A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Going deeper in our walk with Jesus. Next on a daily walk.

John Randall: What are you about? What are you chasing after? What's your goals? What's your pursuit? What do you want to do? And again, it's not wrong to have goals. It's not wrong to have desires. But I wonder if one of them is You know what my desire is? I want to know Jesus better today than I did yesterday. I want to know him I want to go deeper with him this year than I did the year before. Is that part of the process of your mentality? It should be if you're a Christian.

Guest (Male): Well, you know it's never a bad idea to take time out to remember why we're here and what our purpose in life is. In short, it's to know Christ. And Pastor John Randall will point to a few precious areas we can get to know the Lord better in our daily walk. The first involves power that will blow your mind. This is part of our series in Philippians called To Live Is Christ. We'll meet you in chapter 3 on this edition of a daily walk.

John Randall: Paul said it this way in second Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21. He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. That is the exchange that is taking place with imputation. Jesus takes all of my sin, all of my mess, all of the things that I'm ashamed of. He takes all of that on himself and then he accounts to me, puts into my bankrupt account his righteousness, making me righteous before God. He credits the wealth of his sacrifice on the cross into my account, which now makes me righteous in the sight of God.

His righteousness cancels our debt that we could never pay. No wonder Paul said there's nothing that compares to knowing Jesus. This one is awkward things. You know you don't know when to clap, do you not clap, do you clap the whole time? I'm a man. It's good news. What are you going to do? I mean it's like nothing I mean what are you going to say? Paul's clapping the whole time he's writing it, but he can't get it down. He's like oh man I mean must took a long time to write this thing. And to get through the study today.

But just moving on. But the moment that a person trusts in the finished work of Jesus by faith, their salvation, they are immediately justified just as if they never sinned, declared positionally righteous in the sight of God. And then practically that righteousness is being worked out day to day by sanctification through the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, making me more like Jesus. Paul discovered this liberating truth and he was never the same. And what happened is now because his value system had changed because he had found righteousness, he had one goal, one passion, one pursuit.

And he tells us what it is in verse 10. That I may know him. That that's what my life's about. What are you about, Paul? You got rid of all this stuff. I mean what now what? What are you doing with your life? I just I have one one overarching passion and pursuit in my life. What is it? I just want to know I just want to know Jesus. That's that's what I'm after. That's what I'm about. I want to I want to know him. I love the amplified version of this passage. You got to see this.

It's very amplified. Says this. Philippians chapter 3 verse 10. For my determined purpose is that I may know him, that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with him, perceiving, recognizing, and understanding the wonders of his person more strongly and more clearly, and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from his resurrection, which it exerts over believers, and that I may so share his sufferings as to be continually transformed in spirit into his likeness even to his death. That's what Paul's saying. I I'm this is my goal.

This is my pursuit. This is my desire in life. When he says to know, the word is and and it means an experiential knowledge. It's not just an intellectual knowledge of the facts, but it is personal experience of something or someone. And in this case, the person of Christ. Paul's aim not just to know about Jesus, but to know him personally, intimately, experientially. And by the way, this should be the desire of every believer. This this should be our desire. This should be our pursuit. You know some people are content to know about Jesus. It's about him from a distance to be acquainted with him.

And you know it's possible to be acquainted with people, but not to really know them. Oh no, I know them. I know everything. I know what they have for breakfast. I don't I they showed it right here. I know everything about their life. I mean this is I know them. You don't really know them. And so it's so awkward when you see them because you're like I feel like I know you, but I can't look you cuz I feel like I'm spying on you all the time. Like Like you know it's just said it's where we live.

It's the world. You don't really know them. Do you have their number? I don't have their number. You probably don't know them. But but the point is this. Some people are content to just I admire the body of work of Jesus. I I appreciate it. You know the cross and resurrection, you know Bethlehem. I mean come on. I mean you you did like you just admire it, but you don't really know him. You know about him, but you don't have a personal relationship. It was J. I. Packer. He said this. He said quote, once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, then most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.

I'm here to know him. This should be the goal. This should be the desire. Can I ask you this morning, what is the main business of your life? What are you about? What are you chasing after? What's your goals? What's your pursuit? What do you want to do? And again, it's not wrong to have goals. It's not wrong to have desires. But I wonder if one of them is You know what my desire is? I want to know Jesus better today than I did yesterday. I want to know I want to go deeper with him this year than I did the year before.

