If you are not Abraham’s seed according to the promise, then you are lost.
The Great Importance of Knowing if I am the True Circumcision; and Why?
Philippians 3:1-6
(Children's Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at Bottom. Notes are throughout)Pastor Kerry Kinchen, Bridgeway Bible Church
Turn to Philippians 3:1-6. As you are turning there I want to quote something that John the baptist said concerning the wrath of God that was coming to apostate Israel. John was ushering in the prophesied ministry of Jesus Christ, when he said,
"9... do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham." Matthew 3:9
This is a perplexing statement isn't it? The children of Abraham come from Abraham. But John the baptist understood prophetically what God was about to accomplish in His Son, Jesus Christ. In the meantime most of the Jews boasted that Abraham was their father according to the flesh. John, who could boast in this same fact, is not impressed.
Why did Jews boast about Abraham being their father?
The reason is that about 2000 years before, Abraham was faithful to God and was obedient. So the Lord made a covenant of blessing with Abraham, through Abraham's son Isaac, down through the generations to Abraham's future seed. God told Abraham,
"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." Genesis 22:18
Abraham's future seed is important. Abraham did not know this at the time, but this was more than a physical promise. This was also a spiritual promise. Generations would continue down through Isaac, but this promise, was a prophetic revelation of the coming Messiah, which is Jesus. But right now, I am answering the question for us:
Why did Jews boast about Abraham being their father?
Along with the covenant blessing, God wanted to establish a sign of the covenant with Abraham and his descendants. The sign of the covenant with Abraham is that God required all the males, from Abraham's bloodline, to be circumcised. Circumcision is cutting away the foreskin from males. It points to the Abrahamic covenant, and is part of keeping it. It was a necessary part of God's covenant,
"But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant." Genesis 17:24
Down Abraham's bloodline, Isaac had a son named Jacob. God changed Jacob's name to Israel.
Jacob is Israel--same guy.
Israel is the other forefather that the Jews boasted in. Israel had 12 sons. Each son had children that developed into family communities called tribes. They became known as the twelve tribes of Israel. They were known by four primary things:
1) They were known by the name of their forefather Jacob, whose name was also Israel.
2) A remnant from them, could always be found worshipping the One true God, Yahweh.
3) They kept the oracles of God, and preserved the record of the history of the generations who worshipped the One true God, and God's dealings with mankind.
4) They were also known as those who circumcised their males in covenant. They were called the circumcision.
This is why Paul refers to genetic ethnic Israel of his day as the circumcision.
Four centuries after Abraham, the Israelites became slaves in Egypt. What is important to us is that God referred to all of the Israelites corporately as one single person. It is interesting language, and you and I must become familiar with it in our day and age.
What do I mean when I say that God called them all one person?
God said through Moses,
"22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says Yahweh, Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I said to you, 'Let My son go [out of Egypt] that he may serve Me'; ..." Exodus 4:22-23
It sounds poetic for God to refer to the Israelite tribes as one particular man--Israel His firstborn son. Is this poetry? No it is not. This is a prophetic label that has a spiritual meaning that is important for you my dear Christian. But there is a physical meaning too. Those descendants represented the physical bloodline that possessed the covenant made with their father Abraham. This is the story of Israel according to covenant, of which flowed down through the genetic, physical bloodline. This is why the Jews were so proud to call Abraham their father. These are very important facts. We need to know them as foundations as we learn from God's word to us. Paul the apostle is writing to the church at Philippi. Starting in verse 2, we read our main passage for this morning,
"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, 4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, ..." Philippians 3:2-5
Let us prepare our hearts to learn the importance of who we become in Christ. This sermon is on,
The Great Importance of Knowing if I am the True Circumcision; and Why?
[prayer]
Think about the history of Abraham and Israel. Think about the warning sermon that John the baptist preached about the lost sheep of the house of Israel claiming Abraham as their father. Paul opens up our section with a warning that is reflective of the one that John the baptist made. Paul says,
"Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, ..."
