WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.319 Good morning. 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:08.300 My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the assistant pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church, 00:00:08.300 --> 00:00:10.580 and it's my joy, as always, to bring God's Word to you. 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:13.980 A special welcome if you are new or visiting with us. 00:00:14.040 --> 00:00:17.839 We're glad you're here, and we're glad you're here not because you're filling another seat, 00:00:17.940 --> 00:00:20.879 but because we are following Jesus together as one community. 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:24.900 And so we believe that there's no one so good that they don't need God's grace, 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:27.039 and no one so bad that they can't have it. 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:30.579 And so everyone needs to be here to hear what God has to say in His Word. 00:00:31.399 --> 00:00:35.239 If you've been with us over the last several months, you know that we are in the book of Philippians. 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:40.479 And Philippians is a letter, as I've said before, it's a letter written to a church. 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:46.099 That church is a church very much like ours, and it's in a city very much like ours. 00:00:46.579 --> 00:00:49.320 And as we've gone through, I've pointed out that one of the main themes, 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:54.060 if not the main thing that Paul hits over and over again in this letter is partnership for the gospel. 00:00:54.060 --> 00:00:59.920 That not only do we need the gospel, the news of Jesus' life and death and resurrection, 00:01:00.140 --> 00:01:02.100 but we also need our partnership together in it. 00:01:02.900 --> 00:01:07.520 And we've been spending a lot of time talking about the partnership. 00:01:07.740 --> 00:01:10.740 In the last couple weeks, we've been talking about how we grow in the gospel, 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:13.320 how it is that we become more and more like Jesus. 00:01:14.379 --> 00:01:18.460 And we're going to start to shift a little bit away from the partnership more towards the gospel. 00:01:18.520 --> 00:01:20.960 And they're always connected, so we're always going to talk about both. 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:24.659 But each one is going to have its own emphasis. 00:01:24.939 --> 00:01:28.399 And so we've been in the partnership pretty strong in chapters 1 and 2, 00:01:28.679 --> 00:01:30.979 and now we're going to be in chapter 3. 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:34.579 And I've also been teasing you with chapter 3 for a while, 00:01:34.839 --> 00:01:39.579 because I've told you several times that Paul is going to use the phrase dogs and mutilators. 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:41.699 And so we're finally there. 00:01:41.780 --> 00:01:43.159 So I have not teased you in vain. 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:45.639 We're finally going to talk about the dogs and the mutilators. 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:50.599 But as we come to this passage, it reminds me of a story, 00:01:50.859 --> 00:01:52.040 and it might be a story that you know. 00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:57.239 A tragic story in 2013 in Tampa, Florida. 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:00.760 A man named Jeremy Bush, in the middle of the night, 00:02:01.159 --> 00:02:04.760 heard his brother Jeff, who had a bedroom next door, screaming. 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:08.639 And so he got up, trying to figure out what was going on. 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:13.719 As he walked into his brother's room, he saw his brother's bed sliding into the ground. 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:18.680 Everything around him disappearing into the ground underneath his bedroom. 00:02:18.859 --> 00:02:23.079 And so Jeremy jumped in after his brother to try to save him, wasn't able to get him. 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:25.560 And rescue crews came. 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:27.659 They were able to pull Jeremy out, but Jeff was lost. 00:02:29.120 --> 00:02:32.919 And what it turns out happened is that it was on a foundation of limestone. 00:02:33.860 --> 00:02:35.579 And this actually is pretty common in Florida. 00:02:35.580 --> 00:02:42.020 And over time, acid from rain and from the soil had eroded the entire base, 00:02:42.100 --> 00:02:44.060 the entire foundation under that part of the bedroom. 00:02:45.600 --> 00:02:48.660 And so the whole house had to be demolished and taken away. 00:02:48.820 --> 00:02:50.120 The property has been now abandoned. 00:02:51.620 --> 00:02:53.660 Jeremy will still come and visit from time to time. 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:57.160 And, of course, this is not totally isolated. 00:02:57.260 --> 00:03:00.400 This is something that happens throughout Florida just because of so much limestone. 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:03.819 And I tell you the story to say this. 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:08.780 This passage before us points out that our foundation matters. 00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:12.900 The foundation of our faith matters. 00:03:14.219 --> 00:03:20.700 What it is that we trust in is either solid and secure or it's not. 00:03:21.980 --> 00:03:26.780 And what we'll see in this passage is that there are only, ultimately, two ways to live. 00:03:26.780 --> 00:03:31.199 There are only two different foundations that we can look to in this life. 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:34.560 And so our foundations matter. 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.960 What we trust in, what we rest in, matters. 00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:41.340 It can be, in fact, a matter of life and death. 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:45.180 And so look out for those two ways as we read Philippians 3. 00:03:45.319 --> 00:03:46.620 We're going to start in verse 1. 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:50.400 This is in your Bible, but it's also in your worship guide near the end, 00:03:50.520 --> 00:03:51.900 if you want to just quickly get there. 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:54.759 Remember that this is God's Word. 00:03:54.759 --> 00:04:00.219 And God tells us that His Word is more precious than gold, even the finest gold. 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:05.879 And that it is sweeter than honey, even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb. 00:04:06.899 --> 00:04:08.659 And so read with me now, starting at verse 1. 00:04:08.659 --> 00:04:11.780 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:16.879 To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 00:04:17.860 --> 00:04:19.000 Look out for the dogs. 00:04:19.740 --> 00:04:20.879 Look out for the evildoers. 00:04:21.500 --> 00:04:23.860 Look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 00:04:24.779 --> 00:04:28.100 For we are the circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:32.199 and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. 00:04:32.980 --> 00:04:36.220 Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. 