Testimonies
Last week we talked about the
necessity of NOT excluding Jesus from our lives, especially our life together
in the church. We have to guard against being “lukewarm”, which would in effect
keep Jesus outside the door. One thing we have to say about Jesus, is that he
was fully and completely committed to his mission on earth. So we know that
Jesus will draw close to anyone and any church … which is sincerely open to however
Jesus wants to lead us.
From welcoming Jesus into our
presence, where we begin the process of salvation, we need to get to “know”
Jesus. We need Jesus not only to be our Saviour and inspiration (which can
happen somewhat remotely), but also our friend and companion. When Jesus, in
his earthly ministry, called his disciples, he then insisted that they spent
time with him and learnt from him. When he would send them out on mission, they
would need to return to him to report how they went (and receive further
insight and encouragement).
These disciples, if they were
to follow Jesus effectively, would need to leave behind everything that would
potentially get in the way. We have many incidents recorded in the Gospels,
where people disqualified themselves from service, because they just had to do
other things first (e.g. Luke 9:57-62), or just could NOT put aside something
they were giving undue priority to (i.e. the rich young ruler). This would have
been so disappointing to Jesus, as these people had no doubt much potential for
the Kingdom.
I spent many years welcoming
Jesus, often with enthusiasm, but also with occasional periods of
‘lukewarmness’. I was happy to somewhat remotely accept what Jesus had done for
me. I was even baptised. I was a youth leader. And, because of words of trusted
people into my life, there was this strong sense of calling upon me. But my
foundation was still pretty shaky. A bit of a dilemma. Where do you go with
that?
We need to come to the
realisation that the atoning work of Jesus AND THE PERSON OF JESUS go
together (inseparably joined)! It was when I met the person of Jesus,
especially as presented in the Gospels, NOT just the idea of Jesus, that I
started to get solidly on the right track. We will have to “know” Jesus, if we
are going to complete the course!
Joe Stowell wrote this in Our
Daily Bread: I had the privilege of sitting next to Billy Graham at a
dinner. I asked him what he loved most about his ministry – was it
knowing presidents, kings and queens, or preaching the gospel to millions of
people around the world? Before I had finished offering suggestions, Rev Graham
stopped me. Without hesitation he said, “It has been my fellowship with Jesus;
to sense His presence, to glean His wisdom, to have Him guide and direct me –
that has been my greatest joy”.
Scripture
We have to come to “know”
Jesus! There are, I think, two ways of achieving this – and they go
hand-in-hand. The first is … to study the life of Jesus, and let his life and
teaching go deep within us. At the same time, because of our various
resistances, experiences of life and fears, we need to be open to the Holy
Spirit weaving through our life … to defeat negativities and open places for
Jesus to dwell. We need to prayerfully embrace the life of Jesus – what he
stood for, and where his priorities lay – and allow all this to touch our lives
deeply.
The apostle Paul, whose words
we have read from Philippians chapter 3, did NOT lack for much, or so it would
have appeared. Paul (or Saul, as he was previously known) was a respected and
influential religious leader who had a definite mission to destroy the new
Jesus movement. When he was confronted and called that day … by Jesus on the
road to Damascus, he welcomed Jesus – accepting the truth of who Jesus was.
Paul then abandoned his former agendas and associations. But, he would still
have had to go through a further process of learning about who Jesus was (from
the traditions spoken about him), at the same time as allowing the Holy Spirit
to bring exceptional levels of understanding to him in a relatively short time.
Paul would also come to
abandon his reliance on human performance (that would never actually gain him
righteousness), and become fully open to God’s equipping and enablement. By the
time Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi, he had come to
understand (vs 7-9) that all of what he had gained in his former life, all his
heritage and fame, paled into complete insignificance, when compared to
simply “knowing” Jesus. And, anything else life could bring him now or in the
future, also paled into complete insignificance, when weighed against
the possibilities that came out of “knowing” Jesus.
Paul uses the phrase, “the
surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. This is like the insignificant
stuff standing still, while the good things of Jesus speed forward! “Knowing”
Jesus just plainly outstrips everything else – this is in a ‘class apart’ (R P
Martin). Paul has studied hard and learned well: those others things have NO
value and will NOT be missed! This includes all attempts to save ourselves,
vindicate ourselves, defend ourselves, promote ourselves – because in the end,
all that counts for us, in our broken state, is the mercy and forgiveness of
God, which leads to an experience of the “righteousness” that only God can
give.
This is the “righteousness”
that cannot be achieved by ourselves, but only placed within us as we open
ourselves to God’s grace. We can only be made “right” with God, by saying ‘yes’
to Jesus. Even decent religious practice can be regarded as “rubbish”, if this
ignores “knowing” Jesus! If we continue to rely on our own strength, such that
it is, we will continue to block (and leave no space for) how God wants to
bless us. There can be NO rival to putting total trust in Jesus!
God works best through our
admitted weakness. Paul says, in verse 10, “I want to know Christ and the power
of his resurrection”. Do we want to know the power of Christ’s resurrection? I
do! And, I know, that I have experienced some of that, but there is certainly
more to experience yet! We notice that Paul goes on to talk about pressing
forward in this (v 12-14). Surely, to know the “power of Christ’s resurrection”
is the epitome and the crowning glory of “knowing” Jesus! We need to consider
what the “power of Christ’s resurrection” means, and then … how we get there.
