Do You Really Know The Lord?
Philippians 3:7-11
Now we’ve studied from Paul’s epistle to the Philippian believers on numerous occasions before and found by doing so that this particular epistle has come to be known over the years as the epistle of Christian joy. I believe the reason will be made evident as you study the 4 chapters that make up Paul’s epistle to the Philippians. Even though Paul was in prison while writing this particular book of the Bible he still used the word joy 6 times, and the word rejoice or rejoiced NLT 9 times. And friend that says a great deal about the apostle Paul, and the wonderful relationship that he not only had with the Philippian believers, but with Christ Himself. Even though he was in prison at this point in his life and even though he didn’t know if he was going to live or die, Paul still spoke of the joy of the Lord.
However as close as Paul was to the Lord, he still had a desire to develop a closer relationship with Christ. And my what an example he set for you and I in doing so. I believe that these verses that God has directed our hearts to this morning will reveal the great passion of the apostle Paul’s life was to really know the Lord! STAND>>>>>>>
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I felt led of the Lord to zero in on the first 5 words of verse #10 of our text this morning, and while doing so, ask each one of you a question and use that question as the title of the message for this hour. And that simply would be, DO YOU REALLY KNOW THE LORD?
I love to study the history behind the hymns of the church that we often sing, and while doing so one day I discovered that Eliza Edmunds Hewitt was an invalid for an extended period of her life. But out of those dark days of her life, she developed a very intimate relationship with the Lord. Because of her great desire to share with others just how wonderful the Lord had been to her, she would often express her feelings in poems. In fact many of her poems were put to music, such as “There is Sunshine In My Soul Today” or that great hymn of the church that we often sing here at Calvary, “When We All Get To Heaven”.
But one of my favorite poems that Ms. Hewitt had put to music was inspired one day while reading our key text here in Philippians chapter #3. It was based on verse #10 of Phillippians chapter #3 that Eliza Edmunds Hewitt gave us the great hymn of the church, MORE ABOUT JESUS.
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show,
More of His saving fullness see,
More of His love Who died for me.
You see even though Ms. Hewitt knew the Lord in salvation, she wanted to know the Lord more. She wanted a closer walk, with the One that had loved her enough to save her soul from hell.
And dear friend as we’ve read these verses before us again this morning, I believe that the apostle Paul tells us that the great passion of his life was to know more about Jesus. His prayer in the first 5 words of verse #10 was, “THAT I MAY KNOW HIM”. You see friend, that knowledge of Christ that Paul sought was more than a theological, intellectual, or a theoretical knowledge. Paul sought an experiential knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is to say that Paul wanted to know the Lord in a very personal way. Paul wanted to walk the way the Lord walked. He wanted to talk the way the Lord talked. He wanted the word Christian to mean something in his life. Because Paul wanted to be like Christ! And if Paul was to be more like Christ it would be because he had come to know the Lord in a more intimate, personal way.
You see dear friend, all believers have met Christ and have trusted them as their Savior, but not all believers today really know Christ. All believers know about Christ but yet may not know him in a close, intimate, and personal way. It was an experiential knowledge of Christ that Paul sought. In fact Paul stressed in verse #10 of our text that he had such a desire to know Christ, that he didn’t only want to know Him, but he also wanted to know the POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION.
Because to know the Lord in the way that Paul wanted to know the Lord was to live in the victory of the power of Christ’s resurrection. Paul not only wanted to know the Power of the Lord’s resurrection, but he also wanted to know THE FELLOWSHIP OF CHRIST’S SUFFERINGS. And the word “fellowship” implies the idea of joint participation. Paul was simply saying if it means that I have to suffer for the cause of Christ in order to develop a closer relationship with the Lord SO BE IT! Paul wanted to know the fellowship of the Lord’s sufferings (And you’ll find by studying the life of the apostle Paul - Paul most certainly did.
