Philippians 3

I.       Paul is about to end this letter when he adds a warning.

A.    Be a ware of Jewish teachers who insist on the Gentles getting circumcised.

B.    When a Jew gets circumcised, he is showing that he is committed and is separated unto God.

C.    This was a sign of a covenant to God.

D.    Paul tells us that true circumcised is those whose live shows Christ. It is an outward sign that all people can see.

II.     Verse 1,

A.    Rejoice in the Lord.

1.     There is so much to rejoice in.

2.     A Christians life should be a happy one.

B.    The Philippians church was spiritually mature.

1.     They had almost no problems.

III.    Verse 2,

A.    Beware of dogs.

1.     Isaiah 56:10,10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

2.     Dogs, which he is talking about, are the one here in verse 10. They don’t help the people warning them of danger. They were sleeping all the time and not letting the people know that danger is near.

IV.   Verse 3,

A.    Read this in the AMP version.

B.    Galatians 6:15,15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

V.    Verse 4,

A.    Paul was willing to stack his past live with the best.

B.    Now he is going to list 7 things that he did as a Pharisee.

C.    If there was a man who through his works could have gone to heaven it would have been Paul.

VI.   Verse 5-6,

A.    Circumcised in the eighth day.

1.     Paul is telling us his parents raise him at an early age with respect to the law.

B.    Of the stock of Israel.

1.     Paul was of true blood.

C.    Of the tribe of Benjamin.

1.     This is like saying you come from the best family.

2.     Benjamin had been the favorite son of Jacob.

3.     The first king of Israel was from the tribe of Benjamin.

D.     An Hebrew of the Hebrews.

1.     This means Paul was a leader of the Hebrews.

E.     As touching the law, a Pharisee.

1.     The Pharisee were the best of the best in Israel.

2.     They where the religious-political party in their day.

F.     Concerning zeal.

1.     Paul persecuted the church.

2.     Paul really thought he was doing God's will.

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VII. Verse 7,

A.    Well after all the things mention in the previous verses, Paul now count them loss.

B.    He met Jesus Christ and got saved.

C.    Now all the things that mean anything in this world, don’t mean anything to Paul.

1.     It is all about Christ now.

VIII.         Verse 8,

A.    Paul was never satisfied with the knowledge that he had. He always wanted more. He wanted to keep growing closer to God. That was the most important thing in his live.

B.    Dung = meaning to fling to the dogs.

1.     All that he had he gladly feed to the dogs for cause of Christ.

C.    When one gets saved, it is not a one-time moment, but a live time experience.

1.     Some people get saved and go back and live for them selves not for Christ and they wonder why God does not bless them.

2.     Paul say for us to work out our salvation.

3.     Philippians 2:12,12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

4.     What is Sanctification? The process of becoming Holy. It is part of your daily walk with God.

D.    Read this verse from AMP Bible.

E.     Dr. Carroll say, “When I was converted, I lost my religion.”

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IX.   Verse 9,

A.    Not having our own righteousness.

1.     Anytime we have our own righteousness we can only obtain it by the law.

B.    So living in Christ is all about His righteousness and nothing about us.

C.    In Isaiah 64:6,6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

1.     Why is our righteousness filthy rags? Because we did by the law.

2.     If we stop sinning a certain sin and we do it of our selves, it is filthy rags to God, but if done by God it is more permanent.

3.     When God changes us and we don’t want to do that sin anymore, than that is off God. His righteousness.

D.    By faith” is the important word. That is the only way in the world you can get it. You can’t work for it; you can’t buy it; you can’t steal it. You just trust Him.[1]

E.     Philippians 3:9,9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

X.     Verse 10-11,

A.    Paul is going to change his whole purpose in life. Before he did things to show how good he was (working his way to heaven by being righteousness). Now he is going to trust Christ to make him righteousness.

B.    Paul wanted to know Christ in the closes way, every thing there was to know he wanted to know and that counts even up to his death.

C.    Paul before he met Christ on the road to Damascus thought he was saved and going to heaven.

1.     He did it by obeying the law.

D.    Now Paul gets saved through Faith and by Grace.

1.     Now the Holy Spirit will do the changing in his life.

E.     Paul is at the end of his life and he tells us here that his ambition is still to know more about Christ.

1.     Read Psalms 22 if you would like to know more about the Christ who died on the cross for you.

XI.   Verse 11,

A.    When we seat here tonight what does it mean to you, knowing you are saved and going to heaven?

1.     For Paul it was to see his Savour.

a)     Paul was in love with his God.

b)     Paul had a close relationship with God.

B.    Paul was looking forward to the coming of Christ.

1.     Like we would, when we have family coming to visit.

XII. Verse 12,

A.    Paul knew he would not attain perfection on earth.

1.     Put that never stopped him for trying.

2.     What racer run a race and wants second place?

XIII.          Verse 13,

A.    Here Paul is telling us again that he has not become that perfect Christian.

B.    He also telling us “This one thing I do” there is nothing and I do mean nothing is more important than having that relationship with Christ.

