The Source of Our Strength- Philippians 3:1-11
Introduction: We all fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with others around us. For some reason we think we are better than those to whom we are comparing ourselves with and we think that makes us right with God. We find ourselves picking at the church, other believers, and even the Pastor. Many Pastors get burnt out every day and after about three years they leave the ministry or switch churches. Christianity Today reports that 1500 Pastors leave the ministry every month in the United States because of conflict, burnout, or moral failure. If you are getting burned out you are drawing off of the wrong strength. You are drawing off your own strength. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:11, “Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, le him do so from the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.” If you are getting burned out you are relying on yourself. We need to draw our strength from God’s grace though faith. If I show up to work relying on myself to get all I need to done than I expect everyone to be appreciative of my work. I expect them to notice me and what I’ve done to help. If I show up to work relying on God to get me through the day I’m basically saying, “Use me to glorify You, I want people to look at me and not even see me. I want people to look at me and see You.” Remember that Paul is writing this letter from prison to a church that he loves dearly.
If you like an outline to keep you on track, the Title of this message is “The Source of Our Strength” and I have broken it up into three points. The first six verses Paul is telling the gentiles to watch out for “grace killers”.
(v.1-3) Paul is giving the gentiles encouragement.
(v.4-6) Paul gives an example. He uses a biography of himself as the example.
(v.7-11) Cling to grace through faith.
Encouragement. (v.1) Paul is talking to the gentiles in the church at Philippi. Paul is telling them that it’s not a problem that he is writing to them about the same thing again. It isn’t any trouble to him. He wants to write to them again to forewarn (as a protection) them. Paul says, “…it is no trouble to me, and is a safeguard for you.”
What is Paul warning the Gentiles about?
(v.2) “Beware of the dogs…” Paul is talking about the Jewish leaders teaching them how to be righteous with God. Why is Paul warning the Gentiles about the Jewish leaders in Philippi? (v.2) “…watch out for the evil workers…” Paul is now warning them against the evil workers. This is still referring to the Jewish leaders in Philippi doing work in vain. These Jewish leaders were religious. They fasted, gave to the poor, shaved in the right places, prayed three times a day, but they weren’t right with God. Their outward appearance would make you say, “Man, these guys are religious.” Paul is telling the Gentiles to watch out for that. (v.2) “…watch out for those who mutilate the flesh.” What is Paul saying here? Watch out for dogs, evil workers, and mutilators of flesh! This sounds gross. At this time the Jewish leaders were telling the Gentile people that they had to be circumcised to get right with God. If they were not circumcised there was no possible way to be right with God. Paul is warning the Gentiles and saying, “You don’t need to do that! They are doing that in vain. They are “mutilators of the flesh.” Paul is using a play on words here. Let’s go on to see what he says. (v.3) “For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh…” Paul is using a play on words here. Listen, Paul is saying even those of you who are not circumcised yet, we are the true circumcision. We are right with God. In other words, circumcision doesn’t make you right with God. That is just something God gave to His people. Paul is saying it is those of us who worship in spirit and truth who are right with God. You have to have both of those in the church. If a church has truth, but no spirit, the church is usually dead. If the church has spirit, but no truth, the church is usually weird if you know what I’m talking about. Paul is telling these Gentile people that circumcision to gain divine favor is futile; it is simply mutilation. The flesh does not make us right with God. These Jewish leaders were the Pharisees. They were proud in the flesh. They made sure everyone knew they were religious. They were teaching that these religious practices and rituals of tradition would make them right with God. Paul tells us in Romans 3:20, “…by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”
Paul as an Example. (v.4) “…although I once had confidence in the flesh too. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more…” Paul is telling these people, “Look, these people (the Pharisees) think they are confident in their flesh, I have way more. Compare one of their lists to mine and they have no chance.” Let’s see what Paul was talking about. (v.5) “circumcised on the eighth day…” What is Paul referring to here? A ritual. Paul is saying being right with God has nothing to do with rituals. “…of the nation of Israel…” Paul is saying here that it has nothing to do with race. “…of the tribe of Benjamin…” Paul here is referring to rank. Being right with God has nothing to do with rank. “…a Hebrew born of Hebrews…” Paul is saying, “I am the realest Hebrew there ever was.” “…as to the law, a Pharisee…” Paul is now saying it has nothing to do with religion. Paul was a righteous man as a Pharisee. (v.6) “…as to zeal, persecuting the church…” Paul is saying it has nothing to do with your sincerity. Paul sincerely persecuted the church. He thought he was doing right. He was sincere in his actions. You can be sincere, but you can also be sincerely …wrong! If you think back, Paul was one of the ones standing close by at the stoning of Stephen. “…as to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.” Paul is a righteous man. He’s saying follow me around and see if you can point out something wrong. That is how righteous I am. Paul is saying to be right with God has nothing to do with your rituals, race, rank, tradition, religion, or sincerity. Paul is saying I have done all of these better than you and all they do is lead you away from God!
