Jesus was the first fruits of the Resurrection 1 Corinthians 15:20
All will be raised from the dead John 5:28-29 including the lost. All will be raised to account to God Revelation 20:11-12
Our status now is that we are risen with Christ.
Paul wanted to know Christ - not about Him, but Him personally by experience and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings to somehow attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:10-11.
All believers in Jesus will be raised from the dead 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
We will all experience resurrection from the dead reserved for criminals.
When Jesus returns suddenly. You cannot have a resurrection until you have died.
Paul said that he had been crucified with Christ. He lived but only through Christ living in Him. Paul wants to know Jesus living out His will in Paul. He acknowledges that he is still learning or discovering the outworking of the life of Jesus in him. So much to discover of the life of Jesus in him. Jesus died, Am I willing to die to my plans? I want to be like Jesus in life.
Romans 8:29-30 'For those who God foreknew (regarded with love) He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among His brothers.'
1 John 3:2 'Now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known, but when He appears we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.'
Philippians 1:20 'I eagerly expect and hope Christ will be exalted in my body whether by life or death'
Philippians 2:5-8 'Your attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus who took on Himself the very nature of a servant, He humbled Himself and become obedient to death, even death on a cross'
John 5:19 'The Son can do nothing by Himself, He can only do what He sees His Father doing because whatever the Father does the Son also does. I seek to please Him who sent me.'
Am I willing to have the same attitude and resolve as Jesus? That is the meaning, I died.
Hebrews 12:2 'Jesus who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.'
The shame of death on a cross. Rejected by His own people. Betrayed by His own and forsaken Jesus spoke only as His Father’s spokesman.
Isaiah 53:7 'Afflicted He did not open His mouth, like a sheep before her shearers He did not open His mouth.' He gave no answer to Herod. Or Pilate.
1 Peter 2:22 Christ suffered, an example to you to follow in His Steps. Insulted He did not retaliate. Suffered He did not threaten. He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
In other words we only speak when God gives us the liberty to do so, Otherwise we should be a people under His control. We will be given the right words to say when required.
Matthew 26:56 'All His disciples deserted Him and fled.' Jesus suffered alone.
It can be a lonely path to follow Jesus. Many will not understand, will be very critical, will see the foolishness, the obstacles the impossible. A disciple is called to obey Jesus in detail.
Jesus Himself felt deserted by the Father: My God My God why have You forsaken Me?
Sin of the world separated them for a moment but joy came in the morning. Psalm 30:5
Following Jesus involves being misunderstood, experiencing loneliness, suffering. The Power that raised Jesus from the dead is able to carry us through life: John 1:12 'To all who received Jesus, to those who believed in His Name(Saviour) He gave the right, authority, power (exousia) to become children of God.'
Dunamis (power to witness) Acts 1:8 'You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be My witnesses.'
Acts 4:33 'With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus'
Kratos Might/strength Ephesians 1:19-20 'That power is like the working of His mighty strength which He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead.'
Ephesians 6:10 'Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.' We need this same power in witness.
John 16:16 'In a little while you will see Me no more and after a little while You will see me. '
They saw Him spiritually after He ascended. When the Holy Spirit came to live in them. He needs to be ungrieved, unquenched, unrivalled Ephesians 4:30
Expect suffering and opposition and misunderstanding if you seek to obey the leading and teaching of the Holy Spirit. When He gives spiritual gifts He wants them only to be used to exalt Jesus.
Jesus only appeared to His disciples and those who loved Him. We need His resurrection power to make Him known and lose sight of our own agenda.
1 Corinthians 2:4 'My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words but a demonstration of The Spirit’s power. '
1 Thessalonians 1:5 'Our gospel came to you with words and power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.'
God calls us to proclaim what the Holy Spirit reveals of the Word of God, the ongoing salvation of the elect.
Paul wanted to know the power of the resurrected life of Jesus. We need to ask God to create a hunger in our hearts for the Holy Spirit to work effectively in us to make Jesus known. Wherever we are.