WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:02.910 I invite you to open your Bible with me to Philippians 00:00:02.910 --> 00:00:08.070 chapter 3, as Paul uses different words, but 00:00:08.070 --> 00:00:15.910 he expresses the same thought. He says in verse 00:00:15.910 --> 00:00:25.890 10 of Philippians 3, I want to know Christ and 00:00:25.890 --> 00:00:30.129 the power of His resurrection. and the fellowship 00:00:30.129 --> 00:00:35.350 of his suffering, becoming like him in his death, 00:00:36.450 --> 00:00:39.210 and so somehow to attain to the resurrection 00:00:39.210 --> 00:00:43.170 from the dead. Not that I have already obtained 00:00:43.170 --> 00:00:46.590 all this or have already been made perfect, but 00:00:46.590 --> 00:00:52.229 I press on to take hold of that for which Christ 00:00:52.229 --> 00:00:57.350 Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider 00:00:57.350 --> 00:01:01.770 myself yet to have taken hold of it, but one 00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:05.829 thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining 00:01:05.829 --> 00:01:09.250 toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal 00:01:09.250 --> 00:01:13.689 to win the prize for which God has called me 00:01:13.689 --> 00:01:18.329 heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are 00:01:18.329 --> 00:01:23.549 mature should take such a view of things. And 00:01:23.549 --> 00:01:27.209 if on some point you think differently, that 00:01:27.209 --> 00:01:30.629 too God will make clear to you. Only let us live 00:01:30.629 --> 00:01:37.750 up to what we have already attained. In a certain 00:01:37.750 --> 00:01:42.310 respect, life is a series of decisions. By the 00:01:42.310 --> 00:01:46.870 decisions that we make, we invest our time. The 00:01:46.870 --> 00:01:51.030 way that we invest our time exposes the priorities 00:01:51.030 --> 00:01:59.159 that we have. The Apostle Paul says essentially 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:05.200 in this text that he has but one priority in 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:11.439 life, whatever his circumstances. And I remind 00:02:11.439 --> 00:02:13.620 you that his circumstances at this point were 00:02:13.620 --> 00:02:19.500 not exactly friendly. He is writing these words 00:02:19.500 --> 00:02:25.020 from a situation in which he is under arrest 00:02:25.020 --> 00:02:30.050 in Rome. chained to two guards, day and night, 00:02:30.889 --> 00:02:34.969 awaiting trial before Caesar. And he is doing 00:02:34.969 --> 00:02:42.349 so as a victim. He is a victim of circumstances 00:02:42.349 --> 00:02:45.150 that are beyond his control. It is true that 00:02:45.150 --> 00:02:48.629 he said, I appeal to Caesar, but that was the 00:02:48.629 --> 00:02:53.090 only recourse he had. He was a victim of people 00:02:53.090 --> 00:02:57.020 who unjustly and unfairly attacked him, criticized 00:02:57.020 --> 00:03:03.360 him, and sought to kill him. And so as Luke records 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:07.719 in the book of Acts, Paul appealed his case to 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:13.379 Caesar. And now after a lengthy time, he is waiting, 00:03:13.900 --> 00:03:16.960 a hearing before the most powerful man in the 00:03:16.960 --> 00:03:24.030 world. He has much he wants to do. Paul is glad 00:03:24.030 --> 00:03:26.650 to be preaching the gospel in Rome even under 00:03:26.650 --> 00:03:30.150 these circumstances. But deep in his heart, Paul 00:03:30.150 --> 00:03:35.330 wants to get on to Spain and into other parts 00:03:35.330 --> 00:03:41.590 of Europe as we call the continent. And apparently 00:03:41.590 --> 00:03:44.430 he did before he died, but now he's frustrated 00:03:44.430 --> 00:03:50.300 in fulfilling those desires. And it may reflect 00:03:50.300 --> 00:03:52.719 something of what you're facing in your own life 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:55.360 today. You may be frustrated by some situations. 00:03:57.419 --> 00:03:59.960 You may have goals you would like to attain, 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:04.439 but because of circumstances beyond your control, 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:12.759 you can't. You may feel victimized. You've been 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:15.180 forced into a situation where you've had no choice 00:04:15.180 --> 00:04:19.879 but to to make the decisions you have, or to 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:24.879 accept the circumstances that you're in. How 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:29.439 do we find joy in situations like that? How do 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:34.220 we find joy in