Philippians 3

Philippians 3:1

In chapter 1, we saw the single mind. In chapter 2, we saw the submitted mind. Here in chapter 3, we’ll see the selfless mind. It would seem as though Paul is attempting to wrap things up when he uses the word “finally.” In reality, he’s only halfway done, for he’ll go on for two more chaptersa typical preacher! We are not commanded to rejoice in our circumstances, be they good or bad. No, we’re to rejoice in the Lord. My circumstances may be bleak and brutal. But the Lord stands with me in those circumstances, and He will cause something good to come from them ultimately.

Philippians 3:2

The Jews referred to Gentiles as dogs. Yet here Paul is telling the Philippians to beware not of Gentiles, but of those who are of the concision, or, literally, “mutilators"Jews who would follow behind Paul and say to the Gentiles, “If you’re really serious about knowing God, what Paul said is okay as a beginning point, but you need to be circumcised if you want to be truly spiritual.” There are still those today who imply that to be spiritual, one must be miserable; those who say, “If you’re truly spiritual, you’ll do this and not do that; you’ll go here, but not there…” Of them, Paul says, “Beware.”

Philippians 3:3

The true circumcision are not those who want to inflict pain. The truly spiritual man is one who worships God in the spirit, rejoices in Christ Jesus, and has no confidence in the flesh. True circumcision is not a mark on the flesh; it’s a mark in the heart. True Spirituality A Topical Study of Php_3:1-3 A guest in a bed-and-breakfast outside of London, Archbishop Jonathan Kemple heard a woman robustly and repeatedly singing the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” in the kitchen. “Your cook must be a very spiritual lady,” he said to his host. His host chuckled a bit and said, “Not really. It must be that we’re having hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. “Oh?” said the Archbishop. “Yes,” continued the host. “If the eggs are soft-boiled, she only sings ‘A Mighty Fortress’ three times. But hard-boiled eggs require six.” Sometimes we do the same thing. “We’re going to sing three songs before the kids are dismissed and then two more songs before the sermon,” we say. But that’s not what worship in the Spirit is. The Spiritual Man Worships God in the Spirit Paul says one of the identifying marks of the spiritual man is that he worships God in the spirit. Oftentimes at worship conferences or in books about worship, discussion ensues concerning how to get people to be more expressive in worship. However, I don’t believe this should be the emphasis. I believe that since true worship is the result of affection and commitment to the Lord, no amount of physical gyrations or carnal motivations will make a difference. Suppose my wife, Tammy, and I weren’t married. If she walked in, and though I had never met her, I went up to her, wrapped my arms around her, and started kissing her passionatelythere would be a problem. I would get a slap across the face, and the ushers would come and take me away. The cops would show up, and I would have a jail ministry. Why? Because I would be trying to express affection without commitment. And that would be unacceptable. Suppose, on the other hand, I look at her and say, “Would you go out to dinner with me?” We go out. And I take her out the next day and the day after that, and we’re going out all the time. As we’re cultivating a relationship, our commitment grows and deepens. So after taking her out for five months, I reach out and hold her hand for the first time. Is that acceptable? Sure! Because after five months of developing a relationship, such behavior would be acceptable, understandable, appropriate. We then become more and more committed to each otheruntil we stand before the preacher, saying, “I’m committed to you for all of my lifefor better or worse, for richer or poorer.” And then it would be not only acceptable but laudable for us to be totally affectionate and intimate with each other because we would be committed to each other. Here’s the problem: Many times worship leaders try to get people to do things to express affectionbut without true commitment, their efforts are little more than outward manipulation. The key to developing ever-affectionate and demonstrative worship is to take people deeper in their knowledge and commitment to Jesus Christ. Then you can get rid of all of the circus antics and maneuvering because as people are more deeply committed to Him, and have a greater knowledge of Him, there will be in their spirits a natural affection and display of love for Him. Having said that, I feel I need to say this as well… When I kissed Tammy as I walked in the door one day, I should have been prepared for my