{"id":617,"date":"2018-12-06T10:40:50","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T18:40:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/migrate.bettersermons.org\/?p=617"},"modified":"2020-06-01T11:38:57","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T18:38:57","slug":"rejoicing-in-the-lord-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/rejoicing-in-the-lord-part-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Rejoicing in the Lord – Part 4"},"content":{"rendered":"
Rejoicing in Jesus Alone<\/span><\/div>\n

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Scripture:<\/strong>\u00a0Philippians 3:1-4:1<\/p>\n

Subject:<\/strong>\u00a0Where is our confidence for our salvation?<\/p>\n

Complement:<\/strong>\u00a0Not in ourselves or our works but in Christ Jesus alone.<\/p>\n

Exegetical Idea:\u00a0<\/strong>Our confidence for our salvation is not in ourselves or our works but in Christ Jesus alone.
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\nHomiletical Idea:\u00a0<\/strong>Your confidence for salvation is in Jesus alone.
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\nPurpose:<\/strong>\u00a0To remind my hearers that we can have no confidence for salvation in ourselves or in our own works but only in Christ Jesus and to encourage my hearers to trust wholly in Jesus and rejoice in Him.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Do you ever read the signs that people put in their yards? Some of them are quite humorous. I saw one near Damascus, Maryland. It was right alongside a mailbox that had been attached to a telephone pole, about 20 feet above the ground. And the sign read, \u201cAir Mail!\u201d Then there was a sign that was reportedly placed in the front yard of a funeral home: \u201cDrive Safely-We\u2019ll Wait.\u201d<\/div>\n
\nSome signs are intended as a witness. There was a sign in someone\u2019s front yard not too far from my home in California which read,\u00a0\u201cRemember thy creator in the days of thy youth.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Unfortunately, the language seemed rather too archaic to connect with young people. What thinkest thou? But maybe someone will read it and understand that it\u2019s good for people to get to know God while they\u2019re young.<\/p>\n

Then there are the intimidating signs, like one that I saw near Pastor Mark\u2019s in-laws home in Collegedale, Tennessee. It is attached to a chain link fence in someone\u2019s front yard and it reads, \u201cTrespassers will be shot! No questions asked. No warning given.\u201d Needless to say, I never visited the folks in that house!<\/p><\/div>\n

\nPerhaps the most common sign that you see in peoples\u2019 front yards is this one: “Beware of Dog.” Sometimes they will add an \u201cS\u201d just to really scare you: “Beware of the dogs!” Or they will add the picture of a snarling canine, just in case you can\u2019t read!<\/div>\n
\nI\u2019m not that surprised when I see this sign in someone\u2019s front yard, but I was really shocked to find this sign in the middle of the Philippian scroll that we\u2019ve been studying.<\/div>\n
\nIf you\u2019ve been with us for the past few weeks, you will remember that we\u2019ve been studying Paul\u2019s letter to the Christians at Philippi. We began with the testimony of Epaphroditus, and discovered two reasons to rejoice: First we can rejoice because God has started a good work in our lives. That\u2019s a reason to rejoice, wouldn\u2019t you agree?! God has started a good work in our lives. Praise His holy name. And a second reason to rejoice is this: God, who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it! Hallelujah! Those are two reasons to rejoice.<\/div>\n
\nIn the second sermon from this series we discovered that God can work good even in the midst of bad situations. He can work good for those around us, like the members of the Praetorian guard who heard Paul\u2019s testimony during his house arrest, and for the members of Caesar\u2019s household. God can also work good even in the midst of bad situations for us personally. Paul learned in the midst of his trial to trust wholly in Jesus Christ, and we can learn that lesson too, by God\u2019s grace. Yes, God can work good even in the midst of bad situations.<\/div>\n
\nIn the third sermon in this series from Philippians we discovered that when you realize how much the Father loves you, when you accept His love so perfectly and completely revealed through Jesus Christ our Lord, you will not only love Him with all your heart and love others more than life itself, but you will be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy! And that\u2019s good news, what do you say? I\u2019m still singing that old gospel song: \u201cIf you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart!\u201d<\/div>\n
\nAnd then in the most recent sermon in this series on \u201cRejoicing in the Lord\u201d we discovered that we can rejoice together. When we see brothers and sisters in Christ shining like the stars, reflecting the radiance of Jesus Christ, allowing God to work in them according to His good pleasure, we can rejoice together because God is at work in our midst. And we need to take more time to rejoice together, because God is at work in our midst. What do you say?<\/p>\n

