In the previous message we saw five crucial items in Philippians 3: the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, the power of Christ's resurrection, the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, and the conformity to Christ's death. These five matters relate to one concept—living by Christ that we may obtain Him. The word "obtain" in Philippians 3:12 (Gk.) implies the experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ. To obtain Christ means to lay hold of Him, or to gain possession of Him. Christ is everything to us, our portion, our destiny, and even our destination. Now we must lay hold of Him and take possession of Him.
This is similar to the way the children of Israel took possession of the good land. The land had been destined for them and assigned to them, but they had to take possession of it little by little. The more they took possession of the land, the more they obtained the land; and the more they experienced the land, the more they enjoyed the land. The land is a complete type of the all-inclusive Christ. As our portion, Christ has been assigned to us. But now we need to take Him, to gain Him, to obtain Him.
In verse 8 Paul says, "That I may gain Christ" (Gk.). According to the Greek, in verse 12 Paul speaks of obtaining that for which he had been obtained of Christ Jesus. The Greek word for obtain is used in two ways here: the first refers to obtaining in an ordinary way and the second to obtaining in an intensified way. This means that we must not only obtain Christ, but that our obtaining of Him must be intensified.
The best way to obtain Christ is to experience Him. We need to consider how to experience Christ and enjoy Christ in a practical way. As we have pointed out, in verse 8 Paul speaks of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. Before Christ came, the children of Israel were God's people on earth. They were the only people who had received something directly from God. What they received from God directly was the law. This was a great matter, and the Jews were proud of the law and boasted in it. The law was their glory and excellency. Unlike the Jews, the Gentiles could not boast of having received anything directly from God. But the Jews could say, "All the nations are dogs, but we are the chosen people of God, the peculiar possession of God. We have the law of God." No one can say that the law is not good. However, about fifteen hundred years after the law was given, Jesus of Nazareth appeared. Although He had no beauty or comeliness, He came to certain people and said, "Follow Me." This word implied that those who followed Him had to forget the law. The words, "Follow Me," caused a great disturbance. Some might have said, "We have been following Moses for centuries. Who are you, a Nazarene, to tell us to follow you?" Nevertheless, some young fishermen named Peter, Andrew, James, and John left their boats and their nets and followed Jesus. Jesus was a powerful magnet who attracted them to Himself. Those who followed Him were not Pharisees, scribes, or Sadducees, but uneducated fishermen. Those who followed Him were not the leaders in Jewish society.