What we wanted anyway

You can study music, music theory. You can learn all about composing music. You learn about the science of music. You can master the theory and never sit at a keyboard and play a song. Never learn to play for yourself. You can go teach others how to compose music and never learn to play yourself.

You can get married. You can have a legal relationship with your spouse. In every way you’re legally related but, you know, it’s something quite else to enjoy that legal relationship. To walk in the reality of the love and the fellowship of that possession, says Richard Jordan.

You can get all the mechanics of the faith. You can learn all the technical stuff, all the doctrines, and never come really to know Christ.

That’s why Paul says in Philippians 3:10: [10] That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

He’s saying, “I want something more than just religion. I want something more than just a bunch of rules and regulations, rites and status and people’s applause. I want to know the reality of who God the Creator is. You know Him through His Son.

Read on: [11] If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
[12] Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
[13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
[14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Christ apprehended Paul on the way to Damascus and he said, “I’m focusing on one thing in my life. I want to apprehend the purpose for which He apprehended me! He came along and stopped my wild career.”

When you apprehend someone—Hawaii 5-0 used to say, “Cuff and stuff ’em, Danno.” You apprehend the dude. You arrest him. Paul says, “He arrested me for a reason.”

The song writer said, “In evil long I took delight, unawed by shame or fear, until a new object caught my sight and stopped my wild career.” That happened to Paul and that happens to everybody when they get saved. That’s how you get saved.

Paul said, “My life, everything about what’s going on in my life now is focused on apprehending the thing He apprehended me for.” What did He apprehend Paul for? He made him an apostle by the commandment of God. He gave him an opportunity to have “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” He made him a child of the living God. He made him “complete in Christ.”

Paul never learned one thing beyond what he learned on the way to Damascus. “Who art thou, Lord?” “I am Jesus.” He learned that at a deeper, more intimate understanding. “I’m crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ.” That’s really all you ever learn. You learn, “It’s not me, it’s Him.” But you learn it better, more fully.

He says in verses 13-14: [13] Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
[14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

What’s the mark? “That I may know Him.” He’s the mark and “I press toward the mark.” The mark was the Lord Jesus Christ. The goal was to lay hold on Him and to know Him! And Paul just viewed everything in his life through that lens.

You know, the first thing in getting what you want is to decide what you want. People float around and say, “I’m miserable.” Well, what do you want? “I don’t know what I want.” Well, then no wonder you’re miserable.

Sit down and decide what you want , because if you don’t know what you want, well, if you aim at nothing you’ll hit it every time. Paul knew what he wanted. He scrutinized EVERY thing in his life through that one goal: “Are these things in my life going to advance my knowing Him, or are they going to hinder my knowing Him?”

This is the thing about grace—grace doesn’t say, “Don’t do this and don’t do that; that’s sin. You do that and God’s going to be mad at you.” God says you’re accepted in Christ. We’re living different here, folks.

You know what Paul said? “All things are lawful for me but all things are not expedient. I can go out and do anything, but if I do it doesn’t enhance my getting the goal and that goal is to know Him.”

The grace of God teaches you. You have to be taught. We’re kind of dumb; we don’t get it on our own. The Crosswork teaches you to “deny ungodliness and worldly lust.”

When you know the Lord, what happens is you figure out how He’s thinking and He says, “Deny that stuff.” Why? That’s what killed the Lord Jesus Christ. He died to put that away. Why? So He could put these things that are better into your life so that you might live. Isn’t that what you wanted anyway?