that kind of adversity? I believe 00:04:34.220 --> 00:04:37.139 that Paul tells us here that we find joy in those 00:04:37.139 --> 00:04:41.750 kinds of circumstances. by making sure our priorities 00:04:41.750 --> 00:04:44.889 are right. Paul says, I really have one priority, 00:04:44.970 --> 00:04:48.129 whatever my circumstances, and that priority 00:04:48.129 --> 00:04:53.610 is to know Jesus Christ. So I want to say to 00:04:53.610 --> 00:04:56.389 you today that I believe the singular priority 00:04:56.389 --> 00:05:00.470 in the life of every believer is the deepening 00:05:00.470 --> 00:05:06.540 of his knowledge of Jesus Christ. Whether I am 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:09.160 experiencing blessing or bane, success or failure, 00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:12.620 the highest priority I should have every day 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:15.399 is to deepen my knowledge of Christ and thus 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:20.600 to spiritually mature." Paul has already made 00:05:20.600 --> 00:05:23.639 it clear that he knows Christ in a saving way 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:26.139 and he has said that he wouldn't compare the 00:05:26.139 --> 00:05:30.160 knowledge of Jesus Christ as his Savior for anything 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:35.300 else in life that he would count a benefit. He 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:41.300 counts all of his personal pluses as a pile of 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:44.160 rubbish compared to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:47.040 But now he goes on to say, but I also want to 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:51.319 know him more deeply, is the thought. He says 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:53.920 it's not merely enough to say I know Christ as 00:05:53.920 --> 00:06:01.339 my Savior. I want to know him, to become intimate 00:06:01.339 --> 00:06:07.149 with him. to develop a relationship with this 00:06:07.149 --> 00:06:11.430 Jesus Christ, he says. And that becomes the highest 00:06:11.430 --> 00:06:16.410 priority for every believer. Paul tells us several 00:06:16.410 --> 00:06:18.829 truths regarding this priority. He says, in the 00:06:18.829 --> 00:06:23.990 first place, this priority develops our union 00:06:23.990 --> 00:06:28.930 with Christ. He has already referred to the fact 00:06:28.930 --> 00:06:36.189 that He has gained Christ and is found in Him 00:06:36.189 --> 00:06:41.709 so that there is a union with Christ that's already 00:06:41.709 --> 00:06:48.129 been referred to. Now he says this priority of 00:06:48.129 --> 00:06:50.769 knowing Him more intimately, of growing more 00:06:50.769 --> 00:06:55.069 deeply in Christ will develop that union. It's 00:06:55.069 --> 00:06:58.649 been established, but it needs to be developed. 00:07:00.620 --> 00:07:04.459 It's something like a rosebud, which one admires 00:07:04.459 --> 00:07:10.259 as beautiful in the bud time of its existence. 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:15.060 But how much more beautiful is that bud as it 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:18.540 begins to develop and to open over several days 00:07:18.540 --> 00:07:22.699 until it becomes a full blossom, emitting the 00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:29.199 fragrance that only a rose can give. Paul says, 00:07:29.379 --> 00:07:32.860 I know Christ in the bud stage, but I want to 00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:39.079 know Him in the blossom stage. I am in Christ, 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:45.420 as we sang a few moments ago. I in thee dwelling, 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:53.480 and thou with me one. Union. To be a Christian 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:59.189 means to be in union with Jesus Christ. The priority 00:07:59.189 --> 00:08:02.910 of knowing Christ more deeply develops that union. 00:08:03.730 --> 00:08:06.389 Paul says that we share in the power of His resurrection. 00:08:08.209 --> 00:08:11.670 That power is resident within us already. That 00:08:11.670 --> 00:08:15.670 power that raised Him from the dead. It is there 00:08:15.670 --> 00:08:20.149 within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. Think 00:08:20.149 --> 00:08:26.009 of the power of the resurrection. Those of us 00:08:26.009 --> 00:08:30.779 who've lost loved ones, understand how final 00:08:30.779 --> 00:08:38.120 death is in this world. A relationship that is 00:08:38.120 --> 00:08:43.179 precious and dear suddenly is severed by death. 