STUDY OF PHILIPPIANS (part-6)

Study of Philippians (part 6)

LESSON TITLE: Declaring the Only Way

Today’s lesson (Philippians 3:1-11) helps us understand
Paul’s view of his life before, and after his conversion.

PHILIPPIANS 3:

VERSES 1-2:
“rejoice”
    – Paul doesn’t say rejoice in ourselves (we are sinners).

    – He doesn’t say rejoice in others (they may fail us).

    – He doesn’t say rejoice in our circumstances (circumstances change).

    – He says to rejoice in the Lord:
          – He is always there.
          – He is consistent.
          – He is dependable.
          – He helps us to find inner peace despite our circumstances.

“same things”
    – Could be referring to “rejoice in the Lord”.
    – Could be referring to previous warnings about false teachers.
    – Could be referring to maintaining unity within the church.

Question:
What is the benefit of repeating a message?
    – The hearers remember it better?
    – It emphasizes the importance of the message?
    Note:
        Paul calls it a “safeguard” for them.
        Question:
        What does that mean?
            – A warning to be on guard?

Paul begins to warn them about false teachers. They
may not be in Philippi yet, but he felt he should warn
the believers about their deceptive influence.

Questions:
Who were the false teachers?
    – They could have been non-Christian Jews
      who tried to win Gentile converts to Judaism.

    – Quite possibly, they were Judaizers:
          – Jewish Christians.
          – They emphasized the rites and
            ceremonies of the law and its traditions.
          – They claimed circumcision was essential
            and faith in Christ was not sufficient.
      Note:
          Paul battled these legalists at Galatia.

Paul uses three terms to describe false teachers:
1. “dogs”
         – A term of reproach (viewed as dangerous scavenger
           animals that roamed the streets and ate from garbage dumps).
    Note:
        The Jews used this term to refer to Gentiles;
        Paul turned the charge back on them.

2. “men who do evil”
         – They were guilty of working evil, instead of righteousness.

3. “mutilators of the flesh”
         – They claimed that circumcision was an outward sign that
            identified them as God’s people (Paul felt that circumcision
            without a right relationship with God was nothing more than
            mutilation).
            Note:
                (Romans 2:28-29)
                    – Paul emphasized the importance of an
                       inward reality (which is circumcision of the heart).

VERSE 3:
Paul goes on to identify true circumcision as spiritual rather than physical.

(Colossians 2:11)
    – Those who place their faith in Christ will experience true circumcision.

He points out three characteristics of those truly circumcised:
    1. “worship by the Spirit of God”
             – The human spirit communes with
                the divine Spirit (Ephesians 6:18).

    2. “glory in Christ Jesus”
             – To boast (Galatians 6:14 – Boast only in the cross of Christ).

    3. “no confidence in the flesh”
             – Confident in God’s grace, not in human efforts.

VERSE 4:
Paul admits that he once had confidence in human achievements;
he even felt he had more qualifications and reason than others for
trusting in the flesh:

VERSE 5:
    – His heritage:
          – A pure bloodline and he was circumcised
             at the appropriate time according to the law.

          – “of the people of Israel” (designates God’s chosen people).

           – “tribe of Benjamin”
                 – This tribe held a coveted position in Israel’s battle formations.

           – Along with Judah, he remained faithful to
             the Davidic line when the kingdom divided.

           – Formed a part of the restored nation following the exile.

           – “Hebrew of Hebrews” (although living in a Greek city, his family
              had maintained the customs and manners of Jewish life; they did
              not give in to their pagan environment).

           – Personal Attainments:
                 – “a Pharisee”
                   (a group who pledged to keep the Mosaic law and its
                     traditions in every detail; few could measure up to
                     their strict standards).

VERSE 6:
           – “zeal to persecute the church”
              (at one time, he felt he was pleasing God by stamping out
               those who ‘belonged to the Way’ and called themselves Christians).

           – “legalistic righteousness, faultless”
              (a perfect record with regard to the law).

VERSE 7:
In summary, before coming to Christ, Paul considered
his family heritage and personal attainments as “gain”;
after Christ changed his life, he viewed these things that
are so important to the world as, “loss”. Why? Because
his sense of values had been reversed.

VERSE 8:
With Paul, we see a truly converted and committed person
who knew the real meaning of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
He can remind us of an athlete who decided to no longer ‘just
get by’, but dedicated himself to practicing and playing with a
purpose.

Paul didn’t consider his new life in Christ to be an idle existence,
but an opportunity to become an active servant who would do
whatever the Lord wanted him to do, regardless of any type of
inconvenience it might create for him.

He was not someone who made a decision based on emotion
and then went back to his old habits and started playing church.
Paul became a living example of the type of person we all should
want to be when we receive our salvation from the Lord.

The people in Paul’s world knew that he was a changed man.
Question:
How?
    – Because he gave up everything he had gained in the flesh.
      What did he give up?
           – The approval of the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem.
           – The popularity, respect, and favor of his townspeople at Tarsus.
           – His family acceptance.
           – A secure financial future.

Question:
How did he feel about the things he gave up?
    – He put them in the same category as trash (KJV – “dung”).
       Note:
           These things that seemed so important at one time,
           were now considered the least important in his life.

            He knew about the Lord and his ministry before his
            conversion, but afterward, he realized the importance
            of knowing the Lord in a personal way.

VERSE 9:
Paul was aware that salvation was only through faith
in Christ, and it could only be attained from the grace
of God’s righteousness.

He contrasted true salvation with righteousness that comes
from the law (which wanted to imply that a person could be
saved through his own works).

VERSE 10:
Paul continues to express his desire for an intimate relationship with the Lord.

“know Christ”
    – To understand His view in all things; to develop those same views.

“power of His resurrection”
    – To experience the confidence of being able to defeat sin and the fear of death.

“sharing in His sufferings”
    – To consider it an honor when he suffers in any way as a result of his faith.

“like Him in His death”
    – To be able to die to self in order to be used by God.
      Question:
      How many of us ‘die to self’ so God can use us?

VERSE 11:
“resurrection from the dead”
    – To experience the same reward at the end of his journey.

SUMMARY
– Paul warned about false teachers; we have the same danger
  with the New Age and other cult movements:
  New Age Movement:
      – A mixture of Christian ideas and Eastern mysticism.

      – Its distortions include these views:
            – Jesus was not really God’s Son.

            – Salvation comes by altering one’s
              consciousness through specific techniques.

            – Ultimately, it teaches that salvation is a matter of works.

    – Our focus should not be on external circumstances,
      but on what God has done, and is doing in our lives.

    – A modern parallel to Paul’s concept of life in the flesh is
      humanism (which has no place for God in its scheme of values).

    – Some are misled into believing a good name
      and good works will find favor with God.
          “I am an upstanding member of the community.
            I treat others fairly. I give my share to charities.
            I am as decent as anyone else.”

    – We need to resist being swallowed up by our worldly environment.

    – Others should be able to see a new difference in our
      ways and attitudes, and to know that we are Christians.

      – We should have an intense desire for an intimate relationship with the Lord.

      – We should strive to develop a habit of viewing everything as Christ would.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for the things of my past
that I continue to hold on to. Forgive me for allowing
those things to be in control of my life. Remind me often
of the amazing gift of salvation You have given me, and
create a desire in me to use the spiritual gift you have
given me to serve You. Help me to change my habits, focus,
and priorities so others will know that I am committed to
You and that I have a desire to serve and grow closer to You
without me having to tell them. I pray that my changed life
will serve as a testimony of my faith.”

BLOG: utvolwoody.com