Of Joy and Dogs (Phil 3:1-7)

Philippians 3:1-7; Key Verse: 3:1

"...rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again..."

This January I had intended to only preach 1 sermon on Philippians to pray for 2012 to be a year of sanctification. (This is my 13th sermon on Philippians.) That sermon on sanctification (Phil 2:12-13) was change is possible. I stressed that the primacy of sanctification is God working in us (Php 2:13). Yet no Christian will ever grow, mature and be joyful and fruitful without "working" "with fear and trembling" (Phip 2:12). Paul said "I worked harder than all of them" (1 Cor 15:10), not to make lazy people feel guilty but to show the beauty of the grace of Jesus working in him. If a Christian is not growing or is unhappy, it is because they are not "working" but "chilling." I am not legalistic about chilling, because there is the biblical teaching of "rest." But Jesus said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working” (Jn 5:17). If the Father and the Son are always working, what should we Christians be doing?

Several people have implied over the last few years that they like both Chicago UBF and West Loop UBF. This is good, because we should always love all of our brothers and sisters in Christ wherever they are. They say they like Chicago UBF because they are constantly told what to do: go fishing, feed sheep, make disciples, write testimony. But they say they also like West Loop because we are given the freedom to do whatever we want. So they like both. I think that is very cute. I believe that true freedom includes "working harder" than others, not in competition, but because of the grace of Jesus. No one enjoys and experiences true freedom by being lazy or selfish. Freedom requires working to the point of sacrificing and losing something we treasure, even our life and the lives of our children. Jesus said, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14:26-27). "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples" (Lk 14:31). Do we have the freedom to hate "wife and children" and to "give up everything"? If we do, we are truly free. If we do not, we are slaves to idolatry. No Christian can be happy without sanctification, holiness and godliness. No one grows in holiness and godliness without "working harder than all of them," because of the grace of Jesus.

Briefly, what is Philippians about?

1. Joy. Its major theme is joy. Paul expresses his joy and he seeks their joy repeatedly (Phil 1:25).
   
2. Christian living. Philippians is about living the Christian life, about living in a manner worthy of the gospel (Phil 1:27). This must include unity, humility and mutuality (Phil 2:2-4). True Christian living never happens without personally and deeply knowing and embracing the humility, humiliation and humanity of Christ (Phil 2:5-11). Paul gives 2 clear examples of Christian living in Timothy and Epaphroditus (Phil 2:19-30).
3. Sanctification. No Christian can live a Christian life without sanctification. What is that? It is God working in us, and we Christians working it out (Phil 2:12-13). It is Christ taking hold of us, and we striving heavenward in Christ toward the goal (Phil 3:12-14), which is to know him (Phil 3:10).

What do we want more than anything else as human beings? Joy. Peace. Happiness. Paul is very serious about joy. He preferred "to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Phil 1:23). But for their sakes, he was convinced that he would continue to live "for your progress and joy in the faith" (Phil 1:25). He also said to them, "make my joy complete" (Phil 2:2a). He showed them 3 Ways to Live/Pursue a Life of Joy by pursuing unity, humility and mutuality (Phip 2:2b-4). It is not by merely trying harder, but by contemplating and comprehending the humility, humiliation and humanity of Christ (Phil 2:5-11).

Today, let's see how Paul helps us to keep our joy as Christians. In Phil 3:1-6, Paul tells us to:

1. Rejoice...in the Lord.
   
2. Repeat...important teachings.
   
3. Repent...of legalism.
   
4. Review, remember, realize...who you are.

I. Rejoice (Phil 3:1a)

Read Phil 3:1. Many think that the Christian life is no fun. But Christianity is a religion of joy. The word "joy(ful)" is repeated 242 times in the 2011 NIV, not including related words like rejoice, delight, blessed. Let's see how pervasive joy is in the Bible:

• The Psalmist said, "Delight yourself in the Lord" (Ps 37:4).
• "...his delight is in the law of the Lord" (Ps 1:2).
• "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Ps 16:11).
• "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart" (Ps 19:8),
• "Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart" (Ps 119:111).
• When the people studied the Bible, Neh 8:10 says, "for the joy of the Lord is their strength."
• Jesus, the happiest man who ever lived, said,
• "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (Jn 15:11).
• "You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy" (Jn 16:20).
• "Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy" (Jn 16:22).
• "Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete" (Jn 16:24).
• "I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them" (Jn 17:13).
• Peter says that when we believe in Jesus we "are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy" (1 Pet 4:18).

To rejoice in the Lord is not a fake joy, making plastic smiles, pretending we have no problems, or to live in denial of some painful issues. When someone asks, "How are you?" FINE! It means: Frustrated, Insecure (Irritated), Neurotic (Nauseated), Exhausted (Exasperated).

Paul's exhortation, "Rejoice," is not because we have no problems, or because our problems are not that big, but to rejoice even in the midst of real big problems. Rejoicing is a good fight of faith. No one rejoices by sitting on a sofa.

II. Repeat (Phil 3:1b)

"It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you." Paul is happy to teach, say and write the same things again and again. It is for our spiritual safety. Good teachers repeat themselves. Why? To get it through our thick skulls! Martin Luther, in his commentary on Galatians (St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians), said,

"The truth of the gospel...is...the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consisteth. Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually.”

1 Cor 15:1-2,11 say, "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain." "Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed."

