Body

Phil 3:1-11 Beware Of the Dogs

"Watch out for those dogs." With this warning Paul turns his attention to those who would lead you into false paths. As Americans we have developed a "pluralistic society." We seem to feel that truth is relative, that my truth can be diferent from yours. So it is that rather than seeking objective truth, we agree to disagree. A belief seems to hold that "all religions are just as good" has led us down the path to the obvious conclusion, that no religion is any good. Paul warns us to watch out for those who lead us down that path.

He calls false teachers "those men who do evil." The evil they do is to give people a false sense of confidence. In cartoons we can often see a character run of the edge of a cliff and just keep running. Until he looks down. When he sees there is nothing to support him, he falls. Many who hold to false doctrine and false religion are in the same kind of situation. They are running on emptiness. And unless the come to the truth they too will fall. The difference is that the cartoon characters seem never to get hurt. If we holding on to a false trust, the fall we take can lead down to the depths of hell.

Paul uses strong language because this is serious business. calling folks "dogs" and "men who do evil" seems to us harsh. Going on to call those who advocate circumcision "mutilators of the flesh" is also strong. But strong problems need clear language.

Often I stress the need for unity in the church. If Christ's church is to be doing the work God has given it then that church must be united. Paul emphasizes over and over the need for the church to be one. But here Paul warns against a false unity. We are not called to "agree to disagree" we are called to seek the Spirit of Christ and walk together in his way. Some groups form their unity by falling in line with a strong leader. What the leader says is what they all will believe and what they all will do. The problem with that is that we are not called to follow human leaders, we are called to follow Christ.

A few years ago a strong leader arose in the bay area. That leader was an ordained Christian minister. But he drew people to himself, not to Christ. The end result was that he led his people off into the jungle where, at his command, they committed mass suicide. This was an extreme case. but unity built on "some other gospel" is unity which leads to destruction. People might live out their lives confident in a false doctrine their church teaches and not realize their loss until the moment of their death when they find themselve rejexted by God.

Unity in the church must be built on the dual foundation of love and truth. Without truth love can fail to bring us to heaven. Without love truth is simply dead doctrine without the power of Christ.

Paul says "it is no trouble to write the same things to you again." Some things bear repeating and one of them is this, "ONLY Jesus saves." There is no other name given under heaven by which men might be saved." We can not put any confidence in the flesh and the works of the flesh. Salvation comes from Jesus and NO WHERE else. Whatever else you may do, do not neglect Jesus. He is Lord. All we do is about him.

Paul spells out for us some of the ways we can have false confidence. We might simply have confidence in self. "I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul!" the poet cries.(Henly, Invictus.) If America has a religion of its own that religion must be "rugged individualism." I have heard church members say, "No one is going to tell me what to do." This is a statement of independence, from others and from God's word. The natural outflow of "rugged individualism" is the near anarchy we see in many cities today. Everyone is trying to "do there own thing" The motto seems to be, "I go mine." And the whole nation seems to being going downhill because no one can trust in others. Our faith is not "personal" it is shared with other members of Christ's body. We need each other. Even more, we need Jesus. Apart from Jesus we can do nothing.

Others put their trust in family heritage. Paul says, he he is "of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews." We see people who have a similer approach to life. They are "Native Californians." Or they trace their family history back to original settlers, perhaps even to original "spanish lands grants." Others will point out that their father or grandfather was a minister. Or that their family has been in the church for years. But its "not my father not my brother but its me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer." A simple line states it clearly, "God has no grandchildren." Your family may have a wonderful spiritual heritage but that does you little good unless you put your trust in Jesus. Your family doesn't save you, Jesus does. This is one reason we don't baptize babies. Baptism was designed to be a statement of your own personal choice to follow Jesus. Infant baptism shows your parents' faith but your parents' faith saves them, not you.

America is fertile ground for religions to sprout. Many people put their trust in a variety of religions. People's personal pilgrimages can take them through a Eastern Religions, Humanistic Religions, New age cults and a variety of Christian religions and Heretical Christian sects. The story is told of the two men sitting together on an airline. One was a professor of astronomy and the other a preacher. The astronomer commented that he flet that all the religion he needed to know was "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The preacher replied that in that case all the astronomy he needed to know was "twinkle twinkle little star." We live in a time of religious ignorace. Peope have come to think that all religions are basically alike. This is not so. If there are 100 who say they are right, 99 are going to be wrong. Most religions are leading to destruction, they can not save.

