Welcome to Reign of Grace. This program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. It is our pleasure and privilege to present to you the gospel message of the sovereign grace and glory of God in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today's program will be a blessing to you. Thank you for listening. And now for today's program. Welcome to our program. I'm glad you could join us. If you'd like to follow along in your Bibles, I'm going to go back to a passage that I started last week. It was part one on the issues of faith and repentance. This is part two, and it'll be the conclusion. Faith and repentance, and I'm in Philippians chapter three. if you'd like to follow along in your Bibles, Philippians three. And I dealt with just the first three verses last week. And this verse three of Philippians chapter three is such a pivotal verse because it's kind of like a little description, summary of what a true believer, a sinner saved by grace really is. And he starts off, let me just read that to you. Verse three, he says, for we are the circumcision. Now what he's talking about is not physical circumcision there that the Jews required. He's talking about spiritual circumcision. And he's doing this against the backdrop of Jewish unbelievers who claim to be Christian who crept into these Gentile churches and sought to get the Gentile males who claimed to be believers to be circumcised physically. They'd say, you must be circumcised, or you can't really say you're saved, can't really say you're righteous, can't have any true assurance. And of course, Paul dealt with that subject in the book of Galatians very clearly. He said, if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. In other words, if you claim to be a believer in Christ, but you feel like you have to be circumcised to really be saved, you're denying Christ. And that's what he called the concision, the mutilators back up in verse two. So when he says we are the circumcision, he's talking about circumcision of the heart, the mind, the affections, the will, the conscience. which comes in the new birth. If you wanna know what Paul talked about that in Romans chapter two, I think it's verse 28 and 29 if I'm not mistaken. But he said, he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, not of the flesh, and all of that. In other words, he said, if you really want, the name Jew, it's a shortened form of the tribe, the name of the tribe of Judah, which means to praise God. And really, it boils down to this. If you think you're praising God by preaching salvation conditioned on sinners, their works, their efforts, their will, or you think anything a sinner does, such as circumcision, if you think you're praising God, you're not. Because those who praise God rest in Christ for all salvation. So he says, we who believe in Christ, we are the circumcision, and here's the evidence of it, which worship God in the Spirit. And as I said last week, some people say that should be capitalized, meaning the Holy Spirit. Others say it's talking about the new life, spiritual life that we're given in the new birth. It could be both, but I think it's probably the new life because he's talking about spiritual circumcision, which is the new birth, giving us a new heart. A new life within, spiritual life. We're born spiritually dead in Adam. Spiritually depraved. And have no desire for the true things that glorify God in Christ. The natural man receiving not the things of the Spirit of God. And so we understand that. You who were dead in trespasses and sin, hath he quickened. That's all of that. So, he says number one, we worship God in the Spirit. We worship God according to His truth in the Bible, whatever God says about Himself here that distinguishes Him from idols. The true Christ, whatever is said about Christ in the glory of His person and the power of His finished work, as opposed to counterfeits. True grace of salvation, which is all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. In other words, if I worship God in the Spirit, I realize that there's not one spiritual blessing, eternal blessing, that I can say that I've earned or deserve. It's all of grace. Based on the righteousness of Christ. And that comes to the next thing. We rejoice or we boast or we have confidence in Christ Jesus. Not in ourselves. Not in the preacher. not in our church membership, not in our baptism, but in Christ alone and Him alone. That's it. And so we plead His blood as the final and full payment of all the sins of His people that secures their salvation. We plead His righteousness as our justification before God, His righteousness imputed to us. Romans 4, 6, the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord impute righteousness without works. Our sins imputed to Him, charged to Him, accounted to Him, and He went to the cross and satisfied the debt. That's propitiation. And we have confidence in Him. We live our lives by the power of the Spirit, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Now that's faith. rejoice in Christ Jesus, and then here's repentance. Verse three, have no confidence in the flesh. My confidence of salvation is not in me or what I do. Now, am I to be an obedient servant of God? Yes. Am I to love