We mailed out over 100 of these yellow cards this past week, plus many more that were hand delivered. Those yellow cards of encouragement and affirmation give us an opportunity to rejoice together when we see God at work in our midst. You\u2019ll find some in the pew rack in front of you, and I encourage you to write a yellow card to someone today. Let people know that you see them shining like a star for Jesus, and rejoice together.<\/p><\/div>\n

\nAnd now we come to the place in the Philippian letter where Paul almost seems to be drawing to a close. He begins Philippians 3:1, with what sounds like a conclusion. Let\u2019s read it together.\u00a0\u201cFinally, my brother, rejoice in the Lord.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>And it almost sounds like he\u2019s finished. Doesn\u2019t it?<\/div>\n
\nThen all of a sudden, without any warning, Paul holds up this sign: “Beware of the Dog.” The change is so abrupt that some have suggested that most of chapter 3 and the first part of Ch 4 was added later. One commentator suggests that Ch 3:1 and Ch 4:4 \u201cfit together so exactly that upon sober reflection one must come to the conclusion that a later hand has pulled the two verses apart.\u201d [Walter Schmithals, Paul and the Gnostics\u00a0<\/em>(Nashville: Abingdon, 1972), p. 72]<\/div>\n
\nSo, did an over zealous copyist add the section we\u2019re going to study this morning? I don\u2019t believe so. First, there is absolutely no manuscript evidence to suggest that this portion of the letter was added later. The third paragraph of this letter is found in all of the manuscripts of Paul\u2019s letter to the Philippians.<\/p>\n

Secondly, if an over-zealous editor desired to add a personal interpolation, why would he or she make the transition so abrupt? If anything, there would be an attempt to make the transition smooth. Wouldn\u2019t you agree? So I don\u2019t think this section is added by someone else. There is every reason to believe that this is Paul\u2019s work, given to us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.<\/p><\/div>\n

\nSo, why does Paul make such an abrupt shift? And what is Paul talking about here? Apparently it\u2019s very important, because he just has to address this issue before closing his letter. It\u2019s almost as if he paused for a moment after writing the first sentence of the third paragraph, thought carefully and prayerfully for some time, and then decided that this portion of the letter had to be included.<\/div>\n
\nLet\u2019s read Paul\u2019s words together, at the beginning of the third paragraph of his letter to the Philippians. Beginning with the word \u201cfinally\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.\u00a0Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh\u2014though I myself have reasons for such confidence.\u201d
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\nThose are strong words! The imperative \u201clook,\u201d \u201cwatch out\u201d or \u201cbeware\u201d is actually included three times in the Greek. Watch out for those dogs, watch out for those men who do evil, watch out for those mutilators of the flesh. And it\u2019s a present imperative, which implies ongoing action. Watch out, and keep on watching out. Beware and continue to beware.\n<\/div>\n

\nSo who are these people that the apostle Paul calls \u201cdogs\u201d, workers of evil, and mutilators of the flesh? Well this is not the first time that Paul has mentioned them in his writings. In his letter to the Christians in Corinth, Paul has some more strong words for these \u201cdogs,\u201d these workers of evil. In 2 Corinthians 11:13, Paul calls these individuals\u00a0\u201cfalse apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.\u201d (<\/em>2 Corinthians\u00a011:13).\n<\/div>\n
These \u201cdogs\u201d as Paul calls them are pretending to be part of the Christian community. They are masquerading as apostles of Christ. But actually they are \u201cmen who do evil,\u201d \u201cdeceitful workmen.\u201d Paul also speaks of these false apostles in his letter to the Christians in Galatia.<\/p>\n

Listen to Paul\u2019s stern words in Galations 1:6-9.\u00a0“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel\u2014which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”<\/em>\u00a0Literally,\u00a0\u201clet him be anathema!\u201d<\/em><\/div>\n