These people are not godly. These people hate Christians. They are the opponents who will be destroyed by the One true God, according to 1:28. It seems like Paul could be talking about Roman pagans. But this is not who Paul is talking about. Paul explains who they are. He says,
"... beware of the false circumcision; ..."
Who in the world is the false circumcision?
Remember, the circumcision was a name for someone who was an Israelite. The males had the sign. These people had their bloodline going back to Israel, and back to Abraham, but they are false. Paul could relate to these people. He was a physical Israelite who was circumcised according to God's previous command. Paul was
"5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel," Philippians 3:5
But those other people are called the false circumcision. This might seem weird, because those other people are also Israelites according to the flesh. They have really been circumcised too. So;
What in the world does Paul mean?
How can there be Israelites who are circumcised, but somehow they are the false circumcision?
Does this mean there are genetic circumcised Israelites who are not truly in covenant with God according to the promise of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel?
Yes, that is exactly what Paul means;
There are genetic circumcised Israelites who are not truly in covenant with God according to the promise of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.
Paul also meant this about himself before he was saved.
The apostle John describes these people in his revelation letter to Smyrna, and Philadelphia, as those who are blasphemers who say they are Jews, but are really of the synagogue of Satan, Revelation 2:8, 3:9. They are Israelites according to the flesh, but they have a problem. Though genetically true, they are liars and fakes. They claim to be the true circumcision. They claim to be Jews. They have their bloodline. They have their synagogue, but it is a synagogue of evil. John says they will attack God's true children. But God will make them bow down to Christians. John says that God does not love them. God loves you and me, and all who are in His Christian church. So questions loom here in our midst:
Aren't these Israelites according to the flesh?
So, then aren't these people the children of promise? Galatians 3:29
Yes, they are Israelites according to the flesh, but they are enemies of God according to the Spirit. They have a spiritual problem that cancels them out as God's chosen, as true Israel, as true Jews, as the true circumcision. They can trace their bloodline back to Abraham. They can demonstrate that they have been circumcised physically, but they are not of their father Abraham. They are of their father the devil. Anybody who claims to be a Jew and rejects the Messiah, (which is Christ) is not a true Jew. This is why we must be careful. Way too many Christians assume that all Jews are saved, or that all Jews worship Yahweh. But this is not true. Jesus said to apostate Jews according to the flesh,
"37 I know that you are Abraham's descendants;..." John 8:37
Jesus Knows they are genetic Israelites. A lot of people claim to be genetic Israelites. Maybe they are. Maybe they are not. Can they trace their lineage back to Jacob like Israelites used to be able to do before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD? No. But Jesus knows these guys are genetic Israelites. Jesus also knows that they have been circumcised; but Jesus knows something else. Jesus knows that everyone who claims to be Israel is not really Israel--even though they are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. In other words, they are Israelites according to the flesh, but they are not Israel according to the Spirit--according to the promise. Listen to me. You need to be an Israelite according to the Spirit. It is salvation. If you are not an Israelite according to the Spirit, then you are lost. You are hell bound. Your father is the devil. Jesus says,
"'37 I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 ... you also do the things which you heard from your father.' 39 They answered ... 'Abraham is our father ' Jesus said ... 'If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do." John 8:37-40
Abraham was a true child of God. These guys can not do the deeds of Abraham because they are lost. They are cursed. Jesus says,
"41 You are doing the deeds of your father.' They said to Him, 'We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.'"
[First they are saying that Abraham is their father. Now they are saying that God is their Father. They claim to be children of God. How many people claim that they are children of God, but they really are not? Continuing,]
"42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.
[And Jesus drops the big bomb. Look at verse 44. He says]
44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.
1 If God is your Father, then you will____________Jesus.
Jesus knows that these Jews descended from Abraham, but they have been raised by the devil. They are not God's chosen people. Only a remnant of physical Israel is chosen. These are no more chosen than the devil is chosen, and they manifest this fact in the sin of rejecting Messiah. Jesus tells them that everyone who is of God hears the words of God. Jesus says,
"47... for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.'"
