Paul’s
Excellent Desire
By
Christine A. Gibson
“That I may know Him,
and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” Phil. 3:10.
The above Scripture was given
to us as the text for our New Year’s sermon. The subject was “Paul’s
Excellent Desire.” This desire of the Apostle, as shown in the test, was
for knowledge; not the knowledge, however, of the Jewish schools for he was already in possession of the thought and teachings
of the schools of men, having been trained at the feet of Gamaliel, and was undoubtedly a brilliant scholar, but a knowledge
far surpassing anything that the human mind could give. A knowledge for which
he was willing to suffer the loss of all things and count then as dung. Phil.
3:8.
Men are willing to pay all
kinds of prices for worldly knowledge. This world demands competent workmen. The schools are turning out men and women who have paid the price of their tuition
and have gone through strenuous training to fill different kinds of positions. Why
should not we, as God’s dear children, have enough of spiritual ambition to be willing like Paul to pay the price for
a knowledge that is to fit us for the highest position in the future kingdom of His dear Son?
The text presents to us a
three-fold aspect of this desire for knowledge: A desire to know the person, to know His power, and to know the fellowship
of His sufferings. Let us look at the first – to know the person, “That
I may know Him” – that person none other than Christ. Not to know
about Him, but to know Him. There are many like Job who have heard of the Lord
by the hearing of the ear, but they need of vision of Him to really know Him. The
wish expressed in the text was not to know Christ as Saviour, for this Paul already
knew. He had been introduced to Jesus in a peculiar and special manner. While on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians a bright light appeared to
him and he fell from his horse. He heard a voice, and asked, “Who art thou,
Lord?” “I am Christ whom thou persecutest,” was the answer. It
was then that Jesus first revealed Himself to Paul and later sent Ananias to show him the way of salvation. Paul had also received the Holy Spirit and therefore knew Jesus as the Baptiser.
In what further way, then,
did he desire to know Him? I believe that it was to enter into that more intimate
relationship as shown in figurative language in the Word of God concerning Christ and the Church, such as that of the vine
and branches, John 15:1; heir and joint-heir with Christ, Rom. 8:17; and especially as husband and wife, Eph. 5:25-32; the
desire to win Christ, Phil. 3:8 – yes, to win Him in that sacred relationship of betrothal. So deeply had Paul caught the vision of the glory of future bridehood that he was willing to count all
things as dung to obtain this relationship. This may be the privilege of all
who are willing to pay the price, forsaking all others and clinging only to Christ.
There is going to be a marriage, a glorious union between Christ and a company of blood-washed saints, Rev. 19:7-9. The preparation is now going on for the espoused wife must make herself ready. This can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit, because He is the One
sent to get ready a bride for the LORD’s Son. He is taking the things of
Christ and revealing them to us, leading us into this intimate relationship with Him.
This brings us to the second
thought of the text – not only a desire to know the person, but “To know the power of His resurrection,”
for His bride must not be inferior to Him; she must be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit for it was the Holy Spirit
who raised Jesus from the dead and set Him above principalities and powers and every name that is named, at the right hand
of God, Eph. 1:19-22; and He has come to do the same for us.
The Apostle not only desired
this for himself, but prayed it for the Church. It is the power which will lift
us above earthly things and keep us where we belong – in the Heavenlies, that will give us power over all the power
of the enemy, power to live a victorious life. In these days when Satan is using
all his tactics to defeat the saints of God, oh, how greatly is this knowledge of His resurrection power needed. This knowledge will also give us power over disease, “For if the Spirit of Him who raised up Jesus
from the dead dwells in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that
dwelleth in you, Rom. 8:11. How many times we have proved this to be true. The Holy Spirit has brought us an earnest of the redemption of our bodies, so when
we are sick, we can by faith receive our healing, and thus be kept alive to carry on the work God has entrusted to us. In the baptism of the Holy Spirit we receive an earnest of the resurrection power
and a pledge that we shall finally receive resurrection glory, “If so be that we suffer with Him that we may be also
glorified together.” Rom. 8:17.
This brings us to the third
aspect – a desire to know the “fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” Paul had the martyr spirit, he knew that the glory came through sufferings and he
was desirous of knowing more about this fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, to take the same way the Master did. “For it became Him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing
many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Heb. 2:10. The way of the cross leads home – no cross, no crown. The
true Church is called to a death route – His death. This is what Pentecost
is calling us to – a preparation of the “wave loaves” as seen in the type of the Jewish Feast of Pentecost
in Leviticus: A going through a fiery process to get us ready to be presented as a “first fruit” company.
It will bring us shame and
reproach, as it did to Him, the despising and rejection of men. But what of it? Jesus “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is set down at the right hand of God.” Let us arm ourselves
with the same mind and suffer in the flesh, for we can only enter into His joy as we enter into the fellowship of His sufferings. Oh, fellow-saints, let us yield ourselves more fully to the Holy Spirit, that He may
bring us into this more intimate relationship with the Christ, that the power of His resurrection be more fully realized in
our lives and a greater willingness be ours to fellowship His sufferings; “being made conformable unto His death,”
that we may indeed be among the number of those who shall attain to the “out-resurrection” of the dead and share
with them the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The Lord grant that this excellent
desire of the Apostle Paul be ours!
