Confidence

The New International Version Chapter 3

No Confidence in the Flesh

3 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.

Introduction

How are we faring?

in church community, in our relationships with each other

It’s been a hard week for me

emotionally, spiritually, battling against stresses and temptations

perhaps you’re in that same boat too

Let us receive from the Word of God today

food to nourish our souls

fundamental to our faith

so let’s dive in together

let me pray:

Father, Son, Holy Spirit

take your Word

plant it deep in us

and make it grow.

Point #1: Put no confidence in the flesh

The New International Version Chapter 3

3 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.

just a recap on Philippians so far:

chapter 1: fellowship, side by side together

chapter 2: through faith it is God who works in us

so today we get to chapter 3.

What can Paul offer to this humble, house church ?

Paul opens up with this declaration in verse 1:

Despite all that you are going through, rejoice!

Paul’s writing the same things to them again

he tells them Philippians 3:1 “rejoice in the Lord... a safeguard for you.”

He must have a good reason to

not for the sake of keeping appearances

There has to be a reason why!

I think rejoicing is really special, because

it doesn’t come easy

our minds tend to stick to the negatives of our past week

as we heard in the announcements

we will soon be needing to find a new time or venue for our English service

and the many years in the beloved Rentoul Hall will be no more.

that makes me sad! But can we also rejoice that God has faithfully provided a place of gathering for us for so many years

15-20+ years!

One of the defining characteristic that separates Christianity from every other religion

is the fact that we rejoice! we sing songs of praise and hope! especially when we’re in the midst of suffering or triumph, in the face of good or evil, we rejoice

Perhaps it might feel like a chore to rejoice

like we struggle to find a reason to rejoice

So perhaps we ought to realign where we look to rejoice:

But first! Paul gives us a warning:

He gives it quite plainly: watch out!

One of the things that prevent us from rejoicing, is when we aren’t quite right with what we believe in.

Not everyone will have your best interests in mind, or to tell you the hard truths

he calls them evildoers, dogs, and “mutilators of the flesh”

What does that mean? let’s unpack that

Now if you trace back into the Old Testament

All the way to an old fellow by the name of Abraham

He was called the “Father of many Nations” Gen 17:5

God would set apart the family of Abraham, and all his future generations with a practice called circumcision

Now I won’t go into detail what it means, you can ask your parents

It was a physical mark for guys that meant that you belonged to the family of Abraham, that you were part of God’s people

if you did not partake in this practice, you were - as it says frequently- “cut off” from the community

you would lose your identity

this was considered “law”

you had to do it!

And so this practice continued for thousands of years until the time of Jesus.

Now, thank God that we don’t have to do that anymore

and all the guys can breathe a sigh of relief

v2 “mutilators of the flesh”

Watch out for false teachers who teach a false gospel.

He’s referring to those who still say that you needed physical circumcision to be saved

and by extension: those who take the law and the rules, and to earn their way to Jesus

Paul is giving this severe warning to the church

Watch out for people who are sharing a different gospel

a different kind of faith that is not centered on Jesus

I’ll give you an example:

This was a few years ago during lockdowns, and everyone was still adjusting

And this young, woman started reaching out on Facebook

We have 0 mutual friends by the way, so it was a cold call

We read it, you can see how she’s starting to talk about faith, asking for advice

I was like “okay, let me give her a generic response.” and I was happy to leave it at that

she’s reaching out for help, but her last message began to raise some flags

why is she following up? is she the one checking in on me?

a telltale sign is that they will start off very friendly, but then become more and more pressuring in their messaging

they lull you in with their introduction, then start inviting you to bible studies, at often times very intense in commitment (like 3 or 4 times a week)

and the kicker, is that they will not allow interpreting or reading the bible without a group leader there to facilitate

Now I can’t prove that this will happen, but that’s the characteristics of cults that on the surface, profess the Christian faith

so this person also messaged Catherine too

we had a bad feeling about it

and I am 90% sure this person was a cult recruiter

So watch out!

The New International Version Chapter 3

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.

