You can turn in your Bibles again to Philippians 3. Philippians chapter 3. We looked at verses 1 to 3 this morning. We're going to look primarily at verses 4 to 9 this evening.
We'll read the entirety though of the section there beginning at Philippians 3 verse 1 and finishing at Philippians 3 verse 11. 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 more so. circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Counting All Things Loss for Christ
But what things were gained to me, these I have counted lost for Christ. Yet indeed, I also count all things lost 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. Amen. Well, let us pray again.
God, we thank you for this time we have now in your Word and this act of worship, the preaching of it. We do pray again, Father, that you would help us, that you'd be with us, that we would have that measure of the Spirit working by and with this Word to convict saints, to convict sinners, and Lord God, to equip us to go out into this world this upcoming week to live unto your glory. We just pray that this engagement in the act of worship now and preaching would be done unto the praise of your name, Lord God, that it would not be a mechanical thing again, Father, but something counted by your people as a high privilege that we might leave this place singing of the riches and of the excellencies of our blessed Redeemer, Jesus Christ. And it is in his name that we again pray.
Amen.
Introduction
Well, we noted this morning from Philippians 1 to 3, the fact that Paul is issuing a command to rejoice, which is kind of an interesting phrase, a command to rejoice. We noted, of course, though, it is certainly a valid thing, a gracious thing also, a gracious command that Paul here, and by virtue of Paul being inspired of God, God's telling his people to rejoice in him. And the way that they were to rejoice in him was to be sure or to ensure that they had confidence in the right thing. They did not that they did not have confidence in the flesh like these false teachers.
These heretics were seeking to press upon them. But rather that they rejoiced in Christ Jesus having no confidence confidence at all in the flesh. Proper rejoicing comes by way of avoiding those who seek to snatch our joy and properly laying hold of those things that we are to rejoice in. And Paul goes on now in verses 4 to 11 to insert his own autobiography as a means of highlighting the proper place of confidence and Christian rejoicing. the proper place or the proper object, the proper source and foundation of Christian rejoicing and Christian confidence.
We see that in verses four to 11 here. And I just want to read this because this section of Holy Scripture is a historical battleground for for the doctrine of salvation. We noted earlier that one of Spurgeon's Spurgeon's sermon titles was Salvation by works, a criminal doctrine. And that is certainly true.
And this particular portion of Holy Scripture has been a an arena for battling over salvation by faith alone against those errorists and those ungodly men who seek to propagate a doctrine of salvation by works or salvation by faith plus works. And this section also deals one of the many death blows to works righteousness that scripture sets forth. This contains a death blow to works righteousness or that we can be saved by our works and. preacher, why would you bother to preach these things to people who certainly own these truths and rejoice in them? Well, for the reason of opening up the scriptures, to be sure, generally, but also again, as we noted this morning, it is wholesome repetition to set forth these things.
That's what Paul is doing in this text. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is say. This is Spurgeon on self-righteousness before we get to the points of the sermons coming from Paul's autobiography. Self-righteousness is natural to our fallen humanity.
Hence, it is the essence of all false religions. Be they what they may, they all agree in seeking salvation by our own deeds. He who worships his idols will torture his body, will fast, will perform long pilgrimages, and do or endure anything in order to merit salvation. The Romish Church holds up continually before the eyes of its votaries the prize to be earned by self-denial, by penance, by prayers, or by sacraments, or by some other performances of man.
Go where you may, the natural religion of fallen man is salvation by his own merits. And old divine has well said, every man is born a heretic upon this point. And he naturally gravitates towards this heresy in one form or another. Self-salvation, either by his personal worthiness or by his repentance or by his resolves, is a hope ingrained in human nature and very hard to remove.
This foolishness is bound up in the heart of every child. And who shall get it out of him? As we read through this portion of Holy Scripture, Hopefully, we will get the point, as Paul brings it out in his autobiography, wherein, then, do we find the proper confidence and the proper place of being found safe in God's sight.
The Hypothetical Argument Against Works-Righteousness
We're going to notice, first off, from verses 4 to 9, the hypothetical argument to demonstrate the folly and error of the false teachers. I know that's a long point, but if you want to short note that, the hypothetical argument Paul uses this to demonstrate the folly and error of these false teachers whom he calls dogs, whom he calls evil workers, whom he calls the mutilation. Notice what Paul writes here, beginning at 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.
