Following Fastidiously | Philippian 3:17-19

Opening Remarks: Back in Philippians tonight.

Last time we talked about “Life’s Endless Pursuit.”

Paul lived to follow Jesus Christ. And even though he had come a long way, becoming like Christ meant he had further to go than how far he’d already come.

Our pursuit of Christ must be less about how far we’ve come, and more about how far we have to grow.

Many of us have come a long way, but if we get satisfied in how far we’ve come, we’ll settle where we are and forget we’ve got a long ways to grow.

Even after 30 years of being a Christian, he said, “I’m still pressing toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

He was the greatest missionary that ever lived, but he didn’t view himself as having arrived. The way he talks, Paul probably felt he could live 1,000 lifetimes and never get where he wanted to be in Christ.

Jesus Christ is life’s endless pursuit. Don’t settle where you are. Keep pressing toward the mark of Christ.

So that message was a motivational “On your mark, get set, go!” kind of message.

Our text tonight has a different tone. It’s more of a warning. It’s almost as if Paul says, “Go! But make sure you’re on the right path.”

Read Philippians 3:17-19

TITLE Following Fastidiously

Fastidious means meticulous or particular, almost annoyingly so. It can mean extremely or excessively careful or detailed. We all know people like that. Or maybe you’re a person like that. Overly particular about certain things.

That can be a tough trait to deal with, but when it comes to who we’re following, you can’t be too fastidious. We need to be cautious and particular and choosy, because there is real danger if you follow the wrong voices.

PRAY

Introduction: There are few things more intimidating than driving through a large city that you’re unfamiliar with.

I’ve driven in some of the largest cities in our country: from Miami to New York, from Seattle to Los Angeles. I’ve driven in Chicago and Houston and Phoenix. I’ve even survived driving in Atlanta, which is only the grace of God.

But maybe my most stressful driving experience was in Quebec, Canada. I was in college, driving with some friends from downtown Montreal to a house where we were staying. And somehow along the trip we realized we had been following the wrong set of directions.

I don’t remember what we were following, but we got very lost.

If that happens to you, typically it’s not a big deal.

You pull off the road and ask for directions.

Or you just read the street signs to tell where you are.

Or you can just pull out your phone and see the blue dot.

But we had three problems that made those options hard:

First, we were in Quebec, so everyone spoke French.

Second, all the signs were in French.

Third, this was 25 years ago, so I didn’t even have a cell phone, and if I had it wouldn’t have been equipped with GPS back then.

And the icing on the cake was we didn’t have a map. We only had directions. And they were the wrong set of directions. They were taking us to a different location, not the house we were supposed to go to.

It’s less likely to happen these days, but I imagine most of us have typed in the wrong address, or clicked on the wrong location and ended up in the wrong place.

That’s disheartening when you’re traveling, but it’s even more important spiritually. It’s possible to follow the wrong people.

Who we follow makes a big difference, and we ought to be more fastidious about who we follow spiritually than we are about following directions. Because who we follow determines our direction and our destination.

So Paul warns the Philippians about the importance of following the right kind of people.

First, make no mistake, Paul clearly states that we first follow Jesus Christ.

He mentions that in Philippians 3:14.

But there’s another element of following that we need to pay attention to: Not only should we follow Christ, but we should follow those who also follow Christ.

People say, “I don’t follow a man, I follow Jesus Christ.”

Yes, we ultimately follow Jesus Christ, but it is often the people around us that help us envision what it looks like to follow Christ. Whether or not we’d say it this way, most of us have learned to follow Christ by watching the example of others as they have followed Christ.

So it’s not wrong to follow others who follow Jesus. But there is some danger:

The Primary Danger of following others is the risk of getting behind someone who leads you the wrong direction.

That’s why Paul takes some time in this text to exhort the Philippians, and by way of preservation, the members of Eastside BC, to be careful who you follow. Be Fastidious about who you Follow.

I. Paul encouraged the Philippian believers to follow those who were following Christ. (v. 17)

Paul was an example they could follow and imitate. (v. 17a)

This sounds similar to what he said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”

The implication in both places is to follow those who follow Jesus.

Paul wasn’t saying he was perfect. He was saying, “In the way that I am in pursuit of Christ, follow that. Imitate that.”

So the Philippians had Paul, but they also had other examples to follow. (v. 17b)

They were to mark these believers who were pursuing Christlikeness.

That means they were to keep their eyes on believers who were living for Christ.

This approach to discipleship is emphasized in many other NT passages.

1 Thessalonians 1:6–7 “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.”

1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Titus 2:7 “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works…”

It’s okay to acknowledge those who are in pursuit of Christ and follow their example.

There are positive role models at Eastside Baptist Church who provide a God-honoring pattern of life. Find them and pay attention to their example.

Name someone who has been a positive role model in your life.

Seek them out, ask them questions, get around them any time you can.

But consider yourself: Could your pursuit of Christ be something someone else imitates?

So Paul goes from “Follow those following Christ” to “Be cautious about those that aren’t.”

False teachers were a problem in their day.

2 Peter 2:1–3 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

Jude 4 “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

False teachers are still a problem today. And in many ways, it’s a bigger problem because they have more outlets for their voices to be heard:

Online preachers/teachers - There are some popular preachers on YouTube

Podcasts - Many people have steady intake of Podcasts, people just talking for 30 minutes or an hour a day (some guys have dedicated their podcasts to tearing down conservative churches and movements)

Books - Millions of books on Amazon, many in the “religious” category

If we’re not discerning, we could open ourselves up to false teaching more easily than ever before in history.

The next verses demonstrate Paul’s concern. Read vs. 18-19

II. Paul warns them that the wrong examples can have dangerous consequences.

Paul had told them often about the dangers of false teaching. (v. 18a)

It grieved Paul that there were those who were enemies of the cross of Christ. (v. 18b)

We don’t know exactly who this group of people was. They obviously weren’t true believers.

