When I was in high school, our family vacationed in South Dakota. While there, we visited a woodworking shop that was filled with hundreds of real-to-life woodcarvings of indians and cowboys. As I browsed the collection of woodcarvings, I noticed a mess of wood shavings on the floor in a back room. The man responsible for all those marvelous wood creations was busy carving his next work.
With each slice of a knife he capably transformed an ordinary, dull block of wood into the image of a rustic cowboy boot. He made woodcarving look so incredibly easy. On the table near his door I noticed several cowboy boot woodcarving kits. Seeing how easy it was to do woodcarving, I thought that if I bought one of those kits that I could carve a cowboy boot every bit as nice as the ones I saw in the shop.
Later that summer I sat down to work on my cowboy boot woodcarving kit. But as I began slicing into the wood I realized that I didn’t have a clue about what I was doing. For the life of me I couldn’t remember what the boot was supposed to look like! I didn’t know what steps to take in order to transform a plain old block of wood into the image of an old west cowboy boot. In the end, the best I could do was to re-create the mess of wood shavings I had seen on the floor of that woodshop back in South Dakota.
Although my block of wood never once resembled a boot, I stuck with woodcarving. It sounds simple, but I eventually discovered the secret to woodcarving. The secret is having sharp knives and a crystal clear image of what you are creating. But even more than that, the secret is to know the intermediate steps that are necessary to transform a block of wood into a boot. With these steps and a clear picture in mind, I found that I could carve almost anything. Even very complicated figures and faces.
Spiritual transformation requires a clear vision of who we are in relationship to Jesus.
I believe our failure in spiritual transformation has less to do with a lack of desire or ability, and more to do with our lack of vision. We fail at spiritual transformation because we lack a clear and compelling image of who we are to become in relationship to God’s Son. We do not think in terms of the end product. We have never been taught how to move deeper into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, one step at a time. This series of messages is an attempt to establish a clear image in our minds of what spiritual maturity looks like. They are an attempt to cast a vision and to raise the bar of expectation and get us back on track.
So let us briefly review. The first step is knowing Jesus Christ. We learn information about Jesus Christ and establish basic beliefs concerning his identity, his life, and his ministry. We formulate a Christian world view and begin seeing our reality through God’s eyes. Our minds are renewed by our increasing knowledge of our God and savior.
The second step is growing in Jesus Christ. Our beliefs take root and we deepen our faith. Our knowledge of Jesus Christ becomes personal and real. We develop deep love, understanding, respect, and appreciation for Jesus. We become passionate about our faith and worship Jesus from the heart. We eagerly pursue him through Bible study, prayer, fasting, and the spiritual disciplines. We sense a deep and abiding relational connection with God that results in joy.
The third step is standing firm in Jesus Christ. We are well known for our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We have firm convictions about Jesus Christ and possess godly values. We are unashamed of the gospel and our faith. We willingly embrace the cause of Christ, despite personal risk. If necessary we endure insult, persecution, and suffering. We carry Christ’s banner into battle. We are counted among those of character and strength of heart.
But this morning I want to mention a fourth and final step we must take in developing our relationship with Jesus Christ. Remaining. I already know what you are thinking. You are thinking that this last step is the easiest step. You are thinking that this last step is a lot like retirement. That after laboring to know, grow, and stand in Christ, we reach a point when we can just coast with the Holy Ghost. But in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. The longer we live, the deeper and more completely we must learn to trust Jesus Christ.
As a young minister it was easy to march into hospital rooms and confidently proclaim my faith to those who were suffering or dying. But as I developed deeper relationships, I found myself entering the hospital rooms of people I had grown to love and respect, my personal friends, who were suffering. That slowed my steps a little.
And then I found myself doing the funeral of a man who I had become really close friends with. He was a person who I talked with daily. A person who I had poured my life into and led back to Jesus Christ. That was hard.
