Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

1. That I may know him

2. The power of his resurrection

3. The fellowship of his sufferings

4. Being made conformable unto his death

Understanding “know”

By definition, to know means to be aware of through observation, inquiry or information. And to have developed a relationship with (God) through meeting and spending with him.

Before we can move on to the remainder of the this scripture, the first hurdle is to develop a relationship with God. Only through constant, and consistent interaction with God, are we able to come to know him. This is accomplished through exposure to the bible, the holy word of god. This includes personal bible study, attending bible study at your local church, hearing the word preached and taught. Hiding the word in your heart. Applying the word to your daily life. Personal devotion time – praise and worship.

We must develop an ear to hear what the spirit is saying to the church (Revelation 2:17). As we endeavor to know God, we gain a greater understanding of the scriptures. This understanding is further deepened as we begin to apply them to our daily lives. Bible study can be seen as a “tweaking” process. As we apply the word to our lives we will have success and failures. The tweaking comes in when we learn more of the word. We will see that the practical application of the word to our lives will be fine tuned as greater understanding comes. The should lead to more successes than failures.

To know him requires a willingness on the believer’s part to die out to self. We must be willing to take up our cross and follow him. We must be willing to die out to our flesh so we can walk in a way that glorifies God. For all of us the way we were before our introduction to God was not good enough. This means we cannot be introduced to God without a significant change taking place afterwards. The change in the believer continues as our knowledge of him increases.

This new relationship now prepares us to move forward in this verse…the power of his resurrection.