PHILIPPIANS
3
PRESSING
ON AND PRESSING IN
Chapter Three speaks to the Joy we have in
Believing: The Joy we have in pressing toward that Goal in Christ:
The Joy we have in remembering that our citizenship is really in heaven.
It's
all about the matters of our hearts.
I. That Matter of the Heart
Philippians
3:1-3
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same
things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of
dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the
circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
have no confidence in the flesh.
·
To
rejoice in the Lord
·
To
press on
·
To
worship God in the Spirit and not in the Flesh
In other words,
giving our all for Christ
But a body of believers even when full
of faith and growing spiritually can at the same time find itself in need of
warning and caution to be ready to stand strong against disturbances
that come and could bring problems in, around, through, and with the church.
Back in the Book of Acts, Luke speaks to
this when he says (in paraphrase)
THEY WERE OF US BUT WERE NOT A PART OF US…THEY WENT OUT FROM
US
How can that be? Isn't everyone who goes
to church there to seek unity, spiritual growth, humility and the truth of
Jesus Christ without being confused or causing confusion for others?
As a flourishing
church, the body in Paul's day had to also face those in leadership who were
still hung up on keeping the Law -- Judaizers. These folks were neglecting the
grace God had for them (that free gift we have all been given in Christ).
The
Bible tells us He came to set the captives free
John 8:33 John 8:36
Reflection: Why
was it unwise and even harmful to try to live as Christians while at the same
time want to keep the law rather than live in that freedom the Lord provided?
What was so wrong with the practice?
Note: Mixing
observances of the law with the doctrine of Christ and with the standards of
the Christian church caused dire confusion during Paul's day. This would be the
same for the average Christian today while at the same time the Bible tells us GOD
is Not the Author of Confusion.
Ps 71:1 tells us "Let me never be
brought to confusion"
(Titus 3:5 1 Corinthians 14:33)
That confusion
can bring doubt in what it means to have that personal relationship with Jesus and
living a victorious life. It also can make a believer come to think he or she is made righteous
by works over faith. But the Bible in Titus tells us: It's not by works of
righteous which WE have done but according to HIS MERCY HE saves us)
Paul warns often
in his letters of why the unwise tend to follow the traditions of man, which
takes away our freedom…which makes that freedom secondary. It causes people to
focus more on their traditions rather than focusing on God and what He did for
us, through Jesus Christ on the cross. It focuses on what a person can DO for
God or to make them think it is bringing them closer to God, rather than what
He does for them.
But think about what He did for you and me right there on the cross. He was able to say IT IS FINISHED.
The faithful services we
do, though they are good and pleasing to the Lord, are still the natural responses of our love for
the Lord. We serve Him because we love Him.
Living in our Faith is our spiritual response to our love for the Lord. It is the spiritual outgrowth that shows by our actions.
Why would Paul
say to the Philippian Christians and us "To write the same things to m , to you indeed is
not grievous but for you it is safe." Here, once again, Paul is
reminding the believer how important it is to know these things, he must write
to us about, and for him to share them is for our good.
Paul wants to
share with us what is SAFE for our walks. It should not be Grievous to hear
these warnings about dogs or about evil workers. They are out there. He just
wants us to be ready and not to be brought to confusion by them.
Sin and its
effects are going to be out there throughout our lives, and we are going to
have to face them; and we're going to have to deal with them, but it's important to note, our praise
and thanksgiving to Him is because He can deliver us from those sins and forgive us when we lay them at His feet and no longer look back.
It's in verse 2
that Paul emphasizes his warnings to the Philippians about the false teachers.
Though the Jews had called the Gentiles "dogs" We see it turned
around here when Paul instead shows us that it was the Judaisers who were the
dogs because it is defined here that dogs were a class of people who lived in
rigid ceremonialism -- as non-conformists, as evil workers, and those who lived
their salvation by doing works rather than by faith, and who tried to convince
those who were living by grace to do the same. (Those who were dogs had a way
of literally dicing up the word of God)
In verse 3 Paul
is just bringing out that to be of the circumcision was a spiritual matter of
the heart. To rejoice in the Lord and have no confidence in the flesh, in other
words.
Galatians
2:16, Romans 3:27, 2 Corinthians 11:13, Ephesians 2:9, 2 Timothy 1:9
II.
Outward
Show Inward Grace
Philippians
3:4-8
Though I might also have confidence in
the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the
flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe
of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in
the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for
Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Paul is showing here that, while
he could have easily boasted on his own upbringing because of his birthright,
being a native Israelite, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, being
taught by Gamiliel, a doctor and scholar, he counted all these things as
meaningless when compared to his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But he didn’t. To Paul, those things simply
didn’t matter. In fact he goes so far as to call them nothing more than dung. "But what things were gain to me, these I
have counted loss for Christ"
He's teaching the Philippian
believers the same thing, and for us to consider this too. Paul's glory was NOT
in the things of the flesh (according to the law) but the things that are of
the Spirit.
