Meeting the Judaizers

Transcript

GR 631
1/30/1983
Meeting the Judaizers
Philippians 3:1-3
Gil Rugh

We’ve looked through the first two Chapters in our study together and Paul has focused attention on the matter of the joy that is ours as believers, a joy that is realized as we function together in humility serving one another. And the focal point through this section has been on our relationship to one another as believers in Jesus Christ. The difficulties and obstacles that we face as we attempt to demonstrate the character of Jesus Christ and the focal point has been on the need for humility among one another as believers. The expression of that humility by serving one another, the result of this will be the realization of the joy of the Lord in our lives.

We looked at some of the examples that Paul gave of humility in practice, Jesus Christ being the focal point in Chapter 2; Paul gave himself as an example of pouring out his life for the benefit of the Philippians believers. Timothy was an example of one who didn’t serve his own interests but the interests of Jesus Christ. Then in our last study together we looked at the man Epaphroditus, a man who threw aside all restraints, all constraints in his service for the Philippians and Paul focuses on that fact. In verse 30, he came close to death for the work of Christ risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me, and you see the connection; he served the Philippians, in doing so he was serving Jesus Christ.

So as we function properly with one another and for one another, we in effect are manifesting our service to Jesus Christ in carrying out his purposes for us. We noted in the conclusion of our study, the focal point on that word translated risking in verse 30 that Epaphroditus in effect was a gambler, one who was willing to abandon himself to the service of Jesus Christ to be reckless in the service of Jesus Christ, to serve Christ without restraint regardless of the cost personally that he might experience.

Now when you come to Chapter 3, Paul is going to change gears a little bit. He’s going to focus attention now on the danger that confronts the Philippians primarily from outside influence, from false teaching and false teachers who would distort and corrupt the message of grace. We see a dimension of Paul’s life and aspect of his personality brought out here that appears in other letters that he writes. Paul’s ministry was plagued by the Judaizers. The Judaizers were Jews who professed faith in Jesus Christ but said that faith in Christ was not adequate to make a person all that God wanted them to be. You must also add faith in Christ, the requirements of the law and particularly circumcision became the focal point.

So that they would often follow Paul in his ministry. And as Paul would leave the town they would come and say Paul has presented to you the gospel of Jesus Christ and that is wonderful. But there is a dimension that Paul has failed, distressed and that is it is overwhelmingly important and necessary that you also obey the law of Moses and submit to circumcision if you are truly to experience God’s salvation and God’s blessing in your life. Nothing so aroused the Apostle Paul as the Judaizers.

We see a dimension of Paul’s life revealed here that of anger, a righteous anger if you will. As he has no patience, no tolerance and no openness at all to consider those who would promote such a message as being friends, being those that he could associate or work with. The whole letter to the Galatians you remember was written to combat this very heresy. And Paul opened up that letter in the First Chapter by declaring that anyone who preached any other gospel then the gospel which he preached, the gospel of grace salvation by faith alone is under the curse of God.

And Paul goes on to say I don’t care if it’s angels who preached us the gospel, they’re under a curse as well because the only angels who would preach us the gospel are fallen angels. The demonic being who themselves are destined to hell. So going to be a strong section, Paul is going to have some strong things to say. I think it’s important that we prepare ourselves and be ready. We don’t want to say more than God says we don’t want to say less than God says. We want to have God’s perspective as we look at the matter of Paul’s teaching and falls teachers.

Chapter 3 opens up with the word finally, and as you note we still have two Chapters to go. And Paul will say finally again down in Chapter 4 and verse 8 and he’ll still have a little ways to go. Paul uses this word quite often in his letters he uses it in the middle of the letter to the Thessalonians. It does not mean now I’m done, the expression literally means as for the rest. And what you’re saying is he is changing gears, changing emphasis or his subject now.

