Wednesday
Evening Bible Study
November 27, 2002
Introduction
Paul has been dealing with the issue of the “Judaizers”, those that taught
that you needed to be circumcised and you needed to keep the Law of Moses in
order to be saved. These teachers would come through the churches after Paul
had established them and greatly upset the Gentile believers.
Paul has talked about how if any person ought to be boastful about their
ability to be “righteous” according to the Law of Moses, it was he, Paul. Before
meeting Jesus, Paul had considered himself a “Hebrew of Hebrews”, a member of
the strictest sect, the Pharisees.
3:8-14
:8 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,
Yea – alla – but;
nevertheless, notwithstanding; nay, rather, yea, moreover; forms a transition
to the cardinal matter
doubtless – menounge
(“truly” + “then” + “indeed”) – nay
surely, nay rather
I count – hegeomai – to
lead; to consider, deem, account, think
loss – zemia – damage,
loss
for – dia – through; the
ground or reason by which something is or is not done; by reason of; on account
of
excellency – huperecho – to have or hold over one; to
stand out, rise above, overtop; to be above, be superior in rank, authority,
power; the prominent men, rulers; to excel, to be superior, better than, to
surpass
the knowledge – gnosis – knowledge signifies in general
intelligence, understanding
This isn’t the “knowledge” that Jesus possesses, as if Paul is going to
know as much as Jesus. But this is the
“knowledge” of Jesus that comes from having come into a relationship with Him. It’s knowledge that comes from experience.
for – dia – through; the
ground or reason by which something is or is not done; by reason of; on account
of
I have suffered the loss – zemioo
– to affect with damage, do damage to; to sustain damage, to receive
injury, suffer loss
do count – hegeomai – to
lead; to consider, deem, account, think
dung – skubalon (“into” + “dog” + “throw”, “to
fling to the dogs”) – any refuse, as the excrement of animals, offscourings,
rubbish, dregs; of things worthless and detestable
I may win – kerdaino – to
gain, acquire, to get gain
Lesson
Jesus is still better.
Last week we ended last week with Paul’s statement:
(Phil 3:7 KJV) But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Note the tense of the verb. It is a past tense, something
that Paul did in the past.
Now Paul repeats his statement, but brings it into the present.
Paul had counted these things as loss thirty years earlier when he met
Jesus on the road to Damascus.
He still counts them as loss.
He’s not trusting just in what happened thirty years ago, it’s still very
real to him in the present.
:9 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:
be found – heurisko – to come upon, hit upon, to
meet with; after searching, to find a thing sought
This could be translated, “turn out
actually to be”
righteousness – dikaiosune –
in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition
acceptable to God
Lesson
Jesus’ righteousness, not mine
When we opened our heart to Jesus and decided to trust in His death as
being enough to pay for our sins, God did something wonderful. God performed an exchange, taking my sins and
exchanging them for Jesus’ righteousness.
(2 Cor 5:21 KJV)
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him.
God put my sins upon Jesus and in turn took Jesus’
righteousness and gave it to me.
Illustration
The Beggar's Rags
A beggar lived near the king’s palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted
outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in
royal garments was invited to the party. The beggar went on his way. He looked
at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families
wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly an idea crept into his mind. The audacity
of it made him tremble. Would he dare? He made his way back to the palace. He
approached the guard at the gate. “Please, sire, I would like to speak to the
king.” “Wait here,” the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. “His
majesty will see you,” he said, and led the beggar in. “You wish to see me?”
asked the king. “Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I
have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I have one
of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?” The beggar shook
so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king’s face. “You
have been wise in coming to me,” the king said. He called to his son, the young
prince. “Take this man to your room and array him in some of your clothes.” The
prince did as he was told and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror,
clothed in garments that he had never dared hope for. “You are now eligible to
attend the king’s banquet tomorrow night,” said the prince. “But even more
important, you will never need any other clothes. These garments will last
forever.” The beggar dropped to his knees. “Oh, thank you,” he cried. But as he
started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He
hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if he would need his old clothes
again? Quickly he gathered them up. The banquet was far greater than he had
ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small
bundle of his old rags and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed
quickly and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies. Time proved that
the prince was aright. The clothes lasted forever. Still the poor beggar grew
fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed people seemed to forget the
royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that
he clung to wherever he went. They even spoke of him as the old man with the
rags. One day as he lay dying, the king visited him. The beggar saw the sad
look on the king’s face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed.
Suddenly the beggar remembered the prince’s words and he realized that his
bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his
folly. And the king wept with him.
Edited from More Hot
Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice. Copyright 1995 by Youth
Specialties, Inc.