00:04:36.220 --> 00:04:41.180 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more. 00:04:41.840 --> 00:04:42.400 Verse 5. 00:04:43.400 --> 00:04:46.600 Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:48.140 a Hebrew of Hebrews. 00:04:48.900 --> 00:04:50.620 As to the law, a Pharisee. 00:04:51.340 --> 00:04:53.960 As to zeal, a persecutor of the church. 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:57.400 As to righteousness under the law, blameless. 00:04:58.400 --> 00:04:58.960 Verse 7. 00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:28.939 Verse 10. 00:05:28.959 --> 00:05:45.060 Please pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word. 00:05:45.060 --> 00:05:50.000 Dear Father in heaven, 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.360 we come to you as we do every Sunday, 00:05:55.139 --> 00:05:56.579 distracted, 00:05:57.480 --> 00:05:59.660 weighed down, 00:06:01.939 --> 00:06:02.660 sometimes joyful, 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:06.639 but always needing to hear from you. 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:11.139 And so we ask that you would do that again today. 00:06:11.339 --> 00:06:13.319 You do what we ask you to do every week, 00:06:13.379 --> 00:06:14.620 that you'd send your Holy Spirit, 00:06:15.419 --> 00:06:16.479 that you'd speak to us, 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:17.699 you'd do it clearly, 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:20.000 you'd help us to understand, 00:06:20.599 --> 00:06:22.219 and that as a result you would change us, 00:06:22.279 --> 00:06:24.879 that you would make us look more and more like Jesus. 00:06:25.899 --> 00:06:27.839 We ask all these things in the name of your Son. 00:06:28.919 --> 00:06:29.219 Amen. 00:06:29.219 --> 00:06:29.319 Amen. 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:29.959 Amen. 00:06:32.019 --> 00:06:36.159 So I mentioned before that there are essentially two ways to live. 00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:39.240 Now, outside the church, just as you walk around, 00:06:39.339 --> 00:06:42.259 you'll probably find people talking about three ways to live, 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:44.040 and they won't necessarily put it in those terms, 00:06:44.259 --> 00:06:45.620 but it sounds a little bit like this. 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:49.180 There are people who are extreme moral exemplars. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:51.060 These are people who are models. 00:06:51.159 --> 00:06:52.680 These are the Mother Teresas of the world. 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:56.439 There are normal people like you and me. 00:06:56.600 --> 00:06:57.660 You know, we're just good people. 00:06:57.980 --> 00:06:59.860 We're trying to do our best. 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:00.759 We're trying to live right. 00:07:00.900 --> 00:07:02.459 You know, we make mistakes, but that's human. 00:07:03.100 --> 00:07:04.240 And then there are bad people. 00:07:05.420 --> 00:07:06.759 And those people are people who, 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:08.379 they should probably be in prison, in jail. 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:10.759 They're people who cause problems in our families, 00:07:10.860 --> 00:07:11.439 in our neighborhoods. 00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:13.759 But there's three kinds of people, 00:07:13.860 --> 00:07:14.879 and we're always in the middle. 00:07:14.960 --> 00:07:16.840 We're always kind of the normal, everyday, 00:07:16.840 --> 00:07:18.579 good people just trying to do the best we can. 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:20.240 You know, we're no Mother Teresas, right? 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:23.519 But we're also upstanding citizens. 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:26.120 We're in the middle of the three. 00:07:28.180 --> 00:07:29.660 And yet, the story of the Bible 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:31.400 is that there are not three ways to live, 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:33.019 but there are two ways to live. 00:07:33.460 --> 00:07:34.560 Two and only two. 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:36.400 And Paul cuts to it right away. 00:07:37.220 --> 00:07:38.400 He doesn't mess around. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:39.379 He says in verse 3, 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:41.920 We are the circumcision who worship by the Spirit of God 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:43.340 in glory in Christ Jesus 00:07:43.340 --> 00:07:45.120 and put no confidence in the flesh. 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:46.939 Now, there's a lot going on here, 00:07:47.079 --> 00:07:48.780 but the two ways to live are this. 00:07:48.779 --> 00:07:50.479 There's either confidence in the flesh 00:07:50.479 --> 00:07:52.839 or there's living by the Spirit. 00:07:54.179 --> 00:07:55.939 We can either live by the flesh 00:07:55.939 --> 00:07:58.039 or live by the Spirit. 00:07:58.119 --> 00:08:00.279 We can either live by flesh or faith. 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:01.500 And bear with me here. 00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:03.819 Those terms are not intuitive. 00:08:04.059 --> 00:08:05.319 They don't immediately make sense. 00:08:05.419 --> 00:08:07.119 And there's a lot that Paul is talking about here 00:08:07.119 --> 00:08:08.099 in terms of circumcision 00:08:08.099 --> 00:08:10.359 that we could spend all day unpacking. 00:08:11.059 --> 00:08:12.479 And so I'm just going to tell you a story, 00:08:12.579 --> 00:08:14.159 and I hope that this makes sense 00:08:14.159 --> 00:08:15.179 of everything that's going on. 00:08:15.679 --> 00:08:16.979 I want you to imagine that you're married. 00:08:16.980 --> 00:08:18.140 If you're not or if you are married, 00:08:18.180 --> 00:08:18.920 you don't need to imagine. 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:22.640 And someone comes up to you and says, 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:23.680 You know, I just really want to know, 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:24.840 how is your marriage going? 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:25.840 How are you doing? 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:28.020 And you look at them and you say, 00:08:28.080 --> 00:08:28.720 What do you mean? 00:08:28.819 --> 00:08:30.600 I don't even understand the question. 00:08:31.900 --> 00:08:33.860 Can't you see I'm wearing my wedding ring? 00:08:33.860 --> 00:08:36.360 I'm wearing my ring. 00:08:37.779 --> 00:08:38.360 Why would you? 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:39.139 Can't you see that? 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:40.600 There's nothing else for you to ask. 00:08:40.680 --> 00:08:41.899 I mean, obviously things are good. 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:42.820 I'm wearing my wedding ring. 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:47.820 Or imagine you go to a marriage counselor 00:08:47.820 --> 00:08:50.639 and you're struggling in your marriage. 