In the nearly five years that
we have been on this radio station, we have looked at the third chapter
of Philippians at least three, maybe four times. Third chapter
of Philippians is what we're going to look at again this morning.
But I say the same thing, which the Apostle Paul said here in
verse one, he said to write the same things to you. To me, indeed,
is not grievous, but for you it is safe. And I say the same. To preach the same things to
you is not grievous to me, but it's safe for you. This is so
very important, as all of God's word is, that in these verses
is given marks of a true believer, the marks of a true Christian
or The true people of God. Three marks. I hope you will
listen carefully and examine yourself. Examine your religion
by the word of God here in Philippians 3. And if you will listen, if
God will give you ears to hear, that is, the truth of God's word,
you will be enlightened. It will reveal something to you. All right. Here in Philippians
3, the Apostle Paul It says in verse 2, beware of dogs. Beware of dogs. Beware, he says,
of evil workers. Beware of the concision. Now,
who is he talking about? Beware of dogs. Beware of evil
workers. Well, or beware of the concision. Well, he's talking about preachers. In Isaiah 56, He says, beware
of dogs there, and Isaiah 56 is what the apostle is alluding
to. These dogs, in verse 10, it says,
his watchmen, or that is, those men who are supposed to be God's
watchmen. I read Isaiah 56, 10. He says, they are blind, they
are ignorant, they are all dumb dogs that cannot bark. sleeping, lying down, loving
to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which
can never have enough. So Paul says to us, says to people,
beware of dogs. Beware of these religious leaders
that are dogs, ravenous dogs which can never get enough. That's what Scripture calls false
prophets, an accurate description of many preachers. He goes on
to say, beware of evil workers, evil workers. Who's that? Well,
he's not talking about drug pushers or things like that. He's the
evil workers he's speaking of is still talking about religious
people, religious workers. In Matthew chapter seven, Matthew
chapter seven, the Lord himself describes these evil workers
or workers of iniquity, and he says that many will say unto
me in that day, that is, the day of judgment, they will stand
before God Almighty and say, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name? Or that is, have we not preached
in the name of Jesus? And in thy name have cast out
devils, in the name of Jesus cast out devils, or at least
thought they did. And in thy name done many wonderful
works. It's going to be many, the Lord
says, many will stand before him someday and fully expecting
the Lord to be pleased with the wonderful works they did for
Jesus. Then will I profess unto them,
and I'm reading verse 23, the Lord says, then will I profess
unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work
iniquity. Workers of iniquity. Evil workers. Why are they called evil workers?
Because they're doing it in their own name. They're doing it for
their own namesake. Their own glory. Their works. They're bragging on what they
do. What they've done for Jesus. How they accepted Him. How they
made a decision for Him. How they gave their life to Him.
How they're serving the Lord. What all they've done for Him.
People mark it down, anybody that comes in his own name, his
or her name. The Lord said this, let a man
come in his own name and him you will receive. Any man who's
all the time standing up talking about how religious he is, how
spiritual he is, how much he prays and how much he talks in
tongues and what all he's doing and all his preaching is a false
preacher. Would you listen to me, please,
and examine these fellows by their own name. Let me give you
an example in the scripture. John the Baptist. Christ said
there was no greater man born of woman than John the Baptist.
Having the spirit from his mother's womb. John wouldn't even tell
his name. They went to ask him who he was
and he wouldn't even give his name. He wasn't interested in
people knowing about him. They asked him for his credentials.
He said, I'm just a voice crying in the wilderness. That's what a true servant of
God is. He's not interested in people knowing his name or building
a big work in his own name or telling what all he's done for
the Lord. No, the true servant of God, the true preacher of
Christ, all he's interested in is in people knowing Christ and
telling people what God has done and must do for us. He said,
beware of these evil workers. He goes on to say, beware of
the concision. What's the concision? Well, it's
a root. It's a word, a branch of the
word circumcision, the concision, which back then was the Orthodox
law keeping Jews. You knew they were Jews because
of the way they looked. They looked holy. They looked
devout and pious. They loved to stand on the street
corners. They loved to get together. for public prayer meetings to
show people how pious they were, how religious they were. They
loved to be seen praying in the marketplace. They loved titles
that said, Rabbi, Teacher, Reverend. They looked like ministers of
righteousness. Paul says, Beware of them. They're
Satan's ministers. They've transformed themselves
into angels of light, ministers of righteousness. Well, he says, beware of them,
the concisions, not somebody that looks the part. Verse three,
he goes on to say, now we are the circumcision. We are. Who is Paul? Well, true believers. Paul was talking about himself,
talking about preachers of the gospel, talking. He was writing
to the bishops and deacons at Philippi. And he says, we are
the circumcision. Circumcision was a mark God Almighty
gave, a mark in the flesh which distinguished Jews from the rest
of the world, which distinguished God's chosen people from the
Gentile world. Circumcision. But Paul says very
plainly in Romans chapter 2 that circumcision is not outward,
but inward. It's of the heart and not the
flesh. And it's done by God himself.
