Philippians 3:1-11 | Stacking Envelopes

We are continuing in the book of Philippians today

We are in Philippians3:1-11

We have been looking at this letter that Paul has been writing to the church at Philippi.

Today Paul is bringing a new awareness to them.

A very specific issue that needs to be addressed just as much in our churches today as it did then.

Philippians 3:1 NKJV

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.

Paul begins this new section here by giving the command ot rejoice in the Lord.

This is one of those phrases that is used throughout scripture and it can be easy to gloss over it.

But in this case it is particularly interesting that he says this within the context.

Becasue right after he essentially says I am going to tell you something I have warned you about over and over again, but it still needs to be said

I can relate to this.

What we are looking at today is something that I have preached sermon after sermon on. And it will probably always need to be addressed

Philippians 3:2 NKJV

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!

Odd list

Why are we watching out for dogs, who are these evil workers we need to beware of, and how in the world does mutilation fit into this.

Well this is one of those lists where it takes some digging to understand what he is talking about.

If we were present at the time this was written, living in this culture and speaking the language, we would understand exactly what he is talking about

But we are 2,000 years removed, so we aren’t going to get these references quickly.

The term dog here literally means a dog, but it was used commonly in a derogatory way.

The Jews began calling the gentiles, and then specifically sinful or immoral people dogs.

So when they heard Paul say dogs, they would immediately think gentile.

So Paul is telling them to beware of themselves? These were gentile people? Not quite.

He says to also watch out for evil workers

We would think right away that he is just talking about sinful people

But this is actually referencing a person who literally works for evil

He is talking about a person whose life is consumed with serving evil

Now they may still think at this point he is referencing just really bad gentiles

But then this is all flipped upside down wit the next one

He says to beware of the mutilation.

Now this phrase is translated different across different bible versions, but the it can also be said as the mutilation of the flesh.

So Paul is warning them to watch out for sinful, immoral, gentiles with knives?

No

This is what you might get not looking at this in light of cultural context, but they understood exactly what Paul was saying.

So let’s step into the shoes of a Jew at this time.

Many of the Jews at this time are still practicing the law.

Now there was nothing inherently sinful about following the law, as long as there was faith in Christ, an understanding that the law had been fulfilled in Christ, and that the law was not used as a means of control over others.

Well many of the Jews who would follow Paul around and try to dissuade the gentiles he was preaching the gospel too became very good at muddying the waters.

You see many believing Jews fell in this middle ground where all they knew was obedience to the law, the customs, the sacrifices, and to think that now they are free from that, it was difficult

So the response from many of the Jews was to try and mesh the two together somehow.

“If we can make it to where the law is still a necessity in believing in Christ, then we won’t have to change our customs.”

“and the unbelieving Jews who were simply trying to turn others away from Christ entirely would work in the works of the law as a necessity to be obedient to God, and the unknowing gentiles ignorantly believed what they said.

Now thre was one sign, one practice, that was arguably the most important of them all. When God gave this command long before the law even came.

And we see it in Genesis 17:10 “This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;”

Now you say that's a really odd thing for God to command, why would he do this?

What was needed was a permanent means of identifying God’s chosen people.

This was a lifelong sign of the them being part of God’s people.

But it couldn’t be something that was a public profession of pride

God specifically told the Israelites at the time to not tattoo themselves or get piercings because it was a common practice by the pagan nations to identify themselves with the gods.

So it had to be something permanent, but not outwardly focused where everyone could see, but also something that involved a level of humility.

It was a reminder that these people were to be set aside as humble servants of God forever

And this became a very important and major distinction among the Jewish people and gentiles over time.

So what does this have to do with what Paul is saying?

When he uses the term mutilation, he is really referencing circumcision, but in a pointless and meaningless manner.

Instead of this being a humbling picture of obedient service to God, he calls it a pointless mutilation of the flesh.

Ok so now if we work backwards in this list we start the see the opposite of who we originally thought this was talking about.

Who are the ones doing this mutilating of the flesh?