And then Paul said at the later portion of verse #10, “I’m willing to be made conformable to his death if it means a more personal relationship with the Lord”. The word conform means to bring to the same form with some other person. And the death that Paul was referring to in verse #10 was the death of Christ. A death that exemplified total selflessness. My what a statement then! Paul was simply saying, “I don’t want my life to revolve around me - I want my life to revolve around HIM!
That’s what persuaded Paul to say in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
George Mueller was once asked the secret of the great life that he lived for God. He replied by saying, “There was a day when I died. Died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will. Died to the world, its approval or censure. Died to the approval or disapproval of even my brethren or friends, and since then I have studied to show myself approved only unto God.
Friend can I tell you this morning, If we are to know Christ, as Paul longed to know Christ there must be an enthronement of the Savior, and a dethronement of self! That’s what it means to be made comformable unto His death! Let me tell child of God, this thing of serving God doesn’t revolve around you! It revolves around the Lord! And the sooner you understand that the sooner you’ll quit throwing in the towel every Monday morning when it comes to living for God! So what, you didn’t get the recognition from men that you thought you deserved. So what if it seems like man doesn’t appreciate you that way you think that man should appreciate you! Are you doing what you’re doing in the name of Christ for the glory of man or the glory of God? Let me tell you something friend, it shouldn’t matter to you whether or not men recognizes you or what you do in the name of Christ, because if you really have a desire to know the Lord, then it’ll be your hearts desire for God to get the glory anyway!
This thing of serving God - It’s not about you friend! It’s about the Lord, and knowing the Lord, and developing a personal relationship with the King of kings and the Lord of lords. I want you to know this morning that if you have a desire to know the Lord as Paul had a desire to know the Lord, the only thing that’s going to matter to you is whether or not God has got the glory, and whether or not God has got the praise for the great things that HE has done!
Therefore let me ask you again this morning DO YOU REALLY KNOW THE LORD? I realize that there is people here this morning that have been saved longer than I’ve been alive. However I want you to know that it’s possible to know the Lord in salvation and not know the Lord in surrender. Paul was one of the greatest men of God that was ever born of a woman, but yet even he had a desire to know the Lord. That tells me that it’s possible to be saved and on your way to heaven and still not really know the Lord!
Do you have a close personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Or are you one of those folks that say either with their lips or with their lives, “Well if I just make it to heaven, that’s all I’m interested in”. Well friend I can assure you with that kind of attitude you’ll never know the Lord the way that Paul wanted to know the Lord! Paul said, ‘THAT I MAY KNOW HIM”
Paul said, “I don’t want to settle for an average run of the mill Christian life I want to Know the Lord! I mean really know Him. I want to know the Lord in the since of walking like He walks and talking like He talks. I want every area of my life to exhibit Christ. When people look at me - I want people to see Christ. When people listen to me preach I want them to hear Christ! And Paul said, “If that’s ever going to happen, I’m going to have to know Christ! And therefore that’s my heart’s desire. That’s my overwhelming passion! That’s the prayer of my heart. TO KNOW CHRIST!
And can I tell you Christian friend. That ought to be your hearts prayer! And that ought to be my hearts prayer! To know Christ! Don’t you think that it would make a difference in your life if you really knew Christ? Why certainly it would! It would make a difference in your home daddy if you really knew Christ. It would make a difference at the house of God, if each member of Calvary Baptist Church really had a desire (as Paul did to know Christ) I believe one of the saddest statements of our day, is that out of the multitudes of people that have been saved all over the world today, only a very few of them really know Christ.
I believe there are three things that the Bible as a whole teaches about really KNOWING Christ.
1. THERE IS A CALL TO REALLY KNOW CHRIST.
I believe with all of my heart that from the very first verse of the Bible, God is calling to the believer - KNOW ME MORE. Get to know me better! Get saved yes! Trust Christ yes! That’s the most important decision that you’ll ever make in a lifetime. In fact I sent my Son, and my Son gave His life in order for you to be saved. (Central Theme of all of the Bible) However after you get saved. After you trust Christ as your Savior - Begin to grow in the things of the Lord by getting to know the Lord better! I believe that there is a call to really Know Christ in the Bible?
