What Is A Christian? (1)

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Verse number one, finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

To write the same things to you, to me it is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

Beware of dogs.

I appreciate those warnings.

Dogs, that's helpful if you've ever been out canvassing in a neighborhood

and you come across a house that has a beware of dog sign.

I appreciate their warning that they give.

Paul here says, beware of dogs.

He's not talking about the dogs when you're out canvassing a neighborhood.

He's talking about a different kind of dog.

Beware of evil workers.

Beware of the concision.

For we are the true circumcision, which worship God in the spirit

and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh.

Well, if there was ever a proof that Paul was indeed a Christian preacher,

it's found as he uses the word finally here when he's only halfway through his sermon to the Philippian church.

In fact, it reminds me of the boy that was in church and the preacher was typically very long

and he had gotten to a point in his sermon where he had used this word finally.

And so the little boy looks at his father and he whispers and he says,

what does the preacher mean when he says finally?

To which his father quickly replies, absolutely nothing, son.

Absolutely nothing.

It doesn't mean anything.

And of course, those of us like me that struggle with brevity can perhaps claim apostolic authority

when we come to this part in our study.

And we say, well, Paul said finally, had two chapters left in the letter.

I can say finally and carry on for another 20 or 25 minutes.

And at least Paul did it.

Surely we can set that precedent as well.

Well, the truth is that finally here is not used as a signal of conclusion,

but it's actually a means of making a transition.

From what I've read about this actually specific word is that it was the typical usage of it in Greek

as a form of transition and not actually as a form of conclusion.

A proper equivalent for us in our English language would be moreover or maybe so then

so that when we come to this part of Philippians 3, we could really read it as,

moreover, brethren, rejoice in the Lord, or so then, brethren, rejoice in the Lord.

Now, the reason I make the note of its use here is because it helps us to understand this division of Paul's letter.

In the 22 verses between the first verse of chapter 3 and the first verse of chapter 4,

the apostle provides a general discussion for us on what it means to be a true Christian.

Now, chapter 3 is not dependent on any other portions of the letter of Philippians.

That's why we highlight this word finally as a transitioning point.

Nothing about what we'll study in the next few weeks in chapter 3,

there will be no point that we have to refer back to chapters 1 and chapter 2

in order to understand what Paul is saying here.

There's also no point of chapter 3 that we have to look ahead to the end of the letter

to better understand where he's going.

This section of the letter really stands on its own.

Now, if you're an unbeliever or you haven't come to faith in Christ yet,

or maybe you're new to Christianity in the Bible,

the first thing I want you to know is that I'm glad you're here.

You are welcome here.

For as long as you want to be here, we want you here.

But you'll probably find that these verses, as I read through them a moment ago,

are somewhat enigmatic.

And the reason for that is because the most basic tenets of the gospel,

the good news of Jesus Christ, are assumed in this text, not explicitly stated.

Now, this is made clear for us in verse number 1,

when Paul uses the word or the phrase, my brethren.

Would you look at that with me again?

He says, finally, that's his transition into this section.

And then he refers to his audience as my brethren.

Now, we know this to be a common identification among Christians

when we refer to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ,

as being true children of God.

Now, we know that as we study the Bible,

this was also a common reference that Jews would have for one another,

for those that belong nationally to the nation of Israel.

There's no reason for us to think that that was Paul's intention here

because he's writing to a group of believers in Philippi,

which was a pagan city.

It was a Roman colony.

And while there were Jewish converts present in the congregation here,

it was mostly made up of Gentiles, Gentiles that had come to know Christ.

So when Paul references my brethren,

he's referring to people that already know the basic tenets of the gospel.

It would be unnecessary for him to talk about salvation

in the same way to these believers that he would talking of salvation

if his audience was primarily made up of unbelievers.

So there may be a bit of confusion as an unbeliever as you come to these verses,

but the gospel is certainly present.

And if you'll stick with us as we go through this study

over the next four or five Sundays,

I think you'll come to understand it clearly in this chapter.

Now, the occasion for Paul's writing here

is on the basis of his anticipation

that the church would soon face an onslaught of false teaching.

Running alongside the teaching of salvation in the chapter

is this secondary thread of a false gospel

and of a false Christian.

And it's for this reason that these verses are bookended

with the phrase, in the Lord.

In verse number one of chapter three,

Paul says, rejoice in the Lord.

Now, he's commanded many times in this book already

that these Philippian believers take joy in something or rejoice.

