Gospel Religion

Introduction

Well, good morning! If you have your Bibles, go ahead and turn with me to Philippians chapter three…Last week, in our sermon series, we turned the corner into a new chapter in this letter to the church of Philippi and if you remember we talked about the idea of joy and what it was Paul was really trying to communicate to his reader about how joy unites us…how it’s a command…an imperative for us to obey. We talked about how that Christian joy, it’s a fruit of the Spirit…it’s something only a believer can experience. But as we move on to talk about the next couple of verses this morning, we see why that joy’s so important.

Remember what I said last week about our joy defining us? Guys, it’s that joy that really communicates to those around us, who we really are. That we belong to this family…that we’re really His. That’s exactly why, after he commands his reader to “rejoice in the Lord,” in verse 1...he gives them a warning in verse 2. That joy…it’s a benchmark…an indicator…a sign that we are exactly who we say we are. It’s proof, so to speak, that Jesus is at work in our lives.

How many of you guys have walked up on a house that had one of those signs, “Beware of Dog?” Listen, those things terrify me…you know what it means?…It means there’s a dog behind that barrier that’s vicious. I’ll never forget that one time I crossed one of those barriers with a sign on it…I was kid…that dog chased me all the way out…And when I complained to my parents about it, they were just like, “Well, there was a sign up, right?” Listen, signs, they’re meant to warn us, right? They’re meant to steer us away…to redirect us…they’re meant to make sure our guard’s up. And as we come to our passage this morning, that’s exactly what Paul’s doing here…he wants to warn us…to make sure we’re on guard. And listen, that joy we talked about last week, it has to be heightened in us in order for us to be ready and prepared…to be on guard. It’s an indicator for us that something might not be right…that something’s off about this situation.

And guys, I know a lot of times, when we come to Scripture…it’s hard for us to think these things being relevant to us today…but listen to me, this warning that Paul’s giving his reader here, it’s more relevant today than it was even when he wrote it to the Philippians almost 2,000 years ago. And so guys, pay attention as we go through this…it’s a warning that we need to be aware of…and we need to be on guard as a church today.

And so with that…if you’re there with me in Philippians chapter three, let’s stand together as we read what Paul wrote to the church of Philippi. Verse 1...

Philippians 3:1–3 (ESV)

1 To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

Thank you, you can be seated.

Listen, check that out again…Paul’s giving us a warning here. He says, “Look out!” And listen, he says it three times. “Look out for the dogs”…He says, “Look out for the evildoers,” “look out for those who mutilate the flesh.”

Listen, just a little bit of context here....because context is…what? It’s everything, right? To the Jews, to those that had seemed to convert to Christianity…those that believed Jesus was in fact the promised Messiah…Paul was speaking about heresy among that sect of Judaizers…He was speaking about those that were pushing the Jewish law, the ceremonial law onto the Gentile believers. They were essentially insisting that salvation was contingent on those things…on their laws and customs…on things like circumcision. We see this addressed in Acts chapter 15....but guys, this issue had the potential of dividing the early church. Paul’s letter to the Galatians really deals with this…but it seems that sometime later, when he writes this letter....about 10 years after that…there’s still this group of people out there really trying hard to push these ideas on Christianity…trying hard to distort the gospel. And as Paul writes this, he sees this tremendous threat to the church and to the gospel…and so, he warns them.

And listen, what I want you to see this morning is three things as we kind of dig into these verses together; first, the dangers of religion, second, the claim of authenticity, and finally, the marks of true Christianity.

1.) The Dangers of Religion

Let’s check this first one out together…the dangers of religion. Look at what Paul wrote at the end of verse 1. He says, “To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.”

Going back to last week…talking about the idea of joy…there’s plenty of things out there that can rob us of our joy, right? That’s why he says, “to write the same things to you is no trouble to me…it’s a safeguard for you.” I wanna protect your joy. Listen, that phrase “the same things,” he could be referring back to when he was first with ‘em in Philippi in Acts chapter 16…or it could be referring to what he wrote earlier in the letter about “opponents” of the gospel in chapter 1…or to what’s immediately gonna follow this passage in chapter 3. But listen, most likely, Paul’s talking about those “opponents” of the gospel…false teachers who’ve infiltrated the church there in Philippi.

