Philippians 3:10-11
¹⁰ That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
¹¹ If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
TRANSCRIPT
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our text for today's message is taken from Philippians chapter 3 verse 10 to 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.”
People have ambitions, dreams, and hopes. Some people want to be the best musician, to be a famous sportsperson, to be a prosperous entrepreneur, and they will try their very best to achieve those goals. Our goals in life can be a strong driving force, which motivates us to try our very best, put in our utmost efforts, to cause us to make great sacrifices, to stay focused, and to press on in times of difficulties. Without goals, people will be unmotivated. They will live their lives aimlessly without meaning. They will not attempt to do anything greater than what they are doing. They will just drift from one job to another, moving from one project to another, living from paycheck to paycheck.
In a similar fashion, in the spiritual realm, if we have the right spiritual goals, we will be zealous and focused. We will have the right motivation to do all we can to please and glorify God. On the other hand, if we do not have spiritual goals, we will not be enthusiastic and passionate in the way we live our lives, in the things we do in a church. Even though we may still be engaged in spiritual activities like coming to church, teaching in the Sunday School, attending the fellowship meetings, but we will do all these things like a routine. We will have little concern about spiritual things. Perhaps we will do as little as we can, give as little as we can, and serve as little as we can.
Dear friends, it is important that you and I must have spiritual goals. Do you have any spiritual goals? The title of our message is "What are your Spiritual Goals?" Here in Philippians 3 verse 10 to 11, we see the Apostle Paul sharing his spiritual goals, and he was striving very hard to achieve these spiritual goals. And we pray that we will also have these spiritual goals as well.
I. To know Christ
Firstly, Paul said his spiritual goal was to know Christ, “That I may know him” – referring to Christ. The Apostle Paul had written more books in the New Testament than all the other Apostles. He had written about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ so clearly. He explained the meaning of the Gospel so wonderfully. It is not strange to say that Paul knew about Christ more than anyone else. And yet here he said “that I may know him”. What does it mean to ‘know Christ’? Notice he did not say “that I may know about him”. Rather, he said that I may know him. There's a world of difference between these two statements. You may know much about a person, but you may not know him as in personally.
In English, the word "know" can have several meanings. For example, it can mean understanding gained through serious study, like the way our children learn mathematics and science in school. Or you can refer to understanding in a general sense, like the way we say, "I know what is going on," which means I'm aware of what is happening. Or you can also refer to the head-knowledge that makes a person proud, like the Corinthians where Paul said their knowledge was puffed up; they thought they knew everything, but in reality, they knew nothing. But these were not the knowledge that Paul was seeking after. He wanted to know Christ in the biblical sense, which was to know him personally, intimately, and experientially. He was referring to the knowledge of Christ that would affect his day-to-day living.
It is knowledge of Christ that will cause us to wake up each morning and live through each day with this awareness of his presence. It is a knowledge of Christ that will cause us to make our decisions with this desire to please him. It is a knowledge of Christ that will enable us to face the issues and challenges of life, knowing that people and situations may disappoint us, but Jesus Christ will never.
When we say we want to know Christ, how do we do that? This knowledge comes from knowing God, knowing Jesus Christ through the Bible because the person of Christ was revealed to us through God's Word. That is why we love to read the Bible. This knowledge comes from communing with Christ in prayer because He is our Intercessor. Every time we pray, we always would bring in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is the reason why we love to spend much time in prayers. This knowledge comes from living our lives for Him, worshipping Him, praising Him, serving Him like what you have done this morning coming to church, not because of the people, but because of Christ. And the more we walk with Him, the more we know Him.
Dear friends, do you see yourself reading the Bible, loving to read the Bible, and you cherish every moment you have reading the verses in the Holy Scriptures? Do you see yourself spending time in private and corporate prayers or do you find prayers a chore, coming to church for prayer meeting is a chore? Do you see that? Or you love to pray at every opportunity? And do you see yourself living for the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are a true child of God, you would not be living your life just like going through the motions. You would have this desire to know Him personally, intimately, and experientially because you are going to spend eternity with Him forever and ever. How can you not want to know the Lord Jesus Christ? You want to know Him.