Is that part of the process of your mentality? It should be if you're a Christian. Is your goal to be successful, to make money, to get married, to have a family? Again, not bad things in and of themselves, but what what's the what's the ultimate goal? What's the passion? Because everything in life flows from this fountain, knowing Christ, knowing Jesus. Paul said it earlier. You remember? To live is Christ. To live. Christ who is our life, he wrote to the Colossians, appears and we shall appear with him in glory. This was Paul's desire. You know my daughter-in-law asked me yesterday, Hey Dad, um what is uh what's your what's on your bucket list?

Like what do you want to do before you die? I was like Oh she didn't say it like that. It sounded like that to me, but like my bucket list before I die. Do I look like I'm going to keel over like today? Like what what is it? What before I die? Yeah, I just want to know what your bucket list is. My bucket list I I don't I do I have a list of with the What is it? It means stuff that you want to do before you die. Maybe you have a bucket list.

Maybe you're living through it right now. Maybe this is your bucket list. You're here. Welcome. Thank you for being here. But what what I'm saying is what is your bucket list? And I had to it took me a little minute like to like what what what what am I? I don't know. You don't know we start thinking about oh it'd be cool to see that. You know that would be awesome. You know it's like I could probably That would be kind of cool, but like I felt like Jesus, you are my list. Like you're my list.

You you're my thing, you know? Paul's desire was to know the Lord. But he wanted to know him in a few ways and he mentions it here. First of all, he wanted to know him in the power of his resurrection, it says. I want to know him in the power of his resurrection. Now the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. Folks, listen. Without the resurrection, you are wasting your time here today. This is just a nice meeting with nice people for no reason at all.

If there's no resurrection, you could have stayed in bed. There's no reason to read this. This is just another book like any other book. Jesus is just somebody who came and went like anybody else. The resurrection sets Jesus apart from any other person who is coming their own name. The resurrection is what makes Christianity a reality. Without it, there's nothing to it. The fact is Jesus has risen from the dead and that is why we gather and that is why we study God's word and that is why we have the confidence that we're going to see him face to face when we experience our own resurrection and we're going to see him for who he is, the Bible says.

So Paul knew about the resurrection of Christ. He preached it, he taught it, he'd even met the risen savior on the road to Damascus. But in addition to the knowledge of the truth and the doctrine of the resurrection, Paul wanted to know by experience power of the resurrection. He wanted the kind of power surging through his life as a Christian. You know the Bible says that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us. Romans chapter 8 verse 11. Here's what it says. The spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, brace yourself, lives in you.

Wow. And just as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by the same spirit. Here it is again, living within you. The power of the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, church, it's in us. It He lives in us. I mean and the church recognized the power of the Holy Spirit and would yield to it. What kind of What are we talking about? What are we What would we see to greater degree if we really understood that passage right there? Paul said I want to know this.

I I want to experience this. And all believers have in a sense experienced in a spiritual context the the resurrection power when you were raised with Christ spiritually. When you were born again, you were dead in trespasses and sins, but now you were raised to life in Christ. You spiritually speaking, you were born again. And so now you have this new life within you. And Paul as a one co-resurrected with Christ knew that power, but more than that, he wanted the same resurrection power to continue to be his resource that he would draw from to conquer sin, to overcome temptation, to be a bold witness in serving Christ.

You remember when Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus in his epistle, he said that he was praying for them that they would know the exceeding greatness of power that he brought through Christ when he raised them from the dead. He prayed for the church. I want you to experience the resurrection power of Jesus in your life. He would say again to the Ephesians, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. This resurrection power A man by the name of Lehman Strauss, I think he said it so well. He said quote, to live in the power of Christ's resurrection is to become more and more dead to the ways of the world and the lust of the flesh and become more like Jesus.

That is the power of the resurrection that Paul desired to know. And it's through that power working in us and working through us that we can reckon, account the old person to be dead and now walking alive in Christ, the resurrection power. See yes, Lord, more of the resurrection power. I want to know that. Paul goes further though. Doesn't stop there. If you notice the same verse, he also says and he wanted to know the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death. I would have stopped at power resurrection. I'm good with that part, you know.

Most people would say yes, power of the resurrection, sufferings and no, that's not that I don't that's not no. I don't want to know that. I just like to observe that in the life of Jesus, but not in my life. You know that that's what you're thinking. How many of you woke up this morning when you got up and you got ready to go and you're getting ready for church? Anybody pray this prayer? Oh God, just pray that I'd suffer today a lot. Could you just God, could you just bring more suffering into my life?

