“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Philippians 3:10)
As I wrote about last week, we are now officially in the midst of the season of Lent … oh no… wait a minute… I said that I don’t believe that Lent is meant to be just a “season.” A “season” comes and goes with no purpose; the only reason we are in a “season” is because the calendar tells us that it is time for that season.
ASIDE: Coincidentally enough, I just noticed that “spring” officially begins in one week, March 20 – but who cares? That proves my point. No one is expecting that next Wednesday is really any different than this one – it’s just what the calendar says. Seasons make no difference.
Lent is not a season, but rather a journey. A journey has a purpose. We are going somewhere. We have a destination. And on this journey of Lent, we have two specific destinations that we’re trying to reach: a CROSS and a TOMB.
First stop: the cross upon which my Lord was crucified upon in order to save us from our sins.
Second stop: the tomb which now lies empty after He rose from the dead on the third day.
And what are we looking for when we get to those two places? St. Paul says it best in Philippians 3:10:
“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”
That I may know Him: a deeper intimacy with my Creator and the Savior of my soul; understanding and experiencing the depth of His unconditional and incomprehensible love – a love that allowed Him to accept all that suffering in order to save me from my sins and restore me to state as a “child of God.”
And the power of His resurrection: power over sin, power over fear, power over anxiety, power to overcome this life and its trials and tribulations. The power of His resurrection.
That’s where we’re going and that’s what we’ll find at the cross and at the tomb. To know Him and to know the power of His resurrection. That is the goal.
But the way to get there? The answer lies in the second half of the verse – “the fellowship of His sufferings."
We don’t want to hear that phrase – sufferings – but it is an undeniable part of the equation. You can’t have resurrection without death. It is a principle which applies to every aspect of life. And unfortunately you can’t “know Him” or “the power of His resurrection” without “the fellowship of His sufferings.”
Is it possible to have straight A’s without studying? Is it possible to be an All-Star athlete without practice? Is it possible to have a slim body without dieting or exercise? If the answer is NO to all of those questions, then why expect to find spiritual power without putting in some spiritual sweat? It simply doesn’t work that way.
You want power from the Lord? You want power over the sin and bad habits in your life? You want power to heal your marriage or fix a broken relationship? You want power over the monsters of anger and depression in your life?
Well, if so, then there is only one way to get it…the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
No, God isn’t asking you to die; but He is asking that your desire to live for yourself would die. He is asking that your unwillingness to seek His will instead of yours would be killed. He is asking that your desire to live for your glory and not His would be crucified today.
He is asking you to wake up every day and say “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).
What is this power of His resurrection? Where is it? How do I get it? Where was it last week when I was in need or in weakness? How come I have experienced Easter many times, but have never once felt this power? WHERE IS THE POWER?
“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” (Philippians 3:10)
Have you ever found yourself looking for something only to later discover that it was right in front of you all along? Read that verse any time you are looking for the power and maybe you’ll see it this time.