I Want To Know Jesus
INTRODUCTION - Jesus brought the disciples into a high mountain. Jesus had a way separating people that questioned him from people that wanted to ask questions and people that want nothing from people who can believe Him for something. I don’t believe Jesus chose Peter, James, and John to follow Him to while He left the others behind. I believe Peter, James, and John chose to follow Jesus up into a mountain while the other chose to remain behind. Most people don’t want to go up because they did not want to grow up. I can almost hear the disciples complaining about how high the mountain was and how far they had to walk. Only those who want to go higher will follow Jesus beyond their comfort zone. Only those who want to know Him more will follow Jesus to a point that only He can lead them from. So, Jesus calls us to step out and step up to come up to another level of faith so He can reveal something new about Himself to us. It is up to us to come up and grow up to the point that we want to know Jesus more.
TEXT- 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
Jesus will lead out of our comfort zone so He can reveal something new to us about Himself. Jesus tells us to launch out into the deep so He can reveal something new to us about Himself. Jesus takes us by the hand and leads us out of the city blind so He can reveal something new to us about Himself. Jesus calls us up into a high mountain apart so He can reveal something new to us about Himself. The problem is that most people won’t follow Him up, most people won’t follow Him out, most people won’t follow Him over, because they don’t really want to know Jesus. Daniel 11:32b says "but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits" but most Christians don’t really want to know Jesus. There is something interesting about the word "know" in Philippians 3:10. It is the Greek word "Ginosko" which is a Jewish idiom for the word "intercourse". The same way Adam knew Eve and Eve conceived, it implies intimacy. What most people don’t know is that sex usually has very little to do with intimacy and intimacy is not always sex. The break down is “Into-Me-cy” where my wife is into me even more than she is into herself and I am into her even more than I am into myself. In other words, it’s not intercourse and it is not intimacy unless we are doing something for each other. It’s the same way with our relationship with Jesus. To know Jesus requires intimacy where I want to do something for Him because He was willing to do something for me. People want to know the power but they don’t want to know Jesus. People want to know the power of His resurrection but they don’t want to experience His resurrection. In order to experience His resurrection it requires a dying process. The power of His resurrection is the power of Jesus Christ to bring positive out of negative, right out of wrong, good out of bad, life out of death. It requires a dying process. Like a seed; nothing good will come out of it without a dying process. Everyone wants to experience the power but where are the saints that are willing to die for Jesus daily the same way He died for you and for me on a hill called Calvary.
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
To know Him requires intimacy where I want to do something for Him because He was willing to do something for me. Turn to your neighbor and say "He did it for me!" Where are the real believers that love Him not because what He can do for them but because He first loved them? Where are the real believers at that are willing to go through the dying process because I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. "He did it for me!" I can’t experience the power of His resurrection without going through the dying process to die for Him like He was willing to die for me. My selfishness has to die. My self-centeredness has to die. I have to say, not my will but Thy will be done. Where are the real believers that will say "Nevertheless". It’s not easy but "nevertheless". It’s not comfortable but "nevertheless". It’s not pleasant but "nevertheless". It’s not my will but "nevertheless, not my will but Thy will be done."
Everyone wants to know Jesus in His power, but who wants to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings. The word fellowship in the Greek is "koinonia". It is an exchange. Who is willing to go through the passage of pain because they aren’t just following Jesus for gain? Where are the real believers who say "I’ll suffer persecution because He did it for me?" "I’ll suffer rejection because He did it for me." "I’ll go through the hardship because He did it for me." "I’ll go through the pain because He did it for me." "I want to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings because He did it for me!" Where are the real believers like the believers in the Faith Hall of Fame?
Hebrews 11:33
Who through faith did more than just subdued kingdoms, and wrought righteousness, and obtained promises? They did more than, stopped the mouths of lions, and Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of
the sword, out of weakness were made strong, and waxed valiant in fight,
and turned to flight the armies of the aliens. They received their dead raised to life again, (which means there had to be a dying process) and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a
better resurrection:And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings,
yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword *: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins *; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: because they wanted to know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. Where are the real believers like Job who when the devil asked would Job serve God for nothing? Jobs answer was even if He slays me, yet will I trust Him. Where are the real believers like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that say "our God can deliver us, and our God will deliver us, but even if He doesn’t, I’ll still serve Him. Where are the real believers that want to know Jesus in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of is sufferings being made conformable unto His death. Conformed means pressed into the mold and image and likeness of. I want to know Him. I want to be pressed into the mold and image and likeness of Jesus.
Romans 12:2 - And 1 John 2:15be not conformed to this world: but Eph. 4:23;Col. 3:10be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may 1 Thes. 4:3prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
I’ll not be conformed to this world but I’ll transformed by the renewing of my mind to prove what is the good will. The Good Will of God is what He has already done for us (Genesis 1:10,12,18,21,25, and 31)(James 1:17). He did it for me! And the Acceptable Will of God is what He expects me to do for Him because of what He has done for me. The Perfect Will of God is when I enjoy what God has already done for me because I am willing to do for Him because He was willing to do for me. We enter into the perfect will of God when we stop chasing the kingdom and start chasing the King. Likewise, I don’t want to just know the power of Jesus. I want to know Jesus, in the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings so I can be made conformable unto his death. I want to know Jesus.