This is the only time that he uses it in this phrase

where he says, rejoice in the Lord.

And then when you get to the first verse of chapter four,

when he brings conclusion, look at it there.

He says, now therefore, brethren, stand fast in the Lord.

Stand firm in the Lord.

So at the very beginning, he says,

rejoice not in your own goodness

as the false teachers would do,

but rejoice rather in the power of Christ in your life

to provide the righteousness necessary

through his work in order to be saved.

And then at the conclusion of all of this,

he says, now remember, stand fast in the Lord.

Rejoice in him,

but then stand fast in this truth of the true gospel.

It was a faithful reminder

that the believer's confidence is found solely

in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

plus or minus nothing else.

And you'll see that become a reality

as we continue to study.

Now, while this passage can be enigmatic for some people,

if you are a seasoned believer,

you may find it to be somewhat redundant and unnecessary.

So Paul, anticipating that response

on the part of the Philippians,

tells us in verse one

that it is not grievous for him

to write the same things to them,

but it is rather a safeguard for them.

It's Paul's way of saying,

rehearsing the basics of the faith,

practicing the fundamentals of the faith,

is necessary and profitable.

Though you've heard the gospel preached

a million times in your life,

it is profitable and helpful

to hear it preached again.

And Paul says,

so for me to write these things to you again,

I know I've preached it to you a hundred times,

and I know I've written it to you

maybe on other occasions,

and I know I've sent Timothy,

and I've sent Epaphroditus with the same message,

but it's not a problem for me to say it again,

because for you, it's a safeguard.

There's a tremendous safety

in coming back to the fundamentals of the gospel

time and time again,

because the gospel is the foundation

of everything in the Christian life.

When we begin to lose sight of the basics,

we will inevitably find ourselves

in danger of falling away from the faith

and actually following a lie.

And so Paul says,

I'm gonna write the same things to you again,

and it's not a problem for me,

and it is not anything but a safeguard for you.

Now, anyone that has spent much time

playing organized sports

understands the concept

of rehearsing the fundamentals.

It's not only those that are just learning the game

that are in need of mastering the basics of the sport,

but even the most seasoned athletes

must continue in the fundamentals

if they are to succeed.

Now, if athletics is not your favorite illustration to use,

perhaps you'll remember and recall the days

of learning the elementary principles

of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Maybe all of those hours spent reciting

multiplication tables and diagramming sentences

are instrumental in one's ability to function

in the more complex systems of life as an adult.

In fact, even as adults,

we find ourselves often referencing back

to some of those elementary things of education

that we learned in kindergarten and first grade

and second grade and third grade

in order for us to succeed in various ways now.

It's important.

So that's a warning for those of you in elementary school.

Pay attention to your teacher.

It will pay off for you in the long run.

You say, what's really the best way to spot a counterfeit?

Paul's dealing with counterfeits here in this chapter.

He's dealing with a false Christian.

And he says, the best way to identify a false Christian

is to be overwhelmingly familiar with the truth.

If you only have a surface knowledge of the gospel,

it won't be much for you to be deceived by a false gospel.

But the more you come back to the fundamentals of the faith,

the more you come back to the basics of the gospel,

the more familiar you are with the foundation

of the Christian life,

the more easy it will be for you to point out deception

and to see it when it's coming.

And so Paul felt that it was necessary

to call the church back to this again.

Now he opens by directly confronting

the threatening false gospel in verse two.

And then in verse three,

he states what are the clear marks of a true Christian.

We'll only get to the first one today.

We'll come back and we'll finish it in verse three next Sunday.

But let's look at least at verse number two,

where we see a warning against false teaching,

a warning against false teaching.

Look with me again at verse two.

Paul says, beware of dogs,

beware of evil workers,

beware of the concision.

To tell us what a true Christian is.

Paul starts by telling us what a true Christian is not.

And he does this by exposing a group of people

that took on the label of Christianity,

but were actually teaching a false gospel.

And his command for the church was to beware.

It means to watch out for or to look out.

It was a warning for the church to take initiative

in watching closely for those that would deceive them

with a false gospel.

And it's not unlike Peter's command to us

in first Peter five, eight,

a verse we're mostly familiar with.

Remember what Peter said?

He said, be sober,

sober, which means serious minded, grave,

take serious the command that I'm about to give you.

And he says, be sober, be vigilant or watchful.

So continuously watching,

taking serious the threat that's against you.