Paul is, in a sense here, setting forth a hypothetical argument. If it is the case that God has set forth an economy of salvation whereby we have confidence in the flesh and by the deeds of the flesh can merit everlasting life, I am the champion of this particular religion. And he goes on to highlight the points of his boast, or if he had ground where into boast, These are the things that he could boast in.
Paul's Ethnic and Religious Credentials
Notice, beginning at verse five, circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law blameless. We see here Paul sets forth an autobiographical argument for this hypothetical approach that if there is boasting in the flesh, if there is confidence in the flesh, I would be the champion of this particular reality. And we have, if we can, put this onto the text, a threefold division of the various things Paul highlights here. First off, he notes his ethnicity.
Paul notes his ethnicity. It was a fallacious argument in the first century, not just the first century, but we see the New Testament in that context. It was a fallacious argument that because we are the genetic, if you will, sons of Abraham, we find favor in the sight of God. And here we see Paul using that in this hypothetical argument where he brings in truths concerning himself.
Notice circumcised the eighth day. It is true of Paul what these false teachers were boasting in. I was circumcised the eighth day. I had physical circumcision.
So if I can if there is boasting, I could boast in that. He goes on to say with regards to this argument from ethnicity, I'm of the paraphrasing. Of the stock of Israel. Paul's an Israelite.
Paul's of Abraham. Paul can boast of his lineage, of his genetics, of his genetic descendancy, according to Abraham. I'm of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, he says. It's a very prestigious tribe within the stock of Israel.
So Paul is here setting forth his ethnicity. This would be one of those shining things upon the religious in Israel on their resume. I am circumcised the eighth day. I'm of the stock of Israel.
I'm of the tribe of Benjamin. These are heavy things. Paul is setting forth his ethnicity in this mythical land of boasting in order to or boasting in the flesh, having confidence in the flesh. The second thing we note is that he sets forth the national prominence that his ethnicity brings.
Notice here, he says a Hebrew of the Hebrews. You see, he wasn't just a Hebrew, but he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. We use this sort of language in our modern idiom. We think of, you know, a man's man.
You know, he's not just a man, But he's got a Dodge truck with the dual wheels on the back of each side. He's got a gun rack. He only eats red meat. And then he chases it with a drink of red meat.
And he listens to country music, whatever it is, whatever a man's man apparently is in the 21st century. Well, this is the sort of language that Paul is using. He's a Hebrew of the Hebrews. It's not just circumcised the eighth day and of the stock of Israel, but he's of the tribe of Benjamin.
He's the poster boy for Judaism.
Paul's Religious Zeal and Blamelessness
He goes on to argue for his religious dedication. Notice, concerning the law, a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church. Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
First off, he was a well-instructed and a well-learned man in the religion of the Jews. concerning the law, a Pharisee, is prominent in the religious landscape and context of first century Judaism. He was a disciple of that man we read of in Acts 5, Gamaliel, one of his pupils, one of his students, one of his disciples. He knew well the scriptures. He knew well the history. of the Old Covenant people, and he was well instructed according to the traditions of the rabbis.
Concerning zeal persecuting the church, he had on his resume this zealous endeavor to stamp out this sect of the Nazarenes. According to Judaic religion, according to the Jews, he was a champion of getting rid of this sect, which was being such a bother to the Jews after at the time of Christ and following his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Insofar as there is an external expectation with regards to the fulfillment of the law that was set forth before the Jews, Paul was a champion and he was blameless in that particular realm. Of course, we know that Paul was not blameless with regards to that inner reality that the law demands.
Inner reality, heart religion. Paul was not blameless. But insofar as a cosmetic adherence to the law, the text says that Paul was blameless, or Paul is setting forth this in his argument. And you see, isn't this always the stuff that people outside of Christ boast in?
Or even those who have a perverted idea of what Christianity is. Very often, Jim's mentioned this before, Pastor Butler has mentioned this before, You go out and you talk to people who have grown up perhaps within a Christian environment. They have Christian families. And, you know, from the time of their birth and growing up, they've been in a Christian context.
But you'll often hear them boast wrongly and in the wrong things concerning Christianity. Oh, yeah, I went to Sunday school. My father or my mother, their faith will avail for me. I'm not making this stuff up.
