This program has been on the
radio for nearly seven years now. And we have dealt with the
verses I'm going to deal with this morning in Philippians chapter
3. We've dealt with these verses
at least two other times that I can remember. And if we're on the radio seven
more years, I will, Lord willing, deal with them again. That's
how important I believe these verses are. In Philippians 3,
as the Apostle said in these verses while writing to the church
at Philippi, he said, to write the same things to you, to me
indeed, is not grievous, but for you it is safe. I say the
same thing now to you. To preach or to teach these same
things is not tiresome to me, and it is safe for you. For in these verses we are warned
about false prophets, false religion. We need to be warned over and
over again, for the Lord Himself said many false prophets are
gone out into the world. Now, folks, if the Lord said
there are many, that means there are many, many false prophets. And He said many. He also said
many do many wonderful works in Jesus' name, but are really
workers of iniquity. That's what the Lord Jesus Christ
said. Because they do it for money,
for fame, but outwardly they seem to be sincere. Well, in verse 2 here, the Apostle,
under inspiration of the Spirit, says, Beware of dogs. He is talking
about preachers. That is what Isaiah called them,
dumb dogs. They are supposed to be watchdogs,
but they are not. They are greedy. I'd love to
slumber and sleep and don't even bark when the wolf's coming. Well, he said, beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers. As I quoted to you what the Lord
said about those, so many who do what they do even in Jesus'
name. They're evil workers. But they
do what they do in Jesus' name, If you'll notice, their own names
are in much bigger print. So he says, beware of evil workers,
beware of the concision. Concision, or that is those who
appear to be Jews or God's people. Those who appear to be God's
people, they appear, they have a form of godliness that is an
outward show of religion. in their dress or their speech.
He says, Beware of the concision. And then the Apostle boldly says,
We are the circumcision. He says this under inspiration
of the Holy Spirit. He says, We are the circumcision. The true people of God. God's true Israel. As Scripture says, a Jew is not
one outwardly, but inwardly. Circumcision is of the heart. How can you know? How can you
know the true people of God? Can you know? How can you tell
they are? Can you? Paul gives three ways
here that they may be known. Three characteristics. Now listen,
if someone is truly looking for the truth, If someone is sincerely
looking for the truth, to know the living and true God, to know
the truth about God, who He is and what man is and what salvation
is, the truth, they will find it. God says so. Christ says so. Seek and you
shall find. That means truly, sincerely. seeking. And you seek where the
truth may be found. And that's in God's Word. Well,
I hear people all the time, we're looking for a church. Well, you
can find one on about every corner. Or that is a religious building,
an organization that is called a church. But now, if you're
looking for the truth, looking for the truth, if you're looking
for the church where God has sent his true preacher. It is called angels in the scriptures.
To the angel of the church at Ephesus, to the angelic church
of Laodicea. Angels. If the person is truly looking
for the church, God has a true church. If a person is looking
for the place where God has sent a pastor after his own heart,
that is what He said in Jeremiah, I will give you pastors after
my own heart. True shepherds. Not wolves in
sheep's clothing, but true shepherds. If a person is truly looking
for a place where the Holy Spirit dwells, yes, the church where
the Holy Spirit actually dwells with those people. A people who
are truly God's people. If a person is truly looking
for these things, They may be known three ways. Are you interested,
those who hear this? They may be known three ways. God's true people have three
characteristics of the true people of God, the true church, true
Christians. He says, we are the circumcision. Now, stop right there a second. Circumcision. was a mark in the
flesh which God Almighty gave to the Jews, not the world, but
the Jews. This was an outward mark in the
flesh which distinguished Jews from the world. Jews from the
world. Now, the New Testament is the
declaration or if you will, explanation. Revelation is a better word.
