Introduction:
A. In April of 1988, the evening news told the story of a photographer who was a skydiver.
1. This skydiving photographer had jumped from a plane along with numerous other skydivers and filmed the group as they fell.
2. The film clip, taken by the skydiving photographer that was shown on the news report, showed each of the skydivers falling and then showed each of their chutes opening.
3. Then suddenly, the film clip went berserk, jerking this way and that.
4. The news reporter explained that the picture became so chaotic because that was the moment that the skydiving photographer had reached for his own ripcord only to discover he had forgot to put on his own parachute.
5. Sadly, at that point, none of the other skydivers could help him and he fell to his death.
6. That skydiving photographer had trusted in something that was not worthy of his trust.
B. Similarly, all of us remember the investment scandal led by Bernie Madoff.
1. In 2008, Madoff was arrested for running an elaborate Ponzi scheme, in which he paid very high guaranteed returns on investments with the proceeds from new investments rather than from returns on investments.
2. He was sentenced to 150 years in prison and charged with restitution of $170 billion.
3. In November of 2015, a U.S. judge authorized 1.42 billion to be given to victims of the scheme.
4. I doubt that many of his 4 thousand 8 hundred clients will see much of their money returned.
5. Those investors had trusted in someone who was not worthy of their trust.
C. In Philippians chapter three, the apostle Paul made some very important points about righteousness, and he spoke from personal experience.
1. Paul was like the skydiving photographer and a spiritual investor – Paul thought he had made the right spiritual investments and thought he was wearing the right parachute.
2. But Paul was wrong, and he discovered that when he met Jesus Christ.
3. Paul explained in today’s section from chapter three that there are only two kinds of righteousness (righteousness in this case has to do with our spiritual standing before God).
1. The two kinds or paths to righteousness are works righteousness and faith righteousness.
2. One is valuable and acceptable to God, and the other is not.
4. As we explore today’s verses, I hope that we will discover which is the acceptable righteousness and that our study will help us confirm that we are approaching God in a way that is acceptable to Him.
5. As we approach this subject, we will need two sermons to properly address it.
6. Today’s sermon will explore works righteousness, and the next sermon will explore faith righteousness.
WORKS RIGHTEOUSNESS (3:1-6)
I. The Exhortation (3:1-3)
A. Verse 1 begins, “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.”
1. Our English translations begin 3:1 with “finally,” but the Greek word really means “for the rest,” and introduces a new section of the letter.
a. Paul established two important things in verse one before he goes on to his new subject.
2. First, Paul established what we might call the indestructibility of Christian joy.
a. As he has said often in this letter, he says again: “Rejoice in the Lord.”
b. The significant qualifying phrase is “in the Lord.”
c. It is always easy to rejoice in payday, or playday, or in fair weather, but the Christian can always rejoice in the Lord no matter what.
d. Our relationship with God is a permanent certainty and a source of continuing joy.
3. Second, Paul established what we might call the necessity of repetition.
a. When Paul said, “It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again…”, he was about to repeat a previous warning.
b. However, this word of warning does not appear earlier in this letter, so it must have been delivered to them earlier, either when Paul was with them, or in a prior letter that we are not aware of.
c. At any rate, Paul found it necessary to do what every parent, preacher and teacher must do – repeat important information.
d. One of my faults as a preacher, and perhaps one of our faults as listeners is our desire for newness and novelty.
e. We don’t want to hear the same old things over and over, we want to hear something new.
f. But the great saving and sanctifying truths of Christianity do not change and we cannot hear them too often.
g. And, by the way, when was the last time you told those who love you: “You don’t need to tell me you love me since you have already said it in the past?”
1. No, we like to hear expressions of love over and over again.
B. Quite suddenly, in verse 2, Paul changed his tone as he bluntly and boldly cried out against certain false teachers.
1. Paul wrote: “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.”
2. Just who was it that Paul was warning the Philippians about?
3. To answer that question, let me remind you about the story of the early church.
a. From the very beginning of Christianity, the gospel went first to the Jews or to Jewish proselytes and the first 7 chapters of Acts reveals that fact.
b. But then in Acts 8, the church is scattered by the persecution and Christians went to Samaria and shared the gospel with the Samarians.
c. That didn’t cause too much upheaval, since the Samarians were partly Jewish.
