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When our daughters were just babies and young kids,
I can remember Julie changing their eating patterns at various stages of their growth.
There came a time when even as young babies where the milk alone was insufficient in and of itself
to be necessary for their continued health and natural growth as little baby human beings.
So I remember Julie at first with each of them beginning to supplement their milk
with this disgusting watery substance that she tried to convince me was cereal.
That's what she said it was at least.
I don't think it was cereal.
It was something nasty looking.
But whatever it was, it had a certain amount of nutrients in it that was able to supplement
the milk that the girls were getting so that they were able to continue to grow and feel more full
and get the nutrients that they needed that maybe the milk didn't quite provide.
But there came a time when this quote unquote cereal was also insufficient.
And so it wasn't that they could just have the milk and the cereal now.
They needed something else.
And so Julie would go by the jars or she would get a blender and she would put some green beans
in a blender and she blended up until it was real nice and mushy and gross.
And she would begin feeding the kids more solid foods in that way.
And eventually that wasn't enough.
And they worked into chopped up proteins and then so on and so forth until they got to be
the age that they are now.
And they pretty much eat anything and everything that they want to eat.
They never gave up milk.
In fact, even still today, you're going to see Ashlyn or not Ashlyn, but Harper most of the time,
if she's going to ask for a drink, she's going to ask for milk.
But even as babies and as young kids, there was never a time where they gave up milk completely.
In fact, most of the time when you saw them as young children, even toddlers,
they had a bottle of milk somewhere around in the stroller or in their hand or in their bag.
They always had something like that, even though their regular meal and the regular nutrients
that they got was coming from the chopped up chicken or the mushed up peas or whatever it was
that they had at that particular season.
But no matter how prevalent the milk was, no matter how necessary the milk was to their diet,
ultimately, it was still insufficient in and of itself to continue to help them as they grew
and to continue to give them the nourishment and the nutrients that they needed.
The early church was fighting a form of false Christianity that viewed the doctrine of Jesus Christ
in a similar way to my girl's diet.
The teaching of Christ was certainly present and it was even prevalent and predominant in their theology.
But they viewed Jesus as insufficient in and of himself to provide salvation apart from
their own religious works, their moral deeds, and their own especially Jewish structures.
The church leaders in the New Testament fought this and they contended with these people,
confronting the deception over and over as we read the Bible.
And we looked at many of those instances last week.
The New Testament writers warn of the false teaching time and again,
and Jesus confronted them head on.
And even taught that our enemy, Satan, is insistent on inserting counterfeits
every time that God starts a truth or plants a truth.
We see that in the parable of Matthew 13.
God plants the seed of his word and he begins to grow into wheat according to the parable.
But during the night, the enemy comes along and sows tares among the wheat.
And it takes time for the wheat and the tares to grow.
And even in the earlier stages of their growth, they look exactly the same.
It's impossible to tell the difference between what's the wheat and what's the tare.
They look the same on the outside.
They use the same language.
They use the same Christian verbiage.
All the things look very similar.
But the longer that they continue to grow, the more evident it becomes
which one is the true and which one is the false.
And so Jesus confronted this over and over.
Well, the false teachers that Paul anticipated being a problem to the Philippian church,
we talked about last week, are known as Judaizers.
And their deception wasn't always easy to notice because their language was very Christian.
They didn't deny the person and work of Jesus Christ.
They actually believed that Jesus was the Son of God.
They believed that Jesus died a death that in some way or form helped atone for the sins of mankind.
They believed in the power of his resurrection.
They believed that he really did raise from the dead.
And it was a part of their theology.
It wasn't that they taught that Jesus was bad or that he was wrong.
What was so deceptive is that they taught that Jesus just wasn't enough.
They insisted that through Jesus had to be supplemented by conformity to the Old Testament law.
And they had a particular fixation on two components of that law.
One was circumcision and the other was certain dietary restrictions.
They believed that because of their obedience to this religious code,
that they were in fact the true people of God.
That those who would just accept Jesus and his teaching and his death and his resurrection alone
were not actually the true people of God.
