Enemies of the Cross

I've got news for you. You might as well count on it just remaining that way. I was so taken back by the fact that God's people, even though the Lord had said, here's the promised land, come in and take it. But then God said, I'm giving it to you, but you've got to take it. Those two things didn't seem to jog at first in my head. I mean, if someone gives you something, it's yours, right? And yet the Lord said, you've still got to fight for it. Every inch, every tribe, every city. And that's what Joshua and Judges and a lot of Deuteronomy and Numbers, all that's about is fighting for that promised land. And then I realized something that had troubled me a lot, and maybe it's troubled you from time to time, where the Lord said things like, and I want you to annihilate the city. I want you to kill everything, young and old. Not one living thing will remain standing. Did you ever read that and say, gee, that's pretty vile, isn't it? And I said, Lord, why would you do that? Why would you have your people kill, annihilate, wipe out and destroy an entire population of people? There's got to be some good people in some of those cities that you told them to wipe out. And then I realized that the consequences of what would take place if the people did not obey that command of the Lord were very evident. The Lord said, if you don't completely destroy the people that I tell you to wipe out, you will be infected by what remains. You will be diminished and diluted in your purity by the enemies that remain. And you know something? What is the Old Testament a story of? Well, take a look, just so you know. Take a look real quickly at Joshua 6. And I'll tell you what. Let me get this down in a different place. I'll flip over a few pages to Judges chapter 1. If you need a Bible, slip your hand up quickly and one of the brothers will get one to you. Look at Judges chapter 1. And the Lord had told them to wipe out these people as they were going into the Promised Land. Beginning in verse 22, my Bible has a paragraph heading that says, The Incomplete Conquest of Israel. Verse 28, Verse 32, Over and over again you see illustrations that the people of God did not fully obey the command of God. And as a consequence, what happened? There was intermarriage. There was a clouding over of the pure, powerful Word of God. And ultimately, what happened? They were destroyed. They were wiped out. Well, in the New Testament then, it was not much of a surprise, as I began to think about it, to see the number of times that the Lord, the Holy Spirit through Paul especially, speaks about being in a spiritual conquest, being in a battle. Ephesians 6 talks about the spiritual warfare that we're to engage in. And many of you have had experience in teaching in these things, some of you have not. That's why Paul said at the end of 2 Timothy chapter 4, that I have fought the good fight of the faith. That's why Peter said in 1 Peter 5.8, Watch out for your adversary, the devil, who stalks around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Brothers and sisters, the whole Bible, from beginning to end, is a conquest. And what ultimately happens in Revelation? God settles it. Amen? God settles it. But I was taken back especially this week by a certain phrase, and I want you to turn, this will be the focus of our teaching, in Philippians chapter 3. Speaking of Paul, Philippians chapter 3. I'm breaking in a new Bible, and it's painful. You know that old Bible that just had the notes and the right bends in the pages, and you just flip there, and mine had, the binding was broken in 1 Corinthians 12, and it was really nice, you know. But anyhow, here we are. Philippians chapter 3. Now, I'm not going to read an extended portion of the Scripture, but I want you to pick up with me, beginning in verse 17. Brethren, join in imitating me, and mark those who so live as you have an example in us. For many of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, live as enemies of the cross of Christ. That is the only time in the entire Bible that you see that phrase, enemies of the cross of Christ. Now, my first response was, Amen. Lord, I hate your enemies too. Then the Lord began to teach me something about what it means to be an enemy of the cross of Christ, and I want to share that with you this morning. On the eve of the inauguration of all of our new home groups, and all that logically says, talk about community and home group dynamic, and all the rest in the New Testament, the Lord says, speak about the enemies of the cross of Christ. Now, the first thing we need to see in this is the context. Paul loved the church at Philippi. I want to read to you just a brief thing that describes it, that a commentator said about his love for the church. He says, Of all the churches that Paul had founded, none was so near and dear to him as the church at Philippi. The letter of the Philippians breathes an atmosphere of perfect love and mutual confidence. These were friends who had often helped Paul with their gifts, and had not forgotten him now that he was in prison. Love and gratitude are everywhere expressed in the pages of this Christian love letter. These were people that Paul loved, and to them he writes these words, Watch out for the