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Okay, so Philippians chapter 
3, the other day we looked at Malachi chapter 3, we remember, 
hopefully we remember, the people in Malachi's day were saying 
that it was useless, unprofitable, and unfair to serve the living 
and the true God. They were obviously unbelievers. The true believer sees Christ 
as chief among 10,000, and altogether lovely. And I believe the Apostle 
Paul sets forth that example in chapter 3 of a man consumed 
with the Lord Jesus Christ. So tonight we're going to look 
at possession, position, and privileges of believers in Philippians 
chapter 3, specifically verses 7 to 11. But I'll just begin 
reading in verse 1 and read to the end of the chapter. Finally, 
my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things 
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 also might 
have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may 
have confidence in the flesh, I'm more so. Circumcised 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 conformed 
to 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 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 in anything 
you think otherwise, God will reveal even 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 so walk, as 
you have us for a pattern. For many walk, of whom I have 
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. For our citizenship is in heaven, 
from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who will transform our lowly body, that it may be conformed 
to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is 
able even to subdue all things to himself. Amen. In other places 
in the Apostle's writings, he demonstrates the glory of Christ 
in saving us from our sins. Remember that statement in 1 
Timothy chapter 1 in verse 15. He says it's a trustworthy saying, 
worthy of full acceptation. Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners of whom I am chief. He does the same thing 
in Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians 2, 1, he says, but 
you, being dead in your trespasses and sins. And then in verses 
1 to 3, he highlights what being dead in trespasses and sins looks 
like. And then he highlights the saving 
purposes of God in chapter 2, verse 4. But God, God made us 
alive together with Christ. So the Lord Jesus saves us from 
our sins to be sure. Here, it almost appears that 
Paul wants to demonstrate that the Lord Jesus not only saves 
us from our sins, but from our wretched works, our acts of self-righteousness, 
those things that we think we do that commend ourselves unto 
God. In chapter 3, the Apostle Paul 
is alerting the audience to the presence of Judaizers. That's who he's referring to 
in verse 2. When he says, Beware of dogs, 
he is not meaning canines. He is not meaning, you know, 
Rottweilers or what other kind of vicious dogs are there? I 
don't know. Poodles, yeah. He doesn't mean beware of poodles. 
The dogs here are Judaizers. It was common for the Jews to 
refer to the Gentiles as being dogs. In a twist of theological 
logic, the Apostle Paul is saying the dogs are the Judaizers, those 
who come along and seek to thrust the circumcision or the ceremonies 
of Moses upon the professing people of God that they would 
have to not only believe the gospel but also do certain things 
in order to be saved. We know this is the case because 
he then calls them evil workers and the mutilation. They were 
preaching circumcision but what they were in essence was mutilation. Then he highlights the reality 
of what the church is in verse 3. We are the circumcision. We worship God in the spirit, 
boasting in Christ Jesus, and we have no confidence in the 
flesh. And that then leads him in 4-6 
to highlight what he was prior to his conversion. If ever there 
was a man who by his works could have commended himself to God, 
it was the Apostle Paul. If ever there was a religious 
resume that God the Lord should look upon favorably and allow 
access into his holy presence, it was this Saul of Tarsus. But what he shows here, what 
he demonstrates here, is that all of that did not avail with 
God at all. In other words, it's not our 
works, it's not our righteousness, it's not our righteousness according 
to the law, but it is solely and alone the gracious act of 
God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ that brings us into this 
state of salvation. So that's a bit of an introduction 
to the context. But in the broader epistle, we 
read in chapter 3 at verse 17, Paul says, join in following 
my example and note those who so walk as you have us for a 
pattern. Paul was a man of prayer according 
to chapter 1 verses 3 to 11. He was a man who defended and 
confirmed the gospel according to chapter 1 verse 7. He was 
a man who was able to look beyond present distress and trial and 
see God's gospel purposes even in the midst of his own suffering. 
In chapter 1, verse 12, he talks about being in prison. The enemies 
of the cross thought that they were stopping the gospel. But 
even though Paul was in prison, this was an occasion for the 
gospel to progress and to advance. Paul was a man who also was able 
to see his imprisonment as a blessed opportunity for the progress, 
and he rejoiced even in those who, out of bad ambition toward 
the apostle, nevertheless preached the cross accurately. Paul rejoiced 
in that. All of these things are true 
of Paul. Philippians chapter 1, he says, whether he lives 
or whether he dies, he does all for the glory of Christ. I mean, 
here's a man consumed with Christ. And I think the way or the reason 
how he is the kind of man that he is, is based substantially 
and based solely and alone, ultimately, on what we find here in the core, 
the control center of this epistle, verses 7 to 11. Paul's possession 
of Christ, his position in Christ, and the privileges that he has 
as a result of being in Christ. So that's the specific context. Let's look at his possession 
of Christ. One man, James Stocker, said 
that all of Paul's theology was just about the explanation of 
his own conversion account. I think that's good. The explication 
of what happened to him on the road to Damascus. Here was a 
man who was self-righteous. Here was a man who was a sinner. 
God saved him by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ 
alone. So then he writes his epistles. 
