The Christian Pattern (Philippians 3:17-21)
The Christian Pattern
Philippians 3:17-21
January 12, 2014
As you know we are studying through a very important passage of Scripture here in the book of Philippians.
After encouraging the Philippians in regard to their attitude in the midst of suffering Paul has moved into a section in which
He is warning them about a dangerous influence.
Philippians 3:1-2 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;”
Paul was aware that there was a group (or possibly even three separate groups) that posed a real dangerous threat to the Philippian church.
It was not primarily a physical threat, but still a dangerous one.
We always remember that Satan primarily is a liar.
His main weapon is deception.
He lies and deceives and misinforms.
That is why we fight him with the truth.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”
I heard a story recently about a church service in which during the worship time one man went to the front and started doing karate moves down at the altar. When the pastor asked him what he was doing the man answered, “spiritual warfare; I’m fighting Satan”
Well I hate to burst your bubble, but that is not how you fight Satan.
It is a spiritual battle, not a physical one.
We don’t bind him, we don’t rebuke him, we don’t banish him
WE EXPOSE HIM
Through the preaching of the truth
And the right understanding of doctrine we expose Satan’s lies
And thus render him powerless to deceive.
And that has been Paul’s main objective
Throughout this third chapter of Philippians.
He is exposing a false system of worship
And reminding the Philippians of what being a Christian really is.
I suppose if you wanted to really break down the chapter into three main points,
It would be like this:
1) THE CHRISTIAN PASSION
Which is “to know Him”
Paul had worldly status and yet considered all he had gained
To be rubbish for the sake of gaining Christ.
The passion of the Christian is not to build some religious resume
Or to obtain worldly status or possessions.
The passion of the Christian is to know Christ.
• It is to obtain His righteousness on the basis of faith.
• It is to know the power of His resurrection
• It is to enjoy the fellowship of His suffering
• It is to be conformed to His death
• It is to obtain to the resurrection from the dead.
If you cut a Christian down the middle, that is what you find.
They eat, sleep, and breathe Jesus.
He is their passion.
2) THE CHRISTIAN PURSUIT
Which is to “lay hold of that for which [we were] laid hold of by Christ Jesus”.
• Jesus died and rose again that we might be holy.
• God Himself is working to conform us into the image of Christ.
• We are the bride of Christ for whom Christ died that He might sanctify us, washing us with the water of the word that He might present to Himself a pure and spotless bride without any stain or wrinkle.
We are those (Ephesians 1 says) who were chosen
That we would be holy and blameless before Him.
The desire of God is that we be holy as He is holy.
Of course we realize that we are not there yet.
We may desire holiness, but even the most pious among us
Must admit that perfect holiness has not yet been achieved.
At any given moment we can read the Sermon on the Mount
And be reminded how far short we fall of God’s perfect holiness.
And since we have yet to obtain the perfection God desires, we pursue it.
Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, we press on toward the goal, for the prize, of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
So we’ve seen the Christian Passion and the Christian Pursuit
Tonight we would finish this chapter by talking about
THE CHRISTIAN PATTERN
Paul closes this chapter by revealing to us that since there are
Two sides pushing for our allegiance (false teachers and Paul)
That we must choose which pattern we are going to follow.
And that reality is seen in verse 17
“Brethren, join in following my example and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”
Now as is typical of Paul, he is showing you your options,
But at the same time makes no bones about which you should choose.
Paul wants you to choose to follow his example.
• Paul counted his previous life as loss.
• Paul wanted to know Christ.
• Paul pursued holiness with all he had.
And he asked the Philippians to “join in following my example”
And not just his, but they should also “observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”
“observe” translates SKOPEO (scope)
It means “to look at or to contemplate”
Paul wants the Philippians to open their eyes and pay close attention
To those who live with the same passion and pursuit as Paul.
Men like Timothy and Epaphroditus.
It is the same as what the writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”
Paul said the same thing (in a negative sense) to the Romans.
