Read Philippians 3:1-4:1.

Note: The phrase translated, “their god is their own appetites,” literally reads, “their god is the belly.”

Introduction⤒🔗

On the night of April 14, 1912, one of the greatest disasters in maritime history occurred in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. That was the night the great White Star liner, Titanic, a 46,000-ton luxury liner, struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sunk with the loss of 1,513 lives. What made the tragedy so tragic is the fact that it could have been avoided: it was the result of complacency and negligence.

Titanic had been advertised as being “unsinkable,” and everybody, passengers, crew members, and captain, believing the publicity, became complacent. They disregarded the warning that icebergs had been spotted in the area. They were steaming along at twenty-two knot, a speed too fast for the hazardous conditions found in the North Atlantic at that time of year. When they did strike the iceberg, no one took it too seriously, the life boats were lowered half-filled; after all, Titanic was “unsinkable.”

Negligence, as well as complacency, was to blame for this maritime tragedy. Another ocean liner, The Californian, was within twenty miles of Titanic throughout the night. It could have come to the rescue, if its radio operator had been on duty to receive Titanic’s distress signals.¹

Thus, the greatest maritime disaster of all time could have been avoided; it was the result of complacency and negligence. To avoid a spiritual disaster, the Apostle Paul is careful not to be negligent in his duty and he urges the church not to be complacent. In this next part of the Epistle to the Philippians, he exhorts the church, “stand firm in the Lord.” Because of the many seductive teachings that seek to draw us away from the truth of God, we must be diligent to “stand firm in the Lord.”

Stand Firm in the Lord, by Guarding against False Teaching←⤒🔗

Paul begins by encouraging and, indeed, even commanding, believers, to “rejoice in the Lord.” The best safeguard against departure from the Lord is to develop a satisfying relationship with the Lord; enjoying Him and rejoicing in Him. Nehemiah 8:10b declares, “the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

How can we rejoice in the Lord and develop such a relationship with Him? First, we can rejoice in the Lord by considering what he has done for us and what He will do:

And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on, generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me, holy is his name. Lk. 1:46-49

I rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul exults in my God; because he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, like a bridegroom adorns his head with a turban [like a priest] and like a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isa. 61:10

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Rom. 5:1-2

Second, we can rejoice in the Lord by having fellowship with Him. The Apostle Peter points out that as we commune with Christ our Savior, we experience a foretaste of the heavenly glory: “[Although] you have not seen him, you love him; even though you do not see him now, by believing in him you greatly rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and glorious, ⁹obtaining as the result of your faith the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:8-9). As the hymn writer, James Mountain, expresses it:

Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art,
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, as Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power, Thou hast made me whole.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings: Thine is love indeed.

Third, we can rejoice in the Lord by committing ourselves to cultivating that spiritual attitude: resolving to rejoice in the Lord, despite the present circumstances, by relying upon His sovereign lordship and sure promises. The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk testifies:

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, ¹⁸still I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Hab. 3:17-18

For the sake of these Philippian Christians, (and for our sake), the apostle repeats his warning to be on guard against the subtle seduction of false teaching. Paul declares, “For me, it is not tedious to write the same things to you, and for you it is a safeguard” (vs. 1). What Paul is about to write is apparently the same subject he had addressed while he was personally with them in Philippi: this warning against false teachers who were seeking to disturb and unsettle the faith of the church.

One of the apostle’s, (as well as the pastor’s), God-given responsibilities is to protect the faith of the church and maintain its focus on the gospel, because there is the tendency for us to drift away from the truth of God. Speaking about the gospel, the writer to the Hebrews declares, “We must pay careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” (Heb. 2:1). Furthermore, there is the temptation to go beyond Christ and the truth of the gospel; this is something against which the Apostle John warns: “Anyone who ‘advances’ and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2 Jn. 9).

