Knowing Christ The One Thing

Pastor Shearer, these people here are the preacher's prayer team.

!

Pastor Shearer, these people here are the preacher's prayer team.

Pastor Tim mentioned this.

Consistently, each of you that have come up to me have said,

I want you to know we're praying for you.

So not only is this a worshiping church, but this is a praying church.

And I know this is also a church of the Word of God.

A church that is committed to the Scripture.

What else can we be committed to?

I think it was the Apostle Peter in John chapter 6,

John 6 · chapter mention

where Jesus is saying some hard words.

And a number of His disciples end up leaving Him from that day forward.

Jesus turns to His disciples and says,

Will you go too?

Peter turns and says,

But Jesus, You alone have the words of life.

This word of life,

the Scripture that we know and learn about

is really ultimate for us as Christians,

so that we can know Him.

That is the theme this morning,

so thank you for the last song.

Knowing Christ, knowing Him.

That's what we sang about,

and that's what we'll learn about this morning.

The same passage,

the groups of verses that we just were put to music,

and that we had the privilege of singing together,

are the words that we'll also look at in digest

for the next several minutes.

Well, August 5th, 2016,

in Rio de Janeiro.

What's happening there?

What's that?

Oh, you are on top of it.

The Summer Olympics.

Man, I love, I love the Summer Olympics.

I love being able to watch people

who have spent time,

invested hours and hours of training

to make sure that they can commit themselves

to this task

and be able to compete in some way.

Now, for those of you who have done any sports

or been involved in any athletics,

you know that Olympics training didn't start this year.

It's been a lifelong journey of training

and developing their body

and investing not only time in terms of the skill itself,

but also the diet and the sleeping

and the rigor that's involved.

But in order to excel in any area of sports,

they can't diversify.

They have to be tuned in

and focused on one specific goal.

You wouldn't find somebody

who is competing in track.

You wouldn't find them out in the rowboat

also with the Olympic row team.

You wouldn't find somebody

who is given to gymnastics.

You wouldn't find them doing laps in the pool,

competing in the sprints.

You wouldn't find somebody

who's gifted with tennis

hanging out with the Greco wrestling team,

you know.

If they want to excel

in their given sport

and if they want to succeed,

they're going to give themselves

to one focus,

to one task,

to one sport.

They're going to become the very best

in that one activity.

I don't know about you,

but in this life,

sometimes I find myself getting overwhelmed.

I get overwhelmed

with all of the things

that I'm called to do

and I'm called to excel in.

Like, you know,

we're called to excel as fathers

or we're called to excel as husbands.

We've got to make sure

our kids succeed

and so that they're doing

the very best in athletics

or they're doing their very best

in academics

or whatever field that they're in.

That's on us

to make sure that we're giving them

the opportunities to do that.

Or we have to be the very best

in our field of work,

whatever that might be.

And then you bring it home

and you've got to have

the best landscaping yard,

the perfectly manicured bushes

and the greenery around

and the flowers.

So you've got to excel

in the gardening

and excel in mechanics

and so you've got your car

and you've tricked it out

in whatever way.

Every single field,

you have to be this jack of all trades

but we know what the result of that is.

Master of none.

You ever find yourself

getting overwhelmed in life?

You find yourself

losing the focus of life,

wondering what you are really here for,

wondering how you can

really make it through.

Well, this morning,

I want to direct our attention

to Philippians chapter 3.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Because in Philippians chapter 3,

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

we're going to find the one thing.

That's encouraging to me.

It's great to have one focus,

one aim,

one objective,

one means of measuring life,

one expectation,

one criteria to assess

all of life,

one deliverable,

as it were,

one set of expectations

that you're going to be evaluated on.

The accountability of your life

is measured by this one thing.

Every aspect of life

that seeks to deepen

this one quality,

this one commitment

that you will have

as an individual.