But regardless…he’s writing this as a warning…a warning that’s meant to protect you from false teaching....it’s to protect you from falling prey to these “dogs” as he calls them. When we give into false teaching…when we allow the Word of God to be corrupted and when we place it in the hands of men and their opinions…it robs us of our joy…that’s why Paul says, “it’s no trouble for me to write this…especially if it’s gonna be a safeguard for you.”

Listen, Paul’s warning the church about the danger of false teachers…about the dangers of those that promote religion without the gospel…those who add law-keeping or works of some sort to faith in Jesus. It’s a triple word warning, “Look Out!”

Listen, when you were kids…it wasn’t a dare unless someone triple dog dared you, right?...Well guys, Paul’s triple dog warning you! And when he says, “Look out for the dogs.” He’s not talking about your sweet little pet...Listen, we have two dogs…one I can’t stand so I won’t talk about him…but the other…his name’s Boba…he’s a golden doodle…one of the sweetest dogs you could ever meet. He loves to play....literally the friendliest dog I’ve ever met. He’s also a little dumb but listen, that’s not the kind of dog Paul’s talk about here. He’s thinking about dogs in terms of scavengers or predators, like wild dogs that pack up. Back in this Roman context, there would be these packs of dogs in the cities that would roam in groups…they’d feed on garbage and listen, every once in a while, it’s recorded that these packs would attack humans. They were despised. And when he uses the word “dogs” here, he’s using it as a derogatory term. These groups of people, that he’s referring to, they’re like vicious, wild dogs that roam the streets in packs moving from one garbage dump to the next. And listen, the irony in this is that, in the Jewish culture, during biblical times, they commonly referred Gentiles as dogs in this same way.

It’s also possible that Paul’s referring to Isaiah 56:11, which refers to false shepherds…It says, “The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. They are shepherds who have no understanding. They have all turned in their own way to his own gain, one and all.” In other words, these people are shepherds who should be pasturing and shepherding the people of God but instead, they’re preying on them like vicious dogs.

So Paul says to the Philippians here, “Beware of the dogs.” He says, “Beware of the the evildoers.” or more literally…the “evil workers.” And listen, it’s not that they were doing anything immoral or wrong in that kind of sense…These people were using good works as the means to salvation....they were including the law as a means for inclusion in God’s family...In their community…these people would’ve been known as “good-workers.” But here’s the irony to what Paul’s saying…he calls these Jews “dogs,” instead of the Gentiles…and he calls them “evil-workers.”

Listen, the Greek word for “beware” or “look out,” it means “to look at,” either literally or figuratively....and this reference here that Paul uses…it carries a metaphorical meaning. The Philippians, they had to be on the lookout for false teachers. They had to be discerning....they had to perceive who these Judaizers were. Guys, it’s a strong warning. He’s calling them to be on alert…to be on alert for these evil workers…because listen, the danger those people pose to the souls of believers. That’s the warning.

And again, these people weren’t necessarily bad people…they just didn’t preach grace…they didn’t preach the gospel of Christ. It was all about what they did…Guys, it was about religion…it was about the gospel plus something else…the gospel plus service…the gospel plus giving…the gospel plus something else, right?

Listen, we all have those people in our lives that we’d consider “goody two-shoes,” right? You know, people who are so zealous for their own morality that they’re always looking down their noses at others. They’re always so zealous for what they can do that there’s never any Jesus, there’s no joy in it, there’s no grace…they’re just do-gooders, right? But listen, Paul’s saying those kind of people, they’re evil-workers, they’re evildoers…because they literally distort the gospel of Jesus Christ. They’re like ravaging dogs. They wanna devour us. That’s why he says, “they just wanna mutilate the flesh.” They take parts of the truth and they twist it and they add to it. And their desire’s to mutilate the circumcised.