That's an argument out there. Maybe it's a husband with regards to their wife, a child with regards to their parent. Oh, my mother is very faithful and very devout Christian. Her faith will save me.
Her faith is enough for me. It's really strong as if that is wherein saving efficacy lies, the power of the Christians faith. But the point is, is that our boast or the boast of those outside of Jesus, even some within those who are close to Christianity, is a boast with regards to their lineage, with regards to what they have done, or with regards to their religious observance. And Paul is saying, if there is this mythical land where confidence in the flesh avails with God, or rather, deeds done in the flesh avail with God, I will be in that eschaton.
I will be in that realm wherein we are rewarded for our fleshly duties before the sight of God. And he's saying this to reject or to or to to combat the boasts and the claims of these who are dogs, who are evil workers, who are the mutilation, who are boasting in their deeds done in the flesh. Paul says, no, if it is possible, I am the one I am the champion. I more so.
The Point of Paul's Autobiography
He goes on, though, to the point in our second point, the point of the autobiography. Paul argues based upon the hypothesis that one can be justified in the sight of God according to deeds done in the flesh. But then he goes on to bring the point of the autobiography and to dispel that notion. Verse seven.
But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. You see, prior to Paul's conversion, he did boast in all of these things. These were the things that he had in his framed resume hanging in his office.
He boasted in these. He polished the brass of these particular boasts and took great pride in them. But you see, on the other side of amazing grace, on the other side of free and sovereign and victorious grace, The Christian says, dumb. The Christian says, rubbish.
The Christian says, the only thing in the treasury of my faith is Jesus Christ. The only gem in the treasury of my profession is my Lord and my God and my Christ. But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. And Paul is is getting to the amplification of the point of this whole exercise in warning them against these evil workers.
And that is that our only rejoicing is in Jesus. Our only confidence is in Jesus Christ. Listen not to the evil worker, to the dog, to these of the mutilation, the false circumcision, but rather rest solely and alone upon the Christ of your profession. It's important to note that you see, while the irreligious boast in ethnicity, can tend to, while they can boast in religious observance and precision and meticulous ritual, while they can boast in being, in Paul's case, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, at the cross, the ground is level.
You might have heard that statement. that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. The cross of Calvary is a great leveler. There is neither bond nor free. There is neither Jew nor Gentile.
There is neither rich nor poor. There is not man nor woman, but all are one in Christ Jesus. You see, there's no caste system or class system or levels of hierarchy within Christendom. there is the people of Christ. That's what we have.
We have those saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone. But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Paul goes on to amplify this reality, to amplify this truth, adding more thrust to it. You see, it's not the case that Paul is saying See, I had these things that were gained to me, but I've now counted them lost because of Christ.
See, it's not just that. And I'm getting to my point because, you know, that might seem to be enough for you. But you see,
The Merchant Mariner Illustration
Calvin in his commentaries makes an important observation. He likens the Christian casting off all those things and having only Jesus with a mariner, a merchant mariner on a ship. And he says, you see, the merchant mariner on a ship, if it's sinking by the weight of his gold and by the weight of his treasure, will cast that gold and those jewels off the side of the boat so that he'll live, so that he won't sink. But you see, that merchant mariner hasn't said, I count those treasures as rubbish for the gain of my life.
No. When he comes to land, he'll still seek after gold. He'll still seek after jewels. He still likes riches and he still likes treasure.
But you see, that's not what Paul is saying here, because he goes on to say, Yet indeed, I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. Note for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ. You see, the proper comparison, and this was Calvin's point, was that the proper comparison would be a merchant who's now convinced that his life is more precious than treasure. I don't need the treasures.
I don't need the gold. I have my life. That's what the Christian says. I don't boast or my boast is nothing in my accomplishments.
I have no boast in my ethnicity and what I've done in the precision of my meticulous religious observance. My boast is solely and alone. My confidence is solely and alone. My rejoicing is solely and alone in Jesus Christ, the only gem in my treasury.
And is this our disposition? Is this what we look like? And is this our ethic? That, yeah, we believe in Christ Jesus, but when the heat comes, when the pressure comes, you know, when someone's standing with a gun at your head, who's the gem in your treasury or what is the gem in your treasury?