And one if this one thing

could secure your hope,

could lead to power

in the Christian life,

could guard your sense

of fulfillment,

could remove the pressure

and lead to freedom,

could set before you

a clear purpose,

one overarching pursuit of life,

and also lead to peace,

to joy,

to satisfaction,

and to pleasure of God.

Would that be one thing

worth pursuing?

Oh, I think it would be

worth pursuing.

Paul talks about that.

He begins in chapter 3,

verses 13 and 14,

as we see that Paul

is moving towards one goal.

He says,

one thing I do.

Ah, ding, ding, ding.

Attention.

One thing I do.

What is it, Paul?

Forgetting what lies behind

and straining forward

to what lies ahead,

I press on towards the goal

for the prize

of the upward call of God

in Christ Jesus.

Okay.

So what is the one thing?

Well, we know that one thing

involves knowledge

because there is a forgetting

what is behind.

But that one thing

also involves action

because there is a pressing on.

There is movement.

There is direction in life.

So what is that one thing?

Well,

if we back up

to verse 12,

we can see this repeated word.

He's pressing on

to a goal.

And in verse 12,

we turn to Philippians.

verse 12,

verse 12,

verse 12,

verse 12,

verse 12,

verse 12,

not that I've already obtained

this or am already perfect,

but I press on

to make it my own.

Okay,

so we're moving our way

back up into the passage

and we're coming closer

to the one thing.

And we notice here

in verse 12,

this is a continuation

of the beginning

of this chapter.

So what is that one thing?

Well,

we find that one thing

in verses 7 through 11

and we'll concentrate

our attention this morning

on verses 10 and 11.

But let me read for us

this morning

verses 7 to 11.

Here's what it says.

But whatever gain I had,

I counted loss

for the sake of Christ.

Indeed,

I count everything

as loss

because of the surpassing worth

of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For His sake

I have suffered the loss

of all things

and count them

as rubbish

in order that I might

gain Christ

and be found in Him,

not having a righteousness

of my own

that comes from the law,

but that which comes

through faith in Christ,

the righteousness

from God

that depends

on faith.

Here it is.

That I may know Him.

and the power

of His resurrection

and may share

in His sufferings

becoming like Him

in His death

that by any means possible

I may attain

the resurrection

from the dead.

We find from the Apostle Paul

this one thing

that leads to all

of these other things.

It leads to pursuit of God.

It leads to the prize.

The goal of heaven

is the pursuit of knowledge,

of knowing Him.

We see that here

in the beginning verses.

In verse 8,

I count everything loss

for the surpassing worth

of what church?

Of knowing Christ.

And here again

in verse 10,

that I may know Him.

But the pursuit of knowledge

demands at least two things.

First,

the pursuit of knowledge

demands an exchange.

An exchange that we see there

in verses 7 and 8.

Notice the repeated terms,

the gaining

and the losing

and the counting

that is taking place

in those verses.

At the beginning of verse 7,

there's this initial gain

that Paul is crediting

to his account,

but then he's counting it loss.

At the end of verse 8,

there's also the ultimate gain

of gaining Christ.

Then in verse 7,

there's this personal gain

that was lost,

but everything that is counted

loss at the end of verse 7.

And then in 8,

the middle of verse 8,

we see that everything

is actually lost from him.

Not just counted loss,

but he's suffering the loss

in order that he might gain Christ.

There is an exchange

that's required.

The word for gain

is the word for profit

or advantage.

It's only used three times

in the scripture.

It's used in the gospels

to describe the difference

between gaining the whole world

and losing one's soul.

It also speaks of gaining a brother

if he listens to your gentle rebuke.

And in Philippians 1.21,

Paul says,

for me to live is Christ

and to die is gain.

There was assumed value

in the apostle Paul's life.

There were things in his life

that he considered

to be an advantage.

There were things in his life

that on the surface,

from a Jewish perspective,

were considered advantageous

for him as an individual.

We find a short summary

of those things

as we back up even further

into our passage

in verses 5 and 6.

