One Safeguard: Joy in Christ (Philippians 3:1-3)

Pray & Intro: Review lessons in Philippians

Read Passage & Discuss: [blank slide]

1. Rejoice! Followed by a sharp warning against any form of human merit (works involved in salvation). Ethnicity or status or achievements do not demonstrate nor gain favor with God. External rituals do not gain favor with God! – God’s favor is granted freely. Our only call is faith in Christ alone for restoration to God. à G. B. Caird aptly comments: ‘the point of the ensuing argument is that Christian salvation, Christian conduct, Christian progress are all the product of God’s free, undeserved grace and not of human achievement, not even human spirituality’^[1]
2. Rejoice in the Lord. – The realm of the Christian’s joy is in the Lord – savior, master, owner, leader, Lord. That means there are no other sources of true joy. All other joys pale in comparison to joy in God. à Westminster Catechism: What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy him forever.
   1. Finally (J) – should be “furthermore” – beyond that, remaining, next (you get the point) à But it definitely denotes a transition in topic and tone. From fatherly encouragement to fatherly warning.
   2. Writing the same things to you – Does this refer to the repeated theme of joy or the repeated warnings from Paul to beware of the Judaizers? (I believe it is the second.)
      1. I don’t think Paul would make this comment about repeating “rejoice.”
      2. I do believe he is repeating warnings he gave them before, probably from when he taught them in person, about the Judaizers, the Galatian heresy. (adding external works of Judaism to faith in Christ) à explain with maps (slides) [blank slide]
      3. This safeguarding against legalism is not entirely disconnected from Paul’s command to rejoice. In fact, joy in Christ is essential to this safeguard. à We are joyful in God when we understand and appropriate sovereign, divine grace.
      4. [Let’s look at Paul’s warning.]

• The Judaizers in 3D – Paul turns their legalistic boasts to scathing rebukes. (We ultimately see clearly whom he speaks of by the third angle.)
  1. Unclean dogs – What did Jews call Gentiles (ones who had not become proselytes of Judaism)? Why? à But Paul says, “You who think that adding your spiritual rituals to faith confirms your standing with God, you are the unclean dogs. Unless your relationship to God is by grace alone through faith alone (and not a single drop of human merit), you show yourselves to be the very thing you hate—homeless, ravenous, scavenging dogs.
  2. Evil workers – They considered themselves to be the workers of righteousness. à Wicked busyness – Paul says that to be busy meriting favor with God is just plain wickedness.
  3. Mutilators – (instead of peritome he says katatome – like the cutting and self-mutilation of the pagan priest of Baal) Judaizers insisting on circumcision as a special sign of belonging to the God’s people

1. We are the circumcision – set apart with clean hearts; the covenant people who stand under God’s promises, the one true people of God under the New Covenant (True Christianity in 3D)
   1. Worship = service to God – As true believers, our worship (service to God) is accomplished only in the Spirit and by the Spirit.
      1. The emphasis here is to contrast the external religious service of the old Jewish system with internal worship, as well as to contrast religious efforts in the flesh verses true worship in God’s Holy Spirit.
      2. What did Jesus teach the Samaritan woman at the well in Jn. 4:21-24? True worship would soon not be about any place or particular religious behavior but about a person, Jesus Christ. Now true worship occurs when the Spirit of God convicts and changes our spirit to go from trusting in self to trusting in Christ alone. – By grace, through faith, so that no one can boast… in self.
   2. Boasting in Christ Jesus: to display and proclaim publicly (and ostentatiously) a satisfied contentment with one’s own or another’s achievements (the paradox of this boast is that it turns away from self and sings the praises of another, namely Christ Jesus) à For, as Paul will make abundantly clear, we have nothing to boast in. à Gal. 6:11-15
   3. [The third angle of true Christianity, next to worship in the Spirit and boasting only in Christ, is placing no confidence in the flesh.]
   4. Confidence: NOT in the flesh (b/c Christ is our boast)
      1. “In flesh” here comprehensive of all [other] things in which human beings place their trust, from which Paul specifically will single out Jewish privileges and achievements.
      2. Paul is making every effort to make this point abundantly clear in his warning: To place any confidence in the flesh is to not be trusting ONLY in the righteousness of Christ. Confidence in the flesh means boasting in self rather than what is to be the only boast of the believer—the glory of God in the cross of Christ. This pride means to be relying on physical birth and external behaviors and rituals as your service to God, but the worship (spiritual service) God desires and deserves is precisely the opposite. It is humble recognition and appropriation of the free grace of God to make us true worshippers in spirit by His Holy Spirit because of what Christ accomplished to the glory (boast) of God.
      3. Do you see why Paul’s warning is so urgent to these ones he loves so dearly? It isn’t just “Don’t let them steal your joy.” It’s “Don’t let them lead you into a so-called Christianity that isn’t saving faith.”
      4. Next Week: Paul’s personal testimony – from confidence in the flesh’s efforts at righteousness to confidence in Christ’s righteousness.
   5. Wrap it up and take it home: Joy in the Lord is your safeguard against legalism.
      1. HOW? B/c to be joyful in the Lord is to put no confidence in the flesh, but instead to place all your trust, your persuasion, your conviction on the person and work of Jesus on your behalf. To be joyful in the Lord is to know Jesus, to gain him, to be found in him, trusting in His righteousness alone. To be joyful in the Lord is to go on living by God’s grace alone at all times and in all circumstances. To be joyful in the Lord is to lay aside all the trappings of this life and put your hope fully on the glory that is to be revealed and completed upon his return for those who are his.
      2. What is joy? – burden lifted; tasting the goodness of God
      3. Safeguard: protection against possible danger or failure

^[1] O’Brien, P. T. (1991). The Epistle to the Philippians: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 360). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.