And that is the sum and substance of his message. He preaches a 
law-free gospel. He preaches justification by 
faith. He preaches the absolute sufficiency 
and completeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. I think that's 
a good observation by James Stalker. But let's look at this possession, 
verses 7 and 8. He's using the language of the 
marketplace. He's using commercial language 
when he uses the terminology gain and loss. It's the sort 
of language that you would hear in any business. You have a gain 
column, you have a loss column. You have an asset column, you 
have a debit column. You have those things which matter 
and you have those things which don't. And that's what Paul is 
highlighting here. in verses 7 and 8. He says, This 
is what I was before I met Jesus Christ. Again, verse 4, Though 
I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else 
thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so. Circumcised the eighth day of 
the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the 
Hebrew, concerning the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting 
the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law blameless." 
Again, it's an ingenious argument. Beware of dogs, beware of evil 
workers, beware of the mutilation, beware of those who preach the 
ceremonies of Moses as a means by which you may gain favor with 
God. Paul says, I had all those ceremonies 
of Moses. I was in the right stock. I was 
in the right tribe. I was circumcised on the eighth 
day. I had every I dotted and every 
T crossed according to the Mosaic law. Concerning the law, he says, 
I was blameless. And yet, notice in verse 7, but 
what things were gained to me. At one time that mattered to 
Paul. At one time that pedigree was everything to him. At one 
time that resume was all that he had. But when he met Jesus 
Christ, that radically changed. He said, what things were gained 
to me, these I have counted loss for Christ, the religious accomplishments, 
the works of the flesh, the works of the law, the things that I 
had amassed, all those things that I thought endeared me to 
God are now counted as loss. I don't look at those anymore 
as somehow getting me in to favor with God. No, I count those things 
lost, notice specifically, for Christ. Christ is everything 
for the Apostle Paul. There's one thing that I hope 
that we'll take away tonight is that Christ is everything 
for those who are in Him, so that we'll never fall prey to 
those sorts of blasphemous and harsh words that they spoke in 
Malachi's day, that it's useless to serve God, that it's unprofitable 
to serve God, that it's unfair to serve God. No, if we have 
Jesus Christ, we have everything. Doesn't matter if we're in a 
prison cell, doesn't matter if our heads are being chopped off, 
doesn't matter if we're losing arms, it doesn't matter if we're 
the target of political oppression or whatever it may be. If we 
have Jesus Christ as believers, we have everything. That's what 
we need to get our minds wrapped around, and I think this is a 
wonderful passage of scripture to display that. But notice, 
he goes from the past, verse 7, what things were gained to 
me, These I have counted loss for Christ. Now he moves to the 
present. Verse eight, 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. So it's not just his past accomplishments, 
but it's his present comfort. It's his present safety. It's 
his present status. You might look at 2 Corinthians 
chapter 11 for just a moment to see what the cross cost Paul 
in terms of his own life, in terms of his own safety. in terms 
of his own security. In verse 8, Paul uses a present 
tense which indicates a continuing and a constant action. Present 
comfort no longer mattered to the Apostle Paul. Present prestige, 
present favor in the eyes of men, present whatever. It did 
not matter to him one whit anymore. Notice in 2 Corinthians 11 at 
verse 22. Now he's got a bit of a different 
purpose here in 2 Corinthians. Briefly, what had happened is 
that some men had come in to the church in Corinth and said 
that Paul really isn't what he says he is. Paul's out for your 
money. Paul's a wishy-washy fellow. 
Paul really isn't about your good. That's why much of 2 Corinthians 
is apologetic in nature, where Paul is having to defend himself. And he's not defending himself 
because he wants to look good for the Corinthians. He's defending 
himself because if he is discredited, then the gospel that he preaches 
is discredited. So insofar as he defends himself, 
it is to promote the truth of the gospel that he preached. 
So here, that's what's going on here in 2 Corinthians 11 at 
verse 22. It's kind of an interesting way 
that he answers that. Oh, Paul's weak. Paul is feeble. Paul is, you know, a scared man. You know how Paul answers all 
those? He says, right, right, and right. It's an amazing apologetic. It's not the way you and I, well 
no, that's not me, I'm Mr. Martin, no. Paul, earlier on, 
he says, when I came to you I was weak, I was trembling, I was 
fearful. I'm not the super apostles that these guys are. That's just 
not who I am. I am what God has made me to 
be. I am who he has called me to be. And here, now he's highlighting 
his suffering for Christ. Notice in verse 22, chapter 11, 
are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? 
So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? 
So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? 