And then Peter says, here's the threat.

Our enemy, Satan, walks about as a roaring lion,

seeking whom he may devour.

Now the problem with false teaching,

the reason it's so dangerous

is because it always has the appearance

of being something that's good and helpful.

I remember a few years ago around Halloween,

parents being encouraged to carefully inspect the candy

and the items that their children would get

in their bags at trick or treating.

But I'm sure it's a matter of second nature now,

but I remember when there was a time

you wouldn't think much about that

and parents were being warned to do this.

The reason they were being warned

is because there were people

that were taking apples and oranges,

they were dropping it in these kids' bags,

but before they did it,

they were inserting razor blades.

And so that a kid would pull out an apple

out of his bag

and he would see this nice healthy thing,

this good thing,

and at least compared to everything

that was around it in the bag.

And he takes a bite out of it

only to have his mouth cut to pieces.

And some people thought this was fun.

And on the outside, it looked like it was good.

It looked like it was right.

And it looked like it was healthy.

But upon indulging in it,

it come to find out it was actually deadly.

It was destructive.

And that's exactly what false teaching is.

It looks good.

It may even sound reasonable on the outside.

But when you indulge,

you find out that it's actually very dangerous

and destructive and even spiritually deadly.

Sometimes false teaching even takes on

the very label of being Christian.

But it's actually just a cheap invitation.

Julie and I,

one of our favorite places to go is New York City.

We enjoy it.

We have friends there.

And for years and years and years,

we've gone to New York and enjoyed our time there.

Julie's favorite place in all of New York City

is not Times Square.

And it's not the Statue of Liberty.

And it's not the Freedom Tower.

And it's not all of that.

Her favorite place is Chinatown.

That's what she loves.

Not only,

anybody been to Chinatown in New York City?

Not only is the food fantastic,

but there's all of these little shops

where you can go in

and you can negotiate with the shop owners

and you can try to get a really good deal

on an imitation purse.

So if you really want a coach purse,

but you don't want to drop 300 bucks on it,

you can get one for 30 bucks

that looks just like the real one.

And you can kind of negotiate with them.

And so Julie loves it.

She loves doing that.

So she loves going to Chinatown

and try to find these deals.

And I remember one time when we were in college,

I had, in being naive,

I had gone to this shop

and they had had a bottle of cologne that I liked.

Aqua De Joe by Giorgio Armani

was my scent of the day.

And they had this bottle

and it was like super cheap.

It may have cost like 60 or 70 bucks at Belk's,

but in Chinatown, it was like $15.

And I'm like, this is crazy.

So I bought the cologne.

It had the exact packaging

of what I would get at Macy's.

Same exact, same box, same label, same barcodes.

It was wrapped the same way.

You pull the bottle out.

It was the exact same bottle

that looked like all the other bottles

that would have been on my shelf

in my college dorm room.

But when I went to spray it,

it was actually window cleaner.

And I was embarrassed by that.

I can't believe I fell for it, right?

It's one thing to get a cheap imitation purse

when you know it's a cheap imitation.

It's another thing to buy a bottle of cologne

and you think it's the real thing

because it looks like the real thing.

And it even says that it's the real thing.

But when you get into it,

it's actually just a cheap imitation.

And that's exactly what false teaching is.

There are many, many, many false gospels

that say they are Christian.

But when you dig in,

it's actually just a cheap imitation.

Some of them will even go so far

as to not just say that they're Christian,

but they are a conservative,

evangelical, gospel-preaching Christian.

And they will take on this label,

but really when you dig in,

it's a false gospel.

It's a cheap imitation.

And it's deadly and it's dangerous.

And Paul says of these false teachers,

of these false gospels, beware.

The Bible consistently warns us about false teaching.

I don't think there's a single letter

in the New Testament

that doesn't address it in some way.

Paul warns the elders in Ephesus in Acts chapter 20

Acts 20 · chapter mention

to be watchful and to even expect these dangerous liars.

Here's what he said to them upon his departure.

He said, I know this, that after I depart,

grievous wolves are gonna enter in among you,

not sparing the flock.

And then he says, even from among yourselves,

even from among you as elders of the church of Ephesus,

men will rise speaking perverse things

to draw away disciples after them.

And then he says, therefore, watch and remember

that by the space of three years,

I cease not to warn you day and night.

And I did it passionately with tears.

It was a strong warning.

And it wasn't a warning of potential.