Never been brought to that position. You read the accounts of the martyrs in the early church and you find that At the hour of trial, at the hour of extreme pressure, Christ's people own only one gem, and that is Christ Jesus the Lord. I think it was the martyr Polycarp, if you read Foxe's Book of Martyrs, he's being brought to the point of his execution for faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as it is the case very often throughout the history of the church, the persecutors and those putting to death Christians will offer sort of one last reprieve.
You renounce this Christ. You renounce this Jesus of your profession. You embrace the multiplicity of deities in the case of the Greco-Roman world. You renounce this idea that there is only one King, Jesus will let you live.
You see, Polycarp would have nothing of that. When offered his life, when offered not to be not to be wrongly executed for his belief in the Savior, he said, bring me the tearing apart of lions, bring me the ripping apart of bulls, set me on fire, he would say, only that I may gain Christ Jesus. You see, the Christian is ready. We are to be ready.
And sure, right now, it might seem a frightening thing. But in the hour of trial, the measure of the spirit comes. And I like to think we'd all be Stevens. We'd all be Stevens, dying in peace, dying, professing our Christ.
But you see, the point is, is that the Christian is to be ready each and every hour of his professing life. to count Jesus Christ as the only gem in our treasury and to set aside, to cast aside all things that would interfere with that relationship. And not like that merchant mariner who casts all things aside simply to survive, but counts it a joy to cast all things aside, counting them as rubbish, that he may gain Christ. This is the language, heard this before, Paul is using here, the language of finance. You see, in our ledger, as regular folk in this lower world who have to earn a living and buy stuff and that sort of thing, our ledger, we have assets and liabilities.
You see, Paul, before his conversion, saw it a great liability, this Christ, this offense of the cross. His assets were what he lays out here, circumcised the eighth day, etc. Those are the things that he had as his assets. He polished the brass of that doorknob and he counted as liabilities those things of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, to a good Jew, to a good Pharisee, to a good persecutor of the church, and to a good self-righteous individual at this particular time, this cross was a scandal, it was an offense, it was something to be mocked. Can the Jew endure a crucified Messiah? Of course he can. Why?
He has to cast aside all of his glorious multitudinous washings. All of those glorious articles of Old Covenant religion is the only thing to be left, Spurgeon said, in proper religion is a bleeding Messiah. Yes, first century Jew, that is all that is to be left. in religion. Why?
Because those washings, those rituals, those ceremonies were never salvific and they only always and ever pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now they did highlight the holiness of God to be sure, but their primary trajectory was this coming one who would be the fulfillment and the completion of all of those old covenant realities. And so Paul is and did cast all of those things aside. And the other side of his conversion, those things that were assets he cast out of his ledger as loss.
And the only asset remaining is that gem in the treasury, Jesus Christ, Lord, Redeemer, Savior and King.
Where True Confidence Lies: Justification
And notice that we have, thirdly, The true or where in the true confidence lies as Paul amplifies and brings home and brings to bear the centrality of this message, he highlights the glorious truth of justification. In other words, where in does our confidence lie? It's not in the flesh. Where in does it lie?
If these false teachers are wrong and they are, where are we to have proper confidence? Well, we see, excuse me, we see Paul here bringing this out, verse nine,
Righteousness from God Through Faith
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. You see, God in his merciful condescension has not left things unclear in his word. You may struggle with some things in Ezekiel or Revelation. You can ask us any questions that you may have.
But with respect to those matters that demand perspicuity or clarity or clearness, God has been perspicuous and clear. Salvation is solely and alone by Jesus Christ. Justification is not having a righteousness of my own. Justification does not come from inside of me.
It cannot be stirred up in me. That righteousness which justifies is not mine. It is Christ's. It comes from God, the text says.
You see, Calvin was bang on here. You cannot have both of these realities. Justification by ourselves and justification by God. These two things cannot coexist.
Righteousness cannot be partially from us and partially from God and righteousness or righteousness can only come from God. It can't come from man and righteousness cannot be partially from the law and partially according to faith. You see, time and again, the Apostle Paul sets works and faith as far as means of salvation at odds with one another. We are not justified by the deeds of the law, but justified by faith.
Galatians 2 and the Exclusion of Works
The clarity of the Bible is excellent at Galatians 2.16, if you'll turn there with me. Another portion of Holy Scripture that is, that was a battleground, the controversies at the time of the Protestant Reformation. What is justification? How are we? to be declared righteous before a holy God.