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:51.860 You're not sure if you're going to be able 00:08:51.860 --> 00:08:52.720 to work things out. 00:08:53.220 --> 00:08:54.019 And you sit down, 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:55.320 and the counselor asks you, 00:08:55.820 --> 00:08:57.100 Okay, so tell me what's going on. 00:08:57.320 --> 00:08:59.460 And, you know, 45 minutes later, 00:08:59.560 --> 00:09:01.740 you're just beginning to describe what's going on. 00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:03.039 And the counselor says, 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:05.039 You know, we only have about 10 minutes left. 00:09:05.299 --> 00:09:06.659 And so, you know, 00:09:06.680 --> 00:09:07.799 I want to leave you with something here. 00:09:07.940 --> 00:09:09.460 I can tell, you know, it repeats everything. 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:10.820 I can tell all these problems in your marriage. 00:09:10.860 --> 00:09:12.379 But it's really clear to me what the problem is. 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:15.560 I saw right away when you walked in here 00:09:15.560 --> 00:09:16.820 that you weren't wearing your wedding rings. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:19.840 And so if you would just go home and put those on, 00:09:19.899 --> 00:09:21.320 we're not going to need another session. 00:09:22.419 --> 00:09:23.740 Because that's going to solve your problem. 00:09:23.740 --> 00:09:32.360 The simplest way I can explain 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:33.680 what's going on here to you is this. 00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:37.299 Circumcision was the wedding ring 00:09:37.299 --> 00:09:38.799 of God's people in the Old Testament. 00:09:40.299 --> 00:09:41.680 Circumcision was the sign. 00:09:41.779 --> 00:09:43.120 It was an external sign 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.519 of what was supposed to be an internal reality. 00:09:46.659 --> 00:09:48.299 And so wearing a wedding ring isn't bad. 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:50.759 And being circumcised is not bad. 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:53.200 But our reality is not in the sign, 00:09:53.740 --> 00:09:56.120 but the thing that the sign points to. 00:09:58.220 --> 00:10:00.919 And so these folks, these evildoers, 00:10:01.019 --> 00:10:02.899 these dogs, these people who mutilate the flesh, 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:04.960 they are teachers who are going around 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:06.779 telling new converts to Christianity 00:10:06.779 --> 00:10:08.679 that what matters most 00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:11.960 is keeping a limited set of rules. 00:10:12.100 --> 00:10:13.919 Paul's going to refer to it later as the law. 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:15.679 We see in verse 9. 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:16.939 Be found in him, 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:18.319 not having a righteousness of my own 00:10:18.319 --> 00:10:19.519 that comes from the law. 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:21.240 And this is referring to 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:22.439 all the Old Testament rules 00:10:22.439 --> 00:10:23.720 that God gave to his people. 00:10:24.659 --> 00:10:27.179 And circumcision sort of represents all of those. 00:10:27.299 --> 00:10:28.579 It was an external sign 00:10:28.579 --> 00:10:30.659 of what was meant to be an internal reality. 00:10:31.159 --> 00:10:32.279 And so God would tell his people 00:10:32.279 --> 00:10:34.259 all over and over again in the Old Testament, 00:10:34.379 --> 00:10:35.960 I don't want you to just be circumcised 00:10:35.960 --> 00:10:38.360 on the outside, physically circumcised. 00:10:38.439 --> 00:10:39.519 I want you to be spiritually circumcised. 00:10:40.579 --> 00:10:43.240 I want you to have the sinful nature 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:44.340 cut away from you. 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:47.480 I want you to be clean and purified. 00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:50.019 And yet these teachers, 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:51.279 these Jewish folks, 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:52.639 had taken the law 00:10:52.639 --> 00:10:54.940 and decided that that was all that mattered. 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:57.240 The external signs, 00:10:57.360 --> 00:10:58.360 the external behaviors, 00:10:58.500 --> 00:10:59.639 were the only thing 00:10:59.639 --> 00:11:01.060 that were worth anything. 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:03.720 And so it was as if 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:04.620 they were going around 00:11:04.620 --> 00:11:07.399 and telling these new converts to Christianity, 00:11:07.920 --> 00:11:09.460 that's great that you believe in Jesus, 00:11:10.039 --> 00:11:10.920 but you don't even know 00:11:10.920 --> 00:11:12.120 about all these lists of rules, 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:13.480 and you need to keep all of them. 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:17.060 And so it's on the one hand 00:11:17.060 --> 00:11:19.420 very challenging, 00:11:19.539 --> 00:11:20.279 very difficult, right? 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:21.460 This is a long list of rules. 00:11:21.580 --> 00:11:22.240 And on the other hand, 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:23.899 very too easy. 00:11:24.940 --> 00:11:26.399 It's both a bar that's too high 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:27.379 and too low. 00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:30.100 I mean, what if I gave you 50 things 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:31.340 that were external actions, 00:11:31.399 --> 00:11:33.000 and if you made sure you did them, 00:11:33.220 --> 00:11:35.019 you would know that your marriage was good. 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:36.440 Okay, you have to make sure 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:37.360 you're wearing your wedding ring. 00:11:37.420 --> 00:11:38.659 Now there's a little bit more to the law, 00:11:38.659 --> 00:11:40.039 so you've got to make sure 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:41.519 you're trading off every other morning 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:42.579 on who's making the bed, 00:11:42.980 --> 00:11:44.480 and then you've got to do certain things 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:45.799 in terms of your personal hygiene, 00:11:46.459 --> 00:11:48.139 and you're going to sit down every week 00:11:48.139 --> 00:11:48.899 and have a meeting 00:11:48.899 --> 00:11:50.799 where you work out responsibilities 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:51.500 in the family, 00:11:51.539 --> 00:11:53.519 and as long as you have those things down, 00:11:54.579 --> 00:11:55.559 everything else is good. 00:11:55.620 --> 00:11:57.959 You know that your marriage is alive and well. 00:12:00.759 --> 00:12:02.079 That's what these folks are teaching. 00:12:02.199 --> 00:12:03.620 That's what these dogs and evildoers 00:12:03.620 --> 00:12:05.799 are teaching about their relationship with God. 00:12:05.799 --> 00:12:09.259 That if they can just keep a certain set of rules, 00:12:09.359 --> 00:12:10.740 they can earn God's favor. 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:12.899 They can earn their way before God. 00:12:12.959 --> 00:12:13.839 I've talked a lot before 00:12:13.839 --> 00:12:18.159 about the different ways of talking about good. 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:20.479 We can say, be good like I'm good, 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:22.679 and that's exactly what these folks are doing. 