The Mississippi Enterprise

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
By Rev. Geo. A. Harper

THAT I MAY KNOW CHRIST
Philippians 3, Print Philippians 3:4-14, 20, 21.

MEMORY Selection: I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.-(Philippians 3:8).

The knowledge of Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of men is the best of all knowledge. Our education can never be complete without a revelation of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. To know everything without knowing Him is worthless. When Christ becomes everything to us, we have found the richest treasure, Christ without the world is worth everything. but the world without Christ is worth very little. When Christ becomes the Lord of our lives, then we are His love slaves and have been conquered by Him, which enables us to prevail both with God and men.

PAUL GIVES HIS BACKGROUND: "Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh. I more:" This verse becomes clearer if we translate the word "flesh" as "self." Paul says in effect: I have ample grounds for confidence in the self. Indeed, my claims are stronger than the claims of most men.

"Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;" - Circumcision was a big issue in those days, especially among the Judaizers who wanted to force all Gentiles to be circumcised before they could be accepted as real Christians. "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless."- No one in Judaism could boast of having a greater zeal for that religion than Paul, and he had proof for it in his record as a mad persecutor of the Christian religion which he believed was a bitter enemy of his own.

PAUL SACRIFICES all for Christ's sake: "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." - The Apostle does not deny for one moment that all these qualifications and privileges are an advantage and gain to him, for they did mean something. "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ."

The apostle did not indulge in empty phrases when he declared that he counted all things but loss as compared with the "supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."

Paul had given up things that men value - home, ease, honors, and prestige - that he might gain the knowledge of Christ.

ATTAINING THE Ultimate through Christ: "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." - The righteousness of the Christian is not something personally achieved. It comes to him through personal faith and trust in Christ as Savior.

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." - Paul come to know the power of Christ's resurrection through the Damascus Road experience. And he longed to be "made conformable unto his death," that is, he wanted to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. The reference here is not to impending martyrdom, but to the daily dying to self and the world. (Luke 9:23.)

"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." - Here is the highest good so far visualized by the apostle, attaining unto the resurrection from the dead. If Christian discipleship meant nothing more than this, the exchange of earthly advantages for it would net a great profit.

"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." Paul had sacrificed much for his faith, but he was not self-righteous about his sacrifices. He was concerned that he might continue to serve Christ faithfully. "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do. forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before."

With Paul's mind thus free of any regrets or yearning again for those things he had already forsaken, he was in better position to concentrate all his mental, spiritual, and physical efforts upon reaching the ultimate goal, which he had set out in the beginning to reach. "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

The progress to be made is not without strenuous effort, for Paul talks of "pressing toward the mark," a term which suggests action in the face of opposition.

CITIZENS OF HEAVEN: "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:" Our citizenship, or commonwealth, as members of the family of God is in heaven, and we earnestly look forward to the realization of its being fulfilled. "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

The conquering of death and the winning of immortality have always been man's great desire, and at last it is realized through Christ Jesus who will at the resurrection change our mortal bodies into glorious one like unto his own.

PRACTICAL Points on the Lesson: Christ should mean more to the Christian than money, fame, pleasure, ease of life. There is more to Christianity than any believer can ever apprehend in this life. This will require eternity to confirm. Paul's great motto in life was when he won, he lost and when he lost for Christ's sake he won. The Apostle Paul counted the seven great gains which every Jew prized highly, as loss, however, he was intensely interested in the seven merits of Christ which became his aspiration. Salvation is a gift which is obtained freely, however, rewards and promotions are attained. The former comes by faith and the latter through works and sacrifices.