[0:00] Welcome to our services today. And as we come together in this act of worship, we seek that it would please the Lord to bless each one of us, to bless his word to us.
[0:18] So let us join together in prayer. Eternal and ever-blessed Lord, we give thanks unto thee for thy goodness and thy kindness to us.
[0:36] O grant to us that we would rejoice in your benevolence, that we would rejoice in your abundant grace towards us.
[0:48] O grant to us, O Lord, that we would come in humility and that we would acknowledge that we are unworthy of the least of thy mercies.
[1:01] We give thee thanks, O Lord, that thou did make provision for us in thy Son. And that through him that we have that boldness and confidence to draw near to thee.
[1:18] To draw near to a throne of grace. To seek thy mercy and thy grace to help us in our time of need. And we pray, O Lord, that as we draw near to thee today, that we would acknowledge our sinnership.
[1:38] That we would acknowledge that we sin in thought, in word and in deed. That we would seek that repentance, that turning away from our sin.
[1:52] For seeking our sin. For seeking our sin. Seeking the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. Seeking forgiveness for our sins.
[2:04] Seeking to be reconciled to our God. And we give thee thanks, O Lord, that such a provision has been made for sinners such as we are.
[2:16] In thy Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. As the fountain that has been opened for sin and for uncleanness.
[2:27] We give thee thanks for the efficacy of his finished work on the cross. That is able to reconcile us with God. That is able to grant to us peace with God.
[2:42] And we pray, O Lord, that today we would have that assurance. That in Christ, that we have that peace with God.
[2:54] We give thee thanks, O Lord, for the proclamation of the gospel. And we pray that it may be accompanied in the power and demonstration of thine own spirit.
[3:07] In convicting, converting and in the building of thine own church here on earth. O Lord, grant it to us. That we would come before thee and acknowledge our dependency upon thee.
[3:25] For without thee we can do nothing. And so we pray, O Lord, that it would please thee to rend the heavens. And to come through thy spirit among us.
[3:37] And to revive thy people. And to awaken those who are still dead in trespasses and in sin. That they, through the operation of thine own spirit, may be quickened in their souls.
[3:52] That they may be stirred up. That they may see their lostness. Their great need. And the sufficiency of Christ.
[4:03] To meet with that need. We pray, O Lord, that thou would be with thy people today. That thou, O Lord, would grant to us that we may be faithful witnesses for thee.
[4:19] That we would be as lights that would shine in the darkness of this world. Grant to us, O Lord, that we may be a people who would walk worthy of the gospel.
[4:35] We pray, O Lord, that thou wouldst be with those who are ill. May thy healing hand be with them. Bless those that mourn. Bless those, O Lord, who may be feeling lonely today.
[4:48] We pray that thou wouldst draw near to them. That thou wouldst draw near to them. That thou wouldst be their great comfort. Oh, we give thee thanks. That thou hast given that promise in thy word.
[5:03] That if we trust in thee. And commit ourselves unto thee. That thou wouldst never leave us or forsake us. That thou wouldst never leave us to be comfortless in this world.
[5:16] That thou, O Lord, wouldst not leave us as orphans. But that thou through thy spirit cometh to abide in us. O Lord, we give thee thanks for all the blessings of the covenant.
[5:31] And we pray, O Lord, that we would be given those thankful hearts today. To come and to rejoice in the Lord, our God and Saviour.
[5:45] O Lord, that we would be given to exalt thy name. And to magnify thy name. And all that we endeavour to do.
[5:57] In the proclamation of thy word. In our walk in life. In our conduct and behaviour. That thy name may shine forth. Bless the preaching of thy word.
[6:10] Throughout our nation and all nations of the earth. And bless all thy servants who have gone forth. In proclaiming thy word today.
[6:21] Bless each home. Bless each family. O Lord, that thou wouldst meet with us. And that we would come to know thy presence. Among us.
[6:32] Even on this day. We ask, O Lord, that thou would continue with us. That thou would bless thy word to us. And our meditation upon it.
[6:43] Lead us into thy truth. Grant to us that we may be taught by thy truth. That we may be encouraged and instructed by thy word.
[6:54] And all that we ask with the forgiveness of our sin. Is in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. We shall now read the word of God.
[7:07] As we find it in the letter of Paul to the Philippians. And chapter 3. Philippians and chapter 3.
[7:17] Finally, my brethren. Rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me, indeed is not grievous.