\nSo what was this false gospel that these supposed followers of Christ were preaching? We find a clue in our Philippian scroll. What did Paul say? Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil…but notice the next phrase:\u00a0\u201cthose mutilators of the flesh.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>These \u201cdogs\u201d, as Paul calls them, were Jews who were teaching that faith in Jesus Christ was not enough for salvation. There was something else that you had to do. You also needed to adhere to Jewish laws and traditions. And so, among other things, they taught that a male convert to Christianity would need to be circumcised.<\/p>\n

Now Paul was a faithful Jew, but listen to his rejection of this false gospel in Galations 5:1-6.\u00a0\u201cIt is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.\u00a0Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.\u201d
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\nPaul is really upset with these individuals that he calls \u201cdogs\u201d. Listen to his comment in Galations 5:12.\u00a0\u201cAs for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Those are startling words to find in Scripture. Paul is filled with a holy indignation\u2014a righteous anger. These \u201cdogs\u201d are distorting the gospel of Jesus Christ. Salvation does not come through faith in Jesus Christ plus what we do. Our confidence is not in ourselves, who we are, what we\u2019ve done, or haven\u2019t done. Our confidence is in Jesus alone.<\/div>\n

\nMany have wondered about Paul\u2019s use of the term \u201cdog\u201d to describe these enemies of the cross. It sounds so harsh. Some have suggested that Paul uses this term because dogs were considered shameless and unclean. But it may be that Paul is using a term that was common in Judaism and is turning it upside down. You see, the Jews used this term \u201cdog\u201d in reference to Gentiles, people whom they considered to be outside of the covenant, beyond the grace of God.<\/p>\n

And Paul may well be saying, \u201cThese Gentiles who trust in Jesus alone for salvation without all of the laws and traditions of Judaism, they are not the dogs. You are the dogs. You are the ones who are outside of God\u2019s grace. You are trusting in something or someone other than Jesus alone for your salvation.<\/p><\/div>\n

\nAnd then Paul begins to reflect on his own life. He remembers how he used to have confidence in himself, who he was, what he had done.\u00a0Beginning with the words \u201cif anyone…\u201d Let\u2019s read together. \u201c…..\u201d Paul says,\u00a0\u201c\u2026if pedigree was of any worth in terms of salvation, I\u2019d have it made!\u201d Or if zealous performance of righteous works would save me, I\u2019d be knocking on heaven\u2019s doors.\u201d \u201cBut\u201d<\/em>…says Paul.\u00a0\u201cBut whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ…\u201d<\/em><\/div>\n
\nHis confidence for salvation is in Jesus alone. His assurance of salvation is based on Jesus alone. He says,\u00a0\u201cYour family pedigree is of no saving value. Your works of righteousness, however zealously they have been performed, are of no saving value.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Salvation comes from above, received by faith. Our confidence is not in ourselves, who we are, what we\u2019ve done, or haven\u2019t done. Our confidence is in Jesus alone.<\/div>\n
\nBut someone might say, \u201cWhat about the commandments of God? Isn\u2019t it important to keep the Ten Commandments?\u201d Absolutely. But my assurance of salvation has nothing to do with my commandment keeping. We keep the commandments because we love Jesus. Not in order to have assurance of salvation. Didn\u2019t Jesus say,\u00a0\u201cIf you love me, keep my commandments\u201d<\/em>? And to those who claimed a relationship with Him, \u201cWhy do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the things I say?\u201d Obedience is not unimportant. But it is the fruit of our relationship with Jesus. We place no confidence for salvation in who we are, what we have done, or not done. Our confidence is in Jesus alone.<\/div>\n
\nWell then, if our confidence for salvation is in Jesus alone, what is there left for us to do? Paul answers that question for us. Look with me at the third paragraph of Paul\u2019s letter to the believers at Philippi. It begins with the words \u201cI want to know Christ……\u201d Let\u2019s read it together.\u00a0\u201cI want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Paul says, \u201cBecause my confidence is in Jesus alone, I will make knowing Jesus the passion of my life. I will press on. \u201cNot that I have already obtained all this …..\u201d<\/em><\/div>\n
\nAnd what is the prize? Is it just living forever? Is that the prize? Is it just avoiding eternal death? Is that the prize? No! The prize is eternal life with Jesus, our wonderful Savior and Lord. The prize is being with Him forever. \u201cOur citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who be the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!\u201d<\/div>\n
\nIf I were to sum up Paul\u2019s message in this portion of his letter in one sentence it would be this: your confidence for salvation is not in yourself, who you are, what you\u2019ve done, or haven\u2019t done\u2013Your confidence is in Jesus alone.<\/div>\n
\nSomeone here might be thinking, \u201cBut pastor, I\u2019m really struggling with a sinful thoughts or sinful habits in my life. Don\u2019t I have to overcome all of those problems before I can be saved? What does the Bible say?<\/p>\n

