Our Relationship with Christ
Yesterday was about God in pursuit of us. Today we are also in pursuit of God.
John 15
Jesus calls Himself the vine and we are the branches. If we remain in Him, He will remain in us. He says that we will know the branches by the fruit they bear and he calls the branches that bear good fruit and keep His commands friends. Not slaves, rather friends.
It is a wonderful chapter and I cannot do it justice without quoting it, and that would take a very long time to do. Please read it!
On to Philippians 3 (please read this also)
Paul does 4 things in his relationship with Christ that we all should do.
1. He Trusts Christ Exclusively
2. He Values Christ supremely
3. He Pursues Christ Whole-Heartedly
4. He awaits Christ Expectantly
1. Trusting in Christ
Paul in vs. 2 warns us to beware evildoer's
In vs. 3 Paul takes Glory only in Christ, Paul would have more reason than anyone to put faith in his flesh, but in vs 8-11 Paul states "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 may 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--- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
John Piper puts it this way "Nothing in my hands I bring, Only to the Cross of Christ I Cling."
Paul also says something very interesting in Galatians 5:2-6
"Look: I Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage (some translations say "benefit") to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love."
We can count on nothing or trust in nothing but Christ.
2. Value Christ Supremely
Back to Philippians 3:7+8
"But whatever gain I had, I counted as 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 may gain Christ."
There is nothing, nothing more important to Paul than Jesus! He has counted everything as loss compared to Christ.
Pslam 34:3 "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!"
Christ needs to be first in our lives.
3. Pursue Christ Whole-Heartedly
Paul even though when writing this he is maybe 4-5 years from his death says something profound! Philippians 3:12 "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own."
Paul pursues Christ in the very same way and with the same zeal that he when he was called Saul pursued Christians.
3:13-16 "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.l But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and staining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained."
Christ is to be the pursuit of our lives.
4. Await Christ Expectantly
In vs 20 + 21 Paul says, "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."
We are but aliens living in a foreign land. Our home is Heaven and from Heaven we wait for Christ.
We need to be ready for and waiting for Christ.
God is after our hearts, but we also need to pursue God. Relationships are two way!
God wants to know me (not that he doesn't already know me), He wants to sit down with me and talk about my desires and what I want to do in life. In return I also want to sit down with God and know His Heart, what He is after and how I can be of service to Him, in any way! He wants to know everything about me, and I want to know everything about Him!
Lets make God our top priority and pursue His Heart!
John 15
Jesus calls Himself the vine and we are the branches. If we remain in Him, He will remain in us. He says that we will know the branches by the fruit they bear and he calls the branches that bear good fruit and keep His commands friends. Not slaves, rather friends.
It is a wonderful chapter and I cannot do it justice without quoting it, and that would take a very long time to do. Please read it!
On to Philippians 3 (please read this also)
Paul does 4 things in his relationship with Christ that we all should do.
1. He Trusts Christ Exclusively
2. He Values Christ supremely
3. He Pursues Christ Whole-Heartedly
4. He awaits Christ Expectantly
1. Trusting in Christ
Paul in vs. 2 warns us to beware evildoer's
In vs. 3 Paul takes Glory only in Christ, Paul would have more reason than anyone to put faith in his flesh, but in vs 8-11 Paul states "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 may 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--- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
John Piper puts it this way "Nothing in my hands I bring, Only to the Cross of Christ I Cling."
Paul also says something very interesting in Galatians 5:2-6
"Look: I Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage (some translations say "benefit") to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love."
We can count on nothing or trust in nothing but Christ.
2. Value Christ Supremely
Back to Philippians 3:7+8
"But whatever gain I had, I counted as 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 may gain Christ."
There is nothing, nothing more important to Paul than Jesus! He has counted everything as loss compared to Christ.
Pslam 34:3 "Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!"
Christ needs to be first in our lives.
3. Pursue Christ Whole-Heartedly
Paul even though when writing this he is maybe 4-5 years from his death says something profound! Philippians 3:12 "Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own."
Paul pursues Christ in the very same way and with the same zeal that he when he was called Saul pursued Christians.
3:13-16 "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.l But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and staining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained."
Christ is to be the pursuit of our lives.
4. Await Christ Expectantly
In vs 20 + 21 Paul says, "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."
We are but aliens living in a foreign land. Our home is Heaven and from Heaven we wait for Christ.
We need to be ready for and waiting for Christ.
God is after our hearts, but we also need to pursue God. Relationships are two way!
God wants to know me (not that he doesn't already know me), He wants to sit down with me and talk about my desires and what I want to do in life. In return I also want to sit down with God and know His Heart, what He is after and how I can be of service to Him, in any way! He wants to know everything about me, and I want to know everything about Him!
Lets make God our top priority and pursue His Heart!
posted by Mark 1:17 at 1:13 PM
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