Enemies of the Cross: Philippians 3:17-4:1

Let’s go to the Lord in prayer together.

Father, thank you for the privelege and the pleasure of gathering together with your church, to lift up your name. YOu are worthy of all of our praise, honor, and thanksgiving.

1tim 2

And now as we turn to the reading and the preaching of your Word, would you grant me the power of your Spirit to speak your Truth with love and grace, care and candor. And would you use your Word as a sword that penetrates deep in our hearts, helping us discern the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. So just as Jesus, our Lord and Savior prayed in Gethsamane, I pray now… “Sanctify us by your truth, for your word is truth.”

Alright, 2nd—5th graders you guys are free to dismiss. And as a reminder, parents you can pick those children up at the Wetlands Building, and if you need any help finding where that is, don’t hesitate to ask someone with a lanyard.

But for the rest of you, let’s turn in your Bibles to Philippians 3:17.

If you’re new with us, my name is Andrew McClure and I’m one of the Pastors here, and for the last several months we’ve been working our way through the book of Philippians and today our text brings us to chapter 3, beginning in vs 17 and ending in chapter 4 verse 1.

expository

Philippians 3:17–4:1 ESV

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

Introduction

Today are text is extremely practical, painful, and unbelievably personal.

Practical because todays text is simply going to draw out a stark contrast between two groups of people. Those that are true believers and those that are only so in name, not in truth.

Those who profess Christ with their lips, and then those that support that profession in the conduct of their lives.

Those that are enemies of the cross of Christ, and those that are examples of authentic Christianity,

Enemies and Examples. Pretty practical.

But It’s also Painful, because there’s probably not a single one of here today who has not lost sleep, or peace of mind over the spiritual condition of loved ones in our lives.

Spouses, children, or people in our offices, or neighborhoods who profess faith, yet blatantly and consistently contradict their verbal profession with a conflicting lifestyle.

Leaving us perplexed concerning the destination of their eternity.

They tell us they’re saved, and believers in Christ.

But there’s no change. There’s no transformation.

there’s no fruit, to reflect their confessed root.

So It’s painful.

But it’s also Personal. Personal, becuase the truth is,... today may need to be a day that we adhere to 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

It’s personal, becuase many of us may be deceived ourselves. Beliving, truly believing we are christian, but failing to meet the test.

Because as we will see, it’s not our lips, but our lives that declare what we really are.

So here’s how I plan to attack it.

I plan to highlight the contrast, that Paul is making.

So I’ll describe something about the Enemies, and then immediately contrast that to the Example.

And I’ll break the contrast into two categories.

Their Quantity and Their Quality.

Let’s begin by looking at the Quantity.

Quantity

Example

Philippians 3:17 “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”

The good news, is that if you want to know what “the real deal” looks like, there are examples available.

In fact, so far in the book of Philippians he’s listed 4!

Remember way back in Philippians 1:27 he clearly exhorted and charged the Philippian church to let their manner of lives be worthy of the Gospel.

Meaning, make sure your behaviors support your beliefs.

Your actions, back up your confession.

Your lives are consistent with your lips.

Then he immediately proceeds to tell them that in order to do this, to be the real deal, we need examples.

So he begins by pointing them to ultimate example: Jesus Christ, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, and humbled himself to the point of death, even death on the cross!

Jesus is our first, and only perfect example!

But he continues in the letter, by stating there are others.

In chapter 2 he points them to the examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus.

And in chapter 3 he even throws himself in there.

The good news, is that if you want to know what a genuine believer in Christ looks like, there are examples out there. And they look like Paul.

Men and Women who once they encountered Christ, everything changed!

In a moment they counted everything as loss, becuase of the surpassing worthy of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.

And for the rest of their lives, they yearn to know him more.

They know their not perfect, for again there is only one example that is, but they press on anyway. Forgetting what lies behind and straining toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ!

They exist.

But what we also know from Scripture, is that when it comes to their quantity… they will be few!

Jesus himself said, Matthew 7:14 “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Or Matthew 22:14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.””