I believe one of the things that persuaded Paul to write the words, “That I may know Him” in verse #10 was the fact that he knew as much as they had then of the Bible. And even in the OT, in the Psalms, in the Proverbs, in the historical books, even in the Pentateuch, there was a call that Paul simply couldn’t get away from, and that was the call to really know the Lord! And Paul having read and studied the Bible, had developed a hunger to heed that call! Let me ask you Christian friend, HAVE YOU THAT HUNGER?
In the 42nd Psalm the Psalmist said, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:” Let me ask you child of God, do you thirst after God like that? God longs for you too, or He would have never included those verses in His Bible.
I’m simply saying this morning that there is a call to know Christ all throughout the Word of God. There is not only a call to know Christ, but secondly
2. THERE IS A COST TO KNOW CHRIST.
You’ll never know Christ, the way that Paul spoke of knowing Christ in our text without it costing you something. It’ll cost you some of your time! Do you want to know what it takes to build a close personal relationship? It takes lots of time! And it’s sad to say, but time is something that very few children of God are willing to give the Lord today! Some of you here this morning won’t even give the Lord your Sunday night, or your Wednesday night at church, much less the time it takes to really know Him! It’ll cost you some time to really know the Lord!
It’ll cost you some effort! Some effort to know His Word! Some effort to call His name in prayer! Some effort to get busy in the ministry of the local church. You’ll only develop a closer, more personal relationship with the Lord by spending time with the Lord!
Knowing the Lord could cost you some suffering only life’s way. In fact Paul himself said in verse #10 that to know Christ was to not only know the power of his resurrection, but the fellowship of his sufferings as well. I can’t stand here this morning and assure you that a life with Christ is going to be sunshine and roses all the way to glory because there will be times of suffering! But I can assure you that no matter what life my bring, that your very worst day with Jesus will be better than your very best day without Him!
But it’ll cost you something to know Christ. Just as it did the apostle Paul. Just as it did the patriarchs of all. There is a price that each child of God must be willing to pay to really know Christ. Listen to what Jesus said in Luke chapter 14
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
You see friend, to really know Christ it’s going to cost you something. You can’t walk hand in hand with the world and really know Christ. You can’t say in your heart, “I’ll live for the world Monday through Saturday, and I’ll live for God on Sunday” and expect to know Christ. There is not only a call to know Christ in the Bible, but there is most definitely a COST of knowing Christ. And finally this morning,
3. THERE IS CONSEQUENCES FOR KNOWING CHRIST.
What are the consequences for Knowing Christ? What were the consequences that Paul faced? Well while looking into the book of Philippians we know that Paul experienced
A. Rejoicing in spite of difficulty.
Remember where Paul was when he penned these words before us this morning? He was in prison not knowing if he was going to live or die. However in spite of that he still said in Phil. 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. That’s how I know that Paul knew the Lord. It was evident in his daily walk with God. Paul was able to rejoice in spite of difficulty. He was able to sing, when according to the circumstances, he had nothing to sing about! That my friend is the consequences of knowing Christ!
Paul not only rejoiced in spite of difficulty but he also,
B. Had peace in spite of problems.
Notice what Paul said in verses 6-7 of chapter #4, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Paul not only knew what the prison was like, He knew what it was like to experience peace inside of the prison. A peace that passes all understanding! That’s the consequences of knowing Christ. Paul rejoiced in spite of difficulty, He had peace in spite of problems, and finally Paul,
C. Experienced Strength in spite of his weakness.
That’s why as Paul was in prison, he said in verse #13, “ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
*****Can I ask you in closing dear Christian friend. Do you know that kind of strength? Do you know that kind of Joy? Do you know that kind of peace? Do you enjoy your Christian life or do you endure it? Could it be that you really don’t know the Lord in the way that Paul wanted to know the Lord here in our text this morning? LET’S PRAY!
