25th July 2025

25th July 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Philippians 3:7-11 focus v10-11)


Message (Alan Burke)


Are you a table quizzer? There are some people who I’ve come across who are great at table quizzes, their brain is filled with so much random information that they have come to know over the years that has no useful purpose other than to show off at table quizzes. It’s one thing to have lots of knowledge the accumulation of facts and information, but it is an entirely different thing to know. What I mean by that is there are lots of people who have knowledge of Jesus Christ but they do not know him. Here as Paul expresses that he wants to know Christ and the power of his resurrection it is much more than a knowledge of Christ, it is to know him intimately. 


Paul had already prayed that the church would abound more and more in the knowledge and depth of insight of the Lord(1:9). The word that Paul used there when he prayed for the church and here that is used is used twenty times in the New Testament. Every time that the greek word is used, it refers to knowledge of the things of God, theological knowledge. Paul had prayed that they would abound that knowledge of the things of God, and his own desire was to know Christ, not just going through the motions, growing in his knowledge and love of the Lord and this is much more than to know about him it is to know him personally, because it is easy to know what Christ has done Paul’s desire was that there would be a progression in his walk with the Lord.


To know him and the reality of that what he has done means for us, to know the power of the resurrection. How Jesus was declared with power to be the Son of God as he was raised from the dead, he died but was raised for us, so that although we are spiritually bankrupt that we too could know the hope of the resurrection, as Paul would say in Hebrews 2; Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery (Heb 2:14-15). 


Paul wanted to know Christ and more of the wonder of the resurrection hope, he also wanted to know of the fellowship of sharing in his suffering. Now that might be something that we hear and we want to avoid at all costs but for those who are in Christ they will face suffering for his sake. He had already told the church that God had granted them not only belief but also suffering (1:29). The thing is often, we are surprised whenever we suffer for the sake of the gospel will we suffer in this life, but we shouldn't be surprised, for it proves we are in Christ if we are suffering for him as Paul was all to attain the resurrection from the dead. Paul’s hope was founded in Christ in spite of how he was spiritually bankrupt, he had attained a righteousness not of his own but that comes by faith and knew whether martyred or living to a ripe old age, whatever he faced, no matter what lay ahead that he would attain the resurrection from the dead. 


Our heads may be filled with knowledge but what matters most is if we know Christ. If we know Christ then we will know the power of the resurrection, we will have hope in death and attain the resurrection from the dead. Not through what we have done but through Christ in us. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q30 How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
A. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.
​