STUDYING THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS #9

Phil. 3:1-6

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. Paul said in Phil. 3:1, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the  
      Lord."
      1. The key is in the term "in the Lord." This is our area or
         realm of rejoicing; it is "in the Lord."
         a. Neh. 8:10 says, "The joy of the Lord is our strength."
      2. Definitely, for mankind there are many false areas of
         rejoicing.
         a. What we need to do is remove some of those false areas
            of rejoicing and concentrate more on rejoicing in the
            Lord.

I. WE ARE NOT TO REJOICE IN OUR EARTHLY PARENTAGE.
   A. If anyone wanted to boast in his parentage, Paul could more so.
      Verses 5a
      1. The Jews put a great emphasis on the fact that they were
         descendants of Abraham.
      2. They were God's chosen people; thus, they thought there
         was no way they could be lost. Matt. 3:7-9
      3. Here are some quotes from Jewish Talmud which helps us to
         see their dependance on their heritage:
         a. "Abraham sits next to the gates of hell and doth not
            permit any wicked Israelite to go down into it."
         b. "God said to Abraham, 'If thy children were like bodies,
            without sinews and bones, thy merit would avail for
            them.'"
         c. "A single Israelite is worth more before God than all the
            people who have been or shall be."
         d. "The world was made for their sake."
   B. This problem of "rejoicing in earthly parents" still exists    
      today.
      1. I heard of a young man who had just come from Florida
         College and he had studied under a lot of big-name men.
      2. It was obvious that he considered the church Bible classes
         beneath him. While everyone else was preparing their Bible
         lessons, he didn't prepare his, and for a question in Bible
         class he would ceremoniously reach over and take some
         body else's paper and read off the answer.
      3. And when he was talking about someone else, "You know,
         they weren't raised in the church."
      4. We ought to be grateful if our parents are Christians, if   
         one is blessed in that fashion; but if we think we are      
         superior just because our parents are Christians, we have   
         the wrong area of rejoicing. 

II. WE ARE NOT TO REJOICE IN OUR OWN RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION.
   A. Paul said he was a "Hebrew of Hebrews." Phil. 3:5b
      1. Paul was a Pharisee, brought up at the feet of Gamaliel who
         was "a teacher of the law held in respect by all the        
         people." Acts 5:34; 22:3; 23:6; 26:4-5
   B. It is possible to be converted to a church and not to Christ,  
      as is often the case with denominational people.
      1. This is also very much possible in the church of Christ.
      2. There are some who are "false brethren" who are enemies of
         the cross of Christ. 2 Cor. 11:26; Gal. 2:4; Phil. 3:18-19

III. OUR REJOICING IS NOT IN OUR OWN ZEAL.
   A. When Paul was under the Law, before he was converted, he was
      a very zealous man. Gal. 1:13-14
      1. In our text, he said, "Concerning zeal, persecuting the
         chruch." Phil. 3:6a
   B. Zeal is good, but zeal in and of itself is not our area of     
      rejoicing.
      1. For example, consider the Jehovah's Witnesses and their
         zeal.
      2. Rom. 10:1-3
         a. We need to be careful lest we be like those Jews.

IV. OUR REJOICING IS NOT IN OUR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
   A. If you had met Paul before his vision on the road to Damascus
      and asked, "Are you a righteous man?" he most certainly would
      have answered, "Yes."
      1. He said, "...Concerning the righteousness which is in the   
         law, blameless." Phil. 3:6b
   B. To trust in one's own righteousness is a trap that one can     
      easily fall into.
      1. We can have the idea that because we attend every service,
         give liberally of our means, live good moral lives, and are
         dedicated, we have it made.
      2. At the same time, we think that for the person who doesn't
         come much, doesn't give much, and doesn't live right, there
         is no hope.
      3. This is much like the Pharisee who boasted of his
         righteousness. Luke 18:9-14
   C. The Lord, of course, does require faithfulness and diligence on
      our part.
      1. But no matter how diligent we are, and how well we carry
         out all of God's commandments, we are still dependent on
         God's mercy, and do not rejoice in our own righteousness.
         Luke 17:10

V. LET US CONSIDER A FEW MODERN AREAS OF REJOICING.
   A. THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING.
      1. This quote was given in a Sermon by Bill Hall. He did not
         give it's source:"The search for tranquility is on, and is  
         on in a big way. In order to obtain peace of mind, Americans
         are swallowing tons of tranquilizers. In addition to drugs, 
         there are tranquilizing books. These have become best       
         sellers overnight, single additions running into the        
         hundreds of thousands. Those who read them are urged to wind
         themselves like clocks and begin the day by saying to
         themselves, 'What a wonderful morning this is, and what an
         exceptionally fine wife or husband I have, and what lovely
         children I have, what a wholesome and delicious breakfast
         awaits me, and what a congenial boss I have on the job.'"
      2. The writer continues: "Such peacefulizers may do more harm
         than good. They provoke the following objections: First,
         whenever the soothing thought fails to conform with reality,
         the ease of mind which results will fail to be of an        
         enduring character. Secondly, the most stubborn fact of all 
         is sin. No amount of metal push-ups, or positive thinking   
         can brush it aside. Thirdly, the only peace that is worthy  
         of the name is peace with God, and it cannot be             
         self-manufactured. Fourthly, those trusting in              
         tranquilizers, whether books or pills, could be proceeding  
         from the false assumption that spiritual unrest or          
         soul-struggle is an evil in itself. It is often far better  
         to face reality than to try to escape it. Evasion leads to a
         spiritual pulpier. Confronting the facts about oneself is   
         the only course which leads to the peace of God which passes
         understanding. Everything may not be great, and someone     
         trying to say that everything is great, and trying to       
         convince himself that everything is great, doesn't make it
         great."

   B. WE DO NOT REJOICE IN OUR OWN WORLDLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
      1. When we rejoice in our own accomplishments, we are
         magnifying self and not the Lord.
      2. Quite frankly, most of us, as individuals, will not         
         accomplish much in this world.
         a. A hundred years after we are dead, if the world is still
            standing, I doubt if there will be a single soul who will
            know we ever lived.
         b. Most of us can't even name our great-grandparents.
      3. If one is rejoicing in his own accomplishments, he doesn't
         have much to rejoice in.
      4. They were interviewing a man when one of the big
         hurricanes was about to come onto shore, and talked about
         man's inability to do anything to stop it. The man said,    
         "You know, the only great thing about us is our Egos."
         a. He hit the nail on the head!

Concl.
   A. Our rejoicing is NOT in:
      1. Our earthly parentage.
      2. Our own religious affiliation.
      3. Our own zeal.
      4. Our own righteousness.
      5. The power of positive thinking.
      6. Our own accomplishments.
   B. Let us rejoice "in the Lord."
      1. We would be a gigantic loser, if we adhered to the those
         things and lost our relationship with the Lord.
      2. Let us truly rejoice "in the Lord" because that's where
         true happiness and true rewards are.