
10. I will develop an ability to have a conversation with an adult that doesn’t revolve around labor pains or children’s toilet habits. I will feel comfortable in the silence that ensues when neither of us can think of any other topic to discuss or remember we can always discuss the weather.
8. I will be more flexible about children’s nutritional requirements by counting the ketchup and green crayon as vegetables.
9. I will be a good, fair and loving parent to my children. I will provide them with enriching experiences and opportunities. I will give them a solid foundation on which to build a useful life. After all, they may eventually be responsible for choosing a nursing home for me to live out my final days.
Making a resolution requires:
I. Examination of ourselves and our priorities
II. Exertion
III. Expectation
IV. Encouragement
Today I encourage each of us to resolve as Paul did to Know Christ more personally and intimately than ever before. Then the Holy Spirit will guide us in changing the things in our life that the Lord wants us to change.
I. PAUL’S EXAMINATION Vs 4-11
A. OF HIMSELF vs 4-7
Paul starts by examining himself and he had every reason to boast in himself, his abilities and his accomplishments.
If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
1. He was a Jew by birth. He was not a proselyte.
2. He was born into the chosen race.
3. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. It was the same tribe Saul had come from.
4. He was a ’Hebrew of the Hebrews.’ Hebrew was Paul’s native tongue. Unlike some of the Israelites, he did not adopt Greek customs. He knew thoroughly both the language and customs of the people of God. He was a Hebrew son of Hebrew parents.
5. He was a Pharisee. It was the most orthodox party in Jerusalem.
6. He was zealous. What greater zeal for the Jewish religion could anyone boast of than that he persecuted the church? Paul did this relentlessly before his conversion to Christ (Acts 9:1-2). No Judaizer could match such zeal.
7. He was blameless regarding the law. That word means ’free from fault’. No one could find law-breaking behaviors in his life.
But, guess what? None of it mattered.
B. OF HIS PRIORITIES vs 8-11
7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
‘Profit’ is an accounting term referring to gains. He used to trust in the profit he received from his strict adherence to the law but not anymore. He used to be in the “in crowd.” Doors were opened for him. Opportunities abounded.
John MacArthur said “basically all religions boil down to “The Gospel of Human Achievement.” Except one! ‘The Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Paul denounced all of that “Gospel of Human Achievement.” In fact, all those things he did earlier were a loss now. He didn’t have any more confidence in those earthly advantages or accomplishments! He gave them up, for Christ’s sake!
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Paul counted the former things as “dung,” “rubbish.” Can he get any more descriptive than that? He gave up his “righteousness” and accepted Jesus Christ’s.
Paul wanted to “know” Christ as never before. There is a huge difference between knowing about someone and actually knowing the person. We all know “about” President George Bush. But when is the last time you sat down and had dinner with him? When is the last time you had a personal conversation with him? The word “know” that Paul uses comes from “ginosko.” It means to know experientially by personal involvement. It is much more than just knowing some facts about someone. Paul is saying here that he wants to personally know, personally relate to, personally experience and encounter Christ and we ought to have that same desire. As Christians we are to “know” Christ intimately. We ought to have a personal and intimate relationship with Christ. In John 10:14 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, and I know my own and my own know me.” The beauty of that text is that it shows the mutuality of “knowing.” It shows that we are “known” by God. It shows us that Jesus, God in the flesh, personally and intimately knows you and I. He knows all of our good, bad and ugly secrets. He knows us better than we do because he knows our past, present, and future. And he still chose to hang on a cross for you and for me so that we could personally and intimately “know” Him. He did that so that we could personally experience the redemptive power that flows out of the resurrection and draws us into an intimate relationship with Him out of gratitude. Every time that we mull over and focus upon what Christ did for us on the cross at Calvary, the blood he shed for you and for me, we share in his sufferings. We realize at that point how we could never deserve such an intimate relationship with a Holy and loving God. But it is offered freely to us.
We continue to share in His sufferings when we live as Christ, sacrificing ourselves for others as we serve them in Christ’s name. We share in his sufferings as we allow ourselves to be conformed more and more to be like Him when we endure trials and choose to trust Christ rather than seek our own desires.
Paul says, “I traded in my pedigree, I gave up my credentials for something much, much more valuable!” He gave up his own perceived righteousness and accepted the perfect, complete righteousness of Jesus Christ! And because God chose Paul, and Paul responded to that call, and accepted that offer of righteousness, He was given the opportunity for relationship with God!
Anyone looking at his life would have concluded that Paul had arrived. However, Paul knew the truth! He had not arrived, but was still working towards that ultimate goal - Perfect Christlikeness!
B. Paul’s response to his own life was a mark of spiritual maturity! (Ill. Beware of those people who think they have "arrived!" 1 Cor. 10:12; Gal. 6:3. We haven’t reached perfection yet, but we will one day!)
C. Paul realized that he wasn’t perfect, but he was not content to let that cause him to sit still on the Lord. Too many people will get discouraged with the lives they are living and will just quit on God. It is not so much a matter of if you will fail, but of when! Don’t let your failures cause you to drop out of the race for the Lord Jesus! If you have fallen, get back up, dust yourself off and start to run again!
II. PAUL’S EXERTION Vs 12-14
These verses are characterized by action terms. Paul is using very descriptive language to describe his Christian race.
A. V. 12b I Follow - Literally - "To run swiftly in order to catch a person, or a thing." It has reference to a hunter pursuing his prey. It also has the idea of a runner chasing the finish line. Whatever the goal, the picture is of pursuit. For Paul it was the hope of "apprehending" something. That word means "to lay hold on" What Paul is saying is, "I am pursuing the goal of laying hold on all that Jesus laid hold on me for." He realized that he had been saved for a purpose and that God had a plan for his life. Paul would not be satisfied until he had apprehended that for which he had been apprehended!
