THE GOSPEL OF
CHRIST
SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs
(Chapter 3)
Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Timothy Sparks and Ben Bailey.
Timothy Sparks:
“Finally my
brothers, rejoice in the Lord” (Phil. 3:1). I’m Timothy Sparks.
Ben Bailey:
And I’m Ben Bailey. Welcome to our study of the Book of Philippians. Today’s message is being brought
to you by loving, caring members of the churches of Christ. The
As we enter into a study of Philippians 3, we’re going to learn about Paul’s concern over some problems that are occurring. Paul has encouraged these Christians to “walk worthy of the Gospel” (Phil. 1:27). He has encouraged them to “have the mind of Christ,” and not to be so concerned about “self.” Now, in Philippians 3:2, Paul says (with a tone of grave concern), “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation.” This is strong language that is used to describe false teachers and those who are trying to pull Christians away from Christ. They were like a ravenous dog, trying to tear the church apart. They were evil workers, workers of false things, and part of “the mutilation.” This idea of mutilation shows once again that Christianity is designed to be unified. False teachers mutilate, tear apart, and divide the body of Christ. So, Paul tells us what these false teachers are like, what they are doing to Christians, and how we should be aware of them. It’s a strong appeal to us today to likewise recognize false teachers. The Bible teaches us that we can’t just accept every teacher we hear, but that instead we must “test the spirits to see whether they are of God, for many false prophets have gone out” (1 Jn. 4). We must test what we hear. Today, as always, we encourage you to test what we say. Open your Bible and study it. See if what we are saying is true to the Word of God. In Acts 17:11, we read of the Bereans, who were “more noble than those in Thessalonica,” because they opened the Scriptures to see if what was being said was true. As he begins chapter 1, Paul speaks about “rejoicing in the Lord.” But we cannot rejoice when false teachers are spreading their error.
Timothy Sparks:
In Philippians 3:3-4, Paul says, “We are the circumcision,
who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence
in the flesh.” This is a reference to passages in which he mentions circumcision.
Paul is speaking of the true Israel of God—spiritual
Ben Bailey:
That’s right. Paul says, “I count all things loss, for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ” (Phil. 3:8). Here we see “Paul the accountant.” Paul could have taken a sheet of paper and a pencil, and he could have written down everything he possessed in Judaism. But Paul didn’t want to “count up” such things in his own life. He said, “All of this I count as loss, so that I may gain Christ and the knowledge of Him.” The practical lesson from this teaching is that we must not put our trust in self. No matter who you are, how smart you are, or how much you have going for you in this world, we all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross. Jesus died for me, and He died for you. He died for the smartest person or the richest person in this world, as well as those who are not as smart or as rich. We all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross. When it came to the Judaizing teachers, Paul said, in essence, “They think they’re really something. But if they are like me, then they must count all things as loss so they can gain Christ.” The question is: What do we need to give up so that we can gain Christ as well? Maybe you are the CEO of a large corporation, or maybe you are a very important leader among some denominational group. Are you willing to give this up so you can “gain Christ”? It’s not about self. We don’t keep a data sheet of all that we’ve done. We’re just servants in the kingdom. Like Paul, we must “count all of things as loss to gain Christ.”
Timothy Sparks:
Paul said,
“I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Phil. 3:8-10).
Some people might say, “Oh, I want to know Christ,” or, “I know Christ.” But notice what Paul said—“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.” To know Christ and the power of His resurrection means that you’re going to have to have fellowship in suffering with Christ. Suffering is part of living for Christ. We learn from 2 Timothy 3:12, “All who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” You will suffer persecution (to one degree or another) if you are a faithful Christian. When we are persecuted and have to endure some type of reviling or castigation because we are living for Jesus, do we welcome that? In Acts 5:41, whenever the apostles were beaten and treated shamefully, they rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. We need to prepare ourselves for that time, and realize that to know Christ and the power of His resurrection means that we must be willing to have this “fellowship of suffering” so we can be conformed to Christ. Paul wanted us to know that the Christian life is not necessarily a ”bed of roses.”
