In Christ Alone
Book of Philippians • Sermon • Submitted
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· 13 viewsIn Christ alone, we find salvaition and hope.
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Transcript
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Introduction:
Introduction:
Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for 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; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:1-1
1. We are to guard ourselves from false teaching.
1. We are to guard ourselves from false teaching.
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
Paul warns the church to “watch out for” three different things in this single verse. All of them deal with the false teachers who were trying to destroy the church.
The first watch out describes the false teachers as dogs.
“Watch out for the dogs”
Eastern people generally hated dogs. The Jews often described Gentiles that way, but here Paul applied the term to Jews.1
1 Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 127.
Wild dogs are naturally scavengers. They roam the wilderness seeking anything to devour and eat. It is not difficult to imagine Paul thinking of these false teachers in such a way. It would seem, from Paul’s letters, that these false teachers followed Paul and would attempt to deceive these churches that Paul was planting to believe in false teaching.
“watch out for the evil workers”
“These Jews, oriented to salvation by the good works of the law, had pride in their exemplary lives.”2
2 Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 127.
Importantly, these Jews thought of themselves as the righteous. They felt they were the prime example of a true faithful servant of the one true God. Yet, they could not have been more wrong. They had a multitude of issues, starting with their righteousness being based on their own works and not the work of Christ. Secondly, they were hindering the actual truth being preached and shared with the other people with their lies of self-righteous deeds.
“watch out for those who mutilate the flesh”
Third, they were “mutilators.” In a figure of speech employing sound-alike words, Paul turned his thoughts to their circumcision.3
3 Richard R. Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, vol. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 127–128.
Paul is addressing specifically a group of Jewish religious leaders known as the party of circumcision. They believed, in order to have true saving works, men must be circumcised. Paul is addressing this practice in this statement. He tells the church do not listen to these false teachers who add to the Word of God. It is important to remember what Paul preached throughout his writings and will address shortly, we are saved through faith in Christ alone, .
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for 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; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
2. We are to place our faith in Christ, not our works.
2. We are to place our faith in Christ, not our works.
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
“we are the circumcision”
Paul directly calls out the circumcision party. He tells the church with this statement that they who practice worshipping God by the Spirit, boast in Christ, and do not put confidence in the flesh as the ones who truly are circumcised in God’s sight. Thus, we do not need to be physically circumcised but spiritually circumcised. We must be born again through saving faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Three ways to know that you are truly a child of God:
“Worship by the Spirit of God”
True worship of the Lord can only take place once one believes and trust Jesus as Lord and savior. It is not enough to act the part with our outward actions. It is what transpires in our heart and mind that defines true worship. We can have the best singing voice, be one of the most active attenders in church, and follow all the “do’s and don’t’s” and still miss the mark of true worship. If our hearts haven’t experienced true saving faith, we do not belong to Christ and we can not truly worship the Lord.
“Glory in Christ Jesus”
What do we boast in? Do we boast in our own work or in Christ Jesus? The greek word kauchaomai literally mean to boast. Consequently, when we talk about the works of Christ we prove our faith in Christ. However, when we instead proclaim that we are righteous because of how much we have done for God. We ultimately proclaim that it is not the work of Christ that is valued but our own works. tells us,
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
Therefore, none of our works hold weight before God. Thus, let us commit to praise the Lord for the Work of Jesus Christ on the cross and in the resurrection for he did what we could not, living a perfect life, dying for our sins, and defeating death through the resurrection. Christ is truly worthy of our worship and praise.
Therefore, none of our works hold weight before God. Thus, let us commit to praise the Lord for the Work of Jesus Christ on the cross and in the resurrection for he did what we could not, living a perfect life, dying for our sins, and defeating death through the resurrection. Christ is truly worthy of our worship and praise.
“Put no confidence in the flesh”
Every religion in the world centers on the works of people except for Biblical Christianity. Scientology is about how much money can you spend and do, Buddhism is about giving up everything in the pursuit of nothingness, Hinduism much like Buddhism is rejecting one’s own desires and doing good so that your good outweigh the bad to work your way up through many reincarnations until you become one with their gods, most Catholics believe that works are necessary for saving faith, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses have rites and works they must accomplish in order to earn salvation, the list goes on and on, all of them adds works to or removes Jesus entirely from their saving pursuit for their soul. Ultimately, they place their confidence in their own abilities and it results death. Only those who place their entire trust and faith in the work of Jesus Christ will receive eternal life.
If anyone were blameless, it would have been Paul, but he wasn’t blameless; therefore, we are not innocent.
though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for 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; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Just a few highlights on Paul’s argument:
“circumcised on the eighth day”
It was the perfect following of the law to be circumcised on the eighth day. Paul is confirming his authority as a Jew to speak against the jewish practices being taught by the party of circumcision.
“a Hebrew of Hebrews”
Paul explains his lineage being from Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. So, not only was he circumcised appropriately, he had a historical lineage to claim his Hebrew heritage. Also, explains that he was a practicer of the law, specifically as a Pharisee. He reminds the people that he was a zealot and persecutor of the church and remained blameless in the law.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
3. We are to count everything as loss for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord.
3. We are to count everything as loss for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
“I count everything as loss...so that I may gain Christ”
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Often, in today’s society, it is far too easy to fall to the temptation of praying and asking Jesus to save us but also wanting all this world has to offer. We are good with worshipping God occasionally, or even regularly, but the moment the Bible ask us to give up something, we either ignore it or make excuses.
Paul didn’t say, I gained Christ and continued to embrace all I was before Christ. No. He rejected all that he was before Christ, so that, he might walk with Jesus faithfully. Paul realized that his true saving faith meant all he was before must perish. Ultimately, Paul explains that nothing this world offers is more valuable than Christ. Therefore, pursue him with all that you have, give up everything for the sake of Christ alone. Jesus spoke of this kind of pursuit in the Two parables found in (Quote). We must be willing to give up everything joyfully in order to pursue the Lord in all things.
“be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own”
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
Please, do not miss this truth. True justification is found in saving faith in Christ alone. It is through our faith being placed on Christ Jesus that we receive the righteousness from Christ.
Listen, when we have been washed in the blood of Christ Jesus, we are no longer seen for our works which are useless; instead, God sees the work of Christ covering us! What a glorious truth and reason to worship. As a child of God, you cannot allow yourself to complacent with this truth. It is why we come and worship God together.
“I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
The process of sanctification is something we will go through continually until we leave this world. Every day, the Lord is working in our lives towards the purpose of making us more like him. God constantly is using our circumstances to draw us closer to him. However, if we do not pursue Christ in all things, we will fail to become more like Christ and will not experience the blessings the Lord desires to gift to us in this life. Therefore let us pursue Christ in such a way that we are willing to suffer like Christ and to live faithfully on mission.
“I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
The ultimate result for the believer is glorification with Christ. It is the final result for all true believers. We are justified because of saving faith in the work of Christ, we are sanctified through the continued work of Christ in us through our faithful pursuit of Christ, and we ultimately receive the gift of resurrection as the result of Christ’s completed work in us. The moment we forget that faithful servanthood is dependent on our own actions, we lose sight of Christ and fall into sin.
Let us never fall to the temptation to sin against our powerful, wonderful, savior Jesus Christ for He has done, continues to do, and will complete his saving work in us! Amen.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Invitation
Invitation