So we’re moving to a new area or a new emphasis in the area that we’ve been talking about. So as for the rest; my brethren, and again that expression my brethren the warmth that characterizes his writings and that’s important to see because in verse 1 there’s warmth, in verse 2 there’s fire indignation, wrath. Rejoice in the Lord. Now Paul is writing from prison. He’s anticipating the opposition of Judaizers who will attempt to corrupt the message of Christ and yet here he writes brethren keep on rejoicing in the Lord not in your circumstances necessarily but in the Lord regardless of the circumstances. So they are going to be facing some opposition from some terrible teachers, but in the midst of it all brethren keep on rejoicing.

Now it’s a key theme in the letter to the Philippians just remind ourselves come back to Chapter 1 verse 18, Chapter 1 verse 18 what then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice. Now twice there Paul says I’m rejoicing and I’ll continue to rejoice. You know only the Christ is proclaimed and keep that in mind because when we jump to Chapter 3 those who proclaim Christ as part of your salvation rather than the totality of your salvation does not cause Paul to rejoice. So he rejoices over the proclamation of Christ in Chapter 1 even when the motivation may not be right.

He does not rejoice over the preaching of a corrupted message, important to see the difference. The message is preached correctly in Chapter 1 but not with the correct motivation. The message is preached in a corrupted form in Chapter 3 and with that Paul has no tolerance. Look down in Chapter 2 verse 17. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all; and you too, I urge you rejoice in the same way share your joy with me.
Down in verse 28 of Chapter 2 therefore I’ve sent them all the more eagerly in order that when you see him again you may rejoice, a constant stress on joy rejoicing. Over in Chapter 4 verse 4 rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice. Now that does not mean things are always the way we want them to be. Paul is not pleased about the false teachers; that does not mean he should not be rejoicing in the Lord.

In verse 10 of Chapter 4 but I rejoiced in the Lord greatly. Now so that repeated emphasis of rejoicing, it reminds him in Chapter 3 verse 1 keep on rejoicing, present tense in the Lord. Now important, pocket of focused attention on his problems in his imprisonment and thought I don’t have any reason to be rejoicing but he is still in the Lord is he not? And in the Lord we can always be rejoicing. He could have focused attention on the Judaizing teachers who attempted to undo the ministry of the Apostle Paul and said boy, everybody has a reason to be unhappy I do, but he says keep on rejoicing in the Lord because the Lord does not change. My position in the Lord does not change. So my privilege of continual rejoicing does not change.

To write the same things again is no trouble to me and it is a safeguard to you. In fact Paul says I’m going to write to you what I’ve written before. I’m going to say what I have said before. Here comes some repetition, but it is good repetition. It’s no trouble to me means to be a burden, to be troublesome and it’s a vexation that comes from waiting. So I don’t find this a burden to repeat myself and for you it is a safeguard.

Let me tell you little bit about the background of this word safeguard. The word meant to trip up, to overthrow, to cause the fall or to stumble. That mean he took this word uses an adjective here and put a negative prefix on the front, it has to do anything that upsets the stability or firmness. Now you can see the connection if something is caused to fall, caused to stumble it’s lost its stability, its firmness. So this is not a burden to me and it is a safeguard to you. It keeps you stable and firm is what it does.

I think the important point here; we often overlook the importance of repetition both for ourselves and for those that we minister to. Ever find yourself when you go to a class I know it doesn’t happen when you come to the sermons but when you go to a Sunday school class and you come to a passage that you’re relatively familiar with, you think oh no, I was hoping it would be something a little more interesting or exciting. And your mind almost gets thrown into neutral or it begins to wander from the track because you just assumed I know that, you know I don’t need to be told that again.

Well Paul here says that it is a safeguard; repetition is a safeguard to keep us firm in the faith. I need to be reminded, and I need also to remember that others need to be reminded. I’m impressed by how much repetition there is in the scripture. You come to it and say oh boy, what am I going to say to them, I’ve already told them this so many times and yet I need to be reminded they are like to be a burden to me. I need to recognize you need to be reminded, I need to be reminded that will keep help to keep us firm and stable in the faith I’m impressed.