He says,

he was circumcised

on the eighth day

of the people of Israel,

of the tribe of Benjamin,

a Hebrew of the Hebrews,

as to the law of Pharisee,

as to zeal,

a persecutor of the church,

as to righteousness

under the law,

blameless.

These were the things

that from a Judaistic perspective,

Paul was it.

He was the renaissance man

of Judaism.

He had it all together.

He was ultimate.

He had arrived

to the pinnacle

of all that anyone

could ascribe to

as a Jew.

He was not only

of the right stock,

but he was also

of the right zeal.

Circumcised the eighth day

of the tribe of Benjamin,

one of the only tribes

that was faithful to Judah.

If you weren't a part

of the tribe

that David was a part of,

at least you were part

of the tribe of Benjamin,

man, you were it.

And concerning zeal,

persecuting the church,

he had a zeal

for his nation

that drove him

to persecution.

A Hebrew of the Hebrews,

he was one

who probably had

the first five books

of the Bible memorized.

Genesis,

Exodus,

Leviticus,

Numbers,

and Deuteronomy.

Have you even read

those first five books?

And he had them memorized.

He had it all together.

He was at the top

of his game.

From a human perspective,

he was it.

He was the next in line,

really,

to be,

the one to be looked at

like Gamaliel was,

a person who would be

at the pinnacle,

a person who would be

looked to for authority

within his religion

and among his people.

But there was an exchange

that had to happen.

What was considered

an advantage

needed a new perspective.

It needed to be counted loss.

The word for counted

is the word

to lead or go before,

to lead the way,

to count,

to think,

to esteem,

to have rule over,

to be governed.

The word for loss

is the word for damage.

It's the word

for violence.

Again,

only found in four verses

in the New Testament.

It brings attention

to the significance

of these words

in describing

the exchange

that Paul is talking about.

What seemed

to be an advantage

to Paul,

he recognized

was actually disruptive.

Which was actually

destructive.

Was actually in the way

from him having

what was ultimate.

What he thought

was ultimate

was being

at the pinnacle

of Judaism.

But what he recognized

was the real ultimate

and supreme value

was knowing Christ.

Was knowing him.

It required

an exchange

for him.

Because

to do otherwise

was counterproductive

and detrimental.

I wonder

this morning

as we think about

counting things

lost.

This exchange

that we have

in this life

of knowing him.

The pursuit

of knowing Christ.

How does that

play out

in our life?

Well,

let's think about

this for a second.

You take your family

on vacation.

And if you're

like my family,

what we've learned

to do is

we pray

before we take

that trip.

And what are

some things

we pray about?

Safety.

What else?

Don't let daddy

get a ticket.

Or don't let

the car break down.

Or let this trip

be really quick.

I want to get

to the destination.

Those are the things

that we pray about,

right?

What if we had

this perspective?

The perspective

of knowing Christ.

Christ.

And in that prayer

before the Lord

we say,

God,

whatever happens

on this trip,

may it lead me

to know you better.

What might that

open the door for?

That might open

the door

for a ticket.

Oh!

Or stopping

by the side

of the road.

The inconveniences

of life

that come

to help

press us

in

to knowing

Him

because that

is ultimate.

But it requires

an exchange.

It requires

a willingness

to put away

comfort

for the sake

of the ultimate

knowing Christ.

How about

when there is

physical

issue

in your life?

When you've been

to doctor

after doctor

and you can't

quite figure out

what's going on

inside.

They have done

the tests

and one doctor

after the other

is throwing up

their arms

and wondering,

I don't know

what in the world

is going on.

But finally

you come to

this doctor,

they've run

a battery of tests

and he calls

you on the phone

and says,

we need to make

an appointment.

I need to see

you face to face.

What does that

prayer look like

on the drive

to the doctor?

That prayer

would probably be,

oh Lord,

please make sure

this isn't a big deal.

And make sure

it's treatable.