Verse 16, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified. Paul repeats himself here.
And it's not just because, you know, he doesn't have anything to say, but to repeat himself. It's because of what Spurgeon highlighted. Self-righteousness is natural in man. Who will force this out of him?
Even in the one saved by grace, that self-righteousness can stir up and it needs to be cast away by the thrice holy God. But the clarity here is striking and the repetition of it to enforce the point is is clear, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified. Do you see the repetition?
Do you see the point? Paul's not being unnecessarily repetitious, but again, wholesome repetition, because Paul knows the heart of man. Paul knows the heart of man. Paul knows the heart of the unregenerate man.
And Paul knows the the inclinations of the heart. If gospel truths are not repeated, the inclination of the heart, if the Bible and the perfect work of Christ is not brought to bear repeatedly upon the saved hearer. And so, again, this truth of justification, though, is clear from the pages of Holy Scripture. A man is not justified in the sight of God by deeds done in holiness of heart, by deeds wrought by the flesh, but rather he is justified solely and alone by the perfect work of Jesus Christ.
And again, back to Philippians 3, we see the language here at verse 9, and be found in him. It wouldn't be wrong to conclude that what Paul is talking about there is union with Jesus Christ be found in him. That certainly is a perfectly acceptable translation. But what Calvin brings out in his commentaries is probably more to the point because he's contrasting here riches according to human boasting and riches according to Christ.
What the force of the language is, is that everything of value is found in Jesus Christ. Were we to be stripped naked and stripped bare and brought to Christ, we'd have nothing lacking. Why? Because everything that we need is in Him.
Everything that we need is in Jesus Christ. Everything required. Everything necessary. All things of value are in Jesus Christ.
Not having my own righteousness. You see, Paul couldn't be clearer. Not having my own righteousness. You see, Paul Paul drives the nail in the coffin of works righteousness everywhere in his letters.
Everywhere in his letters. You think of Galatians 6.14. Galatians 6.14. If anyone thinks that they might have confidence in the flesh, they need to turn to Galatians 6.14 to read of the madness and the folly and the ungodliness of that.
But God forbid, that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Right? Where's our boast? Where's our boast? We said this morning that as Christians, we read that story, that narrative where Jesus brings that hypothetical example of a Pharisee and a tax collector going out to the temple to pray.
Right? And we know that, oh yes, as Christians, we deride that Pharisee. We derive that Pharisee saying, oh, you know, thank you, Lord, that I'm not like this man. Thank you, Lord, that I tithe.
Thank you, Lord, that I fast. Thank you, Lord, that I'm a good Jew and I'm not a wretch of a tax collector like this man. But you see, we need to protect the propensity in our remaining corruption hearts to be baptized Pharisees in our Christian walk. We don't look at others and then pray to our God, thank you that I'm not like him.
Thank you that I'm not like her. I do such and such and this and that. And that's great. And I polish that and I put that on my wall.
And I have confidence in that. See, that's not going to avail on that final and great day. What avails on that final and great day is the perfect work of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Paul could say, God forbid that I should boast, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That's why he could write elsewhere, boasting is excluded then. Boasting is excluded then. Talk about clarity. Well, wait a minute.
Wait a minute. You see, because it's I that have to exercise faith. It's got to be something that I do. You're dead in your trespasses and in your sins, the Bible says.
Dead in your trespasses and in your sins. What's the difference then? What came along? Can dead men respond?
Can dead men answer? Can dead men decide? Can dead men choose? No.
The grace of God, which is super abundantly sufficient for salvation, came. God made us alive in Christ Jesus. By grace, you have been saved. Not having my own righteousness.
Where then does our righteousness come from? Where then does our righteousness come from?
Imputation of Christ's Righteousness
Hold this truth. Brethren tightly. Because it's not just it's not just this this this fanciful you know language and this fanciful you know thinking that that theologians like to argue over and press their intellectual weight over the imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. People died over this doctrine.
You see, not having our own righteousness, how then can we be declared righteous before the sight of God? He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Right? The righteousness that avails with God is the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
His perfect obedience. That's the righteousness that we need, because God is not an unjust judge. He doesn't acquit the wicked. God cannot acquit the wicked and he does not justify or sorry, and he cannot condemn the just.