I speak as a fool, I am more. In labors more abundant, in stripes 
above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received 
forty stripes minus one, three times I was beaten with rods, 
once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and 
a day I have been in the deep. In journeys often, in perils 
of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, 
in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the sea, in perils 
in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the 
sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness 
often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and 
nakedness, besides the other things, what comes upon me daily, 
my deep concern for all the churches." So that's just to illustrate 
verse 8 of Philippians chapter 3. What things were gained, verse 
7, I count loss. Yet indeed I also count all things 
loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my 
Lord. He was willing to give up and 
had given up everything for the cross. Peter T. O'Brien says, 
his earlier decision was no impulsive act of breaking with the past, 
rather it was a deep seated resolution and he continues up to the time 
of writing to regard everything as lost for the sake of Christ. Now something we need to remember 
about the book of Philippians. Paul had been a Christian probably 
about 30 years. We're not dealing with a new 
convert here. There's this lie that has unfortunately 
plagued the church. that when you're first converted 
there's this zeal and there's this desire and there's a witness 
and a testimony and a good works ethic that the new believer gets 
engaged in. And then people sometimes think, 
well give him a few years, he'll fizzle out and be like the rest 
of us, dead weight, just kind of floating along. Paul had been 
a Christian for 30 years when he said, for to me to live is 
Christ and to die is gain. Do not ever believe the lie that 
your first love should decline, that you should start to fizzle 
out. If anything, the more you learn 
of Christ, the more you appreciate about the gospel, the more earnest 
you ought to be in terms of Christian experience. The man of Psalm 
92, the righteous old man of Psalm 92 is flourishing and he's 
thriving. Why? Because he's feeding on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and he's growing in the grace and in the 
knowledge of the Lord Jesus. If Paul does anything in Philippians 
3, 7 to 11, hopefully he rebukes us for our lack of zeal, our 
lack of a warm-hearted love and affection for the Lord Jesus 
Christ. He says, what things were gained, 
loss. 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. We just 
saw what he means there in 2 Corinthians chapter 11. This isn't just some 
ethereal idea or concept. This isn't just him, you know, 
using literary rhetoric to sort of make an impact here. When 
Paul says, I have suffered the loss of all things, he means 
business. And he didn't suffer it in such 
a manner that we are prone to, oh man, I lost all these things. 
This is not the lament, the groaning and the grieving of a man that 
has lost everything. This is rather the exaltation 
of a man who has lost everything. For whom I have suffered the 
loss of all things and count them as rubbish. The word here 
has the twin concept of filth and something worthy to be discarded. The idea is something thrown 
to the dogs or it has the idea of dung, as the old King James 
translates it. Rubbish is a little bit too polished 
of a term. Dung fits it a whole lot better. This is what Paul says, all things 
that were gained to me, now I count this as dung, because now I have 
Christ, that I may gain Christ. You see, you would never hear 
the Apostle Paul say, it is useless, it is unprofitable, and it is 
unfair to serve God. He has Jesus. He has everything. The same thing ought to be true 
with us. If we are in Christ, which we'll see in just a moment, 
this position that Paul speaks of in verse 9, which is based 
on a sovereign, gracious act of God. It's not our doing. It's 
not our placement into Christ, but rather it's what God has 
done. If we have this position, that ought to be the mindset 
with reference to possession. a willingness and a readiness 
to genuinely part with everything for Christ, that we may gain 
Christ. That is the sum and substance 
of Christianity. At times I think we lose sight 
of that. At times I think we lose sight 
of the fact that it's Christianity that we're part of. It's about 
Jesus. It's about the Lord of glory. How does Jesus himself define 
eternal life? In John 17, 3, in his high priestly 
prayer, he says, and this is eternal life, that they may know 
you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Jesus 
tells us the very essence of eternal life itself is theology. I don't say that because I have 
a hobby in theology. I say that because we're Christians. Who doesn't want to study God? 
Who doesn't want to understand more of the Redeemer? Who doesn't 
want to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord 
Jesus Christ? That's what we're here for. That's 
what it's about. That's what we are seeking to 
imbibe. We are first and foremost believers. We believe a body of truth, which 
presupposes we understand that body of truth. And then that 
body of truth gets into our hearts and into our minds and into our 
lives, and then it's fleshed out as individuals, as families, 
as churches. This is what it's about. grow 
in these things. We can't shine as lights unless 
we have the data in our hearts first and foremost. This is what 
motivated, this is what moved, this is what activated the Lord 
or the Apostle Paul with reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. That 
is his possession. He has Christ. Now notice secondly 
his position. We'll spend a little more time 
here because I want us to understand what he is saying in verse 9. He says, 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." I would suggest that this is the hub. Paul's a man of prayer. Paul 
defends and confirms the gospel. Paul sits in a prison and rejoices 
because the gospel is being preached. Paul sits in a prison and rejoices 
because the gospel is preached even by guys who don't like Paul, 
guys who have selfish ambition, guys who don't have the best 
motive but nevertheless they're getting the cross right. Paul 
is that way because of verse 9. Paul is the kind of man Paul 
is because of what he says here in verse nine. Hence, if we understand 
verse nine, we too ought to be men like the Apostle Paul, or 
women, should that be the case, genderly speaking. Notice, he 
is speaking about the doctrine of justification by faith. That's what verse nine is about. I am convinced beyond a shadow 
of a doubt that if you understand what the Bible teaches concerning 
justification by faith alone, you will be the happier person 
as a result. Okay? Someone recently asked 
me, what new thing have you learned over the last couple of years? 
Or what profound thing in your studies has come out over the 
last couple of years? You know what the profound thing 
is? There's no profound thing. The old truth is still the good 
truth. The old perspective on Paul is 
still the necessary perspective on Paul. What the reformers, 
what the Puritans after them, what the post-reformation dogmaticians 
all accurately reflected on in terms of justification by faith 
alone is that lasting and abiding reality that will help you in 
everything Christian. So let's just look at this doctrine 
of justification by faith in verse 9. I'll just read a couple 
of the confessional statements concerning this doctrine. From 
our own confession, the London Baptist Confession, also found 
in the Westminster Confession, chapter 11, paragraph 1. those 
whom God affectionately calls, He also freely justifies, not 
by infusing righteousness into them. We'll unpack this as we 
move along. Think Protestant, Catholic, infuse 
is the word Catholicism uses. Just think, infusion is bad. 