That you must also take that knowledge of Jesus,
pair it with religious works and conformity to the Old Testament law
in order to achieve true salvation.
And so Paul uses the entire chapter of Philippians 3 to reemphasize what true Christianity is.
And all the way through the chapter, he contrasts the true against the false.
The true Christian versus the false Christian.
As we have studied in these first three verses,
he does that really head on as he confronts these Judaizers
and their approach to the Philippian church.
In verse number two, he deals with three warnings as it relates to these false teachers.
And in verse number three, he highlights three identifying marks of a true Christian.
The change of focus comes for us through a transitional phrase
in which he proclaims that we are by implication the true circumcision.
And of course, that comes just after he states in verse number two
that these Judaizers were of the false circumcision.
He uses the word concision.
Let's read the verses together again just to refresh our memory
and then we'll jump into our notes for the day.
Finally, my brethren, in verse one, rejoice in the Lord.
To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous,
but for you it is safe.
Here's the warning.
Beware of dogs.
Beware of evil workers.
Beware of the concision.
For we are the circumcision.
By implication here, you could put in brackets,
we are the true circumcision.
Which worship God in the spirit,
rejoice in Christ Jesus,
and have no confidence in the flesh.
Three warnings against the false.
Three truly identifying marks of the true Christian.
Now, before we jump into the three marks,
I want to take just a moment to once again trace a few instances
where the New Testament writers confronted this false teaching.
In fact, we could go to a number of different places
and look at all of the defenses that they made
in defense of justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
The first one is in Romans chapter four.
It's really the first 12 verses.
Romans chapter four in the first 12 verses.
Paul uses a defense against this false doctrine
that specifically points out the fact
that Abraham was saved prior to his circumcision.
The Judaizers and the Jews especially,
they correlated their place in God's family
as the children of God
with also being synonymous with being the children of Abraham.
They took great pride in their national heritage.
And they believed that just being the children of Abraham,
which was seen in the surgical operation of circumcision,
or at least as a woman would be believed this to be,
it would be a matter of their intellectual thought
and their belief and their faith and their heart.
They believed that this is what made them
the true children of God.
But Paul points out in Romans chapter four
that Abraham was actually counted as righteous before God
on the basis of his faith
prior to him taking the sign of circumcision.
So Paul's first defense against the Jews and the Judaizers
was even the very one that you say you belong to in Abraham
was not even saved by circumcision or obedience to the law.
The law did not even come to be in existence
for hundreds of years after Abraham.
And his own obedience to God's command for circumcision
for he and those that would follow him
came after God had already declared him righteous.
Let me read a portion of it to you.
Paul writes,
And then he illustrates that.
Paul says,
In other words,
those who work for their salvation,
salvation is not actually a gift of grace.
It is actually in some way an indebtedness that God has
for the individual that has compiled his good works.
And so Paul says,
simple logic tells you that work salvation
has nothing to do with God's grace.
But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness.
And then if he skipped down just a few verses,
if you happen to turn to it,
he goes on and he says,
Cometh this blessedness then by the circumcision only
or upon the uncircumcision also
to those who are circumcised or also to the Gentile?
And then he answers,
For we say that faith was counted to Abraham for righteousness.
And how was it counted?
Not in circumcision,
but in uncircumcision.
So Paul's first defense against these Judaizers
is the very one that you even claim to follow in this
was counted as righteous before God
before actually obeying the law.
Now then this is in conjunction with Romans chapter two.
Write down that reference.
You can check it later.
Romans chapter two,
verses 25 to 29.
In this defense,
Paul mentions that the true people of God
is not a matter of national heritage,
nor is it a matter of religious affiliation.
The true people of God is a matter of the heart.
Here's what he says as a part of that section of verses.
He says,
For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly,
nor is circumcision outward and physical.
But a Jew is one inwardly.
And circumcision is a matter of the heart
by the spirit,
not by the letter.
So Paul's first defense in Romans four
is Abraham was justified before God.
He was counted as righteous before God
on the basis of his faith prior to his obedience.
And then his second defense is,
being the true people of God
is not a matter of your affiliation
or of your heritage.
