The Framework of Knowing Christ

THE FRAMEWORK OF KNOWING CHRIST

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event to occur in the history of man-kind. The Christian faith hangs on the very hinges of the resurrection. This doctrine is one of the most important doctrines of the Bible. I will go a step further and say that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a fundamental and foundational doctrine of the Christian faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then we have no faith and Christianity is no better than any other cult or false religion in the world.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a documented historical fact. Something that Paul points out in 1 Cor. 15:5-8. We have the testimony of Peter, Paul, all the disciples and of over 500 brethren who all saw the risen Lord on one occasion. The resurrection is documented in the Bible, Luke 24; John 20-21; Matt. 28; Mark 16; Acts 1:3, etc.
The resurrection is God the Father’s full approval and acceptance of Jesus Christ payment for the sins of His People. It is the receipt of our redemptions purchased price. The benefits of the resurrection to the believer in Christ are many. But three stand out;
1. THE BENEFIT OF A GENUINE FAITH
2. THE BENEFIT OF A GODLY FAMILY
3. THE BENEFIT OF A GLORIOUS FUTURE
The resurrection must be embraced because it:
A. It Authenticates our Justification – Past Tense – The Penalty and Guilt of Sin
B. It Orchestrates Our Sanctification – Present Tense – The Power and Dominion of Sin
C. It Anticipates Our Glorification – Future Tense – The Presence of Sin
Praise God for the Resurrection! There is the Three Dimensional Blessing of the Resurrection, which leads me to our text.
Paul has been asserting the fact that Jesus Christ alone in the perfection of His Work and the Glory of His Person is the Sum and Substance of the Christian Faith. He is the Center and the Circumference of the Christian Joy.
Paul wants the Gospel alone to serve as immunization for the Philippians and us against the Judiaser and their legalism.
3:1 Exhorted To Rejoice in the Lord
3:2 Warning Against the Judiaser and Legalism
3:3 Marks and Identity of True Christians
3:4-6 Testimony of His Life of as a Legalist and His Fleshly Advantages
3:7-11 Evaluation and Explanation of Knowing Christ.
Remember there are two dimensions of implanted spiritual consciousness that they every man cannot escape.
1. The Awareness of Accountability to and guilt before the True and Living God. Romans 1 and 2 make this clear.
2. The Consciousness of their capacity for and need of communion w/God. Acts 17:26-28
We all struggle with these two dilemmas but there are two provisions in the gospel for these dilemmas.
1. Christ is the Objective Provision of Perfect Righteousness
2. Christ is the Subjective Provision of Knowledge and Communion with God.

I showed from the one phrase in verse 10 THAT I MIGHT KNOW HIM those two realities.
So we saw first, The Focus Of this Knowledge and Communion with Christ. The Person of Christ, THAT I MIGHT KNOW HIM.
We saw the:
• The Nature of that Knowledge
• The Characteristics of the Knowledge
a. Illumination – II Cor. 4:6, Eph. 1:17-18
b. Appropriation – Phil. 3:8
c. Transformation - II Cor. 3:18
d. Aspiration – Phil. 3:7-9
We saw how this text clears up all religious misconceptions.
1. Exposes Heresy of Legalism and Ritualism.
2. Exposes the Curse of Decisionism. Assuring people of salvation on the basis of what they did. Always relying upon their decision for forgiveness. Christ is not an insurance policy. Get the policy you don’t need the agent. No you need both.
3. Exposes the problems with Objectivenism. Love v. 9 Praise God for Grace. Grace is an objective provision.
4. Exposes the faults of Mytism. Only wants experiences.
5. Constitutes the Powerful Comfort to the true people of God
a. Are you fully satisfied with your acceptance before God in Christ? Are you done with plus signs. No more plus signs not adding anything to the Gospel.
b. Are you dissatisfied with your present level of knowledge with Christ. Paul says THAT I MIGHT KNOW HIM. Paul I thought you knew Him. Paul do you know Him? Yes and NO
6. Constitutes a Sounding Board of the Gospel.

So today on this Resurrection Sunday we want to look at the Framework of the Knowledge of Christ. The Focus of the Knowledge of Christ was on His PERSON. The Framework of the Knowledge of Christ is on His REDEMPTIVE ACTIVITY,
That I might know HIM and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
The Framework comes to us this morning in 3D, The Framework of the knowledge of Christ is three dimensional, this means it will require Spiritual Glasses to see all the special effects.
I. Paul had a Past Experience with Christ
a. Found In Christ - When I am found in Christ – when I am united to him – I have a righteousness from God that depends on faith.
“union with the resurrected Christ by faith…justification is the first thing that Paul thinks of as one of the benefits of that union. Positionally He is Declared right with God. This is that Objective Righteousness I spoke of that takes care of that conscious awareness of accountability and guilt before God.

