Young Adults' Group

The Excellence Of The Knowledge Of Christ

by Pastor Mark
March 30, 2023

Rethinking our understanding of the knowledge of Christ

There are some verses in the book of Philippians that we commonly reference and assume we have applied correctly. One is Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Through our Family Camp, we realised that living for Christ is far more demanding than we had thought, as we should apply this principle to all aspects of our life and ministry. It is humbling to know that we may not be living for Christ as we may believe.

The vital knowledge of Christ

1. Another verse is Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”
2. We tend to assume that we are already pursuing the knowledge of Christ as Paul did.
3. But, through the Camp, we realised we might not have a proper understanding of this text.
4. It is vital that we pursue the right kind of knowledge of Christ.
5. There is a need to grow our knowledge far more significantly in order to discern and defend against false teachings that are growing increasingly rampant.

The excellence of the knowledge of Christ

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,” (Philippians 3:8)

1. Paul set us an example of how he sought to grow his knowledge.
2. He wrote about pursuing the excellence of the knowledge of Christ.
3. This was how much he regarded his knowledge of Christ.
4. Paul valued it as excellent and would not settle for anything less.
5. He was willing to count the things that he had gained in the past as loss.
6. It was only with such excellent knowledge of Christ that he was able to fend off the false teachers that were affecting the church.
7. All that Paul sought to focus on was to gain Christ, the excellence of the knowledge of Him.
8. This was his all-consuming desire.

Knowing Christ

The verses Philippians 3:8 and 3:10 should be seen as connected. Our understanding of Philippians 3:10 should include the excellence of the knowledge of Christ.

1. Knowing Christ

1. The challenge is not just to know about Christ but also to know Him personally as Saviour, Lord, Teacher and more.
2. It is to desire fervently and know Him in the most excellent way.

2. The power of His resurrection

1. God’s great and divine power was involved in raising the Lord Jesus from the dead.
2. It is this excellence of the power of God that we should discover and apply in our lives.

3. Fellowship of His suffering

1. Paul identified with the Lord Jesus in His profound suffering and death on the cross.
2. We can experience this excellence of fellowship with the Lord Jesus when we personally identify with His suffering…as we face the difficulties of life.

Let us be challenged to desire and pursue the excellence of the knowledge of Christ, and to know Him deeply and personally.

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