Simply Jesus

Over the past 2000 years no individual has commanded the respect and honor like Jesus Christ. In Western Civilization, our laws and ethics are molded by his teachings. We preach and teach about his will and his ways, tell his stories from memory, celebrate him in worship, and serve him with enthusiasm. Yet underneath it all, many of us feel there should be more. He seems so far away, so historical, so much like church.

Read Philippians 3:7-11. Paul knows Christ, but wants to know him more. That's Paul's journey. This servant of God. Tireless worker to spread the gospel. His greatest possession was his relationship with Jesus Christ and his greatest desire was to know him more. That is and should be our journey, to know him more. How do we get there? Most of us would say that "I'm in, but how?" Here are five things we must do to know him more and to walk more intimate with Jesus.

1. The first key is in vs. 10 "I want to know him." Pretty simple, we must want it. Jesus is easy to find, we just have to spend the time with him.

2. We must be pure in heart. (Matthew 5:8) In other words, if you are not pure in heart today, don't expect to experience Christ in a compelling way. Bitterness, unresolved anger, pride, sexual impurity, untruthfulness, slander, etc... you are going to feel the distance. Jesus doesn't meet us on those playing fields. He will pull us out of the ditch, but he won't stay there. Read Psalm 139:23-24, that is how David became a man after God's own heart. David did alot of wrong, but he ran after the heart of God. He wanted God. You must search yourself and cleanse yourself.

3. You or Jesus. We are so in love with ourselves. We spend millions of dollars annually on self-help books or therapist's trying to understand "who I really am?" That's just the inside, on the outside we are consumed with our tans, weight, clothing, and eyelash extensions. We are so consumed with ourselves that Jesus can be pushed to second chair. To be a fully devoted follower of Jesus, life is an adventure in knowing him. When we live to know him, we find that knowing him is the key to understanding and accepting ourselves. We must find our purpose and value in being children of a risen God. As we die to self and run after Jesus we must walk in humility; understanding the world isn't about us. A good definition for humility is to stop thinking about self... period. Don't put yourself in the equation, don't ask 'how will this affect me?"

4. Rejoice in the Lord. We need to move from rejoicing in ourselves and start rejoicing in Jesus. When we move from ourselves to Jesus it frees us from worrying about being recognized, affirmed, adequately appreciated. It soothes our fragile egos, keeps us from being irritated when we don't get what we think we deserve, the praise we have earned, or a pat on the back. When we long for or believe we need these things what we are saying is "praise me". We are looking for others to rejoice in us! Read Jeremiah 9:23-24 and Colossians 1:14-18.

5. Value Jesus more than his blessings. A popular song in churches is "open up the sky, fall down like rain, we don't want blessing we want you..." Do you want God or do you want his blessing? Truth for most of us is both. But what if you could only have one? Sit on that question for a minute. God is calling us to want him no matter your situation, your needs, and your wants.

Discussion Questions
1. Do you want Jesus or his blessings? What would someone looking in from the outside say about you?
2. What challenged you the most about this message? What was the Holy Spirit speaking to you?
3. Do you have a heart like David's that is continually asking: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."