You see, there are examples of authentic, Christ centered, cross bearing Christians, but they are few and far between.

Why you may ask!? BECAUSE IT’S HARD! BECAUSE IT’S UNCOMFORTABLE! BECAUSE IT WILL COST YOU!

Don’t forget what Jesus said, Luke 14:25–27 “Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

There were very few that day who heard that invitation and thought! “YAY!!!! OH HOW FUN!”

Church, the cross isn’t a symbol of pleasure or comfort.

But one of death and pain!

Not many hear his invitation, Luke 14:33 “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

And think… “Wow, finally, all that I’ve been lookin for!”

You see so many want Jesus in theory, but to actually follow him… it’ll cost nothing more and nothing less than your life, and many when confronted with the requirements of discipleship… turn away like that rich young man.

The examples are there, Jesus promised us that they’d be few.

But let’s contrast that to the Enemies.

Philippians 3:18 “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ.”

What does he say concerning the quantity… MANY.

Church, we must use discernment.

So the question then, is how do we pick them out?

How can we tell the authentic vs. the fake, or the genuine, vs. the pretender? How can we discern whether someone is an Example or an Enemy?

Well we look to their quality.

In vs. 19 Paul gives us 4 Qualities.

Philippians 3:19 “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”

I’ll break these 4 up, with 4 G’s.

Goal, God, Glory, & Gaze

Let’s begin by looking at their goal.

Quality

Goal

Enemies

Paul says, their end, their finish line, their ultimate goal is destruction.

That word is the opposite of salvation, it speaks of an eternal destination. The finish line for them is HELL.

This is an uncomfortable reality, but just because it makes us squirm that’s not a good excuse to avoid it,

But the Scripture is clear, Hell is real.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,”

And by beginning with this quality, Paul is making it clear that he doesn’t consider them to be followers of Christ at all!

They may claim Christ. They may attend church. They may even be leaders in the church. Their grandmas were believers, and some of them were probably even baptized as children… But at the end of this race, called life--- they will hear those terrifying words, “Get away from me, you evildoers, for I never knew you!”

The Goal of these enemies, and by goal I mean the finish line, their end--- Hell. It’s destruction.

Now contrast that to the Examples.

Coleman made this clear last week, but look up at verse 14

Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

His goal is to see Jesus Christ face to face, and on that day, he won’t hear “Get Away from me!” instead he’ll hear from His Lord, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

A genuine believers destination, their end, their goal is HEAVEN.

So we have the Goal. We have their ends.

So let’s move to the second quality.

Philippians 3:19 “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly...

The second quality is the object of their worship.

You can discern whether someone is an Enemy or an Example by looking at their object of worship.

God or god

Enemies

And for those who are enmies of the cross of Christ, their god is their belly.

Now if you are prone to taking things a little to literally, let me slow down for a second.

Paul isn’t saying, that these people worship stomachs.

He’s not even saying, that they are gluttons who worship food, although that type of worship is alive and well in our culture.

No, the belly, is the source of our fleshly appetities.

It’s the location of our base-level desires.

It’s the home to our hungers, cravings, and lusts.

The idea is that instead of serving God, these enemies are consumed with serving themselves. They worship their own wishes and desires.

And by worship, don’t think it’s limited to stepping into a church and singing a few songs.

Worship is way more than that.

Biblically, worship is to obey, to follow, to yield, and to serve.

So don’t miss this… these enemies profess Jesus as their LORD! Their Master. Their God, but their walks prove otherwise!

They don’t obey God, or follow His commands, or yield to His requirements, or serve His will.

So who do they worship? Paul says, their own bellies.

They obey, follow, yield to, and serve their own hungers, cravings and lusts.

And don’t think for a second that this “god” is only the obvious pleasures of materialism, sexual pleasure, or addiction.

It is these things, but a belly god can also be much more subtle, and much more dangerous!

And church, I’m here to tell you this morning that this subtle idol, which I’m about to detail in a moment, is the primary god of many, if not most of western christianity.

I personally believe, this is the god of our age. People worship their bellies.

