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August 30, 2021 2:00 am
If you own a bicycle, you know that having a bike pump is necessary. Tires deflate. In the message "Has Your Joy Sprung a Leak?" Skip shares how you can guard against any slow leaks in your joy.
This teaching is from the series Technicolor Joy: A Study through Philippians .
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Anyone ever says I get right with God by doing good works and what they are in effect saying the work of Jesus Christ on the cross was not good enough.
I need to add to that some of my own goodness and righteousness to make that a completed, so I don't want to think that I'm discouraging good words in your personal word for some icing I'm saying is that good works are a byproduct of a relationship with God. What you come to Jesus Christ. If you really come to him if it's really authentic and there's repentance and faith change you there will be good works with the good works are a byproduct of the relationship. Once they become the basis of a relationship. They are because you are saying I need those works in order to be right with God, with all the struggles and disappointments of these last years. A lot of people have lost the joy today on connect with Skip Heitzigs, Skip explains how knowing your identity in Christ can give you a lasting joy that circumstances can't destroy.
Before we begin to secrete resource that will nourish your soul with God's amazing truths reading the Bible can lead to asking some serious questions like the rapture real or how can I overcome anxiety.
These two questions are among those answered in pastor Skip pics a new DVD of four impactful messages by skip. I think, imagine knowing somebody who knows everything about. Now imagine somebody who knows everything about you and loves you and that's what were dealing with and we deal with the knowledge of God. This collection of some of Pastor Steph's most memorable teachings also includes what most people don't know about heaven and it's our thanks for your gift of $25 or more to connect more people to God's life changing word visit connectwithskip.com/offer to get online securely or call 800-922-1888, 800-922-1888 and request your copy of pastor Skip Philippians chapter 3 to get into the teachings also is beware where where, why, because he knows that being joyful means being careful and we learned a lot about the characteristics of these legalists just from looking at this first notice.
First of all, the legalists can be scavengers.
That's why Paul's is beware of dogs. That's a term of contempt by the way, you may want to try to go up as you dog. No, don't do that. On second it's it was a term it was like a cuss word the origin of the term dog in Hebrew parlance goes back to Deuteronomy chapter 23. It referred to a male cult prostitutes in Deuteronomy 23 it says you shall not bring the wages of a harlot, nor the price of a dog to the house of the Lord. Very stark language to describe a male cult prostitutes. As time went on, did you know that Orthodox Jews started using the term dog to refer to non-Jews, Gentiles, so Jews and Orthodox Jews would often refer to Gentiles as dogs. Interesting that Paul decides on Matrox that turned back at them. These Judaizers who say that we have to keep the laws of Moses to be saved beware of dogs. He saying that's who they are now. You probably figured out that the dogs he is referring to or not you're groomed little pets that jump up on your lap that you put those goofy sweaters on all that stuff.
These were vicious, ferocious scavengers who roamed the streets they were dangerous.
They ate filthy bread disease. And just as a dog tears and devours so the legalists tear and devour the grace of God's apostles.
Watch out for them. Legalists can be scavengers beware of dogs second warning, beware of evil workers as part of their characteristic legalists can be evil. While thinking that their good they think they're good.
But Paul calls them evil workers okay so what we have here is a play on words or a plan concept you might legalists believe that you get right with God by doing good works.
I'm in a go to a ceremony and ritual and to grow, try hard and earn my way. And Paul says those are evil workers. Why would he dare do that because when anyone ever says I get right with God by doing good works, what they are in effect saying the work of Jesus Christ on the cross was not good enough. I need to add to that some of my own goodness and righteousness to make that a completed finished work so I don't want you to think that I'm discouraging good worsens or get your Christian to worry about being good course I'm not saying that I'm saying is that good works are a byproduct of a relationship with God. Once you come to Jesus Christ. If you really come to him if it's really authentic and there's repentance and faith will change you there will be good works, but the good works are a byproduct of the relationship.
Once they become the basis of a relationship. They are evil works because you are saying I need those works in order to be right with God. One commentator writes this, there are people who do not want us to be free. They don't want us to be free before God accepted just as we are by his grace. They don't want us to be free to express our faith originally and creatively.
They insist that all look alike talk alike and act alike without being aware we become anxious about what others will say about us obsessively concerned about what others think we should do.
We no longer live the good news, but anxiously try to memorize and recite the script that someone else is assigned to us. We may be secure, but we will not be free once in second Corinthians, Paul says that there are false apostles who corrupt you listen to the words who corrupt you from the simplicity that is in Jesus Christ just so simple.
Just trust him just embrace the work he has done for you so simple and when that gets convoluted. You have legalists who think they're good but actually it's evil, there's 1/3 mark in the third. Beware this is beware of the mutilation nominal explained that legalists can be destructive. No need. He is talking about mutilation. The old King James renders it condensation. Beware of the condensation.