1 John 1:9\u00a0\u201cIf we confess our sins…\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Friend, if you are struggling with thoughts or habits that are out of harmony with the will of God, and out of harmony with the Word of God, then turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth ….will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. Don\u2019t let anyone steal your joy by trying to turn your attention toward you. Turn your eyes upon Jesus.<\/p>\n

On one occasion, Pastor Morri Venden was speaking to a group of Christians about rejoicing in Jesus alone. And after one of the meetings, a man came to him who was struggling with an addiction to alcohol. It could have been an addiction to smoking, or an addiction to pornography, or an addiction to gambling. But it was an addiction to alcohol. And this brother said to Pastor Venden, \u201cI\u2019ve tried, but I just can\u2019t get the victory!\u201d And do you know what Pastor Venden told him? \u201cWill you promise me that you\u2019ll spend time every day focusing on Jesus, drawing closer to Jesus?\u201d And the man said, \u201cBut what about my problem?\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

\nDo you see this brother\u2019s real problem? It wasn\u2019t the alcohol problem. The real problem was focusing on his problem, rather than focusing on Jesus. He needed to focus his attention on Jesus. But, you ask, what happens if we stumble? Just get up. Confess your sin, and keep focusing on Jesus\u2014Because Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith. Yes, He is. Your confidence is not in yourself, who you are, what you\u2019ve done or haven\u2019t done. Your confidence is in Jesus alone.<\/div>\n
\nWell, a year went by and Pastor Venden saw this man again. And the brother said, \u201cIt worked! It worked!\u201d Ah, yes, my friends! There is victory in Jesus. There is deliverance in Jesus. There is freedom in Jesus. There is healing in Jesus. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. And if someone comes up to you and tries to steal your peace and joy because you are still a work in progress, just hold up this sign! Your confidence is not in yourself. Who you are; what you\u2019ve done, or what you haven\u2019t done. Your confidence is in Jesus alone!<\/div>\n
\nAnd that\u2019s why I want to encourage you to spend more and more time with Jesus, getting to know Jesus better as your best friend. Because that\u2019s where we need to focus our attention.<\/p>\n

I brought a box of books with me this morning. It\u2019s my favorite book on the life of Jesus. Do you sense the need to spend more time focusing on Jesus? Do you need to take your eyes off of yourself and turn your eyes upon Jesus?<\/p>\n

Then I want to invite you to come up after the service and get a copy of this book. I\u2019ll give you a copy of this book if you\u2019ll promise to read it. And may we always remember that our confidence for salvation is not in ourselves, who we are, what we\u2019ve done, or haven\u2019t done. Our confidence is in Jesus alone.
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\nBy Derek Morris, Pastor of the\u00a0Forest Lake Church<\/a><\/span>\u00a0in Apopka, FL. Better Sermons \u00a9 2005-2009. Click here for<\/span>\u00a0usage guidelines<\/a>.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rejoicing in Jesus Alone Scripture:\u00a0Philippians 3:1-4:1 Subject:\u00a0Where is our confidence for our salvation? Complement:\u00a0Not in ourselves or our works but in Christ Jesus alone. Exegetical Idea:\u00a0Our confidence for our salvation …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[20],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":620,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617\/revisions\/620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bettersermons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}