Rejoice in the Gospel

Rejoicing in the Gospel

Turn in your Bibles to Philippians chapter 3 and verse 1. It's where we left off last week. It's where we're going to pick up this morning as you're turning this morning to the book of Philippians chapter 3.

I think about what the psalmist said. It's good for us to give thanks unto the Lord. Candy, it's good to give thanks unto the Lord. If there's anything, anything, anything that we have reason to rejoice of in this life, if you're saved, you have Jesus to rejoice in.

March 1987, you've heard it time and time again, but praise God. I got born again in March 1987. I got saved like that song says. Not because of anything that I'd done, but because of what Jesus Christ did for me.

And the Holy Spirit applied that to my life. And it's been different ever since then. And I'm thankful for that. Today, we're going to read the first verse through the 19th verse of Philippians and try to make our way through these 19 verses.

I know we normally don't go through that many verses. We'll try. If we can, we can. If we don't, we won't. But we're going to give proper attention to the Word of God. I say this with gladness and with joy to you today as I look out over you, that I am glad to say that the only thing that I have to offer you is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The world has plenty to offer, but the world is passing away. The Word of God will endure forevermore. And so, this morning, before we read the Scripture, let's go to God in prayer together. Heavenly Father, God, I just want to come to You and I want to thank You and I want to praise You for who You are.

Dear God, not for what I deem You to be, but simply for who You are. That You are, according to Your Word, that Wonderful. You are the Counselor. You are the Mighty God. You are the Prince of Peace. You are the Everlasting Father.

You are Redeemer.

You are the Rock.

You are the Strong Tower. You are my hope today, God. I can't make this cry for anyone else, but I can make this cry from my heart to praise You for who You are, according to Your Word today. And I thank You so much.

Heavenly Father, today would You please open up Your Word unto the redeemed of God today, that their hearts might be encouraged, that they would be strengthened in the faith. And dear God, that You in Your mercy and Your grace might open the blinded eyes today, that You might unloose the deaf ears, dear God, that You may bring the dead to life, dear God, that You may bring eternal life to a heart, to a soul who is in this place or who hears Your Word today, dear God.

I'm so thankful that Your Word is alive and it is powerful and that it is sharper than any two-edged sword, God, that You can do what myself nor any other preacher can do, but You can cut to the dividing asunder of the joints and the marrow of the soul and of the spirit, dear God, and that You can discern the thoughts and the intents of men's hearts.

Draw us unto Yourself today. Be with them that are sick. Help ma 'am, God, in her time, dear God, of sickness today. Dear God, be with Chris's daddy today. Dear God, be with all those that have requested prayer today, dear God.

We pray, dear God, for those in this place today, dear God, as we rightly ought to. For Tam, dear God, for taking care of Will, that You would help Will, dear God, that You would encourage their hearts and their minds, dear God, that they would be strengthened with might according to the Spirit in their inner men today, dear God.

Glorify Yourself in the church, for it is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. The book of Philippians chapter 3 and verse 1, the Scripture reads like this,. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

By the way, if we had a theme or a title for the message, it would be this, Rejoicing in the Gospel. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same thing to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation. For we are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit. Rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks that he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so.

Circumcise 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.

But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ.

The righteousness which is from 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 may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, have this mind, and if anything you think otherwise, God will reveal this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.

Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who walk so as you have us for a pattern, for many walk of whom I 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 set their mind on earthly things.

Rejoicing in Christ and Not in the Flesh

And that was the reading through verse 19. So, going back to the very beginning verse here, verse 1, and keeping in mind, remembering that Paul has stressed the importance of the gospel, Paul has stressed up until this point being unified in the gospel of Jesus Christ, in the doctrine of Jesus Christ, in the person of Jesus Christ, Paul has encouraged the saints at Philippi to continue on in the faith for the purpose of being blameless and harmless, the sons of God who are without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and a perverse generation.

He's taught them that they are to do this by holding fast, holding to the word of life, so that when the day of Christ comes, they may rejoice together. We see rejoicing as a common theme throughout this epistle.

Even in the circumstance of Paul's life, we see this theme of rejoicing. His rejoicing is in Christ Jesus. In the latter part of chapter 2, verse 17 through 30, we see how Paul has encouraged the saints, how Paul commends Timothy and Epaphroditus to the church.

And then, here in verse 1, we pick up where Paul is beginning to bring to a close this letter, even though there is the third and fourth chapter still left, he's bringing to a close this letter to Philippi, and so he does it in a way that is understandable, he does it in a way that is clear, and he says, Finally, my brethren, as though to say, here we go, I'm fixing the clothes, I'm going to wrap things up, I'm going to try to bring everything together for you to summarize what has been spoken thus far, and so what Paul says is, Finally, brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

Now, when he speaks of the Lord, we know and understand from the context of this passage that he's speaking of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of Jesus Christ, and Spurgeon said this, The hearing of the gospel involves the hearer in responsibility.

