| |
Book: Philippians
 Print ( PC Only )
Philippians 3
Paul's exhortation. Finally my brethren, rejoice.
A. A true Christian is a rejoicing person.
1. Peter speaks of rejoicing with a joy unspeakable and
full of glory.
2. Jesus said to His disciples, that when they see Him
again their hearts will rejoice, and no man can take
their joy from them. The cross will bring them sorrow,
but the resurrection will bring them joy.
B. Beware of the things that can diminish your joy.
1. Beware of dogs. The wild scavengers that run in packs
snapping at everybody, and everything.
a. They are not going to have joy, and they will
keep everyone around them from having joy.
2. Beware of evil workers.
a. Those who by their works are trying to
establish their relationship with God.
b. Through their misinterpretation of the law,
they have made the law void.
c. They have become unreachable because of their
self righteousness.
3. Beware of the concision or mutilators. Those that keep
the letter of the law and not the spirit.
a. They look upon circumcision as the sign of
their salvation. but in their hearts they are
not right before God.
b. Their circumcision counts for nothing, it is
just a mutilation of the body.
c. Their sequel today would be those who look to
their baptism as a sign of their salvation.
Ritual does not save.
d. We are the circumcision who worship God in
spirit. We rejoice in the finished work of
Jesus Christ and in the righteous standing that
He gives to us before God. We no confidence in
our flesh. We are not trusting in a fleshly
ritual, such as circumcision or baptism. Peter
speaks how that we are saved through baptism,
but not that putting away of the filth of the
flesh, but of a pure conscience before God.
C. If any man had a right to be confident in the flesh Paul had
more right than anyone.
1. He was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of
Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin.
a. God had made a covenant with Abraham that He
would make of his descendants a great nation,
they would be His people, and He would be their
God. The sign of this covenant would be
circumcision.
2. Of the stock of Israel. That is he came from Jacob.
Abraham had other descendants, the Ismaelites could
boast that they had Abraham as their father. The
Edomites could trace their lineage to Abraham through
Issac.
3. From the tribe of Benjamin, which gave to Israel it's
first king. He was probably named after him.
4. He was a Hebrew, born of Hebrew parents. He retained
the Hebrew language.
5. As touching the law, a Pharisee. They were an elite
sect. Sort of like the trained athlete, they devoted
their lives to their spiritual goals.
6. As far as zeal, he was persecuting the church. He knew
Judaism in the most fanatic and intense way.
7. Concerning the righteousness which is in the law,
blameless.
8. These were the things that were on the credit side of
his ledger.
D. His willingness to count these things as loss for what he had
gained.
1. Those things that were gain to me, I counted loss for
Christ.
2. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,
for who I suffered
the loss of all things, and do count them as refuse.
a. Note that the past experience is transferred
into the present. I counted loss, I do count
them as refuse.
b. The past experiences are only valid in the
extent that they are transmitted into the
present.
c. To many trying to live on past experiences. The
things that they once did, the sacrifices that
they once made, the blessings that they once
had.
d. The fact that I at one time counted something
as loss for Christ is not valid if I have
returned to pick it up again.
3. What he lost was his standing among the Pharisee's,
what he gained was a standing before the Lord.
4. What he lost was his self righteousness, what he gained
was righteousness of Jesus Christ.
D. His gain.
1. The excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, as
Lord.
2. He had won Jesus Christ.
3. The righteousness which is by the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God through faith.
4. He traded his filthy rags for the white linen pure and
clean.
E. His ambition.
1. To know Him. From gnosko to know by experience of
relationship.
2. To know or experience the power of His resurrection.
"If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the
dead, dwell in you He that raised up Christ from the
dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His
Spirit that dwelleth in you."
3. To know the fellowship of His sufferings.
a. Here is where many fall short. They want the
power of resurrection, but they do not want the
cross.
b. They want the glory without the pain.
c. They want the riches without the sacrifice.
d. They are willing to take all the blessings, but
do not want to deny themselves and take up the
cross to follow Him.
4. Being made conformable unto His death. "I am crucified
with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ
liveth in me."
5. To attain to the resurrection of the dead.
a. If you are not crucified with Him, how can you
be raised with Him?
b. Know ye not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death? Therefore we are buried with him by
baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness
of life.
c. Not as though I had already attained or were
perfect.
d. But I am following after that I may apprehend
that for which I was apprehended by Jesus
Christ.
1. This is the reason I was apprehended by
Him, that
I may be conformed into His image. That I might
become perfect in Him. That I might obtain the
resurrection from the dead, that I might spend
my eternity with Him.
F. What he was doing to attain his goal.
1. Forgetting those things which are behind.
2. Reaching for the things that are before.
3. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus.
a. They which run in a race, run all, but only one
receives the prize, so run that you might
obtain.
4. If your goal is to be complete in Christ, then you must
be likeminded to Paul.
5. If that isn't your mind then let God reveal it to you.
6. Walk by the same rule, have the same mind set.
G. Paul's call them.
1. Be followers of me.
2. Watch those that are walking this way that you might
have an example.
H. Paul's warning. He gets quite emotional about this.
1. Many whose walk marks them as enemies of the cross of
Christ.
a. They may talk of the power and the glory, but
they know nothing of the crucified life.
b. Their end is destruction. Jesus at the end will
deny knowing them. They have never
fellowshipped with His suffering.
c. Their real gods is their belly, for their mind
is after earthly things.
I. The marks of the true believer.
1. Our conversation is in heaven. Manner of living. They
have a heavenly mind set.
2. They are looking for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ
to come from heaven.
3. They are anticipating the change from this vile body,
to the new body that is fashioned after the glorious
body of Jesus Christ. This they know will be
accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit.
a. We with open face, beholding the glory of the
Lord are being changed from glory to glory by
the power of the Spirit.
|