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THE CAROLINA TIMES
THURfpAY, AUGUST 21, 1941
‘Love's Birth And Parentage’
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•The Lonsanfifs of a Christian HearL—Philippians 3:10.
Most of the Christian world will agree that Paul was
the best example of a Christian that the world has ever
known. Ch, 3, in verse 10 of Philippians Paul is express
ing the longings of all Christians (to know Christ bet
ter). Paul ^ems to want to know Christ in this life as
he will know Him in heaven. We know there is to be a
time when we shall know Christ better (1‘Cor, 3:12).
“For we see through a glass darkly, but then face to
face, now I know in part, but then shall I know even
as also I am known.” lJohn3:2, “Bfeloved, now are we
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be; but we know that when we sh^l appear, we
shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.” In this
10th verse Paul mentions four things that his heart
longs for: 1, To have an experimental, growing knowl
edge of Him; 2, To be all that His resurrection chal
lenges us to be; 3, To crucify his inward sinfulness till
it be utterly destroyed; 4, To patiently endure suffer
ing for His sake.
I-To Have an Experimental Growing Knowledge of Him
If we are to know Christ as He is and have an experi
mental knowle4f?e of Him, then we inust study His
Word. I sometimes wonder how those who saw Jesus
as man felt in their hearts. As John was growing old,
some who did not have the privileges of John began
doubting if Jesus had lived. We read in I John 1:1,
“That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes and have
looked, upon, and our hands have handled of the Word
of Lifa”
We cannot have that identical experience now, but
we can have an experience with Christ The Master
said in John 20:23: “... Thomas, because thou hast seen
Me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have notj
aeenaj^jyet have believed.” What does it mean-. to
know’TJnrist? Most people have an i]?telleotua;l knowl
edge of Christ They realize that He can save, that
they need a Saviour, that they cannot save themselves;
but that alone is not sufficient. To have an experience
with Christ is to accept what He has done at Calvary,
believing in Him and receiving what He has to offer.
If any man is willing to have* an experience with Christ,
the natural result will be growth- Just as the seed is
put into the ground and is drawn out by the magnetic
power of God’s sun and lifts its face to God; so man
when exposed to God’s only begotten Son will gtow. An
experimental growing knowledge of Christ will cause
us to grow.
U—To Be All That His Resurrection Challenges Usi:o Be
What is the p^)wer of His resurrection? Other men
have been rais^ out of death, but always God has a
grophet on earth through which to work. JesuS said to
[is disciples before He died: “Destroy this temple and
in three days I will raise it again.” While Jesus lived
His apostles believed He could do anything*, but when
He died, their hopes were crushed. How was He to
raise His own life again? To them it was all over. The
powter of Jesus’ resurrection lay not in man. There was
not a man on earth who had the remotest part in His
resurrection. The stone was not rolled away to let Jes
us out, but to let the disciples in. The power of His res
urrection was so great that even death could not separ
ate Him from His Father. Jesus died and I wonder if
His Father did not send an angel to Him who said, “Mas
ter, it is time to arise.” It is no wonder that Paul want
ed to know more about Jesus and His resurrection, that
which brings out the best part of the Christian experi
ence* If one will give it due consideration, Paul says
in Cblossians 3 1: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek
those things which are above where Christ sitteth on
the right hand of God.” Being raised with Christ means
being dead to self. Jesus said, “Deny thyself.” If we
have been raised to a new life, then we must be dead to
the old one. No person can be a resurrection example
unless he dies to the old life. Paul says, “Seek those
things which are above” The word seek denotes effort
on the part of him who would know that resurrection
power. 'God’s power is unlimited. W)e limit God by
not allowing Him to cleanse our lives.
How will the resurrection experience change us? The
^power of His resurrection will challenge Christians to
be at the Lord’s house each Lord’s day. It will challenge
them to contribute a ‘legitimate part of all they possess:
time, talents, influence, and material substance. It will
challenge them to keep his Holy day holy. We cannot
keep God's day holy unless we hold it above other days.
It challenges us to go no place where Christ is not lead
ing. We cannot take him with us. Christians must fol
low Him. Do we comprehend the fullness of of the
meaning of the resurrection?
1II-Tq Crucify My Inward Sinfulness, Until It be
-Utterly D^troyed /
What does it mean to die? The word crucify denotes
pain. Nature has well arranged the stages of growth
to a better life.. In the vegetable, a seed must first die
in the ground before it can give enough of itself to feed
mankind. In the marine family an oyster must be sub
ject to the grain of sand which takes its very life before
it can bring forth the nrecious pearL In the mineral
kingdom, gold will not be refined until the dross has
been burned out Paul says in Romans 6:6: “Knowing
this, that our old man is cri3lcified with Him, that the
body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we
might not serve sin.” The longings of all Christians
should beJo destroy completely the inclinations of the
old man. There are thi.i\?s in the \ivts of Christians
that are as dear to them as their hands, which Paul
says must be cut off if they offend. These things in our
life must ceas^naust be crucified with us—^if we are to
have a life which is dead to §in. Paul gives another de
monition about this in II Timothy 2:11,^ “It is a faithful
saying, for if we be dead with Him we shall also live
with Him.” Genuine Christians realize how far short
they come^fi being like Christ^they are conscious of
the many shortcomings in their lives, and they pray
ydaily for Cl^nsing.
rV—To Patientiy Endure Suffering for His Sake
What does itjnean to suffer with Christ? Just as we
cannot have the same experience the apostles had of
kpo^\3ng^ Christ, we may not have to suffer the same
way. They were beaten, jailed, and even Jkilled, but
we as Christians can suffer with Christ because He is
still being persecuted. One of the joys of a Christian
is to be allowed to suffer for Christ Acts 5:4: “And
they departed from the presence of the council, rejoic
ing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for
His name.” The Lord told Ananias Paul would suffer
(Acts 9:16): “I will shew him how great things he must
suffer for My name sake.” Stephen knew what it meant
to suffer for Christ Adoniram Judson knew the perse-
etuion of a heathen country. We may n'ever be called
upon to suffer as these men, but there are other ways
to prove our love and loyalty. Jesus in Matt. 5:11 said,
“Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and perse
cute you and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely for My sake.” From the beginning of the Chris
tian era, followers have been persecuted for their be
lief. If a CJhristian determines that he is going to live a
separated life and be all that God’s Word teaches him
to be, he will be branded a fanatic. There are some
standards in the Christian life which we must not lower
even in the face of persecution. The longings of a
Christian should be so satisfied in knowing Christ, the
power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffer
ing, the conformity to His death* that he can stand and
withstand.
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CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY
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