It was a warning of expectation.

This will happen, church.

This will happen to you, church.

This is not a matter of potential

in Lakeside Bible Church.

This is a matter of expectation

in Lakeside Bible Church.

So beware and be on the lookout.

Watch out for the deception.

Jesus compared false teachers to ravaging wolves as well.

In Matthew chapter seven and verse 15, he says,

beware of false prophets,

which come to you in sheep's clothing.

But inwardly, they are ravening wolves.

And then using a parable in Matthew chapter 13,

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

Jesus thought that every time God does a true work,

Satan then produces a counterfeit to deceive us.

You say, well, I hear all these warnings

and everybody's saying that you never know

and it could be a deceptive labeling

like the cologne in Chinatown

and it could be something that looks good

like the apple or the orange in the trick-or-treat bag.

So how in the world am I supposed to know

what's true and what's real

and what's not true and what's not real?

And the answer to that question

is you don't take my word for it.

And you don't take your friend's word for it

no matter how reasonable it may sound,

no matter how attractive

the purporting of their gospel seems.

You don't take their word for it.

You wanna know what's true and what's false?

Go to the Bible yourself.

Study the Bible.

The Bible is absolute truth.

You don't need me to tell you what truth is.

You can go to it yourself

and read it chapter by chapter and verse by verse

and what you'll find is everything

that you need to know about truth and error is there.

So when you come to church on Sunday,

I hope that you'll trust me.

But don't just take my word for it.

Get in the word yourself.

The Bible tells us that as we study the Bible

and as we study the word,

we have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit

as believers that does this work of enlightenment.

It helps us to understand.

And as we study the Bible,

we only come to understand it better and better.

And so Paul says,

I'm rehearsing all of this to you

because in order for you to see the truth

and acknowledge the error,

you're gonna have to be familiar with the truth.

But don't take my word for it.

Read the scripture yourself.

There are many forms of false teaching

that Paul dealt with.

But here he's speaking about a specific group of deceivers

known as Judaizers.

These people plagued the early church

in fact, most of what Paul deals with

in his letter to the Galatian churches

had to do with these Judaizers

and their false gospel.

No sooner than Paul would leave town,

the Judaizers would begin to infiltrate the church.

They claimed to be Christians

and they even believed that Jesus was truly God.

They believed that he did die and rose again.

But they insisted that true salvation

only came to the believers

that would submit themselves

to the ceremonial rituals of the Old Testament.

You can see where their gospel would be attractive.

They'd come into town and they'd say,

yes, Jesus is God.

We believe him.

Yes, he died for sins.

We believe that.

Yes, he rose from the dead.

We believe that.

But he is not enough.

You must also obey the law.

You must also follow circumcision

and the dietary restrictions

and all the other ceremonial riches

of the Old Testament.

They had a particular fixation

on the Jewish practice of circumcision,

which is why Paul uses the language here that he uses.

It's also how we come to find out

exactly who he's talking about here in this chapter.

It's not that they taught that Jesus was bad.

The problem is that they taught

that Jesus was not enough.

And any gospel that claims to know Jesus

and believe Jesus,

but doesn't quite believe that Jesus on his own is enough

is a false gospel.

Those are not true Christians.

They are false Christians.

They are planted there by Satan

to be a deception to you

and a deception to the church

and to say perverse things,

as Paul said,

to lead true disciples away from the faith.

To them, Jesus was only a piece of the puzzle

that was made complete

by their system of religious works and morality.

And it's of this group

that Paul emphatically warns the Philippian church

to beware.

The truth is there's only two real forms

of religion that exist.

There's the religion of God's grace

and the religion of man's works.

Beware of any religion

that will tell you that faith

in Jesus Christ alone is not enough.

Church, beware of any religion

or any so-called Christian

that will tell you Jesus is not enough.

In order to truly be saved,

you must also be baptized.

That's a lie.

That's a false gospel.

Beware of any so-called Christian

that will come through

and say that Jesus is great,

we worship Jesus,

but you must also say a series of rote prayers

or pray through the rosary

or pray to a certain amount of saints

or light a certain amount of candles

or give a certain amount of money.

That's not a true gospel.

It's a cheap imitation

and it will only lead you to destruction.

It will not lead you to the glorious future

that awaits true believers.

Beware of the deceivers

that will insist that true salvation

only comes to those

who have some kind of supernatural experience

that reveals itself

in a charismatic way

through speaking in tongues

or being slain in the spirit.