Not in every situation. Infusion is probably good somewhere 
out there. But with reference to righteousness, infusion, bad. Roman dogma, bad. Protestant 
doctrine, imputation, good. Let's make sure we have happy 
face for imputation, sad face for infusion. This is what our 
confession says. Those whom God affectionately 
calls, He also freely justifies, not by infusing righteousness 
into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting 
their persons as righteous, not for anything wrought in them 
or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone." That is a blessed 
statement. Paul says this in verse 9. Be found in Him. not having my 
own righteousness, which is from the law. There's two types of 
righteousness that Paul is speaking of in verse 9. There is a righteousness 
which is our own according to the law. Paul says that's not 
the one I have, but I have the righteousness which is from God 
through faith. That's the righteousness that 
we desperately need. You've all probably heard the 
story about Martin Luther. Martin Luther, of course, was 
brought up a Roman Catholic. Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic 
priest. Martin Luther was involved in 
monkery. He was involved in the whole spiel. There were seasons 
and times in Martin Luther's life where he would go to the 
confessional for hours upon hours at a time. R.C. Sproul makes 
the observation. That's amazing. What kind of 
trouble do you get into in a monastery? Do you covet Brother Philip's 
biscuit? Luther understood something about 
sin. So he spent all these hours confessing 
this sin. Could you imagine the priests? 
They probably all hope they didn't get Luther. He's going to be 
here for hours on end listening to this guy's laundry list of 
sins. There were times when Luther was asked, do you love God? Love 
God? I hate him. This idea of the righteousness 
of God terrified Martin Luther. This idea of who God is in terms 
of his rightness made Luther shiver and fear and tremble. 
Because if God is that holy, and God is that righteous, and 
I'm this wicked, then there is no way I shall ever gain acceptance 
into his presence. It was his study of the epistle 
to the Romans. It was Romans 1, 16, and 17. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, 
for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, 
to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for in it The righteousness 
of God is revealed from faith to faith. When Luther understood 
righteousness in that context. Righteousness is a word that 
is conditioned by the context. Sometimes it means the rightness 
of God. It means that burning holiness 
and purity. But in Philippians 3.9 and in 
Romans 1.16 and 17 and in Romans chapter 3, the righteousness 
of God is that which He demands and that which he supplies to 
his elect, that righteousness which is from God through faith. When Luther understood that, 
he said it was as if paradise opened up. He understood all 
too well what Habakkuk said and what the New Testament authors 
quoted ad nauseum. The just shall live by faith, 
faith in the Savior, faith in Christ, faith for pardon faith 
for righteousness. That's what the confession is 
highlighting here. Probably the best extra-biblical 
definition of justification is Westminster Shorter Catechism 
number 33. Justification is an act of God's 
free grace. Isn't that beautiful? Justification 
is not an act of our goodness, our ability, our law-keeping. It's an act of God's free grace. That's how we know sinners will 
be saved, because God is gracious freely. Not because sinners are 
good, not because sinners perform well, not because sinners get 
circumcised. It is an act of God's free grace, 
and then it goes in to describe the components involved in justification. Where any pardons, all our sins. Ever think about that? When we 
sing 590, Jesus paid it all. He didn't atone for some of our 
sins. He didn't pay for 80% of our 
sins. He didn't even pay for 99.99999999. And we gotta conjure up that 
last millionth in order to secure the deal. Jesus pardons all our 
sins. Sometimes people, sometimes children 
say, well does that mean that the blood of Jesus covers the 
sins I'm gonna commit? Yes, it does. He pardons all 
our sins. Now, biblical logic means, based 
on that reality, we want to live holy. It's the devil's logic 
that says, well, if he paid for those future sins, I'll go out 
and sin and sin and sin and sin. Paul combats that reality in 
Romans chapter 6, verse 1. What shall we say then? Shall 
we continue in sin, that grace may abound? What does Paul say? 
May it never be. You who died to sin, shall you 
continue in it? The truth of biblical pardon 
and forgiveness in the blood of Jesus should promote holiness 
and righteousness and godliness. It doesn't promote license. Anyways, 
getting in. This kind of stuff, hopefully 
you're all excited too. This is the stuff of biblical 
Christianity. Justification is an act of God's 
free grace wherein he pardons all our sins and accepts us as 
righteous in his sight. See, we not only need the pardon 
of our sin, we need a positive righteousness. Machen said it 
well. If all of our sin is removed, 
then we're back at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 
If all of our sin is pardoned, then we're back at the tree of 
the knowledge of good and evil. Now it is up to us, ultimately, 
to confirm ourself in that state of righteousness. But you see, 
the gospel answers to both aspects. We have pardon and we have acceptance. We have pardon from our sin. 
We have acceptance with God because of the righteousness of Jesus 
imputed to us and received by faith alone. That's the second 
component. an act of God's free grace wherein 
He pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight 
only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received 
by faith alone. It is a blessed, wonderful transaction. Turn to the prophet Zechariah 
to see an illustration. The prophet Zechariah chapter 
3, to see this illustrated. Sometimes when we hear these 
abstract doctrines It is helpful for us to see them fleshed out 
in real life situations. I mean, it's being fleshed out 
in Philippians 3. Paul says, this is what I was, 
this is what I am, and I rejoice solely and alone in the finished 
work. of the Lord Jesus Christ. But for an Old Testament counterpart, 
let's look at Zechariah chapter 3. I'll just make running comments 
along as I read, beginning in verse 1. Then he showed me Joshua 
the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. Now Joshua 
here is not Joshua the son of Nun. foolish to read a name and 
go, oh, that must be, no, no, no. This is post-exilic. This 
is many, many, many, many years after Joshua, the son of Nun. 
