Knowing Him in experience of newness

There’s a startling thing we learn in John 14: [8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

[9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Understand, they’ve been traveling together, journeying together, going through the Galilean area. They’re eating together, ministering together, suffering together. They’re now experiencing the rejection, explains Alex Kurz.

Think about this for a second--Philip was privileged to see the miracles. Imagine, you’re traveling with the Savior, the Messiah, you hear His claims; the Lord Jesus did some miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, didn’t He? Walking on water, raising the dead, healing the blind, casting out devils.

And then the Lord says, “You don’t know me.” Isn’t that something?! He’s saying, “You’ve been with me this long, Philip, and you don’t know me in this far deeper, far more personal level.”

[10] Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
[11] Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

What I’m highlighting is it is absolutely possible to be exposed to great amounts of doctrinal information and yet, do you really know Him?

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;

Paul was saying, “I know the power of His resurrection. I want to know Him personally, passionately, deeply.” There’s a power of resurrection that Paul wants to attain.

[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.

You see the language here? Hence, he says in verse 14: [14] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

“There’s something about Jesus Christ that I want to know about. I want to know it in experience, not in cold, hard, sterile theological study.”

It has something to do with the power of the resurrection, and Paul says, “I’m trying to seize it! I’m trying to grab hold of it. I’m trying to attain. I’m trying to apprehend.”

When I think of the word apprehend, I think of a police officer. Paul uses the illustration of the athlete. That athlete has a mark and when you hit the mark, there’s a prize. Who’s the prize?

[8] Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Listen, this isn’t a competition to see who gets the biggest house in heaven or who’s more spiritual than anybody else. This is a personal yearning and desire that should be fired up in our soul. This should be a flame in our heart to know Him so deeply and personally that the prize is Jesus Christ.

Romans 6 actually tells us what it is Paul is seeking to attain:

[3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
[4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

God has something far more that His glorious plan and purpose . . . You see, Paul says, "I want to apprehend that for which I’m apprehended." God raised up His Son by the glory for the reason of giving to you the same resurrection life.

Paul says, “I want to know Him by understanding what this newness of life is all about.”

Romans 6:8: [8] Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Verse 10: [10] For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Jesus Christ lives with the sole purpose of fulfilling and accomplishing the will, the plan, the purpose of His heavenly Father.

Verse 11: [11] Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What are we supposed to do? Hey, sin doesn’t have dominion over you anymore. I’ve been raised with Jesus Christ in newness of life. To know Jesus Christ is to know Him as Romans 3 presents Him.