ILLUSTRATION
This chemlite has a purpose. It’s purpose is to shine light in a dark area. But it is not fulfilling it’s purpose right now. As we look closer we notice that there is something inside that is separated from the rest of the body. This chemlite will not fulfill its purpose until it is broken and shaken up. The same is true with us. We all have a God-given purpose and that is to shine the light of Christ in a dark world that does not know Him. When we receive Christ as personal Lord and Savior the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Unfortunately many of us are just "Stuck on Salvation". That is, we got saved, but that is as far as we have gone with the Lord! We tucked the Holy Spirit aside in a little capsule. You and I will not fulfill the purpose God has for our lives unless we allow Him to break us of our pride and the worldly habits we have become accustomed to. We do that by by reading His Word and by spending time in prayer while listening as much if not more than talking. Get at His feet and find out why He laid hold on your life. Then pursue that with the same passion that Christ pursued you. He did not allow anything to distract him or prevent him from dying on the cross for you.
B. V. 13a This One Thing I do - Paul as a specialist! Just like an Olympic athlete, Paul specialized in one thing: reaching the goal. Notice that he left the past behind him and he reached for the future. A man excels when he specializes. If you want to know the secret of Paul’s success, it is that Paul had a one track mind! Nothing was as important to him as was pleasing the Lord!
C. V. 13b Forgetting Those Things Which Are Behind - Paul said, "I refuse to look behind me at my past." The word forgetting means, "To cease to be affected by." If you run with your eye on past successes, then you will have the tendency to lay back and rest on your accomplishments. If you run with your eye on your past failures, then you will tend to stay back for fear of failing again!
D. V. 13c Reaching Forth - This phrase pictures the runner in a race as he nears the finish line. He can be seen to lean forward and strain for the goal. Paul tells us that he is "reaching out with all he has" to be sure that he wins his race!
Can we honestly say that we are straining to reach the goal? For most believers, the Christian life is a hit or miss proposition. That is, we just kind of take it as it comes. If we succeed for the Lord, then praise His name! If we happen to stumble and fall, it’s "Oh well, I’ll try and do better tomorrow!" Not Paul! He wasn’t content to sit around and wait for life to happen. No, he was busy making it happen! He was out there reaching for all he could become for Jesus. He was trying to reach his fullest potential for the glory of God.
E. V. 14a I Press Toward The Mark - The word Mark refers to the "goal that one has in view." In other words, Paul was oblivious to his surroundings, he was just heading for the goal. He wanted to finish well. Many runners begin a race well, but not all of them finish it well or finish at all. Notice that when he did reach the end of his life, he was able to leave behind the testimony that he had indeed run well. "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" 2 Tim 4:6-7.
There is a need for us to avoid the trap of becoming distracted by the events of this life. There is a mark, there is a goal and we should be striving for that goal in our lives!
III. PAUL’S EXPECTATION Vs. 14
A. Paul tells us in this verse that he is running for the "prize". This is the award presented to the victor in the race. Paul wanted to run a good race and he wanted t win the prize that God had for him!
Paul knew that the Lord called him for a reason. He called him to carry out his duty before he Lord. He also knew that successful completion of this goal would allow him to enjoy the rewards of the Lord. By the way, things are still the same! Jesus saved you to do a job for Him and for His kingdom! When we do what the Lord wants and we live our lives in pursuit of the prize, then we too will receive the rewards that come along with faithful service to the Lord, 1 Cor. 3:8; Matt. 25:21.
Paul got what he was after, "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.", 2 Tim. 4:8. Will we? Yes, but only if we run for the prize!
Notice that Paul refers to the prize as a "high calling". I want you to know that God did not save us so that we could continue to live like the world! He saved us that we might follow after Him and strive to be like Him in every detail of life. Treat your relationship with the Lord like the precious thing it is, by striving to live up to a "high calling."
IV. PAUL’S EXHORTATION Vs 15-16
A. In these verses Paul is simply telling is that this is the mature Christian attitude! Does this match your attitude of what the Christian life is supposed to be?
B. He then warns us that if we have a different opinion about how the Christian race should be run, then the Lord will deal with us in that matter. The only problem with that is that too many people are enjoying the race they are running and wouldn’t listen if the Lord did call them to run differently!
Conc: If we are to succeed in the Christian life and honor God by the lives we live, then we are going to have to run the race His way. We will have to run with our eyes upon Him. We will have to learn to turn a blind eye to the allurements of the world and a deaf ear to the siren song of compromise. If we will attain the prize of Christlikeness, then we will have to pay the price of dedication and struggle. It will be a hard fought victory, but in the end, when we see His face, it will be worth it all!
ILLUSTRATION
One day, a man hired an experienced guide to lead him on a hike into the Swiss Alps. After many hours, they came to a high and remote mountain pass. To the man’s dismay, he saw the path had almost been washed out. What could he do? To the left was a sheer rock cliff, to his right, a precipice that dropped nearly 1000 ft. Looking down, he felt his head growing faint and his knees beginning to buckle. At that moment his guide shouted, "Do not look down or you are a dead man, keep your eyes on me, and where I put my feet, put yours there as well." The man did as he was instructed and soon he passed from danger to safety. This is a good advice for the beginning of a new year. No one knows what lies ahead for any of us. We all have plans and dreams but the times and seasons of life are in God’s hands. Sooner or later we will come in a dangerous pass where the way ahead seems to be washed out. At that moment we can panic and fall into terrible trouble, or we can fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus and hear Him say, “In this world you will have trouble but take heart, I have overcome the world. Follow me and I will make your paths straight.”