[7:28] But for you it is safe. Beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision.
[7:38] Which worship God in the spirit. And rejoice in Christ Jesus. And have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh.
[7:50] If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh. I more. Circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel.
[8:00] Of the tribe of Benjamin. And Hebrew of the Hebrews. As touching the law of heresy. Concerning seal. Persecuting the church.
[8:12] Touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless. But what things were gained to me those I counted loss for Christ. Yet doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.
[8:28] For whom I have suffered the loss of all things. And to count them but done. That I may win Christ. And be found in him. Not having mine own righteousness which is of the law.
[8:40] But that which is through the faith of Christ. The righteousness which is of God by faith. That I may know him. And the power of his resurrection.
[8:52] And the fellowship of his sufferings. Being made conformable unto his death. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained.
[9:05] Either were already perfect. But I follow after. If that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
[9:16] Brethren. I count not myself to have apprehended. But this one thing I do. Forgetting those things which are behind. And reaching forth unto those things which are before.
[9:29] I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore as many as be perfectly thus minded.
[9:40] That if in anything ye be otherwise minded. God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless. Whereto we have already attained.
[9:50] Let us walk by the same rule. Let us mind the same thing. Brethren. Be followers together of me. And mark them which walk. So as ye have us for an example.
[10:03] For many walk of whom I have told you often. And now tell you even weeping. That they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Whose end is destruction. Whose God is their belly.
[10:15] And whose glory is in their shame. Who mind earthly things. For our conversation is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Saviour. The Lord Jesus Christ.
[10:27] Who shall change our wild body. That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. According to the working whereby he is able. Even to subdue all things unto himself.
[10:40] May the Lord bless unto us. The reading of that portion of his word. Now seeking the help and the blessing of the Lord.
[10:50] Let us meditate today on the first few verses that we have here in chapter 3. Let us just read a few verses from the beginning of the chapter.
[11:04] Finally my brethren rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you. To me indeed is not grievous. But for you it is safe. Beware of dogs.
[11:16] Beware of evil workers. Beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit. And rejoice in Christ Jesus.
[11:28] And have no confidence in the flesh. And so on. Paul after commenting his close friends. Timothy and Evaproditus.
[11:40] And after he exhorts the church at Philippi. To receive Evaproditus in the Lord with all gladness. And to hold such in reputation. He writes.
[11:51] Finally my brethren. Rejoice in the Lord. And one expects that Paul is writing his conclusion to his letter.
[12:02] But he does not conclude. Instead he repeats the command to rejoice. To which he now adds. In the Lord. He has just sent Evaproditus back to them.
[12:16] And when they shall see him. Paul tells them that they are to be glad and rejoice. But now he adds this extra command. That they are to rejoice in the Lord.
[12:29] And they are to rejoice in the Lord. As the source. As the object. As the sphere. As the sphere. Of their joy. Paul has already shown us.
[12:42] In the previous chapter. That joy in the Lord. Is able to coexist. With all kinds of situations. And circumstances. He has taught us.
[12:55] That our joy. Is not dependent upon our circumstances. Because our circumstances. Keep changing all the time. But the source.
[13:07] Of our joy. Is not our changing circumstances. But our unchanging Lord. And saviour. He is as we have already noted.
[13:19] To be the object. And the whole sphere. Of our joy. Jesus. In the upper room. Discush.
[13:29] Said to his disciples. Abide in me. What did Jesus mean. When he said. Abide in me.
[13:42] It certainly speaks of. A relationship. With Christ. This is how J.C. Ryle puts it. To abide in Christ.
[13:53] Means. To keep up a habit. Of constant. Close communion. With him. To be always. Leaning upon him. Resting on him.
[14:05] Pouring out. Our hearts. To him. And using him. As our. Fountain of life. And strength. As our chief. Companion.
[14:16] And best friend. To have his words. Abiding in us. Is to keep. His saints. And precepts. Continually. Before our memories.
[14:27] And minds. And to make them. The guide. Of our actions. And the rule. Of our daily. Conduct. And. Behaviour.
[14:39] And Jesus. Goes on to say. These things. Have I spoken unto you. That my joy. Might remain. In you. And that your joy. Might be full.
[14:51] To abide in Christ. Fills us. With joy. Leon Morris writes. It is not. Cheerless. Barren.