III. Repent (Phil 3:2)

Why does Paul go from an exhortation to rejoice to a severe warning about "dogs" (not lovable pets but scavenging stray dogs; a derogatory way for Jews to describe Gentiles) who are the false teachers--the Judaizers? How is joy related to false teaching? False teaching kills joy. Only the truth gives us joy and sets us free (Jn 8:32). What is their false teaching? It is to put confidence in the flesh (cf Phil 3:3b), to put confidence in something other than Jesus. We will lose our joy. They taught the Gentiles that they needed to become Jews first by obeying the OT laws before they can be saved and become Christians (Acts 15:1-19; Gal 2:15-21, 3:6-4:31). They need to keep the Mosaic ceremonial ritual: circumcision, food laws, rituals. There are countless modern equivalents where we put our confidence in some Christian practice or tradition in order to feel confident about our standing before God and man.

Paul describes the false teachers in 3 ways: dogs, evildoers, mutilators of the flesh. Why is it evil to require obedience to the OT law? It denies the sufficiency of what Jesus has already done for our salvation when he said, "It is finished" (Jn 19:30). Anything that calls into question the completed perfect work of Christ on the cross is evil; it is a sin. The whole book of Hebrews is about the final perfect finished work of Christ.

They likely explicitly agree that salvation is by grace and by faith in Jesus. Yet they also implicitly insist upon obedience to the Law for their salvation and acceptance. Being Jews, they cling to their own ethnic and identity markers (in addition to claiming the gospel). This is a salvation of Jesus "plus" something else--Law, obedience, ritual, tradition, methodology, particular doctrine, cultural and ethnic superiority. Such teachings are everywhere in churches. False teachers, those scavenging dogs, do not teach salvation in Christ alone. They are evil without knowing they are evil.

IV. Review, Remember, Realize (Phil 3:3-7)

"For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh" (Phip 3:3). Here, Paul gives a 4 part definition/description of what a Christian is:

1. The true circumcision.
2. Worships/serves God by the Spirit.
3. Glories/boasts in Christ Jesus.
4. Puts no confidence in the flesh.

Notice that a Christian is trinitarian, one who serves/worships "God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus."

1) True Circumcision. A true Christian is not just one outwardly, but inwardly. Rom 2:28-29 say, "A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God."

2) Worship by the Spirit. Where else does this phrase occur? Jn 4:23-24 says, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." The Samaritan woman wanted to know where to worship. In the OT, they had to worship in the temple, for that is where God would meet them. In the NT, a temple is no longer the place where God manifests His presence among His people. Jesus is now our temple by His Spirit. That is the whole point of Hebrews.

3) Glory in Christ Jesus. We glory in Christ Jesus, because Jesus paid it all. Imagine singing, "Jesus paid most of it." In the entire Bible, the name Jesus never occurs in a sentence "is not necessary" or "is not enough."

4) Put no Confidence in the Flesh. The false teaches placed their confidence in being a Jew and in the performance in their duties. In essence they trusted themselves. If we are Christians, in essence we must trust God. But do Christians not put confidence in how well they think they are living their Christian life?

Paul then gives us his own personal evidence why confidence in the flesh does not work (Phil 3:4). He boasts about his pedigree not to show off, but to show that in the final analysis it is really nothing at all. Paul tells us 7 very impressive things about himself and his credentials in Phil 3:5-6.

1. "circumcised on the eighth day" according to the Law of Moses (Gen 17:12; Lev 12:3).
   
2. "of the people of Israel." He was a pure Hebrew by birth, descended from Jacob (Gen 32:28), not a convert to Judaism.
   
3. "of the tribe of Benjamin," the elite of Israel (1 Ki 12:21), descended from the 1st king, Saul (1 Sam 9:1-2), whose name he bore.
   
4. "a Hebrew of Hebrews," who retained the Hebrew language, and was not just a Greek speaking Jew.
   
5. "in regard to the law, a Pharisee" (Acts 22:3, 23:6, 26:5), the most devoted rigorous spiritual athletes of Judaism.
   
6. "as for zeal, persecuting the church" (Acts 22:2-21, 26:4-23; 1 Cor 15:8-10; Gal 1:13). To a Jew, zeal was the greatest religious quality (Ps 69:9).
   
7. "as for righteousness based on the law, faultless." Paul claims that there was no demand of the law which he did not fulfill.
   

As impressive as Paul's pedigree and credentials were, when he met Christ, he said, "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ" (Phil 3:7). He added, "I consider them garbage" (Phil 3:8).

Do we put confidence in the flesh, i.e. in ourselves? Do you put confidence in your looks, coolness, intelligence, seniority, faithfulness, commitment, hard work, stewardship? I know that I do. This is always my sinful default, for which I will always have to repent this side of the eschaton.

God calls us Christians to live a life of joy. Yes, the Christian life includes a cross. But in the cross there is life and joy. Without the cross there is only death and unhappiness. How can I keep this joy in my soul always (1 Th 5:16)? I must know that for me to live a life of joy, Someone had to loose all his joy. For me to be truly happy, Someone had to become a man of sorrow and familiar with suffering. For me to gain all things, Someone had to loose all things. For me to live, Someone had to die. When I know this from my very depths, joy and thanksgiving floods my soul. Do you know such a joy?

Reference:

1. Remembering Who We Are.
   
2. The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. William Barclay
3. Philippians questions.