Scripture Introduction
Part of the job description for pastors and elders requires that we warn God’s people of danger and admonish you to pursue godliness in doctrine and practice.
John Owen explained the need for this work: “The hearts of believers are like gardens, wherein there are not only flowers, but weeds also; and as the former must be watered and cherished, so the latter must be curbed and nipped.”
Paul nips at some weeds in Philippi. False teachers are stealing joy from these folks by leading them away from Christ, and Pastor Paul is concerned. Two things especially to note as we hear this portion of God’s word. First, Paul’s words may sound to us a bit harsh. Not that Paul is unkind, but the threat is serious, and (first principle) great danger dictates fierce protection of those whom we love. Second, the topic has been addressed before, showing that (second principle) critical matters must be covered frequently. It should please God’s people for their pastor to speak often of the doctrines of the gospel, the necessity of the new birth, the imperative of joy, the dangers of legalism and hypocrisy, and other key Bible truths.
John Calvin: “There can be no doubt that he had often told them how much they ought to be on their guard against such pests. Yet he does not weary of repeating these things, because danger threatened the Philippians if he were silent. And, unquestionably, it is the part of a good pastor, not merely to supply the flock with pasture, and to rule the sheep by his guidance, but to drive away the wolves when they threaten to attack the fold; and not just once, but to be constantly on the watch, and to be indefatigable…. What excuse will the pastor have if, after courageously repelling them several times, he gives way at the ninth or tenth attack?”
The subject is basic, but intended to strengthen our faith and to restore us again to a deep love for the sufficiency of Christ. May God do so and more as we hear Philippians 3.1-7.
[Read Philippians 3.1-7. Pray.]
Introduction
John Gwyn-Thomas pastored for years in Cambridge, where his faithful teaching influenced many toward Biblical truth. In 1961, he presented a lecture to the Puritan and Reformed Studies Conference which J. I. Packer described as “celebrating the Puritan emphasis on rejoicing in God as a privilege, a duty, and a task…” (“A Memoir,” in Rejoice… Always!, xiv).
John Gwyn-Thomas, The Puritan Doctrine of Joy: “One of the controlling principles of Puritan preaching was ‘the primacy of the intellect.’ Man is a rational being, and God moves man by addressing truth to his mind. As we consider the direction given by pastors such as Howe, Baxter, and Sibbes we must observe their emphatic insistence that joy is the only rational state of the Christian in view of the truth about his spiritual condition (i.e., that he has been saved from the miseries of hell for the glory and joy of heaven). For Christians to lack joy is utterly irrational. The state of joy is a reasonable state: it has the best of foundations for it ultimately rests on the gracious nature and being of God.”
In spite of its rationality, we do not always feel or exhibit that kind of joy, do we? In fact, another influential pastor, Doug Wilson, has rebuked some in our tradition for a dour disposition by calling us, “Glass Chewing Presbyterians.” What threatens to steal your joy?
For the Philippians it was theological error: a return to the law and a relationship with God by works. We may face other threats. But be sure of this: the principles for restoring and retaining the joy of the Lord apply to any problem. God’s solution applies to every loss of joy. And he says, first…
1. We Must Rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 3.1)
It might seem silly to say to someone who has lost their joy that they must rejoice. But Paul begins precisely there. In fact, of all the New Testament books, Philippians speaks most of our duty to delight in God. Sixteen times in four chapters Paul uses either the Greek noun or verb meaning gladness or happiness or joy (noun: (Greek Word), [chara]; verb: (Greek Word) [chairo]). As C. S. Lewis once wrote a friend, “It is a Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to be as happy as he can.” Remember that God commands our joy!
Charles Spurgeon: “I want you to notice, dear friends, that this rejoicing is commanded. It is not a matter that is left to your option; it is not set before you as a desirable thing which you can do without, but it is a positive precept of the Holy Spirit to all who are in the Lord. We ought to obey this precept because joy in the Lord makes us like God. He is the happy God; ineffable bliss is the atmosphere in which he lives, and he would have his people to be happy.”