Every Jew thinks they are of God, unless they are atheistic, or new agers, or some other derivative. Nevertheless, every Jew is not the true Israel of God. These Jews are of the devil, and so they blaspheme God by dishonoring the Messiah who stands before them (cf. 48-52) Jesus tells them,
"54 ... it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God'; 55 and you have not come to know Him, ..."
How many people who claim to be God's chosen, say, "He is our God!" but they have not even come to know Him? Jesus says, "You have not come to know Him." We need to listen to God's word. You need to contemplate the seriousness of the theme of this sermon in respect to your own soul; Are you the true circumcision? If you are not the true circumcision, then you are lost. You have not come to know God. Your family trait is sin, and your father is the patriarch of sin. The point is that people today may not pick up stones to throw at Christ, but they do not pick up the truth to embrace it, and that is the spiritual problem that marks everyone who is not really the true Israel of God. This is why Paul says plainly in Romans 9,
"6... they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; ..." Romans 9:6
Paul says that God prepared vessels of mercy beforehand from Jews and Gentiles. Paul goes on in Romans 9 and quotes the prophets, Hosea, and Isaiah. These prophecies show how you and I equate into being the true Israel of God in Christ. It is a special relationship. It is a beautiful relationship. And it was prophesied in the ancient past for you--yes you (if you are saved). We are going to look at Hosea and Isaiah in respect to you. This is vital. You need to learn this. It has to do with the great importance of knowing if you are the true circumcision; and why? Paul quotes Hosea,
"25 As He [God] says also in Hosea, 'I will call those who were not my people, 'My people,' and her who was not beloved, 'beloved.' 26 and it shall be in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' there they shall be called 'sons of the living God.'
2 They shall be called,__________of the living God.
Paul is revealing that Hosea is talking about how God is going to make people, (like people here in this room--Gentiles) into the true circumcision, though they are not descendants of Israel. This is how anyone becomes sons of the living God. So, Paul quoted Hosea to get this point across. Next Paul quotes Isaiah concerning Jews,
"27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, 'Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved;" Romans 9:23-27
Only a small number of genetic Israel will be saved. So, Hosea, and Isaiah prophesied. They talked about Gentiles who were out of the picture before, and they also talked about a small remnant of genetic Israel. All are saved in the miracle of the New Covenant through the cross and resurrection. Hosea is prophesying about you, if you are saved. In Christ alone, we are all Sons of the living God. This is very important for the body of Christ to understand--not just us here this morning, but the whole church. At one time you were not God's people. But God made you into a son in His only begotten Son. In this quote from Hosea, you get a glimpse of what you are in the body. In salvation, you are the true circumcision. Paul also quotes the prophet Isaiah out of Isaiah 10:22. In a New Covenant sense, Isaiah was also prophesying about You and me. Again,
"... they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;" Romans 9:6
"Though the number of the sons of israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved;" Romans 9:27
But we know that the descendants of the one man, Israel, were also referred to (in language) as if they all were him. Remember that? Remember the introduction to this sermon? God led Israel out of bondage to Pharaoh, and God referred to all the Israelite people like a single son of His. Remember that beautiful and mysterious statement,
"22 ... Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I said to you, [Pharaoh] 'Let My son go that he may serve Me'; ..." Exodus 4:22-23
It is amazing that God refers to the whole multitude of the twelve tribes as His one firstborn Son. But 600 years later, that other prophet that Paul quoted in Romans 9 named Hosea does the same thing.
"1 When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son." Hosea 11:1
God does it again. All Israel is called God's one son whom God loved. It is really so very interesting that God would do this. Unfortunately in Hosea's day, the Israelites were like they have always typically been--most had turned against God in spiritual adultery. John the baptist saw this same thing in his day. Jesus knew it, and Paul warns about it in our Philippians passage. Now here is the million dollar question:
How does the firstborn being freed from Egypt apply to you?
Think about this:
The Isaiah and Hosea prophecies apply to Israel being freed from Egypt, right?
They were all called the one firstborn Son who was freed from Egypt, right?
