Reject the Works of the Flesh

REJECT THE WORKS OF THE FLESH

AND SEEK THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION

INTRODUCTION:

TAKE YOUR BIBLE AND TURN WITH ME TO PHILIPPIANS, CHAPTER 3.

IF YOU ARE ABLE, STAND WITH ME AS WE READ VERSES 1 THROUGH 11.

STAND – READ – PRAY

No more, my God, I boast no more

Of all the duties I have done;

I quit the hopes I held before,

To trust the merits of thy Son.

Now, for the love I bear his name,

What was my gain I count my loss;

My former pride I call my shame,

And nail my glory to his cross.

Yes, and I must and will esteem

All things but loss for Jesus' sake:

O may my soul be found in him,

And of his righteousness partake!

The best obedience of my hands

Dares not appear before thy throne;

But faith can answer thy demands

By pleading what my Lord has done.

THESE ARE THE LYRICS TO A SONG WRITTEN BY ISAAC WATTS, AN 18TH CENTURY HYMN WRITER, AND RECORDED BY THE GROUP CAEDMON’S CALL IN 2001, 217 YEARS AFTER IT WAS WRITTEN.

THIS HYMN IS BASED ON OUR TEXT FOR THIS MORNING, A TEXT WHICH COMMUNICATES THE NEED TO REJECT THE WORKS OF THE FLESH AND SEEK THE MERITS OF CHRIST.

PAUL MAKES THIS ARGUMENT IN , AND I WANT YOU TO HEAR HIS REASONING FOR REJECTING THE FLESH THIS MORNING…

1. PAUL’S RESUME FOR BOASTING IN THE FLESH. (VERSES 4-6)

a. IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT PAUL IS ARGUING AGAINST THE TEACHINGS OF THE JUDAIZERS…

i. WHO HE REFERS TO IN VERSE 2 AS DOGS, AND EVILDOERS, AND THOSE WHO MUTILATE THE FLESH…

ii. PAUL’S POINT AS HE GETS INTO VERSE 4 IS THAT THE JUDAIZERS LIKELY CAME TO PHILIPPI PROMOTING THEIR JEWISH CREDENTIALS TO HELP SUPPORT THEIR MESSAGE…

b. BUT PAUL POINTS OUT THAT HIS CREDENTIALS FAR EXCEED THE CREDENTIALS OF THE JUDAIZERS…

c. CIRCUMCISED THE EIGHTH DAY…

i. PAUL’S INTRODUCTION TO THE JEWISH FAITH WAS DONE IN ABSOLUTELY THE PROPER JEWISH WAY…

ii. HE COULD NOT BE ACCUSED OF BEING A PAGAN OR OF BEING PART OF A GROUP THAT PERFORMED CIRCUMSISION THE WORNG WAY…

d. OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL…

i. HE WAS NOT A PROSELYTE – A JEWISH CONVERT FROM ANOTHER NATION…

ii. HE WAS NO SECOND-CLASS JEW…

e. OF THE TRIBE OF BENJAMIN…

i. HE WAS NOT FROM SOME SECOND-CLASS TRIBE…

ii. PAUL WAS A MEMBER OF THE DISTINGUISHED TRIBE OF BENJAMIN…

f. A HEBREW OF HEBREWS…

i. HIS FAMILY FOLLOWED THE JEWISH FAITH TO THE LETTER OF THE LAW…

ii. THEY WERE PURE JEWS – THEY HAD NOT ADOPTED THE HELLENISTIC PRACTICES OF THE DAY…

g. THESE FIRST FOUR CHARACTERISTICS WERE PRIVILEGES PAUL RECEIVED SIMPLY BY VIRTUE OF HIS BIRTH…

h. BUT THE LAST THREE ARE VOLUNTARY CHOICES OF PAUL…

i. TRAINED AS A PHARISEE…

i. HE HAD FORMAL JEWISH THEOLOGICAL TRAINING…

j. A PERSECUTOR OF THE CHURCH…

i. HE WAS A SINCERE AND COMMITTED JEW…

ii. EVEN TO THE POINT OF PERSECUTING THOSE WHO WERE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST…

k. BLAMELESS UNDER THE LAW…

i. HE DID HIS BEST TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW IN EVERY WAY…

l. PAUL HAD EVERY BOX CHECKED…

i. HE WAS THE EPITOME OF JEWISHNESS…

ii. IF ANYONE HAD REASON TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH, IT WAS PAUL…

iii. BUT IT’S NOT THE WORKS OF THE FLESH THAT RESULT IN SALVATION…

iv. IT IS THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST…

m. ILLUSTRATE

i. MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE, STILL TODAY, THAT GOODNESS…THE WORKS OF THE FLESH HAVE SOME EFFECT ON SALVATION…

n. - 21 “NOT EVERYONE WHO SAYS TO ME, ‘LORD, LORD,’ WILL ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT THE ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN. 22 ON THAT DAY MANY WILL SAY TO ME, ‘LORD, LORD, DID WE NOT PROPHESY IN YOUR NAME, AND CAST OUT DEMONS IN YOUR NAME, AND DO MANY MIGHTY WORKS IN YOUR NAME?’ 23 AND THEN WILL I DECLARE TO THEM, ‘I NEVER KNEW YOU; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WORKERS OF LAWLESSNESS.’