How many Christians get off the track on the simple basic thing on the Christian life? And it is not that we do not have enough knowledge in those areas, it’s that the knowledge is not being incorporated into our lives. And so God uses repetitions to drive home the point to us. Paul made a practice of constantly reminding the people that he ministered to of the dangers of false teaching and false teachers. It’s a danger that we have not picked up on enough today.

Too many Christians have been sucked in, they thinks that they have no business having any associations with and they have heard it and heard it, but it’s not being impressed enough upon us. So Paul is preparing them now for what he has to say. It’s no trouble to me, I don’t find this a burden and for you it’s a safeguard. It will give you the stability and firmness that you need in the faith.

Verse 2 he gets right to the subject beware, word that means to be on the lookout for something, to be watching, to be constantly looking with the idea of carefulness. Beware, gives a good translation, a good sense. You know he repeats it three times in verse 2 beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision. What he is going to do is describe the Judaizing teachers three ways and each time he prefixes it by the statement, beware in the present tense, be constantly looking out for. You know what happens, we read a section like this, we’re taught a section like this but we forget it down the road. We are to be constantly on the lookout for false teachers and false doctrine that’s the instruction here. Be constantly looking out for.

Some strong language here. Strong language not acceptable among polite people. This is not the way to win friends and influence people. This will endear the Apostle Paul to the people he is writing about because he launches right in beware of the dogs. Now he is not concerned that somebody is going to get rabies in Philippi that’s obvious in the context. Actual physical dogs aren’t the issue so you know what he has done? He has taken the title dog and applied it to the Judaizing teachers.

Now it’s hard for us to appreciate, we think what a terrible thing to say but as we think of dogs we think of the cute little house pets we have pattering around our homes or some of the not so cute little house pets that we have pattering around our homes. But in the Middle East, particularly in biblical times the dogs were the scavengers, they roamed the streets ownerless and they fed on the refuse, on the filths of the streets. They were a constant plaguing problem. For the Jews they were the most despised and miserable of the animals. They reserved the title dogs for the Gentiles and that was an apt description.

What Paul does that he takes their own language and turn it back on them. You are the dogs, the miserable, wild wretched scavengers who feed on filths and dispense filth. Now that’s a strong statement, but it drives home in a jarring way to the Philippians the character of these false teachers. Now, and you keep in mind these are religious people he is writing about. They are people who prided themselves in their great morality. They went to lengths to preserve a certain ceremonial purity that would drive us up the wall.

The reason Paul is attacking them is because they are taking religious principles and wedding them to the message of Jesus Christ as essential for salvation. I say that because as we look at these people they would be the religious moral people of the day. Those are the one that he is addressing as the dogs; the wretched scavengers. Beware of the dogs. Now you may have in mind here in the background the writing of Isaiah because Isaiah used the same terminology to describe the false prophets of his day

Turn back to Isaiah 56, Isaiah Chapter 56. Isaiah writes about the false prophets of his day, those who were greedy, those who distorted and corrupted the word of God. In Isaiah Chapter 56 verse 10 his watchmen are blind all of them know nothing, all of them are dumb dogs unable to bark, dreamers lying down who loved to slumber. The dogs are greedy they are not satisfied they are shepherds who have no understanding, they have all turned to their own way each one to his unjust gain to the last one. So you see Paul has good precedent for such terminology because Isaiah under the inspiration of the spirit of God said that the false prophets of his they were dogs and goes on to characterize them. I was interested just look in some of the passages in the New Testament. Where animals are used to describe the likeness of false teachers now the focal point for this very abusive and strong language are the false teachers, the false prophets, the false preachers they come in for the harshest condemnations.

Look over in Mathew Chapter 3. Mathew Chapter 3 verse 7. John the Baptist is the preacher. Mathew 3:7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees the religious leaders in Judaism coming for baptism he said to them "You brood of vipers! That’s direct to the point language you’re a brood of poisonous snakes who warned you to flee from the wrath to come.” See describing them with such strong terminology as a brood of vipers’, poisonous snakes.