God and love my neighbor, especially my brethren in Christ? Yes. Am I to strive to be obedient? Am I to fight the sins of the flesh? Yes, all of that. But my confidence of salvation is not in that. Not in me. It's in Christ alone. So Paul gives some detail now in the rest of these verses, beginning at verse four. And he starts with his life before regeneration, describing the things of which God had brought him to repent of. Now understand this about repentance. Repentance comes with faith. Faith is the way to get to repentance. I'm gonna show you. Even though Paul starts here with the things that he repented of, He got there, the gift of faith and the gift of repentance. God gives faith in Christ and repentance from dead works and idolatry together. But faith is the foundation grace that lays the foundation within our hearts to where we come to Christ. And it's a gift. We don't have it by nature. Faith is not natural to the natural man. He's unregenerate, he's spiritually dead, he's totally depraved. He may be religious, and most are. He may be sincere and dedicated to his religion, most are, but it's false until we are brought by the Spirit in the new birth to believe in Christ, till we're given the gift of faith. Faith's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. And so he begins here, he says in verse four, now remember he said he has no confidence in the flesh. And he says, though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. Now Paul, what he's saying there is in his life before the new birth, before faith came, before God brought him to repentance, if there's anybody who could have had confidence in the flesh, he's saying, I could have exceeded them. I'd go beyond them. And then he listed, he says in verse five, circumcised the eighth day. Now that's according to the law. The male children under the old covenant were to be circumcised on the eighth day. And he says, of the stock of Israel, All right, he was an Israelite, a Jew, known as to be God's chosen people under the old covenant. And these are things that Paul had confidence in. In other words, he'd say, I know I'm a child of God. I know I'm saved. I know I'm going to heaven. Why? Because I was circumcised the eighth day. I'm of the stock of Israel. He goes on, of the tribe of Benjamin. The tribe of Benjamin was an honored tribe. A Hebrew of the Hebrews. What's Paul saying there? He was a full-blooded Hebrew. He didn't think there was any mixture. He wasn't a Samaritan. As touching the law of Pharisee. The Pharisees were known as going above and beyond the call of duty. You remember in Luke 18, the parable of the publican and the Pharisee, the Pharisee started off, he says, I thank God I'm not like other men. I fast twice a week, I do this, I give more, more than the tithe. In other words, he exceeded other people in sincerity and moral behavior under the law. And so he's saying it's touching the law of Pharisee. Verse six, concerning zeal, persecuting the church. Now how would that make, how could he have both confidence in? At that time, before Paul was converted on the road to Damascus, he looked at the true church and Jesus of Nazareth as being blasphemous, being a cult, idolatry. And so in his religious zeal, he sought to persecute them. You know, when he was converted on the road to Damascus, as one preacher said, he wasn't on his way to a prayer meeting there. He was on his way to arrest believers and put them in prison, have them tried and killed. But God stopped him. So he says, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Now what he's talking about is outwardly. the righteousness which is of the law." In other words, following the law of Moses. Nobody could rightly accuse him of breaking the law. Now, he was a lawbreaker. Read Romans chapter 7 and he'll tell you that. In fact, he'll tell you he was the chief of sinners. But he didn't realize it at that time until God opened his eyes. And how did God open his eyes? Now, all those things that he listed here, having confidence in the flesh, he didn't have any confidence in them now. See, he had confidence in Christ, but not in these things. How did God bring him to that point? Well, look at verse seven. Now here's where we come to the issues of faith. And he says, but what things were gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ. That's how. Christ stopped him. on the Damascus road and revealed himself to Paul. And he sent him to a man to preach to him the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace. The power of the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. To everyone that believeth, Jew first, Greek also, doesn't matter. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. the gospel. And he learned who Christ is and what Christ had done as the Lord his righteousness. And in light of Christ, in the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, realizing what a sinner he was and is, and realizing what a Savior Christ is, he came to this conclusion, with the things that were gained before, being circumcised the eighth day, stock of Israel, tribe of Benjamin, all of that, which he was so proud of, which he had confidence in, which he thought proved his salvation, now he counted them loss for Christ. What he put in the gain column, now he puts in the loss column. And what he put in the loss column before, Christ and His blood, he puts in the gain column. And listen to what he says, he describes it further, verse 8. He says, Yea, doubtless, I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. That's how God brings his people to repentance. You know, the book of 2 Peter 3, chapter three and verse nine says that God's not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Well, he's talking about God's elect there, not everybody without exception. And he tells them that the goal is to bring them to repentance. In other words, you know, and reason why there is a distinction, you know, faith and repentance are both gifts from God that come forth to his people, by the Spirit through Christ. And the reason they do, because a lot of people will claim to believe the true gospel, but they won't repent of their dead works. And that's a lie. So what we see here is that faith and repentance come together. And repentance is more than just feeling sorry for your sins. It's a change of mind and heart. It's a change of God. It's a change. The way I used to think about salvation, I don't think about it that way anymore. That's dung, that's loss. Look at what he says in verse eight. He says, in the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win or gain Christ. You see, you can't have it both ways. You can't say, well, I believe in Christ, in the glory of his person and the power of his finished work, and still hold on to that counterfeit Christ that you had before. It's a change of mind and heart that God brings us to, where he convicts us of our sin and of righteousness and of judgment, and brings us to Christ, which is turning away from everything else. I heard a preacher say one time years ago, and I believe it's true. He said, we all think we are saved before we're saved, until we're saved. You understand what I'm saying? People think today, and this has always been the case, they think they're saved because of all the experiences that they've had, because they, as I mentioned last week, they walked an aisle, they got baptized, or they stopped doing certain things that society looks down upon, stopped drinking, stopped smoking, stopped cussing. Well, listen. I mean, sure, if you're drunk, stop drinking. A believer, if a person is born again by the Spirit and he was a drunk, stop it. And they stop this, taste not, touch not, handle not. But those things are not our righteousness before God. Now look here. He says that I may win Christ, look at verse nine of Philippians three. and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. Now that's the faithfulness of Christ himself to do what he agreed to do, what he promised to do before the foundation of the world in the covenant of grace. And what did he agree to do? He agreed to come to this world and unite with a sinless human nature. The Bible says in Galatians 4 and 4, that in the fullness of time, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law. He agreed to take upon himself those sins that were imputed him to do what was necessary to satisfy the law and justice of God and put them away. And so it says, that which is through the faith or the faithfulness of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. And it's a righteousness that we receive by God-given faith when we receive Christ. If it's imputed to you, you'll receive it by the power of the Spirit when you're connected to Christ. And so he says in verse 10, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. Well, what is the power of His resurrection? His righteousness. You see, that's what he did. Daniel chapter 9 verse 24 speaks of how that the Messiah would come and he would make an end of sin, he would finish the transgression, he would bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up the vision and the prophecy, and enter the holiest. That's what he would do. so that I may know him, verse 10, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. Now what is the fellowship of his sufferings? Well, there's two ways you can look at that. Number one, it has to do with how Christ is the representative, the surety, the substitute, and the redeemer of his people. When Christ came to earth and obeyed the law and suffered unto death, He didn't do it for himself. He did it for a people that were given to him by the Father in the covenant of grace before the world began. How many times did he say it? Well, you can look at it in John 6, 37 and John 17. He says in John 6, 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Well, who did the father give to him? Well, they're called the elect. They're called the church, which he redeemed with his blood. They're called the sheep. They're called his brethren. And because they were his brethren, he had to take upon himself sinless human nature to die for them. And that's what he did. So he says the fellowship of his suffering has to do with our union with Christ so that when he died, we died. Those who believe now, this is only to those whom God sends the Spirit to give the new birth, bring them to Christ and repentance of dead were faith in Christ. When he died, I died. Not personally, I didn't die personally, but