Transformative Relationship: Knowing Christ Deeply
Summary
In today's reflection, we delve into the profound truths found in the Gospel of John and Paul's epistle to the Philippians. The essence of being a Christian is not merely intellectual assent to doctrines about Jesus Christ but a transformative, vital relationship with Him. This relationship is characterized by receiving from His fullness, which is the divine life and grace that flows from Christ to His followers. The Christian life is about being born again, united with Christ, and experiencing His life within us.
Paul's ambition, as expressed in Philippians, is to know Christ more deeply, to experience the power of His resurrection, and to share in His sufferings. This ambition is not a mere desire for knowledge but a longing for a deeper, experiential fellowship with Christ. It is about knowing Him personally and intimately, beyond mere intellectual understanding. This knowledge leads to a life of joy and rejoicing, as the life of Christ within us naturally results in joy.
The Apostle Paul exemplifies this ambition by counting all things as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. This is a call for us to examine our own ambitions and desires. Is our greatest desire to know Christ and to be conformed to His image? Are we willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of this relationship? This is the test of whether we have truly received from His fullness.
Furthermore, Paul speaks of knowing the power of Christ's resurrection, which is not just about future resurrection but about experiencing the resurrection life of Christ in our daily lives. This power enables us to live a life of holiness and victory over sin. It is the power that transforms us and conforms us to the image of Christ.
Finally, Paul speaks of the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, which involves sharing in His sufferings and being conformed to His death. This is not a masochistic desire for suffering but a longing to be like Christ in every way, including in His sufferings. It is about being so identified with Christ that we share in His experiences and are willing to suffer for His sake.
Key Takeaways:
- True Christianity is about a vital, transformative relationship with Christ, characterized by receiving from His fullness and being united with Him. This relationship goes beyond intellectual assent to doctrines and involves a deep, personal knowledge of Christ. [02:09]
- The greatest ambition of a Christian should be to know Christ more deeply and intimately. This involves a longing for a deeper fellowship with Him, beyond mere intellectual understanding. [08:30]
- Experiencing the power of Christ's resurrection is about living a life of holiness and victory over sin. It is about the resurrection life of Christ working in us, transforming us, and enabling us to live a life that reflects His character. [30:02]
- Sharing in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings involves being conformed to His image, even in His sufferings. It is about being so identified with Christ that we are willing to suffer for His sake and share in His experiences. [34:27]
- The ultimate goal of the Christian life is to attain the out-resurrection from the dead, which involves being completely free from sin and being glorified with Christ. This is the hope and longing of every true believer. [42:26]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:11] - Introduction to Key Scriptures
[01:22] - Understanding Christian Fullness
[03:17] - The Reality of Receiving Fullness
[04:32] - Paul's Personal Testimony
[06:09] - The Test of Ambition
[08:48] - The Supreme Desire
[10:14] - Knowing Christ Intimately
[12:21] - Beyond Intellectual Knowledge
[15:03] - Fellowship with Christ
[18:30] - Historical Examples of Fellowship
[22:11] - The Tragedy of Stopping Short
[29:23] - The Power of Resurrection
[34:27] - Fellowship of Sufferings
[42:26] - The Out-Resurrection Ambition
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. John 1:16 - "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace."
2. Philippians 3:10-11 - "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
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Observation Questions:
1. What does John 1:16 mean when it says, "of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace"? How does this relate to the idea of a transformative relationship with Christ? [01:22]
2. In Philippians 3:10, Paul expresses a desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. What does this suggest about Paul's understanding of the Christian life? [06:23]
3. How does the sermon describe the relationship between knowing Christ and experiencing joy? [05:36]
4. What does the sermon suggest is the ultimate goal of the Christian life, according to Philippians 3:11? [42:26]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of receiving from Christ's fullness challenge the idea of Christianity as merely an intellectual belief system? [02:09]
2. What might it mean to experience the "power of His resurrection" in daily life, as Paul describes in Philippians 3:10? How does this relate to living a life of holiness and victory over sin? [30:02]
3. The sermon discusses the "fellowship of Christ's sufferings." How can sharing in Christ's sufferings lead to a deeper relationship with Him? [34:27]
4. How does Paul's ambition to know Christ more deeply serve as a model for examining our own ambitions and desires? [08:30]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current relationship with Christ. In what ways can you seek a more transformative and vital connection with Him this week? [02:09]
2. Consider the areas of your life where you struggle with sin. How can you invite the power of Christ's resurrection to bring transformation and victory in these areas? [30:02]
3. Think about a recent experience of suffering or hardship. How might viewing this experience as a fellowship with Christ's sufferings change your perspective or response? [34:27]
4. Examine your personal ambitions and desires. Are there any that you need to reevaluate in light of Paul's example of counting all things as loss for the sake of knowing Christ? [08:30]
5. Identify one specific way you can deepen your personal knowledge of Christ this month. What steps will you take to pursue this goal? [11:07]
6. How can you cultivate a life of joy and rejoicing, as described in the sermon, through your relationship with Christ? [05:36]
7. Reflect on the hope of the "out-resurrection from the dead." How does this future promise influence your daily life and decisions? [42:26]
Devotional
Day 1: Transformative Relationship with Christ
True Christianity is about a vital, transformative relationship with Christ, characterized by receiving from His fullness and being united with Him. This relationship goes beyond intellectual assent to doctrines and involves a deep, personal knowledge of Christ. [02:09]
John 1:16-17 (ESV): "For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
Reflection: In what ways can you actively seek to deepen your personal relationship with Christ today, beyond just understanding doctrines about Him?