Romans 16:17 “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.”
The point is that we all must open our eyes and see that
There are two very distinct patterns we can choose to follow in life.
There are those who pursue Christ
And there are those who pursue the flesh.
We must watch both closely and carefully and choose the best path.
And that is a reality we are called to see throughout Scripture.
• Matthew 7 tells us that there are two roads, one narrow and one wide.
• Matthew 12 tells there are two types of people, one for Jesus and one against Him
• Matthew 13 tells us that there are two crops, one wheat and one tares.
• Matthew 13 tells us there are two types of fish, one good and one bad.
• Romans 8 tells us that there are two ways to walk, one by the Spirit, and one by the flesh
• Ephesians 5 tells us there are two times to walk, one is in the light and one in the darkness
• 1 John 3 tells us there are two types of children, those born of God and those born of the devil
That decision is seen throughout.
You will either follow the pattern of the world,
Or you will follow the pattern of Christ.
Paul said folly “my example and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”
And as we look at the remainder of this text,
You will see again that there are two distinct options.
• There are those who are “enemies of the cross of Christ”
• There are those who embrace the cross.
In the final four verses of this chapter Paul explains both
And gives characteristics of their life.
These passages then become invaluable as it relates to not only choosing a pattern to follow, but also in the process of self-evaluation.
#1 ENEMIES OF THE CROSS
Philippians 3:18-19
I want you to follow my example, “For many walk, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ.”
You have to follow my example, because deception is literally everywhere.
If you are looking for a model of an enemy of the cross of Christ,
Well, open your eyes, they are everywhere.
There are “many” of them.
That is why you must force yourself to “observe” those who walking according to Paul’s pattern.
It’s easy to see those who don’t, you have to look for those who do.
There are many who are “enemies of the cross of Christ”
And that brings up a really good point.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ONE WHO IS AN ENEMY OF THE CROSS?
• Do they walk around chanting “No more cross!”?
• Are they and advocacy group like the one wanting to put a statue of Satan in Oklahoma?
• At one time people said the “peace sign” was an anti-cross symbol saying it was an upside down broken cross.
So is that what we are looking for?
Is that how we recognize an enemy of the cross?
Paul wants you to know what it means to live an “anti-cross” life.
So what are the characteristics of one who is an enemy of the cross?
1) (and most important) THEY ARE HEADED TO HELL
“whose end is destruction”
If this doesn’t influence your decision as to which path you choose,
I don’t suppose anything will.
Those are enemies of the cross are headed for destruction.
The reason of course is because the cross is the only means of salvation.
Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
The cross is God’s means of justifying sinners.
The cross is God’s way of propitiating His wrath.
The cross is the only way sinful man can be forgiven before Holy God.
Colossians 2:13-14 “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
Without the cross there is no forgiveness.
Man must pay his debt before God, and that debt is “destruction”
And that is something Paul wants you to know from the beginning.
• You can choose the fun path
• You can choose the inviting pattern
• You can choose the comfortable journey
BUT YOU HAD BETTER PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE IT IS HEADED
Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.”
• The path may be wide
• The path may be popular
• The path may be fun
• But if it leads only to destruction you had better pay attention
Those who are enemies of the cross are headed to hell.
Now, that doesn’t really describe who they are,
It just tells where they are headed.
The remaining characteristics help us recognize someone
Who is an enemy of the cross.
2) THEY ARE CONTROLLED BY THE FLESH
“whose god is their appetite”
• Ones “god” is the one they serve
• Ones “god” is the one they follow
And for those who are enemies of the cross their “god is their appetite”
The word for “appetite” is an anatomical word (names a body part),
And it literally names the “stomach”
It is a word that expresses a person
Who just desires what the flesh wants.
• They are controlled by spiritual impulses
• They don’t have a desire to follow God
• They just want to do whatever feels good
Their reasoning and desires are right on the same level as that of a dog.
