Experience the Christ
Opening Word of the Prophesying Meeting
Message Five
Having No Confidence in the Flesh and Counting All Things to Be Loss on Account of Christ and the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Phil. 3:3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.
8 … I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ.
Word of Appetizer
“For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.” in Philippians 3:3; what is the meaning of “the flesh”?
The flesh in Philippians 3:3 and 4 comprises all that we are and have in our natural being. In these verses confidence in the flesh refers to all the good items or qualifications that we have in the flesh; the honorable, lovable, and superior aspects of our natural being are still the flesh. The greatest problems among God’s children are that they do not know what the flesh is and that their flesh has not been dealt with.
Spiritual Burden
As believers in Christ, we should be those who have no confidence in the flesh, no trust in our natural ability or heritage; If we would experience Christ, we first need to have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ; If we do not have a higher revelation of Christ, we cannot have a higher experience of Christ.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
We who believe in Christ should have no confidence in the flesh; our confidence should be wholly in the Lord.
The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is derived from the excellency of His person.
On account of (or because of) the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Paul counted all things to be loss.
On account of Christ, Paul suffered the loss of all things and counted them as refuse in order to gain Christ.
The Experience of Life
Although we have been regenerated, we may continue to live in our fallen nature, boast in what we do in the flesh, and have confidence in our natural qualifications.
Self-confidence is the characteristic of the flesh; the most obvious sign of unchecked flesh is self-confidence. Confidence in the flesh keeps us from Christ. Self-confidence is the characteristic of the flesh. To put no trust in the flesh is to have no confidence in the flesh. Once our flesh is circumcised, we will not believe in ourselves any longer. We will not be that full of confidence, and we will not express our opinions easily. Before the Lord, we must see that we are weak, powerless, helpless, and faltering.
Practice and Application
If we would experience Christ, we must not trust in the flesh but trust only in the Lord; this is the secret to the experience of Christ.
The more we have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, the more we will count as loss everything religious and natural; To gain Christ is to gain His very person. To gain Him is to experience, enjoy, and take possession of His unsearchable riches.
Using Key Verses to Have a Bird’s-Eye View over the Whole Outline
Key Verses (1)
Phil. 3:3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.
Rom. 8:8 And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
I We who believe in Christ should have no confidence in the flesh; our confidence should be wholly in the Lord
- The flesh in Philippians 3:3 and 4 comprises all that we are and have in our natural being.
- In these verses confidence in the flesh refers to all the good items or qualifications that we have in the flesh; the honorable, lovable, and superior aspects of our natural being are still the flesh.
- The greatest problems among God’s children are that they do not know what the flesh is and that their flesh has not been dealt with; Self-confidence is the characteristic of the flesh; Confidence in the flesh keeps us from Christ.
- As believers in Christ, we should be those who have no confidence in the flesh, no trust in our natural ability or heritage.
- If we would experience Christ, we must not trust in the flesh but trust only in the Lord; this is the secret to the experience of Christ.
Key Verses (2)
Phil. 3:8 …I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ
Matt. 16:17 And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens.
II The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is derived from the excellency of His person
- The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is not the knowledge that belongs to Christ, the knowledge that Christ Himself has; rather, this knowledge is our subjective knowing of Christ; In Philippians 3:8 knowledge actually means a revelation, a vision, concerning Christ and His excellency.
- The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is the excellency of Christ realized by us; The excellency of the knowledge of Christ comes by revelation; without the revelation concerning Christ, we cannot know Christ.
- If we would experience Christ, we first need to have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ; If we do not have a higher revelation of Christ, we cannot have a higher experience of Christ.
Key Verses (3)
Phil. 3:7-8 But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ.
III On account of (or because of) the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Paul counted all things to be loss
IV On account of Christ, Paul suffered the loss of all things and counted them as refuse in order to gain Christ
- Paul placed great value on the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus; this is indicated by the words my Lord, which convey his intimate, tender feelings concerning Christ.
- Paul’s eyes were opened to see the excellency of the wonderful, all-inclusive Christ; on account of this excellency, he counted as loss all things, whether they related to religious gain or natural gain.
- All things in verse 8 includes the things of religion, philosophy, and culture; Paul suffered the loss of all these things because they were substitutes for Christ, hooks used by Satan to keep people from Christ and the experience of Christ.
We gain Christ by suffering the loss of all things that were once a gain for us and by counting them as refuse.
Prophesying Topics—Twelve Topics per Week
D1
T1 Anything natural, whether it is good or evil, is the flesh. (Rom. 8:8)
(Please illustrate that we think that the flesh includes only evil things but not good things.)
T2 Self-confidence is the characteristic of the flesh. (Phil. 3:3)
(Please illustrate that To put no trust in the flesh is to have no confidence in the flesh with experence. )
D2
T1 As believers in Christ, we should be those who have no confidence in the flesh. (Phil. 3:3-6)
(Please illustrate that although we have been regenerated, we may continue to live in our fallen nature, boast in what we do in the flesh, and have confidence in our natural qualifications.)
T2 We have no confidence in the flesh and that our confidence is wholly in the Lord. (Phil. 3:3; Prov. 3:5-6)
(Please illustrate that only when we have been enlightened by God will we be able to say truly that we have no trust in our natural qualifications, ability, or intelligence. )
D3
T1 The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is our subjective knowing of Christ. (Phil. 3:3; John 17:3)
(Please illustrate that if we lack the knowledge of Christ’s excellency, His excellency will not mean anything to us. )
T2 The excellency of the knowledge of Christ is the excellency of Christ realized by us. (Gal. 1:15-16; John 16:13)
(Please illustrate that we need a revelation of Christ’s excellency, of His supreme preciousness. )
D4
T1 The excellency of the knowledge of Christ comes by revelation. (Matt. 16:17; Gal. 1:15-16)
(Please illustrate that without the revelation concerning Christ, we cannot know Christ. )
T2 If we would experience Christ, we first need to have the excellency of the knowledge of Christ. (Col. 1:15-23; 2:16-17)
(Please illustrate that Christ is all-inclusive and all-extensive, the reality of every positive thing in the universe.)
D5
T1 On account of (or because of) the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Paul counted all things to be loss. (Phil. 3:8a)
(Please illustrate that what does it include of the all things in verse 8.)
T2 We cannot experience Christ if we only drop the worldly, material things.(Phil. 3:8)
(Please illustrate that Religion, philosophy, and culture are substitutes for Christ, hooks used by Satan to keep people from Christ and the experience of Christ. )
D6
T1 To gain Christ is to gain His very person(Phil. 3:8; Eph. 3:8)
(Please illustrate that to gain Him is to experience, enjoy, and take possession of His unsearchable riches.)
T2 Counting all things as refuse. (Phil. 3:4, 8)
(Please illustrate that we gain Christ by suffering the loss of all things that were once a gain for us and by counting them as refuse. )