And make sure

that this isn't

going to disrupt

my family

and disrupt

my health

and disrupt

my future.

But those

who are willing

to make this

exchange,

those who are

willing to know

Christ will say,

Lord,

whatever it takes

to know you

more,

may I know you

and use

this experience

whatever it is

to press me

in

to deeper,

more intimate

knowledge

of Jesus Christ.

What about

a work situation

where you feel

like someone

has taken

your idea,

something that

has led them

to a promotion,

but there you are

having been

the brain trust

of this great idea

and they took

it from you

and you go

to the Lord

in prayer

and you have

it out with Him.

because your

future is important

but there's an

exchange that

needs to happen,

an exchange

of laying down,

an exchange

of being

undergirded

by the confidence

of the sovereignty

of God

and knowing

that He controls

every situation,

a resting in Him,

a trusting in the

future that He

has for you

and a pressing

in to deeper

knowledge

of Christ.

There is an

exchange that's

required,

an exchange that's

required in

your life

so that you can

really know

you're a Savior.

but it also

demands

an experience.

Not only demands

an exchange,

it demands

an experience.

Now if you're

anything like me,

the heritage

that I grew up in,

we kind of

shunned experience.

It was all about

knowing the

things in the

Word of God

and having the

knowledge,

having the data,

having the facts,

knowing the

information,

information,

but experience

was something

that was for

the charismatics.

That was for

the other people,

the less spiritual

individuals.

But do you realize

that God has

called you to

experience Him?

God has called

you to intimate

knowledge of Him

and that's what

this word is all

about.

It's not just

about facts and

data,

it's about intimacy.

It's the same

word that's used

to describe the

knowledge between

a husband and

a wife.

It's the same

word that's used

to describe the

experiential knowledge

that the Apostle

John has with

Christ who he

touched and he

heard and he

observed and he

marveled at his

Savior because of

the time he spent

with his Messiah.

It was knowledge

that didn't just

include facts and

figures but was

the kind of

knowledge that

embedded in his

life and led

to faith.

That's the kind

of knowledge that

we're talking

about.

It's not the

kind of knowledge

where you say

I'm a great

cook because I

memorized this

cookbook.

I know the

recipes, I know

the ingredients, I

know the formula, I

know how to get

from point A to

point B but you've

never in your life

actually baked a

cake.

The difference

between that and

a Bobby Flay who

I don't know if

you've ever watched

any of those

cooking shows, he's

a master chef.

He can turn

popcorn into

gourmet meal.

people because

of his experience

of knowing how

to do these

things.

This is what

we're talking

about.

This is the

kind of knowledge

God wants you

to have of

him.

Not just facts

and figures, not

just verses as a

repertoire of

understanding but

the kind of

understanding that

leads you to

action.

The kind of

understanding that

leads you to

experience, that

leads you to

confidence and

peace and joy and

hope in him.

experiences we

see in verses

10 and 11

that include

two things.

First they

include power,

experiencing his

power and we'll

also talk about

experiencing his

suffering.

But first, let's

talk about

experiencing his

power.

He says that I

might know him

in the power of

his resurrection.

Let me tell you,

I want to know

the power of God.

that's something

that we just

hunger for.

But would you

say this morning

that your life is

a life of power?

Would you say

that your life

today is a life

of potency and

influence and

fruitfulness?

Do you realize

that God has

called you to

power, to

experience his

power?

power?

All throughout the

epistles of

Paul, there is

this overarching

theme that we

see throughout

them all of the

power that is

accessible to

every Christian.

Just to give you

a few, Ephesians

1, 15 and 18,

Paul is praying for

the church of

Ephesus.

He says, and I

pray that you may

know what is the

immeasurable

greatness of his

power towards you.

The same power

that raised Jesus

Christ from the

dead, the power

that is far beyond

all principalities

and powers and

might and dominion

in every name

that is named.

