LESSON 20 Classroom Goals of this time together: * here to see and meet and learn of Jesus; * to grow TOGETHER in our own personal lives/relationships with Jesus * to grow in our daily day-to-day JOY IN Him * to grow in our vision /understanding of Jesus as our SAVIOR and REDEEMER everyday in the midst of our lives in a pagan world ROE: * all questions are encouraged all the time * TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER THROUGHOUT OUR TIME TOGETHER, WHETHER WE AGREE OR NOT ON ISSUES OF VARIOUS THEOLOGICAL THOUGHT, WE MOST CERTAINLY MUST AGREE ON THIS: THAT WE HAVE BEEN BOUGHT BY THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF A MOST LOVING SAVIOR AND BECAUSE OF THAT WE MUST LOVE EACH OTHER SUMMARY: 1:1-11 Greetings and Gratitude 1:12-26 "Pauls Personal Circumstances: the Preaching of Christ" 1:27-2:30 "The Pattern of the Christian Life: The Humility of Christ" 1:27-2:4 The Exhortation to Humility 2:5-11 The Epitome of Humility 2:12-18 The Exercise of Humility 2:19-30 The Examples of Humility Timothy and Epaphroditis Now we start a NEW section that comprises the entire third chapter. Let's call it : 3:1-21 "The Hope of the Christian Life: The Knowledge of Christ" Last time we saw how this chapter has in it a series of contrasts ALL dealing with conflicting HOPES; Paul contrasts in three parts what the HOPE of the Christian really is AS OPPOSED TO the false hopes that the world proposes; [HAVE DIFFERENT ONES READ vs1-3, 4-14, AND 15-21] Everyone wants to find SOMETHING that will give meaning and purpose and satisfaction to their life. This desire to have SOMETHING in which to place our HOPE is a legitimate one, AND a fundamental one as proved the world over by all the various religions, philosophies, beliefs and what ever other names you can give to such deep and abiding activities of humanity; Even the philosophers who proclaim the MEANINGLESSNESS of the universe in general and of life in particular I believe are COMPELLED to do so out of a NEED to UNDERSTAND their lives and give SOME sort of meaning to them, even if it's in a declaration of meaninglessness; HOWEVER, they are ALL characterized by ONE overriding principle: they are ALL the product of HUMAN EFFORT; ultimately, they ALL are BASED ON VARIOUS APPLICATIONS OF PERSONAL WORKS; They are the ULTIMATE examples of that Smith-Barney Investment Group Advertisment: "...they UURHNED it..."; or more recently, the athletic shoe commercial: "...just DO it..."; Just such ideas dominated the world of the Phillipian Church. Once again we see how little has changed between our brothers and sisters in Phillipi then and ourselves now. Here in this chapter, Paul presents to the Philippians and to us a DIFFERENT IDEA: he presented one of the fundamental distinctions that makes real Christianity TOTALLY OPPOSITE and ABSOLUTELY DISTINCT FROM EVERTHING ELSE PROPOSED IN THIS WORLD; Paul showed that there are 2 and only 2 ways of "getting" whatever it is people are so eager to find: -SELF EFFORT EARNING IT -GOD'S EFFORT GIVING IT IN EACH of the previous 3 parts that were read, Paul presented a FALSE HOPE always based on THE FLESH, on SOME KIND OR FORM OF PERSONAL EFFORTS; THEN he ALWAYS presented to the Philippian Christians ONLY JESUS AS THE SOLE WORTHY SOURCE OF HOPE FOR THEM (and US); In vs1-3 Paul contrasted the so-called Judaizers with their Psuedo-Christianity of Circumcision with the precious Life we have in Christ; Here Paul presents what commentators have called "the Judaizers", men claiming to be Christians, and maybe even WERE, but who were claiming to be presenting a TRUE Gospel of salvation WHILE INSISTING that in order to be saved, you FIRST had to become a "Jewish" convert and get circumsized; otherwise, you