II. To know the power of His resurrection
Secondly, Paul said to know the power of His Resurrection. Again, Paul knew about the Resurrection more than anyone else. He knew all the evidences of the Resurrection and he believed it was true. The Resurrection was true, 100%. He preached about the resurrection everywhere he went. Here Paul was not speaking about the facts of the Resurrection but the experience. He wanted to experience the power of the Resurrection. It was the power of God that raised the Lord Jesus from the grave. The original word for power – “dunamis” – is from where we get the English word for dynamite.
Take a moment and consider this word “power”. What comes into your mind? What is the most powerful thing you can ever think of? Some people who live in countries where the rulers are crazy dictators they would probably say it is human power or human authority. Indeed, during Paul's time, the power of the Romans had oppressed the people with much torment. Some would say it is the power of sin. Indeed, sin is so devastating. How can it not be? The result of sin is death, the wages of sin is death - physical death, spiritual death, eternal death. It is so devastating. No man or woman has ever conquered sin and death, only Jesus Christ. Jesus bore our sins on the cross, He died and was buried, but on the third day He rose again by the power of the Resurrection. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” (John 11:25).
As believers, we know that one day we will die. The question is not about whether or not we will die (surely we will die), but when we are going to die. When we die, our bodies will be buried in the graves. Jesus will come again. When He comes in the clouds, our bodies will be raised from the graves to be united with our souls through the power of the Resurrection. That is the blessed hope we look forward to. It is this power that could overcome sin and death. It is this power that is far more powerful than all the super nations of this world, not just the armies of Rome. However, here the Apostle Paul was not speaking about knowing the power of the Resurrection in the future after he died and he was buried. He was speaking about knowing the power of the Resurrection now while he was still alive, just like he wanted to know Christ while he was still alive, not when he was dead.
You see, as believers we will experience Christ’s Resurrection power in two ways. Firstly, it is the resurrection power that has saved us. Secondly, it is the Resurrection power that will sanctify us so that we will be able to overcome temptations and trials and live in godliness and holiness to glorify our almighty God. As Romans 6:4-5 says, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”
You see, the Christian Life is a life of holiness and godliness. We are expected to live such a life but such a life is impossible if it depends on our own strength and power. That was the reason why Paul said in Romans 7, ‘The good I should do I do not do, the evil I should not do, that I keep on doing’. And then he cried out, "Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" But he did not end there, otherwise it will be most pathetic. He went on to say, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Based on our own strength and power to live in holiness and godliness, most certainly we cannot. But based on our risen Saviour we can. We thank God that we have a risen Saviour who will help us. As Paul said, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Dear friends, are you struggling to live a sanctified life, to please and glorify God? You know some things you must do but yet you do not do. You know some things you should not do and yet you keep on doing. You struggle with it. Are you troubled with some sins in your life so much so that no matter how hard you try, you always return to that sin again and again? You say, "I will never go back to that sin again, I will never consider those things again." But then you will return again and again and again. You feel so helpless, so ashamed, so defeated. Well, you do not need to feel that way and you do not need to remain defeated by your own strength and power. It is impossible. But with God all things are made possible and it is through the power of the Resurrection.
So like the Apostle Paul, you and I should want to experience this kind of resurrection power. We want to be victorious. We do not want to be defeated, helpless, and feel so ashamed. So, we cry out to God, "Lord, you have saved me by your resurrection power and now I want to experience your resurrection power so I will be able to live a Victorious Christian Life." Just like the Apostle Paul said, ‘that I may know the power of his resurrection.’
III. To fellowship with His suffering
Let us move on to our third point, ‘the fellowship of His suffering’. Paul desired to fellowship in Christ's sufferings. This does not mean that Paul wished to suffer for human sins. There's no one who can suffer for our sins: only Jesus could do that. Jesus alone was the unblemished perfect Lamb of God. The word “fellowship” is “koinonia”; it means to share or to participate. Whenever we speak about fellowship, we always think of a blessed time of encouragement, a time of mutual edification, right? It is strange when someone talks about fellowshipping in sufferings.
