Privileges of the True Believer
Phil. 3:3a.
We live in an age where “privilege” is a big word that can have all kinds of good and bad connotations.Just a week or two ago, A California jury awarded a delivery driver $50 million in damages after he suffered severe burns from a hot beverage that spilled due to an improperly secured lid. The delivery driver, Michael Garcia, underwent skin grafts and other procedures after a venti-sized tea drink spilled immediately after he collected it.
Let’s look at two _privileges_ the apostle Paul says all Christians enjoy.
We have the _True_ Gospel (V. 3) “We are the Circumcision.”
Rather than these legalistic Judaizers, Paul reminds the Philippians we have the true Gospel, and thus are the people of God. There's a distinction between Israel and the Church, but the Gentiles are grafted into the "olive tree" of Israel, forming the Church. Right now, Israel as a whole is rejecting God’s plan, though there are certainly still some Jews who receive Christ (Ro. 11:1-6). Their rejection of Christ means the Gospel is spreading among the Gentiles (Ro. 11:7-11). One day, Israel will come to prominence again in God’s plan of Redemption. Paul says, “Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!”
The _Gospel_ Makes the Difference:
_Romans_ 1:16-17:
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to 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, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”" The Gospel is God’s power, for salvation, experienced entirely by faith (“from faith to faith”).
_1 Corinthians_ 15:1-4:
"Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, and by which also you are saved, if you hold fast to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." The Gospel is about one person, Jesus. It is about his death, burial, and resurrection. We know this from the Scriptures.
_Galatians_ 1:11-12:
"For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel which was preached by me is not human in origin, for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ." The Gospel is God’s means of Salvation. It is not of human origin and therefore cannot be altered in any way by humans.
We have the _Spirit_ (V. 3)
What does the Bible say about worshiping by the _Holy Spirit_?
“This defines the true circumcision. They worship God in the Spirit, as opposed to the fleshly and external worship emphasized by these legalists.”
“‘The word ‘_worship_’ is the translation of the Greek word referring to the service of Jehovah by His peculiar people, the Jews. A Jew would be scandalized by the application of this word to a Gentile.’” (Wuest)
The Holy _Spirit_ is the efficient agent in applying redemption, convicting of sin, regenerating believers, and enabling them to embrace Christ through faith, uniting them to Christ and the church, and empowering them for sanctification and spiritual growth (John 16:8; 9-11; Eph. 1:13-14).
The _Holy_ Spirit births new believers, working to regenerate and sanctify believers, and miracles are a powerful demonstrations of God's power, confirming the truth of the Gospel, rather than a regular occurrence (Mt. 12:28; John 2:1-11; 3:8).
Miracles are not a _common_ occurrence, but a powerful sign that God is at work (John 5:1-15; 6:1-15; 9:1-12).
They serve to confirm the _truth_ of the Gospel and the _authority_ of God's messengers (Is. 35:5-6).
“Worship by the Spirit,” how does having the true Gospel and being the true people of God enable us to worship by the Spirit? What does that mean? Jesus spoke of “worshipping in Spirit and in truth,” (John 4:24). There, Jesus means to worship God first and foremost by accepting Him as the Messiah, and secondly by worshiping in the new freedom found in Christ. Here, Paul emphasizes and pulls together the Old Testament teachings on worship (Psalm 24:3-4 speaks of worship with clean hands and a pure heart. Amos 5:21-24 condemns worship that is merely outward and devoid of genuine devotion).
So then, a definition of worshipping by the Spirit is to “Believe in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, and show reverence and gratitude to God in accordance with Biblical truths and through Biblical means, such as giving to God and his work, sacrificing for others, working, singing, praying, and dancing.”
Conclusion: Christians have the privilege of the true Gospel and worshipping by the Spirit.
Exegetical Idea: Philippians 3:1-5 Paul urges the Philippians to rejoice in Christ, not in the false teachings of the Judaizers.
We have the One true _God_ (V. 3)
Someone said: “There are ‘gods many and lords many.’ So how is one to know which ‘god’ is the true God, the Creator, Sustainer, and Judge of the whole creation? Which ‘god’ is the God who is real, the one able to provide eternal salvation and everlasting life?
In the modern world, the atheistic evolutionist worships the great god Chance in the shrine of Darwinism, The materialistic social Darwinists pay homage to the god Money.
Modern feminists adore the goddess Sophia.
Animists sacrifice to demonic spirits and Hindu worshipers honor a thousand divinities.
So how is one to know which ‘god’ is the true God?
Acts 17:31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
We have the True View of _Mankind_ (V. 3)
D.L. Moody:
"I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled."
Where in the heck is the promised power of the Holy Spirit?
Charles Spurgeon said “If I had my choice of all the blessings I can conceive of I would choose perfect conformity to the Lord Jesus, or, in one word, holiness.”
2. The Holy Spirit is a person
3. The Holy Spirit Does Not Guide Primarily Through Feelings or Miraculous Means
4. The work of the Holy Spirit
5. How is the Christian Sanctified through the Holy Spirit?
6. The Fruits of the Spirit
The Holy Spirit Is the Essence of God
7. What about tongues, healing, and worship?
When we study what the Holy Spirit produces in the believer’s life, it is remarkably non-miraculous; rather, it is a character like Christ’s (Gal. 5:22-23). This truth gets ignored as people gravitate toward emotional _extremes_.
The idea of worshiping the Lord “in spirit and truth” comes from Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well in John 4:6-30. In the conversation, the woman was discussing places of worship with Jesus, saying that the Jews worshiped at Jerusalem, while the Samaritans worshiped at Mount Gerizim. Jesus had just revealed that He knew about her many husbands, as well as the fact that the current man she lived with was not her husband. This made her uncomfortable, so she attempted to divert His attention from her personal life to matters of religion. Jesus refused to be distracted from His lesson on true worship and got to the heart of the matter: “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him” (John 4:23).
