…God”s got this.

What ever has the focus of your attention has your heart. 

The bible tells us to seek God first, then he will add the things we desire to us. We try to obtain goals/things backward. We scrimp, save, and chase after these things. But the most simple way to get to where we want to go is through God. 

Get your focus off the “things” and place it in God. Seek him and do His will. Then God will, in turn, take care of you. Let God have your heart, your focus, your attention. You won’t be disappointed.

Matthew 6:19-21

“19. lay not up for yourselves Treasures upon the Earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20. But lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21. For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”

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

In order to understand the power of Jesus’ resurrection of the dead we must first understand that this was the plan from the beginning. When Adams fell in the garden, Jesus was the plan to redeem fallen man back from the hand of the enemy. For this reason every prophet (in some way or another) foretold of the coming messiah. The purpose of the resurrection was to redeem man.

When Jesus was crucified on the cross, when he was pierced in the side, blood and water came forth. That was for the salvation of the world. The blood for the remission of sin, and the water for baptism, all in the name of Jesus.

Knowing the power of Jesus’ resurrection is to understand, and appreciate all the benefits we have received through his awesome sacrifice. The forgiveness of sin. The power can be seen in the ability of the blood of Jesus, that it reaches all the way back to the beginning, and stretches forward to the times to come. It is timeless. It will never lose its power.

The Holy Ghost, or the comforter, which Jesus told to disciples and believers to go into the upper room and wait for (see Acts 2), is the ultimate benefit. This gift of Jesus coming to dwell in us. The gift that gives us power to be witnesses of him (see Acts 1:8). The power of God dwelling in us bodily. The power to overcome all of the power of the evil one. The power to live a victorious life. A life that brings glory to God. The power to rise to meet Jesus when he returns.

A free gift to all who will receive. The epitome of love. A love so great that he was willing to suffer and die for all. With a resurrection from the dead that freed us all.

This is the power of his resurrection.

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.

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;”

There is a blessing in knowing God, that spreads to every area of your life. The more you know of God, and know God (experience, intimacy), the less you depend or rely on yourself.

It is impossible to get to know God without it changing your life for the better. Those people who say the know God, but are just as mean and evil as they were before they came into contact with him are not walking in the truth. 

We get to know God through his holy word (the Bible). The change comes as we mediate on the word day and night. We experience God through praise and worship. Then finally, we apply the word to our daily lives. We live the principles of the Bible. This is active participation. It is never ending. It is a way of life.

We will be discussing these principles more in depth during this series. I am truly excited about knowing him better, God bless.