RitualVerses

RighteousnessChap 3:1-6

Presentation 08

The Structure of the BookOpening and introduction 1:1-2Paul and the Philippian Church 1:3-26Exhortation and Examples 1:27-2:30Warnings 3:1-4:1 The Danger of Ritual 3:1-6

A Better Alternative 3:7-11 The Danger of Perfectionists and Lawbreakers 3.12-4:1

Encouragement Gratitude and Final Greetings 4: 2-23

Presentation 08

Introduction

Having dealt with the danger of selfishness within the Philippian church in Chapter 2 Paul now draws their attention to the danger of ritual.

This was not a new danger to the Philippians. Paul had warned them about it before. But there are some areas in our Christian life where it is particularly important and also “safe” v1 to hear the same things over and over again!

Presentation 08

The reality of Paul’s Joy One of the amazing things about this chapter is that Paul prefaces all he will say about the terrible danger facing the church with a call to rejoice! Cf v1 “rejoice in the Lord”. We might think that this command is strangely out of place. Why is it here? Because external threats should not displace our enjoyment of God.

Here is one of the great strengths of the Christian faith. It equips us to face danger from a standpoint of joy – we know that we belong to God. And we are able to rejoice as we submit ourselves to his Lordship and open our lives to his plan for us and trust in his guiding and controlling hand.

Presentation 08

The reality of Paul’s Joy The second thing that can promote joy is our knowledge of God's love for us. Learn to luxuriate in that knowledge! Think of his love in the morning when you waken, remember it during the day when you are getting frayed at the edges, rejoice in it as you go to bed! Some people go through life feeling the world is against them. E.g. when no one remembers to send them a birthday card they stand in a corner and sulk. They sulk when they could be praising God. For God has not forgotten them and his love for them does not diminish. Cf 2 Tim 4.16-18. Paul would allow nothing to blind him to the wonder of God's love and care.

Presentation 08

The Danger RevealedHaving established the priority of rejoicing in God, Paul now describes the danger. A group of troublemakers known as Judaisers followed Paul on his missionary journeys and tried to persuade new converts that they weren't true Christians until they were circumcised. Historically, the Jews had always made a great deal of the outward circumcision of their bodies which marked them out as God's people. However, they angered God because their circumcision was superficial – there was no spiritual reality attached to the rite. We read in Jer. 9.25 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh.” They were lax and indifferent when it came to spiritual realities. Similarly, the Judaisers were more concerned with ritually cutting their bodies than with their spiritual health.

Presentation 08

The Danger RevealedPaul’s concern at the harm the Judaisers did is seen in the strong language he uses to describe them. First, he calls them "dogs“ v2. Was he thinking of the packs of wild dogs that roamed the cities always spoiling for a fight? Secondly, they are called "evil workers". They never missed a chance to stir things up. They rocked the boat and tried to wreck gospel ministry wherever they went. Finally, they are called "mutilators of the flesh" almost "butchers". They butchered people's experience of Christ saying it was inadequate. They devoted their considerable knowledge and abilities to negative causes. If you removed from their preaching all their criticism of others there would be nothing left!

Presentation 08

The True CircumcisionOver against the danger of the Judaisers’ empty ritual, Paul identifies three areas to show that Christians are the true ‘spiritual circumcision’.

1. They worship God by the Spirit. For some the most important thing about worship is its emotional, intellectual and aesthetic aspects. These have their place but it is the spiritual dimension that makes worship real. Cf Jn 4.23, Eph 2.1-6

How do we worship God in Spirit? By depending upon the Spirit of God, now resident in our spirit, to take the things of Christ and to reveal them to us. This happens as we read or hear God's word. As the Holy Spirit opens our minds to the truth of inspired scripture, we grow in our understanding of God and his plans. That illuminated understanding draws out a response of worship.

Presentation 08

The True CircumcisionGod may reveal some great promise in his Word and as the Holy Spirit applies that truth to our lives and we respond in believing faith – that is worship. Sometimes the Spirit will speak a word of reproof and rebuke, producing conviction. When we repent and seek reconciliation in response to the enabling grace of the Holy Spirit that is worship!

Do you see how this response is totally different from that of the person sitting in church, who is dead to the Spirit. They may go through the motions of praise and prayer but they are not really not worshipping. The Spirit of God whom they do not know, is not revealing to them things about God, or showing God's promises, or rebuking them of things of which they should repent. Such people may be seated in the same surroundings as the true worshipper but they are not worshipping in the Spirit.