The true people of God is a matter of the heart.
Now Paul mentioned in the book of Galatians,
in fact, the entire letter of Galatians
is written to confront the Judaizers
and their assault on the churches
in the region of Galatia.
In fact, if you really want to dig deep
into how Paul confronted this specifically
in his churches,
start with the book of Galatians.
It will tell you so much there.
But in chapter two,
Paul mentions two things
as a part of this defense.
One, he says that if the Judaizers are right,
then Jesus is a liar.
And then he says,
if the Judaizers are right,
then the death of Christ is pointless
and it's in vain.
Here's what he says in Galatians two.
He says,
but if while we seek to be justified by Christ,
we ourselves also are found sinners,
is therefore Christ the minister of sin?
God forbid.
When Paul was writing to the Galatians,
the Judaizers he was dealing with there
weren't as focused on circumcision
as they were focused on dietary restrictions.
And as he's writing to these Galatian churches,
he brings up a specific instance
when Peter falters
and he begins to capitulate
to some of the Judaizers
in order to save face
in front of the Judaizers
that had come from Jerusalem.
He separates himself from the Gentiles
and he begins to associate with them instead.
Before the Judaizers had shown up,
Peter was happy to participate
in all of the eating
of whatever food he wanted to eat
with the Gentiles.
And he enjoyed it
and he liked it
and he reveled in it
because that was his freedom in Christ.
But as soon as the Judaizers showed up,
he got insecure
about eating things
that were against the dietary restrictions.
And so he left the Gentiles
and he stuck closely to the Judaizers,
making it seem like
he was agreeing with them
about salvation coming on part by works.
So Paul's confronting that
specifically to the Galatians.
When he writes in this verse,
he says that if those of us
who follow Christ
and by implication
eat whatever we want to eat
because Christ has lifted
these dietary laws,
if that means that we're actually sinners
because we've done that,
then you have actually made Christ a liar.
Because in Mark chapter eight,
Jesus made it very clear.
What goes into the body
does not defile a man,
but that which cometh out of the body
defiles a man.
For from within the heart
is adulteries and fornications
and murders and licentiousness
and a whole list of things
that Jesus goes through.
And his whole point was
what goes into the body
isn't a matter of defilement
as far as I'm concerned.
It's actually what is in the heart of a man.
And so Paul writes and he says,
if you're going to demand
these types of restrictions,
what you end up doing
is making Christ a liar.
And then in the last verse
of that section of verse 21,
he says,
I do not frustrate the grace of God
for if righteousness came by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain.
If it was possible for us
to earn salvation in some way,
even with religious commitment,
even if knowledge intellectually
of Jesus Christ is a part of that,
then what was the point
in Jesus's death?
If his death was insufficient
to make an atonement for our sin,
then what was the point
in it to begin with?
So if you're going to attach a legalism
to the doctrines of Christ,
what you end up doing
is rendering the doctrine of Christ
and his death as vain and pointless.
And then the last one I'll give you
before we jump into verse three
is perhaps the most famous dealing
with this evil doctrine.
It's in Acts 15.
Write that down.
Acts 15.
If you've studied the book of Acts recently,
you know that this is
the Jerusalem council.
This topic of circumcision
and dietary laws
had come up
among many of the churches.
And in the early church,
they were navigating
how they needed to approach it
and what the truth was about it.
In Acts chapter 15,
Peter is the one
that ends up making
the defense of justification
by faith in Christ alone.
Here's what happened.
Verse number seven.
When there had been much disputing,
Peter rose up
and said unto them,
men and brethren,
you know how that a good while ago
God made choice among us
that the Gentiles by my mouth
should hear the word of the gospel
and believe.
He's referencing a man named Cornelius,
a Gentile who had come to faith
because of the preaching of Peter.
Peter witnessed it
apart from the law,
apart from circumcision,
apart from dietary restriction.
Peter witnessed it
and the Holy Spirit
confirmed it on the man's life.
And so Peter goes on to say,
and God,
which knows the heart,
bear them witness,
giving them the Holy Ghost,
even as he did unto us
as Jews that believed.
