Philippians 3:1-6 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh — though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
Paul concludes his instructions and admonitions from chapter 2 with the statement: Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! He says to the church at Philippi, regardless of how successfully you have been serving the Lord, rejoice in the work of Christ purely because He is your propitiation for sin. He is the creator of the new life in you, and we glory in Christ Jesus, putting our trust in his sacrifice for our sins. Even though the Philippians might be circumcised and legalistically righteous by their obedience to the law and its tenets, Paul tells them to give Jesus the glory, for He alone has made them completely righteous before God. The Bible says, whatsoever is not of faith is sin. (Romans 14:23) In our everyday lives, there are many instances when we do not live by faith. There are times when we are filled with anxiety or fear because of what might happen in difficult situations, such as a sickness, a financial collapse, a job lost, and so on. In these situations, our faith often subsides and our fears or anxieties mount. We allow our assurance in God to fall to the wayside as we think of all the terrible possibilities ahead of us. In those moments of faithlessness, we are telling God that He is not enough for our lives. We wrestle back the control of our lives from him when we need him most. These are times when we are living outside of complete faith in God and his love. All of us go through these times. Yet we must remember what we read in God's Word: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. How can we live to please God, if our basic feelings, honest feelings, can be viewed as outside of God's will for us? SOLUTION: WE TRUST IN CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS AND NOT OUR OWN! WE TRUST IN GOD'S GOODNESS AND NOT OUR OWN. WE TRUST IN GOD'S FAITHFULNESS AND NOT OUR OWN. All of us who believe in Christ by faith will be in that position of trust when we breathe our last breath. We will of necessity have to trust completely in his righteousness, goodness, and faithfulness; for we will not be able to help ourselves any longer. This of course is the faith that spans eternity; this is the faith we lay at God's feet, when we are on the brink of death. Not our own life, but his life. Only faith in Jesus takes us to the other side.
In chapter 2, we hear Paul speak about Jesus becoming a servant to all and how Christ humbled himself and became obedient to death. (Philippians 2:8) We too are to humble ourselves, to take on the role of a servant to all. We are not to take our place of equality among our brethren as being necessary, but to become nothing for the service of God. But all of this can just become a process of good works, doing good because God expects us to be good, to be like him. To be perfect! But Paul says at the beginning of this chapter: rejoice in the Lord! The lifestyle of a servant is good, helpful, and Christ-like. Yes, serving is the Christian thing to do; yes, it reaps wonderful results; yes, it changes the lives of everyone around you, including your family; but all of these admonitions and instructions fail to make us as God is, even though the scriptures say, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5) This kind of mind in us, through the flesh's efforts, mirrors God; but nothing can change the true nature of man into God's nature other than the miraculous work of Jesus Christ on the cross. His work alone perfects us. His work alone makes us children of God. Nothing else will change our basic nature, accommodate the eternal presence of God. We will sometimes fail to do the right thing, to have the wrong attitude in us, our self-willed mind; but God's work in us through Christ identifies us as his own. Our souls' DNA has been changed permanently. We have been changed from sinner to saint, from alien to friend, from orphan to family. We are no longer alone in the universe: we are his children. Therefore, Paul says emphatically: rejoice in the Lord! We have a tremendous hope, as Paul wrote: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Now, Paul understood how easily people rejoice in their own exploits, experiences, knowledge, and wisdom. He understood how easily men and women justify their lives before God, relying on their religiosity and works rather than Christ's finished work at the cross and his continuing work in every believer. Paul put no confidence in the flesh, though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. He lists his qualifications not as a way of bragging but to show that he is faultless in fulfilling the tenets of the law. Before he came to Christ, he was as other Pharisees: meticulous in following the law, even to tithing one-tenth of their spices to God. He undoubtedly received much praise for his zeal to God from the people surrounding him. The leaders of the Jewish religious elite favored him by giving him the heavy responsibility of destroying any apostasy within the Judaic religion, thus the persecution of the Jewish Christians. But he counted all his favors and elevation within the Jewish community as dung. He counted all of his previous religious and life experiences as worthless that he might win Christ. He knew that nothing, even a circumspect life, could win God's favor, eternal life; only Christ's work could win God's approval. He wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:15-16) Therefore, nothing could distract Paul from putting his trust totally in Jesus Christ and his righteousness. Dear breakfast companions, Christ's work and his work alone has made us acceptable to God. Rest in that knowledge! Work for him! Live for him! The Creator of all things has brought new life to us, eternal life! He is our Grace! Praise him, children of the MOST HIGH.
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