So what is it? Or where does it show up today?

Now 20 years ago, these hungers were external. Meaning people longed for something outside of themselves.

Largely, health, wealth, and prosperity.

So Enemies of the Cross, began preaching a Gospel that led people to this god of the belly.

the Prosperity Gospel.

People wanted to be comfortable, and wanted to be wealthy, and wanted to be healthy. So we formed and fashion a god, that would meet our wants, and desires and cravings.

Right, our view of God, or the God of the prosperity Gospel--- is actually subservient to my own desires.

I name it… therefore I claim it--- and God… pssshh he gives me what I want.

But that was the God of the last 20 years.

A god subservient, who meets my needs, my wants, and my cravins, all of which are out there. External.

But the cold hard truth is that the god of our bellies, preached in the Prosperity Gospel overpromised, but underdelivered!

It has left so many HOLLOW.

Becuase, most have health, wealth, and prosperity.

Right! I mean generally speaking, We are richer than we’ve ever been. Have more access to physical pleasure and entertainment than we’ve ever had, and more access to wholistic health fads and crazes thane ver before!

YET, after 20 years of worshipping this Prosperity God, who exists to meet my needs, self professing Christians, those who claim Christ are generally speaking lonelier, more depressed, and emptier than we’ve ever been.

After decades of worshiping our belly, defined by cravings out external to ourselves, we are

Mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt!

But our hungers, cravings, and lusts (our bellies), are still present… their just unsatsified by prosperity.

So they are very much alive, still seeking to be obeyed, served, yielded to… worshiped!

But now, instaed of looking out to have their needs met, they’re looking in.

So TODAY, here’s how our own hungers, cravings and lusts are showing up…

Here’s what they are demanding, here’s what they want.

It’s Psychological, It’s Emotional

“I want to feel love for who I am.”

“I want to feel sympathy for what I’ve gone through”

“I want to feel affirmed that I’m going to be okay”

“I want to feel accepted for who I want to be”

These are the cravings, hungers, and lusts of today.

Our wants, and desires are internal.

They are our feelings.

To feel loved, affirmed, accepted, pitied...”

And ya’ll to be clear, properly understood, and carefully interpreted, these felt needs and cravings aren’t inherently wrong.

We were in fact created to be loved, to receive sympathy, to be affirmed and secure, and accepted.

So they make great gauges, they make great indicators, as to what’s going in internally, but listen…

GREAT GAUGES MAKE TERRIBLE GODS.

Where we go wrong, is we take these gauges, our feelings, and begin to form and fashion God into a God that yields to them, serves them, attends to them.

As in the Prosperity Gospel— we made the one true God subservient to our external desires.

Today, it’s the Therapeutic Gospel— where we make the one true God subservient to our feelings!

Prosperity Gospel preached God exists to satisfy my mateiral wants.

Therapeutic Gospel preaches God exists to satisfy my emotional wants.

I want to feel loved, so we accumulate for ourselves teachings and teachers who tell me God loves me the way I am.

I want to feel sympathy for what I go through, so we create a reality believing we’re just a passive victim of life. And God exists to tell me it’s all going to be fine.

I want to feel affirmed for who I am, so I fall head over heels for a gospel that tells me, “God is desperate to spend time with you,”

I want to feel accepted for who I want to be, clinging to stories of Scripture like Jesus standing up for the prostittue caught in the act.” See JESUS accepts people just the way they are.

The real God may be verbally acknowledged, but in reality “ME and MY FEELINGS” are on the throne.

In the words of author Mark Sayers, “God has been relagated to the role of servant, and massager of my feelings.”

It’s a Therapeutic Gospel.

But Church listen to me very closesly…

We don’t need a God that gives us what we want, we need a God that can CHANGE WHAT WE WANT.

In the Thereapeutic Gospel

God isn’t the God of the Bible, instead he’s my therapist--- there to make me feel better.

