Joy in Believing… (3 things)

• 1^st – The false and the true believer… vs. 1-3 (3 points)
  • Finally my brothers…
    • Paul had already shown how we can have Joy in suffering / and Joy in serving…
    • But Paul is far from done with his letter to the Philippians – he has 44 more verse to go…
    • Paul says finally here to emphasize the point he is about to make…
    • Now in chapter 3 he will show us how we can have Joy in believing!
  • 1^st – Paul loved the Saints in Philippi… vs. 1
    • He wanted more than anything – for them to rejoice in the Lord…
    • For that reason he was willing to write to them the same things over and over…
    • You may have noticed that the Bible often repeats itself…
    • The same message given in many ways – ‘we cannot earn our way to heaven’…
    • The reason is because often we do not hear it – or do not understand – the first time…
    • The Bible tells us over and over in the hope we will eventually get it…
    • It is too important for us not to get / so we must repeat it as many times as needed!
  • 2^nd – There are fake believers… vs. 2
    • Paul called them dogs – it was not a compliment…
      • In Jewish culture is was common to refer to unbelieving gentles as dogs…
      • It was not a compliment – the reference was to wild / untamed rabid savages…
      • Like a rabid dog these men go around trying to bite and infect others with their poison!
    • Paul called them evil workers…
      • Their poison was – they thought they were good enough to get to heaven…
      • But they were comparing themselves to others – not God’s standard with is perfection!
      • We need to be careful whom we choose to compare ourselves to…
      • We might compare ourselves to the world around us – and think we are ok…
      • The problem is the world is getting worse and worse every day…
      • Meaning if we are comparing ourselves to them – we are also getting worse!
    • Paul calls them mutilators…
      • A very similar word to circumcise – the idea being these men were Jews…
      • And they mutilated / circumcised others – teaching you had to be a Jew to be saved…
      • Speaking of the Judaizers – religious teachers who taught you had to keep the Law…
      • Paul had an ongoing battle with these false teachers – II Corinthians 10…
      • His first encounter with them came after his return from his first missions trip…
      • Acts 15:1 – “Certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’”
      • I know a lot of Christians that have a lot of rules they try and live their life by…
      • And even though they have been in church for many years – they have not matured…
      • All they have is their unchanging rules – the problem is they do not change either!
  • 3^rd – We are the true believers… vs. 3
    • We are the ‘true’ circumcision – who worship God in the Spirit…
      • There are two kinds of circumcision – outward and inward…
      • Romans 2:29 – “A true Jew is one whose heart is right with god. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by god’s spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from god, not from people.”
      • Every Jew was circumcised physically in obedience to the Law…
      • But if they did not keep law – they showed were not circumcised spiritually…
      • It is not about our words – or where we are – it is about the actions from our lives…
      • If you live like the devil – then it is a good bet you are not a child of God…
    • True believers do not put any confidence in themselves…
      • If we are honest – we know what we are supposed to do – we know right from wrong
      • The question is how do we manage to consistently do what is right!
      • Romans 7:15 – “I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate.”
    • Circumcision of the heart – is how we are able to obey the Lord…
      • Those who are circumcised in their heart – walk by the Spirit…
      • Colossians 2:11 – “When you came to Christ, you were ‘circumcised’, not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure, cutting away your sinful nature.”
      • Before we came to Jesus we did what our sin wanted us to – we were slaves to sin…
      • We were bound/captive to the sinful desires of our heart – we did not know better…
      • We did not think about Jesus – how to live for Jesus – how to live a righteous life…
      • We did not trust in Jesus – we only knew how to trust in ourselves…
      • But when we accepted Jesus Christ – we died to that old sinful nature…
      • The sinful desires of our heart were cut off – so we were free to live for the Lord…
      • Romans 6:6 – “Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.”
      • That change of heart – circumcision – is how we can be obedient to the Lord!
        