Day 2: The Ambition to Know Christ
The greatest ambition of a Christian should be to know Christ more deeply and intimately. This involves a longing for a deeper fellowship with Him, beyond mere intellectual understanding. [08:30]
Philippians 3:10-11 (ESV): "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."
Reflection: What specific steps can you take this week to cultivate a deeper, more intimate relationship with Christ?
Day 3: Experiencing Resurrection Power
Experiencing the power of Christ's resurrection is about living a life of holiness and victory over sin. It is about the resurrection life of Christ working in us, transforming us, and enabling us to live a life that reflects His character. [30:02]
Romans 6:4 (ESV): "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."
Reflection: Identify one area of your life where you need Christ's resurrection power to bring transformation. How can you invite Him into that area today?
Day 4: Fellowship in Suffering
Sharing in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings involves being conformed to His image, even in His sufferings. It is about being so identified with Christ that we are willing to suffer for His sake and share in His experiences. [34:27]
2 Corinthians 1:5 (ESV): "For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too."
Reflection: Consider a current challenge or suffering you are facing. How can you view this as an opportunity to share in Christ's sufferings and grow closer to Him?
Day 5: The Hope of Out-Resurrection
The ultimate goal of the Christian life is to attain the out-resurrection from the dead, which involves being completely free from sin and being glorified with Christ. This is the hope and longing of every true believer. [42:26]
Colossians 3:4 (ESV): "When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
Reflection: How does the hope of being glorified with Christ influence your daily decisions and priorities? What changes can you make to align more closely with this hope?
Quotes
A Christian is not one who believes certain things about the Lord Jesus Christ only; he does that, you can't be a Christian without believing them. But you can give an intellectual assent to these things and still not be a Christian. The great note of the New Testament is that the Christian is a man who is born again. [00:01:50]
The Apostle Paul exemplifies this ambition by counting all things as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. This is a call for us to examine our own ambitions and desires. Is our greatest desire to know Christ and to be conformed to His image? Are we willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of this relationship? [00:07:47]
Paul says, "My highest ambition is to know him." Does he mean, therefore, that he didn't know him? Of course, he doesn't. He means the exact opposite. He's not saying here, "Oh, I'd give anything if only I knew him," but he did know him. He'd met him on the road to Damascus and he'd known him ever since. [00:12:00]
It is because he knows him so well that he desires to know him still better. It is only the man who knows the Lord Jesus Christ who wants to know him. The tragedy is that so many are content with a knowledge about him and think that as long as they believe certain things about the Lord Jesus Christ that all is well. [00:12:21]
Paul is talking about that. He'd experienced it, and he wants to experience it more and more. This is undoubtedly the very acy of the experience of every saint that has ever lived, and the result is that you get it as you read their lives. They testify to these occasions when the Lord, as it were, came to them. [00:18:14]
The Apostle is longing, I say, for more and more experience of the power of this risen life of the Blessed Lord. But then wait a minute, he goes on. He hasn't finished that I may know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. What's he mean by this? This is a most remarkable statement. [00:34:07]
He wants to be more like his Lord in every respect, and one of the respects is in this matter of suffering. You see, we are told of Our Lord that he was a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. There's not a single instance of Our Lord having laughed in this world. Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief. [00:35:19]
The Apostle therefore, in writing to Timothy, said, "Yea, and all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." What a test! All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Well, there it is, fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. [00:40:00]
He wants to be finished with sin altogether, and he knows that he's going to be. God willing, we'll come on to this next Sunday morning in greater fullness. But he knows that a day is going to come when he will be spotless and faultless, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. [00:43:21]
He will be absolutely perfect. He will have been delivered entirely from all the effects of sin. That is the out-resurrection from amongst the dead. He will see his Lord as he is, and he'll be like him. He will be glorified. This is a reference to glorification. Very well, this is his greatest ambition. [00:43:56]
Is it your chiefest desire this morning to know him? Would you sacrifice anything? Would you sacrifice everything in order to know him better? Is it your chiefest desire also to be sanctified, to be free from sin, to no longer be a slave but to be a free man and to be like him? [00:45:24]
Are you pressing on? Is this your main objective? Are you straining like a dog at the leash to get after these things? That's the result in the Apostle Paul of receiving of his fullness and grace upon grace. God grant that in some measure it may be true of us. [00:47:02]
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