Ben Bailey:
One of the most challenging passages that I find in all the Bible is Philippians 3:12. Paul says, in essence, “You’ve seen my pedigree, you know where I came from, and you know that I was a ‘rising star’ of Judaism.” Then he says, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” The apostle Paul, one of God’s greatest servants, didn’t feel like he “had already arrived.” So, he pressed on. He kept striving to do God’s will. Too often, it seems, we see Christians who want to “retire” from Christianity. They seem to think that they have achieved all they need to achieve. I don’t think Paul would have said that. Paul would have said, “I have not yet attained all I want to attain. I’m not perfect yet, and so I keep pressing on for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul’s point is that, in this life, we never “arrive.” When you come to the point in your Christian life where you say you’re exactly where you want to be, that is where Satan wants you to be. When you reach a point where you’re comfortable and relaxed, then you know you are not where you ought to be. We must keep pressing on. We must continually strive to do God’s will. Christianity is a religion of continual growth. One of the statements I heard as I was growing up was, “The more I read the Bible, the more I learn how much I don’t know.” How true! If you were to study the Bible your entire life, you still would continue to learn things that you hadn’t learned before. The more you study your Bible, the more you know there’s more you need to know! We must continue to grow. This was Peter’s point in 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” In 1 Peter 2:2, the apostle wrote, “But as newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.” In Hebrews 5, we see something terribly sad. The church had been established about thirty years before the Book of Hebrews was written. Yet we read, “Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again that someone teach you first principles of the oracles of God. You have come to need milk, and not meat” (vs. 12). That may be one of the strongest rebukes in all the Bible. How long have you been a Christian—10, 15, 20 years? How much more do you know now, than you did then? Are you still at that infancy stage? Or have you grown? Have you really “dug into” the meat of God’s Word and learned the will of God? It’s so sad that many people are baptized, and then 20, 30, 40 years later they haven’t grown all that much. We have to continue to grow in Christ. We can grow, and we can know God’s will (Eph. 3:4). It’s not something that’s difficult or impossible. I must make up my mind that there will never be a point in my life when I say, “I’m there.”
Timothy Sparks:
Notice what Paul says
in Philippians 3:13-14, “But one thing I do, forgetting
the things that are behind and reaching forward to the things that are ahead, I
press toward the goal, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.” Here, Paul tells us about his priority in life and his ultimate goal.
He had said in Philippians 1:21 that, as far as his priority, “to live is
Christ and to die is gain.” He said, “Have this mind in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). Now he tells us about our prize in life. He says, “One
thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forward to the
things that are ahead, I press toward the goal, for the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” It’s significant that
Paul focuses on the most important thing—“This one thing I do.” Paul didn’t “major in minors.” His all-consuming
passion was to serve the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. There
is definitely power in pressing on toward the goal. We have to “put first
things first” in our lives by setting a goal. Paul knew he had not yet achieved
his goal. But he did have a goal! And
he knew that there was a prize waiting for him when he reached it. So, he kept
pressing on. He kept reaching forward. We, too, must keep pressing forward in the
Christian life. We are not going to receive our prize just because we chose to
believe in Christ or to be baptized into Christ. That is not the end, but the beginning.
We have to “keep on keeping on.” We must never
give up—a fact that is vividly illustrated in the life of the apostle Paul.
Ben Bailey:
Paul was indeed a great example. And Jesus Himself said much the same thing. In Mark 8:36-37, He said, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Like Paul, we must exhibit a single-minded purpose. Jesus told us that the most important thing we possess in this life is our soul. We must be the type of good servant for God who wants to do His will, and who wants to set aside other things in order to serve God first. We’ve got to have a single-minded purpose—we must want to go to Heaven more than anything else in this life. Is that really what you want right now? More than anything else in life—more than your job, more than your money, more than the lusts and desires of the flesh—do you want to go to Heaven? Do you want to live with God for all eternity? What’s the most important thing you possess? Is it your desire to go to Heaven? If so, you’re going to have to be like Paul and be able to say, “I press toward the goal, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” There’s a race to be won. There’s a prize to be attained. But while we are in that race, we are engaged in a struggle. We are in a battle. Yes, we are in a race. But we’re also in a war with an enemy. The devil wants us to lose. He wants us to do the exact opposite of what Paul did. Paul “forgot those things that were behind, and reached forward to those things that are ahead.” But the devil wants us to delve back into the past. He wants us to look backward instead of forward. If he can get us to look backward to some of the worldly pleasures that we once had, then that’s right where he wants us to be. Too many people can’t go forward in Christianity because they can’t leave their pasts behind. In order to leave the past behind, we must realize that God is not going to hold it against us anymore. “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Heb. 8:12). If God can forgive us, then we must be able to forgive ourselves and to leave our sins in the past so that we can concentrate on the future and the “here and now.” What a wonderful lesson this is for us as God’s people. Today, make sure that the most important thing in your life is going to Heaven.