Look over in Mathew Chapter 7 verse 15. Jesus is speaking "Beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." Here Jesus describes false prophets as ravenous wolves out to the devour and ruin people. Over in Acts Chapter 20 Paul warns the religious leaders the elders at Ephesus. And in Acts Chapter 20 verse 29. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock. Here he warns us of savage wolves who is he talking about, he is talking about Judaizing teachers for one, those who would come in with false teaching and false doctrine and bring ruin and havoc to the Church of Jesus Christ.

This kind of terminology is picked up by Peter. Just jot down Second Peter Chapter 2 verse 22. He describes false teachers there as dogs returned to their own vomits. That’s rather gross don’t you think. See that’s what false teachers are alike. Dogs who return to their own vomit, pigs that wallow in the mire in the same verse. In Jude verse 10 Jude likens false teachers to unreasoning animals fit only for destruction. Strong terminology.

So back in Philippians Chapter 3 when Paul writes of these false teachers as beware of the dogs. He is in the flow of the teaching of the rest of scripture and I stress this because there is a tolerance and an acceptance for false teaching and false teachers today that is unbecoming the word of God. Now I realize we go to two extremes. We have those who tear apart fellow believers and they misunderstand who the enemy is. Then we have those Christians who react to that and they want to be nice to everybody and that’s unbiblical also.

I was watching an interview, it just happened to pick it up yesterday. Perhaps some of you saw it with a man who is representative out of the National Council of Churches. And during this interview the issue of salvation never once came up. Much emphasis on the relationship and the bridges we built with all this different religious groups. But the issue of personal faith in Christ was a non issue. Issue of salvation is a non issue. The man fits the category that Paul is talking about. He comes in with an emphasis on how we all are drawn together and distorts and corrupts the truth of the message of God.

He’s not done Philippians Chapter 3 verse 2 beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers. Now I think it is interesting terminology we’ve stressed in our study of Philippians how Paul stresses that we as believers are to be working and toiling in our service for Jesus Christ. And you know when Satan makes account of it, he makes a good count of it and you know what those who represent Satan and his doctrine are hard workers.

One other thing that has impressed me and is probably impressed you is how hard and devoted so many of these people in the cults and false worship systems really are. They have a zeal and an enthusiasm and an energy in promoting their false doctrine that often puts us as believe it to shave and Paul touches on here. Beware; be watching out for evil workers. These word workers, where we get the word energy from. They are energetic but with a perverted zeal they are active in pursuit of people to win them over to their false doctrine. So you see we’re in a conflict we’re in a conflict with a false that is energetic, that is willing to toil and labor.

Look over in Mathew Chapter 23 Jesus spoke of this fact. Mathew Chapter 23 verse 15. Again you note who the world is pronounced on. Its religious leaders "woe to you," Mathew 23:15 "scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites because you travelled about on sea and land to make one proselyte; one convert and when he becomes one you make him twice as much the son of hell as yourself." And you know there’s no lack of energy expended. They’re willing to travel on land and sea to win one convert. That’s like spending a lot of energy going to a lot of work and a lot of trouble but you know what, Jesus said once you won that convert he’s twice as much as son of hell as you are.

We need to be careful sometimes we develop an admiration for people and respect because of the diligence that they apply. You find no respect given in the scripture for false teachers. No matter how hard they work Paul says they are evil workers. Oh here look over well, just jot Luke 13 verse 27. Luke 13:27 when Jesus meets out judgment he’ll say depart from me you workers of the inequity, and again there they are active but in their activity they are promoting inequity, they are promoting evil.

