The Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ

The apostle Paul realized the surpassing worth of knowing Christ: eternal life!

[This discussion can be read aloud in just over 5 min.]

Philippians: Shine Like Stars – DAY 73
Family Discussions for the New Year

^{*For a menu of all days, click here.}

DAY 73/THURSDAY
Philippians 3:7-11
The Surpassing Worth of Knowing Christ

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

¹⁰I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, ¹¹and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
Philippians 3:7-11 (NIV)

Building Biblical Literacy

Comprehension asks, “What does it say?”
Interpretation asks, “What does it mean?”
Application asks, “How should it change me?”

^{*Jen Wilkin, Women of the Word, p.87 (2014)}

In our DAY 63 discussion, we said we would go through these three stages of good literacy-building here at the beginning of Philippians 3.

We’ve done a good bit of Comprehension & Interpretation since then. Today, we continue with Application, still aiming to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Knowing Christ Jesus My Lord

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things…”
Philippians 3:8 (NIV)

Knowing Christ Jesus his Lord has surpassing worth for Paul.

surpassing: exceptional; exceeding; extraordinary; extreme

^{*The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4th ed.}

Knowing Christ is worth more to Paul than anything else.

Can we say the same?

We’ll get back to this question in a bit. First, let’s look at how knowing Christ is the way to know God and what Jesus said about how important it is to know God.

The Way

“‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. ²My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.’

⁵Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?’

⁶Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. ⁷If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.'”
John 14:1-7 (NIV)

Jesus plainly told the disciples where He was going.

“I am going to the Father…”	John 14:12
“You heard Me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”	John 14:28
“I am going to the Father, where you can see Me no longer…”	John 16:10
“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”	John 16:28

Jesus was going to the Father.

Read John 14:5-6 again.

“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?’

⁶Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'”
John 14:5-6 (NIV)

Jesus was going to the Father.
Jesus is the Way to the Father!

The Worth of Knowing God

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. ²For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. ³Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. ⁴I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do. ⁵And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began.”
John 17:1-5 (NIV)

In v.2, Jesus says that He is the Giver of eternal life.

Don’t miss v.3:

“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
John 17:3 (NIV)

Q: What is eternal life?
A: Knowing God & knowing Jesus Christ!

Notice what Jesus doesn’t say here about eternal life. He doesn’t say it’s ice cream & puppy dogs, or playing harps while floating on clouds, or getting everything you want & nothing you don’t, or finding the occupation that brings you fulfillment.

Eternal life is knowing God.
Eternal life is knowing Christ, the Only Way to God.

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
I John 5:11-13 (NIV)