Where Does Your Pride Come From? Series

Where does your pride come from?

Thursday night we had our bowling league—EXPLAIN—175 avg, most improved player—26 pins

ALL PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS MEANT NOTHING THAT NIGHT.

The 10th hole at Stone Hedge--$5,000.

Yesterday, I registered for classes—smart, getting a degree…

Where should we get our source of joy and pride from?

Phillipians 3

Rejoice in the Lord—take joy and pleasure in Him. Not in accomplishments or things. He has already told them, but he is willing to tell them again.

The Smartest Dog Ever

As a butcher is shooing a dog from his shop, he sees $10 and a note in his mouth, reading: "10 lamb chops, please." Amazed, he takes the money, puts a bag of chops in the dog’s mouth, and quickly closes the shop. He follows the dog and watches him wait for a green light, look both ways, and trot across the road to a bus stop. The dog checks the timetable and sits on the bench. When a bus arrives, he walks around to the front and looks at the number, then boards the bus. The butcher follows, dumbstruck. As the bus travels out into the suburbs, the dog takes in the scenery. After awhile he stands on his back paws to push the "stop" button, then the butcher follows him off. The dog runs up to a house and drops his bag on the stoop. He goes back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself -Whap!- against the door. He does this again and again. No answer. So he jumps on a wall, walks around the garden, beats his head against a window, jumps off, and waits at the front door. A big guy opens it and starts cursing and pummeling the dog. The butcher runs up screams at the guy: "What are you doing? This dog’s a genius!" The owner responds, "This dog’s no genius. It’s the second time this week he’s forgotten his key!"

You know how easy it can be to forget something—Friday, I almost forgot my wife’s vitamins; and that could have had disastrous results. So here, Paul is disappointed to tell them again, because it’s important. It needs to be said, multiple times.—Rejoice in the Lord. SAY IT!!! MULTIPLE TIMES

Now-he goes on—watch out for those dogs. Mutilators of the flesh—they taught circumcision was necessary. It’s necessary to do something in order to get saved, you have to cleanse yourself to get saved. It’s like cleaning up for a shower.

These people were so caught up on the outside, the physical, the part that shows, rather than the inner condition. THEY WORE THEIR CHRISTIANITY ON THEIR SLEEVE BECAUSE IT NEVER REACHED THEIR HEART. They weren’t the real deal.

Who is—we are of the circumcision--Colossians 2

9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[1] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

What does that mean? Circumcision is just a reflection of what should be an inward decision, but it carries no weight. Putting off the sinful nature. That’s what spiritual circumcision is, and these dogs had no idea what it was.

True spirituality—Those who worship by the Spirit of God, glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh.

The man who sang that song—Michael English—has a fantastic voice. But he didn’t glory in Christ Jesus. He spent time trying to satisfy his own desires, and he paid the price. He’s back, but at what cost, at what detriment.

But if you really want to brag about your accomplishments: Here’s Paul’s list:

1. Circumcised on the 8th day—the day set aside for that (Leviticus 12:3)

2. of the people of Israel—he was of the right lineage

3. of the tribe of Benjamin—the second son of Rachel (the first—Joseph), remained loyal to the Davidic line of the throne.

4. Hebrew of Hebrews—born of Hebrew parents—raised in all the traditions, even though he lived in a pagan city.

5. Pharisee—he knew the scriptures, but not only that, all of the traditions that were put in place to help people “obey” the scriptures. He was chief among them.

6. zealous—Passionate. He loved what he did. And here, when it talks of zeal, persecuting the church—it means he loved what he did so much that he hated all else that was a threat to it.

7. Legalist righteousness—faultless. Quite a claim, but it means, if you looked at the outside, you could find no fault. He was perfect. EXPLAIN.