[15:03] Existence. That Jesus. Plans for his people. But the joy. Of which he speaks. Comes only. As they are. Wholehearted. In their. Obedience.
[15:13] To his. Command. And. Now to rejoice. In the Lord. Is a. Very. Scriptural theme. In Nehemiah. Chapter 8.
[15:23] We are told. The joy of the Lord. Is your strength. Psalm 81. Sing aloud. To God. To God. To strength. Make a joyful noise.
[15:35] Unto. The God. Of. Jacob. Paul says. To the Philippians. To write the same things. To you. To me.
[15:45] Indeed. Is not grievous. But for you. It is safe. Paul is not hesitant. To repeat. What he has already said.
[15:56] To them. Very often. Preachers. May be a bit hesitant. To repeat things. For. They know that many will say. I have heard that before.
[16:07] No need to hear it again. We want something new. We want something different. But Paul is not hesitant. To repeat himself.
[16:18] He says to the Philippians. To repeat himself. Indeed. Is not grievous. But for you. It is safe. We are never beyond the need.
[16:31] To have the truth explained to us. Again. And again. For us. As well as for the Philippians. Repetition. Is safe.
[16:43] Because. Paul here. Is repeating himself. Out of concern. For them. What are the same things. That Paul is repeating. Well.
[16:54] Some will say. That it is. In reference. To rejoice. In the Lord. However. It would seem. More probable. That it is in reference. To the warning.
[17:05] Which he gives. From verse. Two. That he frames. That warning. Which he is about. To tell them. With a command. To rejoice. In the Lord.
[17:16] They are. To hold on. And not lose. Their joy. In belonging. To Christ. In Psalm 51. David says. Restore unto me.
[17:26] The joy. Of thy salvation. Although David. Did not lose. His salvation. However. By his sin. He lost. The joy. Of salvation.
[17:37] And Paul. Paul was concerned. That false teachers. Could creep into the church. At Philippi. And the solution. That is given. To the Philippians. To keep them.
[17:49] From yielding. To them. Is to rejoice. In the Lord. Paul here. Tells them. To continually. Rejoice. In the Lord.
[18:01] You see. He has spoken to them. Before. About this. For. He says. In verse 18. For many walk. Of whom.
[18:12] I have told you. Often. And now tell you. Even weeping. That they are the enemies. Of the cross. Of Christ. So he is repeating. The same warning.
[18:23] To them. Again. How much headache. And heartache. We would be saved from. If we were to give heed.
[18:34] To the words. Of the apostle. To rejoice. In the Lord. But alas. We often give in. To the attractiveness. Of sin.
[18:45] And so often. We lose. Our joy. To write. The same things. To you. To me. Indeed. It is not grievous.
[18:56] But for you. It is safe. And with. That in mind. Paul warns them. For he believes. That the church. At Philippi.
[19:07] Could soon be confronted. With false teaching. Beware of dogs. Beware of evildoers. Beware of the concision. Paul.
[19:18] Repeats. Three times. The command. Beware. Or. Watch out. Paul. Is. Warning them. Against. False teachers.
[19:28] Who though. They are not yet. In the church. At Philippi. They are nevertheless. A present danger. They nevertheless. Pose a certain threat. To the church.
[19:41] Those false teachers. Have. Already. Caused harm. To the churches. In Galatia. And Paul. Was concerned. That they may now. Be. Prowling.
[19:51] Near. Philippi. Those. False teachers. That Paul. Warns them against. Those who insisted. That. In order. To belong. To the true people.
[20:03] Of God. It was necessary. To add. To their faith. In Christ. Faithfulness. To the ceremonial law. Especially. To circumcision.
[20:15] They were saying. Faith in Christ. Is not enough. It must be. Faith in Christ. Plus. And.
[20:25] The terms. By. Which he identifies. Them. As the strongest. Terms. That we can find. In his letters. For he calls them. Dogs. Evil workers.
[20:37] And. The concision. Dogs. In. Those days. Were. Not like. The love apple pets. That we are accustomed. To in our own day.
[20:49] In the ancient world. They were the most. Appalling. And miserable. Of all creatures. They were despised. In ancient society. Because.
[20:59] They would eat. Anything. Any garbage. That they would find. Including dead bodies. And they were very vicious. And. Often attacked. The weak. And the helpless. They were.
[21:11] Ridually. Unclean. Animals. They are often. Given bad press. In scripture. And are. Metaphorically. Applied to humans. In a very. Derogative way.