You see, Paul was converted on the road to Damascus. The moment he was saved, he was one with Christ, he was united with Christ, he will not be separated from his Saviour, and he knew that when he identified himself with Christ, he will be subjected to all kinds of abuses and persecutions. But he was willing to stand with his Saviour, he was willing to join in His sufferings – that is what it means. The moment you and I are converted, we are safe, we are one with Christ forever and ever, we are with Him, we will not be separated. Are we willing to stand together with Him, and by standing with Him we may be subjected to abuses and persecutions, mockeries, people misconstrue us? Are we willing to suffer together with Him, fellowship in His sufferings?
Such sufferings will always come to the faithful Christian. The Apostle Peter wrote to the believers in his time, this is what he said, 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 12, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:” – do not think it is strange when you face trials, fiery trials. It will come. “But rejoice,” – why do you rejoice? – “inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings”. You rejoice because you are one with Christ and you suffer together with Him, you join in his sufferings, and he has considered you worthy to be partakers of His sufferings. Paul said to Timothy as well, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12).
Dear friends, if you live your life as God has commanded you, you will face troubles, it is inevitable, you will face persecutions. If you speak the truth, you share the gospel, you stand for the truth, you will not be moved, you don't want to be a compromiser, you will face oppositions, you will face rejections. But we need not be defeated by persecutions, we need not be sad and feel so miserable because persecutions will drive us closer to Christ. You know there's a saying that goes something like this, "In prosperity, God Whispers; in adversity, God shouts." Isn't it true that in times of trouble, God's presence, our fellowship with him, becomes so real to us? When we suffer for Christ, we will learn to better appreciate all that our Lord Jesus has done for us, we will learn and grow in our love for Him, and we will mature in our sanctification. That was the reason why the Apostle Paul was so willing to Fellowship in his sufferings.
But we must understand that this fellowshipping of Christ's offerings would come at a very high price, at the price of total obedience, not half-hearted obedience, total obedience because Paul went on to say “being made conformable unto his death”, which means even to become like him in his death, we must still be willing. This reminds us of what we learned in chapter 2 of the book of Philippians where Paul talks about Christ's obedience in death. Remember, Jesus laid aside his prerogative to the heavenly glory and He took on the human form, enduring the sufferings of this world, and ultimately He died in obedience to the Father's will. Christ is the ultimate example of total obedience. His example is a pattern for all of us to follow. He wants all of us to obey God completely, totally, absolutely, not half-heartedly.
Dear friends, do you only obey God in good times, when there are blessings, when you are in good health, when your jobs are secured, when your children are doing well in school? Or do you obey Him completely whether in good times or in bad times, even in times of persecutions, sufferings, and death? Will you still obey Him 100%? Oftentimes, we are so lacking in our obedience to God. As one pastor said, we are like the man who wrote to the income tax revenue department. He said it as a joke but it means a lot. This man wrote and stated, "I can't sleep, my conscience is bothering me. Enclosed please find a check for fifty dollars. If I still can't sleep, I will send you the balance." That is not obedience, that is compromise.
In a similar fashion, oftentimes we only obey God in areas that suit us, to our own convenience, when we are happy or to ease our own conscience, and at the expense of total obedience. God does not want us to do that. If we know Him, if we really know Him, we will obey him completely, even if it may cost us our death, because we know that death is but an instrument to usher us into the presence of God.
IV. To attain unto the resurrection of the dead
Our last point is to attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Verse 11, "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." Here it does not mean that Paul was afraid of his eternal security, he was unsure whether or not he will be resurrected – it does not mean that. He was the one who wrote in Romans 8:38, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Emphatically he said that of all these things he had mentioned, nothing can separate us from the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was also the one who wrote previously in Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ". So Paul was not worried about his eternal security, he knew that God would bring him safely to heaven.
Many commentators would interpret this phrase as referring to believers attaining the resurrection when Christ returns, as in the resurrection of the dead. If you look carefully at this sentence and its structure, how it was constructed, "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead," it appears as if Paul was unsure whether or not he will be resurrected, right? Most certainly he knew he will be resurrected. So what does it mean when he says, "If I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead"?