00:12:22.819 --> 00:12:25.039 These Jewish teachers are saying, 00:12:25.199 --> 00:12:26.319 be good like we're good. 00:12:26.819 --> 00:12:29.679 You're not Jews, but you need to become Jews. 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:30.639 You need to keep the law. 00:12:31.059 --> 00:12:31.699 And so on the one hand, 00:12:31.719 --> 00:12:33.399 you have to do this very difficult thing. 00:12:33.719 --> 00:12:34.419 On the other hand, 00:12:34.419 --> 00:12:36.039 you don't have to have any change in your heart. 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:39.179 You can be proud and rely on everything you've done 00:12:39.179 --> 00:12:41.019 to earn you a standing before God. 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:44.319 And so Paul here goes on to say, 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:46.120 you know, I've tried this. 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:49.939 We see in verses four through seven, 00:12:51.319 --> 00:12:52.439 Paul lists a lot of things. 00:12:53.339 --> 00:12:54.919 I'm not going to go through every single one of them, 00:12:54.979 --> 00:12:57.139 but Paul lists all the things that he has done 00:12:57.139 --> 00:12:58.319 that according to the law 00:12:58.319 --> 00:13:00.740 would make him perfect and blameless. 00:13:00.740 --> 00:13:05.460 And so his point is this. 00:13:05.460 --> 00:13:08.180 The law, zero out of ten, 00:13:08.899 --> 00:13:09.720 would not recommend. 00:13:11.180 --> 00:13:12.500 I've tried it, I've done it, 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:14.539 and I've done it better than any of you 00:13:14.539 --> 00:13:15.560 would ever be able to. 00:13:17.320 --> 00:13:18.419 I'm not a convert. 00:13:18.419 --> 00:13:21.240 I was born into Judaism. 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:24.399 Anything that you could do that is external, 00:13:24.539 --> 00:13:25.399 that is on the outside, 00:13:25.479 --> 00:13:26.159 that people could see, 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:27.659 any action you could complete, 00:13:28.019 --> 00:13:29.519 any checklist you could check off, 00:13:29.599 --> 00:13:30.939 I have been there and done it. 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:33.659 And so I can do it better than you can, 00:13:34.360 --> 00:13:36.000 and I don't even think it's a good idea. 00:13:36.839 --> 00:13:38.039 I can do it better than you can. 00:13:38.139 --> 00:13:39.019 I, if anyone, 00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:41.599 has a right to claim standing under the law, 00:13:41.639 --> 00:13:42.799 and I think it's a bad idea. 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:44.879 This is sort of like, 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:47.459 it came out a few years ago 00:13:47.459 --> 00:13:50.539 that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs 00:13:50.539 --> 00:13:54.000 and various executives high up in social media companies 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:55.519 had decided that they personally 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:59.179 were going to limit their children's access to social media, 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:00.459 sometimes cutting it out entirely. 00:14:01.099 --> 00:14:01.559 And you have to think, 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:03.799 wait, someone who runs Facebook 00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:05.699 thinks this is a bad idea? 00:14:07.199 --> 00:14:08.599 And that's what Paul's saying here. 00:14:08.659 --> 00:14:09.659 I run the law, 00:14:09.659 --> 00:14:12.360 and I think it's a bad idea. 00:14:13.939 --> 00:14:15.419 If anyone has standing, 00:14:15.500 --> 00:14:16.439 if anyone has ability, 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:16.919 it's me, 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:19.259 and I have still gone away with it. 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:21.299 In fact, I've given up 00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:24.719 everything that I could have had under the law. 00:14:26.339 --> 00:14:27.480 I used to be a, 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:28.959 be good like I'm good person, 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:30.659 but now I'm a, 00:14:30.779 --> 00:14:31.419 no one is good, 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:32.480 only Jesus is good. 00:14:33.500 --> 00:14:35.339 Because I've realized that the law 00:14:35.339 --> 00:14:38.059 is not going to earn me favor before God. 00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:42.419 The law can't change my heart. 00:14:42.519 --> 00:14:44.059 It can't make me able to please God. 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:47.600 The law takes God's demands and His holiness 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:49.539 and makes it much less than it ever is. 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:52.399 And so I, 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:55.319 it comes to a place that is 00:14:55.319 --> 00:14:56.600 not just, 00:14:56.740 --> 00:14:58.019 not just mistaken, 00:14:58.019 --> 00:15:00.840 but actually evil. 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:04.199 And so we've talked a lot 00:15:04.199 --> 00:15:05.299 about unity in the church. 00:15:05.399 --> 00:15:06.299 We've talked a lot about 00:15:06.299 --> 00:15:07.399 figuring out what's important 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:08.399 and what's not important. 00:15:08.939 --> 00:15:10.299 And I promise you that Paul 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:11.159 is going to be willing 00:15:11.159 --> 00:15:12.600 to fight over certain things. 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:14.019 And it's this that he's willing 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:14.579 to fight over. 00:15:14.659 --> 00:15:15.679 It's the heart of the gospel. 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:17.899 This understanding of there's only one 00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:20.039 way that's right to live of two. 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:21.079 And so that's why, 00:15:21.179 --> 00:15:21.879 back in verse two, 00:15:21.939 --> 00:15:22.199 he says, 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:23.179 look out for the dogs. 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:24.899 Look out for the evildoers. 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:25.740 Look out for those 00:15:25.740 --> 00:15:26.879 who mutilate the flesh. 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:29.419 He's warning us about these things 00:15:29.419 --> 00:15:30.120 because the, 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:33.159 the sad and at times unseen reality 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:35.279 is that living by the law 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:36.340 isn't just mistaken. 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:37.940 It's not just a mistake. 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:40.419 It's not getting a math problem wrong. 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:44.060 Living by the law is actually evil. 00:15:44.220 --> 00:15:45.500 It leads to destruction. 