Presentation 08

The True Circumcision2. They desire to magnify Christ cf v3 "glorying in Christ Jesus". Many people have something that is so important to them that they speak about it with real enthusiasm! - a family member, a job, a possession, a football team... Jesus is so important to Christians that they want to boast about him. Some Christians feel uneasy talking about Jesus in case they appear sanctimonious, [they are right in not wanting to give that impression] cf 1 Pet 3.15. but if the reason for not speaking, is that Jesus does not thrill their hearts, then there is surely something wrong?

The Judaising butchers at Philippi were not interested in boasting about Jesus. They were more concerned with outward ritual than with personal relationship! Compare that with what Paul says in v8 "I consider everything a loss compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Everything else was secondary to knowing Jesus!

Presentation 08

The True Circumcision3. The next mark of spiritual reality is self-distrust cf v3 "putting no confidence in the flesh." This word ‘flesh’ [Greek sarx ] is one that Paul uses in different ways. An important principle of Biblical interpretation is to determine the meaning of a word in the light of its context. ‘Flesh’ here cannot mean that part of us that hangs between bone and skin. What is distinctively Christian about having no confidence in a flabby stomach? The context makes it clear that Paul had no confidence in his religious heritage v5ff, “Circumcised on the eighth day...” he no longer trusted in external religious rites. “As touching the law a Pharisee...” he no longer put his trust in his membership of this rigorous and respected religious group he was once associated with. “Concerning zeal persecuting the church... ” he was once a passionate member of the religious police. “Touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” He no longer put his trust in the number of laws he managed to keep and in his outwardly consistent lifestyle.

Presentation 08

Choosing a Foundation

Paul discovered the great danger of misplaced confidence. You cannot build your life on two separate foundations. One site needs to be abandoned in favour of the other. One claims to be a firm foundation and it is a false claim. The claim may be religious, enthusiastic and based on what others have taught. But any confidence that rests on human performance no matter how religious it may appear is doomed to collapse pulling us down with it. cf Matt 7.24-29

Presentation 08

The Structure of the BookOpening and introduction 1:1-2Paul and the Philippian Church 1:3-26Exhortation and Examples 1:27-2:30Warnings 3:1-4:1 The Danger of Ritual 3:1-6

A Better Alternative 3:7-11 The Danger of Perfectionists and Lawbreakers 3.12-4:1Encouragement Gratitude and Final Greetings 4: 2-23

Presentation 08

Introduction“I want to tell you a little bit about myself”. That’s a sentence that often gains our hearer’s attention. Doctrine without illustration can, for some people, be difficult. When Paul warns against the dangers of legalism, of trusting in ones religious performance in order to impress God, he has been sharing his personal testimony. And now he describes the day when he renounced any confidence in his own achievement so that he could gain Christ and his salvation. A day when he started using a new accounting system, when he wrote “loss” over all that he had once held dear. Why? Because only by doing so was he left with empty hands that could take Christ and make him his own.

loss

Presentation 08

A Better AlternativeThe Sufficiency of Jesus is Increasingly Satisfying.In v7-8 Paul may have in mind the sort of person who says, “Paul you are talking about what happened 30 years ago. Was this not the hasty judgement of youth?” We are all capable of making radical claims in our youth but as we get older these claims are modified. Well, was Paul's evaluation of the person of Christ, hastily conceived?

The tense of the verb 'consider' in v8 carries the sense of, "I have made a careful evaluation in the past and continue to make that evaluation of Jesus in the present in every circumstance of life". After 30 years Jesus had not lost his lustre! He had not left Paul a spiritual bankrupt!

Presentation 08

A Better AlternativeIndeed, Paul shows that his evaluation far from becoming less extreme had become more extreme look at the language he uses in v8, 'the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord’. Paul can't find a word to describe or measure the worth of Jesus and so he makes one up literally - "super-surpassingness".

Fellowship with Jesus had eclipsed everything else. Are we able to say that? Not only is his evaluation of Jesus now greater, his evaluation of all that would now compete with him is even more repugnant. The word that he has used to describe the competition ‘rubbish’ can literally be translated as 'dung'.

Presentation 08

A Better AlternativeThe goodness or ‘righteousness’ Paul had once been so proud of he now calls ‘dung’. The accumulation of human goodness can be compared to playing the game ‘Monopoly’. The object of which is to collect as much money and property as you can. The game is enjoyable but only a fool would take his Monopoly money to the bazaar to buy groceries. Monopoly is a game, but a different currency is used in the real world.

So too, in the spiritual realm there are people who think when they are accumulating human goodness, they are collecting valuable assets. God tells us we must leave the play currency behind and deal in God’s currency - perfect goodness. Man's goodness does not have any value in heaven.