I am aware (and have been reminded several times) that some distinguish between happiness and joy. For example, Dr. James Boice, in a sermon entitled, “Better Than Happiness,” preached, “Joy is a supernatural delight in God and God’s goodness. And it is a very different thing from happiness…. The world seeks happiness; the Christian’s counterpart is joy. Happiness is our translation of the Latin world fortuna, and it is closely related to chance. Thus, if things happen to work out in a way which we approve, we are happy. If they do not so happen, we are unhappy. Happiness is circumstantial, but not joy. Joy is an inner quality of delight in God, or gladness, and it is meant to spring up within the Christian in a way totally unrelated to the adversities or circumstantial blessings of this life.”
I agree with Dr. Boice that our emotions can be controlled by our circumstances rather than our faith, and that we should strive to overcome this weakness. But the Bible does not seem to use different words for joy and happiness. For example, Deuteronomy 33.29 has the Hebrew word, (Hebrew Word) (’ashar) which is translated by the ESV and both the new and old King James as, “Happy are you, O Israel!” The NIV translates the same verse as, “Blessed are you, O Israel!” and the New English Translation (NET Bible) has “You have joy, Israel!” The variety in English exists because Biblical languages do not have a word for worldly happiness contrasted with one for godly joy.
Regardless of that technical distinction, however, we can all agree that God commands his people to rejoice always, not simply when our situation is pleasant, but in the confidence that God works out all things for good for his people. If you are really serious about pleasing the Lord in all things, then you must be just as serious about the duty of delighting in God as you are about replacing covetousness with contentment. So what does this joy, or happiness in God look like?
If you saw the film, Toy Story, you may remember “Tour Guide Barbie.” She smiled perfectly as she pointed out all the interesting sites on the trip. As the movie ends, still smiling, she says, “Bye now; good bye; good bye…. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.” A fake smile is not Biblical rejoicing.
Neither is a failure to sorrow what it means to “always rejoice.” Those who know God know the truth of 2Corinthians 1.3-4: the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction.” And in chapter 6, Paul notes that we are sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.
Samuel Rutherford: “If God had told me some time ago that he was about to make me happy as I could be in this world, and then had told me that he should begin by crippling me in arm or limb, and removing me from all my usual sources of enjoyment, I should have thought it a very strange mode of accomplishing his purpose. And yet, how is his wisdom manifest even in this! For if you should see a man shut up in a closed room, idolizing a set of lamps and rejoicing in their light, and you wished to make him truly happy, you would begin by blowing out all his lamps, and then throwing open the shutter to let in the light of heaven” (Letters of Samuel Rutherford).
A Biblical understanding of rejoicing does not eliminate suffering, because Biblical joy does not derive from present comforts. Instead, it is the confidence and hope which buoys us up, even in a sea of suffering. The key to this command is that we rejoice in the Lord – that joy which comes when we know God’s character and therefore have faith in his power, his purpose, and his provision. We trust him, even in difficult times, because his love causes all things to work together for our good.
Someone said, “Joy is the flag which is flown from the castle of the heart when the King is in residence there.” We must, first, rejoice in the Lord.
2. We Must Reject Bad Theology (Philippians 3.2)
Error, especially about ultimate truths, quickly steals joy. In Paul’s day, the great lie came from a group we call Judaizers, those who said, “It is all well and good for you to believe in Jesus, but faithful followers of God have always been Jews first. You must convert, and that means obedience to the Old Testament laws, beginning with circumcision.”
In contrast, Paul insists that a true follower of God puts his or her faith in Christ alone. Christ + NOTHING pleases God! So important is the “nothing” in that equation that to add anything to Christ is to lose the favor of God! So that we see how critical is this issue, notice four things in this verse.
First, see how Paul directly addresses the contemporary issue: he criticizes those who “mutilate the flesh.” The Apostle does not back down from this powerful group in church. A faithful pastor speaks boldly to the problems the people face.
Second, notice that Paul calls the Judaizers, “evildoers.” These are not people outside the church who can be safely ignored. Their actions are not neutral; they are actively damaging the church.
Third, observe how a godly pastor mocks those who teach false doctrine: they are “dogs,” “mutilators of the flesh,” “evildoers.” The words are chosen carefully, designed to offend. When God’s people are in danger, either theologically or in practical living, it is not the time to give credence to a false view by treating it mildly. Destructive error should be dealt with names that match its damage.
Fourth, realize how we need to be warned of danger. Let the urgency and intensity of the three-fold repetition impress you: “Look out”; “Look out”; “Look out”! Shepherding God’s people is no place for weak and timid suggestions; passionate pleas for your soul are necessary. So what might threaten our joy? I thought of five possible look outs that we could consider:
• Look out for doubts about the care of Christ. Self-pity feeds on unbelief, and when we blame others for our lack of joy, we are often saying that God does not care to help us. Christ comforts in sorrow; and for our good, he does not always comfort us out of sorrow.
