"That I May Know Him" Philippians 3:10

 Know Him
Paul is saying not that I may know “of” Jesus Christ but know Jesus as who he is as Lord and Savior.

This type of “know” is to know and understanding someone on a very personal level like a spouse or a best friend.

The Amplified bible reads: [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death….”

When people are around someone with good or bad habits, people tend to pick up and be influenced by those same habits do they not?   Paul is saying the same thing, the more I get to “know” Christ more deeply and intimately the more I can let go of who I am (feelings, perceptions, understandings, etc) and become like Christ. This is a good thing!

Paul writes: “ My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Paul also writes:  “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

If Paul is allowed to live, Christ will continue to be Paul’s source of strength and encouragement and if Paul dies or is put to death for his faith, he will finally be off this world and with Christ in heaven.

Paul’s relationship with the Lord has helped him know nothing can separate him from God’s love.  This has given him a lighter burden to carry.  He isn’t concerned for himself as much as those he might leave behind.

The words of Jesus come to mind, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest of your souls.  For my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28

Death… we all will face it.  To those who know Christ it isn’t something to be afraid of but to those who don’t know Christ it should be something to be very afraid and be anxious about.

So without doing a lot of shadow boxing, ask yourself this question, “Are you prepared for death right now?

“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” James 4:14

You like myself have seen the very young to the very old die.  Death doesn’t care what your age might be- it isn’t bias.

I have learned from sorrow and suffering –that which I could not learn had I not witnessed and experienced sorrow and suffering.  Sometimes "what" we consider "not good" is actually "good" because of what comes from it.
  
In fact Jesus says, "But wisdom is shown to be right by what results from it." Note: Matthew 11:19.

For man learns nothing from the empty foolishness of life.  Think about it.   For a man sees his need for God -in all his weakness and seeing the foolishness of life can never satisfy him.
 
Seeing this need can only be satisfied and answered by God, he seeks God from the depths of his heart and God approaches.

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of heaven is theirs.” Matthew 5:3

“A good name is better then fine perfume, and the day of death is better then the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning then go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”  Ecclesiastes 7:2

We see life has no guarantees and without notice we can find ourselves on the doorstep of our eternal destination.   And depending on if we know or don’t know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior will determine our eternal destination.

Most of us have read or heard of this verse, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

So knowing Jesus is the Son of God who He sent to save us…

“I live by the power of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, those who partake of me will live because of me.” John 6:57

 “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

….. Have you made a choice to “know” Jesus Christ?

Where is your heart and mind when it comes to your eternal destination?  Have you given it any thought at all?

Have you put your soul in the words of mere men and what they have rationalized in their own minds?  If so, you are in a very dangerous and precarious position… We can’t take the words of man as fact- we must know if they are true.  Most often that comes with the trials and fires of life.  With the trials and fires of life, God's love bleeds more visible as we earnestly seek him.

You can’t put your soul in the hands of man’s theories and ideas.   The words of man mean nothing when it comes to the threshold of eternity.   Would you step out of an airplane onto a cloud of vapor thinking it would support you?  Of course not!  Words are just words until they are proven true.

So while you still have the grace of God put some time and investment into your soul not in things of this world- for you can’t take them with you.

“For we brought nothing into this world and is certain we can carry nothing out.” 1 Timothy 6:7.

Don’t leave your soul’s destination up to chance and take the cop-out/excuse that you don’t know what you really believe.

No one should have to plead with someone to search for truth in God and Jesus Christ for someone else's soul’s sake.  A person should want to do that for themselves but I understand sometimes it takes someone to bring it mind because we are lost and blinded by the busyness and cares of this life -but this life is only temporary my friend and eternity is forever.

So if you don’t know what you really believe.... you are going to do nothing?  Don’t be fooled by thoughts that stop you in your tracks.  Earnestly seek God and he will reveal himself to you. 

God says in the book of Jeremiah 29:13. " If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."  

Most people don't even try and because they don't try they never find him.

What is your soul’s destination worth?

I have found in this short (oops) it's been more then 12 years now journey -God is more real then I even imagined and my revelation of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior has deepened.   I hold to this truth dearly for my soul’s sake and sanity.   For it is clear this place is not my home.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”  1 Corinthians 1:18-19

Remember what we read in Philippians 3:10...... (might want to go back up and read it again.)

* (Here is a little star if you forget your place)

The ways of human security (money, possessions, our degrees, our achievements, human rational/reasoning, other people we know, etc.) are no security at all -when all those human securities are taken away, what then?

Where will their hope be then?  Human security can only take you so fair.  They definitely do not carry into eternity.

When the world crumbles and storms on the seas and in the skies come like increasing birth pains and people are only out to save themselves- where will their hope be then?

When Jesus comes to get his own- how will the unbelieving world explain what has happened to us?  There are approximately 6.9 billion Christians in the world, can you imagine them all disappearing at once?

But those left behind will have this passage to refer to:

“For when the Son of Man returns, you will know it beyond a doubt.  It will be as evident as the lightning that flashes across the sky.  But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation.  When the Son of Man returns, the world will be like the people were in Noah’s day.  In those days before the flood, people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came to destroy them all.  And the world be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business- eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building- until the morning Lot left Sodom.  Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.  Yes, it will be business as usual right up to the hour when the Son of Man returns.  On that day a person outside the house must not go into the house to pack.  A person in the field must not return to town. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife!  Whoever clings to this life will lose it, and whoever loses this life will save it.  That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken away, and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.”
“Lord, where will this happen?” the disciples asked.
Jesus replied, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate the end is near.” Luke 17: 24-37

Just think where people’s understandings carry them now, where will their understandings take them then?

Who’s Understanding?
God word says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.   Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.” Proverbs 3:5-8

We as Christians are not to let our own wisdom and understanding master over our sails of our soul.  God himself is to be the wind that encourages our sails.

Just as one might turn their boat or let the boom of the mast catch the wind, we too must let go and turn our attention on to God not our circumstances.  There, our interior sails will straighten out from their sag and find the right mind and heart set in God instead of our own strength and understanding.  The Christian soul no longer runs efficiently on the things of this world but on the things of God.  Mind, heart, Spirit (Note Ezekiel 36:26)

“…. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.  This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.  It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” Hebrews 6:18-19

That place we can only find and come in through by Jesus Christ who is the narrow gate.

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.” Matthew 7:13

 “Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.  They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.” John 10:9

In God’s good pastures we will find good things to help our soul endure and thrive.

Who’s understanding we use matters greatly.  Who we trust matters greatly. Who we know matters greatly.  Read Matthew 6:19-34