This Joshua is the high priest. So that indicates something to 
us, that he not only stands before the throne for himself, But he's 
a public person. He's a representative. He is 
standing before the throne on behalf of the entirety of the 
covenant community. So make sure you understand that. 
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the 
angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. I mean, that's what the devil's 
called, right? In the book of Revelation. Chapter 
12, he is what? He is the accuser of the brethren. He functions that way in the 
book of Job, doesn't he? He presents himself before the 
Lord God Almighty, and what does he do? He accuses Job. Job only 
serves you, God, because you give him stuff. Job only serves 
you, God, because he's got a 2012 Lexus. He only serves you, God, 
because he's got a summer home at Cultus. He only serves you, 
God, because he's got a nice, beefy bank account. He's got 
lots of flogs, and he has happy children. He's got a pretty wife. 
You take all that stuff away, and he won't serve you. That's 
what the devil is doing in the book of Job. He is accusing Job 
of being a mercenary. He is accusing Job of only being 
in it for what God can give him and not being there for God. 
And that's precisely what he's doing here in this scene with 
Joshua the high priest. I love the way the devil doesn't 
even get to open his big mouth. Notice in verse 12, and the Lord 
said to Satan, the Lord rebuke you, Satan. The Lord who has 
chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand pluck from 
the fire? It's an implication here. The 
devil doesn't have to open his mouth and say, Joshua the high 
priest and Israel are sinners. God knows that. He plucked Jerusalem 
out like a bran from the fire. It's sovereign election, it's 
sovereign grace that this is all based upon. God sees us in 
our sin. He doesn't need Mr. Devil there 
saying, you know, Jim Butler, John Proctor, Dodd, you know, 
those guys are wretches. As if God doesn't know that? 
That's why his son came to die. I mean, all of us here, I just 
happen to pick a couple names. No, no, no, God, no, I'm just 
kidding there. But notice this, the devil doesn't 
even open his mouth. The Lord God most high says, 
the Lord rebuke you, Satan. Now notice in verse three, now 
Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and was standing before 
the angel. It's an amazing reality. He's 
not standing there in his high priestly gear. He's not standing 
there in the breastplate. He's not standing there with 
the headdress. He's not standing there in purity 
and in polish. The language is conspicuous. 
He is clothed with filthy garments. The word filthy here is used 
in other contexts in the Old Testament to speak of vomit and 
to speak of feces. That's what Joshua is covered 
with. He didn't drop a little bit of 
jam on his shirt. He didn't have a little bit of, 
you know, peanut butter on the corner of his mouth. He is standing 
there filthy as a result of his own sin and the sin of Israel. You cannot get any more conspicuous. The man is wretched. Israel is 
wretched. Now notice those twin components 
of justification fleshed out right before our eyes, and it 
all comes from the Lord's initiative. God doesn't say, you know, Joshua, 
if you contribute here, or if you clean up your act, or if 
you fix yourself, then I will reward you. No, God undertakes. Remember, justification is an 
act of God's free grace. Notice in verse 4, then he answered 
and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, take away 
the filthy garments from him. Where's your pardon from sin? We need to be cleansed. We need 
to be purified. We need that muck washed away. 
We need the vomit. We need the feces. We need the, 
you know, all the breach of the Ten Commandments. We need that 
sin purged. We need the precious blood to 
cleanse us and to wash us and to purify us. but the activity 
doesn't stop. Not only are the filthy garments 
taken from him, but notice, and to him he said, see, I have removed 
your iniquity from you and I will clothe you with rich robes. You see, Joshua is not simply 
to stand there naked before the Lord, but he is to be clothed 
in the rich festal robes of purity and of righteousness. And I said, 
let them put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean 
turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him, and the 
angel of the Lord stood by." There it is illustrated. There 
it is fleshed out. Those twin concepts of justification, 
all according to the gracious act of God. Pardon from our sins 
and the imputation of righteousness, based on the finished work of 
the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. So when we go back to 
Philippians chapter 3 and verse 9, Paul says, "...and be found 
in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law." You go 
through Romans, you go through Galatians, and Paul is conspicuous. It is not the works of the law 
that commend us to God. It is not our righteousness that 
commend us to God. In this context, when he says 
beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation, 
resist those Judaizers who would come to you and say faith in 
Christ plus circumcision. Resist Romanism that says faith 
in Christ plus the seven sacraments of Rome. resist the federal vision 
who says faith in Christ plus your faithfulness and loyalty 
in order to be justified. It is justification by grace 
alone through faith alone in Christ Jesus alone. There is 
a sharp stark contrast between my own righteousness which is 
from the law and that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness 
which is from God by faith. Raymond says, with a gloriously 
monotonous regularity. Paul pits faith off over against 
all law keeping as its diametrical opposite. It's faith versus. It's faith against. It is faith 
alone that is the instrument by which sinners are justified. And it's very interesting, my 
dear brothers and sisters, that whenever you look at faith passages 
in the New Testament, it's not because of our faith. It's not 
on account of our faith. It is through faith. Faith is 
the instrument. It's not as if I conjure up faith, 
and as a result of that, then God gives me justification. That was something that plagued, 
or that has plagued the church forever. But it was something 
rampant even in the Puritan movement. There was a group called the 
Neonomians, or Baxterianism, named after Richard Baxter. What 
Richard Baxter had in terms of being a pastor, he didn't have 
in terms of being a theologian. He did not have the doctrine 
of justification by faith alone. in Christ alone down. They had 
faith plus our faithfulness. They had faith as the cause, 
faith as the because of, when we believe then we're justified. Every instance in the New Testament 
It is always dia with a genitive. It is always the preposition 
with faith in the genitive which indicates it's an instrument. 