enemies of the cross of Christ. Now, the specific context of that phrase in Philippians chapter 3, is to me, it's got to be one of the top three or four chapters in the New Testament from my point of view. Romans 8 is another one. Philippians chapter 3, the first 16 verses are unbelievably powerful. And here's where Paul says things like, look with me, verse 8, Indeed I count everything as loss compared to the overwhelming gain, or surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ. It's there that he says, verse 10, That I may know him in the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. There's all kinds of things in here that I don't like to hear. It's not too popular to talk about sufferings and forsaking. It's not in vogue to talk about pressing. And yet, that's exactly what Paul says, to the people that he loves more than any other church. That's the context of these words, the enemies of the cross of Christ. Now let's zero in on that. Starting in verse 18. First thing I want you to see here, in the crux of what he's saying, there are a lot of people that need to hear these words according to Paul. Look what he says. For many, many, of whom I have often told you. That says to me, these people were influential. These people had something going. They were influencing a lot of the other believers. And he said, I've often told you about them with tears. It was an emotional experience for Paul to deal with these people. He wept over their condition. So this wasn't just a few that were causing some trouble off in one corner of Philippi. This was a lot of influential people. Live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Now the word live there is peripateo in the Greek, which means literally to walk. And so, as the New English Bible translates more accurately, whose way of life is as an enemy of the cross of Christ. It was their way of life that he was talking about. It wasn't just the fact that they believed something different. Now who were these enemies? Well, what was my initial reaction was probably yours. Pagans, right? People who hated God. I hate God's enemies. With a perfect hatred. I know you say, well you're supposed to love your enemies. But you've ever read the Psalms when David says, God, I hate those who hate your name. It's a perfect hatred. It's not the people, it's the sin. So I'm thinking, you know, Lord, I hate all the ones that hate the cross of Christ too. But look, it's not the pagans. It's not the Judaizers that he's talking about in the first part of the chapter. There's a powerful argument here. And if I could take the time to develop it, I think it would convince you. But I'll just highlight the three points that I think argue that this is talking about believers. First of all, the word peripateo, which is to walk, is only used to refer to Christian walking. Walking in the Christian life. Anywhere else in the New Testament. Secondly, it would be a superfluous word. Enemy, if it was pagans that it was talking about or Judaizers that it was talking about, the word would be a platitude. And so he's specifying here that these people, these believers are living as enemies. And he sheds tears over them. Nowhere else in the New Testament is it talked about shedding tears. Paul shed tears in Acts chapter 20 for the wolves that were going to come in and destroy the Ephesian church. He sheds tears for those of the faith. And so Paul is talking here about believers. And that's so important. Because when the Lord showed me that, then it began to make sense to me that there was a message here for me. And what he's saying here is that the enemies of the cross are professed Christians who have completely misunderstood the significance of the cross of Christ, historically and in their life. They have made a catastrophic underestimation. And I use that word purposely. Catastrophic. Because the cross no longer meant for them what it meant for Jesus. And so what we have here are a group of people who have removed the cross side of the gospel. They've taken away the message of the cross. And Paul is saying, these are enemies. These are those who have not understood what it means when it says that we need to take up our cross daily and follow Him. They have underestimated that the cross meant that the old lifestyle had come to an end and a new world order was coming in. They had underestimated that Jesus was, in His own life and death, embodying an entirely new beginning to human history. Do you realize the magnitude of what we say we believe as Christians? We are nuts if we're not right, folks. We believe that Jesus Christ, on His cross, inaugurated an entirely new reign. An entirely new way of life. And the two things, beloved, that Paul said characterized that way of life are sacrifice and obedience. And he spells it out in Philippians chapter 3, verses 7 through 16. The people that he's talking about, who are living as enemies, are not living according to what he said in those previous verses. And they've taken away from the cross the very thing that Paul said it was. 1 Corinthians 1.18, the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1.25, the wisdom of God. And this little, as it says here rather, this large group of people in Philippi, little perhaps in comparison