There are two primary possibilities:

1. It’s possible that Paul is referring back to the same group that he described in 3:1-2.

The “concision” means the “circumcision.” There was much negative influence in Paul’s day from those who emphasized Jewish law as necessary for salvation. They were enemies of the cross of Christ because they preached works rather than grace as the basis of salvation.

Wiersbe wrote, “Jesus had broken down the wall that stood between Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:14-16), and the Judaizers were rebuilding that wall!”

2. The other possibility referred to with “the enemies of the cross of Christ” were those who claimed that they had liberty to live as they pleased with no regard to sanctification. Their lawless lives were marked by sensuality and indulgence. They were enemies of the cross of Christ because they stood for a way of life that the cross of Christ condemned.

Both mindsets cause problems for those trying to follow Christ.

III. Paul provides a description of those whose example they were to avoid. (v. 19)

A. Their end is destruction.

The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23a). Whether they were relying on their own good works or living in self-indulgence, the person who has not trusted Christ will spend eternity apart from God in the lake of fire. If someone is trusting a different Gospel than faith in Jesus Christ alone, their end is destruction. (Matt. 25:41, Lk. 16:23; Rev. 21:8)

B. Their God is their belly.

If this is a reference to the Judaizers, it is saying that they give more attention to dietary laws than to the God who first gave them. They had a self-righteous attitude about their level of religion. They were proud of their zeal for religion. That doesn’t mean they were genuine believers. So they claimed to pursue Christ, but their attitude was proud. That’s a red-flag.

It could also be a reference to self-indulgence. This means lack of restraint when it comes to the appetites of the flesh. So this was the opposite end of proud religion. They lived for the flesh. Liberty to do whatever sounds good to you. They were self-indulgent. (Tit. 1:12; 2 Pet. 2:13)

C. Their glory is their shame.

There were two types of glorying going on. Those that gloried in their religious commitment and those who gloried in their liberty to live for their flesh.

The end for both is the same - Glory now, but shame later. God isn’t pleased with either extreme.

D. They mind earthly things.

They have their minds set on this earth.

The Judaizers were focused on the rituals and symbols related to the Jewish faith, but they failed to see how those things were fulfilled in Christ. You could say their mindset led them to have Religion instead of a relationship.

The self-indulgent were enemies of the cross because they lived strictly for the moment. They were consumed with materialism and an endless pursuit of pleasure. They didn’t want to deny themselves, so they didn’t. It was all about doing what feels good, no one can judge you, living for the moment. That’s not the mark of discipleship. Discipleship is about self-denial. Saying no to self. Not indulging it every chance you get.

Both extremes are focused on the moment. The religious have the reward of attention. The indulgent have the reward of pleasure. Both are temporary.

Use illustration

Blind fold someone and have multiple voices cry out, they have to choose the right voice

IV. Follow those who aren’t following Christ will lead us to destruction.

You might say, “I don’t know any enemies of the cross.” But any influence that would pull you away from Christ should be approached with caution.

Truth is, you become who you surround yourself with.

Prov. 13:20, “He that walketh with wise men shall be a wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

The voices we surround ourselves with determine where we end up.

So be careful who has your ear:

Don’t give someone online more influence than your SS teacher. God put you in a local church.

Don’t assume someone on a Podcast has your best interest in mind. They don’t know you.

Don’t assume someone that claims to have knowledge is the right influence.

The question is not:

Do they have zeal?

Do they have training?

Do they have influence?

Are they looking to influence other people?

The question is:

Are they in pursuit of Christ?

How can you tell?

Ask questions. Paul’s warnings were about a spirit that didn’t reflect Christ.

He was basically saying, “You can tell someone is pursuing Christ based on how much they reflect Christ.”

So ask questions like:

“Do they have a proud spirit?”

“Do they have a selfish attitude?”

“Do they exhibit the fruits of the spirit?”

“Do they treat others with love?”

“Do they seem to have joy?”

“Do they exhibit peace?”

“Are they patient? Are they gentle in their interactions?”

“Are they temperate or self-controlled?”

“Do they have a critical spirit?”

“Do they talk about things they shouldn’t?”

“Do they engage in fleshly activities?”

“Do they communicate in a loving way?”

“Are they faithful to the things a Christian ought to be?”

“Jesus loves the church, do they?”

If you can’t say yes to these things or you don’t know about these, don’t just blindly follow.

There are many voices in this world. And though we should give people the benefit of the doubt, following some could lead to destruction.

Blessing getting stuck in the mud. GPS gave him two options, right or left. One was much faster, so he took it. Ended up stuck in the mud for quite a while.

Be careful who you follow:

They may sound correct

They may seem legit

They might appear to know what they’re talking about

But if they aren’t pursuing Christ, assume they will lead down a path of destruction.

Consider the voices in your life.

Are they pursuing Christ?

You can tell by how Christlike they are.

One more Application:

If someone around you was looking for a Christlike example to follow, would you be an option?

Some of us should be less concerned about the voices we’re following and more concerned with our pursuit of Christ.

Dads, are you providing a Christlike example to follow in your home?

Moms, can your children see Christ in your spirit?

Young people, if the other youth followed you, will you lead them further to or away from Christ?

How much of a Christlike example are you providing those you work with every day?

So two questions:

1. “Are you following those who are following Christ?”

Beware of those who emphasize rituals and rules over a relationship with Christ.

Beware of those who emphasize liberty over sanctified Christian living.

Be Fastidious about who you Follow

2. “Are YOU a followable follower of Christ?”

If you someone followed you, would you lead them toward Christ or away from Him?

Fastidiously Follow Christ, because other could be looking to follow you.