kids’ reaction. “Eeeew! Not here,” they said. That’s the way kids often respond when their parents are affectionate because it’s distracting to them. The same can be true in worship. To worship in the Spirit means to be completely intimate and totally affectionate. However, there are places where greater intimacy and affection can be displayed, and there are places where it’s distracting to others. Thus, to worship in the Spirit is to say, “Lord, help me to know the right place and the right time to express myself in the right way that would honor You and not distract others.” If I am causing others to say, “Eeew! What’s he doing?” I am no longer worshiping in the Spirit, but I am causing my brothers and sisters to be needlessly distracted from the Lord. Worship in the Spirit requires being sensitive to Him. The Spiritual Man Rejoices in Christ Jesus My entire Christian experience went through a radical, wonderful adjustment when I found myself freed up to rejoice in Christ Jesus. You see, I went through a season where my joy was somewhat lacking… Reading about how Jesus touched the leper (Mar_1:40-41), I thought, If I’m to be like Jesus, I must find people who are leprous, people who are being eaten up by sin, people who are falling apartand touch them. But then I turned a few pages and read how Jesus put His fingers in the ears of a man who was deaf and dumb, causing the man to begin to speak (Mar_7:33), and I thought, If I’m to be like Jesus, I must find dumb people and touch them that they might hear. But then I turned a few pages and saw Jesus feeding five thousand hungry men on a slope overlooking the Sea of Galilee (Mar_6:41). To be like Jesus, I thought, I gotta feed the hungry. But then I turned a few pages and saw Jesus blessing the little children (Mar_10:14). If I’m to be like Jesus, I thought, I’ve got to hang out with kidsall kids, every kidbecause that’s what Jesus did. But then I turned a few pages and saw Jesus forgiving the woman taken in the act of adultery (Joh_8:11). That’s what I’m to do, I thought. I must find people who are being picked on and set them free one at a time. On and on I went until finally I found myself totally exhausted. Great is the day when, like John the Baptist, a man says, “I am not the Christ. Behold the Lamb. It’s Him, not me” (see Joh_1:20). It is wonderfully and gloriously liberating to say, “I’m not Jesus.” Then who am I? I’m the leper being eaten by my own carnality. And the Lord comes to me every day and says, “I still love you. I’m here to cleanse you.” I’m the dumb one. My ears get clogged listening to the news, philosophy, and ideas of the world. Then Jesus sends a brother or a sister or a book or a radio programand suddenly I hear Him again. I’m the adulterer. My affections and priorities wander in all sorts of directions. Yet Jesus comes to me and says, “You’ve strayed from Me. But I don’t condemn you. I’m here to stand by you. Go your way. Sin no more. You’re free.” I’m the hungry one. And the Lord comes to me daily and nourishes me as I partake of the Bread of Life. I’m the child of whom others say, “Don’t bother with him,” but of whom Jesus says, “Allow him to come to Me.” Gang, once this sinks in, you’ll read the Gospels with new eyes. Instead of putting yourself in Jesus’ place, you’ll put yourself in the sinner’s spot, where you belong, saying, “Look what He does. Look how good He is.” “Is it right to see ourselves in the place of the sinner? Aren’t we commanded to be holy, as He is holy?” you ask. John says that when we see Jesus, we shall be like Him without even trying (1Jn_3:2). When I stop trying to be like Him and simply like Himsimply enjoy spending time with Himthen I become like Him. And I rejoice in Him all the more. The Spiritual Man Has No Confidence in the Flesh “I can’t believe I did that,” said a man who had stumbled badly, a tear falling down his cheek. “I can,” I said to his surprise. You see, Paul tells us that in our flesh dwells no good thing (Rom_7:18). Therefore, if we’re blown away or scandalized by a temptation to which we or someone else succumbs, it only means that we did, indeed, have confidence in our flesh. When someone stumbles or falls, all a truly spiritual man can say is, “If it wasn’t for God’s grace, I would be in that same situation.” The truly spiritual man is one who realizes his weakness, but rather than mourning or moaning he says, “If anything good comes through me or from me, it comes from Christ. I’m weak, but He is wonderful. And I rejoice in Him.” True spirituality consists not in do’s or don’ts, pain or piety, burdens or bondage. Paul says the spiritual man is one who worships God in the Spirit, rejoices in Christ alone, and has no confidence in his flesh. And in that I can rejoice gladly and celebrate continually.