He made the choice to trust in
Christ, not his heritage (Which we can
also read about in Acts 26:5). Paul shows of the great difference in trusting
in the Lord over trusting in the flesh. Not proving his Christianity by outward
performance which means little to God but by inward Grace which is God evident
in him.
"But
none of these things move me, neither ount I my life dear unto myself, so
that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received
of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. " Acts 20:24
III.
Knowing
Him
Philippians
3:9-14
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: That I may know him, and the power of his
resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto
his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow
after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ
Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I
do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul again reiterates what he was
trying to say earlier that the righteousness of Christ is so much better for
all of us than the righteousness we earn by keeping the law but we also need to
understand that as we come to know Him better each day and as we continue to
grow in Him, we also will be sharing not only in the power of Christ but also
in the sufferings that take place in everyone's lives. The Bible tells us it
will rain on the just and the unjust. A trial is real, but we can get through
these as we look to him.
None of us have attained. None of
us are perfect. But just as it was shared in a Bible Study I recently attended,
it is so important for us to press on toward that mark -- press on to that high
calling God has for us -- press on in the race we are in to attain the prize
that awaits us. To press also means
persecution will come. We just need to press through it.
Are we willing as Christians to forget the
past and not allow ourselves to rest in our past works, but instead push
ourselves ahead? Are we willing to give our Christian walks everything we've
got?
Reflection: What are some things that
hinder you in your spiritual walk?
"Many people are hindered in their progress
because they are always looking at the past, either hung up by their failures,
or bitter against those who have hurt them, or resting on the laurels of their
past successes."
Chuck Smith:
How important it is to look forward to
what God has planned for our futures rather than how we might have messed up in
our past. Yesterday is gone. He grabbed hold of you and me for a purpose.
IV.
Keeping
Our Conversation Heavenward
Philippians
3:15-21
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if
in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,
let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark
them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I
have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies
of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and
whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from
whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may
be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he
is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Paul was able to set himself before the
believers as one who could be followed because of his example.
What are some ways they could follow
him. And we can follow him today? Let's remind ourselves once more...
·
Be likeminded
·
Stay
faithful to set our hearts and minds toward heaven
·
Stay
faithful to keep our focus on Jesus Christ
·
Make
Christ our all
·
Press
toward the mark
·
Bear
with one another
Once again in the section of Chapter
three, Paul warns of the enemies of the cross for whom we must watch. That it
is the design of those enemies of the cross to draw the believer away
·
Their
end for us is for destruction
·
Their
God is their belly (they mind earthly things not heavenly things)
·
Their
glory is in themselves and is to their own shame
It would be a dangerous thing for us to
even desire to follow them. Just as Matthew Henry writes in part: while we are
on earth…keep our conversation about heavenly things…the world is not our home.
It is better for us to have fellowship
with those who have fellowship with Christ. Verse 20 explains why. Because we
look for our SAVIOR who is from heaven; we keep our eyes on Him. We know He is
coming for us. We know He could come at any time. And I say Lord
please come quickly.
Though yes, this chapter is full of
warnings to us all as believers I love most the parts about joy.
·
The
Joy we can have when we stay faithful to keep pressing toward our Goal in
Christ --
·
The
Joy we have in remembering that our citizenship really is in heaven
·
The
Joy that He is transforming us each day into the person he wants us to be. (1 John 3:2)
His exhortations to us? To follow his
example - to beware of enemies of the cross - to be heavenly citizens and to look
for God's return.
Paul was sold out to Christ. He was
serious about pressing on to reach his goal. He was in a position to be able to
encourage us to follow in his footsteps as we follow Christ.
Ask yourself:
- Are you sold
out to Christ?
- Are you serious
about pressing on to reach that goal?
*****
SEEKING
CHRISTLIKENESS
What
does the “fellowship of his suffering” mean to you?
Why
is it important for us to forget the Past?
According
to Paul's teaching in chapter three, what is the difference between walking in
the spirit and walking in the flesh?
Read
Revelation 22:15 and Acts 16:16. What types of people are characterized there
as dogs?
How much do you as a Christian today rely on traditions for your salvation?
The
end of this chapter once again tells us about these aspects of the enemies of
the cross.
Where is their focus? here they will wind up
What are they taking pride in?
What will happen to them in the end?
What else can you say about them?
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