It is a great privilege to hear the gospel. You may smile and think that there is nothing very great in it. The damned in hell know what they would give if they could hear the gospel now, if they could come back and entertain but the shadow of a hope that they might escape from the wrath to come.

The saved in heaven estimate this privilege at a high rate, for having obtained salvation through the preaching of this gospel, they can never cease to bless their God for calling them by His word of truth.

Oh, that you knew it.

On your dying beds, the listening to a gospel sermon will seem another thing than it seems now. Now, do you appreciate the gospel of Jesus Christ? The gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul said, I've repeated it to you, in Romans chapter 116, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.

Were it not for God sending His only begotten Son into this world, born of a woman, born under the curse, and having lived a sinless life, being crucified, being made an atonement for my sin and for your sin, and having been buried and raised again the third day, and ascended to the Father, we would have no hope.

How can anyone ever tire of hearing that message? Paul said, rejoice. How are we to rejoice? Later on in the New Testament, we find Paul giving instruction to the church, and he says, listen, when the church gathers, you ought to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, which is what we try to do, amen?

And these songs and these hymns and these spiritual songs that we sing, when they're magnifying to the Lord, it rejoices our hearts. Does it not yours? There's an old hymn that goes like this. I serve a risen Savior.

He's in the world today. I know that He is living. Whatever men may say, I see His hand of mercy. I hear His voice of cheer. And just the time I need Him, He is always near. The second verse says, in all the world around me, I see His loving care.

And though my heart grows weary, I never will despair. I know that He is leading through all the stormy blast. The day of His appearing will come at last.

He lives. He lives.

Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.

He lives. He lives.

Salvation to impart. A man cannot be saved outside of the grace of God. And so our reason for rejoicing, as Paul's reason laid out to the Philippian believers, was to rejoice in the Lord. You can have and find happiness in a lot of things in this life, but true joy only comes from the Lord.

How else can a man who spent most of his saved life, when the modern gospel preaches and teaches that when you get saved, your life becomes a bed of roses and you never have any problem, I wonder how that would have went over in Paul's day.

The Apostle Paul, his entire saved life from the moment of salvation, was a life spent in hiding. Was a life spent being tortured. Was a life spent being beaten. Was a life being stoned. Was a life being in prison.

Was a life of having less than enough, most of the time, physically speaking. But he had Jesus. And Jesus was enough. And I'm persuaded that if it was good, as the old song says, if it was good for our fathers, it's good enough for me.

That's just me. He is our reason for rejoicing. If you would turn back to Luke's gospel for just a moment. Luke's gospel chapter 10. Luke's gospel chapter 10 and verse 17. Luke chapter 10 and verse 17.

We pick up here, just to give you the context. The Lord has called the 70, appointed 70 to go out, two by two before His face into every city and the place where He was about Himself to go. And He told them to go and to preach the Kingdom of God.

Matter of fact, just let me read it. He said, when you go, whatever city you enter in, they receive you. Eat such things as are set before you. And this is what He told the 70. He said, heal the sick there and say to them, the Kingdom of God has come near to you.

Now, we understand that from the text of Scripture, this was for this time, for the purpose of authenticating the gospel message. But let's read in verse 17. In verse 17, the Scripture says,. Then the 70 returned with joy.

They returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. And He said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you nevertheless.

So He said, I am giving you power for this time, for this purpose to preach the gospel, that I am not short behind in coming to them. And He said, they came rejoicing, they came pumped up, they came on fire, and they came and they said, Lord, we are rejoicing because the demons are even subject unto us.

But He said, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Our reason for rejoicing is not in the things which we do, which when it comes down to the end, that is what we want to bring out to you.

Our reason for hope is not in the things that we do or have done, or good deeds that we think we possess and practice, but our hope is in Jesus Christ and Him alone. Paul goes on here to say this, Rejoice in the Lord, for to me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

And he said, beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation. The same thing was going on with Philippi as it was with Galatia and Colossia and all the other churches and the saints that were dispersed throughout the regions.

The Bible teaches us that the problem was there were Judaizers, men and women who wanted to come and always, even after the grace of God was preached, to bring in the law to add to the finished work of Jesus Christ.

There can be nothing added to the work of Jesus Christ. And he went on, he said, There are dogs, there are evil workers, there are mutilation because they came saying that you had to be circumcised in order to prove your faith in Christ.

And he clarifies this. Paul says this, For we are the circumcision who worship God in spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus. And he makes a strong statement right here, And we have no confidence in the flesh.

We are called out of this world unto Christ. If you are saved, that is what you have been called unto. And we have been called to a life of holiness. And we have been called to receive what theologians refer to as an alien righteousness.

