"Rejoicing in Christ"
Philippians 3:1-6

March 4, 2007
by C.W. Powell

“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. 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.” (Php 3:1-6 AV)

Intro: Paul has just finished his wonderful exhortation to the Philippians concerning the mind of Christ. It is the mind of Christ that will make them likeminded, of the same love, one accord and of one mind. If they have the mind of Christ, nothing will be done through vainglory, but each will esteem other better than themselves, and each will rejoice more in the development and use of the gifts of others, rather than in the development and use of his own gifts.

Paul had demonstrated the mind of Christ by the incarnation of Christ, his own personal testimony, and the examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus.

Some say there is a break at the end of chapter 2, and that Paul is introducing a new subject. Nothing could be further from the truth. Having demonstrated the truth, Paul now warns of the opposite mind, a mind that is canine, evil, that bites, devours, cuts, and wounds.

Let us begin our study of the words of chapter three, which we will complete in several sermons.

vs. 1. Finally: (Calvin) This word means to finished a continued course, that holy joy may be exercised even in the midst of many hindrances.

Same things: as he was admonishing all the churches; Philippians had not been affected yet by the Judaizers, but as a legal mind-set is the work of the flesh, it was safe and necessary that Paul deal with this matter.

"Dogs" Paul uses plain words. To fill their bellies they assailed true doctrine with their impure barking: impure or profane persons.

Judaizers: Paul deals with them more fully in Galatians, a church that was strongly influenced by them: they taught that you had to be circumcised and live according to the law of Moses in order to be a really good Christian. (Circumcision became the symbol of that mind-set: that perfection in Christianity is secured by adherence to the law of Moses.

"evil workers" Calvin: "Many that torture themselves on this occasion and on that, and intermeddle with many things." There is a distinction between "workers" and "evil workers." Perhaps a play on words here: The Judaizers boasted in their works, constantly barking on the necessity of "works" to secure salvation, showing their confidence in the flesh.

"concision" Paul does not even dignify them with the honor of the Jewish rite. He makes a pun on the word: not a cutting off, but a mutilation.

TRUE MEANING OF CIRCUMCISION:
I. Identification with descent from Abraham. This has no spiritual advantage now. There was tremendous advantage before the coming of Christ. Paul describes this advantage in Romans 4: "Because unto them were committed the oracles of God" They had the word of God. They had the promises, the covenants, the history of God's dealing with the world. They were keepers of the book. But that changed with the coming of Christ. This was the great significance of the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15: you did not have to become a Jew in order to be a Christian. Jews could become Christians; Christians did not have to become Jews.

II. Signification of the true nature of the whole of our faith.

A. Man's misery. We are sinners and deserved to be damned in hell forever for our sins. Both are signified by circumcision:

Deut. 10:16 "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked." Circumcision represented humbleness of heart and contrition before the Lord.

Jer. 4:1-4 “If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove. And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench [it], because of the evil of your doings.”

Lev. 26:41 “And [that] I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:”

Jer 9:23-26 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.”

Paul summarizes this in our text: Have no confidence in the flesh, which means no confidence in the law to sanctify or make perfect. For confidence in the law confidence in works.

B. Our Redeemer:

1. Abraham's circumcision was given as a promise that he would have a son, and bless the world. This points directly to Christ, for Isaac, though born or a miracle and given by promise, was not the seed of the woman promised by God in the Garden of Eden.
2. Male pride, and all the pride of man is abased, by the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. Man had nothing to do with the coming of Christ into the world. Even Mary understood this: Luke 1:46-55. The abasing of the proud, and the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and Israel. HE HATH DONE THIS!
3. Christ, the seed of the woman, would be cut off--He is made sin, and cut off for our sins. 2Cor. 5; Isaiah 53:7-10
4. Christ, being cut off, is the savior of the body, the church. Eph. 5:23-28. How great is the love of Christ, to be cut off for us. To be destroyed for us; to be counted as unclean and filthy and subject to the wrath of God. So that he might open a fountain for sin, for cleansing and redemption.
5. Christ, being cut off, enables us to cast off and put away the sins of the flesh; the uncleanness that would damn us from God's presence forever. Col. 2:8-23. We are complete in Him. He is the sum total of our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
Ye must be born again.

C. By circumcision, they were called to gratitude and praise to God.

1. To worship God in their hearts in love and praise: Romans 2:28,29.
2. To mortify the old man; their members upon the earth: Col. 3:5 Through the Spirit: because we are risen with Christ: Romans 8:10-14. We do not mortify the body by cutting it off, but by presenting it to Christ: to reckon it to be dead with Christ, but alive in His resurrection: Romans 12:1,2
3. To be separated from the world: We march to a different Spirit. It was a wall of partition, an artificial one that is now broken down, according to Ephesians 2; but the spiritual wall is more firm than ever:

II Cor. 6:14-18. Not on the basis of confidence in the flesh, or a fleshly separation on the grounds of race, ceremonies, or other carnal observances; but in terms of a new creature in Christ Jesus. What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.....1Cor. 6.

4. To cheerfully bear the cross that He lays upon us, to not count anything of the flesh dear to us: reputation, or even life itself. To have no confidence in the flesh, or to glory in the flesh, but to find all things in Christ. To whom be glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.

Conclusion: Now that Christ has come, there is no longer any religious reason for circumcision. There is no spiritual advantage to being a Jew; and it would be wicked to mourn now that the bridegroom has come. Christ has come; there is no longer any religious reason for circumcision, and those who say that we must keep the ceremonies of the old law in order to have a more perfect Christianity are guilty of tempting us away from Christ, for we are complete in Him, and all that we need is in Him.

Dependence upon Christ and dependence upon our works cannot be united in saving way.

Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

Galatians 3:12,18.
“And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.” (Ga 3:12 AV)
“For if the inheritance [be] of the law, [it is] no more of promise: but God gave [it] to Abraham by promise.” (Ga 3:18 AV)

It depends on how lost you think you are. If you think you are only a little lost, then you might find your way back. If you are only slightly wounded, the body may heal itself without any outside help. If you are basically good, and only make mistakes from time to time, but are good-hearted inside, then your basic goodness will probably help you correct those mistakes; which are not too important anyway.

But the Bible doesn't describe man's condition in these terms. It does not speak of natural ability, or slight wounds, or natural goodness. It speaks in the most absolute terms:

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

"There is none that doeth good, no not one."

"But now the righteousness of God without the law in manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

For Christ did not come to help you be saved. He did not come to glorify man's natural ability. He did not come to give you good thoughts about yourself or raise your self esteem.

For the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is God's exclamation point in history concerning man's ability to do anything to gain righteousness. Man cannot please God, but must suffer the wrath of God, either in himself, or in the substitute that God has provided. It is either by law, which works wrath; or by faith, which lays hold on the gospel and believes that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

May God bless you.

Amen and Amen.