to the whole church, but large in Philippi. This group of people had the power to influence the whole body. Now, what are the characteristics of these enemies? How do I identify them? I notice some people are fidgeting a little bit. It's okay. We'll all fidget together. Here we go. How do we identify the enemies? Let's move over to the first one in verse 19. We'll talk about that at the end. The first thing then is their God is the belly. How many of you think this is just talking about overweight people? Okay, that settles that point. The Greek word kolia here is translated more properly appetite. Their God is their appetite. And the word means a number of things in the Greek. It means also the womb of man. Or the navel of man. It's talking about people who are egocentric. People who are looking out for their own appetites, their own preferences, their own desires. Their God is themselves, beloved. We're talking about Christians here. Believers. How can a believer believe that? And yet, that's exactly what he's saying. Their God is their appetite. Their own comfort came before God's priorities. Their own preferences came before the love of the body. If it was the way we like it, then we'll do it. If it's not the way we like it, then we won't do it. And then it says, They glory in their shame. Now, glory is the classic word doxe, which is all through the New Testament, which means that which you exult in or are proud of. When we talk about the glory of God, it has a whole other connotation, of His holiness and righteousness embodied before you. But the key word here is their shame. The Living Bible says they're proud of what they should be ashamed of. And the word shame in Greek is more properly, or at least equally translatable, dishonest. And it's talking here about hidden secrets. It's saying that people are proud of what they're getting away with. That's what it's saying. They're proud of what they're able to sandbag God over. And where they can cut the corners of their Christian faith. I grieve every time a young person says to me, Is it okay to be a Christian and drink? And adults just don't ask the question many times. And it's not because God's on some, you know, teetotaling tirade. That isn't the point. We get into long discussions sometimes, young people, don't we? About dating non-Christians. And we begin to wrestle with, well, should we date believers or non-believers? And people get proud of the fact that they can get away with something and still be Christians. That's what he's saying here. I'm able to live pretty much in there, but I can still do some things and I can still call some shots. That's what it's talking about. Glorying in their shame, proud of what they can get away with. And then the third characteristic is their minds are set on earthly things. Fernantes is the Greek word. It's translated in your King James Bible in Colossians 3.2 as affections. Or savourings. They savour earthly things. Their affections are on things that are right here around them. They've lost sight of verse 14. Look at it. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call. The Living Bible says that they care more about the things here on the earth than they do the things in heaven. Now, beloved, living where we do, functioning as we do, being in the world as the Lord has said we're to be in the world, how many of you say it is a tremendous battle to keep your eyes on heaven and not on earth? Tremendous battle. And I share what I share today with tremendous empathy, because I struggle with the same things. But these people were enemies of the cross of Christ. And they desired to acquire this thing or that thing and make this achievement or that achievement, find their name in this club or that club. More than they cared about the things of God. And Paul says they're enemies. Now, I don't like that word. I prefer him to call them, well, they're middle-of-the-road Christians, Lord. Maybe they're even lukewarm Christians, Lord. That's a little nicer. Or nominal, maybe. Well, you know, they just haven't gotten this far along or whatever. But Paul says, beloved, they're enemies of the cross. He uses the hardest word he can find. Enemies. Opposed to the purposes of God. And their end is, what is it? Destruction. Apollia in the original language means the judgment that is given by God at the last hour. You see, the end of those things is destruction. Young people, I'm telling you today, the end of what you see around you, and what you are so tempted to go into at school, or in college, or your job, some of you, is destruction. It tastes good for a moment, but the end thereof is death. And Paul tells it right there, just like it is. Now, we can see these enemies of the cross, those who have their focus on themselves, those who are proud of what they can get away with and still be called Christians, those who have their minds set on what they can achieve. And we can look around and we can look at churches and say, boy, the churches are full of them. Hypocrites. And we might even look around here, and I know the person two rows over and one row back. They're like that. But in my floor, in my office this week, beloved, the Lord said, there's some of that in you. There's some enemy of the cross of Christ in me. That fights against these things. That doesn't want to let my heart be set on heavenly things. That doesn't want to forsake all. There's something in me that cuts a corner. And I know what they are. It's not some little mystery. I know what they are. And I'm willing to say that some of you do too. The enemy of the cross of Christ lurks inside each of us who are willing to confess it. We don't need to look around to find someone else. Now, these are hard words. Because you see the destruction that's in each of us. If we let it go unchecked, beloved, if we just kind of glibly say, well, you know, I'm moving along, but, you know, you've got to leave me some room, Jay. I mean, I'm not perfect yet. Well, look what Paul said, verse 12. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect. You see, the issue isn't that you're perfect now. The issue is, the next line, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own. I ask you today, are you set in your heart to the things that Paul describes in Philippians 3, 7 through 16? Or do you find yourself looking out for your own well-being and your own comfort? Do you find yourself cutting corners and still being a Christian? Do you find yourself, even as Paul did or talked of here, with your mind set, your affection set on the nice things around you? Because if you do, there's an enemy that's alive in you. But what can we do about it? How do we battle this enemy? We all are fighting it, or at least all of us who are willing to recognize it. And that's the first step, beloved. As in anything that's under the death, the first thing you've got to do is recognize it. Ever talk to an alcoholic? First thing they say they had to do was to admit it. You all know that. Same with any of these diseases that are sapping of life. Anything that will take your life away, the first thing you've got to do is admit that you've got the problem. People who are compulsive thieves, people with anorexia nervosa, the same thing. They've got to admit that they're destitute. In Acts chapter 8, there's an interesting story of Simon the Magician. It's worth just flipping over there quickly for a moment. Remember the story that Philip had come down with great power and people were following him and being baptized and then Peter and John came down and they were becoming filled with the Holy Spirit and Simon the Magician who had a tremendous following and had a really nifty little thing going. People said he had the power of God. He was so crafty. And Simon the Magician comes to Jesus and he's baptized. Look at verse 13. Simon himself believed and after being baptized, he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. And then he wants this gift that he sees being transmitted through the disciples' hands. This is the gift of the Holy Spirit. In verse 18, Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, Give me also this power that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. You think he had an enemy of the cross in him? But Peter said to him, Your silver perish with you. In the Greek, it's literally, You go to hell and your money with you. Because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money. You've neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. You see, that's what it is. It's a heart thing. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. And Simon answered, Look at verse 24, beloved. It's so important to see this. When he was confronted with his sin, what did he say? Pray for me to the Lord that nothing of what you said may come upon me. And we don't hear anything more of Simon the Magician, but I want to believe from that. That he recognized that there was an enemy in him. And beloved, if God speaks to you about what the enemies are, then recognize it. Admit it before God. There's two or three more things I want to suggest. The next one is, look at verse 17. Paul in writing then, in Philippians 3 again, Paul in writing to the Philippians is saying, Join in imitating me. Now, it's a bold thing for someone to say, Do what I'm doing. Right? I mean, that takes a lot of courage. How many of you have things in your life that you'd like people not to imitate? But Paul said, imitate me. That's exactly what the words mean. Some people try to wish that away and say, Well, he's saying, you know, imitate Jesus in me. He says, imitate me. And observe or mark those who so live, or those who are following this example. And I want to say to you, to look around this fellowship and to set yourself after an example of godliness that you see. You won't find a perfect one, but you'll find some here, beloved. I had a conversation with one of the brothers this week who was saying that as he was coming up in his profession, that a friend of his told him to surround himself with people that were as good or better than he was at his profession. So that way you'd continue to be pressing on. But what's our inclination? Surround ourselves with a bunch of people that we look like the big shot with, right? Paul says, surround yourself with people who are following my example. And you'll move on toward that. Well, finally this. Look at verse 20. But our commonwealth, see that your commonwealth, the force of the word in the original is your community is in heaven. Moffat's