Philippians 3:13

1
Philippians 31-3

• Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is
  no trouble for me to write the same things to you
  again, and it is a safeguard for you.  Watch out
  for those dogs, those men who do evil, those
  mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the
  circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of
  God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no
  confidence in the flesh
• .

2
Real Circumcision
3
Created Equally?

• God does not accept all worship.
• God does not count as equal all doctrines.
• Some who think they are faithfully worshiping God
  are sadly mistaken.
• Paul taught of such.
• Men in his day who were ultra conservatives and
  in fact legalistic, were also dead wrong.

4
Strong Warning

• Paul doubly warned the church at Philippi against
  accepting every form of doctrine.
• Today, lets see why the people Paul warns
  against were wrong and what we must do to truly
  be the children of God.

5
Going to the Dogs

• Verse 2 Watch out for those dogs, those men
  who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.
• Their character Paul calls these enemies of the
  cross dogs, mutilators of the flesh and
  workers of evil.

6
Their false doctrine

• They taught physical circumcision as essential
  for salvation.
• This insists upon forcing old covenant law upon
  new covenant grace.
• Their tradition they are insisting upon the
  stringencies of the Law of Moses.

7
Their Failure

• Refusal to understand grace through Christ
• Pauls challenge real circumcision.
• To be decided who is the true child of God?

8
Worship By The Spirit of God

• Verse 3 For it is we who are the circumcision,
  we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in
  Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the
  flesh
• True circumcision is marked by true worship.
• Worship in this verse is LATREUO worship in
  service to God.

9
Circumcision of the Heart

• Deuteronomy 1016 -- Circumcise your hearts,
  therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.
• Jeremiah 44 -- Circumcise yourselves to the
  LORD, circumcise your hearts,        you men of
  Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will
  break out and burn like fire        because of
  the evil you have done        burn with no one
  to quench it.

10
Galatians 612-13

• Those who want to make a good impression
  outwardly are trying to compel you to be
  circumcised. The only reason they do this is to
  avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
  Not even those who are circumcised obey the law,
  yet they want you to be circumcised that they may
  boast about your flesh.
• The dogs are interested only in outward
  appearances.

11
By The Spirit

• This means worshiping in a manner in keeping with
  the revealed word of God.
• Spirit is not to be misunderstood as
  emotionalism
• Spirit IS to be understood as devotion,
  conviction, comprehension.
• John 421-24 Jesus encourages the woman at the
  well to look beyond location and instead look
  at substance.

12
Spirit not flesh

• Our confidence is to be in the Spirit not in
  our flesh

13
Glory in Christ Jesus

• Word glory is KAUCHAOMAI and means to make
  boast of, rejoice, glory, or express great joy
  toward.

14
What is the Object of our Boasting?

• 1 Corinthians 131 -- Therefore, as it is
  written "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.
• Jeremiah 923-26
• Dont boast in wisdom
• Dont boast in strength
• Dont boast in wealth
• Boast only in knowing God

15
Put No Confidence in the Flesh

• Galatians 215-16, 21 -- "We who are Jews by
  birth and not 'Gentile sinners' 16know that a man
  is not justified by observing the law, but by
  faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our
  faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by
  faith in Christ and not by observing the law,
  because by observing the law no one will be
  justified.
• Paul concludes that if we can be justified by
  ourselves, Christ died for nothing.

16
Put No Confidence in the Flesh

• Romans 228-29- A man is not a Jew if he is only
  one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward
  and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew if he is one
  inwardly and circumcision is circumcision of the
  heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.
  Such a man's praise is not from men, but from
  God.