Indeed, one of the apostle’s, (as well as the pastor’s), God-given responsibilities is to protect the faith of the church and maintain its focus on the gospel. The Apostle Peter informs the Christians to whom he writes:

I will always stand ready to remind you of these things, even though you know and are established in the truth that is present with you. ¹³However, I think that it is right for me, as long as I am still in this 'tent' [i.e. his earthly body], to stir you up by reminding you [of these things]. 2 Pet. 1:12-13

Businesses know the importance of keeping their name and their product before the public by means of advertising. The world is constantly confronting us with its “commercials,” which promote its beliefs, its values, its lifestyle. The church is the only place where you will receive a consistent “commercial” and reminder for the gospel: we need to have the truth of the gospel kept ever before us. Consider the Apostle Paul’s counsel to young Timothy concerning his ministry:

²Preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage, with great patience and careful instruction. ³The time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine; instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Tim. 4:2-4

When the Apostle Paul actually refers to these false teachers he uses extremely strong language: “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil doers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh” (vs. 2). Of whom is the apostle speaking? He is referring to a heretical group identified with “the sect of the Pharisees,” described for us in Acts 15:1-12,

¹Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved. ²This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question... ⁴When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. ⁵Then certain men of the sect of the Pharisees stood up, expressing their belief that it is necessary to circumcise them [i.e. the Gentile converts] and to charge them to keep the law of Moses. Acts 15:1-5

This heretical group apparently became involved with the church through a common belief in the resurrection: Jesus’ resurrection convinced them that He was the Messiah, the Holy One of God. But they had no true grasp of the gospel as the way of salvation by grace; to them, salvation was gained by the sacrament of circumcision, by observing religious regulations, and by seeking to merit or maintain one’s salvation by means of the law (note Acts 15:1,5), not through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

Why does Paul refer to them in such strong and derogatory terms? In so doing, Paul is actually alluding to the Old Testament description of the enemies of the Messiah. In Psalm 22:16 “dogs” and “evil workers” are the two terms used to describe the enemies of the Messiah: “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet” (Psl. 22:16). By seeking to establish other criterion for salvation, these men were opposing Christ and His finished work; they were making themselves His enemies. The term “the concision” (κατατομri), which can well be translated, “those who mutilate the flesh,” is a play on the word “circumcision” (περιτομri). Their reliance upon the Old Testament sacrament of circumcision as a means of salvation, (when it was intended rather to be a sign and seal of the saving work of God), was a “mutilation” of its true significance.

Stand firm in the Lord, by being on guard against false teaching. When the gospel itself is at stake there is no place for compromise; note the Apostle Paul’s vigorous defense of the gospel: “But even if we or an angel from heaven were to preach a gospel other that the gospel we preached to you, let him be accursed! ⁹As we said before, so now I say again, If anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one you received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8-9).

Any teaching that departs from the gospel of Christ, (as defined, for instance, in 1 Corinthians 15:1­ 4), or the person of Christ, (as He is identified, for instance, in Philippians 2:6-8), is a false teaching that cannot be tolerated:

Now, brothers, I remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you also received, on which also you stand, ²and by which you are saved, if you hold firm to the word we preached to you, otherwise you have believed in vain. ³I delivered to you as of first importance that which I also received, [namely], that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; ⁴and that he was buried; and that he has been raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures.1 Cor. 15:1­-4

Christ Jesus:

⁶existing in the form of God, he did not regard his being on an equality with God as a thing to be exploited; ⁷on the contrary, he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. Being found as a man in appearance, ⁸he humbled himself by becoming obedient unto death, even death on the cross.Phil. 2:6-8

The Apostle Paul is issuing this warning to a mature Christian church that has been a partner with him in the gospel from the time they first came to Christ and have continued to show loyalty to the apostle and zeal for the spread of the gospel. At the outset of this epistle he testified about them: “I thank my God whenever I remember you. 'In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy, ⁵because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil. 1:3-5). But even they need to be exhorted to remain faithful to Christ and to the gospel.

Stand Firm in the Lord, by Appreciating the Truth←⤒🔗

In verse three, the Apostle Paul boldly and confidently asserts: “we are the [true] circumcision;” (i.e. we as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are the covenant people of God). Circumcision was the Old Testament sign of the covenant, which marked a man as belonging to the nation of Israel, the covenant people of God. The true people of God in the Old Testament dispensation trusted in the LORD for their salvation and looked forward to the day when the Messiah would come and fulfill His work of redemption; the sacrament of circumcision was the outward sign of their faith and covenantal relationship with the LORD. As we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work of redemption, we become identified with those Old Testament believers as the true covenant people of God.

