This morning our church family in Austin is going to talk about what makes you feel confident in life. The passage we are going to talk about is actually about circumcision, the removal of flesh from the male private parts, but at the heart of our passage is a conversation about where we find our confidence in life. Stay with me!
Perhaps there are some of us who find our confidence in our physical appearance? Perhaps we get to a point where we can lift a certain number of weights? Perhaps we can get to that number on the scale? Perhaps we can run that distance, but sometimes our physical appearance can give us a level of confidence?
Maybe for some it is our title at work in Austin? It is our GPA. It is our educational background, so that our accomplishments give us a level of confidence. Perhaps for some it is our economic stability? It wasn’t that long ago that we felt like our economy was so strong, our house values were going up, gas prices were going down, and we felt so confident but quickly all of that seems to be fading.
- What About Circumcision?
Philippians 3:1-3, “1 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. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”
Verse 1 starts off with “finally” but we are in the middle of the letter so it would be better to understand the “finally” as a transition back to the theme of “rejoicing in the Lord” in chapter 1.
In chapter 1 the Apostle Paul wrote about rejoicing in the Lord. In chapter 2 the Apostle Paul wrote about glorying in the Lord, so that in chapter 3 the Apostle Paul writes, “I’ll say it again, rejoice!” Do you see that in verse 1? In fact, the Apostle Paul writes, “I will repeat myself over and over, and it’s good for you!”
Sometimes people in our church family in Austin will come up to me and say, “You kind of say the same thing every Sunday. Every Sunday in north Austin you talk about Jesus.” Yeah. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is kind of a big deal. And we need to hear the glorious, good news of all that we have received in Christ over and over because we forget.
Especially these days. It’s easy to forget the glorious, good news we have in Jesus. We get swept up in the business of life in Austin. We get beat up by the challenges of the day. We get distracted by the headlines in the news, and verse 2 reminds there are also “false teachers” out there who are trying to confuse us as well. Do you see that in verse 2?
Verse 2 describes these “false teachers” as “dogs, evil doers and false circumcision” or some translators use the term “mutilators of the flesh” because they are teaching Gentile adults who have come to faith in Jesus that they need to be circumcised. Can you imagine going through circumcision as an adult? That’s serious commitment!
Just to get us all on the same page, circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin of male private parts. The act of circumcision was introduced to Abraham in the Old Testament as an outward sign that Abraham and his descendants belonged to the Lord.
Genesis 17:10-11, “10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”
This is in Genesis 17 and this ritual was practiced in the life of an Israelite boy over and over and over, so that circumcision was something that “attached” Israelites to their culture, to their beliefs, to their family for 1,000’s and 1,000’s of years.
Therefore, in the context of our passage in Philippians there were Gentile people, non Jewish people, non-circumcised people, who come to faith in Jesus, and this would have irritated the Jewish person because they would be thinking to themselves, “You’re not even circumcised.”
Today, we might not see the connection but just imagine how jarring it would have been for a faithful Jewish person in the first century. The Jewish person would have grown up his whole life seeing a Gentile person have zero interest in the Jewish faith. The Gentile person might have worshipped rocks, worshipped the sun, worshipped Greek and mythological gods, worshipped anything but zero interest in the Jewish faith.
Then, one day that Gentile neighbor comes to faith in Jesus, and seemingly out of nowhere the Gentile neighbor wants to talk about the things of God. The Gentile neighbor wants to talk about prayer, wants to talk about worship songs, wants to talk about the prophet Isaiah, wants to talk about the glory of God, and all the Jewish person can do is think to himself, “If you really want to be close to God, you need to be circumcised because this is what Jewish people have done for 1,000’s of years.”
It might be our physical appearances. It might be our political views in Austin. In some cases, we see people who mutilate their bodies with plastic surgery, because that particular look has been elevated. In more sensitive cases we see people mutilating their bodes through hormone treatment and extreme diets because that look has been elevated. And just like in the Jewish faith, we have no problem telling other people what they should, so that we have more in common with this subject then we might want to admit. Let’s look at our second sub-point; 2. What Is True Circumcision?
- What Is True Circumcision?
Philippians 3:1-3, “1 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. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”
In verse 2 we see the term “false circumcision” and in verse 3 we see the term “true circumcision” and it’s because the Apostle Paul is making the argument that Abraham’s relationship to God in Genesis 17 was never about the outward work of physical circumcision.
This could be confusing, so lean in with me, but physical circumcision was never intended to be the means by which Israel was established to the Lord. We know this because first, think about it practically, how could the removal of foreskin possibly establish us to the God of all creation? That doesn’t make any sense.
Humanity sins against and rejects God, Genesis 3. Humanity murders one another. Humanity gives into greed, gossip and slander. Humanity neglects to give any gratitude to the Lord for anything and then the God of Scripture says, “This will make it better. On the 8th day, every male child shall be circumcised and we’re good.” That doesn’t make any sense.
Second, Abraham’s relationship to the God of Scripture doesn’t begin in Genesis 17 through the physical act of circumcision. Abraham’s relationship to the God of Scripture begins in Genesis 15, years before circumcision, because Abraham’s relationship to the God of Scripture is established by faith.