They say that you attend your grandparent’s funerals, then your parents' funerals, and the parents' of your friends funerals. But then you begin losing close friends, brothers and sisters who are at your same life stage. During premarital counseling a minister in Lincoln told my wife and me, "Some day, one of you will attend the others' funeral." He was such a positive and uplifting man. His point was that eventually the noose of mortality will tighten around all of us personally. We will all be forced to come to terms with our own mortality.
We must learn to trust Jesus Christ with the things and people closest to our hearts.
What this means is that with every passing day, we must learn to trust Jesus Christ with people and things that get closer and closer to our hearts. As we all know, life has a way of shaking up our core beliefs. With every blow life throws at us, we must reestablish our footing on the firm foundation of Christ. We must come to grips with our love for Jesus Christ in newer and fresher ways.
In some ways it gets easier to trust Jesus Christ over time, but not in every way. So we generally understand the steps we must take in our relationships with Jesus Christ. We know him, we grow in love for him, we stand firm in him, and we remain in Christ Jesus.
The apostle Paul progressed through all of the stages of a relationship with Jesus.
This morning I want you to see and experience the inner life of a man who successfully progressed through all four of these stages. And I pray that God’s Spirit will take the things you hear this morning and engrave them on your heart and psyche. These are things that will challenge me for my lifetime.
It is obvious that the apostle Paul was a man who experienced a depth of relationship with Jesus Christ that many Christians may never know on this side of heaven. Paul’s walk with Christ began in hostility. He persecuted all things Christ. He had Christians dragged out of their synagogues and cities and put to death. He was an intolerant, cold-blooded murderer, cleverly disguised as a religious zealot.
Paul came to know Jesus, then grew in his knowledge of Christ.
But Paul acted in ignorance. He didn’t know Jesus Christ. But slowly over time, he learned about Jesus Christ. A little bit here, a little bit there, until he finally encountered Christ on the road to Damascus. After his encounter, Paul dedicated his life to Jesus Christ. His first act after repenting and being baptized was to withdraw from the public sphere. He spent years searching the scriptures, carefully aligning his thoughts with the mind of Jesus Christ. As his knowledge deepened, his love for Jesus Christ also began to grow.
Paul was perplexed and bewildered over Jesus Christ. He should have been a dead man for all the violence and atrocities he committed against Jesus Christ and his followers. But Jesus Christ didn’t strike Paul dead. He loved Paul. He showed mercy. He was gracious and compassionate. He was slow to anger and abounding in love.
Years later in 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (NIV) Paul would pen these words. "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."
It is no mystery why Paul prayed that the Ephesian Christians in Ephesians 3:18 (NIV) could "...grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge." Paul’s heart was powerfully stirred by his knowledge of Jesus Christ. He spent himself in reverent service to the lover of his soul, his God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus captured his mind (knowledge) and his heart.
Paul stood firm in Jesus Christ.
Paul deepened his knowledge and grew in his love. But he also stood firm in Christ. The apostle Paul had guts. Just read the book of Acts. After his conversion Paul marched right back into the heart of Jerusalem and stood against the religious zealots who persecuted the Church. He knew them by name because he once was one of them.
In Acts 9:22-24 (NIV) we read, "Yet Saul (Paul) grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch at the city gates in order to kill him." And who can forget the droves of afflictions Paul mentions throughout 1Corinthians and 2 Corinthians that he suffered as he stood firm in his faith? Paul’s convictions about the identity of Jesus Christ compelled him to raise the banner for Christ and to push back the advances of the evil one. He knew who he was, and he knew whose he was.
But Paul wasn’t one to get complacent. Knowing, growing, and standing were just beginning steps in his relationship with God’s Son. He remained in Christ unto death. Of all places in scripture, Philippians is as good a place as any to see the inner life of a man who had progressed so far in his relationship with Jesus Christ. Please write down some of the phrases that characterize Paul’s relationship with Christ.
Paul's relationship with Christ was intrinsically motivated.
As younger Christians we are dependent on other Christians to keep our feet to the fire. We have short attention spans. We mismanage our time. We get distracted with the things of life and the things of the world. We become estranged from Christ. We get bored with church and with God’s holy word. People have to convince us to attend worship regularly, read our Bibles, attend studies, memorize scripture, worship Christ, and pray and do daily devotions. As young Christians we reluctantly succumb to the external pressure of those who think these things are what is best for us. And we go along kicking and screaming.