could NEVER REALLY be able to FULLY please God; It was as a mark of your placing yourself under the LAW, promising to obey all it's requirements, as an ESSENTIAL part of that salvation; Jesus was ONLY the Saviour of Israel and so His kingdom could be entered ONLY thru the gate of Judaism; These are the ones who are mentioned in the 15th Chapter of Acts; They get further press in Gal 5:2ff, 2 Co 11:13, and are probably some of whom Paul refered to in 1:16 of this letter as well; Paul REALLY had a problem with these guys; He used HARSH and derogitory terms, used for their shock value, I think; PAUL WANTED THE PHILIPPIANS TO KNOW THAT THIS WASN'T SOME LITTLE MINOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRIENDS THAT WE COULD ALL LET-AND-LET-LIVE WITH; It was a fundamental blow at the very HEART of SALVATION; These men were in essence claiming that Jesus' DEATH ON THE CROSS WAS SOMEHOW INSUFFICIENT ALONE TO SAVE MEN FROM THEIR SINS, THAT SOMETHING ELSE WAS REQUIRED; AND JUDAIZERS STILL ARE AROUND TODAY!! They don't insist on circumcision, but they have OTHER "ADDITIONAL" requirements for men to satisfy before they can recieve salvation; YOU have MET them: some claim that you HAVE to be baptised, or you're not saved; others claim that you can "fall from grace" and lose whatever salvation you had if you "sin" badly enough; some insist that only through adherence to a whole list of requirements can you have any assurance of salvation; 3:3 And NOW we come to the "contrast"; here Paul tells them what they REALLY have IN CHRIST; "Circumcision" was ultimately a metaphor for "PURITY", it was GOD'S method for SETTING APART TO HIMSELF A SPECIAL GROUP; Having been saved ONLY through the death and resurrection of JESUS, Paul is showing that for US, OUR purity is ONLY THROUGH ACCEPTING WHAT JESUS DID; And for US, THAT MAKES US PURE, hence "circumcized"; In contrast to the 3 warnings, Paul NOW offers 3 declarations of WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR Life in Christ; The first is that we can (KJV) "worship God in the spirit"; this is BETTER trans "worship BY the Spirit OF God"; Paul is trying to emphasize to these precious Christians teetering on the brink of FALSE LEAGISTIC EXTERNAL FORMS OF WORSHIP, that what God REALLY wants from us AND WHAT HE THEREFORE OFFERS TO US IS A SPIRITUAL WORSHIP; Whatever the outward forms and ceremonies that may or may NOT be used, NOTHING can detract from those powerful and exceeding precious calls to worship Him "in spirit and in truth" and NOT with a heart FULL of PRIDE in OUR WORKS AND EFFORTS, but rather with "a broken and contrite heart" (Ps 51:17); Only the Spirit of God can MAKE such occur in our hearts and in our lives; AND IT IS JUST SUCH A WORSHIP THAT CALLS US TO OUR KNEES IN RECOGNITION OF OUR ABSOLUTE AND COMPLETE DEPENDENCE UPON HIM; Hence, we DO worship BY the Spirit of God; and NOT by something WE somehow conjur up and MAKE happen by our own human effort; The SECOND declaration is that we can (KJV) "rejoice in Christ Jesus"; The term trans as "rejoice" is better rendered as "EXULT" or "GLORY" or even "BOAST"; Paul LOVES this word and uses it ALOT (some 35 times) in his writings; intersetingly enough, he uses it both as a POSITIVE AND A NEGATIVE; it can EITHER refer to a overwhelming self-centered pride OR it can refer to a joyful submission to GOD's grace as shown in the cross; This "GLORYING" or "BOASTING" is IN JESUS, BASED ON WHAT HE DID FOR US; NOT ON WHAT WE DID FOR HIM!! The THIRD declaration refers to the ABSOLUTE INADEQUACY of HUMAN effort AND OUR RECOGNITION OF THAT FACT: (KJV) "NO confidence in the flesh"; The tendency is SO strong to try to MAKE ourselves somehow "acceptable" to God BASED