And God put no difference
between us and them,
purifying their heart
by faith.
faith.
And then he confronts the Judaizers
and he says,
now therefore,
why tempt ye God
to put a yoke upon the neck
of the disciples,
which neither our fathers
nor we were able to bear.
But we believe that through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ alone,
we shall be saved,
even as they shall be saved.
Then all the multitude
kept silence
and gave audience
to Barnabas and Paul,
declaring as they did
what miracles and wonders
God had wrought
among the Gentiles
by them.
Here's the final defense
and the most powerful defense.
That Gentile conversion
in Acts 15
had been confirmed
by the Holy Spirit
apart from the law.
Peter says,
you know,
you have heard the stories,
Barnabas and Paul
give representation
to theirs as well.
How that they went
and they preached the gospel
to the Gentiles,
not only did they believe,
but apart from circumcision
and apart from dietary restriction,
apart from conformity
to the Old Testament law,
not only did they believe,
but God demonstrated
his acceptance
of their faith
and their justification
through Christ alone
by giving them
the Holy Spirit
and showing us signs
of the power
of the Holy Spirit
on their life.
So Peter and Paul
and Barnabas
come to this Jerusalem council
in Acts 15
and they say,
we gotta leave off
these restrictions.
This legalism
is not necessary.
These people
are believing
the same way
that we believe
and accept
and apart from circumcision,
apart from the law,
the Holy Spirit
is demonstrating
his power
as would only be evident
in a redeemed,
regenerate person.
And so as we study
the defense
of the early church
and the defenses
of the early New Testament church,
we begin to see
how we too
should defend
the gospel
of justification
by Jesus Christ
alone
and faith in him.
The same defenses
that the early church used
is the same defense
that we are to use today.
When someone approaches you
with a Christian label
that says,
yeah,
I'm a Christian,
yeah,
I believe Jesus.
Yes,
I pray to Jesus.
Yes,
I believe in his death.
Yes,
I believe in his resurrection.
The test is not
in their intellectual knowledge.
The test is,
is it Jesus Christ alone
that you trust?
And if they say
my salvation
is found in Christ
plus my baptism,
that's a false Christian.
They're strapping
on the works of the law
to the gospel of grace
and they render Christ's death
as insignificant and vain.
And if they say,
yes,
I trust in Christ
but I have also prayed
through my rosary
and I've had this system
of prayers
and I've lit a number
of candles
and I've gone through
a number of processes
and I've done the catechisms
and I've done the Eucharist
and I've done the communion
and I've done all the things
and I go on visitation
and I share about Jesus
to other people
and I serve the poor
and I help the widow
and I help the orphan.
If they attach anything at all
to Jesus Christ alone
for salvation,
it is not a true Christian.
And what they end up doing
without intention
is they make Christ a liar
and they render his death
pointless and vain.
So when you approach people
in your life
and a witness
and they tell you,
yes, salvation is by this
but it's also by this.
These are the defenses
that we use.
Not the defenses
of our own logic,
the defenses
of the Bible
and the defenses
of the church
that have stood
the test of time.
How can you know
the false versus the true?
You get really familiar
with what the real thing is.
So Paul uses verse number two
to say warning,
beware of dogs,
beware of evil workers,
beware of the concision.
And then he says,
get to know the truth.
And the more familiar
you are with the truth,
the easier it's going to be
to spot the counterfeit.
Some of the counterfeits
are elaborate
and they're difficult
and it's hard
to wade through it.
But Paul gives us
one of the most
comprehensive descriptions here
of what a true Christian is
in all of the Bible.
And he says,
here is the true Christian.
Here's the marks.
Here's how you know
the difference
between the counterfeit
and the true.
They worship God
in the spirit.
They rejoice
in Jesus Christ.
They take no confidence
in the flesh.
They worship God
in the spirit.
They have no confidence
in the flesh
and they joy
in Christ
Jesus.
notice that
these marks
do not produce
salvation.
Did you notice
the difference
between the false marks
and the true marks?
Look with me again
in verse number two.