The word he uses here, it’s actually a pretty important word, it’s a word play on the word “circumcision.” He’s using a word, actually, that in the Greek Old Testament was used to describe the prophets of Baal, where they cut themselves and mutilated themselves in order to try and get this false god’s attention. He’s using that word for these Judaizers here. But here’s what Paul’s saying…these people, they’re mutilators....they’re mutilating the flesh…the circumcised…the true body of Christ. And it’s ironic with the words he uses because it was a physical circumcision this group of people was preaching.

Listen, the death of Christ, it fulfilled the meaning of circumcision…But these Judaizers, they were attempting to keep people under the old covenant by requiring their followers to be circumcised. These people, they were stealing the joy from God’s people because it wasn’t just about the gospel of Christ now. It was about religion. They were stripping away their gladness for God.

Guys, I know you’re all heard this before but it holds so much weight…the difference between the gospel and religion its that the gospel says what? It says done, right? and religion, it says do! Guys, this warning that we read here…its just as relevant to us today. It’s just as important for us today. We have to be careful because there are dogs out there…false teachers that wanna give us a gospel plus religion. And listen, that’s dangerous…it’s not a church you wanna be a part of…it’s not a church that makes much of Jesus…and when that kind of church starts clinging to anything else but the religion they once enjoyed, it falls a part because it was never about the gospel of Christ. They trust in a physical operation and not God’s gracious work of salvation in Christ.

Guys, we have to make sure that in everything we do…we cling to the truths of God’s promises...the hope in His promises. We have to preach the gospel at FBC…protect the gospel at FBC…cling to the gospel at FBC…and when someone tries to add to it or take away from it…we have to be on guard because the moment we give into that kind of false teaching, its the moment we lose our joy in Christ. That’s the dangers of religion. That’s Paul’s warning here…hold to the gospel…hold to the truths of God’s Word. All we need is Jesus…It’s not Jesus plus anything…It should be Christ and Christ alone!

2.) The Claim of Authenticity

The second thing we see here in our passage this morning is the claim of authenticity. Listen, when someone claims to be the real thing…the genuine thing…they’re authentic, right? As a Lego collector…I couldn’t tell you how many times someone has tried to sell me a fraud product…something that’s not Lego. They try to give me Mega Blocks or something…Those aren’t authentic Lego…they’re not the real deal.

Look at what Paul says here again, “2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision.” There’s the claim. He says, “We are the circumcision.” We’re the real deal…we’ve been set apart by Jesus and for Jesus. They might claim Jesus but we truly belong to Jesus. Our hearts are the one’s that’s been circumcised. He’s saying, we’re the real, genuine true people of God…they’re not. They’re fonies…they’re fraudsters.

And when you sit back and you think about that, it’s kind of a weird way to put it, right? He’s speaking out against the mutilators, the circumcisers…those that wanna institute physical circumcision…why would he say we’re the circumcision? Going back to the Old Testament for a minute…back in Genesis during Abraham’s day, God gave him the command to circumcise every male that was born in the house of Israel, right? That circumcision, it was meant to identify them as Israelites…as God’s people. It was an external sign that they belonged to God. But listen, that very physical act, it was pointing to an inward reality…it was pointing to the circumcision of the heart…as it says in Deuteronomy chapter 10....and listen, that’s something only God can do. I can physically circumcise my son’s, right? But only God can circumcise their hearts…only God can transform them into something else…and listen, it’s that inward circumcision that’s really needed not the outward sign or symbol, it’s an inward reality that God Himself is at work in that person’s heart.

And that’s exactly why Paul uses that terminology here…He’s taking the covenant sign and he’s applying it in its inward, spiritual reality…he’s saying, “We’ve experienced this, we’re the true people of God. They say you need this physical circumcision but they need a true inward circumcision....we are the circumcision.” He’s saying, “You have everything you need in Jesus alone!”

We could almost take what Paul wrote to the Roman church in Romans 2 and use it as a commentary here on Paul’s statement to the church of Philippi, “For we are the circumcision.” He says this in verse 28, “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical, but a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man, but from God”

Listen, do you see what Paul’s doing here? He’s using the language, the conceptual categories of the Judaizers, these false teachers…he’s using their very language, their words, the Old Testament concepts, and he’s applying it to the new covenant people of God…those that have put their faith in trust in Jesus Christ. He’s applying it to the church and he’s saying, “We are the true people of God. We’re the circumcision.”