Philippians 3:4

“Regarding these dogs who undermine grace and boast of their external spirituality, I’ll put my record against theirs any day,” declares Paul.

Philippians 3:5

“I was born a Jew and circumcised on the eighth day, according to the exact regulation of the law.” Benjamin being the tribe of Israel’s first king (1Sa_9:1-2), and being the one tribe that remained loyal to the house of David when the ten northern tribes revolted under Jeroboam, Paul’s lineage was admirable. The Pharisees, numbering only six thousand, kept the minutest detail of the law and were known for their holiness and piety.

Philippians 3:6

“So zealous was I about Judaism,” says Paul, “that I dragged Christians out of their homes, pulled them out of their churches, and incarcerated them in order that they might be put to death.” Perhaps today’s equivalent of Paul would be those who shoot abortion doctors in their zeal to protect the unborn, for Paul was ready to do whatever was necessary to protect the law. Inspired by the Spirit, Paul could truthfully say, “Concerning the ordinances and requirements of the law, I kept them all.” This doesn’t mean Paul was faultless internally, for Rom_7:7 tells us he coveted. But externally, concerning the outward workings of the law, Paul was blameless.

Philippians 3:7

“I let go of my standing as a Pharisee, my external piety, and everything else that looked good on my spiritual risumifor none of it mattered compared to Christ,” says Paul.

Philippians 3:8

Paul not only says, “I counted all things loss,” but, “I continue to count all things loss.” It’s not enough, gang, for you and me to revel in what we once counted as loss. It’s not enough to say, “Yeah, fifteen years ago, I was witnessing to people, passing out tracts, knocking on doors, sharing my faith. Yep, back in the days of the revival, that was me.” If what I did fifteen years ago, or what I gave up concerning the flesh one month ago doesn’t translate into present practice, it’s meaningless. Why did Paul count his impeccable religious pedigree as nothing? Because what He found in Jesus was infinitely superior to what he gave up. Jesus told an interesting story in Luke 13… He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.Luk_13:6-9 If you are one who appears outwardly spiritual, yet you lack the fruit of love and joy, peace and longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness for your Master’s pleasurewhat are you to do? Let the Vinedresser come to you; let the Holy Spirit dig around your roots and expose sin. Then let Him expel it through the “dunging” process, whereby we realize that glorying in anything we’ve done, any position we hold, or any credentials we’ve earned will keep fruit from being produced in our lives. John the Baptist was right when he said a man cannot receive anything except it be given him from heaven (Joh_3:27). Whenever we think we’ve attained anything in our lives because of our dedication, our brilliance, or our good looks, there will be a dearth of fruitfulness in our lives. Expose our sin, Lord. Expel our self. That way anything You want to do through us will be to Your glory.

Philippians 3:9

“I let all my credentials go,” said Paul, “for I see them for what they are: dung, fertilizer, pasture patties.” When you become a Christian, not only did Christ Jesus come into your heart, but you were robed in Him, covered by Him, righteous through Him (1Co_1:30).