00:08:44.559 --> 00:08:47.200 And death becomes like a brass wall that you 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:49.659 can't dig under, you can't get over it around 00:08:49.659 --> 00:08:55.740 it, you can't get through it. It separates. Death 00:08:55.740 --> 00:09:02.139 has power to separate. but there is the power 00:09:02.139 --> 00:09:05.940 of the resurrection that is even greater. Because 00:09:05.940 --> 00:09:09.820 there was a Savior two thousand years ago who 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:14.379 experienced that wall of death and was separated 00:09:14.379 --> 00:09:18.980 from his disciples and yet who burst through 00:09:18.980 --> 00:09:24.899 the brass door of death and came back alive forevermore. 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:28.100 The power of the resurrection, there is no power 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:33.990 greater. You can drop a thousand atomic bombs 00:09:33.990 --> 00:09:38.289 and have the power to take millions or even billions 00:09:38.289 --> 00:09:41.889 of lives, but you cannot bring one back from 00:09:41.889 --> 00:09:47.889 the dead with a million atomic bombs. The power 00:09:47.889 --> 00:09:51.730 of the resurrection is a power that reverses 00:09:51.730 --> 00:09:55.370 the whole course of events since the fall of 00:09:55.370 --> 00:10:01.059 man. And that is the power that resides within 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:04.580 every Christian. Paul says, I want to know Jesus 00:10:04.580 --> 00:10:08.519 Christ. That is my priority because I share in 00:10:08.519 --> 00:10:11.279 the power of His resurrection and I want to know 00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:16.860 the release of that power in my life. The point 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:20.820 he's making here is that we, in coming to know 00:10:20.820 --> 00:10:24.929 Jesus Christ more intimately, will experience 00:10:24.929 --> 00:10:28.289 the joy of the release of his power in our lives, 00:10:28.450 --> 00:10:33.370 changing us as people and making us more like 00:10:33.370 --> 00:10:39.330 Jesus in the course of our daily walk. The power 00:10:39.330 --> 00:10:42.330 of the resurrection. We share that with him. 00:10:42.370 --> 00:10:45.870 We also share the fellowship of his suffering. 00:10:48.590 --> 00:10:54.139 Interesting the the fact that he places the suffering 00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:59.159 after the resurrection in this context. Perhaps 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:01.600 it is because it is the power of the resurrection 00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:04.580 that enables Paul to enter in joyfully to the 00:11:04.580 --> 00:11:07.179 suffering of Christ. Of course he's not talking 00:11:07.179 --> 00:11:10.159 about in any sense that we share in the cross 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:13.940 sufferings of Christ. That we somehow share in 00:11:13.940 --> 00:11:17.259 his vicarious suffering for sin. He did that. 00:11:17.299 --> 00:11:19.720 Only he could do that. He did it once and for 00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:29.659 all. that Jesus Christ still suffers because 00:11:29.659 --> 00:11:35.639 of the attack of evil against him. And though 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:38.159 he is in heaven, his people are upon the earth, 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:42.960 and we being at one with him experience the fellowship, 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:47.379 the sharing of his sufferings. So that if one 00:11:47.379 --> 00:11:49.700 of us suffers, we all suffer because we belong 00:11:49.700 --> 00:11:52.220 to each other and we belong with Jesus. He suffers 00:11:52.220 --> 00:12:00.139 with us. When I run a splinter under my fingernail, 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:03.659 it's not just my finger that hurts. Every part 00:12:03.659 --> 00:12:08.419 of my body hurts, including my head. So when 00:12:08.419 --> 00:12:11.019 a Christian suffers, the head of the body of 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:14.659 Jesus suffers, Jesus himself. and every member 00:12:14.659 --> 00:12:19.519 of the body suffers. When you and I come to more 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:22.360 intimately know Jesus Christ, we enter into the 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:24.940 fellowship of his sufferings. You say, can we 00:12:24.940 --> 00:12:32.159 avoid that? Well, in a sense we can. In a sense 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:37.480 we can if we choose to. We can live such tepid 00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:41.409 lives, such