Beware of dogs,
beware of evil workers,
beware of the concision.
For we are the
true circumcision,
which worship God
in the spirit,
rejoice in Christ Jesus
and have no confidence
in the flesh.
The marks
of the true
do not speak
of what you do.
The things
in verse number three
are not things
that you do.
They're not actionable.
They don't speak
of function.
They speak
of attitude,
of spirit.
They don't produce
salvation.
They only give evidence
of an inward reality.
But each of these
three marks
do represent
a different facet
of our response
to the gospel.
And that's how
I want to frame it.
First thing,
write it down quickly.
True worship.
It's the first mark.
Worship God
in the spirit.
Christians are
fundamentally
worshipers
of God.
In fact,
that's the whole
purpose of salvation.
God has made it
possible for us
to bring him
the glory
that we were
created to give.
And through
the imputed
righteousness
of Christ
by faith,
we are then
made to be
true worshipers
by the indwelling
power of the
Holy Spirit.
But there's a lot
of confusion
about what
worship actually
is.
The Judaizers
would have said,
of course we
worship.
We worship
faithfully
and committedly.
But worship
is not a mere
external practice
of religious
rituals
that takes place
in a specific
dynamic
or place.
True worship
is a matter
of the heart
and is ultimately
exercised in our
spirit before
ever being
demonstrated
in an outward
form.
True worship
is not what
you do.
It is your
response to
who God is
and what
he has
done.
Many Christians
define worship
in a way
that is only
meant to be
an element
of praise
or recognition.
For instance,
many only think
of singing
when they
consider worship.
Churches will
have a staff
member that they
call the worship
pastor and really
what it is is the
music director.
It's their song
leader.
But what they
correlate in their
minds to worship
is really just
limited down
to singing.
But true worship
is really a matter
of how you live
your life.
It's all
encompassing
in the thoughts
and actions
of a true
Christian.
It's our
response to
the wonderful
grace of God
that has been
given to us
in the gospel.
Our worship
does not provide
salvation.
It's a response
to our
salvation.
For the true
Christian,
every moment
of your life
is an act
of worship.
every decision
we make
is to be a
response to
the character
of God
and what he
has done
for us
in Jesus
Christ.
And limiting
worship
to an external
ritual
actually angers
God.
Samuel wrote
that he told
King Saul
that hath the
Lord as great
delight in burnt
offerings and
sacrifices as in
obeying the voice
of the Lord?
He says,
behold,
to obey
is better
than sacrifice
and to
hearken
than the fat
of rams.
Turn with me
quickly.
I want you to
see this.
Isaiah chapter
one.
Isaiah chapter
one.
Listen to what
God says to
the nation of
Israel.
Isaiah chapter
one,
verse number
11.
Verse number
11.
God says,
to what
purpose
is the
multitude
of your
sacrifices
unto me?
That was
the external
worship.
That was
the way
they went
through their
worship
rituals,
sacrifices,
the whole
system,
celebrations,
festivals,
the new
moons,
all of
these things
God had
outlined in
the law
for them
to observe.
But he
says,
to what
purpose
is the
multitude
of your
sacrifices
unto me?
Sayeth
the Lord.
I am
full of
burnt
offerings
of
rams.
In other
words,
I am
sick and
tired of
burnt
offerings
of
rams
and the
fat
of
fed
beasts
and I
delight
not
in the
blood
of
bulls
or of
lambs
or of
e goats.
When you
come to
appear
before me,
who hath
required
this at
your hand
to tread
my
courts?
Bring
no more
vain
oblations.
Incense
is an
abomination
to me,
God says.
The new
moons
even
the
solemn
meeting.
Solemn
meeting,
a reference
to the
holiest
of days.
Day of
atonement.
Your
new
moons
and your
appointed
feast
my soul
hates.
They are
a trouble
unto me.
I am
weary
to bear
them.
And when
you spread
forth your
hands,
that is
in praise
and in
song,
I will
hide
my eyes
from you.
Yea,
when you
make many
prayers,
I will
not hear
you.
Your
hands
are full
of blood.