I am going to show you that this prophecy is ultimately about Christ. But it gets even more wonderful. Because in Christ, this prophecy is also about you, the body of Christ! God,
"... gave Him [Christ] as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." Ephesians 1:22-23
3 The church is Christ's________________.
Why is this important for you?
Well, you are the body of Christ. But,
Why am I preaching about so many of these various things this morning?
Because we are in Christ. You and me and all Christians are the fullness of Him who fills all of us in all of us. It is a wonderfully marvelous truth that needs to be preached, grasped, and rested in. It is a unfortunate that this truth is not taught more often. It is a shame that it is not believed. Basically, the church is the fullness of Him; and we are the fulness of Him only because He fills all of us in all of us by His Holy Spirit. The body is,
"His body, which is the church," Colossians 1:24
So, if Christ is the fulfillment of these prophecies I have been pointing out, and we are the fulness of Him who fills all of us in all of us as the body of Christ, then we see that the prophecy is also ultimately about us too.
Stay with me because this gets really exciting. What I mean is that 800 years after Hosea said God loved all Israel as one young man, and called him out of Egypt as His son, Jesus, God's only begotten Son, was born to the virgin Mary who had been miraculously impregnated by God the Holy Spirit. King Herod, tried to kill the baby Christ. Mary, her husband, and baby Jesus, fled to Egypt.
Remember Egypt?!
Egypt is the place where all of Israel, who were called the one Son Israel, was delivered out of. Baby Jesus stayed in Egypt until the death of Herod.
Why is this important to what I am preaching?
Why is this important to you?
Matthew tells us the amazing reason this is so important,
"15 He remained there [in Egypt] until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet [Hosea]: 'Out of Egypt I called my Son.'" Matthew 2:15
Wow. Do you see the revelation? Notice which prophecy was fulfilled out of Hosea--but it was fulfilled in God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ! Matthew is quoting Hosea 11:1. Remember it? It is where Hosea prophesied, calling many Israelites as God's one son being delivered out of Egypt. Now Hosea's prophecy, in the same words, was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus as God's only begotten Son. This is the big wow. What this means is that Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment. Listen to me:
Jesus is the actual Son who is the New Covenant Israel of God.
Again, let me repeat that:
Jesus is the actual Son who is the New Covenant Israel of God.
This is the key to life. It opens the door for you to know if you, me, or anyone else is the true Circumcision; and Why? In Isaiah 41, we see God speaking to Israel as a people, and God does that same amazing thing again. He refers to all those people as a singular person;
"8 But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend, 9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.'" Isaiah 41:8-9
God calls all of those people together, His one servant Israel. He calls them Jacob, a descendant of Abraham, and a friend. God is talking to ethnic Israelites, but there is an ultimate fulfillment in the future personification of Christ, as we have seen in Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:15. Then God says something next in Isaiah, where He uses similar language to describe the future coming of Christ,
"1 Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not be disheartened or crushed. Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law." Isaiah 42:1-4
I ask you--
What does it mean that the nation of Israel is referred to as the one chosen man Israel--Jacob, a descendant of Abraham and a friend in Isaiah 41, and then immediately in Isaiah 42, the chosen one whom God has put His Spirit upon is referred to in similar language?
What this means is that these prophecies are consummated in Christ. They point to Jesus Christ saving His people, and in His name the gentiles will hope. He is the redeemer. He is the reigning King. He is the firstborn from the dead. He is the head of His body, which is the body of Christ, which is His church. He creates the true circumcision in Himself. It should not surprise us then, to once again see that Matthew shines the spotlight on the fulfillment of Isaiah 42 being in Jesus,
"15 But Jesus... 16 ... warned them not to tell who He was. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 18 Behold, My servant whom I have chosen; my beloved in whom my soul is well-pleased; I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel, nor cry out; nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 20 A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out, until He leads justice to victory. 21 And in His name the gentiles will hope." Matthew 12:16-21
Jesus Christ, Who is Israel according to Hosea, is God's servant. Jesus Christ is ultimately and finally Jacob whom God has chosen; the seed descendant of Abraham, who is the ultimate friend of God of Isaiah 41:8. Jesus is the great all in all. Jesus Christ is the appointed New Covenant, according to Isaiah 42:6. He is the Light to the nations. It is two verses down from Isaiah 42:1-4, where God says,
"6 I am Yahweh, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, and I will appoint You as a Covenant to the people, as a Light to the nations," Isaiah 42:6
These prophecies point to Christ as the ultimate personification of the truly righteous Israel. Yes folks, Christ is the true faithful spiritual Israel, and in Him you are the true circumcision. That is how it works. In Christ you are spiritual Israel, circumcised without hands, but in the Spirit; made the righteousness of God in Christ through the faith of Christ.