We have been invited into a royal family—the family of God. To feast at
God’s dinner table, all we have to do is shed our old rags and put on the “new
clothes” of faith which is provided by God’s Son, Jesus Christ. But we neet to
let go of our old rags. When we put our faith in Christ, we must let go of the
sin in our life, and our old ways of living. We need to even let go of counting
on the “good things” that we thought made us so special – instead we need to
find out identity, our hope, our life in Jesus and what He has done for us.
That’s learning to live like true royalty.
:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the
fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
I may know – ginosko – to learn to know, come to
know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel; to know, understand, perceive, have
knowledge of
The word speaks of knowing something through experience. Paul didn’t want
to just know about Jesus. He wanted to know Jesus.
the power – dunamis – strength, power, ability
We’d like to experience the ability and strength of the resurrection.
resurrection – anastasis –
a raising up, rising (e.g. from a seat); a rising from the dead
the fellowship – koinonia – fellowship, association,
community, communion, joint participation
sufferings – pathema – that which one suffers or has
suffered; externally, a suffering, misfortune, calamity, evil, affliction; of
an inward state, an affliction, passion; an enduring, undergoing, suffering
being made conformable – summorphoo
– to be conformed to, receive the same form as
death – thanatos – the
death of the body; metaph., the loss of that life which alone is worthy of the
name,
Lesson
Power and suffering
We would like to think that this is a multiple choice deal as in: Would you like the power or the suffering?
But it’s not multiple choice. It’s
both.
We come to truly “know” Jesus when we learn to experience both suffering and resurrection power.
Lesson
Suffering and death
Death and suffering isn’t fun.
That’s why they call it death and suffering.
Yet you don’t get to the Resurrection until you’ve gone through Gethsemane
and Calvary.
We want the power but without the suffering. Because we shy away from suffering, we don’t
get the power.
I don’t mean that we need to suffer just for the sake of suffering. I don’t mean that we should go out and beat
ourselves up or look for new ways of suffering.
But there are times when the path ahead is going to be rough.
Will we choose to go down that path and in the process experience suffering?
Or will we choose to go around the hurtful things and end up missing the
target?
(2 Cor 4:7-11 KJV) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. {8} We are
troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in
despair; {9} Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; {10}
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life
also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. {11} For we which live are
alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might
be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
Paul knew what it meant to suffer for Jesus. But in on the path of suffering, he also
experienced the life of Jesus.
:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
If by any means – ei pos –
if indeed, since, if after all
I might attain – katantao –
to come to, arrive; to come to a place over against, opposite another; metaph.
to attain to a thing
the resurrection – exanastasis
– a rising up, a rising again; resurrection
the dead – nekros –
properly: one that has breathed his last, lifeless; deceased, departed, one
whose soul is in heaven or hell; spiritually dead
Paul is speaking in humility, not in doubt.
He doesn’t doubt that he will be raised from the dead. He’s aiming for it, but humbly.
:12 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.
attained – lambano – to
take; to receive (what is given), to gain, get, obtain, to get back
were … perfect – teleioo –
to make perfect, complete; to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish,
bring to an end; to complete (perfect); to be found perfect; perfect tense
I follow after – dioko – to make to run or flee, put to
flight, drive away; to run swiftly in order to catch a person or thing, to run
after; metaph. to pursue; to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavour to acquire
that I may apprehend – katalambano – to lay hold of; to lay
hold of so as to make one’s own, to obtain, attain to, to make one’s own, take
possession of; to lay hold of with the mind; to understand, perceive, learn,
comprehend
I am apprehended – katalambano
– to lay hold of; to lay hold of so as to make one’s own, to obtain, attain
to, to make one’s own, take possession of; to lay hold of with the mind; to
understand, perceive, learn, comprehend
Lesson
You haven’t arrived yet
Some people follow a teaching that says that you can reach this state of
“sinless perfection”. They claim that
they no longer sin.
It can’t happen until you go to be with Jesus.
Paul is saying that he hasn’t arrived.
Lesson
Finding God’s purpose for my life
“that I may apprehend that for which
also I am apprehended …”
God has a purpose for each of us. He
has something that He has planned for us, something that He’s chosen for us.
God wants us to get a hold of what He has for us.
He wants to be with us in heaven.
He wants us to be sure to get a hold of it.
He has things for us to do now.
He wants us to find out what He has for us and walk in it.
(Eph 2:10 KJV)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
(Jer 29:11 NASB)
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans
for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
:13 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,
I count – logizomai – to
reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over; to take into account, to make an
account of; to reckon inward, count up or weigh the reasons, to deliberate; by
reckoning up all the reasons, to gather or infer; This word deals with reality.