4. But then in Acts chapters 10 and 11, Peter was led by God to Cornelius’ house, who was a Gentile, and then Peter allowed them become Christians.
a. Peter was “called on the carpet” for his actions and gave an explanation that seemed to settle the problem for a short time.
5. Meanwhile, Saul of Tarsus, a Jewish Pharisee and opponent of the church, was converted to Christ and became Paul the apostle.
a. Paul immediately began a Gospel preaching ministry to the Gentiles.
6. Opposition to Paul’s ministry began by strict Jewish Christians who believed that it was necessary for Gentiles to submit to the Jewish Law, primarily circumcision, in order to become Christians.
7. This disagreement led to a conference of all the Apostles and elders at Jerusalem that is described in Acts 15.
a. The result of that conference was the approval of Paul’s ministry and an agreement that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ and that Gentiles did not have to become Jewish proselytes in order to become Christians.
8. Unfortunately, the dissenters were not content with the conclusion of the Jerusalem conference.
a. The dissenters followed Paul wherever he went and tried to steal his coverts and steal the new churches he had established.
b. These dissenters were often called Judaizers, or the “circumcision party.”
c. They insisted that in addition to faith in Jesus, a person must be circumcised and observe the other Jewish laws and customs in order to be acceptable to God.
9. I think you can see how their false teachings cut at the very core of the gospel of faith and grace, and why Paul would give such a strong warning about them.
C. Let’s notice the three things that Paul called them.
1. First, he said, “Beware of the dogs.”
a. In those days the orthodox Jews called the Gentiles “dogs,” but here Paul turned the tables and said that it was the orthodox Jewish Christians who were the dogs.
b. He was not just calling names, rather he was comparing these false teachers to the dirty scavengers that roamed the streets at night in ancient times.
c. Like those kinds of dogs, these Judaizers snipped at Paul’s heels and preyed upon the helpless and unsuspecting new Christians.
2. Second, Paul said of them “beware of those men who do evil.”
a. Those Jewish opponents were quite sure that they were workers of righteousness, but they were badly mistaken.
b. Paul called them evil workers because of the effect of their teaching was to take people further way from God instead of bringing them nearer to God.
c. Every teacher must be careful to teach only what are God’s truths or they will be leading others astray and therefore will become an evil worker.
3. Paul’s last description of these false teachers was “beware of those mutilators of the flesh.”
a. Paul used a pun on the word “circumcision” that can only be detected in Greek.
b. Rather than use the word “circumcise” he used one that sounds just like it, but means “mutilation.”
c. In essence, Paul said, “You Jews think you are circumcised and are circumcising, but you are really only mutilated and mutilators.”
d. In other words, “this religious ritual you insist on is only effecting the flesh and is having no positive spiritual effect.”
D. As Paul moved to verse three, we see that he described the true Christians as the true circumcision.
1. Paul wrote: “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…”
2. And so, Paul clarifies that the true circumcision is characterized, not by a mark on the flesh, but by an attitude of the heart which is expressed in three ways.
3. The first characteristic of the true Christian is Spiritual worship.
a. We who worship by the Spirit of God worship not according to human preference, or subjectivism, or misguided ecstatic experience, but worship in Spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23-24).
4. The second characteristic of the true Christian is a glorying in Christ.
a. Paul boasted in only one thing – which was Jesus Christ and Jesus’ cross (Gal. 6:14).
b. These false teachers gloried in ancestry, orthodoxy, and legalism, and yet none of those things have the power to save.
c. It is so important that we don’t glory or trust in our own accomplishments (however good they might be), but that we glory and trust in Christ alone.
5. The final characteristic of the true Christian is that he or she puts no confidence in the flesh.
a. Putting confidence in the flesh would be the opposite of trusting in Christ.
b. When Paul used the term “flesh” he was referring to human nature, pride, and action.
c. Those Judaizers were trusting in the flesh rather than in Christ.
II. The Example (3:4-6)
A. Many times in life, when someone cannot live up to a certain standard, they turn on that standard and criticize it.
1. When a person does that, we are inclined to say that they just couldn’t cut it and they are trying to excuse themselves.
2. Like the person who can’t pass a certain test criticizes the test, rather than honestly assessing their abilities or preparation.
