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Philippians 3:3-7
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.
- 0. Introduction - Identity
- 1. We are the circumcision
- 2. What we do not do
- 3. What we do
- 4. How we get circumcised
- 5. Summary
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0. Introduction - Identity
- What comes to mind as we use the word “identity”?
- Identity is tied to what we worship
- 4 parts
- Who we are - the circumcised
- What we do not do
- What we do
- How we get circumcised
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1. We are the circumcision
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- Romans 2:28-29 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
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- Deuteronomy 30:6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
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- Paul goes on to explain what we are to do and what we are not to do because of this new reality
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2. What we do not do
- We put no confidence in the flesh.
- Slido - What do you understand by “putting confidence in the flesh”?
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- 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,[c] blameless.
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- There are 2 types of voices
- One is boasting in what you have
- One is lamenting in what you do not have
- Both voices is God showing to us we putting our confidence in our flesh.
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3. What we do
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- John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
- John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
- Hard to understand but 2 things boradly
- We cannot worship without the holy spirit.
- Worship is in spirit and not by our hands.
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- Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
- Renew the mind ➔ Test to know what is the will of God ➔ present what is acceptable to God [i.e. how not to put confidence in the flesh]
- What in your flesh do you struggle to not put confidence in? Why is it so difficult?
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4. How we get circumcised
- “And glory in christ Jesus.”
- Not a matter of “making a decision”
- John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
- Need to Decide to follow Christ
- John 3:16
- By Substitutionary Atonement by Christ Jesus
- 2Cor 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- That is why glory all goes to Christ Jesus.
- So how we get circumsized is by believing in the lord jesus christ
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5. Summary
- Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we now have a new identity in him that allows us to worship him and to put no confidence in our flesh.
- Note: Christ did not primarily die to give us a new identity.
- Christ died to pay for our sins and to satisfy God’s righteousness.
- A new identity is a by product of this.
- To make identity bigger than the atonement of our sins is a grave undervaluing of what Christ has done.