It's not something we do. So it's not an outward sign in
the flesh, not an outward show, not an outward mark. It's not
how you look. It's not what you do or don't do. It's not your
dress. It's not in meat and drink. It's
not in form. It's not in ritual ceremony.
It's not all these things. He says we are the circumcision.
We're the true circumcision. All right. He's going to go on
to give three marks. And they're all inward marks,
three marks of a true circumcision, a true people of God, a true
Christian, if you will. All right. Verse three, I'm reading. We are the circumcision. We are
the circumcision, he says, which, number one, worship God in the
spirit. We worship God in the spirit,
now the word Spirit is a small s, not a capital S, not the Holy
Spirit, although we cannot worship God apart from the Holy Spirit. But here he is speaking of the
inward man, the heart. Our Lord said this over in John
chapter 4. He was talking to a woman. a
woman at the well who was religious, though she didn't know what she
worshipped. And that's what the Lord said
to her. You worship you know not what. Most people don't really
know what they believe and what they worship. They're just religious
because they've gotten in trouble. They've had a bad marriage. They've
had drug problems. They've had this and that and
the other problems. And so they get religion to make
them feel better about themselves. And they've met a lot of people
that are willing to help them out, but they don't know what
they worship. Our Lord says salvation is of
the Jews. In verse 3, Verse 23 of John
4, the Lord says, The hour cometh, and now is, when true worshipers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. In spirit and in
truth. For the Father seeketh such to
worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that
worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Paul, over in The book of Acts,
when he was preaching at Mars Hill, he said, God is not worshipped
with men's hands. Do you know what that means?
It means worship is not a highly charged, emotional, religious
pep rally. Not a feel-good, tear-jerking,
while a choir sings softly and an organ plays. Don't anybody interrupt the Spirit.
Come forward and make your decision for Jesus. No, that's not worship. True worship. True worship does
not use props. True worship is not highly charged
emotional pep rally. True worship is in spirit. That
is with the inward man, the heart, from the heart, the inward man,
from the heart. Not outwardly. You know, the
more you need on the outside, the less you have on the inside.
Someone said an empty drum generally sounds the loudest. We worship
God in the spirit. That is from the inward man.
The Lord says so many times in the scripture, be still and know
that I am God. He says, God is in the heaven,
thou art on the earth, therefore let thy words be few." Be not
hasty to utter anything before God, he said. To give the sacrifice
of fools, which is, the proverb says, much word. Much word. God is worshipped in spirit,
inward man, heart, heart worship. Father seeketh, God is spirit.
He's not worshipped with men's hands, with the flesh. I go on,
he said, true worshipers worship God in spirit and rejoice in
Christ Jesus. That's what the Lord said back
there in John 4. True worshipers worship the Father in spirit,
that is, from the heart, the inner man. And in truth, Christ
said, I am the way and the truth. There is no worship of God. There
is no true worship unless it is worshiped in and through and
by and because of the Lord Jesus Christ. True worship is all about
what Jesus Christ has done, who He is and what He has done, His
person, His work. He says true worshipers rejoice
in Christ Jesus. Now many people rejoice in their
church, rejoice in their religion, rejoice in how it makes them
feel, rejoice in the choir, rejoice in the music, rejoice in their
building, rejoice in their denomination, rejoicing their youth group,
rejoicing their singles group, rejoicing all of these things,
having a good old time in religion. But true worshipers, sinners
saved by the grace of God, worship Jesus Christ. They come to worship
Him for who He is and what He's done. Their Messiah, their Redeemer,
their Mediator, their Intercessor, their Righteousness, their sin
payment, their Lamb. It's all about Him. That's what
they do. And that's why they worship. And that's what they're
doing in heaven right now, rejoicing in Christ. Go on to say, and
we have no confidence in the flesh. True worshipers worship
God in spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, Him and Him alone, and
have no confidence in the flesh. No confidence in themselves.
No confidence in their preacher. No confidence in the outward
form or ceremony of religion. And they don't put any stock
in tongues and feelings and all of these things. No. No confidence
in the flesh. No works of the flesh. No feelings
of the flesh. Feelings come. Feelings go. Feelings
are deceiving. Your hope better be in the Word
of God. Nothing else is worth believing. Don't trust yourself. Don't trust your feelings. All
of these things you see and hear, don't look to your works of religion,
look to Christ and Him alone. The truth will set you free.
Free from dogs, free from the concision, free from all of this
false religion. People, I hope you heard this.
I hope someone will examine their religion, examine themselves
by these three marks. Until next Sunday, good day. Okay, I'm going to go ahead and
get started.