The Safeguard of Rejoicing in the Lord
Phil. 3:1-11
Paul again compels us to rejoice in the Lord as a safeguard for our faith and our lives. Rejoicing in the Lord is one of the greatest pleasures and measures of protection against the flesh and the enemy’s scheme to destroy your confidence in the Lord. It is the joy in rejoicing, to sing to God and about Him. Let’s look at the text, “Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith. v.1
Paul understood the protection of rejoicing in the presence of Christ Jesus. Jesus was his shield, his strong tower, his fortress, and his protection from harm or damage to his faith. The first safeguard of protection was against the legalistic teaching the enemy tries to ensnare us with.
“Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us.” v.2
Paul refers to the Judizers. They were Jewish converts that believed that you must be circumcised to be saved and the law of circumcision was the proof of being a true believer, but the Old Testament itself refers to the truth of circumcision.
Deuteronomy 30:6 - “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.” or Paul’s teaching the truth of circumcision in Romans 4:9-12 - “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, 'Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.' How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them.”
The truth of circumcision is the righteousness that we have through our love for God and our faith in Christ Jesus as righteousness, this is the circumcision of the heart. Paul wanted the Philippian church to understand and be protected against the enemy’s scheme of twisting and manipulating scripture. In this they could rejoice in the Lord. Application - In this lesson, I want the church to understand the protection we have in rejoicing in our Lord Jesus. Many today have heard or believe that it is our works that bring salvation, but I, like Paul, want the church to understand the enemy will twist the scripture or manipulate it to lead people away from Christ’s salvation through grace. True circumcision is the work of God on our hearts, not on our body parts. Like Abraham, our journey to salvation didn’t begin with an act of works to earn God’s respect like going to church. It is the work of God the Holy Spirit, drawing us to God the Father’s love, to the confession and forgiveness of our sins and the cleansing of our sins by the redemptive act of Christ, the Son of God, on the cross. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and this seal of righteousness of our faith is our protection. We can rejoice in our Lord and Savior because He is the provider of protection. For as the Word of God says “For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us.” v.3 and “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Eph.1:13-14
The next safeguard of protection in rejoicing in the Lord, Paul showed through his own life that works of the flesh were not capable of bringing the confidence we have in Christ Jesus. “We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.” v.3b - 8 Paul could have crowed about the confidence he has in all that he had achieved in the flesh or birthright. Paul was teaching the church that all the acts of our past and in all that the world believes as important and essential are worthless compared to Christ. He stated his zeal was misplaced, even to the point of violence in the name of God. Before his conversion, He would have been one to join or lead a march or protest against his perceived enemy that would turn to arrests and even death. He had considered righteousness to be obedience to an enhanced law of God (oral law) that man had used to cover what they believed was essential to obtain righteousness by obedience to the law. Application - There are some today even in the church that use their confidence in their self-righteousness to God to do evil. They will call out scripture out of context to justify their acts. In a few words, they will pray to God then in the next words bring curses down upon those who aren’t like them, especially if it takes away a freedom they have enjoyed in the world. James put it this way, “With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!...Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats. James 3:9-10,14-16 (Msg) We should take on the attitude of Christ and Paul. The acts of the flesh and world are worthless compared to the righteousness we have in Christ Jesus. In the grace and righteousness of Jesus Christ we should rejoice! The last safeguard of protection through rejoicing in the Lord, Paul encourages the church to get true wisdom and knowledge, to value true riches that are in God. In this we can rejoice in His protection. Jesus said it well in the Beatitudes, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt.6:33
The church in Philippi needed to rejoice in Christ Jesus and his righteousness, not in the self-righteous works of the flesh. Again, look to the text, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” v.9-11 Paul wanted them to imitate him as he imitated Christ Jesus, “Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you.” 3:17 They were to discard the acts of confidence in the flesh and self-righteousness. They needed to rejoice in all that the Lord Jesus Christ had done for them and in them.
Application - Knowing Jesus as Savior and Lord has infinite value. The oneness we have with Jesus is the true righteousness we should seek. We should say “For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” v.9b Like Paul, we should rejoice in our desire to know Jesus and experience the power of God, the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. We should, like Paul, desire to put to death the flesh daily, “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” (Rom. 8:13) until the day that Christ Jesus comes and resurrects those who have died in faith and raptures those who are his, who are still alive at his coming. Again, I would have you share this lesson with someone, especially if they are struggling with faith because of legalism or the fleshly desires of mankind. My hope is that this lesson will lead others to salvation through Jesus Christ. Jn.14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Until Next Week,
In His Service, Mike Davis
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