translation of this is see that you recognize yourself. Let me say, he says this. We are a colony of heaven. I like that. The dictionary describes a colony or defines a colony as a group of people who settle in a distant land but who are under the jurisdiction of their native land. A colony is a group of people who settle in a distant land but who are under the jurisdiction of their native land. See that you're a colony of heaven. God has put you here in this distant land under his jurisdiction. And if I can make it so bold, your little home group, beloved, is a colony of heaven. Right there you're brought together with a group of people who are setting their sights on the upward call. And I trust they will help you to see that your colony, your commonwealth, your citizenship is another translation, is in heaven. Oh, it's so important. People try to come to the Lord and then float on outside of fellowship. I don't want, you know, people come up with such excuses to not be involved with other people. Well, I don't have time. Well, I never got along very well when I was a kid. Well, it's too far for me to go. Well, I play bridge on Monday night and bowl on Wednesday night and go to the races on Thursday night. Listen, I'm not even mentioning the bad ones. Excuses for not being together, and you know why it is? Because they recognize that in another person, they are going to be confronted for who they are. That's all. And we don't like that. But beloved, there's no other way to confront the enemy within us. None. That's why Paul said, imitate us. You can't imitate someone unless you see them, right? And God help us that we as a community, as we take this next step of moving into these home groups, we see that this can be an instrument to the slaying of the enemy of the cross of Christ that's within each of us. I conclude with this illustration today. I was so blessed yesterday as I had not shared the essence of this with anybody. And as the men met yesterday to go over the home group situation, one of the brothers prayed about this very thing. And we had been led to Acts chapter 9. I want you to turn there. In Acts chapter 9, here is where Saul, who had been persecuting the church, I'll tell you, he was really a terror. Just hold chapter 9, flip over one page and look at chapter 8, verse 3. Right after Stephen had been buried, look at what it says about Saul. Saul was ravaging the church. And entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Pretty violent, right? In chapter 9, what happens? Saul is converted. He becomes Paul of Tarsus. He has the Damascus Road experience. And then he's met by Ananias. He's baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. And the people of the church are absolutely overcome with astonishment. They can't believe what's happened. And without going through the whole thing, at the conclusion of this episode, look at verse 31 of Acts 9. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, that's all over, had peace and was built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it was multiplied. You see, beloved, when you overcome the enemies of the cross of Christ, you live in peace. You're built up. You can walk in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. And God will multiply us. And that's my prayer. And that, I pray, by the grace of God, will take place in each of our hearts. I want us to close. Close your Bible. I want us just to reflect for a moment on our own lives. If you'd just ask the Lord, Father, is there within me today an enemy? Is there an opponent of the cross in me, Lord? Something that's self-centered? Something that's proud of what it's getting away with? Something that's earthly-minded? I'm just going to ask you to identify it. Lord Jesus, Lord, grant us the grace and the courage to identify these things in our hearts even now, Lord. Dear Father, I'm just going to allow a few moments for you to make your confession before the Lord. Jesus, Father, Lord, we pray today that you would, by your grace, enlighten us as to what in us is resisting that call, Lord. What in us despises the forsaking of ourselves? What in us, Lord, would settle for a lesser thing than the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus? Lord God, let us never become a fellowship that's content and comfortable and satisfied with where we are in you. But, Lord Jesus, forgive us for our enemies, Lord. And, Father, help us to assault them now. Even by the word of faith that comes on our lips, Lord, that you would deal deeply with each person, Lord. You'd reveal attitudes that need to be changed, actions that need to be set right. Lord, I pray as you speak right now to young people, Father, that they would see that there's not gray in your kingdom, Lord. There's not some who are good people and others who aren't. But, Lord, there's just friends and enemies. Lo, you have called them friends, Lord, those who abide in your word. And those who resist, Lord, those who play the fence, those who try to get by, Lord, you call them enemies. And I pray you give courage to these young people today, Lord, as they confront that in themselves. And for each of us, Lord, each of us who have matured in years, but, Father, perhaps not in spirit, work in us today, Lord, a