00:15:47.340 --> 00:15:49.720 These are people who are going after others, 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:50.980 trying to get them to live up 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:51.779 to their standards 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:52.740 and be good in the way 00:15:52.740 --> 00:15:53.860 that they are good. 00:15:53.860 --> 00:15:56.879 And so they turn out to be people 00:15:56.879 --> 00:15:58.659 who are going out harming others. 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:01.200 And it's not just in verse two 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:01.960 that we see that. 00:16:02.620 --> 00:16:03.120 It's also, 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:04.600 Paul slips it in 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:05.980 when he's listing his qualifications. 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:08.639 He says, 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:09.519 as to zeal, 00:16:09.779 --> 00:16:10.820 and this is in verse six, 00:16:11.159 --> 00:16:12.560 a persecutor of the church. 00:16:14.740 --> 00:16:15.200 In other words, 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:16.779 Paul's love for the law, 00:16:17.800 --> 00:16:19.379 his love for being good, 00:16:20.100 --> 00:16:22.139 actually resulted in hurting other people. 00:16:23.860 --> 00:16:27.019 His insistence on his own righteousness, 00:16:27.200 --> 00:16:28.200 his own goodness, 00:16:28.419 --> 00:16:29.600 it didn't leave him 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:31.419 to be a good, upstanding citizen. 00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:33.840 It led him to be biting 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.399 and attacking other people. 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:39.000 And so living by the flesh, 00:16:39.539 --> 00:16:42.000 it isn't just mistaken. 00:16:42.139 --> 00:16:43.259 It harms other people. 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:44.700 It hurts people around us. 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:46.340 And it hurts people around us 00:16:46.340 --> 00:16:47.560 because if you live by the flesh, 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:48.399 if you're a be good, 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:49.680 like I'm good kind of person, 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:52.539 what ultimately often happens in your life 00:16:52.539 --> 00:16:54.099 is just tremendous anger. 00:16:57.399 --> 00:16:59.559 Because you have your identity tied, 00:17:00.439 --> 00:17:02.339 if you have it tied to anything other than Jesus, 00:17:02.439 --> 00:17:04.179 you have it tied to imperfect people 00:17:04.179 --> 00:17:05.119 and imperfect things. 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:09.220 And so someone who lives by the flesh, 00:17:09.639 --> 00:17:10.700 they're either proud 00:17:10.700 --> 00:17:11.940 or they're crushed. 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:16.140 They're consumed by what other people think of them 00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:18.200 because they believe 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:19.320 that their standing in this world 00:17:19.320 --> 00:17:20.340 is based on their actions. 00:17:22.420 --> 00:17:25.180 The family motto of law families is 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:26.600 we are the perfect family. 00:17:29.779 --> 00:17:31.759 And there's a destruction that comes of that too 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:33.019 when no one's willing to admit 00:17:33.019 --> 00:17:34.259 their flaws and their weaknesses 00:17:34.259 --> 00:17:35.240 and their imperfection. 00:17:35.860 --> 00:17:37.320 It destroys the ability 00:17:37.320 --> 00:17:39.220 to be honest and open with other people. 00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:41.039 It destroys the ability 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:42.140 to have real relationships. 00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:45.640 And it destroys families as well. 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:47.100 It destroys us when we can't handle 00:17:47.100 --> 00:17:48.920 the imperfections of people around us. 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:52.400 If your identity, as Paul says, 00:17:52.460 --> 00:17:54.559 comes from his family heritage, his line, 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:56.900 if it comes from his behaviors and his actions, 00:17:57.319 --> 00:17:59.420 what happens if someone in your family 00:17:59.420 --> 00:18:00.420 doesn't do the right thing? 00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:04.660 If that's where you're getting 00:18:04.660 --> 00:18:07.299 your sense of rightness and righteousness, 00:18:07.299 --> 00:18:11.039 then you're not going to be able to live with it. 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:13.399 You're not going to be able to live at peace with them. 00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:15.799 And so living by the law drives people apart 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:16.960 rather than bringing them together. 00:18:18.180 --> 00:18:19.500 It leads towards anger, 00:18:19.639 --> 00:18:21.740 towards others who can't live up to your standards. 00:18:23.700 --> 00:18:24.740 And yet the hard thing is, right, 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:25.659 that there's this list 00:18:25.659 --> 00:18:27.279 that the Pharisees have put together. 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:29.240 And it happens to be a list of things 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:30.680 that they're really good at doing. 00:18:32.419 --> 00:18:34.259 When you're a law person 00:18:34.259 --> 00:18:35.480 rather than a spirit person, 00:18:35.480 --> 00:18:36.339 when you're a flesh person, 00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:37.400 you put together a list. 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:38.539 We put together a list of things 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:40.079 that we're good at and others aren't. 00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:42.240 And then we judge them by it. 00:18:45.140 --> 00:18:47.380 The other flip side is not the proud person, 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:48.319 but the crushed person. 00:18:49.620 --> 00:18:53.480 You know, we live in a flesh law culture. 00:18:55.019 --> 00:18:58.319 Even more and more as the internet takes off, 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:00.759 you know, if you've made one mistake in your life 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:04.319 and someone can find out about it, 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:07.160 then things might be over for you. 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:11.940 Because in a law culture, 00:19:12.059 --> 00:19:14.160 all that matters is how you've kept the law. 00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:16.640 There's no reconciliation. 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:17.819 There's no restoration. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:22.960 There's no knowing how to take someone from a mistake 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:25.119 and restoring them, bringing them back in. 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:30.399 Because if your standing is dependent 00:19:30.399 --> 00:19:31.559 on what other people do, 00:19:32.139 --> 00:19:34.039 if it's dependent on you keeping a set of rules 00:19:34.039 --> 00:19:35.359 to be in with your group, 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:37.439 then there's no way you're going to be able 00:19:37.439 --> 00:19:38.959 to associate with people who are different. 