mediocre lives in this world. that 00:12:41.409 --> 00:12:45.610 we will avoid as much suffering as possible and 00:12:45.610 --> 00:12:51.370 in so doing forgo the honor of suffering for 00:12:51.370 --> 00:12:58.950 Jesus. It is a privilege for us as his people 00:12:58.950 --> 00:13:05.789 to share his sufferings as the ungodly persecute 00:13:05.789 --> 00:13:13.070 Jesus. If you and I desire to live godly in Christ 00:13:13.070 --> 00:13:16.070 Jesus, that is, if we make this a priority in 00:13:16.070 --> 00:13:18.570 our lives, indeed the priority in our lives, 00:13:19.529 --> 00:13:22.730 then we will suffer persecution, says Paul in 00:13:22.730 --> 00:13:26.549 2 Timothy chapter 3. But it's an honor and it's 00:13:26.549 --> 00:13:32.389 a glory to suffer shame for Jesus' sake, to suffer 00:13:32.389 --> 00:13:38.840 as a Christian, a follower of Christ. We are 00:13:38.840 --> 00:13:41.240 at one with him and we share the power of his 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:44.279 resurrection We share the fellowship of his suffering 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:49.559 and we share conformity to his death What death 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:53.740 is that death to this world death to this life? 00:13:58.299 --> 00:14:01.019 You and I need to learn the experience of bringing 00:14:01.019 --> 00:14:04.899 every circumstance in our lives to the cross 00:14:04.899 --> 00:14:11.139 of Jesus and they're dying to it. Whether it 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:14.100 be the loss of our material things in this world, 00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:18.840 as hard as that is, or it be a promotion at work 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:21.240 that gives us the position we've always wanted, 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:24.600 let us bring every circumstance of this world 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:27.840 to the cross of Jesus Christ and there die to 00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:36.240 it with him. Conformity to his death. That is, 00:14:36.299 --> 00:14:39.179 we die to it so that it does not overcome us. 00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:43.620 We die to it so that we do not become a victim 00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:46.720 to that circumstance, but victors in Jesus Christ 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:53.639 over the circumstance. Paul says we share likewise 00:14:53.639 --> 00:14:57.320 the hope of a future resurrection. He says, and 00:14:57.320 --> 00:15:00.100 so somehow to attain to the resurrection of the 00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:02.759 dead. He uses a unique expression here. that 00:15:02.759 --> 00:15:05.120 is a little tough to figure out, but Paul is 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:08.440 undoubtedly talking about that future time when 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:12.440 he will be called from the grave to be with the 00:15:12.440 --> 00:15:18.980 Lord. He says we share union with Jesus Christ, 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:22.559 and one day that union is going to mean that 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:26.720 we too will be raised from the dead. We have 00:15:26.720 --> 00:15:29.460 the power of the resurrection at work now within 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:33.330 us. as we share the fellowship of his sufferings 00:15:33.330 --> 00:15:35.950 and are made conformed to his death, and one 00:15:35.950 --> 00:15:39.090 day we will share in the literal, physical, bodily, 00:15:39.149 --> 00:15:43.429 glorious resurrection from the grave. Why? Because 00:15:43.429 --> 00:15:48.110 of our union with Christ. Paul says when we set 00:15:48.110 --> 00:15:53.090 as a priority to know Jesus Christ, that union 00:15:53.090 --> 00:15:55.549 that we've just talked about, all of that's developed, 00:15:55.730 --> 00:16:00.289 it's matured, it becomes real. In our daily living, 00:16:00.570 --> 00:16:03.629 more than just a doctrine we believe, it becomes 00:16:03.629 --> 00:16:09.809 the power of our lives. The second truth that 00:16:09.809 --> 00:16:12.590 he tells us about this priority is that it demands 00:16:12.590 --> 00:16:17.929 a lifelong pursuit. We don't ever get to the 00:16:17.929 --> 00:16:21.710 place in life where we have arrived at spiritual 00:16:21.710 --> 00:16:28.639 maturity in the perfect sense. In fact, Paul 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:33.299 himself disavowed that kind of a point. He says, 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:37.039 not that I've obtained all