Philippians 3:10

“In my legalistic, religious days, I knew about God theologically and intellectually,” said Paul. “But now I want to know Him intimately.” How does that happen? Read on. Jesus is not merely One who lived two thousand years ago, died, and that’s the end of the story. He’s a power; He’s a Person; He’s risen. And I will know Him intimately only through the power of His Resurrection. When do you really know the Lord? When you realize He’s alive. When do you really understand He’s alive? When you go through tough timesthe fellowship of suffering. When I’m cruising along on Easy Street, I don’t know Jesus the way I often discover Him when I’m going through difficulty and problems, heartache or setbacks, tragedy or pain. Here, in this book of rejoicing, Paul says, “Don’t despise the difficulty, the tragedy, the tough time, the setback, the heartachefor those are the times you will understand that Jesus is truly risen. When the day is dark, the waters deep, the outlook grimyou’ll see Jesus.” “Sure, I want to know the Lord,” people say. “I just don’t want to go through tough times. Of course I want to know His power, but I don’t want to deal with the fellowship that comes through suffering.” The only way you can know the Lord intimately is through the power of His Resurrection. And the best way to experience the power of His Resurrection is through hard times. “How many men did we throw in the fire?” asked Nebuchadnezzar. “Three, your highness.” “Well, how is that I see four, and the fourth is like the son of God?” So clearly did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego see Jesus in the fire of suffering that they chose to remain in the fiery furnace with Him rather than to walk free without Him (Dan_3:26). We know the Lord by realizing He’s with us in times of suffering, and by choosing to say, “Lord, I’ll die to my self in order to have fellowship with You. As long as I try to protect myself, I’ll not know You in the way I want to. So, Lord, I choose to conform myself to Your death. Do what You want in my life.” When Jesus started talking about the Cross, Peter’s response was, “Be it far from Thee, Lord. It’s not going to happen” (see Mat_16:22). And Peter’s is a cry we utter as well. “Not the Cross,” we say. “Not death, or bankruptcy, breakups, or leukemia. We want Cadillacs, miraculous healings, and holy laughterthat’s our kind of Christianity, Lord.” We’re just like Peter. But when, to one degree or another, we experience the fellowship of suffering, we begin to say, “I now choose death in order that I might know Jesus better.” Christians are the only people who can truly choose to rejoice and be happy when things on the outside seem so bleak because we’re the only ones who know there will be a fellowship in suffering that will manifest the power of Jesus and His Resurrection, and which will, in turn, allow the intimacy with God that will make us deeply happy and truly blessed.

Philippians 3:11

Paul isn’t saying he hopes he goes to heaven when he dies. That’s a given. Rather, he’s speaking of the resurrection lifeto live life here on earth through the power of Jesus’ Resurrection.

Philippians 3:12

On the Road to Damascus, Paul was on his way to persecute Christians when he was knocked to the ground. “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” said a voice from heaven. “Who art thou, Lord?” asked Paul. “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It’s hard for you to kick against the goads, isn’t it?” “Lord, what would You have me to do?” Paul asked (see Act_9:6). And at that moment, Paul was apprehendedcaptivated by Jesus. “I’m not there yet,” said Paul. “I’ll know I captured that for which I was captured when He calls me home.”

Philippians 3:13

Some people are always looking back. They can’t get over what happened to them last year, five years, or twenty years ago. “She hurt me.” “He fired me.” “That company misused me,” they say. Paul says just the opposite. “This is what I do: I forget that which is behind. And the same mind is to be in you.” The sin we’ve committed in the past will condemn us to the place of paralysis. And the good stuff we’ve done by His grace will puff us up to the place of pride. Thus, our only option is to do what Paul did: Forget the past. We must be those who say, “I’m not going to dwell on that. I’m not going to be tripped up by that. I’m not going to glory in that. I’m not going to be confused about that. All of that is behind me. I’m moving on.” If your mind is dwelling on the past, if you’re defeated because of someone else’s past, God will bring it to light.

Philippians 3:16

Where we have gone ahead, let’s keep going.

Philippians 3:17

Here in his Epistle of Joy, we see Paul weeping. Is he weeping because of the prison in which he was confined? No. Is he weeping because of the guards to whom he’s chained? No. He’s not weeping over his brutal situation. He’s weeping over potential deception… Who were these enemies of the Cross of Christ? We cannot say who they were individually, but we can see how they lived and what they taught contextually, for Paul goes on to tell us something about them.