II. Paul had a Present or Continuous Experience with Christ
a. That I might know HIM and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, – when I am found in Christ and united to him having a declared righteousness it evidence itself by a pursuing desire to know him. This is the Subjective Knowledge that longs to commune with Him.

III. Paul sought a Future Experience with Christ
a. becoming like him in his death

But the second thing that Paul thinks of as connected with our union with Christ is sanctification. that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

There are three things that Paul wants to know:
1) “Him” – I want to know Christ – Himself. A Desire to Know His Person Intimately
This reminds us that we are not just talking about a moralistic “I want to be a better person” I want to know Christ – I want to know him. We come to know him by faith. True faith is Knowing Believing Pursuing and Resting.

If that is not the first thing that you want to know, then you need to rethink your priorities!
This means you have faulty framework. You never see in 3D without first seeing in 1D

Well, what does it mean to know Christ? Intimately and Experientially
The next two things help us:
2) “I want to know the power of his resurrection” A Desire to Know His Power Experientially

The power or victory over defeat
The power of life over death
The power of winning when it looks like I am losing
The power of knowing truth as opposed to lies
The power to believe when I am drowning in unbelief
The power to love the unlovable
The power to befriend my enemies
The power to trust God’s Heart when I can’t see his hand
The power to shut up when I want to speak
The power that will enable me to resist the World the Flesh and the Devil.
The power that will make me cry when nothing wrong
The power that will make me strong when I know I am weak
The power to forgive when people keep on hurting me
The power to continue speaking boldly when others are silent
The power to give my last because my trust is in my First


This is the power for holy living. This kind of power requires a dead man. For resurrection power works best in the graveyard. Many can’t experience this kind of power because they want die or deny self. Paul says I have counted everything loss for the surpassing knowledge of knowing Him. Being found in him not having a righteousness of my own but a righteousness from God that depends on faith in Christ that Justification and the evidence of my justification is sanctification.


Sanctification is a profoundly doctrinal, theological process. You will never grow in grace, if you are not growing in knowledge. I want to know Him and the Power of his resurrection

Of course, there is always the opposite problem – of people who are always studying and never doing – but my observation is that those who are seeking to know Christ
in the manner that Paul describes here are invariably the most active Christians in the church. Because knowing the power of Christ’s resurrection is nothing less than experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit – who is, after all, the presence of the resurrected Christ with his people.

The resurrected Lord has poured out his Spirit on his church – and therefore the power of the exalted Messiah is at work in you.

3) “I want to know the fellowship of his sufferings” A Desire to Know Him Identically by Participate Sufferings

This comes about first in our baptism – and outward expression of an inward change. To be Identified with Christ as participants in the death and burial of Christ. As he identified with us in his incarnation, we identify with him – we are united with his death – in our baptism.

But this definitive breach with sin then is worked out throughout the life of the believer.
“becoming like him in his death.”

This is simply another way of saying, “to live is Christ; to die is gain.”
that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Verse 11 then emphasizes our “final” sanctification in glorification.
As Paul had said in Romans 8:17, “we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

Many have been struck by the tentativeness of this – almost as though Paul was in doubt whether he would attain the resurrection!

But I don’t think we need to read any doubt into this. Rather, Paul is emphasizing the need for perseverance.

Your present status in Christ does not remove or reduce your need to persevere.
The only way to glory is the way of the cross. Knowing the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings and being conformed to the likeness of his death is the only way to glory.
After all, if Paul has come this far, refusing to have confidence in himself
and his own righteousness, then how could he have confidence in his own efforts at sanctification?

His only hope is Christ – and so he wants to keep his confidence fixed there. Paul wanted to be found in Christ in his living and in His death.

And so the 3 dimensions of the framework of the knowledge of Christ are
Justified
Sanctified
Glorified

Saved Being Saved Will Be Saved Past Present and Future

I have a Personal Relationship
I have a Powerful Relationship
I have a Perfect Relationship

All because He Died was Buried And Has RISEN God raised Him up.

Because He Lives
________________________________________
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.


Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.
And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.