[21:22] The most. Familiar. One for us. Is probably. In 2nd. Samuel. Chapter 9. When. Mephibosheth. Came unto David.
[21:33] And. And. David. Blessed him. And. Mephibosheth. Spoke to. David. He bowed himself. Before. The king. And he said. What is thy servant.
[21:45] That thou shouldest. Look upon such. A dead dog. As I am. He compares himself. To one of these. Animals. To the dogs. Psalm 22.
[21:57] A messianic psalm. And what is. Written there. For dogs. Have compassed me. The assembly. Of the wicked. Have enclosed me. They pierced.
[22:08] My hands. And. My feet. And in the eyes. Of the Jews. The Gentiles. Were dogs. They were. Regarded by the Jews.
[22:19] To be. Outside the circle. Of God's holy people. So Paul calls. The Jews. Who promote. Circumcision. Among the Gentile.
[22:29] Believers. Those. False teachers. Who promote. Circumcision. Among. The Gentile. Believers. By their own. Favorite title. For the Gentiles. He calls them.
[22:40] Dogs. They were. A people. Who had. Distorted. The truth. Of the gospel. And so. They had. Become like. Gentile. Unbelievers. They did not. Appreciate.
[22:51] That. Our salvation. Is found. Totally. And completely. By grace. Alone. In Christ. Alone.
[23:03] So he warns them. Beware. Of. Dogs. And then he says. Beware. Of. Evil workers. They are.
[23:14] Evil workers. Because of. Because of. Their emphasis. To. Convert. Gentile. Christians. To Judaism. By requiring. Circumcision. And the works. Of the law.
[23:26] Paul. Writing to the church. At Corinth. In his second letter. Chapter. 11. Refers to false teachers. As. Deceitful workers. Transforming.
[23:37] Themselves. Into the apostles. Of Christ. They reject salvation. In Christ. Alone. They supplement. Faith. In Christ.
[23:47] With the works. Of. The law. And with. Circumcision. Then he tells them. To be aware. Of the. Concision.
[24:00] Literally. Paul said. Beware. Of the mutilation. It is. A sarcastic. Twist. On the. Significance. Of. Circumcision. Circumcision.
[24:11] Was. The physical sign. Of. Belonging. To the covenant. People. Of God. We read. In. Genesis. Chapter. 17. Verse 11. My covenant.
[24:22] Which you shall keep. Between me and you. This is speaking. To Abraham. And I. Seat. After thee. Every man. Child. Among you. Shall be. Circumcised. And you shall.
[24:33] Circumcise. The flesh. Of your foreskin. And it shall be. A token. Of the covenant. Between me and you. And he that is eight days old. Shall be circumcised.
[24:43] Among you. Every man. Child. In your generations. He that is born. In the house. Or bought. With money. Of any stranger. Which is not. Of thy seed.
[24:54] Now. Here we must remember. Paul is not. Criticising. Circumcision. As the sign. Of the covenant. But. If it replaces. Faith. In Christ.
[25:05] As the basis. Of belonging. To the people. Of God. Paul says. It has no more value. It has no more value. By placing.
[25:17] Such a great. Emphasis. On the. Jewish right. Of circumcision. As the only way. To belong. To the people. Of God. Or. As. Was required.
[25:28] In order. To embrace. These. Gentiles. To be the holy. People of God. These. False teachers. Had turned. Circumcision. To something.
[25:39] As worthless. As the pagan. Rite. Of mutilation. Of the flesh. See. We ourselves. Must be careful. That we do not.
[25:49] Place too much. Emphasis. Upon the sacraments. Whether the Lord's Supper. Or baptism. As a way. Of belonging. To God. God. We must never. Substitute.
[26:00] Anything. In the way. Of our salvation. By grace alone. In Christ. Alone. It is not Christ.
[26:10] Plus. It is Christ. Alone. Now Paul. Says. For we are the circumcision.
[26:23] Which worship God. In the spirit. And rejoice. In Christ Jesus. And have no confidence. In the flesh. The reason. That the Philippians.
[26:34] And all those. In Christ. Should not conform. To the requirements. To be circumcised. Is that they. Are already. The circumcision. Their new identity.
[26:46] In Christ. Gives them. The right. To be called. By the name. The circumcision. They have no need. Of a literal. Circumcision. You see.