Second Corinthians Chapter 11 verse 13 Paul calls them deceitful workers. Now again, they are workers but the outcome of their work is evil. So back in Philippians Chapter 3 verse 2 Paul calls them evil workers that word evil means base, morally corrupt and they are morally corrupt workers because they are promoting a gospel that is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has a third way to describe them. Beware of the false circumcision and we lose entirely here the trust of what Paul says. Beware, beyond the lookout for the false circumcision. He does not use the word false and he does not use the word circumcision here. He uses one word; it’s the word that means mutilation.

He literally says beware of the mutilation. Now it’s a play on words with circumcision in the next verse. They claim to be teaching circumcision, Paul says you teaching mutilations. Now important here because you see what they’ve done, they have taken a biblical teaching and are presenting it in a corrupt way. Well what have they done they have taken a truth of scripture and corrupted it. That’s not the bible teach. Is this not God’s covenant with Israel, therefore to be acceptable before God you must be circumcised. So believe in Christ plus receive circumcision and you have God’s salvation and God’s blessing. Paul says you are teaching mutilation not circumcision.

Interesting, this word mutilation used in the own Old Testament only of those activities forbidden by God such as the pagans would practice where they would cut themselves remember when Elijah confronted the priest of Baal and they slashed themselves with their knifes, this word is used. They were mutilating themselves. For God is concerned it has no good religious connotation at all. As far as Paul is concerned you are mutilating the body. So I won’t dignify it by calling it circumcision, its mutilation.

Now, oh the strong word you dogs, evil workers, mutilation you Philippians beyond the lookout for such teachers. Be constantly watching for them as they’ll seek to come and lead you astray 4 verse 3 now he is going to draw attention to those who are truly the followers of Christ who truly worship him and there are marked contrasts. And you know give the characteristics of those who are the true worshipers, the true circumcision in verse 3 then in our next study together we will look beginning with verse 4 where Paul gives himself as an example who was one who fit the category of verse 2 until Jesus Christ in the work of salvation in his life.

"For we are the true circumcision "we are true the circumcision literally we have the true inserted because in our English translation we’ve made the contrast between false and true but later the end of verse 2 says beware of the mutilation for we are the circumcision. So we believers in Jesus Christ are the circumcision anyone who comes and teaches you anything about needing physical circumcision are those of the mutilation. "We are the circumcision "and what Paul is picking up here is on circumcision marks a person off as belonging to God. That’s what physical circumcision was to do for Israel.

Be a physical sign that these people belong to God. It was to be practiced upon the people of Israel as a sign of their faith. When the parents would circumcise the child on the eighth day they would be evidencing faith in Jehovah and the covenant that he had given. It was to mark them up as a sign, physical sign as belonging to God. The problem was that the sign became everything and the physical right became necessary for salvation as the Jews corrupted it that was never the case. Throughout the Old Testament, and we don’t have time to look into the passages now. God spoke of the circumcision of the heart, the circumcision of the ears, the circumcision of the lips. He was looking for a spiritual transformation and without that spiritual transformation the physical act was repulsive before God.

Look back in Acts Chapter 7 Stephen refers to this in the condition of the Jews of this day in Acts Chapter 7 verse 51. You man addressing the Jews particularly the leaders of the Jews who are about to put into death "You men who are stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears." And you see how he categorize them. What they lack is the circumcision of the heart, that spiritual transformation that would set them apart as belonging to God and without that physical circumcision was nothing, it was a mutilation; it was a corruption of the truth.

Over in Colossians just after the Book of Philippians in Colossians Chapter 2 verse 11 Paul writing of what happens to us when we come to believe in Jesus Christ as the one who died for us. Verse 11 in him you also were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. There was a spiritual transformation, a change a removal of the body of the flesh; I was made a new creature in Christ that spiritual circumcision. God require that in the Old Testament of Israel, a physical circumcision was to have any significance.

So back in Philippians Chapter 3. When Paul says we are the circumcision that’s what he is writing about. We are those who have the true relationship with God who are those set apart as belonging to him who do what, what are the signs of the marks of the circumcision those who truly belong to God. Three marks just as there was three ways of characterizing the Judaizers in verse 2 there’s three ways of characterizing the true believers in verse 3. We are the true circumcision one who worship in the spirit of God. We worship in the spirit of God. Our worship is a result of the spirit of God’s ministry in our spirits enabling us to carry on a spiritual worship.

