From a recent chapel message at Heritage Christian School in Findlay, Ohio
Taking Hold of God
Because He Has Taken Hold of You
“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12)
What are you passionate about? What makes you alive in your living? What is the source of your lasting zeal that gives you zest for life? In Psalm 63:8, David prayed,
“My soul follows hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholds me.”
God’s grace gripped him; his soul clung to God. What have you seized upon that really satisfies your soul? David learned to hold on to the God who was holding on to Him.
In Philippians 3, another godly leader, the Apostle Paul, explained his passionate priority:
“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12)
In so doing, he teaches all of us about real living. Is this relevant to us today? Yes! Jesus Christ said,
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
You can escape from the misery of meaningless moments and enjoy life abundantly. Why live for emptiness when you can embrace the Lord Himself? You can escape from your boredom into the greatest adventure that mankind has ever known: taking hold of God. Study Paul’s passion in Philippians 3. You can learn to take hold of God because He has taken hold of you.
What Does It Mean to “Take Hold?”
The word translated “apprehend” in Philippians 3:12 means “to seize, to catch hold of, to make one’s own.” Even today, it is commonly used in an expression such as “apprehend a suspect” when a crime has been committed. The word can mean the same thing as “comprehend” – mentally understanding or grasping a subject or concept. For instance, the word is used in John 1:5, where light shined, and the darkness “comprehended it not.” In Philippians 3:12, we have the picture of a passionate personal pursuit: “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend. . .” But this becomes even more meaningful when we consider the words, “ if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” Each believer must take hold of God to discover the unique purpose for which he was designed. You find your passion for life when you find the Lord’s purpose.
What was driving Paul’s passion? He wanted to clench the Christ who was clenching Him. Or as David said it in Psalm 63:8, “My soul follows hard after [clings to] Thee: Thy right hand upholds me.” This will give you a better grip in your grasp; it is not all up to you. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9); His “grace is sufficient” to help you hold Him better. His sufficient grace will give you a strong grip. Because He has you in His gracious grasp, you can get a grip on God! Grip Him now with grateful praise.
What Jesus Did to Take Hold of Us
It is only because of Christ that you have God within your grasp. We could do nothing to draw near to God if Christ had not drawn near to us. According to the master plan of God the Father, rebel sinners come to Christ. He will not cast them out (John 6:37-38). No man is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand (John 10:28). Jesus came to do His Father’s will, part of which was that Jesus would take hold of believers with His nail-pierced hands. “He was wounded for our transgressions,” (Isaiah 53:5) and “bruised for our iniquities.” As He was tortured, He cried, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!” (Luke 23:34). We cannot truly apprehend Christ until we understand what He went through to apprehend us.
Arrested by Grace
Paul, the persecutor, was apprehended on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6) by the power of God. We were also hostile and sinful rebels who were arrested by His grace. Christ apprehended us, and graciously made us prisoners of the Lord (Ephesians 4:1) who gratefully desire to walk worthy of Him. We are captives of Christ, clasping His hand as it holds us. We rejoice in the Gospel to remember how Christ apprehended us. So Paul’s passionate pursuit was
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; (Philippians 3:10)
Paul remembered the power that brought him out of darkness into light – from death to life. His passionate practice was to seize upon sufferings as an opportunity to be conformed to the image of Christ.
What We do to Take Hold of God
Apparently, Paul was a sports fan; he loved athletic illustrations. You can see this in his expression in Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” So, he said, “I follow after if that I may apprehend. . .”
We can take hold of God passionately – the same way an athlete pursues the prize.
Why Should We Take Hold of God
To the Glory and Praise of God (Philippians 1:11)
We can be supremely passionate because we do not pursue our own selfish glory. We
press on for the glory and praise of God.
To Know Jesus Better (Philippians 3:10)
We want to gratefully apprehend the One who has graciously apprehended us.
To Embrace the Personal Change: to be like Christ (Philippians 3:10)
How to Take Hold of God
By Letting Go (Philippians 3:4-8)
The Apostle Paul made it clear that he had let go in order to take hold. He had to let go of his self-righteousness in order to take hold the Savior’s righteousness. If he had continued to try to save himself, he could not have been saved by Christ.
By Pressing On (Philippians 3:14)
Paul said, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Will you make the pursuit of Christ your consuming passion in life? This is the only way to apprehend the One who has apprehended you. Press on with praise; press on with prayer; press on with passionate perseverance.
Christ is my life, my passion
Now at His feet I fall
On Him my hopes I fasten
For Christ is all in all
Embracing Christ – Whatever May Come
“. . .but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
Lay hold of God with your whole life – with heart, mind, soul and strength. Pursue Christ with an all-consuming passion (Mark 12:30). Consider Him (Hebrews 12:3) and clasp Him; only the Messiah can give your life meaning.
Christian education is about embracing Christ.
Only the Messiah gives meaning to life.
Get a grip on Him in the Gospels; look for Him in the New Testament letters. Seek Christ in the sacrifices of the Old Testament and pursue Him through its prophecies. Seize the Savior through all the Scriptures (John 5:39); you will find Jesus waiting for you there. Grasp Him in your “God and I” time. Hunt for Him in your history classes; master His ways in math class; consider Christ the Creator in calculus; seize hold of Him as you study speech, and embrace Him as you study English. At Heritage Christian School, seize hold of Christ; you will never be the same. Christian education is all about embracing Christ.
Then, take every happening in your life as an opportunity to hold on to Him. God’s Providence grants you this great privilege – that “all things work together for good.” Every event becomes an opportunity “to be conformed to the image” of God’s Son (Romans 8:28-29). When you receive criticism, cling to Him. Flee to Christ in every family conflict. Chase after Christ when you are chastened. Take every blessing as the invitation to grasp His goodness. Make every new activity an opportunity to apprehend Him and His great power. Take hold of God because He has taken hold of you.
When you read the words of Isaiah 64:7
“And there is none that calleth upon Thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee:”
Let your passionate, personal response be, “By God’s grace, I will be one who calls upon His Name.” Let us apprehend the One who has apprehended us.
Pastor Gordon Dickson, Calvary Baptist Church, Findlay, Ohio