Jun. 09, 2024
“OVERJOYED”
“LEARNING HOW TO COUNT”
PHILIPPIANS 3:1-11
We have seen where circumstances and people can rob us of joy, but so can “things.” Jesus warned us that our lives do not consist in the things that we possess.
Luke 12:15 “And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Quantity is no assurance of quality.
The key word we will see this morning is “count” (vs.7-8,13). In the Greek, two different words are used, but the basic idea is the same: “evaluate, to assess.”
Paul had discovered after he met Jesus and opened the book to evaluate his wealth, he discovered apart from Jesus, everything he lived for was “rubbish.” He will now explain that there are two kinds of righteousness or spiritual wealth.
- Works Righteousness- Philippians 3:1-6
*The Exhortation
Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.”
“Finally” the word means “for the rest” and introduces a new section.
Philippians 3:2 “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!”
*First, in Comparing the Legalists to “dogs.”
Isaiah warned against such:
Isaiah 56:10 “His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.”
Isaiah was warning against false prophets, who were leading people away from the truth.
*Second, he calls them “evil workers.”
We are to rejoice in the Lord and what He has done for us, not in any human means in trying to gain favor with God.
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
*Third, the false teachers are “of the mutilation.”
True Christians have experienced a spiritual circumcision in Christ, and do not need any fleshly operations.
Colossians 2:11 “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.”
Having fired back at the robbers of Christ-centered joy, Paul concludes his warning by reminding the Philippians that genuine Christians are the “true circumcision.”
Philippians 3:3 “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”
Paul mentions three fundamental differences between the authentic bearers of God’s redemption and the pretenders:
*First- True Believers “worship God in the Spirit…”- meaning they do not depend on their own good works which are only of the flesh.
*Second- True Believers “rejoice in Christ Jesus…”- people who depend on religion are usually boasting about what they have done.
*Thirdly, True believers “have no confidence in the flesh.”- The Bible has nothing good to say about the flesh, and yet most people today depend entirely on what they themselves can do to please God.
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
Romans 7:18 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.”
They “rejoice in Jesus Christ…” not in human works, not in personal pride, not in anything but the person and work of Christ.
*The Example:
Paul uses himself as an example.
Philippians 3:4 “though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:”
Galatians 1:13-14 “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers (Gamaliel).
If anybody could have merited favor with God, it would of been this ex-Pharisee whose religious trophies could of lined the walls of a Hall of Fame:
Philippians 3:5-6 “circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”
- “circumcised the eighth day…” vs.5-he was a son of the covenant.
- “of the stock of Israel…” vs.5- born into the nation of Israel.
- “of the tribe of Benjamin…” vs.5- an honorable people.
- “a Hebrew of the Hebrews…” vs.5- the best of the best.
- “concerning the law, a Pharisee…” vs.5- he was respected.
- “concerning zeal, persecuting the church…” vs.6- he persecuted the believers in name of the Law.
- “being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”vs.6- blameless with regards to external righteousness found in the Law.
2. Faith Righteousness- Philippians 3:7-11
Until Damascus, at that point everything changed.
Acts 9:3-4 “As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Traumatized by the sudden encounter with what was clearly a heavenly being, but still clueless that he was following the wrong devotion, Saul asked a question:
Acts 9:5 “And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
At that moment, the entire checklist of achievements became a pointless scribbling on paper. The trophies of spiritual accomplishments in the display case of his pride turned to dust and blew away.
Philippians 3:7 “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.”
Philippians 3:8 “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”
He know wanted the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ his Lord.
John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
The term “rubbish”- literally means “dung, excrement, manure.” Garbage or waste, things no longer useful.
Paul now rejoices in the Lord, for receiving things who could have never earned on his own:
Philippians 3:9-11 “and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
*He was found in Jesus Christ- 3:9
*He received righteousness from God, not from himself- 3:9
*He was justified by faith, not by the works of the Law- 3:9
*He knows Christ- 3:10
*He experiences the power of Christ’s resurrection- 3:10
*He shares in Christ’s suffering and death- 3:10
*He embraces the hope of resurrection from the dead- 3:11
vs.9- We find a great summary of the doctrine known as “imputation,” which refers to the crediting something to another persons account.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2 Peter 1:3 “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.”
Reminders:
- Trusting In Your Own Achievements Can Bring Glory Now, But It Leaves You Spiritually Bankrupt Later.
- Trusting In Christ’s Accomplishments On The Cross Gives Him The Glory Now And Results In Our Eternal Righteousness.
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