Paul's Epistles – Philippians - Part 8:
No Confidence in the Flesh
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
SERMON INTRODUCTION
Paul’s epistle (letter) to the Philippians
is very important to the Gentiles. It was written to the first church founded
in Europe (Acts 16:9-40).
Though not generally considered one of the
most remarkable or deepest books of the bible, it is considered one of the
sweetest of Paul’s writings.
It is more in the nature of a love letter
to the Philippians, who had excelled all others in devoted attachment to Paul.
Throughout this letter we get a glimpse into the apostle’s heart.
THE CHURCH
The Philippian church was noted for its
generosity. It had repeatedly ministered to Paul (6:15 & 16).
Hearing Paul was imprisoned in Rome they
sent help again by the hands of Epaphroditus (6:10 & 18), who,
however, was struck down on his arrival by an almost fatal illness. Somehow
news of this illness had reached Philippi, to their dismay, and on his
recovery, Epaphroditus was anxious to reassure them in person (11:25-28),
so Paul write this letter for him to take.
So this letter was written by Paul while
in prison in Rome, and given to Epaphroditus to be taken back to the church in
Philippi.
UP TO THIS POINT
Paul focuses his letter on Church unity
He thanks God for all of them as one body
He tells them not to worry about his being
in prison for it advances the gospel
Paul tells the believer to live a life
“worthy” of the gospel
Paul says we must live imitating Christ
and His humility
TODAY’S SERMON
Paul reminds the church not to have
confidence in the flesh, and to pres on towards Christ Jesus
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE Philippians 3:1-14
Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice
in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those
mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the
circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast
in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such
confidence.
If someone else thinks they
have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the
people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard
to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on
the law, faultless.
7 But whatever were gains to me I now
consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss
because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose
sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through
faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the
basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power
of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the
resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this,
or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus
took hold of me.13 Brothers and sisters, I do not
consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the
prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Paul opened his letter with a
salutation to all, reminding the church they were not 2 factions, there was no
“real” division, only a perceived one, created through sin.
The overall
message of this epistle to the church is;
“Christian unity to be maintained at all
costs”.
I. ALTHOUGH
FAITHFUL AND FLOURISHING, THE CHURCH WAS PLAGUED WITH JUDAIZING FALSE TEACHERS
a. It is no
trouble for me to write the same things to you again and again
i. Paul had written these instructions and warnings before
ii. And would gladly write them again and again for
their benefit
iii. Paul says, “It is a safeguard to you.”
iv. Matthew Henry Commentary states, “Ministers must
not think anything troublesome for themselves which they have reason to believe
is safe and edifying for the people. It is good for us often to hear the same
truths. It is a wanton curiosity to desire to always hear some new thing.”
v. This is why cults, false teachings, manipulations, books on “secrets of
the bible”, NEW teachings contrived of collapsing contexts of scripture to
“prove” man’s ideas, such as prosperity preaching, grace allowing you to live
in your sin, false prophets and in the case of the Philippian church, false
teachings including “Instant Perfection”
b. Watch out for
those dogs
i. Dog’s being False Teachers
ii. Dog’s have malice against the faithful confessors
of the Gospel of Christ
iii. Barking at them and biting them
iv. The false teachers were proclaiming good works in
opposition to faith
v. Paul called them evil workers
c. We are the true
circumcision
i. They proclaimed they were the circumcision
ii. Paul called them “the mutilators of the flesh”
iii. The outward work of the flesh was symbolic and no
longer required
1. Romans 2:29 “a person is a Jew who is one inwardly;
and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the
written code. Such a person's praise is not from other people, but from God.”
2. Is Paul correct in this Doctrine, that circumcision
was an outward expression of a Spiritual Truth and no longer a requirement now
that Christ has come?
3. True Doctrines will be taught throughout scripture!
a. Deuteronomy 10:16 “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and
do not be stiff-necked any longer.”
b. Deuteronomy 30:6 “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts
and the hearts of your descendants, so
that you may love him with all
your heart and with all your soul, and live.”
c. Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the
foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my
wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil
of your deeds.”
4. God has been telling man the True circumcision is
inward from the beginning…the physical act was symbolic, and a work of the
flesh which does not change a person’s heart.
5. Therefore, because they were false teachers, their
hearts had not changed because of God’s Spirit, therefore the outward act was
nothing more than a mutilation.
6. I repeat Paul in Romans 2:29 “a person is a Jew who is one inwardly;
and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the
written code. Such a person's praise is not from other people, but from God.”
II. TRUST
CHRIST ALONE, NEVER FLESH
a. If anyone
thinks they have reason to put confidence in the flesh, I have more
i. The false teachers trusted their “works” of the flesh including their
circumcision
ii. Paul had FAR more he “could” have had confidence in
1. Paul had “birth-right” privileges as a Jew by birth
a. He was not a convert
b. But a native Israelite
c. Of the people of Israel
d. Of the Tribe of Benjamin
e. A Hebrew of Hebrews
f. An Israelite on both sides
g. From generation to generation NONE of his ancestors
married a Gentile
2. He could boast of his relations with the covenant,
because he was circumcised on the eighth day
3. He could boast of his learning, he was a Pharisee
a. Brought up at the feet of Gamaliel
b. He was the son of a Pharisee as well
4. He had blameless conduct
5. He lived actively for his religion
6. He was a zealot
7. The list goes on!
b. All my gains I
consider loss for the sake of Christ
i. Everything he was known for, achieved, accomplished, became in his
life, he gladly surrendered for the sake of Christ
ii. All of his notable bragging rights were “of the
flesh”
iii. The Old Covenant is also “of the flesh” and cannot
save, but only lead to destruction
iv. It is only by surrendering the outward world, and
devoting our inner being to Christ that we will truly be changed by God’s
Spirit, and “be” anything
c. I want to know
Christ
i. Paul makes clear his reason, and goal, his target or mark he is
pressing on towards.
ii. The reason he surrendered all the world had to
offer to try and obtain the one thing this world cannot give
III. NOT
THAT I HAVE ALREADY OBTAINED PERFECTION
a. Paul addressing
once more the false teaching of “Instant Perfection”
i. Paul again addressing the false teaching point
ii. In fact, not only is “Instant Perfection” a false
teaching, but also, any teaching that says we will ever achieve perfection in
this fallen flesh.
iii. Perfection cannot take place in this fallen flesh,
and it is the reason we must “die”, so that we can once again be returned to a
perfect state as in the Garden
1. I
Corinthians 15:42-44 “Our earthly
bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live
forever. 43 Our bodies are
buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in
weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural
human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies.”
iv. II Corinthians 5:2 “2
For indeed in this house we
groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,”
v. I Corinthians 15:50-54 “I declare to you, brothers
and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.51 Listen, I tell
you a mystery: We will not
all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be
changed. 53 For the
perishable must clothe
itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has
been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the
saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in
victory.”
b. But I press on
i. Towards what?
ii. The Mark!
Knowing Christ
c. Forgetting what
is behind and reaching out to what is before
i. We sometimes hold our selves back, we need to forget the past, and it
is done, and cannot be changed.
ii. However, the future is ahead and holds all the
promise.
iii. Paul had made bad choices in his past, instead of
dwelling on them, he moved forward, and changed man, a new man, a new creation
in Christ.
CONCLUSION – I press toward the mark
V14 “For the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.”
Whether our own minds, or the devils condemnation,
the future is our aim, and knowing Christ must be our goal.
We are not perfect, nor will be until we stand with
Christ Jesus
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