The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1957-12-07
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

6HlllppIdIIS D, EI1Ht TH1llppldIis
3:4-14, 20, 81.
MEMORY Selection: I count
all things but loss for the ex
cellency of the knowledge OF
Christ Jesus my Lord.-Philip
plans 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 know
ing 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 pre-
vail both with God and men.
PAUL GIVES HIS BACK
GROUND: Though / might
also have confidence in the
flesh. If any other man think
eth that he hath whereof he
might trust in the flesh, /
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 touch the
law, Pharisee;" - Circumci-
sion was a big issue in those
days, especially among the Jul
daizers who wanted to force
all Gentiles to be circumcised
before they could be accepted
as real Christians. Concern
ing zeal, prosecuting the
church; touching the righteous
ness which is in the law, blame
less. = 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 perse-
cutor of the Christian religion
which he believed was bitter
enemy of his own.
PAUL SACRIFICES all for
Christ's sake: "But what things
were gain to me, those / count
ed loss for Christ" - The
Apostle does not deny for one
moment that all these qualifi-
cations and privileges are an
advantage and gain to him, for
they did mean something. "Yea
doubtless, and 1 count all
things but loss for the excellen-
cy of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord; for whom /
have suffered the loss of all
things, and do count them but
dung, that / may win Christ. -
The apostle did not indulge in
empty phrases when he declar-
ed that he counted all things
but loss as compared with the
supreme advantage of know
ing Christ Jesus my Lord. .
Paul had given up things that
men value - home, ease, hon.
ors, 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 right
eousness which is of God by
faith" - The Righteousness of
the Christian is not something
personally achieved. 1t comes
to him through personal faith
and trust in Christ as Savior.
THAT / may know him, and
the power of his resurrection
and the fellowship of his suf.
ferings, being made conform.
able unto his DEATH" Paul
come to know the power OF
.Christ's resurrection through
the Damascus Road expert
ence. And he longed to be
made conformable unto his
DEATH" that is, he wanted to
be transformed into the like
ness of Christ. The reference
here is not to impending mar
tyrdom, but to the daily dyine
to self and the world. Luke
9::23.)
eff by any means I might at
tain unto the resurrection OF
the dead" - Here is the high
est good en- far v;c,1ol;7od ~