If I "logizomai" or reckon that my bank book has $25 in it, it has
$25 in it. Otherwise I am deceiving myself. This word refers to facts not
suppositions.
to have apprehended – katalambano
– to lay hold of; to lay hold of so as to make one’s own, to obtain, attain
to, to make one’s own, to take into one’s self, appropriate; to seize upon,
take possession of
behind – opiso – back,
behind, after, afterwards; of place: things that are behind
forgetting – epilanthanomai – to forget; neglecting,
no longer caring for; forgotten, given over to oblivion, i.e. uncared for
before – emprosthen – in
front, before; before, in the presence of, i.e. opposite to, over against one
reaching forth unto – epekteinomai – to stretch out to or
towards; to stretch (one’s self) forward to.
Paul is using the picture of a runner stretching towards the tape at the
end of a race.
Paul is telling us how to “apprehend” – how to get there – “forget” and
“reach forth”
Lesson
Forgetting the past
Forget the glory of the past victories.
The past isn’t always what we make it out to be.
Illustration
Talking Dog for Sale
This guy sees a sign in front of a house: “Talking Dog for
Sale.” He rings the bell and the
owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and
sees a dog sitting there. “You talk?” he asks. “Yep,” the dog replies. “So,
what’s your story?” The dog looks up and says, “Well, I discovered this gift
pretty young and I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my
gift, and in no time they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in
rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be
eavesdropping.” “I was one of their most valuable spies eight years running.
The jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger
and I wanted to settle down. So I signed up for a job at the airport to do some
undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening
in. I uncovered some incredible dealings there and was awarded a batch of
medals. Had a wife, a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired.” The guy is
amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. The owner
says, “Ten dollars.” The guy says,” “This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you
selling him, and so cheap?” The owner replies, “He’s such a liar. He didn’t do
any of that stuff.”
Sometimes we can get so caught up in the “good old days” that we lose sight
of what God might have in front of us.
What if He wants to do better things in your future than He did in the
past?
Forget the pain of the past failures
Sometimes it’s the pain of our past failures that keeps us from moving
ahead.
We’ve failed before, we figure we will fail again, so why try?
If I hold too much to the past, it will keep me from moving forward into
the future.
(Isa 43:18-19 KJV) Remember
ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. {19} Behold, I
will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will
even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Illustration
When Cortez landed at Vera Cruz in 1519 to begin his conquest of Mexico
with small force of 700 men, he purposely set fire to his fleet of 11 ships. His men on the shore watched their only means
of retreat sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. With no means of retreat, there was only one
direction to move, forward into the Mexican interior to meet whatever might
come their way. In paying the price for
being Christ’s disciple, you too must purposefully destroy all avenues of
retreat. Resolve that whatever the price
for being His follower, you will have to pay it.
- Walter Henricksen, Disciples Are Made—Not Born
:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus.
the mark – skopos – an
observer, a watchman; the distant mark looked at, the goal or end one has in
view
I press – dioko – to make
to run or flee, put to flight, drive away; to run swiftly in order to catch a
person or thing, to run after; to press on: figuratively of one who in a race
runs swiftly to reach the goal; metaph., to pursue; to seek after eagerly,
earnestly endeavour to acquire
the prize – brabeion – the
award to the victor in the games, a prize; metaph. of the heavenly reward for
Christian character
the high – ano – up,
upwards, above, on high
calling – klesis – a
calling, calling to; a call, invitation
Lesson
Stretch toward the goal
“reaching forth”, “press toward”
Keep going in the race. Don’t quit.
Illustration
One morning a couple of cowpunchers went out on the range to bring in a
wild steer from the mountains. They took
along with them one of those shaggy little gray donkeys—a burro. Now a big three-year old steer that’s been
running loose in the timber is a tough customer to handle. Nevertheless, these cowboys had a technique
for handling this steer. They got a rope
on the steer and then they tied him neck and neck, right up close, to the burro
and let them go.
At first, the burro had a bad time.
The steer threw him all over the place. He banged him against trees,
rocks, into bushes. Time after time they both went down. But there was one great difference between
the burro and the steer. The burro had an idea.
He wanted to go home. And no matter how often the steer threw him every
time the burro got to his feet he took a step nearer the corral. This went on and on. After about a week, the burro showed up at
the corral. He had with him the tamest
and sorriest-looking steer you ever saw.
Sometimes we feel like that poor burro, being tied to such difficult
times. But we need to be like that burro
and keep getting back up and taking another step home.
Press on. Keep moving. Keep moving forward. Keep heading toward Jesus.
We want to get to the finish line.
We want the prize. We want to
hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”.