Paul goes on to define the New Testament community of believers as those “who offer worship by the Spirit of God.” The Greek word (Xατρευω), translated, “to offer worship,” actually has the meaning of offering religious service to God, the type that was offered by the Old Testament priest on behalf of the people. In Romans 9:4, Paul reminds his readers, “the Israelites [possessed] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God (Xατρευω).” The Apostle Paul now applies this term to the worship and service that we as Christians offer to God. But, unlike Old Testament Israel whose service to God had to be offered by the priest who alone could draw near to the LORD, we as New Testament Christians have direct and immediate access to the LORD through the person and work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: “through [Christ] we...have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Eph. 2:18). The sacrifices we offer up are the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving: “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer unto God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Heb. 13:15). The greatest sacrifice we offer up to God as New Testament believers is the sacrifice of own bodies in obedience to His commandments and His will: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship (Xατρεια)” (Rom. 12:1).

Paul further defines the New Testament community of believers as those who “rejoice with confidence in Christ Jesus.” According to 1 Corinthians 1:23, the unbelieving Jews considered the crucified Christ to be a stumbling block and a scandal: “we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block [or, a source of scandal] to the Jews.” But in contrast to them, we rejoice with confidence in the crucified, and risen, Christ: “far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by means of which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14).

Finally, the apostle defines the New Testament community of believers as those who “put no confidence in the flesh.” The unbelieving Jews trusted in their national identity and their religious observance as the means of seeking to gain God’s favor, as the Lord Jesus points out in His parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector: “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself, God, I thank you that I am not like other men: robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tithe of all my income” (Lk. 18:11-12). But in contrast to them, we put our trust in Christ alone.

Notice two things about these declarations the Apostle Paul boldly asserts on behalf of all those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ: First, these declarations are diametrically opposed to the concept of relativism and religious tolerance, the concept that maintains that all religions are of equal merit and have true value as a means of gaining a saving relationship with God. In the apostle’s statements there is the bold assertion of possessing absolute truth and direct and exclusive access to God; exclusive in the sense that such saving access is open only to those who give their heart to Christ, but is offered to all who do so. Second, these declarations are diametrically opposed to all that the world holds to be of religious value, namely, personal merit produced by personal effort; our trust is in the merit of Christ alone and His atoning work on our behalf.

Let us stand firm in the Lord, by appreciating the truth. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except by me” (Jn. 14:6). By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul declares, “there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).

Stand Firm in the Lord, by Pressing on towards the Goal←⤒🔗

Paul’s own personal Christian testimony is contained in verses 13-14,

Brothers, I do not regard myself as having [already] taken hold of [these things]; rather, I do this one thing: forgetting the things that are behind and reaching for the things that lie ahead, ¹⁴I press on to the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Consider the counsel of the Apostle Peter, given as a safeguard against false teachers: “You therefore, beloved...be on guard, so that you will not be led astray by the error of lawless men and fall from your own secure position. ¹⁸But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:17-18). Peter exhorts us, “grow in the grace...of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are to use God’s grace, (His divine resources for godly living), as a means of gaining even more grace; the present use of God’s grace expands our capacity to receive more grace. By way of illustration: You work your muscles on the exercise machine to build more muscle. Likewise, as we apply to our lives the grace God has presently given us we increase our capacity to receive a greater measure of grace. What is the measuring rod to discern growth in grace? We may ask ourselves: “Am I able to do greater things for God, (i.e. I am more able to resist temptation, more able to accept and withstand trials, more able to stand for Jesus), and at the same time am I more conscious that these are the works of God’s grace in me?” This was Paul’s testimony to the Corinthian church: “I worked harder than all of them; not I myself, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10b).

Furthermore, Peter exhorts the Christian, “grow in the...knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are to grow in a greater appreciation for Him: what He has done, what He is doing, what He will do. We are to grow in a greater understanding of Him: how He works in our lives, in His church, and in the world. We are to grow in a greater love for Him: He becoming more precious to us and more important in our lives. We are to grow in a greater experience of Him: having a deeper communion with Him.

Stand firm in the Lord, by pressing on towards the goal. The great British preacher and Bible teacher, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, said, “The only way to avoid falling in the Christian life is to advance. The only way to avoid slipping back is to go forward. There is no such thing as being static in the Christian life.”

We stand firm in the Lord by becoming ever more deeply rooted in His Word, in His grace, and in Christ Himself.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

One of the greatest maritime disasters of all time, the sinking of Titanic, was an avoidable tragedy: it was the result of complacency and negligence.