If you ever read label what on earth is a concision so here is is beware of the mutilation. Other translations say beware of the false circumcision. So, did you know that the covenant for Jews in ancient times of their covenant relationship with God was the outward mark of circumcision or a male child. At eight days old was circumcised, that is the foreskin of the flesh of his organ was cut off and that was the symbol of the national relationship. The Jews had with God. Was it a symbol of the symbol was to speak of the reality that my flesh life is cut away that my focus is on spiritual things, not on fleshly things spoke of a beautiful reality but as time went on, the ritual became a formality just became a formality. It's not unlike baptism for a lot of people. Baptism is a formality. Now I know this. Ask somebody. Are you saved, do you know you're going to have and often those that are been baptized nice. I wouldn't know what what I asked you go back to the question, are you say a big baptized great you got what once. Are you saved, you see what they're doing there equating the ritual.
They went through the formality with being saved so they did with circumcision Judaizers. As I mentioned, taught that circumcision was vital to salvation. Acts 15 one.
Unless you are circumcised and keep the law of Moses, you cannot be say so. Paul says, beware of the mutilation very strong term. The term uses here refers to the pagans cutting themselves mutilating themselves flashback to first Kings 18 to some of you know that story when Eliza is on Mount Carmel with the prophets of bail says they started cutting themselves for hours dancing around calling to their gods member that that's the mutilation.
So what Paul is saying is that there circumcision is as meaningless as pagan mutilation.
If there is no reality behind the ritual solely legalism does that.
It mutilates the grace of God.
It mutilates the work of Christ. If you were to boil all belief systems down to their irreducible minimum. I like to do that you could you could say that all religions in the world have one of two approaches is only two religions in the world. You've heard me say this before. Two people are there so many different religious systems and so many beautiful examples of expression. Others really only two religions in the whole world there is the religion of human achievement and there is the religion of divine accomplishment. Every single religious system including sects of Christianity. Many of them fall into the category of the religion of human achievement. I'm right with God because I've been baptized and I go to church and I've been confirmed, and I try hard and I pray that's what you've done.
That's human achievement only. Biblical Christianity is in that second category, the religion of divine accomplishment is what Jesus did for you. It's his finished work on the cross.
That's divine accomplishment. So joy must be guarded. Legalism must be avoided in the third defense to leaking joy is your identity must be comprehended. Look at verse three.
It's her last verse for the day, for we are the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. I'm amazed at how Paul the apostle contains one verse and put so much and it in one verse he describes a true believer a Christian believer it's synonym of what a true believer is verse three is a description and it's a contrast as opposed to the false religious legalists.
We are the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit rejoice in Christ Jesus and of no confidence in the flesh.
So what is our identity. First of all, true followers. I'm not saying we all are. Everybody here is but if you are like Paul and he's identifying with Philippians, a Christian believer is a true follower.
Look at what he says. For we are this circumcision stop there. You could translate this because it's implied we are the true circumcision where the true circumcision.
What he means by that is spiritually where circumcised.
We are not those who have just a meaningless outward mark. We are those who have a true inward cleansing. We are the true circumcision. In Romans chapter 2 Paul says he is not a Jew who is one outwardly in the circumcision is that of the flesh, but he said a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly, and the circumcision is the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit and not by the written code sheet.
There's an inward reality that the outward ritual needs to speak to like my ring. I have a wedding ring. I am ashamed to say it's the second one I boned I lost my first one in the Pacific Ocean.
So I quickly went to a secondhand store and got another ring, but the ring itself is not as important as the relationship that I have.
What if I wasn't married and I had this ring on this finger you would look at me and you'd say oh he's married but I'm not meritless. I have a spouse, a life so the ring points to the reality of having a spouse.
I do have a spouse by the way, and so I have a ring to prove it. You may have a cross around her neck, and you may have a baptismal certificate on your wall, but do you have a Savior in your heart. That's the crux of this we are the true circumcision so we are true followers. We are true worshipers to the next phrase where the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit. You know what that means in the spirit as opposed to the flesh is not only outward is not only rituals. It's real it's authentic you will notice around here. We always do this, we always emphasize the N-word as opposed to just the outward and the reason we do. That was why you do that so much because I'm a biblical expositor in the New Testament does that a lot. That's what it's the N-word over against the outward because anybody can go through the motions. Anybody can say I'm a Christian.
Here's my Bible.
I know the songs I get together with other people who believe. I do this once a week but the outward need to speak to the N-word. We worship God in the spirit so do you remember when Jesus met a Samaritan woman and he started asking her questions and talking to her and get really personal with her about her marriage is in her previous love lives and she's getting really kind anxious about that and squid going out of it. So she does a lot of people do they deflect was talk about something else and her deflection was on outward worship.
She said this, our fathers worshiped on this mountain but you Jews say Jerusalem is the place for one not to worship see what she's talking about. She's deflecting to the emphasis on something outward.
It's like saying will we go to church here and you go to church there. So what's the right church to go to.
I love how Jesus answered he said woman. The hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
Worship the father for God's spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth it has to be authentic in and from your spirit, and based upon the truth of Scripture. The question is it you stand when you worship you sent when you worship you raise your hands when you were supporting sway when you worship question is do you worship isn't real is that authentic is it you in your spirit in your heart authentically worshiping God. So our identity as believers must be comprehended.