That is not true.

It's a false gospel.

That's not in the scriptures.

Salvation is by grace

through faith in Christ alone.

Nothing else.

So beware the people

that will try to say,

yeah, I believe Jesus.

Yeah, I trust Jesus.

Yeah, I believe he rose from the dead.

Yeah, I'm a Christian,

but I just think that there is a little more to it.

Beware.

That's not a true Christian.

That's a false Christian.

Don't buy the lie.

Evangelize that person.

Don't capitulate to their error.

Beware.

Beware.

Of anyone that will tell you

that salvation only comes

after you clean your life up too.

And that if you dress a certain way,

and that if you listen only to the best music,

and that if you only do all of these things,

beware, beware.

Salvation is not of works.

The danger of that kind of false teaching

is that it mingles its lies

with a portion of the truth.

And if it's not a whole truth,

it's not truth at all.

The truth of the gospel

is that salvation is found in Christ alone.

You cannot have Christ plus something else.

True salvation is not about Christ plus baptism

or Christ plus anything else.

True salvation is in Christ.

And to add anything else to it

is to pervert that gospel,

and it is not true saving faith.

The Bible is clear.

True saving faith is only in Christ.

And when you add something else to it,

you purport a false gospel

that says Christ is not enough.

And therefore, what you have

is an intellectual knowledge of Christ,

but you have not experienced

the true experiential knowledge of Christ

that only comes by faith in him alone.

It's for this reason that

the great reformers of the Protestant Reformation

gave us the five solas of the Reformation.

Do you know what they are?

I've got them on the screen for you.

I want you to see them.

This would be so helpful for you

to memorize and rehearse to yourself,

to display in your office,

or something along with other passages of Scripture.

Here's what their five solas were.

The first one was sola gratia,

which is grace alone.

The second one was sola fide,

which is faith alone.

The third was solus Christus,

which is Christ alone.

The fourth was sola scriptura,

which is Scripture alone.

And the last one was sola deo gloria,

to the glory of God alone.

In other words,

we are saved by grace alone,

through faith alone,

in Christ alone,

according to the Scriptures alone,

to the glory of God alone.

That's the truth.

And in a period of time

when there was tremendous error

that had pervaded the Christian realm

in the 1600s,

the great reformers

who ultimately lost their lives,

many of them,

in order to recover the truth among the church,

purported this,

and it's helpful for us.

Grace alone,

faith alone,

Christ alone,

the Bible alone,

to the glory of God alone.

Well, what did Paul actually have to say

about these Judaizers?

Verse two,

he gives three specific warnings,

each with a very direct

and confrontational dynamic.

There are portions of Scripture

where Paul seems to be

a very meek individual,

and there's no doubt that he was.

But Paul did not mince words

when it came to false teachers.

He didn't back down.

The reason is

because their lies

were leading people

to hell.

And any false gospel

that leads people to hell

is not worth

our tolerance

and cordiality.

It is worth

our bold stand

against it.

And we must preach against him.

And that's what Paul does here.

Three quick warnings

that he gives.

The first one is he says,

beware of dogs.

Beware of the dogs.

Now, this wasn't a reference

to a household pet.

By the way,

if you would like a household pet,

I'd love to give you one.

Dogs weren't domesticated pets

for the most part

in the time

of the Bible writings.

They were actually

vicious scavengers

that roamed in packs.

They carried disease.

And a bite from one

could actually result

in serious illness,

even death in those days

because they certainly

didn't have the medical treatment

that we have now.

They were dangerous.

And it was to these

dangerous predatory animals

that Paul likened

the false teachers

of the Judaizers.

They were just as dangerous

and vicious.

They were full

of spiritual disease.

And a bite from their theology

was damning.

And so he says,

beware of the dogs.

This was also

a favorite insult

of the Judaizers

toward the Gentiles.

Because dogs

were unclean animals,

the Jews regularly

referred to non-Jews

as unclean dogs.

Now, to be unclean

in the Old Testament

was significant.

It meant that

an individual

could not belong

to the covenant

community of Israel.

And it also meant

that in uncleanness,

an individual

could not participate

in the ceremonial practices

of worship.

If an individual

was out in the field

and he touched

the dead carcass

of an animal,

he would have to go

through a series

of ritual baths

before he could actually

go to the temple

for or tabernacle

for worship.

God took cleanness

seriously.

Not because cleanness

earned salvation,

but because it represented

his own holiness.