this, or am already 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:42.240 made perfect. He says, I'm not. Even the great 00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:45.740 apostle, the spiritual giant, says he hasn't 00:16:45.740 --> 00:16:48.240 arrived yet. I find encouragement in that, and 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:52.059 I hope you do too. The fact that we aren't perfect 00:16:52.059 --> 00:16:56.500 yet. The fact that we still have many areas of 00:16:56.500 --> 00:17:02.000 our lives, where God is at work, is an experience 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:07.579 that all believers share. It is a lifelong pursuit, 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:10.819 this deepening knowledge of Jesus Christ that 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:15.180 brings eventual maturity. And one day, when we're 00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:18.960 with Him, we'll bring perfection. Paul says, 00:17:18.980 --> 00:17:21.400 I haven't arrived yet, but I'll tell you this, 00:17:22.339 --> 00:17:28.490 I've made a resolution. He says, this one thing 00:17:28.490 --> 00:17:33.490 I do. Someone has said how much better to say 00:17:33.490 --> 00:17:37.230 this one thing I do than these 20 things I dabble 00:17:37.230 --> 00:17:42.150 in. The tendency that we have is to dabble in 00:17:42.150 --> 00:17:45.869 a lot of things. A little here and a little there 00:17:45.869 --> 00:17:48.670 and keep the plate spinning. And Paul says there's 00:17:48.670 --> 00:17:52.750 really one thing I do. I have a central focus. 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:57.380 He comes back again to his point, the priority 00:17:57.380 --> 00:18:02.220 of knowing Jesus Christ in a more intimate way. 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:08.819 Vance Hevner wrote in a book, I shall never forget 00:18:08.819 --> 00:18:12.180 Dr. R. A. Torrey saying to me as a young preacher, 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:15.980 young man make up your mind on one thing and 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:21.720 stick to it. Have you ever made up your mind 00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:28.359 about one thing? Havner goes on to say, the Christian 00:18:28.359 --> 00:18:34.039 life should be like a sword with one point, not 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:38.700 like a broom ending in many straws. That's picturesque, 00:18:38.859 --> 00:18:43.900 isn't it? The Christian life should be like a 00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:47.500 sword with one point, not like a broom that ends 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:52.940 with many straws. He says, this one thing I do. 00:18:53.079 --> 00:19:01.779 I resolve this, forgetting what is behind. Somebody 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:05.339 said, don't let yesterday take up too much of 00:19:05.339 --> 00:19:12.579 your today. How easy all of us find it to go 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:20.220 back to yesterday, to perhaps its failures and 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:24.630 its disappointments. and its sorrows and we drag 00:19:24.630 --> 00:19:30.950 them into today and we live with them. Or perhaps 00:19:30.950 --> 00:19:34.690 we go to yesterday and we bring the success that 00:19:34.690 --> 00:19:39.410 we had and we bring the blessing that we had 00:19:39.410 --> 00:19:42.609 and we put it in today as though we could live 00:19:42.609 --> 00:19:48.480 off of yesterday's manna. Paul says, I forget 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:51.299 whatever's behind. It's over. It's done. It's 00:19:51.299 --> 00:19:55.880 finished. It's there. It's a part of the historical 00:19:55.880 --> 00:19:58.599 record, but let it remain record. Don't bring 00:19:58.599 --> 00:20:02.940 it into today. Forgetting what is behind, he 00:20:02.940 --> 00:20:06.720 says, and straining toward what is ahead. He 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:11.920 is using here an athletic kind of picture. A 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:16.680 runner in a race. who as he is running around 00:20:16.680 --> 00:20:19.640 the track, dares not stop to smell the flowers. 