So if circumcision, the act of following law to earn salvation is not needed anymore

We read on to verse 3, Paul gives us a different perspective

Philippians 3:3 “For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus”

A spiritual change in the heart

It means that our character, and conduct change

You begin to notice it in people

They may be going through family turmoil

financial pressure

relationship tensions

and yet still have a spirit of peace, of gentleness, of love

it’s almost as if they have a rootedness, a foundation that isn’t bound by their circumstances

how can we still have a reason to rejoice when our worlds never seem settled?

Friends, would you read with me to verse 3.

The main meat of today’s message,

“put no confidence in the flesh”

What does that mean?

well you see

The false teachers during Paul’s time, they relied on one thing, as their hope and security

It starts with L. Law.

Rules and codes and commands that they had to follow, to the T

do you know how many there are? it’s documented in the OT.

you might think, ok, there’s at least 10 from the 10 commandments in Exodus 20

there are 613 laws in the OT.

they would be immersed in this culture, where you must obey all of it.

if you fell short at one! just one, then you better pay your dues and sacrifices

Else you lose your salvation if you stray off the path.

so the flesh here doesn’t mean your physical body, it means what you do, what you have.

That’s not Christianity, that’s legalism

legalism is when we try to earn our way to God by doing good.

Friends, doing good is not a bad thing. it’s good.

but don’t think that by doing good, you are saved.

Even Paul lays down his credentials

Read with me:

Philippians 3:4–6 :“though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 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; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”

These things that he lists as achievements, as things he’s inherited from his family, be it good standing or works that he’s done.

You want to boast about how good your family line is? So do I

You want to boast about how good you are in keeping rules? So do I

You want to boast about how great your faith is? So do I.

You cannot get a more stacked resume than his.

And yet, as he said previously in v4: put no confidence in the flesh.

Put no confidence in the earthly things!

Most of us are Asian here

or at least if you come from a cultural background of honour and shame,

there is a whole list of credentials that we don’t really talk about in person

we scoff about them, but in reality, they’re of great desire to us

We put a lot of confidence in the flesh

studying hard for the best atar you can get

acquiring a prestigious degree at a respected university

landing a well-paying job

buying a house and owning your own property

dating and getting married

buying a tesla, or a family car for the kids

Even when it comes to faith! and what we do on Sundays

you come every week! and you rarely miss a service

you serve on the worship team, or setup and packdown

you give offering too!

pause

Friends, all these are good things.

But put no confidence in these things

But put no assurance in these things

I think to some extent we are fixated on these goals

Did Jesus not say, in Matthew 16,

The New International Version Chapter 16

24“Whoever wants to be my disciple must

In this hall there we are across many different life stages.

but we cannot put confidence in what we have or what we do, as our security in life.

If you are serving, it doesn’t make you any better than those who aren’t

Point #1: Put no confidence in the flesh

and that brings us to

Point #2: Loss for the sake of Christ

Paul has the squeaky clean resume

He calls it loss for the sake of Christ

Paul had it all. And he considers it garbage. rubbish!

one of the ways the devil seeks to attack believers is through temptation.

you know, thoughts and actions that are directly disobedient to God’s good and moral order

and usually, it’s more clear-cut as to what we should do and not do.

but a much more sinister temptation that just slowly creeps up on us is the security and comfort we begin to place in less important things:

our wealth, our status, our education, our emotional stability, our families, our denominational alignments, or even about which version of the Bible we use

do you see it?

we begin to mix other things with the gospel

into a version that says, “I want Jesus, and...”

I want Jesus, and a comfortable job

I want Jesus, and a great test result

I want Jesus, and a nice house.

Let me be clear again, these are great things!

if that’s you, seeking these things MORE than Jesus

sternly

you need to repent.

you need to turn away from that, because they are not the end goals of life

there is a very real danger in this church, to turn these good things of this world into idols

they will not save you or satisfy you.

That’s hard to hear.

That’s even harder to take in.

I am finding recently that more and more of the friends I have around me

are realising that work is not worth it

soul-crushing staying in jobs that they don’t like

earning money but not feeling content, seeking to fill the void in their hearts with anything they can find

not realising, that in the Jesus-shaped void in their heart, only God can fill and satisfy.

read with me in verse 7-8: Paul says:

Philippians 3:7–8 “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 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”

How can he call what he has now, garbage?

all the credentials, all the serving, all the zeal he had for Jesus

I don’t know if you feel offended by that

I certainly did at first

but Paul knows that in comparison,

the things he tries to do won’t earn him any more standing with God.

the things he earns will eventually fade away.

even experiences

even the closest relationships with family, will fade away

It does not mean we throw these good gifts away!

