Passage: Philippians 3:10-14
Points:
1. Our desire should be to know Christ, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his suffering, and to attain the resurrection from the dead.
2. We should press on to take hold of the reason Jesus took hold of us.
3. We must forget what is in our past and to press toward our future prize God has called us to receive.
Personalize
Our pursuits in life often fall short of the spiritual pursuits God desires for us to achieve. Ask the question, “What are your goals in life”? You will hear a variety of answers. “I desire to complete school, get a good job, bring home a good pay check, find a wonderful individual to marry, and purchase a new home.” These are the dreams of most individuals, but Philippians 3:10-14 challenges us to desire more. We are called to desire spiritual pursuits and endeavors.
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, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (v.10) How do we know? To know is an intimate encounter with Jesus, Himself. When we know someone, we have a common knowledge of one another and we are aware of the others’ desires, concerns, and interests. Knowing Christ calls on us to experience not only the “power of the resurrection”, but His suffering as well. The relationship with Christ is a call to know “all” of Him, not just what we find comfortable. Jesus has promised us we will experience suffering as long as we are in this body, but we also anticipate His promise of eternity.
Our earthly pursuits will always be short lived, but our spiritual pursuits will yield a long-term result. As we desire to know Christ, He will reveal Himself to us and we will fellowship with Him in his sufferings and resurrection. We have not obtained the full knowledge of Christ, yet as long as we have an opportunity, we should forget the failures of our past and press on to knowing Him more fully. We will continue to pursue the prize Jesus has prepared for us.
Prayer
Lord, give us the courage and strength to pray the prayer found in Philippians. We want to experience an intimate fellowship with you. We desire to pursue the full and meaningful life You have for us. We desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