So why’s this important? Why’s he continually make this claim in his letter here…reminding his reader who they are? It’s a warning…And that warning is that many look to the externals. They look to the ceremonies, or the rituals…or the things they like about a particular church…or maybe even their morality and law-keeping…they think they color inside the lines, right? And because of that they think they have to be right with God. And guys, we have to be aware of that…We have to be on guard.

Now, I wanna be clear before I say this next comment…I believe there are many genuine Christian Roman Catholic people out there…people who’ve truly placed their faith and trust in Jesus alone for salvation…but with that....Catholics have created a culture much like what Paul’s speaking out against here. A culture where people have to attend mass or be baptized to be included in the family of God....they look to different sacraments or confession…and if a person doesn’t do one of those things, it excludes them from God’s people…it excludes them from salvation…and to get it back, they have to earn it…do more stuff to be right before God again. Guys, that’s not the gospel…it has nothing to do with grace. And if we’re not careful, if we’re not on guard, we’re find ourselves in a similar situation.

Even in a Baptist church, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to people about membership or family members of someone I’m doing a funeral for…and them associate things like baptism and church attendance with salvation. Guys, listen to me, you are the real deal…a true follower of Jesus…only when you place your trust in Him and turn to Him. It’s when you’ve repented and believed. It’s only through Jesus that we can claim authenticity. And guys, we have to be on guard against that…someone got mad at me a year ago because I wouldn’t let them into our membership because their testimony was “I attended Sunday school all my life.” Guys, just like these Judaizers here, that’s religion…that’s not the gospel…and we have to depend on Jesus and not on law-keeping. That’s what makes us genuine Christians.

3.) The Marks of True Christianity

And so, Paul warns us against the dangers of religion, he claims authenticity, and then as we keep reading, he gives us the marks of true Christianity. Look at what he says again, “3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”

Look at that…he gives us three things here…Christians “put no confidence in the flesh” (we’ll talk about that more next week because it really bleeds into what Paul talks about in the next several verses)…but he also says Christians “worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus.”

First of all, worship by the Spirit of God. That word “worship,” it’s a Greek word that really carries the idea of service or devotion to God. It can also mean to minister. Listen, Paul’s giving us the idea of ministering to God by actively and freely praising Him. It goes beyond more than just what we do at 8:30 or 11:00 o’clock on Sunday mornings. It’s not just about you singing or raising your hands…or when you bow your head to pray…it’s not just about you giving to God. And listen, all those things are important…but that’s not what Paul’s talking about here…A true Christian is one that devotes their whole service to God in every aspect of their life. This word, it’s the same word used to describe the Levities in the Old Testament and their devotion to serve God.

But notice how Paul describes that kind of worship or devotion. He says, “We worship by the Spirit of God.” True worship, it can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Being indwelled by the Spirit of God, it transcends all outward rituals…which of course, concerning this context would include circumcision. When we place this in context to everything Paul’s writing about here…he’s saying there’s some that worship according to the law....but there’s those, true Christians, they worship by the Spirit…they worship by what’s God done and is doing…not what they have to do. And listen, Paul’s point this entire time is to show the reader that this kind of worship, this kind of worship produced by the Spirit, it’s the lifestyle of the Christian.

Listen, when we go through the Old Testament…this is what it was always pointing to…The entire Bible, from start to finish, it all points to Jesus and His accomplishment in our salvation. The old covenant, it was always temporary, it was always provisional, it was always leading to something else that would be accomplished in Jesus, to something better and permanent. That’s exactly what we saw in the Old Testament prophets…they constantly used language to talk about this new covenant, to talk about a covenant that would be everlasting.

That’s exactly why see things like, “I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” That’s what God told Ezekiel. It’s in the Old Testament…and notice He constantly says, “I will do these things,” right? It’s all in the future tense. This was fulfilled in Jesus…and that’s Paul’s point…Jesus is enough…He’s all we need.