Timothy Sparks:
In Philippians
3:17, Paul says, “Brethren, join in following my example,
and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.” In other
passages (such as 1 Cor. 11:1), Paul tells Christians, “Imitate me, even as I
also imitate Christ.” He tells Christians to note those who are walking
according to the same rule, and to follow them. But Paul also says, “For many
walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the
cross of Christ: whose end is destruction,
whose god is their belly, and whose
glory is in their shame—who set
their mind on earthly things” (Phil. 3:18-19). Paul makes it clear that
there are some who are enemies of the cross of Christ. He says that their end
is destruction, and that there is not going to be any goal of Heaven waiting for
them because they serve their own selfish desires. And then they even have the
gall to glory in their shame and sinful practices! Paul therefore tells the
Christians in
Ben Bailey:
That’s right. Paul reminds us that such people mind earthly things. In Philippians 3:20-21, Paul tells us where we must put our mindset when he says, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Lord Jesus Who will also transform our lowly body, that it may be like His body.” What a wonderful thought. I’m a stranger in this land; I’m a sojourner on this Earth—because I’m actually a citizen of Heaven. That’s where I want to go, and that’s where I long to be. We live in a wonderful country in many ways, and we are proud citizens of the state or the town in which we live. But isn’t it wonderful to know this is not our final resting place? We don’t have to live here forever. I’m truly a citizen of Heaven itself. Oh what a wonderful thought. I’m eagerly waiting for Jesus—always watching, always prepared—so that when He comes, I can be taken up in the air with Him (1 Thess. 4:13-18). The Book of Philippians is a book about joy. To have true joy, you must have a purpose in life. Paul says, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). To have real joy, you must have the proper person as the role model in life. “Let this mind be in you, which is in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). To have proper joy—to really conduct yourself worthy of the Gospel of Christ—you must seek the proper prize in life. “I press on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12-14). Our prize is that we’re citizens in the heavenly kingdom. In Paul’s comments in this book, we see a wonderful theme about joy, and about living the way God wants us to live. The only way you can really rejoice is to shed the cares and problems of an earthly life. Do you know why so many people are so grief stricken? Do you know why so many people never recover from the loss of a loved one? It’s because they’re connected to this world. It’s because all they see is the “here and now’ is this life. But this life is fleeting; it’s momentary; it’s not what really counts. This Earth is merely a temporary veil of soul making. I’m only here for a little while. My life—compared to the time span that’s already passed and that may continue to pass—is just a drop in the proverbial bucket. We must come to realize that life is so very brief. We must live for God, and do the things God wants us to do. But what, exactly, does God want us to do?
Timothy Sparks:
As we look at what Paul’s saying here, he is definitely
stressing what it means to be a Christian. He wants us to know that our proper place
is not really here on Earth. Rather, our citizenship is in Heaven. If we want to
go to Heaven, we must be followers of Christ. We have to become Christians. Jesus
made that clear when He said, “Unless you believe that I am, you will die in
your sins” (Jn. 8:24). Jesus came to this Earth. He lived among us, showed us
the way to Heaven, and died on the cross. Thanks be to God that, by the power
of resurrection, He raised Christ from the dead. Jesus is alive today, and is
sitting at the right hand of the throne of God in Heaven. That should motivate
us to repent, and to change our minds to conform to His will. Then we can make
the good confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, and we can be
baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins—to live a faithful
Christian life. Are you living for
Christ today? If not, you don’t have the hope of Heaven. We plead with you
today to put on Christ by being immersed to have your sins washed away. We in
the churches of Christ stand ready to help you in any way we can. If you will
contact us, we will be glad to put you in contact with the
Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST is brought to you by loving, caring members
of the
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
You may call 580-223-3289. Please visit us on the
web at www.thegospelofchrist.com.
We encourage you to attend the
1. In Philippians 3:2, Paul uses some extremely strong language to address a certain topic. What was that topic?
2. Who were the “ravenous dogs” and “evil workers” to whom Paul referred in Philippians 3:2?
3. What is the circumcision to which Paul refers in Philippians 3:3-4 and Romans 2:28-29?
4. In Philippians 3:4-6, Paul appears to be boasting. Is he? If not, why does he say the things he does?
5. What is the practical lesson of Philippians 3:8 for Christians today?
6. In Philippians 3:10, Paul spoke of having “fellowship in Christ’s sufferings.” What did he mean by that statement?
7. In Philippians 3:12, Paul wrote, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Explain his comment.
8. What is so sad about the statement in Hebrews 5:12?
9. In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul mentioned that he was “pressing toward” a “prize.” What was that prize?
10. What is the importance of Paul’s comment in Philippians 3:13-14, “forgetting the things that are behind?”
11. How does Hebrews 8:12 factor into Paul’s comment about “forgetting the things that are behind”?
12. In Philippians 3:17, Paul wrote, “Brethren, join in following my example, and
note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.” What was his point in
offering this particular admonition?
13. According to Philippians 3:20-21, Christians don’t really “belong” here on
Earth. Why not?
14. If
you had to choose a single word to describe the contents of the Book of Philippians,
what would that word be?
15. In
Philippians 3:18-19, Paul spoke of some “whose
glory is in their shame.” Who
were these people?
16. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, how will Jesus “retrieve” Christians who
are still alive when He returns?
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST,