An Ardent Desire To Know Christ
Series: Miscellaneous
Preacher: Charlie Davidson
Sunday Morning
Date: 11th January 2026
Passage: Philippians 3:1-16
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The Christian journey often feels counterintuitive to our natural desires for comfort and self-preservation. When Jesus commanded His disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him, these words challenged everything we instinctively want to do. However, Paul's experience in Philippians 3 demonstrates that these seemingly harsh commands actually lead to the greatest treasure possible: knowing Christ intimately.Paul had every reason to boast in human achievements. His religious credentials were impeccable - circumcised on the eighth day, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, zealous enough to persecute the church, and blameless under the law. Yet he counted all these accomplishments as rubbish compared to knowing Christ. This wasn't mere religious rhetoric; Paul used a word that essentially means garbage or waste, emphasizing the worthlessness of earthly achievements when compared to the infinite value of knowing Christ.True knowledge of God is experiential rather than merely intellectual. It involves following Christ daily, not just learning about Him academically. This intimate relationship should become so consuming that our selfish desires are swallowed up in one overwhelming passion: to know Him more. The journey requires community with other believers, as we cannot know Christ fully in isolation. Through relationships involving love, forgiveness, comfort, and generosity, we experience Christ more deeply in our daily lives. While our desire to know Christ may fluctuate, it's not our strength that sustains us but God's grace working within us.