And of course that is problematic:
Romans 8:5-8 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Walking by the flesh characterizes those who are enemies of the cross.
The cross demands death to self
The cross calls for the crucifixion of the flesh
Galatians 5:24 “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
And so it only stands to reason that those who follow the flesh
Are opposed to the purpose of the cross in their lives.
They are headed to hell, they are controlled by the flesh
3) THEY BRAG ABOUT SHAMEFUL THINGS
“whose glory is in their shame”
The word for “glory” literally means “to boast”.
And they boast about things that should embarrass them.
• Shame is the natural response one should feel when they are found guilty.
• Shame is the response we are intended to feel when we are exposed for sinful behavior.
• Shame is meant to motivate a person not to repeat sinful actions.
You will even recall that shame is even a tool
The Lord prescribed for dealing with a sinning brother.
• First you approach him in private
• Second you take someone with you
• Third you tell the church
But if after all of those he still refuses to repent, then you shame him.
He is put out of the fellowship and treated as a Gentile or a tax collector.
The shame he feels is supposed to bring about repentance.
Shame is produced by the conscience to make you poor in spirit
And lead you to the cross for forgiveness.
But for those who are enemies of the cross,
It has just the opposite effect.
Instead of repenting as a result of shame,
They brag about the things that are shameful.
They commit sin and engage in sinful behavior and when they are exposed instead of feeling remorse, they brag about it.
Sometimes they don’t even have to be exposed, they expose themselves.
• It is the proverbial “locker room” conversation where a guy boasts about the number of women he has conquered.
• Or the break room where the man brags about how drunk he got the night before.
Shameful behavior that is bragged about.
Jeremiah 6:15 “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.”
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.”
Paul would go on to say in verse 6 of that same passage
“Your boasting is not good”
Jude 13 “wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
The cross is supposed to humble you and bring about repentance,
Those who have no such shame are enemies of the cross.
4) THEY CRAVE THE WORLD
“who set their minds on earthly things.”
“set their minds” is actually a phrase you have seen twice now in this letter,
Only it wasn’t translated this same way.
“PHRONEO” in the Greek.
The two other times you have seen it,
It was translated “have this attitude”
Philippians 2:5 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,”
Philippians 3:15 “Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;”
Whereas Paul previously told us to set our minds on being like Christ,
Or on losing the world to pursue the things of Christ
These people are just the opposite.
Their mindset is not on gaining Christ, it is on gaining the world.
• Their attitude is to look out for number 1.
• Their attitude is to consider themselves as more important than others.
• Their attitude is to store the things of this life, not lose them.
1 John 2:15-16 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
Christ’s life, death, and resurrection were all about Him overcoming the world, not gaining it.
In fact Jesus said “what will it profit a man if gains the whole world and yet loses his soul?”
You may even remember the rebuke that Jesus gave to Peter:
Matthew 16:23 “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
What did Jesus call Peter when he set his mind on man’s interests?
-Satan
When we talk about those who crave the world,
We are not talking about friends of the cross.
Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
So to love the world is nothing short of being an enemy of the cross.
Loving the world undermines the very purpose of why Christ died.
And there you see the characteristics an enemey of the cross.
• They are controlled by the flesh
• They brag about shameful things
• They crave the world
• And they are headed to hell
Is that the pattern you wish to follow?
Well, there is another pattern,
And incidentally one that Paul specifically told us to follow.
Enemies of the Cross
#2 EMBRACERS OF THE CROSS
Philippians 3:20-21
And while Paul doesn’t mention it explicitly,
This is the life of those who have embraced the cross.
1) (and most important) THEY ARE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
“For our citizenship is in heaven,”
This is a wonderful phrase for us,
But even more interesting to the Philippians.
The one thing that gave Philippi clout was that despite here size and location, she was a certified Roman colony.
Those who lived there were Roman citizens, and this was no small thing.
Remember the commander who seized Paul in Jerusalem?
Acts 22:28 “The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.”