It's not because of faith, it is through faith. It's Christ 
who saves and faith is the instrument by which we're brought into union 
with Him. Again, it's not you believe and 
then God brings justification. God justifies in an act of His 
free grace. Faith is indeed the instrument, 
but it's not the cause. It's not like you believe and 
then God rewards you with faith. He says, whereas law keeping 
relies on human effort of the law keeper looking to himself 
to render satisfaction before God, the former faith repudiates 
and looks entirely away from all human effort to the cross 
work of Jesus Christ who alone by his sacrificial death rendered 
satisfaction before God for man. So you see, it's only this faith 
principle that causes men, that causes the whole gospel to be 
dependent upon Jesus Christ and Him alone. It's a beautiful, 
wonderful situation. If you are a partaker in this 
and you don't usually think about this, may I encourage you by 
means of an application to think about this once in a while. It's 
good for the soul. It's very good for the soul. 
How am I going to go to heaven? Because I go to church? Because 
I read my Bible? Because I pray? Because I go 
to Wednesday night Bible study? No. Because Jesus Christ came 
into this world, He lived in obedience to the law, He died 
as a sacrifice and a substitute on the cross, and He rose again 
the third day. Our salvation is all about Him. It's all hinged upon the Lord 
Jesus Christ. The righteousness that comes 
from God is God's way of putting men right with himself. O'Brien said it that way, I think 
he's spot on. When he says, not having my own 
righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through 
faith in Christ, the righteousness which is, here it is, from God 
by faith. Romans 3, 21 and 22, but now 
the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed. Being 
witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness 
of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who 
believe. Our confession highlights the 
instrumentality of faith. It says that faith, or not by 
imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical 
obedience to them as their righteousness, but by imputing Christ's act 
of obedience in his death for their whole and sole righteousness. 
Basically what that's saying, again, It's not like God gives 
us the faith and says, oh, there's the faith, now I'll justify you. 
It's all about Christ, the imputation of His righteousness. Faith is 
the instrument which brings us into contact with what we find 
here. And then faith is that which 
receives us so that we may receive and rest on Him and His righteousness 
by faith. Which faith they have not of 
themselves, it is the gift of God. So even the faith that the 
believer has wasn't conjured up. Remember, justification is 
an act of God's saving grace. Where does the Bible teach that 
faith is a gift? Does anybody know? You've got 
two seconds because we don't want any lags on the internet. 
Galatians? Ephesians. Ephesians, yes. Ephesians 
2, 8 and 9. That not from yourselves. People say, well that doesn't 
mean the faith because It's the whole context, the salvation 
by faith. That is not of yourself. It is the gift of God. Philippians 
chapter 1, it has been granted unto you, graciously given to 
you, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. 
It's an interesting passage, because the emphasis is on suffering 
for Christ. It's an incidental reference. that faith has been given to 
you to believe on Jesus. I think that's powerful. I mean, 
it's not even taken up as, hey, I got to argue with you and prove 
in 10 easy steps that faith is a gift. No, that's a no-brainer. Of course faith has been given 
to you. You were dead in your trespasses and sins. You remember 
that? You had no power. You were lifeless. You were helpless. 
You were hopeless. You were beyond the pale of redemption. You were like those dead bones 
in Ezekiel's vision. Unless God says, live, live, 
you don't live. It's God who regenerates. It's 
God who raises you up. It's God who affectionately calls. 
It's God who justifies. It's God who gives you the twin 
graces of faith and repentance. That's not even something that 
you bring to the table. It's not as if you say, Lord, 
I'm going to meet you with my faith. No, the Lord says, I've 
elected you in eternity past. I'm going to give you the gift 
of faith so that you can believe on my son and receive all of 
the redemptive benefits that he has secured. See, from first 
to last, salvation truly is of the Lord. Isn't that what Jonah 
the prophet declared? Jonah chapter 2, verse 9. Isn't 
that what Jesus Christ himself declares? No one can come to 
me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and then I will 
raise him up. Isn't this what Paul the apostle 
confesses in Romans chapter 9, 16? It does not depend upon him 
who wills or upon him who runs, but on who? God who shows mercy. When the saints are in heaven, 
the church militant is gathered around the throne. Do you know 
what they say? They say, Salvation belongs to our God and to the 
Lamb who sits on the throne. They don't say, Salvation belonged 
to us. We conjured it up. We believed. We repented. We 
contributed. No, no. Salvation belongs to God and 
to the Lamb who sits on the throne. From first to last, everything 
in between, it's all dependent upon God. It is all tied up in 
Jesus Christ, specifically his active obedience, his life, and 
his passive obedience, his death. Romans 4.25 indicates resurrection 
is crucial to the complex of events so that he's delivered 
up because of our offenses and he's raised up because of our 
justification. It's all about Christ. So you 
see, 3.9 is a defining text for how Paul ended up the way he 
was. It wasn't because he had a religious 
moment. It wasn't because he got motivated. 