Wash
you,
make
you clean,
put away
the evil
of your
doings
from before
mine eyes.
Cease
to do
evil.
Learn
to do
well.
Seek
judgment.
Relieve
the
oppressed.
Judge
the
fathers.
Plead
for the
widow.
And
then he
says,
come
now
and let
us
reason
together,
saith
the
Lord.
Though
your
sins
be as
scarlet,
they
shall
be
as
white
as
snow.
Though
they
be
red
like
crimson,
they
shall
be
as
wool.
What's
the
whole
point
in what
God
is
telling
the
nation
of
Israel
there?
He
says,
all of
this
external
stuff
you're
doing,
I
don't
care
about
it.
Keep
your
sacrifices,
keep
your
incense,
keep
your
new
moons,
keep
your
festivals,
keep
your
holy
days.
I
don't
care
about
the
external
worship.
What I
care
about
is
your
heart.
And
if
you
will
come
to
me
in
faith
and
you
will
trust
me
and
you
will
call
out
to
me
then
I
will
accept
your
sacrifice.
Then
I
will
accept
the
new
moons
and
the
Sabbath.
Then
I
will
take
into
account
the
holy
days.
God
is
not
interested
in
mere
outward
forms
of
religious
worship.
He
is
interested
in
the
genuine
nature
of
your
heart
and
your
spirit.
So
Paul
says
the
first
indication
of
a
true
Christian
is
somebody
that
doesn't
worship
the
Lord
in
spirit.
The
Judaizers
cared
all
about
the
outward
part.
They
cared
about
the
circumcision
and
the
laws
and
they
cared
about
the
meetings
and
the
Sabbath
and
the
holy
days
and
the
festivals
and
all
the
things.
That's
what
they
cared
about.
That's
what
they
wanted.
But
God
said
that's
not
it.
Those
things
can't
help
you.
Those
things
are
to
be
a
sign
to
you
of
the
salvation
I
provide
alone
through
my
son
Jesus
Christ.
There's
a lot
of
people
that
say
they're
Christian
and
guess
what?
They
go to
church
every
single
Sunday.
They
don't
miss
a
Sunday.
They
will
find
their
place
in
worship
at
10
o'clock
every
Sunday
morning.
They
will
sing
the
songs.
They
will
open
their
Bibles.
They
will
take
the
notes.
They
will
serve
in
the
ministries.
But
all
they
care
an
evidence
of
true
worship.
True
worship
is a
matter
of
your
spirit
towards
God.
And
while
we're
there,
I'll
just
mention
how
guilty
we
can
be
of
often
judging
the
sincerity
of
another
person's
heart
on
the
basis
of
their
outward
forms
of
worship.
How
guilty
are
we
as
Christians
of
judging
a
person
and
their
worship
on
the
basis
of
whether
or not
their
voice
is
loud
enough
and
their
hands
are
high
enough
or
their
tears
are
wet
enough.
And
when
we
do
that,
we
contribute
to
an
error
that
says
that
worship
is
summed
up
in
an
external
performance.
That's
not
true
worship.
True
worship
is a
matter
of
your
heart's
response
toward
God
and
it's
not
limited
to
a
church
service.
It
is
all
encompassing
every
moment
of
every
day
of
your
life.
So what
does
worshiping
God
in the
spirit
actually
mean?
In
contrast to
the
Judaizers
who
viewed
worship
as an
external
exercise,
true
Christians
are
concerned
with
their
spirit
towards
God.
God
I
will
have
you
turn
there
we
don't
have
time
now
but
if
you
write
down
John
chapter
four
John
chapter
four
Jesus
is
waiting
at a
well
in
Samaria
and a
woman
comes
to draw
water
and he
has
this
awesome
conversation
with this
lady
where she
ends
up
trusting
!