00:20:21.019 --> 00:20:23.140 There may be a time to smell the flowers, but 00:20:23.140 --> 00:20:27.400 not when you're in a race. He has to forget all 00:20:27.400 --> 00:20:30.880 the things that are flashing by him and focus 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:34.700 on one thing, and that's the goal line. And he 00:20:34.700 --> 00:20:37.839 has to strain for it. He has to push himself 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:42.400 for it. It involves a certain threshold of pain 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:46.750 in running a race like that. And pushing yourself 00:20:46.750 --> 00:20:52.509 beyond that threshold, straining, he says, I 00:20:52.509 --> 00:20:56.789 press on toward the goal. Now twice in these 00:20:56.789 --> 00:21:00.910 verses, Paul says, I press on. In verse 12, he 00:21:00.910 --> 00:21:05.430 says, I press on to take hold of that for which 00:21:05.430 --> 00:21:09.930 Christ Jesus took hold of me. And then he says, 00:21:09.990 --> 00:21:13.289 I press toward the goal to win the prize. Same 00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:19.750 idea. Jesus Christ had taken a hold of Paul so 00:21:19.750 --> 00:21:24.210 that one day Paul could be a perfect reflector, 00:21:24.589 --> 00:21:29.730 a perfect likeness of Jesus himself. By the way, 00:21:30.569 --> 00:21:35.789 that's why he's laid hold of you too. And Paul 00:21:35.789 --> 00:21:40.029 says, I am pressing on so that one day I can 00:21:40.029 --> 00:21:47.980 experience that. He says that is the goal. That's 00:21:47.980 --> 00:21:50.180 the goal line at the end of the race. That's 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:54.720 what I'm pressing on toward. That prize that 00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:58.440 comes with the upward calling, the call to heaven 00:21:58.440 --> 00:22:05.019 in Christ Jesus. That is just as much the goal 00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:08.480 line for you and for me as it was for Paul 1900 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:13.779 years ago. And Paul says, I am pressing on. You 00:22:13.779 --> 00:22:21.859 see, we don't arrive there in this life. It is 00:22:21.859 --> 00:22:25.680 always sad to see Christians who retire from 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:29.400 the vocations and think that their work is done 00:22:29.400 --> 00:22:33.680 in this world for God. Boy, they're retired. 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:38.759 They have no more responsibilities. Not in the 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:41.920 slightest. We can retire from our vocation in 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:46.079 this world, and that's a wonderful point to arrive 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:48.519 to, but let us never think that we have suddenly 00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:51.000 arrived at the end of God's purpose for us in 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:54.339 this world. God still has work to do within us, 00:22:55.220 --> 00:22:59.240 and God still has work to do through us at every 00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:02.859 stage in life until we finally get to that goal, 00:23:03.640 --> 00:23:07.400 that point that we cross the line and we're safe 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:12.799 at home in heaven. Paul says I want to know Jesus 00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:18.180 Christ I Want to experience the fullness of my 00:23:18.180 --> 00:23:22.700 union with him death and suffering and resurrection 00:23:22.700 --> 00:23:28.700 He says that is a lifelong pursuit with me And 00:23:28.700 --> 00:23:31.619 I am unwilling to let anything get in my way. 00:23:32.140 --> 00:23:35.400 I Forget what is behind I pay no attention to 00:23:35.400 --> 00:23:39.039 what's around me. I am pressing on to the goal 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:46.160 to cross that line. And finally, he tells us 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:50.299 regarding this truth, this priority of deepening 00:23:50.299 --> 00:23:52.839 our knowledge of Jesus Christ, that it depends 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:59.160 upon our continued obedience. You see, it is 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:04.519 possible to get sidetracked in life. possible 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:06.940 for us as Christians to come short of the goal, 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:09.900 to stop before we get to the end of the race. 00:24:14.619 --> 00:24:17.880 If we are going to deepen our knowledge of Jesus 00:24:17.880 --> 00:24:21.680 Christ and cross the line, he says, it depends 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:25.900 upon our continued obedience. Look how he puts 00:24:25.900 --> 00:24:29.539 it. He gives us an assurance first in verse 15. 