You see, at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have perfect reconciliation of God's holiness and justice. You see, because in Christ, God punished. In Christ, God poured out His wrath. Or at the cross, God poured out His wrath upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
How is that an act of justice for one who is blameless and holy and undefiled? Is our God guilty of being an unjust judge? No. Why?
The doctrine of imputation. Our sins are imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord God bruises him for our iniquities. As the text Galatians 3.13 says, he became a curse for us in our stead.
The same with that righteousness that avails with God. We're all sinners. We have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. How then can we have a righteousness that avails with him since he demands perfection, since he demands holiness, since the perfections of his character cannot allow himself to glance upon wickedness?
Jesus Christ's righteousness, his perfect obedience to the law of God is imputed to us, and we are thereby justified. Credited to our account, Christ's righteousness. Reckoned to our account, Christ's righteousness. If you don't believe me, you'll believe Paul.
I know you believe me. Hopefully you do. But you'll believe Paul in Romans chapter 5. Because it's quite clear here.
Quite clear here. That in Adam, we die. In Christ, we live. By one man's obedience.
Disobedience, rather. we're found guilty. By one man's obedience, we're not. Verse 19 of Romans 5, for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous. You see their glorious representation in Jesus Christ.
We're saved in the sight of God, not by our own righteousness, but that which is from God through faith." You see, the source of salvation, the efficacy in salvation, the power, everything in salvation is of the triune God. That's why the Scriptures can say and cite those rendering doxology and praise to Him saying, all honor and all praise and all majesty are unto the God, unto our God, and to the Lamb who sits on the throne. Calvin rightly remarks that even if there was just the slimmest portion of salvation afforded and credited to man, man would have a place to boast. Right?
Oh, no, no, no, no. We're really holy. You see, I have a little bit of a little bit of a place to boast because, hey, I chose, I decided, I did, I exercised, I assented. But, you know, I just choose not to boast or I don't boast because I'm godly.
You see, because I'm holy, you see, because I'm a Christian, I don't boast. God turned me into a non boaster. No, you see, there are no grounds where in the Christian can boast, say, in the Lord Jesus Christ. Right?
Save in the Lord Jesus Christ. God forbid that I should boast, save in the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified unto me and I to the world. Our righteousness comes from God by faith. This, this is the point or this, this casts away and kills any notion of self-righteousness in man.
It completely destroys the arguments of these who were saying, yes, Christ, but also the circumcision of the flesh. Yes, yes, yes, Christ, but also adherence to Mosaic law to be saved. No. No, the righteousness that avails, the obedience that avails, the work, the deed, the virtue, the everything that avails is in Christ Jesus, our blessed Redeemer.
And note, though, that Paul doesn't do violence to or Paul doesn't destroy the reality that there is holy living. That there is a change in the individual. Verse 10, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death. By virtue of the fact that I have been saved solely and alone by the perfect work and power of the triune God, by virtue of that reality, I can know Christ Jesus.
I can know the power of his resurrection. What does that mean? that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. Well, certainly we know the propositions, the truths, the historical realities of the fact that Jesus in power and victory rose from the dead the third day. But what it means is that by virtue of Christ's resurrection and our union with him, we have resurrection life in us.
And we know the power of that by the fact that we can conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. We're no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to Christ and righteousness. We have put sin to death and we are living unto righteousness. Again, Paul brings this out clear in the book of Romans, Romans 6.
Romans chapter 6. We're going to close shortly, but just to see this, that the reality and the glory of salvation by Jesus Christ solely and alone. We are then able and empowered to live lives, conducting ourselves in a worthy in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus. Romans six at verse one.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. You see, by that same resurrection power, we have life in us. that we might live in newness of life unto the glory of our great God. Well, brethren, just in closing, just a few points and we'll pray and have a brief time of prayer, a brief time of reflection and meditation with the playing of the piano.
Application
But first off, we need to rejoice in the right things. You see, when Paul writes identifying Christians as the circumcision, And then qualifying that by saying they are those who worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, he really means it. We're not to have confidence in our flesh to avail before God, but also we ought not to rest our confidence, brethren, on one another. In other words, our Christian happiness certainly doesn't depend upon our own performance.
And it ought not to depend on others. People, including yourself, are going to disappoint you. Right? People are going to disappoint you.
