”Baggage”_ Philippians 3:1-7

The Kingdom Corner with Matt Geib

Baggage…

Philippians 3:1-7 (NKJV)

3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship [a]God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ

Vs1) Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

VS.1) Finally…..not as to meaning an ending of a thing or this letter but rather & literally…..”As For The Rest “…meaning something left over to discuss or point out..Paul switches emphasis from inner dissension to an attack from outside the Fellowship, namely Judaizers, who sought to bring them back under the Law in order to be saved.

So He begins by pointing out a ‘Preventative Measure’ (Weapon) to this problem..

Rejoice…TO Rejoice, TO BE Glad,…often used in greetings & farewells(To Salute another)…TO Rejoice Exceedingly, TO Be Well, TO Thrive, TO Exude Heart-Felt Joy, To Be Cheerful, TO Be calmly Happy, TO Be Glad…OT=To “Spring About”, BE Joyful, Put joy on as a garment, gird on, To exhult, to sing, cry aloud, to laugh, to play, to enjoy, to shine, be glad, Boast…(To MAKE…), be well pleased

• 26:11 And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee
• I Chron. 16:10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.
• II Chron. 20:27 for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.
• 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
• 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.
• Psalm 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart
• 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
• 89:16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.
• 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
• 119:62 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.
• 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
• 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
• 3:17,18 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
• 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
• 6:22,23 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
• 4:36 both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
• 4:4 4 Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!(AMP)
• Romans 5:1-5Therefore, having been justified by faith, [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces [b]perseverance; 4 and perseverance, [c]character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
• Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
• Romans 15:10 And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.
• I Cor. 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
• I Th. 5:16 Rejoice Evermore
• I Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
• IPeter4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
• 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.

“SAFE” Safeguard, precaution for safety, protects you…means literally certain, ‘a certainty’

Solution to the Judaizers…’To Go On Constantly Rejoicing In the Lord ‘(Grk)

1. 2-3) Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship [a]God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

“BEWARE” Be constantly observing ( Be ON Alert) with a view to avoiding

“Dogs” A Term of Reproach among both Jews & Greeks…those of a reckless & shameless demeanor ..Paul called them evil workers…this term not only refers to evil actions & character BUT Specifically WORKING AGAINST THE GOSPEL INTENTIONALLY…A Picture of Veral DOGS feeding on Garbage off the street & then in this metaphor…FEEDING the garbage(Carnal ordinances) to others=The Problem

1. 2-3) Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship [a]God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

“Mutilation/Concision(kjv)”…or ‘beware of those that mutilate the flesh’ one trs. Says ‘beware of false circumcisers’…compared by Paul to OT. Pagan mutilations & cuttings of the flesh used in religious exercises(Zech. 13:4-6)…a grk. Play on words used by Paul …He calls those NOT of the true circumcision as ‘Merely just Mutilated’

The Judaizers MUTILATED the message of the Gospel by adding LAW to Grace& recruiting converts to their movement

“worship [a]God in the Spirit,”.more literally “worship by the Spirit of God”…WORSHIP is ‘Feeding’ us we FEED on God thru WORSHIP…Jn. 4:24…Matthew 4:4…Jn. 4:34,Jn. 6:54-66

“Rejoice” here this refers to glorying & exhulting—Paul was putting on display his Testimony of Living at a superior spiritual level

“confidence” Coming to a settled position or conviction about a matter(Phil. 1:25)This word implies that Paul did not come to his convictions lightly

The Judaizers had come to a settled conviction in the need for the OT law & rites to be added back in to salvation(The flesh)

True Spirituality is destroyed by WORKS produced in ones flesh

Luke 10:42 41 And [a]Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”……..

Gal. 6:12-14 12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by [a]whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Col 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body [a]of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

Romans 2:29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose [a]praise is not from men but from God.

Romans 7:6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

Vs. 4) 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:

The Judaizers had confidence in the flesh…they trusted human attainments by the works they performed. They had went away from the supernatural system of Salvation in God to a natural system in order to be saved by works of man for God.

Paul pointed to His own attainments & merits saying he had more in the NATURAL he could boast in than any Judaizer…YET He CAST OFF all his dependence on any of his achievements to appropriate the salvation which is ONLY IN CHRIST JESUS. Paul draws on this exhortation to warn the Philippians against the seductive snare of the Judaizers.

“Thinks/Thinketh” refers to one judging himself NOT judging others

PAUL’S PERSONAL RESUME:

1. 5& 6) circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

• , circumcised the eighth day Literally, “8 Days old in Circumcision”…Paul was a pure- blooded Jew
• OF = ‘Out Of’ …this word denotes the origin, class or country of a person
• Stock = Origin …Paul belonged to the well-favored tribe of Benjamin who was true to David , formed with the tribe of Judah as the restored nation of former captives from Babylon

“Hebrew of the Hebrews” fully Hebrew by both sides of his parents who retained their Hebrew language & customs , not a Hellenized Jew who read OT in GRK. Language

• “Zeal” ..literally meaning a ‘strict Jew’ a fanatical Jew of the party called a Zealot
• persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
• Paul’s fanatical zeal was at such a fevered veneration His persecution of the Jews made him perfect in the eyes of me
• II Cor. 11:22 22 Are they Hebrews? So am Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.
• Acts 23:6 6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

VS.7) But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ

“What” the Greek language conveys a qualitative aspect , referring to something considered a gain or loss

“Things” refer to vs. 5& 6

“Gain” is PLURAL in Grk…GAINS

“Those/These” Very emphatic language in Greek ..”These Things”

“Counted” meaning to consider, deem, think, take account of…

“Loss” Greek means a singular loss …he counted all individual ‘Things’(Gain) as ONE thing he gave up

BEAUTIFUL Greek language construction here …this verse speaks of a process COMPLETED in the Past which is HAVING Present Results…After a mature consideration (counting the cost) Paul came to a SETTLED Conviction with regard to THIS ISSUE

HIGHLIGHTED—Loss of Baggage!

• Philippians 3:7 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ
• Hebrews 12:1 So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any *extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up,

Weights, Baggage…LOSS

Paul being a ‘Pharisee of The Pharisees’ was a ‘heavyweight’ as it were in the Jewish community & Religious Hierarchy (circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless…Phil 3:5-6)

He Gave IT all up (His achievements)…Vs. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ

He considered these as ‘LOSS’ …He cast them ALL OFF

These accomplishments/achievements…lineage , he considered Excessive *Weight in the Journey he was pursuing

In Hebrews The KJV uses the phrase lay aside every weight….

• WEIGHT… WEIGHT…ong'-kos..Og-Kos .. denotes "a bulk or mass;" hence, metaphorically, "an encumbrance, weight," Hbr 12:1….whatever is prominent, protuberance, bulk, mass), hence a burden, weight, encumbrance:….hinderance,obstruction,obstacle,IMPEDIMENT,Restraint (a holding back),obligation,handicap,inconvenience,burdenmillstone,pressure,strain,stress,load,nuisance,heaviness,trappings, belongings, effects
• Long Held IDEAS or views of past experiences regarded as burdens or impediments…..Emotional Baggage

Emotional Baggage encumbers progress, freedom, adaptability ,development in Life