Pastor and counselor David Powilson has this to say about this:

“This Therepautic Gospel, bypassess sin. It teaches that you are not the agent of your deepest problems, but a victim. So it offers you a cure that skips over the sin-bearing Savior. Repentance from sin is not the solution. Sinners are never called to UTURN to a new life. God doesn’t change you, he just makes you feel better, And this gospel sounds tender-hearted at first. Because its sensitive to pressure points of ache and disappointment. But in the end it is cruel, because it is Christ-less!”

Jesus defending that prositute was unbeliveable caring, and compassionate, and loving and sympathatic! But so was telling her to go and sin no more!

And church, if your god is just the meeter of your needs, & not the Savior of your sins, then you may have your belly as your god.

Church, wake up. This message is everywhere.

Use discernment.

2 Timothy 3:1–7 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self,… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Just this week, someone sent me a sermon preached on Easter at a church with probably 20,000 attenders that morning.

And as the teacher preached about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the main thrust of the sermon was about how each and every one of US has a grave we’ve got to leave. A place in life, a situation in life, you’ve got to get out of.

Leave that depression. Leave that addiction. Etc. Etc.

This teacher made the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, about the Graves you feel are robbing you of life.

Church, let me correct this for you: that grave wasn’t, and isn’t your enemy that you need to walk out of.

Your enemy, is SIN & it is SIN that you need to walk out of.

And Jesus went into that grave for your sin, and he walked out of it in order to call you to be raised to new life apart from you sin!

And teachings like that are the primary message of Western spirituality, and it is an enemy of the cross of Christ.

It sounds good, and it feels good--- but in the end its cruel, because its Christ-less.

It has the appearance of godliness, but it deny’s its power.

We must not scoff at this alone, but rather sob.

We can’t just correct, we must also cry.

Look at vs 18, “I now tell you even with tears!”

As D.A. Carson wrote, “We cannot become people who denounce but do not weep. Neither may we become people who weep but who never denounce. Too much is at stake both ways.”

But the god of these enemies is their bellies.

Now contrast that to the Examples.

Jesus, our ultimate example, who was fully God and fully man, was a God Man that fully embraced the cross.

Do you think while he was sweating blood in Gethsamane, Jesus felt like going to the cross?

Do you think as nails were being driven, and a crown of thorns were being laid, and he was drinking the entireity of God’s wrath that he was focused on his desire for affirmation!?

No, Jesus, our God, Lord and Savior is a God who valued self-denial, not self indulgence.

Paul tells in Phil 2:21, that some ministers seek their own interest, but not Timothy. He sought the interest of Jesus Christ! His God was bigger than His own felt needs!

Epaphroditus almost died for the work of Christ… Why? Why would someone be willing to sacrifice it all…

It’s not becaue they just want to be accepted. But because they’ve gotten such a view of God, and the lengths God was willing to accept Him, that we in turn sacrifice ourselves for Him.

So how do we discern rather someone is an Enemy or an Example?

First, by looking at thier goal or their destination.

Second, by discerning their God or object of worship.

Thirdly, by observing what they glory in.

We look at their glory.

Glory

Philippians 3:19 “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame

Now by glory, what we mean is boast, or celebrate.

Enemies

Paul says, fake, pretentious or simply deceived people who think they are Christians but aren’t will tend to boast in things that they ought to be ashamed of!

This is a natural progression of those who make their bellies their gods.

For when what you want, or what you feel is your god, the authroity in your life…

Then practices of self-indulgence and immorality tends to get normalized, and celebrated.

Right, we see this with the new sexual revolution, that is totally redefining God’s design for His creation.

Follow this train…

“I don’t feel normal. I feel different. I feel attracted to someone of the same sex. I feel like God made me this way.”

Then that person, with those feelings comes across examples, who are really only wolves in sheeps clothes, enemies whose god is their bellies says, “Yea, God just wants you to be happy. And if that’s what you want, then of course God made you that way. ]

So you have churches, affirming homosexuality!?

Glorying, boasting, celebrating in things we ought to be ashamed of--- because our gods are our bellies---

but make no mistake about it… the end will be destruction.