[26:58] Paul here. Says. For we are. The circumcision. The Jews. Call themselves. The circumcision. Paul writes. In one place. Saying.
[27:09] It is one God. Which shall justify. The circumcision. By faith. And uncircumcision. Through faith. The Jewish people. Are identified. As the circumcision.
[27:21] And the Gentiles. Are identified. As the uncircumcision. And here. What we find is. That Paul. Says. You are. The true.
[27:31] The true. Circumcision. See. Rather than saying. You. Philippians. Paul says. We are. The circumcision. That is. Jews.
[27:41] And Gentiles. Those who have. Put their trust. And committed. Themselves. To Christ. Alone. For salvation. And. And.
[27:53] And. Then Paul. Paul speaks. Of. Three of the. Characteristic. Activities. That belong. To those. Whom he calls. The circumcision. He says. They worship. God.
[28:03] In. The spirit. The word. Spirit. There should be. In capitals. Paul. Teachers. That the. Presence of the spirit. Is a. Distinguishing.
[28:14] Mark. Of belonging. To the family. Of God's people. In his letter. To the Romans. And chapter 8. He says. Now. If any man. Have not.
[28:25] The spirit. Of Christ. He is none. Of whose. For us. Many. As are led. By the spirit. Of God. They are the sons. Of God. For ye have not.
[28:35] Received the spirit. Of bondage. Again to fear. But ye have received. The spirit. Of adoption. Whereby. We cry. Abba. Father. The spirit.
[28:48] Itself. He says. Beareth witness. With our spirit. That we are. The children. Of God. We worship. But we serve.
[28:58] God. By the spirit. Of God. We worship. In the spirit. And the second characteristic.
[29:10] Is. That to rejoice. In Christ Jesus. Or. The boast. In Christ Jesus. Those who are. Truly called.
[29:21] The circumcision. Are those who have. Come to realize. That they can. Do nothing. Of themselves. That they cannot. Save themselves. And that Christ.
[29:32] Has done all. That is necessary. For their. Salvation. Have you come. To that place. Where you have realized. That you can. Do nothing.
[29:42] Of yourself. To save yourself. But that Christ. Has done all. That is necessary. For your salvation. And to add.
[29:54] Anything. Like. Circumcision. To the work. Of Christ. Is to destroy it. Because. You're saying. That the work. Of Christ. Is not sufficient.
[30:05] That it must. Be added to. But here. The circumcision. The boast. In Christ. The boast.
[30:16] In Christ. And him. Crucified. The boast. In the cross. Of our Lord. Jesus Christ. As Paul. Later on. Says. To another church.
[30:28] God. Forbid. That I should. Boast. In anything. And there was. Plenty. That he could. Boast. About. As we shall. See. As we go on. Even in this letter. Itself. But his boast.
[30:39] Was in the cross. Of our Lord. Jesus Christ. We rejoice. In Christ Jesus. We boast.
[30:50] In Christ Jesus. And the third characteristic. Is that they have. No confidence. In. The flesh. The term.
[31:03] Flesh. Has a wide range. Of meaning. It means. It means. It means. The material. That covers. The bones. It may have. A reference.
[31:13] To the unregenerate. To our sinful nature. But in this context. Paul's. Characterization. Of the false teachers.
[31:24] And his description. Of his own. Jewish heritage. Which he. Gives to us. In verses 4 to 6. Leads to an understanding. Of flesh. In terms of.
[31:35] Jewish descent. And Jewish rituals. Especially that of. Circumcision. They have no confidence. In. The flesh. Here we have.
[31:47] The contrast. Between those. Who have no confidence. In the flesh. To those who put confidence. In the flesh. The true people of God.
[32:01] Puts. No confidence. In the flesh. The true circumcision. Puts no confidence.
[32:13] In the flesh. They put no confidence. In their upbringing. Or in their traditions. Or in their institutions. In their traditions. Rejoicing.
[32:23] Or boasting. In Jesus Christ. Excludes. Putting confidence. In the flesh. If we are putting. Confidence.
[32:34] In the flesh. Then. We cannot rejoice. Or boast. In Jesus Christ. Now. Don't get me wrong. Our upbringing. And our traditions.
[32:44] And institutions. Are important. They may not be bad. In themselves. But. If we put our faith. In them. And place. Our confidence. And our relationship.
[32:56] With God. Upon them. Then we are adding. To the work of Christ. We are saying. That the work of Christ. Is not enough. But we have to realize.