Remember in John Chapter 4 verse 24 Jesus said that they who worshiped God must worship him in spirit and in truth and so we are those who worship God in the spirit of God. And I take it is God’s spirit working in our spirit that enables us to worship God. The constant pressure and tendency among mankind is to make worship a matter of physical activity. Never go away and say well I just didn’t feel like I worshiped today. And we imply something was wrong with the physical activities. Now they may have been the word of God may not have been taught, false doctrine may have been taught and doesn’t inhibit worship but I walk away well I don’t feel like I worship I need and to stop and ask myself what was wrong.

Worship is something that needs to characterize me all the time not just when I come to this building at this time of day. Whoever said that those are the true circumcision who worship in the auditorium of Indian Hills Community Church at 10.15 on Sunday morning. The tendency is one who move toward physical activity, now I’m glad you came. I am not saying you ought to stay home and sleep. There is a place for coming together as believers for corporate worship, study of the word. I’m saying that’s not what worship is all about. Worship is a spiritual matter. Some of you have come this morning and leave without worshiping. Some of you will leave and worship just as much at 3 O’clock this afternoon as you did it 10 O’clock this morning because we worship in the realm of the spirit, the spirit of God moves in our spirit and we worship God. We offer our spiritual service of worship.

Now Romans Chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 uses this same word other way of translated worship here and talking about our spiritual service of worship, not being conformed to the world but being transformed either renewing of our mind that we might worship God in an acceptable manner. So we worship in the spirit of God. Now the next two go together, we have the positive and negative sides. Even though there were three points the second one gives really has two sides, the positive sides and the negative sides. One and its point two but the first side we glory in Christ Jesus.

Those who have a true relationship with God are those who have their lives focused in Jesus Christ. Now note that, not in the church as we know it as a physical organism. Not in certain religious activities but whose lives are focused in Jesus Christ. The Judaizers had their lives focused in a physical right circumcision. Some people today have their lives focused in baptism, in conformation, in the receiving of the sacraments; but those who truly belong to God have their lives focused in Jesus Christ, not in a physical activity. You’re life focuses in Indian Hills Community Church, you’re in trouble because it’s not a physical matter it’s a matter of having our lives focused in Jesus Christ.

Look at First Corinthians Chapter 2. First Corinthians Chapter 2 verse 2. Paul says, for I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucify. Paul said the focal point of my life is I ministered among you. The focal point of my message was the person of Jesus Christ and his work providing salvation by his death on the cross. We glory in Christ Jesus, we boasted him favorite word of Paul. He uses this word 35 times in his letters it’s only used two other times in all the rest of the New Testament. Boasting, glorying he determine to know nothing among you because I glory in Christ.

Come back to Galatians just a couple of pages before Philippians Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. In Galatians Chapter 6 verse 14, Galatians 6:14 but may it never be that I should boast that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ through which the word is being crucified to me and I to the world. Then he wrote to the Corinthians same thing he writes in the Philippians those who truly belong to God have their lives focused in Jesus Christ. He is what it’s all about. That’s how you can tell a person who truly belongs to God. You talk to them about the salvation, where does their life focus oh yes, I was baptized, oh yes I was confirmed, oh yes I went to catechism classes, oh yes I’ve taken the sacraments, oh yes, I am a member at Indian Hills Community Church, oh yes what, have nothing to do with your salvation, nothing because those who belong to God are those who glory in Christ Jesus. Now do we have the difference?