I died in him. When he was buried, I was buried. When he arose again, I arose again. So that's the fellowship of His sufferings. How do I know that Christ died for me? Preachers today will tell you He died for everybody. That's not true. That makes salvation conditioned on you, and that's not grace. That's works. But how do I know if He died for me? Have I been given new life from God in the new birth? We are the circumcision, which worship God in spirit. Have I been given faith in Christ? Rejoice in Christ Jesus. Have I been brought to repentance of dead works? I have no confidence in the flesh. That's who God's elect are. That's who Christ's sheep are. Remember in John 10, he said, my sheep hear my voice. I know them and they come to me. And no man will pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. That's what the sheep do. Now there are two kinds of sheep. There's lost sheep and there's found sheep. If you're one of God's own, and you don't know Christ, you're a lost sheep. But someday, at God's appointed time, He's gonna bring you under the gospel, give you life, faith, and repentance to believe and repent. And you're going to accept Jesus you're going to follow Him, you're going to believe in Him. So in verse 10 again, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto His death. Another way that we know the fellowship of His sufferings is that we suffer trouble, tribulation, derision, persecution, just like the Lord did. In other words, when we profess Christ to a lost world who thinks they have a good hope of salvation, that the light that exposes them for what they are, that they're lost and their deeds are evil, will be persecuted. Christ said it in John 15 verse 18 when he told his disciples, marvel not if the world hate you, it hated me before it hated you. Why did it hate him? Because he spoke of it, that its deeds were evil. When you look at somebody who claims to be a Christian, but they don't know the true gospel, wherein the righteousness of God is revealed, they don't know the extent of their depravity and sinfulness, they don't know the God who justifies the ungodly, a just God and a Savior, they don't know who Christ is and what He accomplished, and you tell them they're lost? and get angry. Back then, in Paul's day, the government was an evil government who hated the truth, and they would persecute, and the unbelieving Jews would persecute. So being made conformable unto his death, verse 11 of Philippians 3, he says, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Paul's saying there's only one way of salvation. There's only one way to be participant in this resurrection of the dead unto life. There's only one way to enter eternal glory and live forever with Christ, and that's by the grace of God. through the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. As I quoted last week, Grace, Romans 5, 21, just as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. So in other words, the hope that a believer has is not in himself, it's in Christ. And Christ dwells within us by His Spirit and by His Word so that we can never turn away from Him. Now we may stray, and we see instances in the Bible where believers did stray for a while, but God will not let Satan or anyone pluck them out of his hand. He preserves us. That's why Paul said, as I quoted last week, 2 Timothy 1.12, I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day, the day of judgment. And what have I committed unto Him? My whole salvation. So he says in verse 12 of Philippians 3, not as though I had already attained, now he's talking about the resurrection of the dead. That has not come about yet for any believer. That'll come about when Christ returns for the second time. His second coming. So I haven't attained or either were already perfect in myself. Paul spoke of a perfection that every believer has, not in themselves, but in Christ. In Christ, as my surety, my representative, my surety, my substitute, my redeemer, I stand before God perfectly righteous, with no flaws. My sins that I still commit, My shortcomings are not imputed, charged to me. That's what the Bible says. Who shall anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who can condemn us? It's Christ that died. So understand, when Paul says, he's talking about in myself, I'm still plagued by the presence and the influence and the contamination of sinful flesh, and I have a battle to fight here on earth. It's the battle, it's the warfare of the spirit and the flesh. So understand it. I'm perfect in Christ. And that's what faith brings us to. And that's how repentance turns us away from everything else. I hope you'll join us next week for another message from God's Word. We are glad you could join us for another edition of Reign of Grace. This program is brought to you by Reign of Grace Media Ministries, an outreach ministry of Eager Avenue Grace Church in Albany, Georgia. To receive a copy of today's program or to learn more about Reign of Grace Media Ministries or Eager Avenue Grace Church, write us at 1102 Eager Drive, Albany, Georgia, 31707. Contact us by phone at 229-432-6969 or email us through our website at www.theletterofgrace.com. Thank you again for listening today and may the Lord be with you.