RELIGION VERSES RELATIONSHIP

Today we begin in chapter 3, looking at a warning about false teachers.

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

Notice the phrase "rejoice in the Lord", as a Christian we can rejoice in our relationship with Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul in the very beginning reminds us that we are in a relationship; Paul is about to address a problem that has found its way into the church by focusing on religious, ceremonial procedures verses a relationship with our Lord.  In this session I hope we will see the difference. As it was in their time so it is in our time, some may look a little different in their demands of what the church is to look like and act like but it is still focusing on performance verses relationship.

Paul has heard about what is happening and is writing a warning to the church because Judaizers, who taught that Jesus does save BUT you had to add the observance of the law to that to complete your salvation. "Dogs" today dogs are pets, loved ones and brings a smile to most people's face. But in that day it was a deriding term some Jews used of Gentiles. In other words it was a term that spoke of their disgust of them. Today circumcision is practiced not as a religious act but a decision made in the hospital when your son is born. But for the Jews it was a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham and a requirement established by God that when a son was 8 days old they must be presented to God and circumcised.

Paul tells the church that our confidence is not in ceremonial laws, nor our performance. Our confidence rest in Christ Jesus our Lord and what He as accomplished for us.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, least anyone should boast.

Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.

Galatians 3:2-3 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

Even today there are false teachers and prophets teaching salvation through our works rather than salvation through the blood of Christ Jesus our Lord. We see it as they knock on our doors bringing tracks declaring another gospel. What is another gospel? Any that declare that salvation can be found in many ways, when Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me." Also many deny the deity of Christ, they say He was a prophet, a Teacher, a Man of God but deny that He is God, if Jesus is not God then we are truly lost, because His sacrifice would have been useless, the perfect Lamb of God had to be without sin, a mere man could never be without sin.We can even hear it on television as they try to sell themselves to get you to send in money by saying "if you buy this, or give this God will open the windows of heaven and bless you 100 fold." Our blessings and gifts from God were purchased by the blood of His Son, anyone trying to sell you a blessing is a Deceiver, run from that deception. This kind of talk is what gives the church a bad name. False teachers speak, this a little bit of truth to attract you but their lies are of deception. Attempting to snare you into believing that as a Christian you must dress a certain way, wear your hair a certain way this  is focusing on religion and not relationship, etc. Yes as a Christian we do not want to dress like the world that does not follow Christ, but there is nothing wrong with a little style. We are all unique individuals with a diversity of personalities, though Jesus does work on our personalities, He is focused on changing our character. While religion wants us to conform to be like everyone else, Jesus wants us to transform to be more like Him. Jesus prophesied about false prophets in:

Matthew 7:20 Therefore by there fruits you will know them.

in John 15 Jesus talks about when we abide in Him we will bear His fruit. The verses in Matthew 7 show us that just as a Christian is attached to the vine through salvation and remain in Him we will bear His fruit. A false prophet will be attached to the world, the flesh and the devil and will bear its fruit. They may deceive for a time but their fruit will surely give them away. Are they building the kingdom of God or their own kingdom?

Back in Philippians verses 4-6 Paul begins to share his testimony before Christ. How he of all people had confidence in the flesh, confidence in the law, confidence in his performance then he says:

Philippians 3:7-8 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the  of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Paul laid aside his human achievements and counted them as nothing for his relationship with Christ. What human achievements are we hanging on to? What does our trophy room look like in our minds " I did this for Jesus, I served here, I did that. See my accomplishments! " Do we play these over in our minds like a check list to present to Jesus? As my pastor recently said "You are either living a performance based life or a faith based life." Let us ask ourselves which are we living?