Power
For me, the “power” of
Christ’s resurrection, is the greatest “power” imaginable. This is the “power”
that brought the dead back to life! One could imagine that this was level of
“power” through which a universe was created out of nothing. This is the
“power” that changes everything – e.g. those who are spiritually dead are made
spiritually alive. One could do immensely useful things through this sort of
“power”! So impacting is this “power”, that people should sense in us … the
access that we have had to such “power” as this!
Yet, ironically, this “power”
comes from drawing down into suffering (v 10b-11). This bit doesn’t fill me
with so much excitement! Yet, as Paul well and truly discovered, there was a
cost to following Jesus. And many persecuted Jesus-followers around the world
could testify to the truth of this. Jesus only experienced the “power of
resurrection” himself, because he was obedient unto death on a cross. Jesus
sacrificed everything in the cause of people being able to find freedom in a
relationship with God. The cross was the ultimate act of self-giving love.
To be raised up, we need to
lower ourselves in humility. To experience the “power of Christ’s
resurrection”, we need to embrace the suffering servant nature of Jesus’ life
and ministry. Paul already expressed this beautifully (in this letter) in
chapter 2:5-11. In this sense, Jesus came NOT to be served but to serve, and
that is his call to us (Mark 10:45). Lest this “power” ever build pride, or any
sort of excessive triumphalism, we are reminded that its source is found in
torturous death. So, experiencing the “power of Christ’s resurrection” happens
as we follow Jesus WHEREVER that takes us!
Progress
This is all a process … we
don’t usually get there overnight. All the contradictions that could be noted
in our lives, will take some time and effort to sort out. Coming to “know’
Jesus is an ongoing and progressive endeavour. It will likely take all our
lives. Searching out and finding all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and
applying them, is surely an ongoing process. Yet, we should still be able to
say … that we “know” Jesus better today than yesterday. Also, this doesn’t, of
course, happen in our own strength, but through allowing the Holy Spirit’s
witness to Jesus … to work its way within us.
This is all a deeply
prayerful and reflective endeavour. And, this DOES involve a determination NOT
to get bogged down (v 13b). When we fail or backtrack momentarily, we should
resolve to accept forgiveness, and remedy anything that has gone astray …
especially in our relationships – rather than dally in negativity. Past
‘sins’, now forgiven, should NOT be allowed to impede our progress. Past
mistakes are now there for us to learn the lessons necessary to go forward.
Also, we can sometimes feel
regret for things left behind that were once alluring, and be tempted back; but
we need to constantly remind ourselves of the “surpassing [riches] of knowing
Jesus”. After all, we are heading toward that “prize” of the “heavenly call of
God” (v 14), where the “conquerors” in life will share in the “throne” of Jesus
(Rev 3:21) – so, it may be a good idea to get to “know” Jesus now! This is why
Paul shares this phrase (in v 13b) … “straining forward to what lies ahead”.
There is a real sense of effort conveyed here, yet effort that is more fuelled
by God’s Spirit than ourselves.
God has a great future for
each of us, especially in spiritual terms – we just need a relentless centring
of our energies on the course ahead (H A Kent Jr). On the road trip of life, we
need to let Jesus set the itinerary, guide the course, keep us looking forward
through the windscreen, see us past the pot-holes, and help us avoid the
dead-end streets – all toward the ultimate destination. We then can experience
an ever-increasing conformity to the image of Jesus. Along the way, we get to
pick up a few passengers, who become our guests, before launching their own
road-trip accompanied by Jesus.
Application
What can we “know” about
Jesus? A whole lot!! We know … that it is all about that practical application
of loving God i.e. loving our neighbour. Everything Jesus did was out of a heart
of love, and a mission of re-introducing the lost and the broken to God. This
love was seen in deep and abiding compassion for the hurting and those that had
been excluded. The “power of the resurrection” was already on show, as Jesus
healed the blind and the lame, and as he cast out the demons of oppression.
Jesus forbade judgement of others, and instead promoted merciful attitudes. As
we are loved by God, we must love others.
We know that Jesus never held
back, and when sacrifice was required … sacrifice he gave. Yes, we need to
delve into Jesus’ life! Have we trawled through the pages of the Gospels
(Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) enough … to really soak up who Jesus is? Yet,
as we have said, this is NOT just an intellectual search – this needs to be deeply
personal! Have we imagined, as we read, what Jesus is saying to us in these
biblical passages?? We need to see the world through Jesus’ eyes, so that we
can best weave our way through life’s complexity.
We also need to be able to
“know” Jesus as our Saviour, brother, friend and leader – all of these. Who
Jesus is to us, makes a difference to who we (ourselves) are becoming! As we
come to “know” Jesus, how we speak and act can come into alignment with his
example, and thus we live out his life in all of our daily interactions. No
one, including Paul, says that this is easy. Yet, we should never be defeatist
nor give up. Because, in the end, “knowing” Jesus, is the work of God’s Spirit
in us – our part being … openness, readiness, patience and courage.
"I want to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection". Amen.
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