1.     This is here for our example, so this is what we should be doing.

C.    He talks about forgetting the past, with all the mistakes and problems which happened.

1.     Get on with the future.

2.     God is telling us that “today is the first day of the rest of your lives”.

3.     Put I failed so many times. God said, forget about it and live for Him today.

4.     Someone has well said that “today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday”

XIV.         Verse 14,

A.    We need to realize that the Olympic game where going on at the time of Christ.

1.     Paul may have attended some of them.

2.     When you read the Epistles, you can not help seeing that Paul uses running a lot for examples as he does here.

B.    He likens his life as running a race.

1.     He is running to obtain the prize.

2.     When each of us does the same with the same intensity we will see God's blessing in our life as well.

3.     The more you give to God the more He gives back to you. (give 10% you get 10%)

a)     Not just in money or your tithes.

b)     Also your time.

4.     Paul is running to win. There is no second place for Paul.

C.    1 John 2:28, And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

1.     So this verse is telling us that we can attain.

D.    We all need to do is get down on to the race course and run the race to win, just like Paul did.

XV. Verse 15

A.    What does it mean to be perfect?

1.     Tomatoes are being plant at this time of year.

a)     You look at your plant while it is growing and say it is perfect. (at that stage of maturity)

B.    Than some time goes by and little tomatoes start coming in and you say that is perfect. (at this stage of maturity)

C.    Than the green tomatoes start to change colors to red and you say is not that a perfect tomato. (It has mature)

D.    Question, which time was the plant most perfect?

E.     At each stage of the tomato plant it was maturing.

1.     Each stage of maturity it was perfect for that stage.

F.     This verse is saying the same thing for us. If we are maturing, each stage is perfect for us.

G.    “Let us be thus minded.”

1.     In another words, have the same mind as Paul.

a)     We should have the same mind as Paul had with Christ.

2.     Get out on the racetrack and run the race and run for the same goal.

a)     Don’t just talk about it, do it.

H.    Remember, we cannot change by our selves; it must be done through the Holy Spirit working thought us.

1.     That is why we must stay in the race.

2.     What is the race?

a)     The word “sanctification” the process of becoming Holy.

I.       “And if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you”.

1.     Those of us who refuse to learn from this message, God will in His way show you.

a)     This can be the hard way.

(1)   Correction, chastening.

2.     God will use whatever it takes to bring His children into His will.

a)     You can do it the easy way (God's way)

b)     Or you can do it your way, which is the hard way.

3.     You can also read it this way; “If you don’t believe me, God will show you that what I say is true.”

XVI.         Verse 16,

A.    If the path in which you have gone (which is the right one) than continue in it.

B.    Don’t go off the path that has help you.

1.     If it is working and your life is changing to the good than keep on with it.

C.    I am not going to tell you God answers prayers, when He is not answering mine. If He is not taking care of me, I am not going to tell you He will take care of you.

XVII.       Verse 17,

A.    Paul is telling us to follow his life as a Christian.

1.     We need to find people who are Godly and find out what makes them Godly and do the same.

B.    It is amazing how simple Scripture really is. (Matt 11:29,30)

XVIII.     Verse 18-19

A.    God is telling us that many who say they love God are walking in the wrong way and are not of God.(Matt 7:21-23)

B.    Paul with tears sees how people use God to their own purposes.

1.     People using God to live the way they wanted.

2.     Some people keep looking for a church, which caters to what kind of life they want to live.

C.    What we should be looking for is a church that teaches the word.

D.    Remember, the Jews of Paul’s day believed in doing the law, and wanted people to see themselves doing it.

E.     Those that do these things for the most part are not saved, but others can be saved and going down the wrong path.

F.     The very thing that these people boost about is the very thing that will bring them down.

G.    What makes Paul so contend?

XIX.         Verse 20,

A.    Paul is proud to be called a Christian, as should we.

1.     Many people today are proud, of being a southern, or a citizen of the US.

B.    We are looking forward to the day Christ will be coming to take us home.

1.     The earth is a temporary place for us.

C.    “Conversation” here means a total way of life.

1.     Our life will be different in heaven.

2.     Remember, we will be totally sanctified.

XX.  Verse 21,

A.    As Paul tells us at the end of verse 20, that Christ is the one who will change us and is changing us as we grow with Him.

B.    “Our vile bodies” mean the body we have right now.

1.     When we get to heaven we will have a glorified body. It will be perfect.

C.    God is teaching us to stand fast until the day Christ comes back for us.

D.    Enjoy life through Christ, have a good time through your problems and don’t let your problems bring you down.

1.     We have Christ to help us as well as the Holy Spirit.

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[1]McGee, J. V. 1997, c1981. Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) . Thomas Nelson: Nashville