I just I really feel like that would be such a blessing. Just I just want to suffer. Thank you, Lord. Yes, for the suffering that you're going to bring. Nobody prays that. If you do, we need to come up here after we just talk we talk I saw them you know when you pray. But Paul's saying, I want to know this power of the resurrection, but I also want to experience a fellowship with Jesus in his suffering. What does that even mean? The word fellowship, of course, means joint participation or partnership. When Jesus called the disciples into the ministry, remember in the sermon on the mount that he told them, hey listen, there are going to be occasions when you suffer for my name's sake.

But he said listen, rejoice, be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you and get excited about it. Praise God for it. I thought I thought they thought I'm I'm not writing that down. I'm not no. I'm not writing that down. But later on, when they stood before the Sanhedrin, you remember after they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, they were being persecuted, they were beaten. Remember what it says? They went out rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ.

And that's who does that? They did. There was something in that fellowship that that they embraced that brought them joy. They were counted worthy to experience something for the cause of Christ. The apostle Paul, when he went into the ministry, when he first got called and he was waiting there at the at the house in the street called Straight, as the Lord was speaking to him and sent Ananias to come and pray over Saul because his eyes were blind and to pray for him. And And the Lord told Ananias, who was a little bit reluctant to go pray for Saul, who was formerly persecuting the church, the Lord said to him, hey listen, he's a chosen vessel of mine.

I have shown him how many things he will suffer for my sake. How'd you like that? You just get saved and the Lord just reveals this first couple days. Just want to let you know this is what you can expect to find in your I mean think twice about whether you're going to do this or not. And you read Paul in the epistles and what he suffered and what he went through and it's intense. And yet Paul wanted to know pursuing in order to become more like Jesus, to experience things that Jesus had experienced, to identify it with him in the deepest way imaginable.

The Bible says that Jesus was a man of sorrows and he was acquainted with grief. Paul wanted to know Jesus, not just in the power of the resurrection, but in the depth of suffering in fellowship. Paul wrote to Timothy, all who desire to live godly will suffer persecution. You live in a fallen world. We all will suffer something to some degree. That's just where we live. Peter said, don't think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to test you as though some strange thing had happened to you. It shouldn't be strange to you. It 's part of it.

Paul wanted to be so united with Jesus that he experienced the hardship and that he would respond the same way that Jesus did. Let me ask you this. Let me try to make it a little bit clearer. Have you ever in your life suffered alongside of someone else? Perhaps you had a loved one who passed from this life to the next and you had the opportunity and privilege to be beside them, to watch them, to pray over them, to see them struggle in that. And they were suffering and you were suffering being there with them.

And maybe there were other loved ones who also were with you and you were trading off and they were praying and you were resting and then you were praying and then they were resting and and you were all kind of in that together. There there was a I used the word fellowship in that suffering that I don't even know how you how you describe it other than there's some depth to that that goes beyond that we are forever changed by that experience right there. What happened there in that hospital bed, what happened there on that day when we stood back and worshipped and we watched them take their last breath and we saw that happen.

Whatever that was in that moment when the Lord showed up and you were there and I was there and we were all there. Whatever that was, there is a depth to that that you that you can't How do you describe it? Unless you've been there and if you have, you know what I'm talking about. Paul said I want to know him like that in the deepest most intimate way possible in the fellowship of his suffering. I want to know him like that. And I want to be He said here, conformed Oh conformed to his death.

The climactic moment of Jesus coming to this earth was to die upon the cross for the sins of the world. And as Christ died for the purpose of redeeming lost sinners, so Paul had the same purpose in a lesser sense. He lived and would willingly die to reach sinners with the gospel. His life and death, although not redemptive like Christ, was really for the same purpose as the Lord, to reach people. It was Hudson Taylor that said that uh missionary to inland China so many years ago, he said, there is a needs be for us to give ourselves for the life of the world.

He said that fruit bearing involves cross bearing. Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. We know how the Lord Jesus became fruitful not just simply by bearing his cross only, but also dying on it. Do we know much of that fellowship with him? He went on to say there are not two Christs, an easy-going Christ for easy-going Christians and a suffering toiling Christ for exceptional believers. He said no, there is only one Christ. Are we willing to abide in him and so to bear fruit? Paul said I want to be conformed to his death.