• Look out for a lack of discipline in the things of Christ. Reading the word, prayer about every fear and challenge, attention to the preaching, participation in worship and deepening of true fellowship – these do not provide instant gratification, but they build a foundation of contentment and joy.
• Look out for disobedience. Happiness and holiness always walk hand-in-hand. We often lack joy because we are giving in to temptations.
• Look out for substitutions. When we feel sad we may apply a salve that takes us further from the true solution. Coming back to God in prayer and devotion will at first feel unhopeful, but in time it will bring a joy that substitutes can never match.
• Look out for worry and anxiety. We tend to stare intently at problems until we see nothing else. Elisha’s servant did that one morning. He saw the army of the enemy, with horses and chariots, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” Elisha said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed: “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2Kings 6.15-17). Anxiety can consume our joy.
We must reject errors which steal our joy.
3. We Must Receive the True Faith (Philippians 3.3-7)
In contrast to those who claim circumcision will finally enable us to please God, Paul says that true faith: 1) Worships by the Spirit; 2) Glories in Jesus; and 3) Puts no confidence in the flesh. Are those three true of us?
Are you worshipping by the Spirit of God, or by the traditions of men? How do you determine whether you have worshipped God well? Is it all form and format, the right words in the right order, or must the Spirit be present? Do you really delight in making much of God, or a service that makes much of your preferences? Do we even know how to answer the questions, “Are we worshipping by the Spirit?”
Are we glorying in Christ? Is his finished work enough, or do you feel you must add your works to his? Can you rest in the knowledge that Jesus has pleased God perfectly and eternally, or do you fear that your failures make you unfit for God’s love and acceptance? Do you boast in your conformity to the rules, or in the grace of Jesus? Do we glory in Christ Jesus?
Are we refusing to put confidence in the flesh? Now lest we imagine that Paul envies his opponents advancement in Judaism, speaking of Jesus to make up for his lack, he explains that he has every reason to commend himself to God.
• He could place confidence in religious ritual, since he was “circumcised on the eighth day.”
• Or, he could placed his confidence in his race, since he was “of the people of Israel,” not a convert, but an Israelite from birth!
• Or, he could place his confidence in his rank, since he was “of the tribe of Benjamin,” the most favored descendant of Israel, the “beloved of the Lord.”
• Or, he could place his confidence in his pure and perfect lineage, since he was “a Hebrew of Hebrews.”
Paul was privileged in every natural condition. But there is more; he also performed for God.
• “As to the law, [he was] a Pharisee.…” He obeyed more than the outward requirements of the law; the Pharisees were the sect which obeyed the hedges around the law.
• “As to zeal, a persecutor of the church….” Though this seems a strange qualifier, Paul reminds us that he was no run-of-the-mill Pharisee; he was a sincere law fanatic.
• Finally, and ultimately, “as to righteousness under the law, [he was] blameless.” This is not bragging; he simply reminds us that he was no antinomian libertine. He obeyed so obsessively that we could examine his life without finding a defect. He ate only clean foods; he never worked on the Sabbath; he washed in the proper way and at the proper times. If outward obedience curried God’s favor, Paul earned it.
But, all of this is counted a loss once Christ found Paul.
When you fail, what does your heart say to make up for it? I will do better next time? At least I did not do such-and-such? I know that so-and-so did something worse?
When you feel good about your religion, is it because you had a quiet time this morning, or you prayed for 15 minutes, or you did not curse the driver who cut you off?
Confidence in the flesh, in what we do to find God’s acceptance, never brings joy because we can never do enough, nor can we make up for past failings. This is why the hymn writer sang: Lay your deadly doing down, down at Jesus’ feet; stand in him and him alone, gloriously complete.
4. Conclusion
Many people continue to ignore strong warnings like these. I’m always amazed in the winter at how many people end up stranded on ice flows. Signs warn of the danger, but people insist on walking out on the glaziers. We just seem to think that these dangers do not apply to us.
God insists they do. May we have the sense to turn from our own weak efforts to stand complete before God and trust in the completed work of Christ. Then we will rejoice in the Lord who is our strength.