• 2^nd – Righteousness by works … vs. 4-6 (7 things)
  • 1^st – If anyone could have been saved by his works – it would have been Paul… vs. 4
    • Paul was circumcised on the 8^th day – in accordance with – Genesis 17
    • Paul was saying he was a ‘true’ descendant of Abraham – heir to the promise of God…
  • 2^nd – Paul was a pure-blooded Jew – both his mother and father were Jews… vs. 5
  • 3^rd – Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin – he even knew his heritage…
    • It is likely that Paul – whose name was first Saul before God changed it…
    • Was named after the first King of Israel – King Saul of Benjamin!
  • 4^th – Paul was the Hebrew of Hebrews…
    • When Filipinos move to the States / Europe – the first generation keeps their culture
    • But the second / third generation become part of their new culture language…
    • Most of the Jews in Paul’s time had lost their Hebrew culture / language…
    • Because Israel had been conquered by the Greeks / and then Romans…
    • Many of the Jews had taken on the Greek language and culture – but not Paul…
    • He was still VERY Jewish in his culture / and still spoke the Hebrew language!
  • 5^th – Paul was a Pharisee – he kept the Law… vs. 6
    • 500 years before Jesus the nation of Israel had become very wicked…
    • As a result God punished Israel – allowed the nation of Babylon to conquer them…
    • They spent 70 years in captivity – then God let them return home…
    • In an effort to get right with God there was a ‘spiritual revival’…
    • A group was created to ensure Israel never rebelled against God again…
    • The Pharisees were the group that was created to keep all the commands of God!
  • 6^th – Paul persecuted the church of Christ…
    • Saul held the coats of those who stoned Steven to death – Acts 7…
    • Acts 9:1 – Paul hunted Christians and put them to death for their faith in Christ…
    • He believed that Christianity was a cult – and he was determined to stamp it out!
    • Paul had everything going for him – if anyone could have been saved it was him…
    • But instead of being a ‘man of God’  – he was unwittingly at war with God!
    • We are certainly no better than Paul – and if we think we can be saved by our works…
    • We will find like Paul did – that in truth was are the enemies of God!
  • 7^th – Paul was blameless according to the Law…
    • He followed the Law to the letter – never making one mistake outwardly…
      • Where Paul failed is when he realized the Law also looked at the heart…
      • You shall not covet (speaking of the desires of the heart for something you don’t have)
      • Paul could control what he did / his actions – but he could not stop his desires
      • I know a lot of people who think they are good Christians because they follow rules
      • They show up to church every Sunday – but what is in their heart….
      • We might be able to keep ourselves from having an affair with a beautiful woman…
      • Matthew 5:28 – “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has committed adultery…”
      • But how many of us have never looked at a beautiful woman and thought…
    • Paul realized the Law could not make him righteous…
      • Because the Law points out to us all our failures – showed us all our flaws…
      • The problem is it does nothing / can do nothing – to help us change…
      • There is only the ability to show us what we do is wrong – not to make it right…
      • Being told what to do and not to do still depends on me to make the right choice…
      • But if we want to sin – the Law is powerless to stop us – it just tells us we sinned

I have to depend completely and entirely on Jesus Christ!

3^rd – Righteousness by faith… vs. 7-11

What Paul thought was important – he now consider worthless… vs. 7-8

When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus – Acts 9 – his eyes were opened…

He realized that for all his efforts – he was still not good enough to earn heaven…

The only way for him to be saved – was by faith in Jesus Christ!

Paul lost his religion – in order to gain a relationship with Jesus…

Everything Paul had done in his past – even everything Paul did today…

He considered all his works / his religion – as trash (literally manure)…

Get the picture – when we show up in heaven – try and present out works to God…

It is like handing Him a pile of caribou poop – repulsive / pungent…

Throw out the trash – forget trying to be good enough to earn heaven…

Paul counted it all lost – so he could gain Christ…

The only way to get to heaven is to ‘know Jesus Christ’…

Being a better Christian is not about what we do – it is all about who we know…

The more we get to know Jesus – the more we will be like Jesus!

What does it mean to know Jesus… vs. 9-11

We know about the gift of His righteousness by faith…

Paul did not want to be found standing in his own righteousness…

He wanted to be found having the righteousness of Jesus Christ…

We may think we look pretty righteous – but to God our goodness is filthy rags!

Isaiah 64:6 – “All our righteousness are like filthy rags [menstrual cloth]…”

We are REALLY bad people – we are all – every one of us – TOTAL sinners…

Yet God loved us so much that He gave His life for us – John 3:16

Jesus paid the price for our sin – and gave us His reward of Heaven!

We know about the power of the resurrection…

If there were no resurrection – if death was the end – then life would not matter…

You could do what you wanted whenever you wanted without consequence…

But we know death is not the end – we have the hope of eternal life to come…

Jesus was the first to be resurrected – but all who believe will follow His example!

In fact everyone will live forever – our spirit is eternal…

The question we are left to answer – is where will we spend out eternity!

We know we must suffer for Jesus…

We like the idea of the gift of God – and the power of the resurrection…

But we tend not to like the idea that we have to suffer with Jesus…

II Peter 1:22 – Jesus suffered – so we are also called to suffer for Jesus!

We know we must share in His death…

In order to be resurrected – we first have to die to our self…

The idea being our old man – sinful nature – was crucified and buried with Jesus…

We were then ‘raised from the dead’ – no longer the old sinful man we once were

We were given ‘new life’ – freed from sin to live for God – II Corinthians 5:17

We are ‘born again’ – not to live in sin / but to live in godliness

If I am dead – then there is not point in me trusting in my abilities…

I do not even for a moment consider trusting in myself to overcome sin…