Cling to Grace Through Faith. (v.7) “But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.” Paul is saying here that all those things do not matter anymore because I have Christ in me. Let’s go on and the next verse explains it more in detail. (v.8) “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth (rubbish), so that I may gain Christ.” This verse is rich. The word knowing here in the text is referring to a personal relationship. He is saying that the value of this personal relationship is far more valuable than these things I’ve lost. Paul is the kind of man who just said to God, “Use me for your glory, even if no one notices me. Use me to glorify you.” He had learned to not rely on his own strength, but God’s. Paul goes on to say he considers these things as filth (rubbish). These translations take it easy on the real meaning to this word used in the Greek. The best I can do to translate the real meaning of this word to you is a pile of cow manure. Paul says because of Christ I consider these things a pile of cow manure. One thing that always aggravates me is when I hear people say, “I had to give up this and that to become a Christian.” I wonder if these people have really ever experienced Christ. When you experience Christ all those things you used to do become like a pile of manure. You look back and say to yourself, “How did I actually do that? I must have been crazy!” I use this illustration all the time and you will probably hear me use it all the time since were stuck with each other for another 3 years at least. I call it the “it theory”. When you’re in elementary school and you want that cool bike. You tell your parents, “I have to have that bike. That bike is really it! Then you eventually make it to high school and want that nice car. You tell yourself, If I can just get that car, that would be it! Than you have the car and you find out it’s not “it”. Now you meet this girl and you tell yourself, “Man, if I could only date her that would be it! You finally date her and find out it wasn’t all it seemed to be. Than the right college, the right job, the right house, and the right salary. It never ends guys. You will always be looking for “it” until you get Jesus. Jesus is the only one who will satisfy the “it” factor. Let’s move on. (v.9) “…and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own through the law, but one that is through faith in Christ- the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. Paul tells us in Gal. 3:10, “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, to perform them.” So, what is this curse? Paul tells us that spiritual death is this curse. Paul teaches in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death.” Everyone has sinned. Everyone has broken a commandment, if not more. Therefore, everybody is under the curse of death. We can not gain righteousness through works. (v.10) “My goal is to know Him…” Remember that Paul is in jail writing this near the end of his life and he states, “My goal is to know Him.” That is how we need to be. Being a Christian shouldn’t get old or ware off. Glorifying Christ should never get boring because it is always renewing. Let’s go on. “…and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…” He wants to fellowship with Christ through his suffering. That is profound. How many of us can say that when we suffer we say, “It’s okay I’m just fellowshipping with Christ.” The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:14, “If you are revled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (Read 1 Peter 4:12-19) (v.11) This verse is great. Paul says, “Assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” Paul knows he is dying. He is saying he can’t wait until the resurrection of his dead body. He is looking forward to the day he is brought into Heaven with Christ. Paul is in prison slowly dying, yet he is longing for deeper fellowship with Christ.
Questions to consider:
1. Where are you drawing your strength from?
2. Are you relying on tradition, law, race, rank, religion, or sincerity?
3. Do you expect recognition when helping out someone in need?
