07 | Finally, My Brethren, Rejoice In The Lord
Finally, My Brethren, Rejoice In The Lord
Philippians 3:1-21
As taught Sunday 1 March 2015, Emmanuel Church, Auckland, New Zealand
Gentile Christians living in the Roman Empire before AD 70 struggled with pressure to conform to Judaism.
Those who threatened the peace of the Church at Philippi are known to us as Judaizers
This is more than calling Gentile believers, “Second-class Christians”
They considered uncircumcised Gentile believers to be no Christians at all!
These dear saints at Philippi longed to...
Worship God in all purity of heart and practice,
Serve God by conforming to His every word,
Belong to and identify with God’s covenant people
Their desire for covenantal continuity, purity of worship and godliness made them easy prey for Judaizers!
“Do you want to live a righteous life? Keep the customs of Moses!”
“Do you want purity of worship? We worship God in His holy temple on His holy Mountain!”
“Do you want to identify with God’s covenant people? Be circumcised!”
Paul silenced the Judaizers once and for all when he said (verse 3)...
The Church is the Covenant People of God
In verses 2 & 3, Paul systematically stripes every claim from the Judaizers and applies them to the church
Those who troubled the Church claimed…
To be holy—clean and set apart unto the LORD -> Paul said they were “dogs”—what does this mean?
In Exodus 22:31, the LORD commanded His people,
To the Hebrews, dogs were base animals suitable only for consuming filth and were in every way unclean
Remember this next time you read passages like 1 Kings 21:23-24…
Judaizers took pride in their strict adherence to OT dietary laws—see Acts 15:524-29; Galatians 2:11-16
Paul said in effect, “You think by your food you are holy? You are dogs feeding on filth and uncleanness.”
It is the Church that is clean and holy in the eyes of God, not those who only look impressive on the outside
Those who troubled the Church claimed…
Their works were righteous -> Paul said they were “evil workers”
Peter O’Brien—NIGTC—argues that Paul had in mind their missionary zeal and efforts
Acts 15:1-5, records how some left Jerusalem as itinerate preachers who spread their doctrine from church to church
No doubt they considered their teaching right and their efforts good and pleasing in the eyes of God
But Paul gave a different assessment—he called them “evil workers”
His description builds upon the OT “workers of iniquity” in passages like Psalm 5:4-6, in which David described…
The LORD’s assessment of their works and pronounces their final judgment…
the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” Psalm 5:4-6
Anyone who teaches salvation is by faith PLUS Anything else (circumcision and keeping the Law of Moses)…
He is teaching a different gospel—one that is no gospel at all, for it is powerless to save—I say with Paul,
Those who troubled the Church claimed…
To be the circumcision -> Paul called them “the mutilation”
Judaizers taught that faith in Christ was not enough to be saved—they said you must also be circumcised in your flesh
They believed their faith + circumcision set them apart as God’s covenant people
When Paul looked at what they did and why they did it, he called it a mutilation of the flesh
He compared what they were doing to that which was forbidden in the Law, Leviticus 19:28; 21:5; Deut 14:1; Is 15:2
Pagans cut their bodies and tattooed their flesh as acts of worship, practices which God forbad Israel
Paul said anyone who circumcises himself thinking it adds something to his salvation, his circumcision is nothing…
More than an act of pagan idolatry and makes him an abomination unto God
The only circumcision pleasing to God is the circumcision of the heart, Deuteronomy 30:6…
It is not a work performed by the hands of men, it is the work of God
God Himself reaches down and removes you heart of stone, and in its place He gives a heart of flesh, Ezek 1:19
God writes upon your heart His very Law and causes you to love Him with all of your heart and soul
Christ referred to this work when He told Nicodemus, “You must be born again!” John 3:3
Without it you “cannot see the kingdom of God” John 3:3
Do you love the LORD your God with all of your heart and soul this day?
Then take comfort—you are the circumcision; you are holy, consecrated and set apart unto the LORD
Transition—Not everyone who claims to know the LORD is known by the LORD
Paul said the covenant people of God have the following characteristics...
They Worship God In The Spirit
John 4:1-42 is the account of Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well
By His answer she perceived that Jesus was a prophet
The Lord has never been pleased with insincere worship
Cain’s offering was rejected, Genesis 4:3-7
King David’s Confession, Psalm 51:16-17
Solomon wrote
Peter O’Brien draws attention to the significance of the Greek words employed
Paul’s choice of words is precisely those used by the LXX to denote service rendered to God by Israel His covenant people
This service to God no longer belongs to national Israel, but to Christians
It encompasses more than prayer and formal worship, it extends to the whole of our life, Deuteronomy 6:6-9
This is the teaching in Paul’s words to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 10:31)
They Have No Confidence In The Flesh
The Judiazers of Paul’s day...
Boasted in their genealogy, v5
Boasted in their knowledge, v5b “a Pharisee
Boasted in their self-righteousness, v6
They believed God would accept them on the basis of their privileges and achievements
It doesn’t matter...
If you can trace your Christian heritage back to the Apostle Peter
If you can solve all mysteries and doctrinal controversies
If you give to the Church 1/10 of every herb grown in your garden
If you...
Neglect the weightier matters of the Law: Justice, mercy and faith
Have not love
Have not confessed your sins to God and placed your trust in Christ
Then you are not saved; you are nothing; you are a hypocrite who places confidence in his own flesh
Do you think you have reason to boast in your privileges and achievements?
Paul said he had more, v4, yet he counted all of these things as “rubbish”, v8, that he might gain Christ!
They Rejoice In Christ Jesus
Paul repeats himself in verses 1 & 3—“rejoice in the LORD”
In between he gives a warning against those who have confidence in their flesh
And afterward he paints a picture using his own life to show what this false confidence looks like
To “rejoice in the LORD” is the polar opposite to having confidence in your privileges and achievements
God performs a mysterious work in the heart of His people…
Somehow He takes the simple preaching of the gospel and opens the eyes of His people to see their lives in a different light
What they once counted good, they now know to be “rubbish”
Where they once saw life, they now see death and smell the decay of indwelling sin
Before hearing the gospel they though themselves strong and capable, now they know they are weak and helpless
For the first time in their lives they fell the burden of sin and crushing demands of the Law
Only then do they realize their awful state; and only then do they know…
“There is no righteousness in the eyes of God except the righteousness found of Christ which is from God by faith!”
Only then do they truly “rejoice in Christ Jesus”
Today, if God has granted you ears to understand, then stop placing your confidence before God in your own works…
Look to Christ alone for your righteousness, worship Him in Spirit and in truth—and you will be numbered amongst His people.