To Know Him

Turn with me to the book of Philippians, a letter written by the Apostle Paul ?to believers in Philippi. This is the Apostle Paul speaking his heart’s desire.

Philippians 3:10-11 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, ?and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any ?means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Due to living in a world that was violently opposed to Christ Jesus, both the Apostle Paul and the believers of Philippi were severely challenged, suffering heavy persecution. Yet Paul’s desire was that all believers live in the transforming power ?of the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Christ means the anointed one and Jesus means saviour. Paul urged that the believers in Philippi to have the mind of Christ. He said turn your eyes to Jesus. Give your attention to Jesus. Since God Himself in Jesus became human, the saviour of the world.

To know Him, to know Jesus, is the root of all fruit.

Now Paul was not talking about head knowledge alone. Paul was talking about ?a personal, intimate experience and relationship with the living God.

Knowing Jesus begins at the point of salvation. When we give our allegiance to Him, we receive His free gift of Himself and His Spirit within. At that moment in time we know Him as our personal saviour. We begin the journey of knowing and experiencing the power of His resurrection through our ongoing relationship of Christ Jesus as Lord.

?The journey is to know and experience Jesus intimately and personally in His human form, His life, death and resurrection. Knowing the full dimensions of Jesus’ human experience, when He became one with our experience, brings the power of His resurrection into our present situation as an active force of transformation. This is ?a transformation of heart and mind in our everyday lives.

Therefore to know the Jesus of the resurrection, we first must know the Jesus of the cross, the man of sorrows who became acquainted with grief. To know the Jesus ?of the cross we must first know the Jesus of the heavens. In Philippians 2:5-11 ?the Apostle Paul reveals the King of glory, the Jesus of the cross and the Jesus ?of the resurrection.

Philippians 2:5-11 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, ?and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Humanity gave power to evil and selfish desires, resulting in bondage to both self ?and evil with the ultimate cost being death.

?The thing that humanity tried to control became the thing that controlled humanity. ?

God Himself became human, paid the cost of death to set humanity free.

The Jesus of the cross is also the King of glory. Through Him and by Him all things were created, heaven and earth and all things good.

The King of glory was falsely accused, suffered public shame, rejection and torture. He endured the cursed execution of the cross and took on His human body all the selfish offences of all humanity and evil. He paid the cost and defeated evil, selfish desires and death for us. Jesus committed no offence, nor did He use power for self ?or evil. He was right, just, correct and innocent. The King of glory chose to pay the cost, to become our ransom, our advocate, our substitute.

The King of glory became one of us, so we could become one in Him.?

Salvation from self, evil and death can only be received in receiving Jesus’ sacrifice ?of Himself. As a result when we receive Jesus sacrifice of Himself, we are declared innocent. We are free from the cost, guilt and shame. Most of all the ultimate penalty of death has been paid in Jesus’ human body and His victory attained in His resurrection. In Christ Jesus we receive His rightness, His justness, His equality, ?His glory.

Each day is a journey in the process of transformation. Knowing and participating ?in Jesus’ power of His resurrection, in this world damaged by evil is having the ?mind of Christ.

Paul knew Jesus as His Lord. He was surrendered to the Father’s will. Paul experienced an intimate personal ongoing relationship, being transformed in his ?heart and mind to that of Jesus, to the glory of the Father.