It wasn't because some weird thing. It was because Christ 
saved him. John Murray has an excellent 
comment about justification by faith and justification by works 
that I think is helpful. And again, that's the context. 
Beware of these dogs. Beware of these men that come 
along and say, get circumcised in order to complete this package. 
That's what was going on, incidentally, in the book of Galatians as well. 
So Murray says, justification by works always finds its ground 
in that which the person is and does. This is a real practical 
thing. This is why I said if you get 
your mind around justification, it'll help you in your sanctification. See, we get this all messed up. 
We think my status with God, my acceptance with God, depends 
upon how I perform right now. No, our status and acceptance 
depends upon how Christ performed in his life, death, and resurrection. 
See, when we understand that, it opens the door and provides 
the biblical path for genuine sanctification, for genuine holy 
living. Anyways, back to Murray. Justification, 
by words, always finds its ground in that which the person is and 
does. You see, if what you do and are 
commend you to God, Then on that day, what are you going to do? 
You're going to congratulate yourself. Why are you going to 
make it to heaven? Because you went to Bible study 
and your wretched neighbor didn't. It's not the way it is. He says 
it is always oriented to that consideration of virtue attaching 
to the person justified. You see, if they followed the 
logic of the Judaizers, why ultimately were they in heaven? Yes, because 
they believed, but they also got circumcised. That's something 
they did. That's a work. That is something 
they performed. He says, the specific quality 
of faith is trust and commitment to another. It is essentially, 
and I love this word that he uses, and I'll explain it, extraspective. We all know what introspective 
is. Introspection is when we look at ourselves, right? That's 
when you're probably the most unhappy as a Christian. Honestly, 
when you look at yourself and, you know, I don't read my Bible, 
I don't pray, I don't have a heart for God, I don't want to go to 
church, introspection is oftentimes the most difficult. Now, there's 
a place for a biblical introspection. Test yourselves, examine yourselves, 
see whether you're in the faith. But in terms of justification, 
the faith aspect is essentially extra-spective. That means it 
looks from without. It looks to Christ. He says, 
and in that respect it is the diametric opposite of works. Faith is self-renouncing, works 
are self-congratulatory. Faith looks to what God does, 
works have respect to what we are. It is this antithesis of 
principle that enables the apostle to base the complete exclusion 
of works upon the principle of faith. It is faith that is the 
instrument. It is extraspective. We are looking 
to what Christ has done. Justification is not the Spirit's 
work in us. Justification is Christ's work 
for us. You see, that's the problem with 
Rome. Infusion means the Spirit is transforming us. The Spirit 
is making us righteous. The Spirit is making us holy. 
That's why there's not a distinction in Rome between justification 
and sanctification. It is one conglomerate. It is 
faith in Jesus plus our obedience to the dogma of the church. that 
then grants us acceptance with God. See, Protestants have rightly 
understood justification and sanctification. There's overlap, 
there's interpenetration, but there is distinction as well. 
We are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in the objective 
work of Christ on our behalf. Sanctification now, we proceed 
along, we read our Bibles, we pray, we seek the power of the 
Spirit, we walk in holiness, we do those things which God 
calls us to do, but when we get to heaven, we don't get to heaven 
and accepted with God based on this. We get to heaven and accepted 
with God based on that. Everybody get that? We're justified. Our acceptance with God is based 
on our justification by faith alone in Christ alone. Sanctification 
is the necessary outflow. It is that which proceeds naturally 
from someone who has been justified. But on that day of judgment, 
when God says, why should I let you into heaven, if that's what 
he's going to say? I mean, that's what I think we 
all think he's going to say. It's because of what Christ did. That's 
why the hymn writer says, nothing in my hand I bring. See, I don't 
bring anything for my sanctification. I don't say, Lord, I read my 
Bible, you know, 363 days a year. I went to church every day. I 
went to church every time. Nothing in my hand I bring. That's 
what it's about on the day of judgment. Simply to thy cross 
I cling, right? Because see, our sanctification, 
the best things that we do, they're all tainted with sin, aren't 
they? Aren't they? So it's not as if we can even 
present some sanctification to God that's actually holy and 
pure. You know, the Puritans rightly 
identified our repentance needs repenting of. Right? When you 
repent of your sin, you need to repent about how you repented. 
Because somehow there's something wrong with it. God is a holy 
God. So if you get that down, justification 
is Christ's work for us. Sanctification is the Spirit's 
work in us, transforming us, conforming us. But our acceptance 
with God is based upon what Jesus has done. Never forget that. That's why Paul was the man he 
was. 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. Now I had the departure from 
the doctrine, we won't get into that. Rome. Roman Catholicism. There's no distinction. Justification and sanctification 
look like this. so that what you do here does 
play out on the day of judgment. You know, I did the seven sacraments. 
I said my confession. I went to the priest. I, you 
know, engaged in holy orders or holy matrimony or holy whatever. 