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:33.400 He says, all of us who are mature, He doesn't 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:37.220 mean perfectly mature, but he means who are at 00:24:37.220 --> 00:24:39.960 a point of stability in our Christian life, no 00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:43.900 longer babes, should take such a view of things, 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:48.299 that is the view that he's just expressed. To 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:55.180 see life as passing by and to see the goal line 00:24:55.180 --> 00:24:57.519 down there at the end of the race and to press 00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:00.519 on toward that. He says we ought to look at life 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:04.430 that way. And he says, if on some point you think 00:25:04.430 --> 00:25:07.170 differently, God will make it clear to you that 00:25:07.170 --> 00:25:09.349 the assurance that I see here is that God is 00:25:09.349 --> 00:25:14.049 still at work in us at every stage. That God 00:25:14.049 --> 00:25:17.490 isn't going to leave us alone. That God is going 00:25:17.490 --> 00:25:19.789 to drop us off somewhere along the way, even 00:25:19.789 --> 00:25:24.410 if we stumble in the race and fall. God is still 00:25:24.410 --> 00:25:29.319 going to pick us up and keep us moving. But he 00:25:29.319 --> 00:25:32.740 goes on to say the human part of it is only let 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:36.079 us live up to what we've already attained There's 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:40.339 the admonition There's my responsibility and 00:25:40.339 --> 00:25:42.880 God is going to do his part, but I've got a part 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:49.519 too. I've got a part too The fact is that most 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:56.390 of us know more than we practice And so the goal 00:25:56.390 --> 00:25:59.230 that we ought to have is to live up to what we've 00:25:59.230 --> 00:26:06.569 attained in our knowing of Jesus Christ. The 00:26:06.569 --> 00:26:09.170 priority of knowing Him more deeply and more 00:26:09.170 --> 00:26:13.250 intimately will become a reality if we continue 00:26:13.250 --> 00:26:20.210 on in our obedience. The real proof of the Christian 00:26:20.210 --> 00:26:23.410 life, the real evidence that it's genuine, is 00:26:23.410 --> 00:26:28.240 growth. It does not always grow at the same pace, 00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:31.380 but the Christian life will always be growing 00:26:31.380 --> 00:26:38.980 toward maturity. The Australian coat of arms 00:26:38.980 --> 00:26:47.099 has pictured in it two creatures, an emu, which 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:52.079 is a large bird, a rather strange looking bird 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:59.039 that cannot fly. and a kangaroo. Both of them 00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:02.140 find Australia as a natural habitat. I suppose 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:04.079 that's one reason that they're on the coat of 00:27:04.079 --> 00:27:09.160 arms. But the main reason they were chosen, I'm 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:12.880 told, is that both of these creatures have one 00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:14.900 thing in common, though they come from different 00:27:14.900 --> 00:27:21.680 species. Neither of these creatures can move 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:27.940 backwards. The emu, because of the way that its 00:27:27.940 --> 00:27:31.880 feet are formed, is three -toed. It cannot go 00:27:31.880 --> 00:27:36.119 backwards. If it tries to, it will fall. And 00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:38.799 the kangaroo has something in the way back there. 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:46.000 So it cannot go backwards. And the point of putting 00:27:46.000 --> 00:27:48.460 those two creatures on the coat of arms, I'm 00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:52.460 told, is that it shows the spirit of Australia 00:27:53.269 --> 00:27:58.650 only going forward. I don't know if I want a 00:27:58.650 --> 00:28:03.230 kangaroo or an emu on my coat of arms, but I 00:28:03.230 --> 00:28:09.750 do know this. Down in my heart of hearts, I want 00:28:09.750 --> 00:28:13.230 that to be true about me. And I believe you want 00:28:13.230 --> 00:28:15.089 it to be true about you if you're a child of 00:28:15.089 --> 00:28:20.549 God. We want to go forward. Paul says you got 00:28:20.549 --> 00:28:25.079 to make it the priority of your life. You've 00:28:25.079 --> 00:28:29.160 got to forget other things. Not that there aren't 00:28:29.160 --> 00:28:31.359 other issues we have to deal with. I mean, Paul 00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:34.519 had his plate full of other issues he had to 00:28:34.519 --> 00:28:36.759 deal with, but he had one priority that was above 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:39.579 everything else. It was singular. It was unique. 