In the
midst
of this
conversation
she
says
I
perceive
that
you
are
a
prophet
you
worship
in
Jerusalem
we
worship
in
Mount
Gerizim
now
where's
their
true
right
place
to
worship
and
Jesus
says
you're
in
essence
he
says
you're
too
focused
on
a
place
worship
is
not
about
a
place
he
says
the
day
is
coming
and
the
hour
draw
at
night
and
it
is
even
here
he
tells
the
lady
when
the
true
!
worshipers
will
worship
God
in
spirit
and
in
truth
what's
the
truth
it's
the
word
of
God
what's
the
spirit
our
hearts
response
towards
that
truth
you
say
well
I
worship
when
I
come
to
church
yeah
this
is
just
a
corporate
expression
if
this
is
what
you
consider
your
worship
it
is
far
lacking
your
worship
is
every
day
it's
every
decision
you
make
being
cognizant
of
the
fact
of
who
God
is
and
you
it
is
our
spirit
response
to
him
that's
true
worship
he
says
the
mark
is
true
worship
the
last
two
true
faith
and
true
repentance
true
faith
and
true
repentance
are
the
last
two
marks
he
says
rejoice
in
Christ
Jesus
that's
true
faith
and
he
says
they
have
no
confidence
in
the
flesh
these
are
really
two
sides
of
the
same
coin
the
mark
of
rejoicing
in
Christ
Jesus
has
to
do
with
our
faith
while
the
last
mark
has
to
do
with
what
we
leave
behind
in
order
to
follow
Christ
in
faith
word
rejoice
means
to
boast
and
it
ultimately
refers
to
who's
getting
the
credit
for
salvation
the
Judaizers
give
themselves
the
credit
because
they
did
everything
they
were
supposed
to
do
they
were
proud
that
they
followed
!
the
rules
the
true
Christian
gives
Christ
all
the
credit
it's
Paul
told
the
Corinthians
let
the
one
who
boast
!
boast
in
the
Lord
Jeremiah
said
thus
saith
the
Lord
let
not
the
wise
man
boast
in
his
wisdom
let
not
the
mighty
man
boast
in
his
might
let
not
the
rich
man
boast
in
his
riches
but
let
him
who
boast
in
this
that
he
understands
and
knows
me
God
says
that
I
am
the
Lord
who
practices
steadfast
love
and
justice
and
righteousness
in
the
earth
for
I
delight
in
these
things
declares
the
Lord
what
is
true
faith
true
faith
is
acknowledging
that
it's
actually
only
of
Christ
that
you
can
be
saved
the
battle
between
the
true
Christians
and
the
false
Christians
in
the
early
church
had
to
do
with
what
made
a
person
righteous
before
God
the
Judaizers
believed
it was
their
own
goodness
the
true
Christian
recognizes
that
that's
futile
and
that
it's
actually
only
Christ
that
can
truly
make
you
righteous
before
God
so
then
the
true
Christian
does
not
boast
in
what
they
do
they
boast
only
in
what
Christ
has
done
there's
a
song
that
I
know
that
we'll
sing
here
at
some
point
I'm
sure
it's
called
my
worth
is
not
in
what
I
own
some
of
the
lyrics
say
this
two
wonders
here
that
I
confess
my
worth
and
my
unworthiness
my
value
fixed
my
ransom
paid
at
the
cross
the
writer
says
that
on
one
side
I
am
immeasurably
worthy
and valuable
to
my
savior
Jesus
Christ
but
in
reality
I
know
that
I'm
worthless
because
I
come
to
him
empty
handed
with
nothing
to
offer
and
then
it
crescendos
into
this
praise
in
the
chorus
it
says
I
rejoice
in
my
redeemer
greatest
treasure
wellspring
of my
soul
I
will
trust
in
him
no
other
my
soul
is
satisfied
in
him
alone
where
is
your
boast
where
is
your
satisfaction
is
your
satisfaction
found
in
that
you've
completed
the
religious
list
of
things
you're
supposed
to
do
or
is
your
satisfaction
found
in
what
Christ
has
done
for
you
and
then
finally
as
true
repentance
have
no
confidence
in
the
flesh
and
certainly
is
logical
we don't
have to
spend
a lot
of
time
here
the
true
Christian
leaves
behind
every
single
good
work
and
religious