I did all that. So what ultimately, or why are 
you getting into heaven at that point? Oh yeah, and Jesus too. No, it's all of Christ or it's 
none of Christ. There's no sort of mediating 
position. We need to learn that from the 
book of Galatians. Okay, the privileges, verse 10, 
10-11, the knowledge of Christ, the power of His resurrection 
and partnership with Him, that I may know Him and the power 
of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed 
to His death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection 
from the dead. So Paul highlights his possession, 
he gains Christ. His position, he's in Christ 
and his privileges that he may know Christ. Everything for Paul 
from first to last is all about Jesus. If we are that way, then 
we'll never say it's useless, it's unprofitable, and it's unfair 
to serve God. We'll say, Lord, give me more 
zeal, more desire to love this Jesus the way He loves me. I 
mean, that should be the report from our heart. So just in conclusion, 
I wanted to just give a couple of quotes here on the importance 
of the doctrine of justification by faith. Calvin says that this 
is the main hinge on which religion turns. The main hinge on which 
religion turns. You mess up on justification, 
you're in bad shape. You can mess up on eschatology. 
I'm sure we all, however many people are in here, shouldn't 
be hard to count. We probably all differ on eschatology. You say, but there's three main 
positions. Yeah, and about a million different applications of those 
three different, but we can still go to heaven. You can't mess 
up justification. You know, when Jesus said, unless 
you believe that I am, you will die in your sin, you can't mess 
up on God. There are certain things you 
can't. There's a hierarchy of belief in the scripture. If you 
don't know how many cubits the west wall of the tabernacle is, 
you can still go to heaven. If you don't know what position 
each of the tribes had with reference to the tabernacle in the wilderness, 
you can still go to heaven. But if you mess up on who God 
is, or you mess up on the way of salvation, According to the 
Bible, you're in bad shape. This is why in Galatians 1, Paul 
says, if anyone preaches another gospel, which we have not preached 
to you, let him be damned to hell. It's a very serious offense 
to twist and distort biblical truth concerning who God is and 
how God saves sinners. And it's not like these are obscure 
things. No one should ever say, well, 
that doesn't seem fair. It's on every page. It really 
is. I mean, the scripture, you know, 
the confession rightly says those things that are, you know, it 
highlights or it indicates that there's some things that are 
difficult to understand in the scripture. Okay? We would all 
admit that. Peter says that about Paul. Peter 
says there are some things in Paul's writings that are hard 
to understand. Some of us would say there's 
some things in Peter's writing that are hard to understand. 
But the confession says, but those things concerning the glory 
of God and the way of salvation are clear. They're expressly 
set forth. You can't miss that. You can't, 
you know, search days and days and days and not be confronted 
with, you know, Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him 
for righteousness. Habakkuk 2, the just shall live 
by faith. Paul, the just shall live by 
faith. The scripture, the just shall live by... You can't miss 
that. It is the main hinge upon which religion turns. Raymond 
says, the doctrine of justification is the heart and core of the 
gospel, the good news that God, by grace alone, justifies sinners 
through faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from the works of 
the law. Some practical benefits, we've 
already touched on them, I'll just remind you, legalism is 
not an option. Legalism, I mean in its most 
strict definition. Sometimes we look at people, 
and if they don't do things the way we do, or they do things 
a little more differently, they're legalists. Legalism, technically 
defined, means that we gain acceptance with God based on something we 
do. Well, if we understand verse 
9, we will realize it is not based on what we do. It is not 
by my own righteousness which is from the law, but it is solely 
and alone that righteousness which is from God through faith 
in Jesus Christ. Assurance is grounded upon a 
solid foundation. See, when you understand justification, 
you can really have assurance. You see, if it's up to me to 
gain acceptance with God, even in the nth degree, boy, that's 
a tough place to be. Yeah, forget it. I missed Bible 
study. I'm going to hell. You know, 
I had a wicked thought. I'm going to hell. There's no 
assurance then. There's no Romans 5.1 in the 
so-called gospel of the legalists. Therefore, having been justified 
by faith, we have peace with God. That's Romans 5.1. That's 
the ground of assurance. You don't understand justification 
by faith alone. You're not going to have assurance. 
and then sanctification. I've already alluded to this. 
It proceeds along a biblical path. We're not living here to 
gain acceptance with God. We're living here because we 
have acceptance with God. And because we have acceptance 
with God, we are sons and daughters of the Most High. We want to 
live in such a way as to evidence that and to demonstrate the glory 
of our Father in heaven. We're not living here so that 
He might reward us. We're living here because He 
has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places 
in Christ Jesus. So if we understand justification 
properly, that then unleashes a God-honoring, biblically-lived 
sanctification to the glory of God the Father. Everything is 
a win-win in understanding the Pauline Doctrine, the Christ 
Doctrine, Isaiah's Doctrine, Moses' Doctrine of justification 
by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We understand 
that, I believe, you'll say with Luther, then paradise opened 
up. Well, that's Philippians 3. Hopefully, 
it will be a helpful thing to us to guard us from that blasphemous 
manner of speech we see in Malachi 3. Well, let's pray. Father, 
we thank you for this, your word. We thank you for what the apostle 
describes here in Philippians 3. We thank you for this justification, 
which is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ 
alone. I thank you, God. that you have been so merciful 
to us, that you have called us out of darkness into marvelous 
light, that you have blessed us richly. And I pray that each 
of us would have a good understanding of this doctrine and that it 
would be of great help and great benefit in our Christian lives. 
And we pray through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.