o. APPLY

i. WHAT A SHAME IT WOULD BE FOR YOU TO HEAR THE LORD SPEAK THOSE WORDS…

ii. BUT THIS DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THE CASE FOR YOU…

iii. IF YOU WILL JUST ADMIT THAT GOD IS CALLING YOU TO REJECT THE WORKS OF THE FLESH, AND ANSWER HIS CALL TO SALVATION, OR REPENTANCE AND RECOMMITMENT.

p. LOOK AT THE NEXT PART OF THE PASSAGE…

2. PAUL’S DECISION ABOUT THE WORKS OF THE FLESH. (VERSES 7-8)

a. PAUL USES THE SAME WORD IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS…

b. LOOK AGAIN AT VERSES 7 AND 8…

c. HE SAYS IN VERSE 7, “WHATEVER GAIN I HAD, I COUNTED AS LOSS FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST…”

i. PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORD LOSS…

d. IN VERSE 8, HE SAYS, “INDEED I COUNT EVERYTHING AS LOSS…:

i. THERE’S THAT WORD “LOSS” AGAIN…

e. THEN IN THE LATTER PART OF VERSE 8, HE SAYS, “FOR HIS SAKE, I HAVE SUFFERED THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS, AND COUNT THEM AS RUBBISH…”

f. IN THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE, THERE IS A PROGRESSION TO PAUL’S DECISION ABOUT THE WORKS OF THE FLESH…

g. IT BEGINS WITH A LOSS OF ANY BENEFIT…

h. IT CONTINUES WITH LOSS OF EACH THING…

i. AND IT CULMINATES WITH A LOSS OF ALL THINGS…

j. AND HIS USAGE OF THE WORD TRANSLATED “LOSS” HERE IS VERY IMPORTANT…

k. IT GOES LIKE THIS…LOSS…LOSS…DAMAGING…

l. I HAVE RECOGNIZED THE FRUITLESSNESS OF THE WORKS OF THE FLESH, COUNTING THEM AS LOSS…

m. I HAVE REJECTED THE WORKS OF THE FLESH, COUNTING THEM AS LOSS…

n. I HAVE RECOGNIZED THE WORKS OF THE FLESH AS SOMETHING THAT IS DAMAGING TO MY WALK WITH CHRIST…

o. ILLUSTRATE

p. THE ISSUE MOST PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH IS DRAWING THE LINE OF DEMARCATION BETWEEN THE FLESH AND THE SPIRIT…

i. REMEMBER THE CAUTION JESUS GAVE TO HIS DISCIPLES IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE?

ii. (ESV) - 41 WATCH AND PRAY THAT YOU MAY NOT ENTER INTO TEMPTATION. THE SPIRIT INDEED IS WILLING, BUT THE FLESH IS WEAK.”

iii. THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE SPIRIT AND THE FLESH IS CONSTANT…

iv. PAUL UNDERSTOOD THIS…

v. AND WE WOULD DO WELL TO UNDERSTAND IT…

q. OUR FLESH IS ALWAYS TRYING TO CALL US BACK TO ITSELF…

r. AND AT THE SAME TIME, THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS CALLING US TO HIMSELF…

i. YOU WILL HAVE TO DECIDE WHICH VOICE YOU WILL LISTEN TO…

ii. PAUL DECIDED THAT HE WAS GOING TO REJECT THE WORKS OF THE FLESH, IN PURSUIT OF SOMETHING FAR GREATER…

s. APPLY

i. AND YOU CAN MAKE THE SAME DECISION THAT PAUL MADE…

ii. TO REJECT THE WORKS OF THE FLESH, AND ANSWER HIS CALL TO SALVATION, OR REPENTANCE AND RECOMMITMENT.

t. FINALLY, I WANT YOU TO NOTICE…

3. PAUL’S RE-ALIGNED DESIRE. (VERSES 9-11)

a. THAT I MAY KNOW HIM…

b. THAT I MAY KNOW THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION…

c. THAT I MAY SHARE IN HIS SUFFERINGS…

d. THAT I MAY ATTAIN THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD…

e. ILLUSTRATE

f. APPLY - CONCLUDE

i. DO YOU KNOW HIM?

1. PERSONALLY

ii. ARE YOU LIVING IN THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION?

1. PAUL WANTED THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST, A RELATIONSHIP PICTURED IN BAPTISM AS BURIED TO THE OLD LIFE OF SIN AND RAISED TO A NEW LIFE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

iii. ARE YOU SHARING IN HIS SUFFERINGS?

1. ARE YOU IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST THROUGH HIS SUFFERINGS?

iv. AND DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU WILL ATTAIN THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD?

v. HOW CAN I KNOW THIS, PASTOR?

vi. ONLY BY REJECTING THE WORKS OF THE FLESH, AND ANSWERING HIS CALL TO SALVATION, OR REPENTANCE AND RECOMMITMENT, CAN YOU TRULY KNOW HIM, AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, AND SHARE IN HIS SUFFERINGS, AND ATTAIN THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD…

g. ARE YOU READY TO COMMIT YOUR LIFE TO HIM?