00:19:39.059 --> 00:19:40.759 I mean, we're seeing this all around us 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:43.559 with the tribalization that's happening in our society 00:19:43.559 --> 00:19:45.719 as people more and more break into their groups 00:19:45.719 --> 00:19:46.799 and make a list of rules, 00:19:46.899 --> 00:19:48.619 sometimes rules that change from year to year 00:19:48.619 --> 00:19:50.519 about what you need to do to fit in or say 00:19:50.519 --> 00:19:51.439 or do the right thing. 00:19:52.059 --> 00:19:54.039 There's no opportunity to enter into dialogue 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:55.299 and be able to make a mistake 00:19:55.299 --> 00:19:58.359 because it becomes a law, 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:01.720 just like the law that's being taught here. 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:04.960 And so if you're wondering why Paul is calling them 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.019 dogs and evildoers and mutilators of the flesh, 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:10.359 it's not to give you an excuse 00:20:10.359 --> 00:20:12.079 to use those words about other people. 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:14.319 This is not a proof text 00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:16.700 for it being okay to use strong language. 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:20.200 What it is is it's expressing Paul's outrage 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:22.620 because he sees the destruction 00:20:22.620 --> 00:20:24.500 that the law does. 00:20:25.420 --> 00:20:27.960 And he's trying to protect this church 00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:29.700 that he loves in Philippi 00:20:29.700 --> 00:20:33.140 from being influenced by it in any way. 00:20:34.660 --> 00:20:36.100 He's trying to protect them 00:20:36.100 --> 00:20:37.519 from being crushed by it 00:20:37.519 --> 00:20:39.900 or from crushing other people. 00:20:39.900 --> 00:20:43.800 And so instead he presents the only other way 00:20:43.800 --> 00:20:46.240 and that way is to live in the spirit, 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:48.140 to glory in Christ. 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:50.500 He tells us in verse 3, 00:20:51.320 --> 00:20:51.700 when he says, 00:20:51.840 --> 00:20:52.960 for we are the circumcision, 00:20:53.620 --> 00:20:55.660 what he means is this is what really matters. 00:20:56.800 --> 00:20:58.940 The people who are truly in a right relationship with God 00:20:58.940 --> 00:21:00.140 are not the ones who have kept 00:21:00.140 --> 00:21:02.019 this specific list of commandments, 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:04.160 but those who worship by the spirit of God. 00:21:05.180 --> 00:21:05.700 In other words, 00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:07.220 as we've talked about the last couple weeks 00:21:07.220 --> 00:21:08.440 in Philippians chapter 2, 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:10.299 God's spirit has come in 00:21:10.299 --> 00:21:11.880 and he has taken away 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:14.059 the power and the penalty of sin. 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:17.140 These are people who are able to see victory 00:21:17.140 --> 00:21:18.400 more and more in their lives. 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:19.420 They're not seeing perfection, 00:21:20.600 --> 00:21:21.680 but they're seeing victory. 00:21:21.819 --> 00:21:24.019 They're seeing God putting sin to death. 00:21:25.420 --> 00:21:26.740 And they're striving for it. 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:28.180 We're going to talk about this more next week, 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:29.079 but they're working towards it, 00:21:29.100 --> 00:21:30.680 but they know that their keeping of the law 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:32.620 is not what makes them right before God. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:34.860 They can say, 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:36.059 not be good like I'm good, 00:21:36.059 --> 00:21:37.440 but no one is good. 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:38.559 Only Jesus is good. 00:21:39.619 --> 00:21:42.299 And so they have the freedom to grow more and more, 00:21:42.379 --> 00:21:43.720 the freedom to make mistakes, 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:45.700 the freedom to be wrong. 00:21:46.759 --> 00:21:49.819 But instead of the pride of the be good like I'm good, 00:21:49.859 --> 00:21:51.700 they also have to have the humility of the gospel. 00:21:53.359 --> 00:21:54.779 They're free to make mistakes, 00:21:54.899 --> 00:21:56.440 but they also have to be willing to say it 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:57.799 and admit it. 00:21:58.679 --> 00:22:00.039 Because it's this righteousness 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:01.519 that's being talked about here 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:04.319 that comes from Christ. 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:07.319 And so when Paul's talking about righteousness, 00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:07.919 by the way, 00:22:08.059 --> 00:22:09.759 it's a technical term that he's using, 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:11.759 but he's talking about our standing before God. 00:22:12.299 --> 00:22:13.480 Remember, we've talked about before 00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:15.079 that there are two comings of Jesus. 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:17.399 Jesus has already had his first coming, 00:22:17.740 --> 00:22:19.980 and we celebrate that at Christmas. 00:22:20.679 --> 00:22:21.799 We're going to celebrate that soon. 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:23.980 But Jesus also has a second coming. 00:22:24.980 --> 00:22:27.839 And his second coming is when he's going to return again 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:29.480 to judge the entire world. 00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:32.539 And so when Paul talks about righteousness, 00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:33.599 what he means is, 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:35.700 what are you going to stand on? 00:22:36.039 --> 00:22:38.980 What's your foundation at Jesus' second coming? 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:43.299 When Jesus returns again and he judges the world, 00:22:44.460 --> 00:22:46.480 there's only two ways. 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:47.500 There's only two foundations. 00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:48.519 One is to say, 00:22:49.079 --> 00:22:49.839 I kept the law. 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:51.319 I did it all. 00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:54.480 Or you can say, 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:55.460 I didn't keep the law. 00:22:56.120 --> 00:22:57.059 I didn't do it all. 00:22:57.960 --> 00:22:59.220 But Jesus did it for me. 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:03.759 Jesus accepted the penalty that I deserve for my sin 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:05.160 when he died on the cross. 