Righteousness, which is by faith, is not found in you or myself. And I am going to read to you from the Scriptures what Paul himself, the very one who authors this letter to the Philippians, what he says about having confidence in the flesh.

Turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 3 please. Romans chapter 3. And we are going to begin reading in verse 9. Paul is speaking to the Roman Christians and he is reminding those who are Jews and Gentiles alike that all are under sin, that not one is better than the other.

And then he addresses the issue of works, and this is what he says, and he addresses the state of man. Man, by the way, doctrinally speaking, is totally depraved. Man is unable in and of himself to redeem himself from the curse of sin.

We are not able. Listen, I was not able to cooperate with God to put my two cents in and Him save me. I had to be saved on His terms or not saved at all.

Any of you there?

Listen to what Paul says concerning man. What then? Are we better than they? Paul is speaking. Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written, there are some righteous.

Are you reading along?

Don't let the preacher trick you. There is none righteous. No, not one. There is none who understands. There is none who seek after God. They have all turned aside. They have altogether become unprofitable.

There is none, no one, who does good. No, not one. Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have practiced deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.

They are swift to shed blood. And destruction and misery are in their way. And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God.

Therefore, by the deeds of the law, by doing the law, by keeping the commandments, by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now, but now the righteousness of God, this alien righteousness, but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed.

Being witnessed by what? The law and the prophets. So he is speaking of Jesus Christ and he is speaking of how the law of God and the prophets of God, the Old Testament, has borne witness to Jesus Christ.

By the mouth of two or three witnesses let every word be established. And he said, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference for all of sin and fall short of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.

Just to give you a quick, bring you up to speed just what we have read right there in Romans. What Paul is speaking of when he talks about God's forbearance and he has passed over the sins that were previously committed, he is not saying that God okayed those sins that were committed by Old Testament saints of God who did not see Jesus Christ or know Jesus Christ.

He was saying that God who is patient and loving and merciful for the time he provided them a way to cover the sins for a temporary season but when Jesus came he became the covering and the altar for sins of mankind.

Hallelujah for that.

And so the scripture goes on to say this. To demonstrate that God did this to demonstrate, to show at the present time his righteousness. That he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Where is boasting then? Is it excluded? By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. So Paul says have no confidence in the flesh.

Back to Philippians chapter 3. Paul says have no confidence in the flesh. Do not lean upon the flesh. Do not hold to your good works. The Catholic Church the reason that we are reformed is because of the teachings of the Catholic Church over the centuries has been trust in Jesus Christ and trust to your good works but salvation is not by trusting in Jesus and by trusting in your good works salvation is by faith alone.

Through grace alone in Christ alone.

There is nothing else. There is no ifs. There are no ands and there are no buts. And Paul, excuse me, goes on to say maybe try and trim the mustache. Paul goes on to say here and I'll try to move through this but this is very important.

Paul communicates that they ought not to have confidence in the flesh and then in verse 4 he said if anybody ought to have confidence in the flesh it ought to be me is what Paul said. Now I cannot say something like that and I don't think any of you in this place could ever say anything like that.

That if there ever was a picture of righteousness by works it would be me. He was saying I'm the poster boy for what you need to measure up to according to the law. Understand this. According to the law that's what Paul was saying.

He said in verse 5 he said I was circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin. I had the right things done to me. I was born in the right family. I was a Hebrew of Hebrews.

I was in the right religion if you would have it. He said concerning the law I was a Pharisee. I was a teacher of the law is what he said. He said concerning zeal concerning excitement concerning enthusiasm I was so against Jesus Christ that I persecuted those who proclaimed his name.

And then he said concerning the righteousness which is in the law blameless. What a resume this man had. And yet Paul says in verse 7 but what things were gained to me these have I counted lost for Christ.

Keep in mind keep in mind and this is what we're going to we're going to push down through these verses and we're going to close but I want you to know this. I want you to recognize something in this.

Because when a person speaks there ought to be a logical coherence to what they say.

Amen.

Have you ever heard anybody speak speak something they start over here and then they end up way out yonder and you don't even know how you got started or where you ended up at. Paul is not like that. Paul is very clear in this speech to the Philippian church.

He begins by encouraging them to rejoice. Then he lays in to the fact that none are righteous and that they ought not ever to depend upon their flesh for any good thing. And then he lays out what he thought was his goodness and what he thought made him right in the sight of God.

What he thought justified him in the sight of God. But he says I realize something all those things all those good works were nothing. And matter of fact he goes on in verse 8 he says yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may win Christ.

If you've got a King James Bible the King James Bible uses the word dung. We're all from the country we all know what that is, right? And he said this that I may gain Christ and be found in Him. Have you been born again?

Are you born again? Are you walking daily with the Lord? Do you have a hunger and a thirst for the things of God? And he said be found in Him. Where do you find yourself today? That is not a question I can answer for any of you.