ON OUR OWN EFFORTS and BY OUR OWN SET OF RULES; Here God is saying, "DON'T KID YOUSELVES!!" and perhaps even for some this could be seen as His saying: "QUIT TORMENTING YOURSELVES!"; we don't HAVE to do this ANYMORE; we can be FREED form the horrible tyranny of SELF-ACHIEVED salvation, so fragile and faint a whisp that at any moment a slip on our part might tear it all apart, and cast our lives in to utter and INESCAPABLE ruin; It all comes back to the issue of HOPE; IN WHAT ARE WE PLACING OUR HOPE FOR PLEASING GOD, FOR SOMEHOW "MAKING" OURSELVES "RIGHT" BEFORE GOD AND MAN?? Are you working and just somehow "hoping" that it'll all turn out "OK"; are you striving with a desparate frustration at your own constant failures and inadequacies?? THEN HERE IS A MESSAGE OF HOPE FOR YOU!! JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!! HE ALONE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOUR NEEDS, AND ONLY HE IS NEEDED TO MEET YOUR NEEDS; HEREIN IS TRUE HOPE, not as men would hope, struggling against the fears of their own inabilities, who's hope is faint and unsure at best; NO!! OUR hope rests on what HE did for US! 3:4-14 Here we come to the second bigcontrast of this chapter: a hope based on GENUINE Judaism vs a hope based SOLELY in Jesus Christ. Paul starts in vs 4-6 with an autobiography of his Jewish "roots" her had just finished slamming men claiming to be Jewish Christians, and lest ANYONE try to accuse him of being unfamiliar with or unsympathetic or just plain not understanding of the "real" issues he says basically: OK, you guys wanna make some sort of issue about living and acting Jewish before/in order to become REAL Christians; HA!! If ANYONE was gonna do that IT'D BE ME!! NO ONE can claim to be MORE "JEWISH" than I was; NO ONE is able to claim greater advantage form Judaism than ME! Then he goes on to prove his point in vs5-6; 1st he list 4 advantages that are his by way of natural inheritance - his proofs he was born INTO; then he lists 3 advantages that are his by was of PERSONAL EFFORT and CONVICTION; The 4 inherited proofs are listed: 1. "Circumcised the 8th day": The # is important - he was Jewish FROM THE START; he was no pagan convert circ'ed as an adult, AND he was NO "Ismaelite" (ie an Arab) who we know circ'ed their males on their 13th birthday after their "father" Ishmael in Gen 17:25; The proudest claim is put 1st; he is a TRUE and PROPERLY raised Jew nutured and raised rightly in the faith FROM THE VERY START; Paul challenged the false demands of the Judaisers that to be "properly" saved you had to submit to Mosaic law and ESP had to be circ'ed by placing the fact of HIS PROPER JEWISH circ at the start of his list to show that HE HAS THE RIGHT to be heard on the TRUE significance of the rite. 2. "...of the stock of Israel...": NOT a proselyte, NOT some 1/2 breed, BUT THE REAL DEAL; born of the REAL stuff; 3. "...of the tribe of Benjamine...": NOW he REALLY gets high powered in his credentials! THIS tribe was a special tribe -NOT from one of the LAST tribes but from the one that gave Israel it's 1st king (Saul), it alone had been faithful to Judah and the house of David at the time when civil war split the nation into 2 parts (Israel and Judah); It's proscribed area of possession contained Jerusalem and the Temple; All in all, a really upper class tribe! 