Philippians 3:19

Concerning the enemies of the Cross of Christ, the end of their lives will prove to be destruction, or, literally, “a waste.” Their god is their bellythey live for their fleshly appetites. They live for their own glorythey live to make a name for themselves. And they mind earthly thingsthey live for that which is temporal. It is very likely these men were not unlike the prosperity teachers of todaythe Name It/Claim It, Health/Wealth boys. “Deny yourself? No way!” they proclaim. “God wants everyone to be totally healthy and totally wealthy here and now.” “What’s the key to life?” he said. “Women!” So he gathered one thousand concubinesthe most beautiful women in the regiononly to discover they weren’t the answer. “Partyingthat’s the key,” he decided. So he imported baboons and peacocks from Africa to entertain his guests, while he kept the wine flowing freely. But after partying for years, he found it empty. “Powerthat’s what will satisfy a man,” he surmised. So he expanded the boundaries of his empire farther than those of any other nation of antiquity. But even then he felt unsatisfied. He studied philosophy and scienceand garnered so much gold that silver was rendered worthless in his kingdom. And yet he declared it all empty. At last he said, “Power, prosperity, fame, partying, women, wine, and education are not the answer. The only key to life is to fear God” (see Ecc_12:13). But by then, Solomon’s most productive years were lost, wasted because his god was his belly; his glorying was in his own name; he minded earthly things. Beware of those who try to get you focused on this life, worried about this life, caught up in this life. They’re enemies of the Cross, for the Cross says, “Forget about yourself. Look toward eternity. Live for heaven.”

Philippians 3:20

Newer versions translate the word “conversation” as “lifestyle” or “citizenship.” Why? Because a person’s citizenshipbe he English, French, or Australiancan be readily identified through his conversation, through the way he speaks. The same is true spiritually, for Scripture declares that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Mat_12:34). What is your conversation, your lifestyle, your citizenship? It will be revealed in the heat of battle. After civil war had broken out between the men from Gilead and the men from Ephraim, Jephthah, leader of the Gileadites, ordered his men to seal the passes lest the Ephraimites get away. “But how will we identify them?” asked his men. “They’re our brothers.” “Tell them to say the word “river,” or “shibboleth,” said Jephthah. Why? Because the men from Ephraim could not pronounce the sound of “sh.” Thus, instead of “shibboleth,” they said “sibboleth"and were immediately betrayed by their speech (Judges 12). The same holds true for you and me. In the heat of battle, how do we talk? When the accountant says, “You’re bankrupt”; when the doctor says, “It’s cancer”; when your boyfriend says, “Goodbye,” what do we say? Our speech, our conversation will reveal whether we’re men and women who live for the material, the temporal, the earthlyor whether we are those who live for heaven singularly.

Philippians 3:21

When we see Jesus, we shall be like Him (1Jn_3:2). These vile bodies that are falling apart, which are prone toward sin, which give us problems in so many ways will be changed instantly. Hallelujah! Not only will our bodies be changed to be like His, but all things will be subdued, or “put in order.” At last! All things will be subdued, reordered, made right. Several years ago, a popular polling organization took a survey. According to the census, if Michael Jordan had run for the US Senate in Illinois, he would have won by seventy percent. No one knew what he thought. No one cared where he stood. None of that mattered because, after all, he’s Michael Jordan. And we want him to be our leader. Why? Because he can bounce a rubber ball filled with air and jump a few inches higher than the other guys who are also bouncing a rubber ball filled with air. And because he can jump a little higher, he can jump up and drop the rubber ball through a metal hoop. Wow! Awesome! No wonder we want him to be our leader! Our culture is topsy-turvy, gangand the only answer is heaven, for in heaven people will not be abuzz about Michael Jordanthey’ll be talking about Pearl Good… Pearl Good cleaned houses to make enough money to be able to travel to wherever Billy Graham would be speaking, get a cheap motel room, and, unbeknownst to him, pray around the clock for the Crusade. If you want a trading card that will be worth something in eternity, forget Michael Jordan’sget Pearl Good’s! We’re all mixed-up, folks. Our society is confused. Our values are wrong. Do I despair over this? No, because everything will be made right in heaven. To the person complaining about cultural chaos, heaven is the answer. To the person who says life is unfair, heaven is the answer. To the Pearl Goods of the earth, heaven is the answer. Heaven will solve every problem, answer every question, and right every wrong. We’re going to be there soon, gangand I can’t wait!