[33:09] That salvation. Is by grace alone. Through the Lord. Jesus Christ. Alone. Traditions. Will not save us. Institutions.
[33:19] Will not save us. Denominations. Will not save us. We can only be saved. By grace alone. Through the Lord. Jesus Christ.
[33:30] Alone. These false teachers. That he warns against. Pitch an emphasis. Upon the flesh. And here.
[33:41] Paul becomes. Very. Very. Personal. He says. Though I might also. Have confidence. In the flesh. If any other man.
[33:53] Thinketh. That he hath whereof. He might trust. In the flesh. I more. Circumcised. The eighth day. Of the stock. Of Israel. Of the tribe.
[34:04] Of Benjamin. And Hebrew. Of the Hebrews. As touching. The law. A fallacy. Concerning. Seel. Persecuting.
[34:14] The church. Touching. The righteousness. Which is in the law. Blameless. You see. Here Paul. Defines. Confidence. In the flesh.
[34:24] In terms of. Seven achievements. Which falls. Into two categories. Those that he has. Inherited. And those. That he has. Earned. Let's look at those.
[34:37] That he has. Inherited. Well. Those that he has. Inherited. Was this pure. Jewish. Pedigree. He was born. Into a Jewish. Family.
[34:47] And had been. Circumcised. In accordance. To the Jewish law. On the eighth day. He was a pure. Blooded. Jew. He was of the stock. Of Israel.
[34:58] Not a proselyte. He was. An Hebrew. Of the Hebrews. Of the tribe. Of Benjamin. Who remained loyal. To the house. Of David. After the death. Of Solomon. When the kingdom.
[35:09] Of Israel. Was split up. He had a full list. Of which was. So immensely. Something. That he was. So proud of.
[35:23] He placed all his confidence. In his relationship. With God. Upon them. He was full of self-confidence. That he was. Right with God.
[35:35] He was. Full of self-confidence. That God. Would not. Refuse him. Then there were. The achievements. That he had earned himself.
[35:47] There was. His. Upper. Class. Social status. He was. A Pharisee. A Pharisee. And the Pharisees. Constituted. The most faithful.
[35:58] Of all. Jewish sects. In their adherence. To the law. Paul writes. That he was. Becoming. Blameless. Here we have.
[36:11] These words. As touching the law. A Pharisee. Concerning. Seal. Persecuting the. Touching the righteousness. Which is in the law. Blameless.
[36:21] But that could be. Translated. Becoming. Blameless. That is. As to his own. Personal. Acknowledgement.
[36:35] Or. His own. Personal. Thoughts. His own. Personal. Mind. He was. Becoming. Blameless. When Paul.
[36:47] Here. Says. Touching the righteousness. Which is in the law. Blameless. He's referring to. Matters of food. And drink. And the observance of days. There was nobody. That could. Surpass him.
[36:58] He was. In his own mind. He was. Becoming. Better. So he thought. Outwardly.
[37:12] He. Looked good. Outwardly. He attended. To all. That. He felt. That was. Necessary. To. Gain.
[37:23] Favor. With God. Nobody. Could. Surpass him. He was. A. Celest. Pharisee. And. A. Seen.
[37:33] In the. In the. Fact. That he was. A. Persecutor. Of the. Church. Of Christ. In fact. He was. So. Celest. Of the law. That. He killed. Anyone. Who disagreed. With his.
[37:43] Conception. Of the law. He was. Loyal. To. The cause. He was.
[37:55] True. And. A loyal. Pharisee. He. In his. Own. Mind. He was. Becoming. A. Blameless.
[38:06] He was. Getting. Better. And. Yet. This man. Was. Unconverted. This man.
[38:18] Was. Out of. Relationship. With God. This man. Was. On the way. To. A lost. Eternity. Because.
[38:33] As we. See. Here. See. In the list. That he gives. To us. You need. You see. Christ. Is left out. There is no room.
[38:45] Here at all. For Christ. And that. Beckons us. To ask the question. To. Examine ourselves. And to ask ourselves.
[38:56] Where is Christ. In my life. And where is Christ. In your life. In your life. You may be able. To compile. A list.
[39:06] Of. Of. Good deeds. Compile. A list. That would be. Very similar. To that. Which. Paul. The Pharisee. Has. Compiled.
[39:19] But where is Christ. Is Christ. Left out. Is there no room. For Christ. Christ. I suppose.