It was a sign

to God's people

that to truly be mine,

you desperately need

cleansing

because you are filthy

with sin.

And what they anticipated

in their faith

is that God

would ultimately

fulfill these ceremonial laws

in a person

that ultimately

would cleanse us

from sin.

That came in Jesus Christ.

But the Jews

took the sign

to be the very means

of salvation.

So they took

cleanness

as a very

serious thing.

The Jews

had come

to give the Gentiles

the insult

of dog

permanently.

So you can imagine

the Judaizers' reaction

when Paul actually

refers to them

as the dogs.

He says,

beware the dogs.

Beware of the unclean

ones,

church.

The second warning

he gives

is that we are

to beware

of evil workers.

Beware of evil workers.

The Judaizers

believed themselves

to be workers

of righteousness.

They took pride

in their efforts

to uphold

the letter of the law.

In fact,

their system

of good works

is what they believed

would actually

provide them

acceptance

with God.

Paul called them

evil workers

instead.

Now imagine

how they would have

accepted that

upon hearing

this letter read.

Imagine your friends

that you know

that you work with

that actually believe

they're going to make

it to heaven

because of all

of the religious

things that they do

and all of the good

things that they do

and all the money

that they give away

and all of the

time volunteering

that they give

and they've been

through the baptism

and they've been

through the Eucharist

and they've been

through the prayers

and they've been

through all the things

that they're supposed

to do.

They can check off

their list.

Imagine when they

consider their works

of righteousness

to find them

acceptance with God.

their good works

and you say

you're actually

an evil worker.

I can imagine

they take too kindly

to that statement.

That's exactly

what Paul's saying.

They think

they're good workers.

They're actually

evil workers.

Any good

that takes away

from the person

and work

of Jesus Christ

is in actuality

evil.

That's exactly

what their teaching

did.

It said

that Christ

was insufficient

for salvation

and it ultimately

rendered his death

and resurrection

as purposeless

and that

is evil.

Though their works

were good

they were actually

evil workers.

Now John MacArthur

helps us here

with our understanding

or at least he

helped me

in describing it

this way.

He talks about

bad bad

and bad good.

Now we all know

what bad bad is

that's when

wicked people

do wicked things

for wicked reasons.

They do bad things

and they do it

for bad reasons.

It's bad bad.

But did you know

that there's a bad good?

Bad good

is when

unbelievers

do good things

for bad reasons.

True goodness

only comes

from the inner working

of God's power

in the heart

of a person.

You cannot

build up

true goodness

on your own.

That comes

through God's work

in you

after salvation.

That's the

sanctifying process

of God's grace.

But good

that is done

out of pride

or for some

kind of recognition

or especially

to try

and earn

salvation

is not

actually good.

It's bad.

bad.

And that's

exactly what

works-based

religion

is.

It's bad

good.

As long

as your

good works

are trying

to earn

salvation,

they are

leading you

to deny

the sufficiency

of Christ

and are

therefore

evil.

Jesus

described these

people in

Matthew chapter

seven.

In fact,

would you turn

there with me?

I'd like for you

to see it.

You're probably

familiar with

the statement,

but I want you

to see it

in Matthew

chapter seven.

Jesus is

dealing with

false teachers.

His dealing

with false

teachers was

the religious

establishment

of the day,

the Pharisees,

the Sadducees,

the scribes,

the teachers

of the law.

And here's

what he says

in verses

21 to

23.

Jesus

says,

not everyone

that says

unto me,

Lord,

Lord,

shall enter

into the

kingdom of

heaven or

shall be

saved,

but he

that doeth

the will

of my

father,

which is

in heaven.

Well,

what's the

will of

the father,

which is

in heaven?

Jesus

clearly said

the will

of the

father is

that you

would accept

the son

and in

accepting

the son,

you accept

the father

and the

father accepts

you.

There's

nothing else

to that.

That's

the will

of the

father.

But here's

what he said

happens in

verse 22.

Many will

say to me

in that

day,

that is

the day

of judgment

when we

all stand

before Christ.

Many will

say,

Lord,

Lord,

have we

not

prophesied

in thy

name?

And in

thy name

have cast

out devils?

And in

thy name

done many

wonderful

works?

And then

I will

profess

unto them,

I never

knew

you.

Depart

from me,

ye that

work

what?

Iniquity,

evil,

sin,

lawlessness.

