I Want to Know Him!

By Pastor Jeff Hanson

Philippians 3:8-11, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

It’s an unfortunate truth that millions of people claim to know of Christ and may even proclaim that they are Christians but when it comes down to it, they really don’t know Him!

I’m with the Apostle Paul here, I love facts, I love to research things, I even have over these last several years have gained a bit of knowledge on our government and the political system. But I would trade it all in to have a greater understanding of Jesus Christ.

This morning, I really want to focus on the power of His resurrection but I will start with His death, it seems more focus is put on the cross than the empty tomb. Now this is extremely important and we should never make lite of the suffering Jesus went through.

In his book “The Day Christ Died” Jim Bishop goes through the 24 hours of the day Jesus died and graphically describes the process of the beatings, suffering, and the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you can read this without being ever changed you are tougher than me.

So, as we walk through stores, watch movies, see posts on Facebook and other social media the cross is displayed prominently, isn’t it?

But without the Resurrection it is all meaningless!

1Co 15:1-9, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”

1Co 15:12-20, “Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

THERE IS POWER IN THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST!

The cross is very important and needs to be preached but we also need to preach the Jesus of the empty tomb.

In three of the four gospels we find on that Sunday morning the angels telling those seeking Jesus in the tomb, Mat 28:6, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

We declare this over our own lives for the bible tells us in Ephesians 2:1-6, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

Our enemy the accuser of the brethren likes to keep us back from realizing the power of the resurrection in our lives. He tells us because of our trespasses and sins that we are dead.

We need to cry out and declare “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”