Now let me pause here, and say…

This shame, is something we’ve all felt. We’ve all experienced it.

It’s that heat on our conscience when we’ve done something, that we know is wrong, and it’s so uncomfortable it almost forces us to run and hide.

But if your god is your belly, in order to get rid of your shame or to get it off your conscience, what you’ll do is just redefine right and wrong.

Like in the days of Isaiah, you’ll begin redefining evil as good, and good as evil all to escape the feelings of shame.

But The way to rid your life of shame, is not to de-throne God and place yourself in his seat,

Instead its to bring those sins to the cross of Jesus Christ ( a place of utter shame), yet a place upon which He died, scorning its shame, and there he can cover your shame.

Erase it. Cleanse it. Transform it.

Enemies of the cross glory in their shame.

But not so with examples.

Examples

Paul clearly shared where his boast is.

Philippians 3:3 “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—”

The examples glory, their boast is in Christ.

So how do we discern whether someone is an Enemy or an Example?

First, by looking at thier goal or their destination.

Second, by discerning their God or object of worship.

Thirdly, by observing what they glory in, or boast in.

And finally, by noticing where they’ve set their gaze.

We look at their Gaze.

Gaze

Philippians 3:19 “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.”

Enemies

For the enemies of the cross, their whole attention, their point of view, their general way of looking at things is of this world.

Church, where is your Gaze?

I don’t have time to preach it here, but suffice it to say the battle of the mind is a clear theme throughout the New Testament.

Are you filling your mind with the things of heaven, or the things of this world.

And let me just take a quick minute, to not just be your preacher, but your Pastor.

It conerns me, parents, guardians, people in places of influence over our children…

It concerns me how much unrestricted access you’re permitting, regarding the influence of your children’s minds.

The lyrics of songs you permit in your homes, the choices of movies or shows, the books you allow them to read, the gifting of smartphones and ipads, the youtube accoutns.

Listen, Dude Perfect may not be bad, (I like trick shots too) but the ads that will “randomly” pop up is evil and stands as an enemy of the cross.

And I get it, “well all their friends have smartphones” and my kid will be left out. And if they don’t have them they’ll be the weird kid.

If that’s what’s driving your decisions, then what you’re effectually saying is that the patterns of this world are more influential in your life than the commands of God.

Your mind is set down below.

It’s hard to parent this way. It’s hard to uphold biblical values in a world far from Christ!

Matthew 7:13–14 ““Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

So parents, guardians, what are you directing your kids gaze?

And be careful, because more is caught than taught, so you better begin with the question, “Where is my gaze?”

The gaze of the enemies is on this world.

Examples

But not so with the Examples.

Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

We’re gazing into heaven, not literally like the solar eclipse, but figuratively.

We are filling our minds with things that stoke the fires of our affections for Jesus Christ.

As Pastor G.T. Manley wrote, “Let the pessimist look down, let the fearful look around, but let the Christian look up!”

Conclusion

So we have the quantity, and we have the quality.

But why must Paul deem them Enemies of the Cross of Christ?

Why not just unbelievers, or false teachers?

I mean he calls some preachers in Phil 1 “selfish” and driven by ambition.

In Phil 3:2 he calls some dogs, and evildoers.

Why is this category of people “Enemies of the Cross?”

It is simply becuase they stand opposed to all that the Cross of Christ represents.

I’ll let Bible Commentator J.A. Motyer and John Stott sum it up:

“To continue in sin as if HE had never died, to value sinful practices as if He had not exposed and discredited them, to live within earthly horizons as if the Son of God had not opened before our eyes a vision of heaven, and to remain bound by the habits and works of the old life when he has achieved a new life for sinners--- Is not this to oppose all that the cross means!? Is this not enmity?

But as I pray:

And if you’re feeling or growing aware maybe I’m an enemy I’ve got good news/;

Romans 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

Our end hasn’t been reached. Our destination isn’t over.

Which means that as long as you have breathe in your lungs, there stands an open invitation to turn and place faith in Christ, not just with your lips but with your lives!

Let me pray.