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.…(Philippians 3:10-11)
Brethren, Christ is the basis
of Christianity. In fact, no Christ - no Christianity. You cannot be a
Christian and not acknowledge Christ. Some people try to compare Christ with
other so called ‘prophets’. But the bible says, if you deny the son, you cannot
have the father (1Jn2:23), so let us not compare or equal our Christianity with
any religion, as is being preached around that we worship the same God with the
other religions. That is one of the biggest deceptions of Satan and he is using
some Christians to propagate these lies. But who is Christ and what did He
achieve for Christianity that we need to believe and know Him better.
In the beginning
In the beginning, God created
man and so loved man and befriended man in the Garden of Eden. But Satan,
through the serpent, deceived man/ woman to sin against God, and that destroyed
God’s wonderful friendship with mankind. This sin made God sad and regretful,
that He sacked man/woman from the wonderful Garden of Eden. Since then, Man has
been dead spiritually and has never known peace because Satan (the deceiver and
destroyer) had spiritual control of the world.
But, as loving as our God is- the God who loves to forgive
sins than to punish; our God, who was always looking out for sinful man like
the prodigal son’s father, designed a
wonderful plan to deliver man from sin and hopelessness. God gave Jesus, His
only begotten son to be sacrificed as a ‘lamb’
to atone for our sin. Jesus had to endure hardships, oppositions, shame,
insults, rejection, etc. to fulfill the wonderful salvation plan that God had
for mankind.
Although Jesus had the power
to fight His accusers with the numerous angels in Heaven, He did none of those.
Bible says He humbled Himself till death on the cross. Satan thought He has
destroyed God’s plan until Jesus Christ resurrected from death after three (3)
days in the grave, as He promised. Brethren, Christ was and has been victorious
over death- this is no film show but real. Some don’t believe that one can die
and resurrect after three (3) days. This victorious resurrection over death has
given us hope to rejoice in the Lord. This resurrection demonstrates:
·
The power of the true God (Eph.1:19-21); that
Jesus Christ is God (Rom.1:4); that all the teachings of Jesus Christ -his
person, work, heaven, hell & future judgment- is true (Jn.4:60); that our
own future resurrection is sure 1Thess.4:14,2Corin.4:14) and again it reveals
that Jesus Christ is the appointed Judge of this wicked world (Jn. 5:22,27-29)
Many people are willing to reign with Christ, but would not
be willing to suffer with him; many would be willing to wear a crown of glory
like him, but not the crown of thorns; many desire to share the glories and
triumphs of redemption, but not its poverty and persecution. This was not the
feeling of Paul. He wished in all things to be just like Christ, and therefore
he counted it an honor to be permitted to suffer as he did. So Peter says in 1Pet.4:13-
"Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings. Are you
willing to suffer for the sake of Christ? If yes, then you know Him!
BUT, what does "knowing Christ" mean?
Knowing Christ is more important than wisdom or riches. But,
How Do We Know Him? First, we must know about
him which means that we must learn about Jesus. We must cultivate our own
relationship with Him. How do we do this?
1. By putting
your faith in him; by believing that He is the only Son of God; by believing
that the resurrection really did take place, and you want Him to make you a new
creation.
2. Spending time in prayer. In prayer, you can
share all your joys, frustrations, and sorrows with the God of the universe,
the God who cares. Talking to God also builds your relationship with him.
3. The third step is by regular reading and
studying of the Bible. (Read Rom.15:4; 2Tim. 3:16, 17). Be willing to follow
His word even when his commands don't seem to make sense.You will depend on God
when his requirements seem unreasonable. When you do this -- He will be there
to support you, and you will see Jesus as a living, risen Savior.
4. By listening to faithful preachers of God's
word and listening to testimonies of other fellow believers. (Rev. 12:11 shows
that Satan cannot stand the testimonies of believers.)
5. By witnessing through which you can experience
God more. (eg. Paul, through missionary journeys, knew God better)
Brethren, I will encourage you to make the conscious effort
to experience Christ and be sure of Him because the times we live in are evil.
One thing we should know is that, in deception, there is an element of truth.
Today, a lot of youth are departing from the faith and following all kinds of
beliefs because they were not grounded in the faith and so the slightest
sugar-coated words from Satan and his agents, they follow and thereby destroy
their faith. Do you remember what happened to Jesus in Matthew 4? – when Satan
tempted him after His 40day fast. Do you remember how he tempted and deceived
Eve to disobey God by taking the forbidden fruit? Read Col. 2:8. Now
Satan is telling the youth of today that they can do it on their own and that,
truth is relative? As Christians, anything contrary to the word of God is not
truth. Any religion that does not depend on Jesus Christ and Him only is not
acceptable and false (1Jn2:23). Do you remember what happened at the
transfiguration (matt. 17)- Moses and Elijah and Jesus appeared-the two were
greatest of all prophets but they cannot be compared with the son of God. Jn.
14:6- He is the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except
through Him.
What is the
Power of Christ’s Resurrection?
The resurrection is a cornerstone of the entire building of
Christianity and the key of our salvation. Christianity is not a mere religion
based on theoretical principles. Christianity is a relationship with a living
Savior; a Savior we can know; a Savior who imparts our life and empowers us; a
saviour who transforms us into his likeness and this is why the resurrection is
so central to Christians.