Later on in the

epistle, in

chapter 3, verse

16, he says, I

am praying that he

would grant you to

be strengthened with

might through his

spirit in the inner

man.

And then in

chapter 6, he

says, be strong

in the power of

his might.

In Colossians 1, he's

praying for the

church of Colossae.

He says, for this

reason, I do not

cease to pray for

you, that you

would be strengthened

with all might

according to his

glorious power.

In Colossians 1, 28

and 29, he says,

him we preach,

warning every man

and teaching every

man in all wisdom

that we may present

every man perfect in

Christ Jesus.

To this end, I

labor, struggling

with all his energy,

which so powerfully

works in me.

And then in 1

Thessalonians 1, 4

and 5, for we know,

brothers, loved by

God, that he chose

you because our

gospel came to you

not simply with

words, but with

power.

power.

Is your life marked by

power today?

Do you realize that

the power of the

almighty God who

made heaven and

earth, if you are a

follower of Christ, if

you have the spirit

living within, is

resident in your life

for power?

Power to overcome

sin.

Power to live

according to the

spirit.

Power to bless those

who curse you.

Power to pray for

those who abuse you.

Power to submit to

various authorities.

Power to fulfill the

ministry that God has

given to you.

Power to be productive

and abundant and

fruitful.

Power to rejoice in

hardship.

Power to give to those

in need.

Power to risk much for

the glory of God.

Power to speak the

gospel.

Power to live with

integrity.

Power to endure

hardship.

Power to persevere.

Power to stand against

the schemes of the

devil.

There is power for

you.

And our witness shines

brightest in this world

when we tap in to that

power.

But that power only

shows up in pain.

That power only shows

up in weakness.

That power only shows

up in suffering.

The resurrection

power only comes

through the path

of the cross.

Do you want to

experience the power

of God?

You must walk the

way of the cross.

That's the way of

pain.

That's the way of

suffering.

Are you willing to

experience power?

Do you want it?

But you must be

willing to embrace

the pain of your

Savior.

Know the fellowship

of his suffering.

That's what Paul

says.

I want to know the

power of his

resurrection, but I

want to share in

fellowship with his

suffering.

Excuse me.

I want the power of

his resurrection and

the fellowship of his

suffering.

There is no

resurrection without

the cross.

There is no power

without pain.

Paul says this in

2 Corinthians 12, 9.

You're familiar with

this.

He says,

My grace is

sufficient for you,

for my power is

made perfect in

weakness.

Therefore, I will

boast all the more

gladly about my

weakness, so that

Christ's power may

rest on me.

And Peter, in 1 Peter

4, 12, do not be

surprised at the

fiery trial that is

coming upon you, as

though something

strange were

happening to you, but

rejoice that you

participate in the

sufferings of Christ.

You are blessed.

Why?

Because the spirit of

glory and power

rests on you.

You can have power

if you're willing to

embrace the pain of

your Savior.

The power of God is

most clearly seen in

pain.

That's when the

exchange begins to

happen.

That's when suffering

begins to take light.

That's when His

strength is able to

intervene in your

life.

Our Savior walked the

road of the cross, and

He demands that each

of those who are true

disciples of Him will

take up His cross

daily and follow Him.

We're not those who

hunt for suffering.

We're not those who

are eager and delight

necessarily in having

all this adversity

come into our lives,

but we're willing to

walk that risky path

that leads to suffering

for the sake of

Christ.

All who desire to be

godly in Christ will

suffer persecution.

persecution.

It's not invited

persecution, but it's

a persecution that

comes for those who

are willing to take a

stand.

Well, we've talked

about the pursuit of

knowledge.

I trust that you are

pursuing Him with all

of your heart.

But now let's talk

about the product of

this knowledge.

We talked about the

pursuit of this

knowledge, but who

really cares?

I mean, who really

wants this?

What is the product for

me?

What does it mean in

my life?

Why is this a good

thing?

Why should I pursue

the knowledge of

Christ?

Well, first because it

leads to holiness.