B. But that was not the case with the apostle Paul.
1. Paul had every reason to put confidence in the flesh, and that’s where his confidence had been for many years – until he met Jesus.
2. In this intensely autobiographical section, Paul laid out his pedigree – one that these Judaizers would have envied, but one that was without merit in God’s sight.
3. Paul wrote: 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. 5 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; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
4. Paul’s pedigree list falls into three catagories.
a. First, in relation to his Jewish nation…
1. He was circumcised on the right day – 8th day.
2. He was an Israelite by birth, not a proselyte by conversion.
3. He was from a favored tribe – Benjamin – King Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin.
4. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews, meaning he maintained a fluency in the Hebrew language and customs.
b. Second, in relation to the law…
1. He was a Pharisee – the pinnacle of Jewish religious experience.
2. As for legalistic righteousness, he was faultless – he perfectly followed the law.
c. Third, in relation to Israel’s enemies…
1. He was so zealous that he persecuted the church.
2. He was such an opponent of Christianity that he had men and women carted off to prison and had them executed.
C. So, when it comes to works righteousness, and putting confidence in the flesh, Paul had all the right stuff and had done all the right things – or at least he had thought so.
1. But when Paul met Christ, he learned that everything he had put confidence in was spiritually empty – bankrupt.
2. Paul had made the wrong investments and he was skydiving without a parachute that could save him.
3. To his credit, when Paul realized he was wrong, he humbled himself and changed – he converted and became a Christian, a member of the true circumcision.
4. How many of us struggle to admit we are wrong, and because of pride and stubbornness will not change even when we know we are wrong.
5. Not Paul – when he knew he was wrong, he repented; he changed.
Conclusion:
A. Look with me at the next few verses that we will explore in depth in our next sermon.
1. These verses explain what really counts.
2. Paul wrote: 7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
3. The lesson that I hope we all have grasped is that there is only one thing that can save us and that is Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross.
a. We must not put our faith in anything or anyone else.
b. We certainly must not put our faith in our own goodness or righteousness.
c. No matter how good or righteous we are, we cannot save ourselves.
B. It is horrifying for me to read about the bizarre and painful things human beings have come up with in an effort to please God as they understand him.
1. Humans have done things like self-flagellation (Hitting oneself with chains and sharp objects), piercing, cutting and scarring, walking barefoot through pits of fire, wearing shoes with soles made of nails, hanging from crosses, or hanging from hooks embedded in their backs.
2. These efforts of the flesh to appease God or draw us close to God are not what God commands.
3. They are like trying to drive to a destination with the wrong map.
a. You can go through all the motions and have all the right motives, but you won’t end up where you wanted to go!
4. If you study cults, you will see how their doctrines are based on works righteousness – earning a person’s salvation.
C. I’ve told you before that I was in an acting group in college called Ambassadors and about this skit we used to perform that went like this:
1. A man died and went up to heaven.
2. Of course, St. Peter met him at the pearly gates.
3. Peter said to him: “Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to get into heaven. You need to list all the good things you’ve done, and I will assign a certain number of points for each good deed, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get to go into heaven.”
4. “Okay,” the man said, “Well, I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, not even in my heart.”
5. “That's wonderful,” said St. Peter, “that's worth three points!”
6. “Wow, just three points?” the man said. “Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and talents.”
7. “Terrific!” said Peter, “that's certainly worth a point.”
8. “Only one point?” the man began to sweat, “How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.”
9. Peter said: “Fantastic, that's good for two more points. You are up to 6 points. You only need 94 more points.”
10. Flabbergasted, the man cried out, “At this rate the only way I will get into heaven is by the grace of God!”
11. Peter said: “Congratulations, come on in. The grace of God is all the points you need!”
D. Let me close with some verses that so clearly present this truth:
1. Galatians 5:4 - You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
2. Titus 3:4-5 - But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
3. Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9 – 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved…8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
4. Our only hope and only trust must be in Christ and the grace that comes through Him.
E. A dear older friend of mine was nearing her death, and she said to me, “I’m afraid I haven’t done enough to be saved, what do you think?”
1 I told her, “I am absolutely sure you haven’t done enough to be saved, and neither have I. No one can. And thankfully that is not what saves us!”
2. Believing in Jesus and trusting in God’s grace is the only thing that counts toward righteousness and is the only thing that can save us.