Genesis 15:4-6, “4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
The word “reckoned” is an accounting term. It is to credit righteousness to Abraham by faith. In verses 4 and 5 the Lord speaks; verse 6 Abraham believes and by faith in the Lord Abraham is made righteous.
Deuteronomy 30:6, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.”
Romans 4:9-10, “9 For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.”
Galatians 3:6, “6 Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. 7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.”
Colossians 2:8-11, “8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;”
The physical is a reminder of the spiritual. In our world today we might think of something like baptism. It isn’t baptism that saves. It isn’t going under water that washes away our sin. It is belief in Jesus that forgives us of our sin, but the physical act of baptism is a reminder of the spiritual cleansing we have received in Christ. Does that make sense?
This is so important for us to understand this morning. So many times, we think people in the Old Testament were loved by God because of their ethnicity, because of circumcision, because of their rituals, but all people, Old Testament and New Testament, today and tomorrow, are reconciled to God by grace through faith.
I am sure there are some of us who are thinking, “Does this really matter?” We are an educated people today as a church in north Austin. We don’t get caught up in outward signs to make feel like we are better than others, do we?
Of course, we do. How easy is it for us to look at our serving of the Lord on Sunday mornings or throughout the week and think to ourselves, “This makes me a little better than those other people.”
It is easy for us to think to ourselves, “The Lord must be really impressed with all that I am doing for Him.” It is easy for us to find the little religious rituals that we do and then scan the room for people who don’t do them and think to ourselves, “How could they?”
We do this in the local church in Austin, but we are also doing this in our culture at large. Virtue signaling is off the charts in our culture today. Look at the car I drive and how I care for the environment! Look at the signs in my yard and how I care about humanity! Look at the posts on my social media and see how smart I am! God’s Word says, “Be careful!”
Did you see that warning in verse 2? God’s Word says, “Beware!” Putting our confidence in outside works is offensive to God. Especially telling other people to put their confidence in outside works is offensive to God. God’s Word describes those types of people as “dogs, evil workers and mutilators of the flesh.”
We might not hear that warning as severely today because we love dogs, but dogs were dirty and dangerous. Dogs were scavengers. Dogs were often animals that didn’t belong to anyone but wandered around looking for scraps.
In addition, “evil workers” were a reference to people who were out to harm others. They were people who were not to be trusted. They were people who were leading others astray, therefore, anytime there is anything or anyone leading us to put our confidence in anything outside of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we need to be on the alert. Let’s look at our last sub-point; 3. How Do You Know?
- How Do You Know?
Philippians 3:1-3, “1 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. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”
Verse 3, “We worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ.” Yes. This is how you know your confidence is in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. The single greatest difference between fake and real, true and false is worshipping in the Spirit and glorying in Christ Jesus!
This is what Jesus is teaching the woman at the well in John 4. The woman is at the well in the heat of the day. The woman is an outcast in her community. The woman has been drawing confidence from romantic relationships, right? The woman has been in and out of marriages over and over and over.
In John 4 Jesus meets the woman at the well and says to her, “An hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”
The God of Scripture isn’t looking for external efforts on our part. The Father is looking for hearts that will bend to Him, trust in Him, therefore, the woman says to Jesus, “I know the Messiah is coming. When He comes, I will listen.”
Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” The same God who spoke to Abraham is the same God speaking to the woman at the well and the same God who is speaking to us this morning. His name is Jesus!
You don’t have to go to Jerusalem to be near Jesus. You couldn’t possibly get on a plane and get to the God of Scripture. It’s impossible. You don’t have to circumcise your flesh. You couldn’t possibly cut away enough flesh to get to the glory of God. It’s impossible.
Illustration: I remember when I was in my 20’s I was working with a church in Germany and periodically we would go to this town called Trier and Trier claimed to have the shroud of Jesus so that in the church in Trier you could go and take a picture of the very shroud Jesus wore.
People wanted to be in the presence of the shroud. People wanted to pray near this shroud. The thought was, “If I can do something to get closer to God, I will be more blessed” therefore, people wanted to get near the shroud.
I am sure we all have stories of people who have come in contact with “holy” areas and people genuinely believed, “If I can get close enough, if I could touch it, if I could be near, if I could do something” I can get close to God.
This is the gospel. This is true circumcision. It isn’t about what we DO externally but what Jesus has done. You don’t have to get to God because God has come to you. That’s the glory of Christmas! Those other things are man-made. They are systems of works that people did in the first century and people are still doing today, and none of it matters because it is all broken attempts to make ourselves better.
This is true in religious area of life, and this is true in non-religious area of life. Our physical appearances won’t bring lasting confidence because our physical appearances are going to fade with age. Our job titles won’t bring lasting confidence because our job titles are going to disappear. Our bank accounts won’t bring lasting confidence because our bank accounts can get turned upside in a moment.
It isn’t about what we DO but what Jesus has DONE. Jesus does live the perfect life. Jesus takes our death at the cross upon Himself. Jesus conquers sin and death in the resurrection so that all who believe in Him are made righteous, therefore, let us glory in Christ! Let us glory in Christ in Austin and around the world!