Losing To Gain Series

Losing to Gain

Philippians 3:1-11

Rev. Brian Bill

March 8-9, 2025

Sometimes people put things on their resume to make them sound better than they really are, like the grocery store “bag boy” who referred to his job as “Customer Service Representative.” I came across some other funny resumes and cover letters online which made me lol.

Cover Letters

• “I would be prepared to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss what I can do to your company.”

• “Looking for a party-time position.”

• “Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear from you shorty!”

Qualifications

• “Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.”

• “I went to University from August 1890 to May 1993.”

• “I desire to be a profreader. Quick learner, good at mats and speling.”

Key Skills

• “Excellent memory; strong math aptitude; excellent memory.”

• “Fantastic ability in multi-tasting.”

• “Perfectionist with a keen I for details.”

• “Whilst working in the hairdressers I had to deal with a lot of old biddies.”

• “Grate communication skills.”

• “Good people skills, except when people get on my nerves. Which is hardly ever, no more often than once every ten minutes.”

• “None of my references really like me, so please don’t believe what they say.”

Here’s our main idea today: A relationship with Christ, not a religious resume, is what makes us righteous.

Philippians 3:1 begins with a preacher’s favorite phrase: “Finally…” When you hear me say that word, you should be prepared for at least 20 more minutes. Here, Paul is only halfway finished with his letter. It literally means, “As for the rest.” Paul has addressed several topics and now he wants to tackle a few more: “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.”

Paul circles back to “rejoice in the Lord” because joy comes only from Jesus. I love how Paul works this theme into every seam of Philippians. It seems whenever he changes subjects, he reminds us to rejoice. Notice: it is “no trouble” for him to repeat the need for rejoicing, referring to it as “safe” for them, also translated as “a safeguard.” This word is the opposite of the verb meaning, “to trip up, or cause to stumble.” Paul’s passion is for believers to stand firm, to be steady and secure.

His concern is three-fold.

1. Watch out for the expectations of others. Verse 2 contains a warning about false teachers: “Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.” Using strident speech, Paul moves from some sweet words to several strong warnings. Let’s refresh our memories about some tensions in the early church.

When Christianity started, it came out of the Jewish religion and was seen as part of Judaism. In Acts 10, Peter preached the gospel to Gentiles, and this caused some concern and conflict for those who believed a person needed to become Jewish first.

Now that the door had been opened, Paul was sent to the Gentiles in Acts 13, but it didn’t take long for the “Judaizers” to cause the church to have its first doctrinal disagreement in Acts 15. The conclusion of this council was that Gentiles did not have to keep the Jewish law to be saved. Acts 15:19: “Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God.”

But the dissenters were not happy with this decision, so they followed Paul wherever he went, stirring up the churches and pulling people away from the gospel of grace by insisting on the ritual of circumcision.

The Philippians were told three times to “look out,” or perceive with their eyes, by paying close attention to these men.

In the original, Paul uses alliteration (he’s my hero). All three phrases begin with a hard “k” sound, which makes them spit out of his mouth in rapid succession. We get a similar effect by saying, “Watch out for the canines, those corrupt workers, those cutters of the flesh.”

Paul described these false teachers in three strong terms:

• Dogs. Don’t think of a lap dog or a nap dog. These were not pampered pets or docile dogs, but rather dirty, despised and diseased scavengers. I wanted to sing the song, “Who Let the Dogs Out?” but you would be out of here if I did! These mangy dogs often traveled in packs, intruding where they were not wanted. We saw a lot of these cantankerous canines when we lived in Mexico. Paul is really asking, “Who Let the Dogs In?” The Jewish people often referred to Gentiles in a derogatory way as “dogs” because they were ritually unclean. Ironically, the Judaizers had become just like those they had been trying to avoid. There are all sorts of spiritual dogs today who preach a false gospel.