Also, to add even more glorious revelation to prophesy being focused upon Christ at the fullness of times, would it surprise you if I said that Christ is the seed?
Yes, Christ is the actual seed-fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham!
Do you remember that one?; where God said to Abraham,
"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, ..." Genesis 22:18
Most physical Israelites believe this promise is about them. But this promise is about Christ. All glory goes to Him as the great blesser. But there is more: Genesis 22:18 is also about you my brothers and sisters! Christ is the seed. You are blessed in Christ. The Whole New Covenant hinges on these important facts. It is how you know what it means to be the true circumcision, and if you are the true circumcision, and why? These are the essentials that Paul explained to the Galatian church which was being harassed by the false circumcision. Paul said that Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, Galatians 3:6. Then,
"7 ... it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham." Galatians 3:7
If your faith is in God loving the world that He gave His only begotten Son for you that believing in Him to forgive you of your sins, you will not perish but have everlasting life, then you are a true son of Abraham. It is a faith promise wrought by the Holy Spirit, and so Paul goes on and says,
8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the good news beforehand to Abraham, saying, "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." Galatians 3:8
God had you in mind when He preached the good news to Abraham. Isn't this magnificent? You need to know this.
But what about the false circumcision?:
9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. 10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse;" Galatians 3:9
The false circumcision camp is trying to practice the Old Covenant Law to be justified. But nobody is justified before God. The Old Covenant Law curses people who try to live according to it. This is why Paul goes on and says,
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"--14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:13-14s
4 In Christ Jesus we receive the promise of the______________ through faith.
Your blessing is all about Jesus Christ. It is all about receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit through faith. It is not about you, and your efforts. It is not about your forefathers. It is a Spiritual promise that comes by grace.
So how do you receive the promise of the Spirit through faith?
My dear brothers and sisters, this is where the seed of Abraham starts to really makes sense. Now the seed,
"... 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as referring to many, but rather to One, 'And to your seed,' that is, Christ." Galatians 3:16
There He is. Christ is your great all in all. Christ is the fulfillment of all you need. Christ is the first born Heir. Christ is the seed. Christ gets the inheritance. You are a joint heir with him. Why? Because the Holy Spirit dwells in you. You are one spirit with Him, 1 Corinthians 6:17. Paul continues in Galatians to explain what it means for Abraham's One seed to bless the nations--to bless you. The Mosaic Law was added four hundred and thirty years later after the promise to Abraham,
"The law was added because of transgressions, until the seed [Christ] would come to whom the promise had been made." Galatians 3:19
Everything was waiting for Jesus. He is the one to whom the promise had been made. The Law could not impart life. Only Christ, the seed, can do this. The false circumcision was trying to gain life through works. They were trying to appeal to their bloodline. People try to do this today, but it doesn't work. The false circumcision first rejected Jesus as the promised Messiah, then the false circumcision rejected Christ as the sacrificial Lamb that cleanses from all sin. People reject Jesus Christ today too, and they are lost. Physical circumcision, instead of faith, was one of the things lost people boasted in for false salvation. Faith in Christ is the essence of the true circumcision. This is how you are justified. This is how you are saved. Folks, this is how you become a son of God!