We are true followers. True worshipers third description we are true celebrate her's.
He says we worship God in the spirit and we rejoice in Christ Jesus.
Now here he loves the word rejoice, but here would be better translated. We brag on or we boast about were not boasting about how good we are. We are bragging about and boasting in what Jesus Christ has done for us in his accomplishment. And here's the dead giveaway. You can always spot a legalists this way a legalistic person always minimizes the work of Jesus Christ and maximizes the work of man, and by the way, that's why they have no joy because it's always in working hard to get to have and if they're never sure if they worked enough so there's never any satisfaction. There's never any joy is continual shame and hope.
Hope I'm doing to tell you what I've been around legalistic people of the set of rules and regulations but then they act so proudly and smiled like they've actually kept all of those rules and regulations themselves. Mark Twain said, having spent considerable time with good people. I can understand why Jesus is like to be with tax collectors and sinners give me them any day over religious folks before thing we are and will will close. Finally, brethren, we are true believers.
We are true believers.
Notice the last six words and have no confidence in the flesh. We depend totally on Jesus Christ. Now this is the place were we had a Jusco.
We had a just sigh a breath of relief.
Because you see the humanist message is you gotta pull yourself up by your own bootstraps on his God helps those who help themselves.
Which by the way, is not in the Bible unless you wrote it there yourself.
That's the humanist message.
The legalists message is well you work your way to heaven and keep the rituals and keep the ceremonies and cross your fingers. But that's not our message. Our messages Jesus paid it all, all to him. I know sin has left a crimson stain, he washed me white as snow. That's our message of the gospel and listen that'll bring joy back to your life but to bring joy back to your life.
He did it all. That'll bring you joy because Jesus said, I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly, abundantly, he didn't say I have come that they might have bomber and bomber more abundantly, and a lot of people with abundant bomber in their life they might have joy and havoc to the full.
One translation says the Skip translation. The NSV to the max joy to the max abundant joy. Because of this, suppose that you get a new car you're going on a driving vacation you're going to Rocky Mount national Park so you fill your car up with gas in your drive never so happy. All families are but you get out of town and you start noticing there are people outside of their vehicles pushing on the road to pushing their cars push that's kinda weird so eventually stop and get gas in one of these pushers comes up next to you while you pumping gas at high you go. I'm going to Rocky Mount national Park driving I noticed that I used to drive to now were pushing legally I noticed a person so it's over that and they said well you know we used to be like you driving but now are well work were little more mature and we've grown a little bit more. We notice a lot more than we did at first. So we discovered that truly good to push because what you get good exercise. First of all and is good for the environment so you just get your car and go to push is… So you dumb enough to go okay, you sold me. Now that I'm smarter, I'm a go do that so you're out there push it and let's say you go on vacation with your family and you push your car all the way up those passes to Rocky Mount national Park and back home.
I have a question for you.
Are you joyful are you kidding you are miserable. Why because you pushed is what Paul meant when he said to the Galatians. Why is it having begun in the spirit you are now trying to be made perfect by the flesh or with our illustration in mind. You might put it this way. Once you have a full tank of gas in the spirit.
Why are you trying to push your way through life like people get seders enjoying the Lord and they read some stupid book or listen to some lame teacher in sight. No pushing I'm working really hard to get God to smile at me. Jesus paid it all, all to him I call and it could be because I was one maybe you are a person who could be best described as a religious person, not a righteous person is the only righteousness God will ever allow any human to have is by faith in Jesus.
Christ alone. You might be religious but not righteous. You may be moral and sincere, but I want to ask you this. Are you saved are you saved if you go well I been baptized, you know, now it's wrong answer. Oh well, I go to Calvary. Sorry I will check all you went to Calvary, will come on are you a saved individual. Do you know Jesus personally be worshiping in the spirit as opposed to the flesh is your approach. The approach of the gospel you trust Jesus alone. I hope so I principal if not why not, why not now to say Yama to Thomas Jefferson's giving Jesus the next 11 to that website Skip its message with the series Technicolor to right now to tell you for your support helps keep these messages coming your way in connection with the good news of Jesus. Simply put God's Word has the power to change lives. That's why together were taking these Bible teachings to more people around the world because we want to see lives transformed. If you've been encouraged by these teachings and of grown closer to Christ through his word that I want to ask you to give a gift today to help make these teachings available in more places, and through more outlets. Your generous gift will help others experience the power of God's life changing word.
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Visit connectwithskip.com/donate to give you a gift today. That's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800-922-1888, 800-922-1888 coming up tomorrow Skip Heitzigs of shares of the first step to building your testimony is to shred your religious resume. So, the authentic grace of Christ shines through. If you were raised in a religious home and you have trusted in the fact that you were raised in a religious home by spiritual parents, then you need some pointed care your religious resume and here's what because God has no grandchildren.
He only has children as many as received him, John chapter 1 tells us he gave them the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name With Skip-Presentation of Connection Communications to Go through Ever-Changing Time