Trust in religion is not going to save you. But, we might separate out the one which preaches the truth. Paul was a zealous Pharisee. He had zeal for God. He worshipped the one true God. But even though he had held to religion zealously, that religion could not save him.

We believe that the Bible is God's Word. The church has been given the word of truth and the word of salvation. But joining the church does not bring salvation. Many people trust church activity as bringing salvation. But religion, even Christianity, can not save you. If we are to be saved we must move beyond religiosity to faith in Christ.

Connected with religion is works. Paul points out that he was "as for legalistic righteousness, faultless." Many hold to a wonderful form of Christianity. Their lives a shining examples of what we would want to see a Christian live like. They work hard in their church. But, they might still be lost. Paul notes that when he came to know Jesus he looked at all his wonderful religous activities and saw that they were no better than rubbish.

In his book, "Evangelism Explosion," James Kennedy raises two questions, The first is, "If you were to die today, are you sure you would go to heave?" The second is, If you were to die today what reason could you give God for letting you into heaven. Many people answer with some variety of works righteousness. They believe that God will let them in because they are "basically good people." Or they will say, "I'm no worse than other people" as if God graded on the curve. But Salvation does not come from works, it comes through Jesus Christ.

Paul sees this. "Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whose sake I have lost all things." Everything is Jesus. His work on the cross makes our works seen like rubbish. His work on the cross is th ONLY way to know eternal life. His work on the cross is the only thing that has eternal worth for us.

Jesus makes our treasures trash. Paul once looked at his own righteousness under the law. But now he looks to the "righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." In him we find life. In him we find true righteousness. In him we find fellowshiip. In him we find all the wealth that God has for us.

Jesus brings us the resurrection from the dead. His life is our life. In him is eternal life. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the Life, no one comes to the father but by me." If the goal of religion is to come to a knowledge and communion with God, then that goal can only be reached through faith in Jesus Christ. Any other teaching leads you astray.

Phil 3:8-9 Things To Think About

An old saw claims, "No news is good news." I am told that many think that "Good news is no news." So it is that when we read the paper or listen to the news on T.V. we hear a great deal of bad news and little that is encouraging or uplifting.

But this simply reflects human habits. Paul has much to say in his letters about gossip and rumor. He comments several times that he has heard about bad things happening in one church or another. Bad news seems to travel fast. And so it is that we find ourselves focusing in on all the terrible things going on around us.

Some people deal with the depressing nature of the news by simply not reading the paper or listening to the news on radio or T.V. Others listen and get more and more upset. And even if you avoid the news, rumor and gossip are hard to avoid. And so we find ourselves thinking on unworthy things.

But if we turn from the world of news and gossip we can look to entertainment. A recent articl in Christianity Today comments on the thems of several "kids movies." In one a man is taken from prison and sent on a secret mission. During that mission he kills about 100 enemy soldiers. In another cuddly little creatures and humans spend the movie divising ways to kill each other. In others a deranged man searches the night for victims whom he proceeds to hunt down one by one to mutilate and kill. Are these worthy things to give our attention to?

Or we may simply focus in on our troubles. Perhaps we have health problems. Perhaps we have family dificulties. Perhaps we have financial troubles. It is easy to focus in on the troubles and miss the good that is going on around us and in our lives. I read recently, "A poor self image naturally results from the tendency to focus attention on problems and shortcomings." (Net Results, June 1989)

The Psalmist, at a time when he needed help, wrote, "Our help is in the Lord who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip." We sing, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus." He is the source of our help and he is our strength. Paul calls us to turn our atention to higher things. But that call is issued to those who know the Lord. He is our strength. He gives us confidence so we can look beyond the troubles to the good. Paul ends this particular thought with, "The God of peace will be with you." All his imperitives concerning our thoughts grow out of an assurance concerning Christ's presence in our lives. Apart from Christ we should worrry, by in Chirst we can, instead go to him.

Paul centered in on a number of areas he considered worthy of thoughts. First of all he directs our attention to think about things that are true. Much gossip is false. Many thihgs that "everybody knows" are not really so. Paul turns our attention instead to whatever is true. Jesus said, "I am the Truth." We can think about him. But what are some other things that are true for us to think about?