It leads to holiness.

We find here in verse

10, becoming like Him

in His death.

What did Christ's death

prove?

Death was God's

ultimate proof of

obedience.

Find in Hebrews

Hebrews 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5, 8, and 9,

it says this,

Although He was a

son, He learned

obedience through

what He suffered.

Now, let me back

up.

We're talking about

Jesus here, okay?

Although He was a

son, He learned

obedience through

suffering.

This is our Savior

we're talking about.

And being made

perfect, He became

the source of

eternal salvation to

all who obey Him.

Christ, in humbling

Himself, demonstrated

holiness and obedience

and humility to the

Father, to the

objectives and the

will of the Father

by subjecting Himself

to the cross.

We learn obedience.

We become holy as

we're willing to

follow the example of

Christ.

So those who follow

His steps must die

to the flesh.

Colossians 3 says this,

put to death what is

earthly in you.

Sexual immorality,

impurity, passions,

evil desires,

and covetousness,

which is idolatry.

On account of these

things, the wrath of

God is coming.

And in Romans 6,

He says,

Do you not know that

all who have been

baptized into Christ,

Jesus, were baptized

into His death?

We know that our

old self was

crucified with

Him in order

the body of sin

might be destroyed

so that we would

no longer be

slaves to sin.

Consider yourselves

dead to sin

but alive to

Christ.

Holiness is what

robes the true

believer.

Those who are

being conformed to

the image of

Christ by

embracing the

cross, by being

conformed to His

death are those

who are walking

in holiness.

The Christian life

is putting to

death what is

natural so we

can enjoy what

is eternal.

There's death to

reputation.

There's death to

comfort.

Death to

justice.

This side of the

grave.

Death to

intimidation.

Death to

manipulation.

Death to

entitlement.

To gratification.

To self-preservation.

To addiction.

And bitterness.

And filthy

language.

And everything

on this earth

that tethers us

to this world

and keeps our

focus off of

what is eternal.

There is death

to those things.

Several weeks

ago I was

looking on the

internet and I

saw that there

was this

man who had

some authorities

show up at

his door.

The neighbors

had heard

some turbulence

that was taking

place in the

apartment.

They heard

furniture that

was being thrown

around the room.

They heard

pounding on the

walls.

But what

clinched it for

them was hearing

a man's voice

say,

I'm going to

kill you!

And then the

shrill screams

of this woman

who seemed to

be terrified

at what was

taking place.

The authorities

show up at

the door and

they're asking

this man,

where is your

wife?

He says,

I don't have

a wife.

He says,

okay,

where is your

girlfriend?

I don't have a

girlfriend.

Well,

there was a

disturbance that

was taking place

in your home

and we heard

death threats

being made.

We heard shrill

screams that

were taking place.

He says,

oh,

that was me.

There's this

poisonous spider

in my room

and I'm terrified

of spiders.

So he's

throwing the

furniture and

he's beating

on the walls

and he's

going to

kill that

spider.

Are you

killing sin?

Are you

that aggressive?

That focused?

That intentional

about destroying

sin,

the poison

of sin

in your life

so that you

can know

him

so that the

pursuit

of knowledge

of Christ

will lead

to the product

of holiness

in your life

so that you

can show

Christ

to those

around you.

But it also

leads to hope.

We find

here,

it says

in verse

11,

that by

any means

possible,

I may

attain to

the resurrection

from the

dead.

This world

was not

the end

for Paul.

Paul set

his sights

on eternity,

a higher

objective,

the true

reality.

And he

strained with

every ounce

of energy

to achieve

in this

life what

will only

be fully

realized in

the next.

Christ.

He wanted

to know

the joy

of the

presence

and the

power

of God

as much

as he

could

in this

life

because

that's

what he

was anticipating

in the

next one.

He wanted

to fill

his life

up to

the full,

to the

max,

with the

knowledge

of Christ

because he

knew

that was

ultimate.

