Philippians 3 vs 3-11

·    (Concerning, “Rejoice in the Lord.”) I say again. Joy isn’t only an emotion. It can be, but doesn’t have to be. Joy is not the absence of sorrow. Joy is resolve of hope, determination of personal goodness and righteousness, no matter the setback or circumstance. And therefore, joy is in a way a decision! It’s a choice and it rests upon your great confidence in God! Have you ever hurt so much in your heart…., that you hold your breath just to feel a different pain for just a moment? In a fallen world with sin all around us, that is a part of the Christian experience. And yet Paul says, from prison, from suffering, rejoice! So, here’s the charge, joy is at least a portion my responsibility as a Christian.

·    Paul continued, “Beware of dogs!” What do dogs do? Think of a “Beware of Dog” sign. They bite rather than welcoming. They attack rather than protect. They beg and demand rather than serving. They snap at you. They are dangerous. They run in packs. Christians are not to be dogs…, we are to be sheep following the ways and guidance of the Shepherd!

·    What does that look like? Well, that’s a ton to talk about this morning but one thing that I came upon this week that sort of blew my mind was Matthew 25. The people that were serving the Lord directly said to Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You?” And Jesus replies, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” The point is that the righteous don’t even in a way look to serve God, its just what they do and who they are because God has been allowed to do a deep work in their hearts! (Contrast that with Matthew 7 as the people said, “Lord, we did all these things in Your name…”)

·    Beware of evil workers! This is not speaking of people outside of the church! The word for “evil” is also “harm” and the word for “workers” is also “forwarder.” Beware of those within the faith that are forwarding harm towards each other!

·    And finally, he takes a cannon-shot at the Judaizers within the church. You have to understand that the early church, early Christianity, was actually, practically, in reality, it was a sect of Judaism. It came from Judaism and it came from the Jews. It even spoke of and honored the Law of Moses. Not in a way of salvation but in a way of tradition. Jesus Himself would go up to the Feasts in Jerusalem.

·    But what was different is that Jesus did not come to keep the law OR to abolish the law…, Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” However, old habits die hard… You ever hear that expression, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” Well, in many circumstances that’s true but in others it’s probably better said, “You can teach an old dog new tricks but unteaching the old ones is the real problem!” HA!

·    There were Christians at the time, Jewish Messianic born-again believers who would follow Paul around and when a gentile got saved, they would then seek to convince them to be right with God they would need to be circumcised and keep the law, essentially coming into Judaism-Christianity and these were called the Judaizers.

·    This was a major issue for the early church and understandably so… There was even a pastor’s conference of sorts convened to discuss this issue and we have that recorded for us in Acts Chapter 15…

·    Paul goes as far here as to say that what they were doing wasn’t even circumcision but at this point its mutilation! And then he goes as far as to completely scandalize them…

Philippians Chapter 3 Verse 3

·    Romans 2:25-29, “For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”

·    Essential to Christianity! If circumcision or any other work increases our stature in the eyes of God then we cannot rejoice in the grace of God through Jesus Christ, we cannot rejoice in the cross of Christ, and we cannot rejoice in or through the free gift of salvation. If circumcision or any other work increases our stature in the eyes of God then I must now (and can only) rejoice in what I do. And what does that do? Leads me to dejoice (my word) kill my joy, when I don’t do what I ought to do… What’s the problem with that!? ME!

·    What we are supposed to do is worship God in Spirit. Give our entire selves to God, heart, soul, mind and strength…, the good and the bad, and let Him deal with it by the power of His Word, His presence, His love, grace and His Spirit as we individually seek to be His (relationship)! We seek God in the inner most parts of our hearts and that works its way out for sure to the works in the flesh but we cannot, do not, doesn’t work, seek to know God more purely upon good works!

·    What we are supposed to do is rejoice in Christ Jesus, not rejoice in ME! What we are supposed to do is have no confidence in the flesh but ALL confidence in Christ for our right standing with God! And then Paul lays this out… for himself personally with his own story…

Philippians Chapter 3 Verses 4 – 6

·    Circumcised the eighth day. And what he means by that is perfect from birth and not only that, perfectly handled by his holy parents! Of the stock of Israel of the Tribe of Benjamin which would have elicited honor from all of his readers as this tribe, one of the two sons of Rachel, was the tribe that was responsible for the first King, King Saul, and the best portion as Jerusalem is in the area of land allotted to Benjamin…

·    But it also is a statement that his family line is so pure that he traces all the way back to Abraham… A Hebrew of Hebrews; not a Hellenistic, (Greek culture leaner), who were looked down upon but pure in religion, pure in Jewish culture, pure in the ways, laws and traditions of the fathers. Concerning the law, a Pharisee. And we cast that title in a negative light but in that culture, these were the super-star athletes. It’s been estimated that in all of the history of the Jews, there were no more than 6,000 Pharisees at all!

·    Concerning zeal, persecuting the church! To be an elite Jew and yet have no passion was looked down upon and the more zeal you had the more righteous you were! Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. He kept the law to the “T.”

Philippians Chapter 3 Verses 7 – 8

·    It’s not just that he counts these things from the past as loss but what’s more, there’s a tense change in these verses, he counts all things even today that he has achieved and is achieving as good as loss for the sake of honoring God and not himself!

Philippians Chapter 3 Verses 9 – 11

·    BE FOUND IN HIM! If I’m good enough, if what I do is sufficient to make me better in the Kingdom of God than you, if what I do is able to increase my value to Jesus, then I am found in ME! Precisely the problem that causes people to be jerks towards others, bite and devour one another, and wish, hope and pray that the person that gets under their skin would just grow up and be more like ME! It’s self-worship, y’all!!! Not Christ worship!

·    The resurrected life always follows the crucified life! We want the payoff now and then we may give everything to God. That is not how it works because that is the opposite of faith and God does not work through that or in that manner!

·    Paul is sharply correcting the spirit of division, consternation and criticism in the hearts of the two women that are worshipping themselves in the church at Philippi and he’s doing it masterfully! No, they’re not good but neither are you! So, love them for the righteousness they have in Christ, not in themselves, and join Jesus in serving even those that were eternally less than Him… And in that, even a resurrected mind, heart, soul, and strength…, a little secret here, can be proportionally grasped even now…, a term the Bible calls, not eternal life…but everlasting life!!