Hey let's face it. I don't think anybody here dies easily. In a spiritual context, I we don't want to die to self. We fight that. Flesh isn't into that. Certainly in a physical sense, we seek to hold on to life as long as we can. But the Bible tells us that as believers, in spiritual context, we are dead to sin and alive to Christ. That's what Paul was striving for. To continue to daily die to himself, to reckon himself dead to the old life. And all of this was the goal of one day being able to enjoy the resurrection when he would be raised and face to face with Jesus.

Jesus referred to it as the resurrection unto life. Paul said that's I just want to experience that. I want to know Jesus in the deepest way possible. And also I just can't wait to be resurrected. I'm going to see him face to face. This is what Paul is implying. This is my goal. This is my passion. All this stuff, man, that the world just values and says this is what this is what's going to make you happy. This is what you really want. This is what you got to pursue. Paul said I had that. I just want you to know something.

It just doesn't matter anymore. It's not even I don't even I count it lost. It's it's garbage in comparison now to knowing Jesus, to having a relationship with Jesus, to having fellowship with Jesus, to knowing that I'm saved and that I have a a real purpose that isn't just temporary and here now. It's for eternity and for that this is what I'm striving for. I count everything lost for that. That's his pursuit. That was his passion. What about us? These these passages are very sobering. They're very gripping cuz they make you kind of wrestle with you know all that stuff.

And And let's face it. We live in a world that is constantly telling us this is the value system. This is what you should This is the most important thing. You need this. If you don't have this, you are incomplete. I think I got to have that. I know I have the other one, but I think I need the new one cuz it's got a few more things. I got to have it. And you know it's just how that's how marketing works in the world. And here Jesus says, hey won't you come with me and die?

That's not attractive, is it, to the world? It's not attractive. Hey won't you count all these things lost? I don't know that I could do that unless unless you know Jesus. And to know him is to love him. And it's to be able to say the greatest thing in all my life is knowing you. The greatest thing in all my life is loving you. The greatest thing in all my life is serving you. Would to God that that would be our prayer. And if you're not there this morning, all of us I think would need an adjustment in this area because easy.

I I find myself battling this, but I'm battling it. Ask the Lord, Lord, would you adjust my value system this morning? Would you change my perspective? And if you're not a Christian, listen, you can't adjust your value system unless you come to Jesus. There's no Well, I'm just going to think differently today. No no no. You have to surrender your life to Christ. You got to be born again. And if you're not born again, friend, you're not on your way to heaven. Just understand that. This very This is so there's no nothing more important that you need to hear this morning than if you're not saved, you're not going to heaven.

But if you are saved, you're going to heaven. Like this is this is this is like life and death. Don't wait another day. Surrender your heart and say Jesus, I'm yours. I want to be born again. I want to be saved. And you know whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, the Bible says. Praise God for that.

Guest (Male): To know Jesus, that is the greatest thing in life. Can you say along with that apostle Paul that this is your main pursuit in life? We hope so. Today on a daily walk, we listened into Pastor John Randall's study, Count It All Loss, part of our Through the Bible study. Did you join us late or want to share this message with a loved one? You can hear the program again at adailywalk.org and then share the content with friends and family. You can also hear John's messages through our free app. This is a great way to listen to current and past teachings from Pastor John.

Search for Calvary South OC. Has this ministry blessed and encouraged you in your daily walk? If it has, we'd like to know. You can email us at adailywalk@gmail.com. Pastor John would be so encouraged by what you have to say. So tell him which station you listen to as well. That's adailywalk@gmail.com. Here in the month of June, we picked out a resource from R. Kent Hughes. It's called Disciples of a Godly Man. If your desire is to be a godly man, then this is a must read. You'll be encouraged to grow in godliness through disciplines like purity, devotion, prayer, and leadership.

It's available for the cost of $11. Ordering is really easy online at adailywalk.org or just call 877-242-0828. And please remember us in your prayers and your giving to the Lord. We want to help as many people as possible in their daily walk through the teaching of God's word. And you can help to make that possible through either a one-time gift or ongoing monthly support. Donations can be made online at adailywalk.org or call 877-242-0828. We'll be right back here tomorrow on a daily walk with another study from the New Testament. We're going through the Bible with Pastor John.

So join us each day as we do. God bless. This program is brought to you by Calvary South OC and made possible through your generosity.