Jesus

said that

in the

day of

judgment,

many,

he says,

many people

will stand

before me

and they

will acknowledge

me as

Lord

in title.

And they

will say,

Lord,

Lord,

do you

not remember

that we

prophesied,

we preached

in your

name,

Lord.

We

cast out

devils

in your

name,

Lord.

We

did many

wonderful

works in

your name,

Lord.

And he

will turn

to them

and he

will say,

depart from

me,

I never

knew you,

you are

an evil

worker.

You thought

all of that

was good

works,

but it was

actually

evil because

your

prophesying

and your

demonstrations

of power

and your

demonstrations

of good

works were

based on

your own

righteousness

as you

tried to

achieve

salvation

on your

own.

And he

says,

you're an

evil worker.

They will

even claim

that their

works were

done in

Jesus'

name.

They will

say they

are Christian.

They will

say they

believe Jesus,

but in

actuality,

their work

is evil.

Finally,

he says,

beware of

the concision.

Beware of

the concision.

That's a

real finally,

not a

transitional

finally.

This term

would have

really upset

the Judaizers.

It's a

form of

the word

that actually

means

mutilation

or the

word of

a form

of

circumcision

that actually

means

mutilation.

In fact,

it's not

uncommon to

find these

verses

translated

in English

as

mutilators

of the

flesh

or the

false

circumcision.

circumcision.

Again,

the Judaizers

had a

particular

fixation

on

circumcision.

And the

reason is

because it

was the

physical sign

in the

Old Testament

of someone

belonging to

God's

covenant

people,

God's

chosen

people.

Now,

God never

said that

circumcision

was necessary

for salvation.

In fact,

Paul argues

in the book

of Romans

against the

Jews when

he says

that God

said that

Abraham

was justified

because of

his faith

before he

was ever

physically

circumcised.

It was

meant to

be a

sign.

It was

a sign

of the

cutting

away

of sin

out of

the heart

of an

individual

and it

looked

forward

again

to

Christ.

It was

never

meant

to be

an

action

that

brought

about

salvation.

Rather,

it was

a sign

that pointed

to those

that had

actually

experienced

the

circumcision

of the

heart

as the

Bible

calls it.

The

transformation

of the

heart

symbolized

in a

outward

sign.

The

Jews

had long

left

the

symbolic

significance

of the

sign

and taught

that it

was necessary

for salvation.

So the

Judaizers

were telling

the Gentiles

that had

come to

faith

in Christ

that

Jesus

is great,

he's not

enough

though,

in order

to truly

be saved

and be

a part

of God's

chosen

covenant

people,

you must

also go

through the

physical

rite

of

circumcision.

And so

when Paul

references

this in

verse 2,

he means

to say

that the

sign

is worthless

without the

transformation

of the

heart

that comes

by faith.

And so

he references

the circumcision

of the

Judaizers

as actually

mutilation

of the

flesh.

Mutilation.

He said

without the

actual working

of Christ,

that doesn't

actually mean

anything,

you're just

mutilating

your own

flesh.

The

Judaizers

believed

that their

adherence

to the

letter of

the law

made them

righteous

before God,

but each

of Paul's

descriptions

put them

in the

unclean

category

of the

Old

Testament.

And it

meant that

it was

actually

impossible

for them

to be

a part

of God's

chosen

covenant

people,

despite

their

relationship

as

natural

Israelites.

That's

not what

mattered.

they were

actually

unclean.

The

dog

was an

Old

Testament

term

for being

unclean.

Evil

workers

were

considered

unclean

because

of their

sinfulness.

And men

that had

specifically

mutilated

their bodies

like the

prophets

of Baal

or the

eunuchs

of the

day

in pagan

worship

were

considered

unclean.

And the

Old

Testament

law

said

anyone

that

would

treat

their

body

in that

way

was

excluded

from

God's

covenant

people.

So when

Paul

says

this,

what he

means is

that these

people were

actually

unclean

no matter

what they

said

or taught

about

Jesus.

The

Judaizers

thought that

their religion

and morality

made them

God's

people,

but in

reality it

made them

unclean

and excluded

from God's

covenant.

They

looked like

Christians.

They

talked a

lot like

Christians.

In a lot

of ways

they probably

behaved

better

than the

pagan

Christians

of

Philippi,

especially

the pagan

Christians

of

Corinth.

But they

were in

fact

unclean.

And those

people that

they hated

so much,

the Bible

tells us,

were

clean.

