June 21 2026

Sunday June 21

The Greatest Pursuit in Life: “That I May Know Him”

Philippians 3:10-11

Welcome to Pastor's Chat. Today we come to one of the most remarkable statements, and perhaps one of the most quoted, made by the Apostle Paul. In Philippians 3:10-11, he writes: "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." After studying verse 9, we learned about the great exchange. Paul had received a righteousness not his own. He had been justified by faith and accepted by God through Jesus Christ.

Now, in verses 10 and 11, Paul moves from justification to sanctification. He moves from being found in Christ to growing in Christ. Notice the first phrase: "That I may know Him." These words reveal the passion of Paul's heart. Think about who is speaking here. This is not a new convert. This is not a young believer just beginning his Christian journey. This is the Apostle Paul, a man who had walked with Christ for nearly thirty years. He had preached the gospel across the Roman Empire. He had seen churches planted. He had received divine revelations. He had suffered greatly for Christ. Yet after all those years, his greatest desire remained the same: "That I may know Him."

The word "know" here speaks of personal, intimate, experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ. Paul was not asking for more information about Jesus. He wanted a deeper relationship with Him. This is the goal of the Christian life. I will never forget, as a young believer, reading a book by A. W. Tozer called The Pursuit of God. It stirred within me a desire to follow after the Apostle Paul and say the same thing: "That I may know Him." Have you ever come to that place?

Sometimes we become more interested in knowing about God than actually knowing God. We learn Bible facts, study Bible doctrines, and memorize Bible verses, yet we neglect a closer walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Christianity is not merely about information. It is about transformation through a daily relationship with Jesus Christ. The greatest pursuit in life is not success, wealth, fame, or even religious achievement. The greatest pursuit is knowing Jesus Christ more intimately and deeply.

Then Paul says: "And the power of His resurrection." What does this mean? Paul wanted to experience the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. The resurrection was not merely a historical event. It is a present reality in the life of every believer. Romans 8:11 tells us: "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Think about that. The power of Christ's resurrection gives us victory over sin. It gives us strength for daily living. It gives us courage in times of trial. It gives us hope when circumstances seem impossible. The Christian life is not lived through human effort alone. It is lived through the power of the risen Christ working within us.

Paul does not stop there. He also says: "And the fellowship of His sufferings." That sounds very different. Most of us want resurrection power, but few of us want fellowship in His sufferings. Yet Paul understood that suffering often draws us closer to Christ than anything else. When we walk through trials, disappointments, hardships, losses, and difficulties, we learn to depend upon the Lord in ways we never would have otherwise. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:13: "But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings." This does not mean that Christ's sufferings for our salvation were incomplete. Rather, it means that as we suffer for His sake, we identify more closely with Him. We often learn more about Jesus Christ in a hospital room than in a classroom, more through tears than through triumphs, and more through trials than during times of ease.

Then Paul says: "Being conformed to His death." Do you know what this means? It means that, like Paul later said, "I die daily." We die to self. We deny ourselves, as Jesus taught, and we learn to walk with Him. Oh, my friend, may God help us realize that we can walk with Jesus Christ more closely every day, enjoy a deeper relationship with Him every day, and become more like Christ because we are getting to know Him more intimately every day. You see, the Christian life begins by trusting Christ, continues by knowing Christ, and ends with being forever with Christ. That is what it means to attain to the resurrection from the dead. We have a glorious and blessed hope. One day we will see Him, and we will be like Him.

That is why Paul said: "That I may know Him." Is that your prayer as well?

Let's pray. Father, thank You for the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ. Forgive us when we become distracted by lesser pursuits. Give us the same passion that Paul had when he said, "That I may know Him." Help us to experience the power of Christ's resurrection in our daily lives. Teach us through our trials. Conform us to the image of Your Son, and keep our hearts fixed on the day when we will be raised and glorified in Christ's presence forever. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

God bless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!