And listen, when you go through church history…it’s always when churches recover this understanding…this necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit for genuine Christianity…that’s always when revivals happen. Guys, Paul’s point here…its that our authenticity…it’s found in what Christ has done…not in what you can do. True, genuine worship…which is a mark of true Christianity…its only accomplished through the Holy Spirit.

But look at this second thing before we close this morning…Paul says, “We glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”

That word “glory,” it literally means to boast with great joy. What he’s saying here is that Christians, they’re those that continually boast in and about Jesus and give Him and Him alone praise. Naturally, we boast in the thing we find our confidence in. And listen, here’s the deal....all of us…we’re going to boast in something....we all depend on something. And guys, we’re all gonna have confidence in something when it comes to our relationship with Christ....either it’s looking to ourselves....or it’s looking to God. And listen, you can’t do both at the same time.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that “it is the hallmark and acid test of the Christian...The great test that [determines] between those who are Christians and those who are not is the place of Christ in their lives. Is he central? Is he essential? Is he absolute?”

That’s why Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, “It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption —in order that, as it is written: Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Guys, why do you boast in Jesus? Why glory in Christ and place no confidence in the flesh? Listen, because in Jesus Paul says you get wisdom....he says you get it from Christ…In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge....He’s the way of salvation…It’s in Christ we get righteousness....It’s because of His doing and His dying that I’m saved. It’s through His obedience to the Father that His righteousness is considered mine…It’s because of His account that I’m justified. It’s through His death and resurrection, being united to him in those things, the same verdict that was pronounced on Jesus is pronounced on me. “This is my son, and I am pleased with you. You are justified in my sight.” Why? Because I’m in Christ, His righteousness is mine.

And listen, not only do you get righteousness…you get sanctification. There’s transformation…there’s life change…you become a new creation in Christ. You’re sanctified…set apart…you’re made holy…all through your union with Him.

And guys, because of that…you get redemption. It’s what we’re waiting for…it’s the glorification of the body…it’s the redemption of this world…it’s when we’re made like Christ…its when we’re set free from sin and death and sorrow and decay....every tear will be wiped away.

We get all of that in Jesus…and so, we boast in the Lord! We rejoice in Him. That’s the true marks of Christianity.

Closing

Listen, as you reflect on these truths for just a minute, would you bow your head and close your eyes with me?

Guys, as we close this morning can I ask you a real question? Religion or gospel? What are you trusting this morning? Listen to me, are you trusting in your baptism? Your church membership? Your attendance? Are you trusting in how much you’ve given to the church or what you’ve done in the church all for Jesus’s name? Are you trusting in how much you read your Bible or how much you know? Guys, are you trusting in how good of a person you are?

Listen, all those things are good…they are…but none of those things can save you. They’re all things you do. Guys, there’s only one place you can place your trust and confidence, and that’s in Jesus…It’s in Christ and Christ alone. And listen, what Paul’s been saying…and I know it sounds redundant…but he’s telling us the gospel…the reason we’re all here today…it’s not about us…it’s not about what we can do…it’s not about what we want or what we like…it’s not what we think this church should hold to or what would make us feel better…what Paul’s been saying since the start of this letter…when it comes to the gospel…it’s about Jesus and His glory alone.

Jesus and His work on the cross, alone, has the power to save you....Jesus and His work on the cross, alone, has the power to sanctify you…Jesus and His work on the cross, alone, has the power to bring you to completion at the day of His return…Jesus and His work on the cross, alone, is what makes you His and gives you the security and hope and comfort we so desperately need. And when we begin to believe anything else…when we begin to make it Jesus plus something else…that’s when it stops being about the gospel and it starts becoming about religion. The gospel’s why we’re here this morning. The gospel’s why we’re united. The gospel’s why we have joy. We have to cling to that gospel and we have to protect it with every ounce of strength God’s given us.

Listen, think about that question this morning. Religion or gospel? Why are you here this morning? Is it religion or gospel?

[Prayer]