effort
in
order
to
follow
Christ
Jesus
said
that
in
order
to
follow
him
we
must
deny
ourselves
and
this
denial
includes
every
personal
effort
in
earning
salvation
this
isn't
something
you do
it's
an
evidence
of
your
spirit
that
as
you
exercise
faith
and
rejoicing
and
you
make
your
boast
alone
in
Christ
Jesus
at
the
same
time
you're
letting
go
of
the
circumcision
and
you're
letting
go
of
the
baptism
and
you're
letting
go
of
the
communion
and
you're
letting
go
of
the
visitation
and
you're
letting
go
of
all
the
other
things
in
order
to
make
your
boast
of
Christ
alone
recognizing
that
in
my
flesh
and
in
my
deeds
there
is
no
confidence
let me
close
it
this
way
Paul
opens
this
section
by
commanding
that
the
Philippians
in
would
appeal
to
these
believers
and
would
pull
them
away
from
Christ
strap
the
yoke
of
legalism
on
them
after
their
salvation
so
he
reminded
them
of
Christ's
love
in
chapter
3
his
salvation
true
salvation
in
order
that
he
might
strengthen
their
joy
here's
what
Kent
Hughes
says
this
is
helpful
there
is
the
safety
of
the
joy
of
the
Lord
to
be
so
full
of
joy
that
no
other
efforts
appeal
to
us
to
have
tasted
what
is
good
that
is
in
Jesus
Christ
to
have
tasted
what
is
good
so
deeply
that
we
have
no
taste
for
the
allurements
of
the
tempter
for
the
joy
of
the
Lord
is
actually
our
strength
how
can
you
push
forward
when
you're
faced
with
a
temptation
to
fall
back
into
a
legalistic
view
of
Christianity
remind
yourself
that
the
joy
of
the
Lord
is
your
strength
how
do
you
truly
experience
the
joy
of
the
Lord
only
in
recognizing
truly
that
he
alone
can
provide
salvation
for
you
there's
freedom
in that
do
you know
Christ
in that
way
have
you
experienced
his
love
so
deeply
that
there
is
no
appeal
at
all
into
the
allurements
of
false
Christianity
around
us
there's
no
allurement
at
all
in
your
heart
as
to
what
you
need
to
do
now
because
you
are
satisfied
in
Christ
alone
if
you
experience
that
love
if
someone
today
were
to
accuse
you
of
not
being
a
true
Christian
what
would
your
first
defense
be
would
you
say
what
you
mean
I
went
to
church
this
morning
I
didn't
just
go
to
church
I
went
to
church
in
the
elementary
school
gym
and
sat
for
an
hour
listening
to
a
guy
in
a
hard
folding
metal
chair
and
not
only
that
he
told
me
that
next
week
when
I
gotta
come
I
gotta
listen
to
babies
cry
and
watch
kids
run
around
of
course
I'm
a
Christian
who
else
would
do
that
if
they
weren't
a
Christian
that's
not
the
evidence
of
a
true
Christian
would
your
defense
be
well
you
know
when
I
was
when
I
was
really
young
my
parents
brought
me
up
in
church
and
that's
just
what
I've
always
identified
with
I
appreciate
the
truth
I
appreciate
the
love
that
they
exhibit
and
yeah
I'm
a
Christian
of
course
I'm
a
Christian
I'm
an
American
right
or
would
your
defense
be
you
know
what
you're
exactly
right
I
don't
deserve
to
be
but
I
haven't
done
anything
to
actually
earn
this
my
boast
is
in
Christ
he
has
saved
me
I'm
a
Christian
not
because
I'm
good
I'm
a
Christian
because
I'm
forgiven
I'm
not
a
Christian
because
I
got
it
all
together
I'm
a
Christian
because
I
recognized
that
he
did
this
for
me
and
my
life's
purpose
now
is
to
live
it
in
accordance
with
what
he
has
done
to
truly
worship
to
let
every
decision
I
make
every
dollar
I
spend
every
hour
of
folly
in
some
way
be
a
response
to
what
he
has
done
for
me
that's
the
mark
of a
true
Christian
thank
you for
listening
to this
sermon
made
available by
Lakeside Bible
Church
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Church
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