Well he is talking about the Jews who are using obedience to the law as a means to gain control over the new gentile believers by tying them into obedience to the law.

While they are telling believing gentiles that they must be circumcised to truly be saved in obedience to God, Paul calls it a pointless mutilation of the flesh.

And it is these same Jews who he is calling evil workers

Because it is their mission and lives goal to quite literally work for evil

But what is really interesting is working back to name dogs.

This w2as a derogatory term the jews would have used to reference gentiles, but Paul is flipping it here and he is calling the Jews the dogs.

Because they are the ones whoa re actually living in sin and immorality.

This was a very serious and powerful statement.

But remember Paul was a Je

Paul was a Pharisee

Paul lived his life before converting as a Jew worse than any of these, with no desire other than to rid the world of Christ and his followers.

But one day Jesus appeared to him, blinded him, and called him to be an apostle to the gentiles, and he obeyed and believed.

So keep this in mind when we read verse 3

Philippians 3:3 “For we are the circumcision...

You would think Paul is referencing his Jewish heritage

You would assume he is saying circumcision was of the Jews and it is only for the Jews, which would be true at this point, but he is not done yet

Philippians 3:3 NKJV

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

Remember that at the beginning of this section when he says to rejoice in the Lord.

What he saying is that circumcision is no longer for the jews, circumcision is for those who worship God in the Spirit, and who rejoice in Jesus

Ok but this is confusing, this sounds like he is agreeing with the Jews, that believers do have to be circumcised

But notice what he says next...

Circumcision is no longer for the jews

circumcision is for those who worship God in the Spirit,

and who rejoice in Jesus

AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH

What in the world is he talking about?

Well let me give you a picture to help understand.

EX: I have a letter up here with a check on the inside.

Now what if I knew that this check was worth something significant, but I didn’t really care about it.

WHAT I CARE ABOUT IS THE ENVELOPE

Everyday I take out the envelope and I admire it, its perfect

What if when I paid my employees I handed them an envelope with a check inside, but I told them they weren’t allowed to open the envelope because they don’t want to tear up such a nice envelope

You see that is the interesting thing about envelopes is you can’t get what is inside without tearing up and discarding it.

And what we have here is the Jews looking at circumcision as the envelope.

They are going to the new believers and saying you have to have an envelope if you want the blessing, but don’t open it, just admire the envelope

But Paul comes and says the only ones who truly get the value of that gift, are the ones who have torn up and thrown away the envelope to get the blessing on the inside

He says that the circumcision is now for those not who worship God in spirit, rejoice in Christ, and take part in this cultural practice.

He says the circumcision now, the true circumcision is for those who believe in Christ and don’t rely on the outward picture, but instead throw all that away to get what it was all about in the first place.

And what is that, what was the whole picture of circumcision?

It meant separation

It reflected sole service to God as one of his chosen people separated from the rest

But Hebrews tells us that those sacrifices, those customs, the law, never paid for sins, none of that was ever about salvation, it was merely a picture of salvation to come

And when Jesus came he fulfilled all of that

The law was like the trailer to the movie, and Jesus was the movie

Does anybody go back and watch the trailers after the movie comes out?

No, why? Because what they were pointing to is there and it is complete, it is full, it is perfected, so why would go back and watch incomplete clips when you have the full movie right there?

Understand this is the whole picture.

After Christ, all of those aspects of the law, all of those customs, those sacrifices, have transitioned in meaning, becasue now they see the whole picture.

No longer is laying a lamb on an altar and sacrificing it needed, because it pictured the penalty of death needed for sin, and that death being passed onto a substitute.

Well you don’t need to do that anymore now that the substitute that all of those sacrifices were pointing to has come.

No longer is there needed a curtain to separate the holy of holies in the temple.

Because that image of separation between man and God has been quite literally torn in two through us being justified by the blood of Christ

And no longer is there a need for physical circumcision because it was a picture of separation and obedience to the covenant of God.