But the reality is,

There is only one thing that is eternal, and everlasting

Is God himself.

the creator of the universe

who is eternal, powerful, constantly working in this world to bring our lives into his kingdom and family

Inviting you and I, to know Jesus.

Paul says that in comparison with the things here on earth, the worth of knowing Jesus far surpasses anything.

not just knowing someone like in the history books

but knowing someone personally, like a friend

knowing Jesus as Lord. as the king of our lives

How can we rejoice despite suffering or chaos? Because we have Jesus.

What reason do we have to rejoice when all hope seems lost? Because we have Jesus.

If you lose everything, if you don’t even have any of the things I listed before

you aren't missing out

Because knowing Jesus is the sweetest, greatest joy we will have in this life, and the life to come!

Paul gave up all he had, if it meant that he could know Jesus, and have a personal relationship with him

the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord

pause

Let me also look at the other side for a moment.

come to v9 with me “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”

Perhaps you’ve been striving and failing at trying to do good

and you don’t feel “Christian” enough.

You feel the need to put on a show and be “good enough’ for God.

I think for a lot of us, who grew up in church, we have unknowingly fall into that trap.

of doing good in order to earn God’s grace

A righteousness of our own

we make our faith out to be a list of rules to keep

we try our best, and inevitably fall short.

and it feels crushing.

But Jesus says in

Matthew 11:28–30 ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.””

The gospel lifts us up from our depravity

the good news that Jesus has done the heavy lifting for us

Knowing Jesus and coming to him, brings us rest for our souls

Perhaps that goes against the grain of your upbringing

after all, we’ve learnt in this world that we have to try and work hard to get results

But Jesus comes into this world, and turns the order upside down.

we read in Philippians the rest of v9

“ but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

Jesus gives us the righteousness we need

Jesus gives us the gift of grace

that in our place, he lived the life of perfection that no one could

and died the very death that was meant for us.

We don’t do good to be saved.

We do good, because we are saved!

Let’s reflect for a moment.

pause

Did Jesus really die for you and I,

so that you can fail at trying to earn our way to God?

so that we continue to live with confidence in the flesh and not in him?

so that you can struggle in a watered-down, legalistic version of Christianity?

mega pause lol

I’m not really convinced by that at all.

and neither was Paul

Let the truth of the gospel renew us:

Jesus offers the cure to our helplessness

You are saved by grace, not by works

This truth doesn’t just change how we view God, it changes how we live!

And we might need to repent of that too.

of trying to earn our righteousness, of earning God’s favour

Point #1: Put no confidence in the flesh

Point #2: Loss for the sake of Christ

and that brings us to our final point,

Point #3: Know Jesus

So how do we know him? on a personal level?

verse 10 is key:

The New International Version Chapter 3

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.

did you catch that?

know the power of his resurrection

becoming like him in his death

and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

It’s not a head knowledge thing.

Paul seeks to experience God’s power

so much so, that he compares it to the power of Jesus’ resurrection. that we are being spiritually raised to life.

The cost to know Jesus, is to become like him in his death.

we can’t know Jesus, unless we are willing to surrender ourselves to him.

How can we attain Christlike character? Well we have to be willing to repent from how we live in the world right now.

our old way of living is dead. we have been resurrected spiritually into a new way of living!

It’s a paradox, that we can’t fully understand.

our losses in order to know Jesus, becomes the great gain that we have in him

but we can look at what we have gained in Christ

So today as I wrap up,

you might have given Jesus a chance before, to read the bible, to pray, but perhaps you just feel like nothing’s happening

I invite you, if you’d like to commit yourself to Jesus

into his hands of tender care

to turn away from your way of living that just doesn’t satisfy you.

and to experience his power to raise your spiritually dead heart to life.

or you feel just far from God, and your priorities are just in different places, distracted

I invite you, to turn your eyes upon Jesus once more.

his arms are always open.