Presentation 08

A Better AlternativeWhen Paul speaks of ‘gaining Christ’ in v8 he is using the language of an athlete. He is not suggesting that Christ had eluded him rather this is the language of a man who is running after more and more of Jesus. Paul wanted to be wrapped up in Jesus. He wanted Jesus to be his permanent address. And in order to achieve that Paul needed to be persuaded of the deficiencies of legalistic righteousness which encourages men to measure themselves against one another. cf. Luke 18.9ff. the story of the Pharisee and the publican. Legalistic righteousness feeds a spirit of self-congratulation. However the measure of righteousness which God uses is not a human measure but his own divine standard of perfect righteousness. Paul had been aware that despite all his outward observance of the law which gained him the reputation of being a good Pharisee, there were things going on in his heart which God would not be happy with cf. Rom.7.7.

Presentation 08

A Better AlternativeIsaiah tells us that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags." [Is. 64.6] In contrast with that picture is the one drawn by Isaiah of the Messiah in Is.11 v.5 "righteousness shall be his belt." And then in Is. 53.5ff. we read that the Messiah would bear the ‘punishment’ of his people. In other words bear the price of their unrighteousness.

But there is one further significant benefit promised in Is.61.10ff... where the writer speaks about being clothed in the garments of salvation and clothed in a ‘robe of righteousness’. Note also that the title given to the Messiah in Jer 23.5-6 is 'Jehovah Tsidkenu‘ [Hebrew] - 'the Lord our righteousness'. God himself was going to provide the goodness/ righteousness which man so desperately requires.

Presentation 08

A Better AlternativeThis forms the basis of what the early church fathers called ‘The Great Exchange'. There is a sense in which the gospel does not ask for righteousness but rather provides men with it. What Paul describes in Rom 3.21 as "a righteousness which comes apart from the law". - not the product of human achievement but a gift from God. Marvellous!

“I grasped the truth that the righteousness of God is that righteousness which through grace and sheer mercy, he justifies us by faith. I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise... Previously the righteousness of God had filled me with hate, [he thought it something he had to produce] but now it became to me inexpressibly sweet.” Martin Luther

Presentation 08

A Better AlternativeLuther stressed receiving this righteousness by faith, a point Paul makes in v9. A gift accepted with an open hand. In Matt 22 Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast. As the guests arrive they are all provided with a wedding garment at the king’s expense. It covered the worn and stained garments of the guests. But one guest refused to accept the gift. His proud heart saw the offer as an insult – his clothes were fine! What happened next? When the king challenged him v.12 we read that ‘the man was speechless’. All his prepared arguments evaporated and the king told his attendants, “Tie him hand and foot and throw him outside into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” v13

Presentation 08

A Better AlternativeThe point of the parable is quite clear. Jesus came to make a robe of righteousness available by his death on the cross. There he paid the price of our unrighteousness, our sin. We, for our part, are called upon to recognise our need of this covering and make his gift our own by faith. But some will refuse. They will dig their heels in and say,

“We are good enough, we have been very religious, we have a reputation for helping other people. We are good people! We are not sinners, who need to be saved. We do not need to be rescued by a saviour”. That is a scary response because by rejecting Christ’s righteousness we determine our eternal destiny and cut ourselves off from the presence of God.

Presentation 08

A Better AlternativePaul was not content to say, “I have made Christ’s righteousness my own” cf v10 He discovered an insatiable appetite for more of Jesus. Not mere intellectual knowledge but to know more of ‘the power of Christ's resurrection’. That is another way of saying he wanted to experience more of the power of the Holy Spirit’s energies, who raised Jesus from the dead. He longs to see more and more of the resurrection power of Jesus is his own life. Many Christians want that but there can be no increase in resurrection life of Jesus without a corresponding daily dying to self and without a fellowship of sharing in his sufferings and so becoming like Jesus in his death.

Presentation 08

ConclusionRemember the parabola? The way up is down! Fruitfulness comes through dying to self. This dying for Paul and entering into Christ's sufferings includes a willingness to suffer physically for Christ's sake. He is not uncertain about the glory that awaits him when he says he wants “somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead”. What v11 points out is that at the time of writing, he is uncertain about the route he will have to take to that glorious destination. It may be sudden death by order of a Roman court, it may be at the end of a long earthly pilgrimage. Whatever the route glory is what lay ahead.

God intends his children who are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus to be confident about their final destination. It is not presumption. It is confidence in the accomplishment of Christ.

Presentation 08