But now.... Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Now that separation isn’t found in a practice, because when you tear open the envelope, what do you find inside, the true worth, the true picture, and that was not a physical separation but a spiritual separation

Holiness, a separation of the heart from sin through the work of the spirit by the blood od Christ

And the only way you can get ot the inside is as Paul says, actually having no confidence in the flesh

By no longer seeing any value in the picture, in the envelope, and instead looking at the truue meaning on the inside

But who is Paul to talk?

Like is he some sort of an expert in the law?

Well yeah, kinda

Philippians 3:4–6 NKJV

though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

He says if there is anybody who could make a claim to obedience and service based on their works to the law, it’s me.

He was circumcised exactly according ot he law

From the prominent tribe of Benjamin

A Pharisee (quite literally an expert in the law)

With more zeal than anyone to rid the world of those who would defy the law and God (the Christians before his conversion)

And in his following of the law he considered himself blameless

But.....

Philippians 3:7 NKJV

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.

You know when someone gives you an envelope with something inside, and you don’t open it, it isn’t just illogical, it hinders you.

Imagine if you were paid every 2 weeks with an envelope from your boss with a check inside, but you refused to open it because you loved the envelope so much.

Oh that makes no sense why would anyone do that.

Well that is exactly what we are doing every time we rely on our works to gain favor with God.

You see most Christians today have piles of envelopes that they show off to everyone and they are so proud of them, all of the works, the things they do for God, but they never take the checks out of them, because they don’t want to tear up the envelope

They are so concerned with everyone seeing their works, and basing that their success in the pile of envelopes they have, while they go broke because they aren't getting what is inside.

This is what Paul is saying

All of that, what seemed so good, was actually just keeping me from the true worth

So now he looks at all of those envelopes and counts them as loss, because he sees them now as just worthless envelopes, never receiving what was inside

Philippians 3:8 NKJV

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

You see this idea is actually much more encompassing then just reliance on works.

He says all of that was just loss, it meant nothing, but as he sits in prison, he realizes that he has lost everything, all possessions, and he says you know what....

All that stuff was loss too

Because here Paul is sitting with no more law, no more, possessions, he has nothing now except for the checks, the true worth, real service in love for Christ, and he realizes, I not only don’t need any envelopes, I don’t need anything except for this right here.

Sometimes it takes losing something to realize what you have.

And that was precisely the intention of the law.

By them setting the law to the side, losing that whole system, they were finally able to see what it was all about.

By Paul losing everything, he realized just how worthless everything is except for Christ

Can I give you some advice....

In my ministry it has been my observation, that those who serve God purely out of self gratification and pride, it never lasts.

The person who joins the ministry because it makes them feel good, and they get some recognition, they are just piling up envelopes for everyone to see.

And in my my experience I have seen often one of two things happen.

Either the envelopes stop appearing so nice, or they stop coming all together

Those who serve God fro pride, and live for themselves, and want nothing but to be recognized for the surface level accomplishments, that fake satisfaction you recieve from that life will either become dull, or it will be taken away.

You see God often works in a manner of tearing down to grow stronger rather than just amplifying us in our weakness.

Matthew 19:21–22 “Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.

Jonah 4:6–7 “And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered.”

John 15:2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

Throughout scripture when servants of God become too reliant on themselves, and they stop striving for what truly matters, God doesn’t encourage them in their sin he cuts back.

When the employee is in the homeless shelter because they refuse to open the envelopes with their paycheck, the boss doesn’t give them more envelopes to make them feel better,

No he stops giving them to them because they aren’t being used, and only them lacking in the things that they want will help them see what it is they really need.

If you are here today and you are at this church only so you feel good about yourself and you can feel satisfied.

Don’t be surprised when the day comes that you have to leave because it no longer brings you the satisfaction.

So you go to the church down the road to do the same thing over and over again.

Don’t be surprised when God takes away that thing that you have made the focal point of your life.

Don’t be surprised when you get pruned from the tree, cut down because you aren’t producing what God needs, and then you have to go through a very difficult process of growing back into something worthwhile again.

But there is a very simple wat to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.

Philippians 3:9 NKJV

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;

Be found in him

IN HIM ALONE

Is it time for you to simplify things a little?