Then he calls us to think on things that are honorable. What do you know that is honorable?

I hear a lot about the unfairness of the judicial system. Those who have nothing to do with it think it is too easy on criminals. Those who live inthe jail feel it is unfair that they are caught up in it. But surely we can find something just to think about.

So too, in movies, on T.V. and even in public pronouncements from Planned Parentlhood we see much impurity. But when we look we can find some things which are pure. What are they?

This is the season for lovely things, perhaps more than any other time of year. flowers are blooming. What else can you think on that is lovely?

What do yo know that is gracious, worthy of praise, excellent?

These are the things of which Paul says, Think on these things. Look for the good in each other. Look for the good in your church. Look for the good in your community. Fault finding is easy. But seeing the good and encouraging it seems to take a special effort. Note that Paul did not write "don't think about the bad things." He knew that whenever we get told not to do something we may well go right out and do it. Instead he turns our attention to the good. "Think about these things" he writes. And if we are busy thinking about the good, then we have less time to think about the bad.

Once a church called a new preacher. All the people were excited as his first Sunday arrived. The sermon was excellent. But then the second Sunday arrived. The sermon sounded familier. Some recognized it as the same sermon he had preached the previous week. They thought perhaps he had been busy getting settled in. On the third Sunday he preached the same sermon again. This time the deacons called on him. "When are you going to preach a different sermon?" they asked. He replied, "When you start doing what I told you in the first one." Paul wrote, "it is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again." Here he writes, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me - put it into practice." God's word is wonderful. We can love to sing song of Jesus. We can love to hear the word of God. But James calls us to move from hearers to doers. So does Paul. One writer commented that "History has the same relation to fact that theology has to religion," the suggestion being "none." We can spend out time talking about God, or we can go forth and live lives dedicated to him and to his way. Which do you show in your life. Godly talk, or Godly power?

REVIEW QUESTIONS

2) Who does Paul warn against? (2)

- Dogs, evil workers, the "mutilation" (false circumcision); i.e.,

Judaizers, those who would impose circumcision and the keeping of

the Law of Moses on Gentile Christians (cf. Ac 15:1-6)

3) What characterizes those who are the true circumcision? (3)

- They worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have

no confidence in the flesh

4) What sort of things could Paul have boasted pertaining to the flesh?

(4-6)

- Circumcised the eighth day

- Of the stock of Israel

- Of the tribe of Benjamin

- A Hebrew of the Hebrews

- Concerning the Law, a Pharisee

- Concerning zeal, persecuting the church

- Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless

5) How did Paul view these fleshly things? (7-8)

- As loss, as rubbish, in contrast to the excellence of the

knowledge of Christ Jesus

6) What was Paul's earnest desire? (9-11)

- To be found in Christ

- To have the righteousness that comes through faith in Him

- To know Him and the power of His resurrection

- To know the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His

death

- To attain to the resurrection from the dead

7) Did Paul view himself as having already attained, or having been

perfected? (12)

- No

8) According to Paul, what was the "one thing" he did? (13-14)

- Forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forward to

those things ahead, he pressed toward the goal for the prize of

the upward call of God in Christ Jesus

1) What are the main points of this chapter?

- Exhortations to unity, joy, and peace (1-9)

- Thanksgiving for their generosity (10-23)

5) In what are we to rejoice always? (4)

- In the Lord

6) Why are we to let our gentleness (or moderation) be known to all

men? (5)

- The Lord is at hand

7) What is the antidote for anxiety? (6)

- Letting our requests be made known to God with an attitude of

thanksgiving

8) What will the peace of God do in response to such thankful prayer?

(7)

- Guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus

9) Upon what should one meditate? (8)

- Whatever things are true

- Whatever things are noble

- Whatever things are just

- Whatever things are pure

- Whatever things are lovely

- Whatever things are of good report

- Anything of virtue, anything that is praiseworthy

10) How can one ensure that the God of peace will be them? (9)

- Do the things learned, received, heard, and seen in Paul

11) What had served as a source of great joy for Paul? (10)

- The Philippians' care for him flourishing again

12) What had Paul learned? (11-12)

- To be content in whatever state he found himself

13) How was Paul able to do all things? (13)

- Through Christ who strengthens him

19) What was Paul's final prayer for his beloved Philippians? (23)

- The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all