"25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were immersed into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise." Galatians 3:25-29
5 You are a son of God through_______________in Jesus Christ.
In other words, it is all about God's grace. It is not anything about you and your bloodline. It is all about Who Christ is for you in His own spiritual bloodline. So when Paul says,
"... you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise."
what Paul is talking about is the body of Christ, where your position and identification is in Him. God embraces you. He loves you. There is nothing about you that made you lovely to begin with. You were not lovely enough to be embraced and loved by God. God does it because of His lovely, righteous, Son. God continues to do this with you because of His Son. He won't ever give you up. He doesn't allow you to disown Him once you are saved. You don's sin your way out of His Son. You don't sin your way out of being a Son. This is why Paul says in our Philippians passage this morning that none of Paul's own physical bloodline matters to him, even though he was an Israelite according to the flesh. Physical circumcision meant nothing to Paul. Being a Benjamite Israelite was meaningless. What matters is Christ. Paul says that what matters, is whether Paul is found in Christ, or if Paul is found outside of Christ. That is the big question for us this morning:
Are you found in Christ and His righteousness, where His righteousness is imputed to you?
Or,
Are you found outside of Christ trying to attain righteousness on your own like the false circumcision was trying to do?
Paul counted all his tarnished trophies of religious activity as loss because of the greater value of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord. Paul wanted to be found where you need to be found. Where? In the seed. Why? Because in Christ is where Paul becomes Abraham's seed too--and heir according to promise. It is through faith,
"9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith," Philippians 3:8-9
6 ________________ comes from God on the basis of faith.
The safest place in the world for you to be found, is in Christ on the basis of faith. Salvation is to be in the body, sealed by the Holy Spirit. There is no place safer. There is no place more secure. There is no place cleaner. Just being there makes you spotless. When you are in the body, all you need to do is just be there and you are whiter than snow. The Jews, Israelites, Hebrews, the circumcision, the Judaizers; all thought their physical connection to Abraham, and their fleshly circumcision was their spotless gown of righteousness. But Paul counts his physical circumcision to be dung compared to what Paul's snowy white spiritual condition is in Christ. Whenever you think about the whiteness of purity that God makes you in Christ, remember that God did it--Not you. And praise Him for it. Praise Him for His work. Praise Him that He doesn't require any work from you to attain it.
"11 in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the [sinful, separating] flesh by the circumcision of Christ;" Colossians 2:11
There is no need to be confused about how God makes you into the true circumcision. All you need to know is that it is in Him, by the circumcision of Christ by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ in the cross, where He died for sins, and in His resurrection, where He conquered death in a glorified state.
"28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God." Romans 2:28-29
Your circumcision is the circumcision of Christ, and it is of your heart, by the Spirit. In Christ Jesus, females, males, and people from every tongue, tribe, and nation, are spiritually circumcised in their hearts.
You need to leave here this morning being blessed with knowing who you are in Christ. As we finish, consider Who you boast in. Our closing passage is Paul's boast of Galatians 6. Let us make it our boast too;
"may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, even ["that is"--NET notes on Greek, kai] upon the Israel of God." Galatians 6:13-16
7 I boast in the_______________of my Lord.
Are you a new creation by the power of the Holy Spirit?
Then boast in the Holy Spirit by boasting in this good news.
Are you one of God's children?
That is what we are talking about here.
Have you been circumcised in your heart?
Are you in the one seed, which is Christ?
Are you the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus?
If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are not righteous. You are uncircumcised in your heart. You are covered in sin. Christ came to be crucified on the cross for sins. He rose from the dead to conquer death. Trust Him to save you by grace, through faith, and you will be saved. I urge you to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior if you have not already done so. Confess your sins to Him, and ask Him to save you from eternal damnation. Do that this morning, and rejoice in your salvation. If you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior this morning, then come talk to me later about your decision.
1. If God is your Father, then you will____________Jesus.
2. They shall be called,__________of the living God.
3. The church is Christ's________________.
4. In Christ Jesus we receive the promise of the______________ through faith.
5. You are a son of God through_______________in Jesus Christ.
6. ________________ comes from God on the basis of faith.
7. I boast in the_______________of my Lord.