In contrast, Paul had a singular focus and motivation. In Philippians 3:10 (NIV) he states that, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings becoming like him in his death..." The operative pronoun is "I". Forget about the expectations of other Christians. Paul had even higher expectations for himself. He wanted Christ for himself. He was driven to pursue Christ at any and every cost. He owned his own faith.
In Philippians 3:8-9 (NIV) he says, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him…" In Philippians 3:14 (NIV) he says, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Paul was insatiably hungry to know Christ.
One of Satan’s most successful strategies against Christians relates to pride and arrogance. Sometimes we believe that we already know everything there is to know about Jesus Christ. We leave our Bibles at home because we don’t think there is anything of value inside. We think that because we have attended church our whole lives, attended Bible studies and revival meetings, gone to church camp, been to a Christian school, or even attended Bible College, that we have covered all the ground that we will ever need to. Our pride makes us unteachable and quenches our hunger and thirst to know Christ.
Paul was just as hungry for Christ at the end of his life as he was at the beginning. He was perpetually dissatisfied with what he had already obtained and was always looking over that next horizon. In Philippians 3:10-14 (NIV) he says, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Humble words from a guy who knew far more than probably all of us combined.
Paul passionately imitated Jesus Christ.
We want to learn about Jesus Christ while remaining in the safety of our comfort zones. We don’t want to risk or sacrifice anything. We want things easy.
Paul understood that the only way to truly know Jesus Christ was to become like Christ. He understood that we understand the love of Jesus Christ best when we personally learn how to show Christ’s love to the kind of people Christ loved. So in Philippians 1:8 (NIV) Paul writes, "God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus." He understood that we appreciate Christ’s suffering and death on the cross most when we ourselves enter into Christ’s sufferings and death.
So in Philippians 3:10 (NIV) Paul writes, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…" He understood that we appreciate Christ’s holiness and sinless life best by daily entering into the obedience of Jesus Christ.
So in Philippians 2:5 (NIV) and Philippians 2:8 (NIV) Paul writes, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!"
We cannot know Jesus Christ by looking on his life from the safety of our comfort zones. We come to know Jesus Christ through passionate imitation, through living his life, through personal surrender, and through humble obedience. In this way, every curve ball in life is an opportunity to know Christ more fully.
This is one of those weeks where I have far more to say than I have time, so please allow me to mention a few points in passing.
Paul was personally inspiring.
Second only to his desire to, "know Christ" was his desire to proclaim Christ to others. Paul gave his life defending and confirming the good news of Jesus Christ. In Philippians 1:25 (NIV) he says, "I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith." In Philippians 4:9 (NIV) he says, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me— put it into practice." The acid test for how well we know Jesus Christ is how passionate we are about inspiring those around us to also know Jesus Christ. We talk about what we love and we talk about what is important to us.
Paul radiated joy.
Paul was in chains for Christ, but because of his love for Christ he could rejoice. In Philippians 4:4 (NIV) he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Paul completely trusted Christ. In Philippians 1:21 (NIV) Paul states, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." He couldn’t lose. Either in life or in death.
This is not a comprehensive list, but here are some evidences of Christians who have progressed through our four steps in their relationship with God’s Son. Remember, the four steps are knowing, growing, standing firm, and remaining in Jesus Christ. These Christians are intrinsically motivated to know Jesus Christ fully as evidenced by their priorities. They are insatiably hungry to know Jesus Christ fully as evidenced by their habits and disciplines. They are passionately imitating Christ’s life as a means of knowing Jesus fully. They are personally inspiring seekers to know Jesus Christ. They are radiating joy out of the overflow of their life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. They are completely trusting Jesus Christ in life or in death.
Where are you on your journey through the four steps? Knowing Jesus Christ. Growing in Jesus Christ. Standing firm in Jesus Christ. Remaining in Jesus Christ.