00:23:05.660 --> 00:23:07.240 He lived the perfect life. 00:23:07.360 --> 00:23:08.319 He had all the righteousness, 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:09.360 and he gave it to me. 00:23:09.980 --> 00:23:11.720 And so that is my standing before you. 00:23:13.700 --> 00:23:15.779 And so there are only two ways to live, 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:17.120 only two foundations. 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:19.860 And at Jesus' second coming, 00:23:20.340 --> 00:23:21.660 when he comes again, 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:23.319 Paul references this in verse 10, 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:24.960 that I may know him 00:23:24.960 --> 00:23:26.659 and the power of his resurrection. 00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:28.299 In other words, 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:29.379 that I may have a righteousness 00:23:29.379 --> 00:23:31.039 that doesn't come from what I've done, 00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:32.359 but from what Jesus has done, 00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:34.319 so that when he comes again, 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:36.359 at his second coming, 00:23:36.779 --> 00:23:38.359 I will be able to stand. 00:23:39.099 --> 00:23:41.279 And I'll stand not because of what I've done, 00:23:41.339 --> 00:23:43.079 not because I've kept a list of rules, 00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:45.039 not because I've looked down at others 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:47.319 who are not able to do as good as I've done, 00:23:47.899 --> 00:23:49.839 but I'll stand because of the righteousness 00:23:49.839 --> 00:23:51.119 God has given me. 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:55.739 I'll stand because of what Jesus has done 00:23:55.739 --> 00:23:56.859 in my behalf. 00:23:58.059 --> 00:24:00.619 And so that's why he begins this entire passage. 00:24:00.719 --> 00:24:02.159 You notice we skipped over verse 1. 00:24:02.939 --> 00:24:04.619 That's why he begins it by saying, 00:24:04.719 --> 00:24:05.979 rejoice in the Lord. 00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:11.079 One of the themes of Philippians is joy. 00:24:12.479 --> 00:24:14.159 And the secret is not just that 00:24:14.159 --> 00:24:15.319 be good like I'm good. 00:24:15.399 --> 00:24:16.639 It's not just wrong but evil. 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:19.660 But the other secret is that 00:24:19.660 --> 00:24:20.400 no one is good, 00:24:21.080 --> 00:24:22.100 only Jesus is good, 00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:23.140 is the only way to joy. 00:24:25.380 --> 00:24:26.540 It's only when we know 00:24:26.540 --> 00:24:28.600 that our standing before God 00:24:28.600 --> 00:24:30.180 is based on what Jesus has done 00:24:30.180 --> 00:24:31.620 and not anything that we can do, 00:24:32.280 --> 00:24:33.560 that we can have true joy. 00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:35.360 Not only is that the way we have true joy, 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:37.660 but Paul presents it as the definition of true joy. 00:24:38.660 --> 00:24:40.280 That the only way that we can have joy, 00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:42.200 something that's not rooted in our circumstances, 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:44.259 is to place it in something 00:24:44.259 --> 00:24:45.960 that's not affected by our circumstances. 00:24:47.120 --> 00:24:48.539 And so we can have joy 00:24:48.539 --> 00:24:50.799 even if people around us 00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:52.620 are not making us look good. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:55.660 We can have relationships with them 00:24:55.660 --> 00:24:57.100 even if they're failing to keep the law 00:24:57.100 --> 00:24:58.259 in the way that we would want to. 00:24:58.940 --> 00:25:00.080 We can have the humility 00:25:00.080 --> 00:25:02.640 that comes from knowing 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:04.779 that our standing is with 00:25:04.779 --> 00:25:07.400 and from what Jesus has done for us. 00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:10.000 We're able to celebrate the victories 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:10.920 that God's given us 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:12.380 rather than being filled with pride. 00:25:13.220 --> 00:25:14.299 When we make mistakes, 00:25:14.380 --> 00:25:15.059 we can have hope 00:25:15.059 --> 00:25:16.119 rather than being defeated. 00:25:17.420 --> 00:25:19.140 We can know that if we're in Jesus, 00:25:19.220 --> 00:25:20.039 no matter what we've done, 00:25:20.099 --> 00:25:21.279 there's a future for us 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:22.180 that he offers to us, 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:23.500 that there can be restoration 00:25:23.500 --> 00:25:24.880 and reconciliation. 00:25:25.960 --> 00:25:27.839 We can confront other people 00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:29.640 and their sin without shaming them. 00:25:32.660 --> 00:25:34.099 We can talk about the ways 00:25:34.099 --> 00:25:34.900 that we need to grow 00:25:34.900 --> 00:25:36.500 without saying, 00:25:36.660 --> 00:25:37.680 I'm good, I've kept the law, 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:38.400 but you haven't. 00:25:38.400 --> 00:25:40.580 Instead, calling us 00:25:40.580 --> 00:25:42.100 towards what Paul is going to talk about 00:25:42.100 --> 00:25:42.920 next week, 00:25:43.460 --> 00:25:44.740 which is striving towards the goal. 00:25:47.600 --> 00:25:49.120 And then Paul ends with this, 00:25:50.259 --> 00:25:51.259 that this kind of joy, 00:25:51.380 --> 00:25:52.240 this kind of freedom 00:25:52.240 --> 00:25:55.420 that comes from not the law, 00:25:56.220 --> 00:25:57.780 not the flesh, but the spirit, 00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:01.460 it's worth losing everything for. 00:26:03.080 --> 00:26:04.560 Paul has had real loss. 00:26:05.560 --> 00:26:07.220 Paul actually did have the perfect family. 00:26:07.220 --> 00:26:09.680 He did have the perfect pedigree. 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:11.079 He did have the perfect background. 00:26:13.019 --> 00:26:13.680 And yet he realized 00:26:13.680 --> 00:26:14.759 that none of it was worth it. 00:26:15.960 --> 00:26:17.279 It was worth nothing 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:19.420 compared to that, 00:26:19.620 --> 00:26:20.079 verse 9, 00:26:20.140 --> 00:26:21.680 which comes through faith in Christ, 00:26:22.299 --> 00:26:23.500 the righteousness from God 00:26:23.500 --> 00:26:24.539 that depends on faith. 00:26:26.299 --> 00:26:27.039 Paul saw himself 00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:27.640 and he realized 00:26:27.640 --> 00:26:28.920 that he was self-righteous 00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:30.039 and self-assured. 00:26:31.079 --> 00:26:32.779 He wasn't finding joy 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:33.420 and running around 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:34.620 and persecuting the church. 00:26:34.619 --> 00:26:36.239 wasn't bringing him 00:26:36.239 --> 00:26:37.159 what he wanted. 00:26:37.239 --> 00:26:38.099 Instead, it was just 00:26:38.099 --> 00:26:39.519 rotting him from the inside out. 00:26:41.159 --> 00:26:41.979 And so here, 00:26:42.039 --> 00:26:43.500 as much as the partnership matters, 00:26:44.079 --> 00:26:45.539 he's coming to remind us 00:26:45.539 --> 00:26:46.299 that it's a partnership 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:47.739 specifically about the gospel. 