It was a beneficial thing to be a Roman citizen.
This was one of those things of the past
That the Philippians would have hung their hat on.
And yet, Paul says – NO, “our citizenship is in heaven”
If you think it’s good to have Rome on your side, you ought to contemplate the ramifications of having heaven on your side.
• We are heavenly citizens.
• We already own property there, and Jesus is preparing our place.
• We already have treasure stored there
• Our groom is there
• That is where we are headed
It also indicates that our allegiance is first and foremost to heaven
I’m not saying we don’t love America, but our allegiance is first to heaven.
This is our home, we are merely strangers and aliens here on earth.
And so the contrast is seen where those who are enemies of the cross are headed for destruction, those who embrace it are headed for heaven.
They are citizens of heaven
2) THEY LONG FOR CHRIST’S RETURN
“from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”
Whereas the enemies of the cross most certainly do not long for Christ’s return simply so they can continue to enjoy the world…
Those who embrace the cross, (since the world has nothing to offer them), Eagerly anticipate and long for His return.
Paul actually described believers like this:
2 Timothy 4:8 “in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
True believers long for Christ’s return.
As we said Wednesday night, Christ’s return is a time when He finally gets the glory that He deserves and our heart cries out for that.
We long for Christ’s return, because we will be through with sin.
1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”
We long for Him to return because we love Him and long to see Him.
1 John 4:17-18 “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
The world hates the return of Christ, but those who love Christ long for it.
See, through the cross we have been made righteous
And we no longer fear His return.
Now, we anticipate it.
A third characteristic of those who embrace the cross
3) THEY EXPECT FREEDOM FROM THE FLESH
“who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”
We all have identified with Paul’s lament in Romans 7
Romans 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
And while we are thankful for the Holy Spirit
Who allows us to overcome the flesh,
What we really long for is to be completely free of it.
When Christ returns, this is what will happen.
We will be like Him.
Now we don’t have the particulars, but we have a vague picture.
• When Christ arose He was recognizable, but not necessarily in a physical way.
• When Christ arose He could walk through walls
• When Christ arose there was a glory about Him
1 Corinthians 15:42-44 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”
Whereas the enemies of the cross feed the flesh and pursue the flesh,
Those who have embraced the cross want the flesh forever gone.
We long for Christ’s return and expect that because He has all power,
He will transform this humble body into conformity with His glory.
So do you see the difference in the two paths?
• One loves the world, seeks the world, craves the world, enjoys the world and will end in destruction.
• One rejects the world, hates the flesh, and longs for the day when Christ returns to free them from it.
NOW THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT
You can’t walk both paths
Many today try.
They try to walk the wide road and still get to life.
They try to love the world and wait for heaven.
It’s the old adage, “I want to go to heaven, but not any time soon”
“I want Jesus to return, but I want to do such and such first”
Look we pattern ourselves after one or the other, but not both.
The Philippians were being confronted by these false teachers
Who loved the flesh and put all their confidence in the flesh.
Their whole life was about gratifying the flesh and as a result
They were not particularly interested in Jesus or His cross.
Paul wrote to warn them that theirs was a dangerous pattern.
Those people are in reality enemies of the cross,
Because they seek everything the cross came to abolish
And they reject everything the cross came to accomplish.
Instead, pattern your life after me – Paul says.
My passion isn’t the accolades of the world, my passion is Christ
My pursuit isn’t for religious success, it is for Christ’s righteousness
So when you are looking for someone to pattern your life after,
Don’t listen to those dogs, those evil workers,
Those false circumcision folks.
Instead, pattern your life after me and those who walk like me.
• We are the ones who love Christ
• We are the ones who pursue righteousness
• We are the once who embrace the cross
And most importantly we are the ones who are headed for heaven.
It helps us understand the path we should be walking
And the pattern we should be following.
This world is full of the wrong kind of pattern
There are many enemies of the cross
Don’t follow them