In Phil 3:10-11, the second part of Paul's desire is
"to know the power of his resurrection." Note that Paul does not ask
God for more power. Instead, he asks God that he might know the
resurrection power he already has. Some Christians don’t know the power
they have over Satan and his works. Therefore they have put their trust in man
and have been enslaved by man-made doctrines and knowledge and this is
destroying a lot of Christians lives.
Let us consider four aspects of this power of the
resurrection. We have:
(1)
The Power to Have Forgiveness of sins
Sin has a hold on all of us. Without God, we are slaves to
sin. But Christ, through his death and resurrection, frees us from the power of
sin. Paul puts it this way at the end of Romans 4:25 - “He was delivered over to death because of our sins, and raised to life
because of our justification.”
Christ died as the necessary sacrifice for our sins. When
Jesus died, God laid on him the iniquity of us all, the punishment that all of
us deserve for all our sins. So whenever Satan accuses us -- saying, "God
could never forgive you for what you have done -- we can say, "Jesus rose from the dead! having
believed in Jesus, I am righteous in God's eyes." That is the power of
the resurrection.
(2) The Power to Conquer Sin
Resurrection power doesn't end with our forgiveness.
Christ's resurrection also empowers us to conquer sin in our lives. As Paul
says in Ephesians 4:24 - put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness. In
Christ we are a new creation (Read 2Corin 5:17); his Spirit lives within
us. We have been renewed, we have a new self -- and the purpose of that new
self is to be conformed to the image of Christ, to become like him: truly
righteous, truly holy -- to become what God intends humans to be!
So if this is the case, why do Christians keep on sinning?
Paul gives us the answer in today's verse in Philippians: we don't know
the power!
(3) The Power to Be God's Agent
Christianity is not just about forgiveness and overcoming
sin. Christianity is not simply a solution to our problems. Through salvation,
we are to be his agents of change in the world. God empowers us not only to
defeat sin but also to share and display his loving message to the world. Jesus
says, "You are the light of the world." Paul says in (2 Cor. 5:19,
20) - He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore
Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
God could work directly in each person's life the way he
worked in Paul's life -- But God has chosen instead to work through us; weak as
we are, limited as we are -- and to show His power through our very weakness. In
2 Corinthians 12:9, God says to Paul, my power is made perfect in weakness. Have you been telling people about Christ?
Some of us can preach football and not Christ. If the world has taken time to,
at least, reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, don’t you
think we need to take the opportunity to tell them about the hope and salvation
which can be attained through the death and resurrection, rather than the
celebrations?
(4) The Power to Be Conformed to His
Likeness
Finally, the resurrection power's greatest achievement is
conforming us to the likeness of Christ. Paul says in 2Cor. 3:18 – we are being transformed into his
likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the
Spirit.
Can you imagine being transformed into His likeness? Think
of the things that you have wanted to change and have tried to change in your
life. God will deal with every one of those. You are being made into a perfect
creation -- you are becoming like Jesus! - spotless, blameless, loving, kind
and strong. That is the power of the resurrection!
More than anything else, Paul wants to know Jesus, and the
power of his resurrection. What do you want more than this? Money? Fame?
Influence? Power? Connection? All these are worthless. In the end, all of these
things that people spend their lives pursuing are unsatisfying. Am I right?
Do you know this Jesus? Do you believe he rose from the
dead? Has he been working in your heart? Do you acknowledge Him as your Savior!
Those
of you who already have placed your faith in Him as a sacrifice for your sins,
I want to ask you a few questions:
Have you been trying to impress God with your religious
activities? Have you been putting the cares of finances, of job, of family,
ahead of your relationship to Jesus?
Can you really say with Paul that you consider everything
else you've done to be rubbish compared to knowing Him? Do you know the
power of the resurrection in your life?
Or have you allowed Satan to continue to control you, when
you don't need to?
As believers we don’t need a decision, but a commitment --
a commitment to depend on the power of God, a commitment to knowing him better
and better, so that you might be conformed to his likeness. We don’t need to
respond to alter calls over and over again; we don’t need “pray- for- me” but a
commitment.
Christ is risen from the dead! Believe it! Know Him! And
your life will never be the same! Hallelujah!
Response to the Resurrection
How do we respond to the resurrection of Christ? I urge you
to repent now and believe in him who is the Judge of the whole world.
"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved," Paul told the
Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31). The Lord Jesus is the Son of God who became
man. He is very God and very man. He was crucified, he died and was buried, and
he was raised from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures. This
same Lord Jesus Christ ascended into the heavens and
will come again to judge the living and the dead.
The earthquakes are happening; the wars are happening; the
famines are occurring; the lawlessness and wickedness are happening. As
Christians, we don’t know when Christ is coming; in fact no man knows, except
the father. But with the signs happening (as in Matt. 24), we should know that
the time for accountability is near. Are you ready to give a good account of
your life? What will you tell Christ to allow you into Heaven? Think about it!
Conclusion
May God give you faith to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and particularly in the fact that God raised him from the dead. May you come to
know that Jesus Christ is the only Savior and there is no other. May we all
remember that Jesus is the Judge whom we will all face, because it is appointed
to man once to die and then comes judgment.
May God have mercy on us; that we will beg for
mercy and pardon from him and be saved. Amen!