Revelation of the old. Romans chapter 2 plainly tells
us, in chapter 2 verse 28 and 29, plainly says, He is not a
Jew which is one outwardly. That is a national a person who
lives in the nation of Israel. He is not a Jew which is one
outwardly, neither is circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew which is one
inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart. Not circumcision with hands,
but by the Spirit of God upon the heart. And Paul goes on in
the book of Romans to say, over in chapter 11, that all Israel
will be saved, shall be saved. Does that mean every person who
is a national Jew? No, sir. No. I just read it to
you. A Jew is one inwardly. And circumcision is not an outward
mark. It doesn't prove someone to be
God's child by an outward mark, but it is of the heart. First
of all, he says, an outward show of religion means nothing. The
wearing of certain religious clothing means nothing. Religious
jewelry, crosses and so on, means nothing. Some of the most openly
wicked people on earth wear crosses around their neck. So that doesn't
prove anybody to be a Christian. Wearing of a religious or clerical
collar, if I may be so brash as to say, dogs wear collars. The wearing of religious robes
and so forth, nowhere in scriptures does it command us to do that. Nowhere. On the contrary, we
will see in a moment, that is marked to the contrary. The wearing
of the hair a certain way, or the beard, or religious talk
pious speak. No, true circumcision, the true
mark of God's people, their inward marks, now here they are, their
spiritual marks, here they are. Verse 3, we are the circumcision
which worship God in spirit. Number one, we worship God in
spirit. It's sad. It's terrible that
most of what you see in religion today is a show of the flesh. Most of this wildfire, emotionalism,
hand-waving, hand-clapping, looking headward where the pie is flesh. That's all it is. God is not
worshipped with men's hands, but is worshipped from the heart. True worship is not with the
hands, but with the heart. The Lord said to the woman at
the well in John 4, true worshipers worship the Father in spirit. That is, from the heart. Not
to be seen of men, but to worship God. Between a God and a man. From the heart. Not to be seen. And in truth, He said. God in
spirit and in truth, or that is, according to God's Word. They worship God through the
preaching, the hearing, the reading, worship that is around the truth,
around the gospel, centered on Christ who is the truth. True worshipers don't do their
alms to be seen of men. They don't worship to be seen,
but worship God inwardly. That's how the true circumcision
worshiped God in the Spirit. An old preacher one time was
at a restaurant with a young self-righteous religious fellow,
and this young fellow went through his little ceremony of praying
and so forth. And he looked up, and this old
preacher was just eating. He just dove right into his food.
And he said to the old preacher, my brother so-and-so, aren't
you going to pray? And the old man wisely said,
how do you know I didn't? You see, the Lord said we are
to pray to the Father in secret. The Pharisees like to be seen
praying on the street corner. But he said, when you pray, you
want to pray, worship God in spirit, do it secretly. Who are
we praying to anyway? Men? Who do we want to see us
and hear us? Men or God? Christ said they
have their reward, those who want to do it to be seen. They
have their reward. Well, do you want God to hear
you or men? True worshipers worship God in
spirit. He goes on to say, they rejoice
in Christ Jesus. True worshipper, true people
of God, true circumcision rejoice in Christ Jesus. All their calls
for worship, for joy and rejoicing is in the person and the work
of the Lord Jesus Christ. They rejoice in Him. They find
their enthusiasm in Him, in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
who redeemed them, who saved them. They're rejoicing, and
their joy is not in their church, not in their denomination. They
don't need entertainment, but truth, the truth as it is in
Jesus. They don't need to be pumped
up by a religious cheerleader, for their heart is full of joy
to the Lord Jesus Christ. True worshipers don't need anything
but the preaching of the gospel of Christ to satisfy them, because
that is who they rejoice in. And he goes on to say, lastly,
true worshipers have no confidence in the flesh. That which is flesh
is flesh. Anything flesh is flesh. And
we're not to put any confidence in it. True worshipers don't.
True circumcision don't. God's true people have no confidence
in their past experiences, their baptisms, their religious experiences,
their prayers, anything. They don't put any confidence
in symbols, in relics, religious paraphernalia. There is nothing
holy on this earth. No holy water, no holy land,
no holy nothing. We are holy people. Their confidence
is in God and God's Word only and in Christ. These are ways
you may know God's true people. And you need to and I need to
examine ourselves. Examine our religion and examine
all religion by these things. May God make it so with you and
I. Amen.