00:26:49.339 --> 00:26:51.179 And the gospel is many things, 00:26:51.919 --> 00:26:53.319 means many things, 00:26:53.339 --> 00:26:53.859 at least in our life, 00:26:53.899 --> 00:26:55.019 but it really is one thing. 00:26:55.899 --> 00:26:56.959 It's this one thing 00:26:56.959 --> 00:26:58.599 that it's two ways to live 00:26:58.599 --> 00:26:59.740 and the gospel is one of them. 00:27:02.179 --> 00:27:04.139 And so God is calling everyone 00:27:04.139 --> 00:27:06.699 to repent. 00:27:06.839 --> 00:27:07.980 He's calling us to repent 00:27:07.980 --> 00:27:09.379 of believing 00:27:09.379 --> 00:27:10.759 that others and ourselves 00:27:10.759 --> 00:27:11.439 need to be good 00:27:11.439 --> 00:27:12.079 like we're good. 00:27:12.859 --> 00:27:14.559 Or to repent of being crushed, 00:27:14.740 --> 00:27:15.959 believing that there's no hope 00:27:15.959 --> 00:27:17.679 because we're not able to be good. 00:27:18.539 --> 00:27:19.259 But instead, 00:27:19.379 --> 00:27:20.579 he's calling us to confess 00:27:20.579 --> 00:27:21.679 and follow Jesus 00:27:21.679 --> 00:27:22.480 who is good 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:24.240 even when we're not. 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:29.559 to avoid 00:27:29.559 --> 00:27:31.099 the pain 00:27:31.099 --> 00:27:31.700 and the evil 00:27:31.700 --> 00:27:32.420 and the destruction 00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:33.099 that comes 00:27:33.099 --> 00:27:35.000 from trying to obey the law 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:36.799 and expecting others 00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:38.000 to do so as well. 00:27:41.819 --> 00:27:43.620 There's a famous story 00:27:43.620 --> 00:27:44.240 about the 00:27:45.460 --> 00:27:46.720 concentration camps 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:48.200 in Germany. 00:27:49.700 --> 00:27:51.200 They would often give 00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:52.779 those in the camps 00:27:52.779 --> 00:27:54.619 meaningless work to do. 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:56.420 They would give them 00:27:56.420 --> 00:27:57.559 bags of salt 00:27:57.559 --> 00:27:58.799 filled with water 00:27:58.799 --> 00:27:59.240 to carry 00:27:59.240 --> 00:27:59.879 from one side 00:27:59.879 --> 00:28:00.240 of the camp 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:00.680 to the other 00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:01.559 and then carry it back. 00:28:02.920 --> 00:28:03.779 Sometimes they would 00:28:03.779 --> 00:28:04.839 make them build a wall 00:28:04.839 --> 00:28:05.359 and then have them 00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:06.119 tear it down again. 00:28:07.619 --> 00:28:08.519 And there was a sign 00:28:08.519 --> 00:28:10.099 over Auschwitz 00:28:10.099 --> 00:28:10.940 and many other 00:28:10.940 --> 00:28:11.519 of the entrances 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:12.779 to the concentration camps 00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:13.240 that read 00:28:13.240 --> 00:28:14.680 translated into English 00:28:14.680 --> 00:28:15.399 like this, 00:28:16.359 --> 00:28:16.680 Work 00:28:16.680 --> 00:28:18.480 will set you free. 00:28:21.299 --> 00:28:21.759 Of course, 00:28:21.799 --> 00:28:22.299 the great irony 00:28:22.299 --> 00:28:22.740 was that 00:28:22.740 --> 00:28:23.720 as they were doing 00:28:23.720 --> 00:28:24.879 all this meaningless work, 00:28:25.159 --> 00:28:25.779 the very opposite 00:28:25.779 --> 00:28:26.339 was happening. 00:28:28.720 --> 00:28:29.619 And so what Paul 00:28:29.619 --> 00:28:30.259 is telling us 00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:30.700 is this, 00:28:30.879 --> 00:28:31.200 work 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:33.200 when it comes 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:34.000 to earning favor 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:34.460 from God 00:28:34.460 --> 00:28:35.619 will not set you free. 00:28:36.399 --> 00:28:37.639 It will lead to death. 00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:40.259 But Jesus 00:28:40.259 --> 00:28:41.819 was willing 00:28:41.819 --> 00:28:42.980 to become death 00:28:42.980 --> 00:28:44.599 to take on that work 00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:45.859 to set us free. 00:28:47.079 --> 00:28:48.259 And so we can choose 00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:48.859 to live 00:28:48.859 --> 00:28:49.879 in that way 00:28:49.879 --> 00:28:50.579 because of him. 00:28:50.579 --> 00:28:52.059 we can, 00:28:52.099 --> 00:28:52.579 as he tells us 00:28:52.579 --> 00:28:53.240 in verse 10, 00:28:53.579 --> 00:28:54.039 know him 00:28:54.039 --> 00:28:54.619 and the power 00:28:54.619 --> 00:28:55.359 of his resurrection 00:28:55.359 --> 00:28:56.879 and sharing 00:28:56.879 --> 00:28:57.659 in his sufferings 00:28:57.659 --> 00:28:58.460 becoming like him 00:28:58.460 --> 00:28:59.019 in his death 00:28:59.019 --> 00:29:00.759 so that we attain 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:01.339 the resurrection 00:29:01.339 --> 00:29:02.399 from the dead. 00:29:03.740 --> 00:29:04.539 That's the hope 00:29:04.539 --> 00:29:05.659 that Jesus offers us. 00:29:05.740 --> 00:29:06.500 It's the treasure 00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:08.079 that we're going after 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:09.159 together in our partnership. 00:29:10.159 --> 00:29:11.259 And it is worth 00:29:11.259 --> 00:29:13.259 more than anything else. 00:29:14.379 --> 00:29:14.619 And so, 00:29:14.679 --> 00:29:15.240 brothers and sisters, 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:16.000 let's continue. 00:29:16.119 --> 00:29:16.980 Let's go together 00:29:16.980 --> 00:29:18.659 working towards 00:29:18.660 --> 00:29:19.200 the righteousness 00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:19.840 that comes 00:29:19.840 --> 00:29:20.460 through faith 00:29:20.460 --> 00:29:21.400 that Jesus 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:22.160 has given us 00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:23.480 and not that 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:23.980 from the law. 00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:25.840 Please pray with me. 00:29:28.040 --> 00:29:29.100 Dear Father in heaven, 00:29:29.779 --> 00:29:30.680 we thank you 00:29:30.680 --> 00:29:31.880 that you have freed us 00:29:31.880 --> 00:29:33.100 from the burden 00:29:33.100 --> 00:29:34.180 of self-righteousness. 00:29:35.600 --> 00:29:36.360 We ask that you 00:29:36.360 --> 00:29:37.380 continue to do that, 00:29:38.019 --> 00:29:38.560 that you move 00:29:38.560 --> 00:29:39.100 in our hearts 00:29:39.100 --> 00:29:39.860 by your spirit, 00:29:40.420 --> 00:29:41.440 that we would worship 00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:42.460 by the spirit of God, 00:29:43.019 --> 00:29:43.960 that we would glory 00:29:43.960 --> 00:29:44.519 in you, 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:45.340 not ourselves, 00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:47.259 and that it would lead us 00:29:47.259 --> 00:29:47.919 more and more 00:29:47.919 --> 00:29:49.399 to joy with you 00:29:49.399 --> 00:29:50.759 and with one another. 00:29:51.379 --> 00:29:52.599 We ask all these things 00:29:52.599 --> 00:29:53.459 in the name of your son. 00:29:54.099 --> 00:29:54.319 Amen.