CENTRAL THOUGHT
Knowing Christ and His ways brings down God’s presence.
TEXT: PHIL. 3:10-16; EPH.1:17-19.
INTRODUCTION:
Knowledge is the condition of being familiar or acquainted with something through experience or association. It involves understanding the principles through study, investigation, observation, or experience. To know means to be in possession of exclusive knowledge or to be well-informed of an issue or matter.Paul, in his letter to the church in Philippi, declares his desire to know Him (Christ)… This is a statement of surprise coming from someone we think has experienced God so much that he ought to have had enough knowledge of Him. Rather he emphasizes the need to know more of Jesus and His ministry until the ultimate is achieved, which is to become Christ-like and win the prize of heaven.This first part of the study focuses on the meaning, and desired personal qualities in knowing Christ at all times by every believer.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
1. To explain what it means to “know Him”.
2. To identify those that should seek to know Christ.
3. To list some qualities that will aid the believer to know Christ better.
4. To identify the ultimate goal in knowing Christ.
BIBLE TRUTH:
QUESTION 1) WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO KNOW CHRIST?
JN.3:3; JN.4:24; 1JN.1:1-4.
We are living in a time of unprecedented desire to acquire and manipulate knowledge in various aspects of our existence. The church is not left out because ignorance gives birth to destruction. (Hos.4:6). Our knowledge of God cannot be complete on this earth. There will be new revelations on the personality and purposes of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which can only come as we daily relate with Him.To know Christ will involve a whole range of events consciously undertaken by the believer consistently and faithfully. Among these are:-The new birth, which brings us back into the family of God and opens a new chapter of relationship between us and our maker. This new birth is accomplished when Christ is introduced to us, accepted of us, and believed on by us.-A life of communion and fellowship at a consistent and continuous level with the Lord. This we do by turning our back to sin and Satan and yielding daily to His will.-Having a right knowledge of His mission, first as a lamb of sacrifice that atones for our sins, secondly as a priest of eternal divine order, ministering to the imperfections of man to bring justification for him and also as a king with glory and authority, to whom we shall be accountable bye and bye.-Be identified with His mission-a life of humility, and sacrifice and be sustained by the hope of sharing in glory with Him.-To know Christ will also mean to tell others about Him i.e. to make Him known. His command to preach the gospel and be His witnesses is a task. Keeping to it is visible evidence that we know Him in truth.
QUESTION 2) WHO ARE THOSE THAT SHOULD SEEK TO KNOW HIM?
ROM.3:23; ISA.53:6
There is no human that is exempted from knowing Christ. The unrepentant sinner must be persuaded and led into the knowledge of the Son of God. For him, Christ was offered as a lamb of sacrifice so that he may believe and receive remission of sins.Furthermore, ministers of His vineyard and great apostles of today must not take their acquaintance with Christ for granted (Phil.3:12). Your salvation is still at stake until you are ushered into His presence. At his level there was more for Paul to know of Christ. The dimensions of knowledge are so diverse that there are more to be known. Whatever the level of our fellowship with God, we are very well included among those who should desire on daily basis “that I may know (more of) Him”.So, in conclusion, the hardened sinner, the pretender, the idle church member, the critic, the church worker, the believers operating with full unction of the Holy Spirit, the Clergy, the teachers of the word, the miracle workers, the prophets and every other person alive, will need to either know Him anew, or know more about the fellowship of His total ministry.
QUESTION 3) WHAT QUALITIES WILL AID BELIEVERS TO KNOW CHRIST BETTER?
Knowing Christ is a continuous affair. It should be progressive, consistent and with a definite focus. Those who have experienced the new birth must seek to know more about Christ and God. There are personal and God ordained qualities that must be present so that the believer will continue to increase in the knowledge and fellowship of Jesus Christ. Prominent among them are the following:
-(a) Faith (Heb 11:6)We need faith to walk with God like Noah and other men of faith. We need an active faith to accept the means which God has prescribed for us to find Him-Jesus Christ. Faith is the vehicle that transforms our nature into God’s nature and ushers us into direct relationship with Him.
(b) A sound and balanced knowledge of the word of God (Ps.119:9, 105).More than the laws of princes or the morals of philosophers, we must make the word of God our rule. That it is the only way we can be sanctified. (Jn.17:17). The word exposes to us things about God and about ourselves which our natural environment may not do. The word is available to direct us in our choice of way.
(c) The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Jn.14:26, 15:26-27. Christ has given His word to the church. The Holy Spirit is the ever-present tutor who will bring the doctrines of Christ to our remembrance. It is the same Spirit that shall maintain the cause of Christ in the world. He is an advocate for Christ and a comforter to the church against the hatred of the world.
(d) Humility and obedience Prov.1:7We cannot profit from the instructions that are given to us unless our minds are filled with holy reverence for God, and every thought within us brought in obedience to His will. Humility and obedience brought Christ into a position of special relationship with God. (Phil.2:8-9). If we must grow in measure and in knowledge of divine, we must highly esteem these attributes.
(e) Holiness. 1 Pet.1:15-16; 1 Thess.4:7.We must imitate God in holiness, though we cannot equal him. By holiness the tendencies to sin (and its guilt) are done away with and we are qualified to fellowship with the Almighty.
(f) Service and fruitfulness. Jn.15:2, 13.A faithful delivery of service to God and to his church is necessary if we are to expect more endowment from God. It is not enough to be connected to Christ by a thread of outward profession. The purging of fruitful branches is the duty of the great husbandman, and it is intended to accomplish more faithfulness. A believer who desires to grow more must make practical use of what he has acquired from God in order to receive more.
QUESTION 4) WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE IN KNOWING CHRIST?
PHIL.3:7-11; 2 COR.4:10-11
The ultimate goal of knowing Christ is to win the prize of the high calling and make heaven as a final destination. This must be accomplished through being found in Christ and clothed with righteousness that is of God by faith, being made conformable unto His death, putting behind past failures, and pressing harder and continuously towards the target.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Church membership without commitment to Christ is just outward profession. True knowledge of God and of Christ brings out commitment to His service. Our knowledge of God and of His resources for us cannot be fully exhausted in a space of time. It is a journey of life that defines our final destination. We must therefore continue in our desire to know Christ the more, and to discover the mystery of God and our whole mission on earth.
MEMORY VERSE:
PHIL.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”.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
MON: Rooted and built up in Him. Col.2:7
TUE: Renewed in knowledge of Christ. Col.3:10.
WED: Children of light. 1Thess.5:5-9.
THU: Sweeter than Honey. Ps.19:8-11.
FRI: The way, the truth and the life. Jn. 14:6-7.
SAT: Wisdom and long life. Prov.9:9-11.