You see the word “resurrection”, the literal meaning means ‘to stand up’, someone who has risen up, stood up. One theologian Dr Ralph Kewper(?) explained it very well, allow me to quote him. He said this, "To the Greek mind, living people were standing up and dead people were lying down. In the spiritual sense, the believers are known to be spiritually alive, the unbelievers are known to be spiritually dead.” So what Paul was saying is that, "I want to know Christ, I want to know the power of his resurrection, I want to fellowship in his sufferings so that I may give the spiritually dead, the unbelievers a preview of eternal life in action, as I am standing up, as a resurrected person, as someone who is spiritually alive, living amongst those who are spiritually dead.” In other words, Paul wanted to live in such a way that people would see him as someone who is spiritually alive, someone who is like a person resurrected amongst all those who are spiritually dead.
If I may give you an illustration, when I was in Singapore I used to serve in the Gethsemane Care Ministry which is a gospel outreach to the drug addicts in the streets and in prison. All the staff working in this ministry, they were once spiritually dead in sins, they were once hardcore drug addicts, hardcore criminals, but today as they reach out to the drug addicts in the streets, they are living their lives as transformed people, as someone who is changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as a resurrected person, as someone who is spiritually alive amongst those who are spiritually dead. I hope you get a picture of what I'm trying to drive at. Likewise, you and I ought to live our lives in this way.
When you work with your colleagues, when you interact with your schoolmates, when you mingle with your unbelieving loved ones and friends, you must live in such a way that people can see you are different in the way you speak, in the decisions you make, in your responses to the situations of life, in your refusal to engage in unwholesome conversation. When people joke about filthy things, you either walk away or you say, "Can you stop saying things like that?" When you refuse to engage in ungodly activities, your friends would not want to invite you knowing that you will never attend those activities and so forth. Initially, they may see that you are so weird but slowly by God's grace and mercy, they will see you are like a resurrected person, you are like someone who is spiritually alive amongst those who are spiritually dead. And by God's grace and mercy, through your testimony, you will point the people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that has transformed you.
Dear friends, what are your spiritual goals? Or you just live each day with no concern about spiritual things? You just go through the motion, come Friday it is prayer meeting, come Saturday it is YPG meeting, come Sunday it is the Lord's Day service, after that you have the Home Care Group – you go through all these routines without understanding the significance. It is because you have no spiritual goals at all.
Let these four things be our spiritual goals: to know Christ personally, intimately and experientially, not just to know about Him but to know Him truly, to experience the power of His resurrection. We cannot live Godly lives, we cannot do those things we are supposed to do and not do those things we are not supposed to do but it is only through the power of His Resurrection. And we want to fellowship in His sufferings, we are one with Christ, united with Him, never to be separated. And the moment we suffer we don't murmur and complain but we know that it is because we are one with Him, we are willing. We are willing to fellowship in His sufferings and God will give us the strength to endure. And finally, we want to live our lives as someone who is spiritually alive, not spiritually dead. Someone like a resurrected person, amongst all those who are spiritually dead, all to the glory of God. Let us pray.
Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider this portion of Scriptures, even though there are only two verses but we are able to learn not just about the Apostle Paul's spiritual goals but this ought to be our spiritual goals as well. We pray that we will not just learn them for head-knowledge' sake but to put into rightful application whatever we have learned, that our spiritual goals will be to know Christ, to know the power of His resurrection, to fellowship in His sufferings and to attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Oh Lord, we cannot do all these things but unless Thou would help us. Thou knowest our hearts and what are the goals we have in our hearts. Grant to us our desires, grant to our children their desires too, that as a church, as an individual, we will live our lives to glorify Thee till our Lord Jesus returns. We pray all this in Jesus name. Amen.
