Parkland Lodge Philippians 3:7-11

I want to know Christ...

There are a lot of things that we may aspire to accomplish in life. When I was a child, I couldn’t wait to be able to go to school. Once I got a little older, I wanted to be able to drive. Once I was able to drive, I wanted to have my own vehicle.

I remember the first time that I was able to vote. Finally, I was old enough to be able to help decide how our country would be governed.

Maybe you remember your first job, when you popped the question, or when you said “yes” to your sweet heart.

Maybe after so many years of work, you were able to retire and finally do the things that you had wanted to do.

Today, we are going to look at Paul the apostle’s greatest desire, and I hope that this is our greatest desire too, and that desire is to know Christ.

Let’s read,

Philippians 3:7–11 NIV

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, 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 on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul had quite a history. He grew up in a Jewish home, and he did whatever he could to please God. He studied the law. He became a Pharisee. He even persecuted the church, but when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, everything changed, and when we encounter Jesus, everything changes in our lives.

There was woman that had lived a very hard life. The story is found in Luke 7. She came into a Pharisee’s house and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears. There were some who were offended that Jesus let her, here was Jesus’ response.

Luke 7:47 NKJV

47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

The Apostle Paul had tried to earn his salvation through the things that he had done, but he realized that he had to come through faith. He loved much because he had been forgiven much.

The only way for us to be made right with God is through faith.

Romans 5:1 NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

We believe that Jesus died for us. We believe that Jesus’ death pleases God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

I want to experience His power in my life

Philippians 3:10 NIV

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

We, personally, cannot die for sin, Jesus did that, but we must become participants in Jesus’ suffering by dying to our sinful nature.

Galatians 2:20–21 NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Life Application New Testament Commentary (The Priceless Gain of Knowing Christ / 3:1–11)

Just as Christ’s resurrection gives us his power to live for him, his crucifixion marks the death of our old sinful nature. We can’t know the victory of the Resurrection without personally applying the Crucifixion.

To close, I’d like to close with a story called “Selling out to God,”

It’s a sad day when people are offered the kingdom of heaven, but they don’t see its value. They set it aside as a common thing and go their way. Imagine going to an antique store and finding a priceless antique there. The seller has priced it as a common item. But it is worth many times more than the price being asked. It could be bought for pennies, but like many others, you passed it up. You thought it was as common as the other articles in the store. A few days later you read in the local news that someone has bought that item at the antique store. He paid the rock bottom price being asked. But unlike you, he perceived its value to be much greater than the asking price. He had it appraised by experts and learned it is worth millions of dollars. You look at the picture of that item in the news article. It is the one you picked up and examined a few days earlier. It was in your hand. It could have been yours. But you passed it up. If only you had perceived the true value of that treasure. You could have bought it and become rich.

Let’s not pass up on this opportunity to know Christ. Maybe you have been believing that you can get to heaven by what you have done, and yet we can only get to Heaven by what Jesus has done.

Do you want to know Christ? Do you want to experience His power in your life? Believe that He died for your sins. Acknowledge that you need Him, and make a public confession that you believe and have asked Jesus into your life.

You will never regret getting to know Jesus. He will change your life, and one day you

Philippians 3:11 (NLT)

...will experience the resurrection from the dead!

I look forward to the day when I can see Jesus. My prayer is that because we have trusted and followed Him all the days of our lives, He will say, “Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord!”

Let’s pray!