Only you know today are you found in Him or are you outside of Jesus Christ? And if you are depending upon anything other than what Jesus Christ has done you are lost and you must be born again. He said be found in Him not having my own righteousness having the righteousness of Christ imputed unto me.

Remember again justification is God imputing the righteousness of Christ to the sinner. Have you had the righteousness of Christ imputed unto you? If not you must be born again. He goes on right here to say this which I do not have my own righteousness which is from the law but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which is from God by faith.

He told the Ephesian church. By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. For we are His we are created unto good works.

In Him.

That is what the scriptures teach. Verse 10. Paul said that I may know Him that I may know Him that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. And this is coming from the man who is locked up in a dump, dank prison cell who seemingly by all the worldly standards has no hope of looking forward to to anything and yet he has Jesus Christ.

And he said be made conformable to the fellowships of His sufferings and conformed to His death. If by any means. If by any means if it takes me suffering and being persecuted. Paul was saying this if it takes me being suffering and it takes me being persecuted then hallelujah to the Lamb of God.

Any way that I can be made to identify with Jesus Christ.

Hallelujah.

And he said not that I have already attained or am already perfected but I press on. Last night in bed I shared this with April. I said I've got to tell somebody this before I preach this in the morning because this is so wonderful.

This is so wonderful. Many times we'll read this verse here this 12th verse and this 13th verse and this 14th verse there 12, 13 and 14. We'll read that out of the context of the Scripture itself out of the rip from the context of Philippians what the letter is saying and what the letter is about.

And we'll read that. And we'll read how Paul said I've not attained or I'm not already perfect but I'm pressing on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. And then he said in verse 13.

Brethren.

I do not count myself to have apprehended. I do not count myself to be handcuffed. I do not count myself to be chained. I do not count myself to have been incarcerated or to be impeded he said. But one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead I press for the mark of the prize of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus.

He said.

If ripped from the context what we read that as saying is this we think Paul was saying all these bad things that I'm going through right now they ain't gonna stop me. Paul is not saying that for when we read it within the context of this passage of Scripture Paul is saying those good works that I did those things are not gonna hold me back those good things that I did.

I'm not gonna look back.

To those things anymore I'm gonna forget about all the good that I ever thought I did.

And I'm gonna look up to Jesus.

Hallelujah what a change that will make if you'll stop looking back at all the good you think you've done and realize that ain't none of us good that there's none of us righteous that there's none of us who sought after God but that from the start of salvation.

In your life.

That it was God.

Who was seeking you.

That it was God.

Who sought me.

And it is God.

Who sanctifies.

And it is God.

Who will glorify.

I'm forgetting those things which are behind me not the bad stuff the good stuff it's the good stuff we tend to hold up to the Lord but the prophet Isaiah said that even all our righteousnesses are nothing but filthy rags in His sight so I'm not gonna let those things apprehend me.

I'm not gonna let those good things keep me back from being obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ but he said my hope and my trust and my stay in every single way and in every area of life will be in Jesus Christ in Him alone.

Every hope that I have in this old sinful world is anchored in the blood of the Lamb.

Hallelujah.

He said this.

Therefore.

Verse 15.

Let us.

As many as are mature who is he speaking to? He's speaking to the church at Philippi. He's encouraged them already to be of the same mind concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ. He's exhorted them to be of the same mind concerning the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

And he's exhorting them here once again to be mature to be adult in their Christian thinking to be sober minded to be scripturally grounded and founded. And let this mind be in you. And he said. If anything you think otherwise he said.

I pray God will reveal this even unto you. Hallelujah. What an example for us little preachers to realize and to understand and to know that I can't convince you of anything that I can't make you anything better than you are.

But oh the God that I serve the God that saved me in March 1987 and who sanctified me ever since that day and one day after a while will glorify me not according to the works of righteousness which I have done but by his loving mercy and grace which he sent his son to die on the cross for me will finish the work that he has begun.

And he will do that for you. Nevertheless to the degree that we have already attained. Let us walk by that same rule. Let us be of the same mind if you would stand with us this morning. Let us be of that same mind.

Let us be of that same mind.

Brethren.

Paul said in verse 17, 18 and 19 join in following my example and note those who so walk as you have us for a pattern for many walk of whom I 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 set their mind on earthly things.

The Danger of Judaizers and Confidence in the Flesh

I had the privilege this morning before church Aaron texted me. Remember I didn't request prayer for him but let's make it a regular part to pray for Aaron Case and to pray for Eden Chapel. He's a man of God that tries to stand firm on the word of God so I want to encourage him.

But he had texted me this morning. And in our communications the back and forth it basically came down to this that the issues of life that false teaching that false doctrine that world issues things that come up that must and rightfully needfully need to be addressed from the pulpits of our churches today.

That we do not even have to force these things into the message but they come naturally when we give attention and time.