00:28:39.700 --> 00:28:43.400 It stood out in a category by itself, and that 00:28:43.400 --> 00:28:48.619 was to know Jesus Christ whatever circumstance 00:28:48.619 --> 00:28:55.289 came to him. So the point of the message this 00:28:55.289 --> 00:28:59.410 morning is, in whatever your set of circumstances 00:28:59.410 --> 00:29:05.789 today, is that your priority? Have you looked 00:29:05.789 --> 00:29:11.930 at what you're passing through as a means to 00:29:11.930 --> 00:29:15.450 knowing Jesus Christ more deeply? You say, oh, 00:29:15.569 --> 00:29:19.529 but you don't understand what is taken out of 00:29:19.529 --> 00:29:25.160 me. No, I probably don't and can't, but I do 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:27.059 know that there's the power of the resurrection 00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:31.240 that can be developed in your life if you'll 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:34.559 make knowing Him your priority. In your weakness, 00:29:34.579 --> 00:29:36.960 you'll find His strength being made perfect. 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:40.140 You say, but you don't know what I've suffered 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:44.680 in this circumstance. No, but Jesus does and 00:29:44.680 --> 00:29:47.220 we can know fellowship with Him in suffering. 00:29:49.799 --> 00:29:51.759 You say, but you don't know what it's cost me, 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:55.019 no? But I know that as we deepen our knowledge 00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:57.940 with him, we'll understand something about conforming 00:29:57.940 --> 00:30:04.799 to his death, the cross death, the priority of 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:10.579 life, knowing Jesus Christ. And then once we 00:30:10.579 --> 00:30:13.420 have known him and as we are knowing him more 00:30:13.420 --> 00:30:17.660 deeply, to make him known to others. Would you 00:30:17.660 --> 00:30:25.359 bow with me in prayer, please? If you're sitting 00:30:25.359 --> 00:30:27.740 there saying, well pastor, you just don't really 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:32.039 understand the heartache that I'm experiencing 00:30:32.039 --> 00:30:35.900 today. You don't know the problem that I'm facing. 00:30:39.500 --> 00:30:46.200 That's probably true. Indeed, it would be true 00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:52.420 of 99 out of 100 cases in this room. But you 00:30:52.420 --> 00:30:55.000 know what you're passing through and Jesus Christ 00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:59.819 knows and you can at this moment if you will 00:30:59.819 --> 00:31:10.500 say to him Lord I Want to know you And I am making 00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:18.240 that The number one priority in what I'm passing 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:27.329 through right now Will you say that to Him? God, 00:31:27.369 --> 00:31:31.309 I pray that each one of us will make that the 00:31:31.309 --> 00:31:34.009 singular priority in our experience to deepen 00:31:34.009 --> 00:31:40.730 our knowledge of your Son, Jesus Christ. May 00:31:40.730 --> 00:31:45.650 we go beyond that initial bud phase and experience 00:31:45.650 --> 00:31:53.210 the full blossom of a fragrant of a deep and 00:31:53.210 --> 00:31:59.289 intimate knowledge of the one with whom we are 00:31:59.289 --> 00:32:04.970 in union. And may we run with the discipline 00:32:04.970 --> 00:32:13.750 of an athlete and press on to the goal. I especially 00:32:13.750 --> 00:32:16.390 would pray for some brother or some sister here 00:32:16.390 --> 00:32:21.140 this morning who is deep in the slew of discouragement 00:32:21.140 --> 00:32:26.039 and despondency. Lord Jesus, pick up their feet 00:32:26.039 --> 00:32:28.759 and move them to solid ground and today may there 00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:33.019 be a resolve within that by the power of the 00:32:33.019 --> 00:32:37.039 resurrection they will press on to the goal. 00:32:40.279 --> 00:32:43.240 Thank you for speaking to us and for giving us 00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:46.220 the assurance that you're with us and you're 00:32:46.220 --> 00:32:49.869 not going to forsake us. If we're in, we come 00:32:49.869 --> 00:32:52.609 short. You're going to show it to us and move 00:32:52.609 --> 00:32:54.710 us on. Amen.