[39:30] The most important word. In this. Entire. Chapter. Is the word. But. In verse 7. But.
[39:42] Because the word. But. Marks for us. Paul's experience. On the road. To Damascus. There.
[39:53] Paul. Has an encounter. With Jesus. And he has an encounter. With Jesus. That changed. His whole life. This encounter.
[40:05] With Jesus. Radically. Reverhed. His own. Whole scale. Of fires. He thought. Before this. That he had. Attained.
[40:16] A righteousness. With God. By. Keeping the law. And. That he was. Becoming. Better. And better. And he. Believed.
[40:26] That. Salvation. Was. By. Keeping the law. But. What he experienced. On the road. To Damascus. Convinced him.
[40:38] That salvation. Was. By grace alone. Through the Lord. Jesus Christ. Alone. It was. A great. Transformation.
[40:49] It was. A radical. Change. It was. A radical. Change. In the way. That. He put value.
[40:59] Upon things. All his own. Works of righteousness. Was. Nothing. In regard. To his. Salvation.
[41:09] And his relationship. With God. He says. But what things. Would gain. To me. Those. I counted. Loss. For Christ. Yet. Doubtless.
[41:20] And I count. All things. But loss. For the excellency. Of the knowledge. Of Christ. Jesus. My Lord. For whom. I have suffered. The loss. Of all things.
[41:31] And to count them. But done. That I may. Win. Christ. Christ. He is here. As it were. Like the man. That we find.
[41:41] In the parable. Of Matthew 13. Who found. The hidden treasure. In the field. And he went. And sold. All that he had. To. By that field.
[41:53] In which the treasure. Was sitting. So here. We find Paul. And he forfeits. All that he had. Valued. Before. In order. To win. Christ.
[42:03] And to be found. In him. And. To know him. Paul has. Turned his back. Upon his self-confidence.
[42:13] Of. Of every kind. When he. Had his encounter. With Jesus. He. Calculates the true worth. Of all those things. In which he had placed.
[42:24] His confidence. For salvation. And everything. That he counted. As profit. Was actually. A loss. His whole.
[42:36] View. Of himself. Was. Turned. Upside down. His whole world. Came crashing down. All those things. By. Which he felt. That he was.
[42:46] Accepted. By God. The very things. That he was. Counting on. To gain. Righteousness. With God. To gain. Peace. With God. To be reconciled. To God. All that.
[42:57] He counted. As. Great achievements. Were instead. Failures. It was. Nothing better. Than rubbish. It was.
[43:08] Nothing better. Than. Dung. But what things. Were gained to me. Those. I counted. Lost. For Christ. And he. Counts them all.
[43:19] As a loss. Because. Of Christ. Because. What he found. In Jesus. Far. Surpasses. All. Other. Things. In value. Their net worth.
[43:31] Is. Nothing. They are just. Rubbish. They are just. Dung. We. Have already. Referred.
[43:42] To the work. Of God. In human heart. When we studied. Paul's words. To the church. At Philippi. To work out. Their own salvation. With fear. And trembling. For it is.
[43:53] God. Which work. A thing. You both. To will. And to do. Of his good pleasure. When God. Works. Upon the human heart. Through his holy spirit. He will convince us.
[44:03] Of sin. He will convince us. Of righteousness. He will convince us. Of judgment. And on that day. We shall realize. That our own list.
[44:14] Of achievements. Is nothing. But dung. In his sight. But what things. Were gained. To me. Those.
[44:25] I counted. Loss. For the excellency. Of the knowledge. Of Christ Jesus. My Lord. For whom. I have suffered. The loss. Of all things. And to count them.
[44:37] But dung. That I. May win. Christ. Christ. He counts them all.
[44:49] As dung. Because of the. Surpassing. Greatness. The excellency. Of knowing. Christ Jesus. My Lord.
[45:00] And the knowledge. Of Christ Jesus. My Lord. Is referenced. Not merely. To a head knowledge. About. Christ. Christ. But what he wants here.
[45:11] Is to have. A personal knowledge. Of him. To be. Brought into. A relationship. With him. This knowledge. Has to do with. Personal experience.
[45:22] And. An intimate. Relationship. Notice how he puts it. Christ Jesus. My. Lord. He has already.
[45:34] In the letter. Referred to Christ Jesus. As Lord. As part of. The exaltation. Of. Of Jesus. When every. Tongue. Shall confess. That Jesus Christ.