Of all

the troubles

that the

church in

Corinth

had,

they were

believers.

They were

saved

people.

And Paul

acknowledges

that a

number of

times in

his letters.

And he

rejoices in

their salvation.

But they

were as

messed up

sinfully as

you will

ever see

in a

church.

And yet

the pious

Judaizers

that kept

the law

to a

tea were

actually in

reality

unsaved

people.

Which tells

us that you

can be the

most religious

person on

the planet

and follow

a moral

code to

near

perfection.

But if

that's what

you're

counting on

for salvation,

you are

in reality

unclean.

The truth

is that

Jesus is

the perfect

fulfillment

of those

Old Testament

laws and

symbols.

Paul wasn't

being disrespectful

to the

Mosaic

law.

He was

preaching the

truth that

Jesus Christ

has provided

for us

what the

law could

not provide.

It's

impossible for

any of us

to follow the

law perfectly

and bring

glory to

God.

Jesus

fulfilled that

law with

perfection

and then

suffered the

wrath of the

Father on the

cross in

our place.

He did

what we

could not

do in

fulfilling

the law

and then

he suffered

our death

so that

his righteousness

through the

law could

be imputed

by our

faith.

And we

know that

his sacrifice

was sufficient

because three

days later

he rose

from the

dead.

The

wonderful

truth of

the gospel

is that

you don't

have to

fulfill

all the

rules and

follow all

the codes.

Christ did

that for

you.

That's

the good

news.

You don't

have to

work yourself

to heaven.

It's not

even possible

for you to

do it

anyways.

Jesus did

it for

you and

not only

did he

fulfill that

law perfectly

for you but

then he

fulfilled the

prophecy

perfectly for

you.

Then he

took your

place.

He said

I know

you can't

do this.

You can't

satisfy God's

wrath but I

can and so

I'm going to

take your

place.

We call it

propitiation

in the

Bible.

He took

our place.

He endured

God's wrath

so that we

could be

his.

That's the

gospel.

Anything that

adds to that

or takes away

from it is

not true.

It is a

lie.

Beware.

Christ has

done this

for you.

You say

well where does

the morality

and the rules

and the righteousness

and the holiness

come into play?

It doesn't come

into play for

your salvation.

It comes

into play as a

result of your

salvation.

You don't

work your way

to heaven.

You work

because you're

on your way

to heaven.

And that's

what this

chapter is all

about.

He's exposing

the false

gospel that

existed and

that exists

still today.

And he's not

saying that you

don't need to

live a holy

life.

He's not

saying like

the liberals

would have

said in that

day and that

would say in

this day that

God's grace is

enough for you

to have a license

to do whatever

you want.

That's not

what Paul is

saying.

He's saying

you can't be

good enough

for salvation.

Jesus did

that for you

and once you

know him

you'll do

whatever he

wants you to

do in order

to live for

him.

Not because

you owe

him but

because he

is fit for

you to live

a life that

is worthy of

the calling

to which he

has called

you.

Look with

me.

The middle

of chapter

three and

we'll be

done.

Paul says

in verse

12

I follow

after

if that

I may

apprehend

or if I

may achieve

that

for

which

I was

apprehended

of Christ

Jesus.

In other

words

I know

Christ and

Christ did

all of this

for me and

one of the

reasons that

he did all

of this for

me is so

that I

can know

him and

so that

he could

set me

aside as

holy and

he could

start to

fashion me

into Christ

likeness and

make me

righteous and

holy because

of my

salvation.

Now he

says my

goal and

my desire

is to

live the

way that

God saved

me to

live.

And it's

not because

my living

earns the

salvation.

It's just

the fact that

God has

given this

salvation

freely to

me and

I want to

live the

way that

he saved

me to

live.

What a

glorious

truth,

the gospel.

What a

burden-free

gospel that

God gives

us.

I was

encouraged this

week in a

moment of

prayer to

acknowledge that

Christ's

forgiveness is

so wonderfully

great and

extensive.

The

forgiveness

that we

receive from

Christ is

not just a

forgiveness for

the things that

we have done

in the past.

It's a

forgiveness for

the things that

we falter in

now.

As a

pastor,

someone that

has served in

church ministry

now for 13

total years,

days of

doubt that

I battle,

days of

severe doubt,

days that

make me

ashamed,

not only as

a pastor but

as a

Christian.

I was

overwhelmed

this week in

a moment of

prayer to