And because

that was

ultimate,

he wanted

to experience

as much

as he

could

today

without

having to

wait for

heaven.

So for

Paul,

all that

mattered was

knowing him

and pursuing

the reality,

the future

reality of

the resurrection

where the

culmination

of that

knowledge

would be

realized.

But to

the degree

that he

could realize

it now,

he was

pressing on.

That hope

moved him

to the goal

of knowing

Christ,

the surpassing

excellence

of the knowledge

of Christ.

there was

no joy

that this

life had

to offer

that could

compare with

the joy

of that

day.

This

life had

no pleasure

to compare

with the

satisfaction

of that

day.

This

life had

no experience

whether

graduation

or the

prom

or marriage

or children

or grandchildren

or prominence

at work

or success

or money.

Fill in the

blank.

This

life had

nothing

to offer

in comparison

with the

wonder

of the

knowledge

of Christ.

And as

Psalm 73,

Jonathan read

this already,

we just bring

it back to the

close of this

message so we

can be reminded

of it.

as the

psalmist

says,

may it be

our heart

is well.

Whom have

I in

heaven but

you?

And there

is nothing

on earth

I desire

besides you.

My flesh

and my

heart

may fail

but God

is the

strength of

my heart

and my

portion

forever.

Oh

Maranatha,

do you know

him?

Do you

know

the

Savior?

And to

know the

God of

comfort,

you must be

willing to

experience pain

so the

God of

comfort can

come in

and minister

his comfort

to you.

To know

the God of

provision,

there must

be a

lack in

your life.

To know

the God of

healing,

there must

be illness.

forgiveness.

To know

the God

who satisfies,

there must

be a need.

To know

the God

who sustains,

there must

be desperation.

To know

the God

of hope,

there has

to be

despair.

To know

the God

of wisdom,

you must

feel like

a fool.

And to

know the

God

who saves,

there must

be a need

for forgiveness.

Do you

know

your

Savior?

Do you

know your

Christ?

This

morning,

I'm sure

there are

those who

are here

who know

Him and

are pursuing

that goal,

but you

can know

Him more.

You can

press in

and desire

to know

Him more.

And for

me,

I can

remember

a time

back in

California

sitting on

my couch

in the

front room

at 6

o'clock

in the

morning,

agonizing

in my

heart to

say,

I want

to know

you

whatever

the cost,

so I

give you

my family.

I give

you

my health.

I give

you

my future.

I give

you

my finances.

I give

you

my

comfort.

I give

you

my

everything.

It belongs

to you

anyway,

because I

want to

know you.

Are you

holding back?

Or is there

willingness

for the

exchange?

exchange?

And the

exchange,

although

difficult,

leads to

struggles,

leads to

suffering.

It is

truly

wonderful,

because you

have a

wonderful

Savior.

And for

those of

you this

morning,

you're

hearing about

Jesus,

and you've

never come

into relationship

with him,

he not only

wants you

to know

him,

but he

wants to

know you.

It begins

with forgiveness,

it begins

with repentance

on your part,

and a coming

to him by

faith,

and laying

it down,

the burdens

of life,

putting on

his shoulders,

the exchange

that begins

with setting

aside the

muck and

the mire

of life,

so that you

can have

the pure

robe of

righteousness

of Jesus.

That's an

exchange,

and that's

our Savior.

Do you know

him today?

Let's pray.

Oh Lord,

we want to

know you

more.

Whatever it

takes,

whatever the

cost,

we know

that to

experience the

power of

God,

it comes

through the

path of

pain,

and we

are those

who resist

pain,

we reject

pain,

but Lord,

may we be

willing to

embrace it,

embrace the

cross,

walk the

steps of

our Savior

so that we

can experience

the power

of resurrection

life.

so may

each of

us in

this room

not only

be on the

path

stationary,

but be on

the path

in hot

pursuit

of the

wonder

of our

great

King.

We pray

these things

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

Amen.

.