4. As the KVJ puts it "...a Hebrew of the Hebrews..."; now I had always thought Paul was just sort of laying it on a bit thick here with a sort of "Man among Men" type of claim; BUT a BETTER trans is "a Hebrew FROM Hebrew [parents]"; he is telling us he was NOT ONLY BORN to Hebrew parents, BUT THAT THEY LIVED THE LIFE OF JEWS; they DIDN'T speak Greek at home, THEY SPOKE THE TRUE TONGUE HEBREW; HE HAD BEEN RAISED in a house that HONORED and was FAITHFUL to the OLD CULTURE; Then he goes on to present the 3 advantages that HE himself can claimed to have EARNED: 1. "In regard to the law - a Pharisee..."; in those days, THATS ALL IT TOOK - you could just say that and people would all go "OOOOH!"; THEY were the theological Marine Corp of their day; NOBODY was more strict than they in adhereing to and living out the Law; 2. BUT, he doesn't stop there; he says then "HEY! In case you might think I was a sloppy Pharisee, MY ZEAL was the GREATEST! I PERSECUTED the CHURCH!! I was no closet Pharisee, I lived it to the MAX!" How ironic for Paul - clearly the memory of his bitter hating persecution still haunts him; It's STILL so vivid to him that he uses a present tense of the verb for persecute that literally syas "persecuting" as if the action was STILL GOING ON right before his eyes! He was NOT burdened with the guilt of his past actions, but the power of those bitter days when contrasted against the love that had sought him EVEN AS HE POURED OUT HIS OWN HATE towards that Saviour would seem a still gripping reality to him even yet as he dictated this letter; 3. Then he sums up it all with saying "based on how those judaizers would measure a life, MINE WAS BLAMELESS", literally "you can look as hard as you like, BUT YOU'D NEVER FIND ANYTHING that would have been a violation of the Law"; He's NOT claiming perfection here - he IS saying "HEY! I've BEEN there, I've DONE that, AND IT WASN'T ENOUGH; I've tried that WHOLE system, AND IT WASN'T ENOUGH!" And then he enters the 2nd half of this contrast of hopes; he says " compared to and because of who and what JESUS is in my life EVERYTHING ELSE IS A WASTE, not just a lesser priority" NOT just neutral, BUT a LOSS; His choice of verb tense (KJV) "I counted..." implies NOT ONLY did he count it loss back then, BUT HE STILL DOES SO NOW; The word "loss" is in the singular, implyingthe WHOLE LOT of pasr priviledges is just ONE BIG WASTE; WHY?? vs 8 in KJV "Yea doubtless" is better trans "even more"; as if to say "In case I left ANYTHING out - ALL THINGS - ANYTHING that might concievably be reckoned as meritorious and claimed to be acceptable to God by men "I count" -NOW it's in the present tense- he's telling them that even now as a Christian (and a pretty high powered one at that) NOTHING MATTERS APART FROM "KNOWING" JESUS; [read the AMP as it really trans what that word "knowing" really meant to them] This "knowing" is called in the KJV as "excellent" READ THE 1ST PART OF VS 8 IN THE AMP AND it's a personal knowledge "Christ MY Lord"; it's NOT enough to have heard ABOUT Him, it's NOT enough to have heard OF Him; there is NO real "Excellence" in a life APART from Him; and what a marvelous promise that holds - for EVERYTHING in our lives CAN be lost!!! The "loss" Paul wrote of was a "casting away", a "giving up"; BUT there is ALSO that which is TAKEN away from us; there is NO guarentee that ANY of the "THINGS" we've worked so hard to gain will EVER remain; Is there anything in your lives that you've clinging to, expecting and hoping is "IT" for excellence in your life? IT IS TOO FRAGILE a support for you; and HOW terrible it is to lose! BUT JESUS!! HE you CANNOT lose! HE you cannot have taken from you! NO WONDER Paul realized everything ELSE is a waste of time; What is it that YOU are counting on?? Wealth?? Talent or skills?? Other people?? To Paul, who had ALL those things, they ALL PALED in comparison to WHO he had found JESUS to be! KJV "dung" - this word can be trans either as "human waste" or more pleasantly "the stuff you throw out after the meal" ie garbage! WHY?? He realized what it REALLY meant to GAIN, to HAVE JESUS!!