The Holy Ghost incited this Epistle by the pen of his servant Paul. May he also write it on our hearts!
Philippians 3:1. Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.
When you get to «finally,» when you are very near the end of your journey, still «rejoice in the Lord.» «Finally,» says Paul, as if this was the end of his epistle, the conclusion of all his teaching: «Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.» But never do it finally, never come to an end of it. Rejoice in the Lord, and yet again rejoice, and yet again rejoice; and as long as you live, rejoice in the Lord.
Philippians 3:1. To write the same things to you, tome indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
Some hearers are like the Athenian academicians; they want continually to hear something new. The apostle says, «To have the same things written to you, is safe.» So is it for you, dear friends; to have the same gospel, the same Jesus, the same Holy Spirit, made known to you, is safe. New doctrine is dangerous doctrine.
Philippians 3:2. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers,
They are like to dogs. If they fawn upon you, they will bemire you, if they do not bite you.
Philippians 3:2-3. Beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
There were some who had confidence in circumcision, who greatly troubled Paul. The apostle says that they were «the concision», the cutters-off, of whom he would have the Philippians beware.
Philippians 3:4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
If any man might have had confidence in the flesh, truly Paul might.
Philippians 3:5-6. Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
So that I do not know what more he could have had. If a Jew had tried to select a man who had something to glory in, he could not have picked any man to stand in the front of Paul. He was truly a Jew, he had received the initiatory rite, and on the right day. He was born of the innermost tribe, the tribe of Benjamin, in whose country stood the temple itself. He was O, Pharisee, who pushed the law to the extreme; he tithed his mint and his cumin. Nobody could have anything to glory in which Paul had not.
Philippians 3:7. But what things were gain, to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
So that, when we come to Christ, whatever we have to trust to, we must put away. We must write it on the other side of the ledger. We had entered it as a gain; now we must set it down as a loss; it is of no value whatsoever, it is a loss if it shall tempt us to trust any less in Christ.
Philippians 3:8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:
Those are sweet words, «my Lord.» Remember how Thomas cried, in ecstasy, «My Lord and my God.» Paul, by faith putting his finger into the prints of the nails, says, «My Lord.»
Philippians 3:8-9. For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win, Christ, and be found in him,
Oh, what a precious place to be found in, «in him,» trusting in him, hidden away in him, a member of his body, as it were, losing myself in him!
Philippians 3:9. Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law,
He does not say, not trusting it, but not even having it, not counting it, not thinking it worth while to put down among his possessions that which he once prized so much.
Philippians 3:9-10. But that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which; is of God by faith: that I may know him,
Paul means, «That I may know him more than I now do;» for be knew him, and delighted in him; but he felt as if he had not begun really to know Christ. He was like a child at school, who has learnt to read and to write, and knows so much that he begins to want to know more.
Philippians 3:10-11. And the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
He knew that all the dead would rise again; but he aspired to the first resurrection: «The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.»
Philippians 3:12-13. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:
He did count himself as saved, he knew that he was Christ's; but he did not count himself as having realized all that Christ meant to do for him and by him. He did not reckon that he had reached as far as he could reach, or learnt all that he could learn, or done all that he could do.
Philippians 3:13-14. But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
You have seen a man running very fast. How he leans forward, as though he would send his heart before him, and go quicker than his legs can carry him! So did the apostle «press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.»
Philippians 3:15-16. Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Let us keep all the good that we have received; let us not give up the truth that we have learnt; let us not leave the way along which we have traveled so far; and let us keep together, let perfect unanimity prove that the work of grace is going on in one as well as in another.
Philippians 3:17. Brethren, be followers together of me,
In these days, certain people find fault with Paul, and speak of him as if he were not inspired, and not to be followed as Christ was; but here he expressly says what no man like Paul would ever say unless moved of the Holy Spirit, for he was modest, and by no means anxious to push himself forward: «Brethren, be followers together of me.»
Philippians 3:17. And mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
Mark them, but do not follow them. See how they walk, but do not imitate them: «Have us for an ensample.»
Philippians 3:18. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
I lay a stress upon the article: «They are the enemies of the cross of Christ.» Professors of religion, who get into the church, and yet lead ungodly lives, are the worst enemies that the cross of Christ has. These are the sort of men who bring tears into the minister's eyes; these are they who break his heart; they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
Philippians 3:19. Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)
«Who mind earthly things,» even when they profess to be minding spiritual things; pretending to be followers of Christ up to heaven, and yet really making again of the things of God here below.
Philippians 3:20. For our conversation is in heaven;
Can you say that, dear friend? Is your citizenship in heaven? Is your conversation there? Do you often commune with your Lord upon the throne? Judge yourselves whether it be so or not. It is a very poor thing to have a name to be in heaven, and yet never to have any converse with heaven. I wish that we could all say that we talk more to God than we do to men, and have more business upward than we have here below.
Philippians 3:20. From whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
He is coming! He is coming! Are we looking for him? This is the true position of the Christian, looking for the appearing of his Lord.
Philippians 3:21. Who shall change our vile body,
«The body of our humiliation.» We have only part of the redemption while we are here. The soul is regenerated, newly-born; but the body is not. «The body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.» The redemption of the purchased possession will be perfect at the resurrection. The resurrection will be, to the body, what regeneration is to the soul. We sometimes wonder why we are sick, when Christ could make us well in a moment; but the reason is that, as yet, he has not fully brought his divine power to bear upon the body. That is to be by-and-by; we are waiting for the Saviour, «who shall change our vile body.»
Philippians 3:21. That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
May he show some part of that blessed power in us tonight! Amen.