To avoid spiritual disaster, the departure from Christ and His salvation, the Apostle Paul is careful not to neglect his duty of warning the church and he urges us not to be complacent about our relationship to Christ. Let us take to heart the exhortation: Stand firm in the Lord!

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What are the Philippians exhorted to do? See Phil. 3:1a Is not the best safeguard against departing from the Lord having a satisfying relationship with the Lord: enjoying Him and rejoicing in Him? Note Neh. 8:10b. Do you pray for such a relationship, and are you willing to pursue it?

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. For me it is not tedious to write the same things to you, and for you it is a safeguard. Phil. 3:1

...the joy of the LORD is your strength. Neh. 8:10b

2. What is one way in which we can rejoice in the Lord and develop a satisfying relationship with Him? Note Lk. 1:46-49; As a Christian, do you rejoice in what the Lord has done for you? Note Rom. 5:1-2/1 Thess. 2:12; Do you rejoice in what He has in store for you?

And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on, generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me, holy is his name. Lk. 1:46-49

...having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Rom. 5:1-2

...God...calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 1 Thess. 2:12

3. What is another way in which we can rejoice in the Lord and develop a satisfying relationship with Him? Note 1 Pet. 1:8-9. Do you begin the day with the Lord by means of reading the Scriptures and engaging in worshipful prayer? Do you ever meditate upon the Lord in the evening solitude? Note Psl. 63:5-6,

⁸Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, by believing in him you greatly rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and glorious, ⁹obtaining as the result of your faith the salvation of your souls. 1 Pet. 1:8-9

My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest of foods, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips, ⁶when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate upon you through the watches of the night. Psl. 63:5-6

4. What is yet another way in which we can rejoice in the Lord and develop a satisfying relationship with Him? Note Hab. 3:17-18. Does your Christian joy depend upon your circumstances, or does it transcend whatever circumstances you may presently find yourself? What is the means of experiencing and cultivating this type of steadfast, underlying joy? Note Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:17; Phil. 1:29/Acts 5:41,

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls— ¹⁸Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Hab. 3:17-18

And we know that to them that love God, all things work together for good, to them that are called according to his purpose. Rom. 8:28

...we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward [man] is being renewed day by day; ¹⁷for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory... 2 Cor. 4:16-17

...it has been graciously granted to you, for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. Phil. 1:29

...when they had called the apostles unto them, they beat them... ⁴¹...they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for [Christ’s] name. Acts 5:41

5. How does the Apostle Paul describe the teaching contained in this epistle, written to a mature Christian congregation free from any serious doctrinal errors? See Phil. 3:1b. What doctrines does he cover in this epistle? Note Phil. 2:6-11; Phil. 3:8-11. What is his purpose in so writing? See Phil. 1:3c; note, also, 2 Pet. 1:12-13. Do you get bored hearing the foundational truths of the Scriptures being faithfully preached? Where else will you hear them? What happens if you neglect them? Note Heb. 2:1. Rather than being bored by the repeated hearing of the great truths of Scripture, should you not grow in your wonder of them, in a deeper comprehension and appreciation of them, a greater love for them—and for Christ Himself, the One whom they reveal and by means of which He has brought you into His very life and glory?

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. For me it is not tedious to write the same things to you, and for you it is a safeguard. Phil. 3:1

⁶...existing in the form of God, [Christ] did not regard his being on an equality with God as a thing to be exploited; ⁷on the contrary, he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. Being found as a man in appearance, ⁸he humbled himself by becoming obedient unto death, even death on the cross. ⁹Wherefore, God exalted him to the highest position and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name; ¹⁰so that before the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.Phil. 2:6-11

Referring to his past religion of moralism and the effort to attain God’s favor by means of his own good works, Paul testifies,

⁸Indeed, I regard all such things as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ, ⁹and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that is from God, [received] by faith; ¹⁰so that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death, ¹¹so that I may in some way attain the resurrection from the dead.Phil. 3:8-11

Therefore, I will always stand ready to remind you of these things, even though you know and are established in the truth that is present [with you]. ¹³However, I think that it is right for me, as long as I am [still] in this “tent” [of my earthly body], to stir you up by reminding you of these things... 2 Pet. 1:12-13

Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.Heb. 2:1