[45:44] Is Lord. To the glory. Of God. The Father. But here. He uses that. Possessive. Personal. Pronoun. He is.
[45:56] My. Lord. That. Personal. Intimate. Relationship. Just like. Thomas. When he said. My Lord. And. My God. No knowledge.
[46:07] Can. Compare. With such. Knowledge. Of. Jesus Christ. In the song. Of Solomon. The bride says. My. Beloved.
[46:17] Is. Mine. And. I am. His. Psalm. 23. With. Which we are all. Very. Familiar. The Lord. Is. My.
[46:28] Shepherd. My. Shepherd. And here. Paul says. My. Lord. My.
[46:39] Lord. I. Count. Everything. In which I. Put. My. Trust. To. As. Lost. To be. Nothing.
[46:50] But. Done. For. The. Excellency. Of. The. Knowledge. Of. Christ. Jesus. My. Lord. My. Lord.
[47:00] Oh. That. I. Might. Win. Christ. And. Be.
[47:10] Found. In. Him. What. Does. Paul. Mean. Here. When. He. Says. These. Words. That. I. May. Win. Christ. And. Be. Found. In. Him. Has.
[47:20] He. Not. Already. Won. Or. Gained. Christ. Is. He. Not. Already. In. Christ. Well. What. We. Have. Here. Is. That. The. Present. And. And. And. And. The. Future. As. It. Were.
[47:31] Merge. They. Combine. Paul. Lives. As. It. Every. Day. In. The. Light. Of. The. Last. Day. In. The. Day. Of. Day. Of. Of. Judgement. And. His.
[47:41] Future. Expectation. Here. To. To. Be. Is. To. Be. Found. In. Christ. On. The. Day. Of. Judgement. His. Future. Expectation. Here. To. Be. Found. In. Christ.
[47:51] Rests. On. His. Present. Experience. Of. Being. Found. In. Christ. Of.
[48:02] Being. Found. In. Christ. All. That. I. May. Win. Christ. And. Be. Found. In. Christ. On. A. Day.
[48:12] Of. Judgement. And. Our. Expectation. Of. That. Is. Based. Upon. The. Experience. Of. Being. Found. In. Christ. In. The.
[48:23] Present. Well. May. The. Lord. Bless. Our. Thoughts. Let. Us. Pray. Eternal. And. Ever.
[48:34] Blessed. Lord. We. Give. Thanks. For. The. Great. Transformation. That. Thou. Doth. By. Thy. Grace. In. The. Hearts. Of. Sinners.
[48:44] Such. As. We. Are. That. We. Look. Upon. Those. Things. In. Which. We. Have. Placed. Our. Hope. The.
[48:54] Thing. Our. Own. Achievements. Our. Own. Traditions. Our. Own. Institutions. That. We. Look. Look. Upon. Them. And. Come. To. Realize.
[49:05] Their. Worthlessness. In. Terms. Of. Our. Salvation. In. Terms. Of. Being. Reconciled. To. The. We.
[49:17] Count. Them. As. The. Apostle. Says. As. Done. In. Comparison. To. The. Excellency. Of. Having. That. Knowledge. Of. Jesus.
[49:28] Christ. As. Our. Lord. As. Our. Saviour. We. Give. The. Thanks. O. Lord. For. Thy. Word. That.
[49:38] Reveals. To. Us. That. Salvation. Is. By. Grace. Alone. In. Christ. Alone. Oh. We. Pray. O. Lord. That.
[49:49] Each. One. Who. Has. Experienced. That. Salvation. That. We. Would. O. Lord. Be. Found. Exalt. In. Christ.
[50:00] In. Everything. That. We. Do. In. All. Our. Conduct. In. All. Our. Behavior. And. If. Today. We. Are. Outside. That.
[50:10] Sphere. That. Has. That. Hope. In. Christ. Pray. O. Lord. That. Thou. Would. Draw. Them. Through. Thy. Spirit. And. That. They. May. See. And. Realize.
[50:21] That. Salvation. Is. In. Christ. Alone. We. Pray. O. Lord. That. Would. Continue. With. Us. May. The. Grace. Of. Lord. Jesus.
[50:32] Christ. And. The. Love. Of. God. And. The. Fellowship. Of. The. Holy Spirit. Be. With. You. All. Now. And. For. Evermore. Amen.