Is it time for you today to clear the table of the envelopes?

Is it time for you today to take a look at the mountains of worthless paper that you have built your life on, and realize just how broke you have become because you refuse to look at what truly matters?

You see the Christian life can be very complicated, but it shouldn’t be.

While the law, while legalism, would guide you to a mindset of abundance and complication equally greater success.

God tells us that the more simple we get as Christians, the better.

You want to know why young people are leaving the independent fundamental Baptist churches in droves never seen before?

Because envelopes only stack for so long before they start looking like just regular old envelopes.

You want to know why 79% of Catholics leave the church before the age of 30, and over half of all Millennials who were raised Catholic no longer identify as Catholic.

Because envelopes only stack for so long before they start looking like just regular old envelopes.

But you want to know why recently in our country we are seeing a revival of young people standing bold for truth, and turning to Christ and the word of God.

Because envelopes only stack for so long before they start looking like just regular old envelopes.

And many believers today have been looking at envelopes for far too long, and they are ready for something that is actually worth something

The light shows and fog machines turned out to just be envelopes

The jean skirts and robes turned out to just be envelopes.

And what once looked so valuable, adn the foundation of their faith, now it just turns out to be nothing but worthless envelopes, never seeing the tru meaning behind it all.

But you know what will never be found insufficient, or lacking, Christ.

Just Christ

Obedience to him as a result of your love for him, and a desire to do nothing but serve him as your lord and savior. Because that isn’t an envelope that’s as Paul says what we need to do, to have no confidence in the flesh, the things that we want, to find what we truly need.

And it call comes through faith in Christ, and nothing else.

And you want to know how you can be sure where you are finding your worth.

Maybe you are a littel confused, you think you are serving God for the right reason but you don’t know for sure.

Well notice verse 10-11

Philippians 3:10–11 NKJV

that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

You see there are some words here that don’t seem right.

That I may know Him and the power of _______

true satisfaction

success

blessings

no, His resurrection

and the fellowship of His _______

peace

joy

no, his suffering

being conformed to _____

his power

his status

- No, his death

If by any mines I may attain to _______

blessings of God

eternal life

no, the resurrection from the dead

You want to know if you here for the right reason today.

You want to know if you are stacking envelopes or checks?

You want to know if you are more worried about the physical circumcision over the spiritual?

The test is pretty simple, ask yourself, if I were to start getting rid of things in my life, at what point do i say no more.

I will give my Sunday morning time and few bucks to the church, but once you ask for my Wednesday night, then its too much.

Then there is your line, that's your indication that the worth of what you do for Christ is based in what's above that line, and not in Christ alone.

I will give you my morning Bible reading time, but once you ask me to get rid of that sin, then its too much.

Then there is your line, that's your indication that the worth of what you do for Christ is based in whats above that line, and not in Christ alone.

So you say Zach, where is the line.

Well that’s just it, there is no line.

The presence of a line is the indication that there is something that you could lose that is worth more than Christ.

And if that's you, then you are just like the Pharisees, looking at the things of this world, possessions, works, and see them as the goal instead of Christ.

Paul writes here that the goal is death to self, and all of this stuff that means nothing, and resurrection in Christ.

Earlier in this letter Paul wrote Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

If the things of this world, works, possessions, whatever it may be is where our worth is found instead of ion Christ, then death is actaully gain.

And overall the goal is die to self, die to works, die to possessions, die to temporary happiness, die to stacks of envelopes

So I ask you today where’s your line?

At what point do you stop giving? Stop trusting? Stop dying to self?

Wherever that line is — that’s where you’ve placed your confidence in the flesh.

That’s your stack of envelopes.

But the Gospel calls us to rip it open. To have no confidence in the flesh.

Jesus says....

Matthew 11:30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

True service isn’t having more envelopes its having more of Christ, whats inside.

What are you still holding on to?

Because in the end, there is no middle ground.

It’s not envelopes and Christ.

It’s not stacks of envelopes to reach Christ

It’s envelopes or Christ.

And like Paul says — our command, our mission, is to count it all loss, that we may gain Him.