The best of Christians will disappoint you. Why remain in sin? Remain in corruption. So put your confidence, brethren, not in yourself, not in your pew-going neighbor, but in Jesus, the triune God. in salvation by him.
Because you're never going to find disappointment in Jesus. That I promise you. That I promise you. Never going to find disappointment in the King of Kings and in the Lord of Lords.
And that's the thrust of Holy Scripture in exhortation and in admonition is to that end. Who do we look unto? Do we look on to Bob and Diane for our Christian comfort? Oh, they're still strong in the faith.
They're still solid saints. My happiness avails for another day. It continues. No.
Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God. We look unto Jesus to find our object of rejoicing and the gem of our confidence.
Good Works from the Right Foundation
Let good works flow from the proper fount. You see, good works are not good works rightly defined if they flow from this position that you're seeking to gain favor from God. If they're flowing from this position of this mythical economy of salvation where God accepts people as righteous in his sight based upon their doings and their not doings. Those are not good works as biblically or confessionally defined.
Good works are such that flow from one who has already been declared righteous in the sight of God by virtue of Christ's perfect work. You see, and good works are not unto the end of gaining divine salvific favor, but they're unto the end of glorifying God. They're unto the end of not bringing reproach upon the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do good works in order that we might ornament and beautify the gospel of our blessed Redeemer.
And good works are so that the unbeliever might not blaspheme the Word of God. You see, might it never be the case that we are the cause of a stumbling block or the reproach, the cause of Gentiles, the unbelievers, to bring reproach upon the gospel or upon the Word of God? Might it never be? What might the offense be, the offense of the cross, that stumbling block, that scandal, that rock of offense.
And brethren,
Zeal for Doctrinal Truth
be zealous for truth. Third and last point before we pray, be zealous for truth. You see, we can never stress enough the importance of doctrine, of theology. It's not the stuff of dusty, cold dogmatism.
Oh, what big word are they going to say now? What big word are they going to say now? What four-syllable word is that preacher going to proclaim from the pulpit next? The Bible has propitiation in it.
Blessed word. The Bible has lots of big words in it. Actually, the original Greek has bigger words than our English. We're simple.
But always lay hold of truth. Paul, in this text, says, beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware of the mutilation.
Why? Truth is vital. Anybody who comes into this place to propagate any other doctrine, save for the doctrine that puts the triune God first, last, midst and throughout in the salvation of sinners, a God that stays without a helper, dogs. evil worker. You take your heresies, you get out of here.
You don't touch our precious flock. You don't touch our precious flock. Be vigorous for the truth, brethren, and welcome, welcome wholesome repetition of that truth. Whenever we come up here, if I preach Philippians 3 in another year, don't do that.
Why? Because we need it. We need the repetition of a Christ of perfect salvation. We need the repetition of being warned about those wolves out there who seek to enter into sheep's clothing and steal flock away from good and proper and Christian truth.
We need wholesome repetition of the glories of God in Christ Jesus, the riches and the excellencies of the person of Christ, the work of Christ. Lay hold of truth. and find it as precious because the Christ of truth is the only gem in our treasury. Let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank you for Jesus Christ. We thank you for what Paul is declaring in Philippians 3, the glory of salvation in him and that only true confidence and true rejoicing can be found in Jesus. We pray that you'd help us to glory in this truth, that we would be resting solely and alone upon the perfect work of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, for salvation, finding our joy, finding our every joy and full value in the Lord Jesus Christ as that perfect redeemer for guilty sinners. We pray that you'd help us, Lord, in this upcoming week to engage properly with regards to Christian conduct, that knowing that we've been saved by such a glorious God that we would seek in this lower world to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of that salvation.
And we thank you, Lord God, that what you begin, you finish. We thank you that we can have light confidence as the Apostle Paul, that he who has begun a good work in us will complete it unto the day of Christ. We would ask, Lord God, that you'd help us now to to ponder the things of your word that we've heard today, to ponder the things that we've read and that we've sang, and to rejoice in them. Insofar, it is rejoicing in Christ Jesus.
We just ask, Lord God, that you go with us now, each and every one, that you stir up joy in each and every one of your people's hearts. And then, Lord God, that sinners here tonight, by the Spirit and by your word, might bend in need to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And it is in Christ's name that we pray. Amen.