01-21-2026 PART 3: What It’s All About: Knowing Christ Above Everything Else
Section 1
This teaching begins by clearly defining sin and Christianity in a way that removes confusion and strips away excuses. Sin is anything contrary to God, not merely rule-breaking, but living, thinking, or acting outside His will. In contrast, Christianity is not religion, tradition, or rule-keeping, but a living relationship with the living God, made possible through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. This relationship requires the active work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together, not human systems or self-manufactured righteousness. Attempts to replace this relationship with rules, culture, politics, or moral superiority miss the heart of the gospel entirely and result in what amounts to church-centered religion rather than Christ-centered faith.
Section 2
Paul’s words in Philippians drive the message to its core: everything else is loss compared to knowing Christ. Achievements, status, knowledge, and even good intentions are described as worthless when measured against the surpassing worth of a real relationship with Jesus. Righteousness does not come from law, effort, or comparison with others, but from God through faith in Christ alone. Human attempts to establish personal or ideological righteousness are exposed as empty and misleading. Christianity is not about national identity, personal success, or moral posturing, but about being found in Christ, living from His righteousness, and placing Him above every other loyalty, value, or ambition.
Section 3
The teaching closes with Jesus’ words in John 14, where He declares Himself to be the only way to the Father. Knowing Jesus is knowing God, and anything less than that relationship falls short of eternal life. The sobering question Jesus asks Philip—“Don’t you know Me?”—becomes a personal challenge for every believer. The goal of faith is not activity, familiarity, or longevity, but genuine intimacy with Christ. Everything else fades in comparison to eternity with God. The final prayer reflects the heart of the message: a desire for deeper pursuit, greater dependence on the Holy Spirit, and a life where Jesus holds first place in all things.