SERMON OUTLINE
- I. To know Christ
- II. To know the power of His resurrection
- III. To fellowship with His suffering
- IV. To attain unto the resurrection of the dead
THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANSThe Church at PhilippiThe Church at PhilippiPhilippians 1:1-2
The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)The Joy of A Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1)Philippians 1:3-5
Elements of True JoyElements of True JoyPhilippians 1:3-6
The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)The Joy of a Spirit-filled Life (Part 2)Philippians 1:6
What are the Things Most Important to Us?What are the Things Most Important to Us?Philippians 1:7-8
Growing in GodlinessGrowing in GodlinessPhilippians 1:9-11
Message 5: Praying for the ChurchMessage 5: Praying for the ChurchPhilippians 1:9-11
Growing in GodlinessGrowing in GodlinessPhilippians 1:9-11
Are All Things Really Working For Good?Are All Things Really Working For Good?Philippians 1:12-14
In Times of AdversityIn Times of AdversityPhilippians 1:12-18
Trouble in the ChurchTrouble in the ChurchPhilippians 1:15-18
For to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is GainFor to Me to Live is Christ, to Die is GainPhilippians 1:19-26
To Live is ChristTo Live is ChristPhilippians 1:19-26
Living Worthy of the GospelLiving Worthy of the GospelPhilippians 1:27-30
Live your life worthy of the GospelLive your life worthy of the GospelPhilippians 1:27-30
Let's Have FellowshipLet's Have FellowshipPhilippians 2:1-4
The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)The Motivation for Spiritual Unity (Part 1)Philippians 2:1-2
Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)Essential Principles of Spiritual Unity (Part 2)Philippians 2:3-4
The Ultimate ExampleThe Ultimate ExamplePhilippians 2:5-8
The Ultimate ExampleThe Ultimate ExamplePhilippians 2:5-11
What Is Christmas?What Is Christmas?Philippians 2:6-11
The Greatest NameThe Greatest NamePhilippians 2:9-11
Work Out Your Own SalvationWork Out Your Own SalvationPhilippians 2:12-18
Living a Sanctified LifeLiving a Sanctified LifePhilippians 2:12-13
Moving Forward Not BackwardMoving Forward Not BackwardPhilippians 2:13-14
Stop Murmuring and ComplainingStop Murmuring and ComplainingPhilippians 2:14-16
The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: PaulThe Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: PaulPhilippians 2:17-18
The Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: TimothyThe Exemplary Example of a Spiritual Servant: TimothyPhilippians 2:19-24
The Importance of Spiritual DiscernmentThe Importance of Spiritual DiscernmentPhilippians 3:1-2
True Believers Worship God in Spirit and in TruthTrue Believers Worship God in Spirit and in TruthPhilippians 3:3, John 4:4-30
Nothing to Boast OfNothing to Boast OfPhilippians 3:3-6
What Is Gain To Me Is LossWhat Is Gain To Me Is LossPhilippians 3:7-9
The Power of Christ's ResurrectionThe Power of Christ's ResurrectionPhilippians 3:10-11
What are Your Spiritual Goals?What are Your Spiritual Goals?Philippians 3:10-11
Pressing Toward The MarkPressing Toward The MarkPhilippians 3:12-14
Pressing Toward the MarkPressing Toward the MarkPhilippians 3:13-14
Morning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for YouMorning Devotion 2: God’s High Calling for YouPhilippians 3:13-14
How to Know the Will of GodHow to Know the Will of GodPhilippians 3:15
Who Are You Following?Who Are You Following?Philippians 3:16-19
Heavenly Or Earthly MindedHeavenly Or Earthly MindedPhilippians 3:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:50-57
How Do You Stand Fast?How Do You Stand Fast?Philippians 4:1
How to Maintain Christian UnityHow to Maintain Christian UnityPhilippians 4:2-3
Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 1]Philippians 4:4-7
The Cure for AnxietyThe Cure for AnxietyPhilippians 4:6-7
Message 6: Praying for the TroubledMessage 6: Praying for the TroubledPhilippians 4:6-7
Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]Having Peace in Times of Trouble [Part 2]Philippians 4:8-9
Learning To Be Content [Part 1]Learning To Be Content [Part 1]Philippians 4:10-12
Learning To Be Content [Part 2]Learning To Be Content [Part 2]Philippians 4:13-19
How To Be An Overcoming ChristianHow To Be An Overcoming ChristianPhilippians 4:13
My God Shall Supply All Your NeedsMy God Shall Supply All Your NeedsPhilippians 4:19
Living By Grace and For God's GloryLiving By Grace and For God's GloryPhilippians 4:20-23