Some will get their idea that I believe that only those who come to Indian Hills are saved. That’s not right we have a group of ministries in town that became upset with Indian Hills because they said that I teach you can only be saved if you come to Indian Hills. Well if they come to Indian Hills some of them might get saved and that would be good but salvation is not a result of coming to Indian Hills. I believe that some people who come to Indian Hills week after week after week after week have no relationship with God because the relationship with God is found at solely on a person recognizing their sinfulness and placing their faith in Jesus Christ as the one who died to pay the penalty for their sin, believing that he was raised from the death because the penalty had been paid and that’s God’s way of salvation whether you attend Indian Hills Community Church, whether you attend you tend any other Church in town or you don’t want to tend any Church. So I want that to be clear. The focal point is you must be glorying in Christ Jesus he is the focal point.

Come back to Philippians Chapter 3. Last statement, last characteristic Paul gives here. And put no confidence in the flesh that’s key. Put no confidence in the flesh. Lot of Judaizers want to do, they want to put some confidence in Christ and some confidence in the flesh. Paul says those who truly belong to God have all their confidence in Christ and none in the flesh that’s why a person who believes that you must trust Christ plus be circumcised is not safe. That’s why just as really a person who believes you must believe in Christ plus be baptized is not safe. A person who believes you must trust Christ plus be a member of a certain Church is not saved.

Now that’s not true because I said it that’s true because God says it here you must glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Now is that’s clear. There is no reason for confusion who are we to be looking out for? The dogs, the evil workers, the mutilations. Those who would teach that it’s necessary to believe in Christ and also do something physical, something in addition to experience God’s salvation and God’s blessing we’re to be on the lookout for those.

Now we find those who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ trying to find ways to cuddle up to them. Paul could have said about the Judaizers well, you know at least they say you ought to trust Christ, at least they say they say believe he was the Messiah, at least they agree that he is the son of God, at least they agree that he was raised from the death. You know what they’ve done they have corrupted the message.

It’s not what we agree on that is significant it is what we do not agree on. We do not agree that salvation is a matter of faith in Christ alone plus nothing and anyone who teaches its faith in Christ plus anything else Paul says beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation they are distorting and corrupting the word of God to make it of no power and no affects. Where do you stand today, how alert are you as a believer, how do you feel about taking a stand on these issues.

Are you a one who is on the alert for these things, you’d have the wrath and anger of God against such teaching, its blasphemy. I want to stand where God stands, and anyone who teaches such a thing falls under the curse of scripture would that the whole city knew where this church stands regarding the truth of the word of God concerning salvation by faith in Christ alone. Where do you stand personally in regard due relationship to God, do you belong to him. Doesn’t matter whether you were baptized, confirmed, sacramentalized and everything else they do. They have nothing to do with your relationship with God.

The Jews that had everything and Paul’s going to move into this in our next study, he himself is an example. There was nothing else you could do in the physical realm. When Paul is all set and done he says I put it all in the dung heap, the manure pile, because it was absolutely worthless regarding bringing me into a right relationship with God. Do you have your faith in Christ alone, maybe a regular attender here, maybe even baptized here; but do you trust in Jesus Christ as your savior, that’s the issue. You focus in him and nothing else; if not, that’s what you need to do, it’s simple, it’s clear. Trust Jesus Christ and you have salvation.

For those of us who have our responsibility is clear. I am going to keep on reminding you because I need to be reminded, you need to be reminded that we maintain our firmness, our stability. We would be a people who are alert for those who would come and corrupt the message that we might proclaim in ourselves in its purity that the spirit might use it to draw others to salvation in Christ.

Father, we praise you this morning for a message that is clear and understandable. Father, thank you for the truth of your word, the truth of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone; Father a message we’ve heard so many times, yet Lord I pray that the repetition may not cause us to take it lightly, to be careless with it. Father, make us as a people alert, to be constantly looking out for those who would teach a corrupted message, who would distort the glorious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Father, give us the right kind of anger and indignation to stand against them, to oppose them. Lord, to proclaim the purity of your word in a way that’s honoring to you. Lord, I pray that you’ll help each one here to examine themselves personally that we each might be careful that our faith is in Christ alone and not in those things which are irrelevant and of no importance. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.