work of grace by the power of your cross, Lord Jesus, slay these enemies, we pray, that we might be one together, Father. And establish among us, Lord, a true colony of heaven under your jurisdiction, under your authority, under your power. Hallelujah. Father, we we set our eyes toward heaven, Lord. And we release you to work this in us, in Jesus' name. Beloved, as you're praying now, I want to conclude this invitation to those who are with us today who have never consciously made a beginning with the Lord Jesus. You know today if you've stood as an enemy of the cross of Christ in your whole life, you may not know why you came today, you might just have been brought here through a friend. You may find yourself a bit uncomfortable right now, but I'll tell you something, that may be the Holy Spirit saying, you need to do something about yourself. And I want to close by giving you an opportunity to open your heart. Everyone in this room has their head bowed because we want you to have a time of private dealing with the Lord. But most of the people here have already said, Jesus, I know I need you. I know I need forgiveness of my sins. I know I need to leave my old life and begin anew. And if you want to begin a walk with Jesus today, you've never really consciously done that, I don't care, you may have been in a church for 35 years, some of you here have. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're rightly related to the Son of God. I'm going to ask you, if that's the desire of your heart, if you're 12 years old or 82, and you want to have Jesus in your life, would you let me agree with you and that word of faith in your heart by lifting your eyes right now in this moment, letting our eyes meet, if that's the desire of your heart only. If that's why you're looking at me now, just slip your hand up, okay? So that I know. Yes, I want to be right with Jesus Christ. I'm looking around. Is there anybody that says today, I want to be right with the Lord? I'm not going to single you out and make you do anything that you're not prepared to do today. But if you want to say yes, is that why you're looking at me? Is it? Okay. Praise the Lord, son. Is there anyone else? One young man said yes to Jesus today. Listen, you need to assault that fear in you that you're going to do something that you don't understand. It doesn't matter about understanding, it matters about your heart. Anyone else? I'm just going to look one more time. I need Jesus today. I want Him in my heart. Slip your hand up if I should miss your eyes, please. Father, Lord, I pray that you'd work this thing into our hearts now. Let it be your word, Father. And I thank you, Lord, that as we leave here, it's with a confidence, Lord, that as we confront these enemies, you give us grace to overcome them and to slay them. And Lord, that ours is the victory through that self-same cross in which Jesus died. And we rejoice in that. And if you receive that strength today, say amen. Amen. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Okay. I want to ask the fellow that raised your hand a few moments ago, if you'll come up here when we're done. I want to talk to you for just a minute. And if you didn't raise your hand or your head, but you know you need the Lord, it's not too late. You come up afterwards and we'll pray together. Now, we're going to conclude today. If you understood the spirit of what I shared, would you just raise your hand? All right, thank you. Praise the Lord. Because I know it was a heavy word, folks. But it was a word from my heart, too. We're going to share now in conclusion. We're going to dismiss some who need to be dismissed, but we want to have this one last opportunity to pull together the home group ministry. Now, people have been asking, well, how many home groups do we have and what's been happening there? And it's been really exciting to see the Lord pouring out His abundance among us in terms of people and people with desires and needs. And I'm going to ask the home group leaders to stand so that those of you who are brand new or never been in a home group can say, well, I know I'm in Jim Frank's home group, but I don't know where he is or who he is. All right? You're just about to find out. Now, I'm going to read these off and as soon as we do this, then everyone will be dismissed. But in conclusion, if by some reason you're new to us and there are several here who are here for the first or second time, there's going to be a group of chairs right up here in the front and I'm personally going to stay and one other person and we'll share with you the whole essence of home group ministry very briefly so you can find out a little bit more about it and know some more as to where we're going with this ministry. I don't want anyone to leave who feels like, well, I'd like to know more but I'm not signed up. Is that clear? All right, over on this side there'll be someone to talk with anyone who needs prayer in terms of any need in your life. All right, we have four continuing groups, groups that have been meeting over the course of the six months or so that the community has been together. Grant and Rosalie Smith's group, they know who you are but you can stand up anyhow. Yes, we'd like everyone to get together for just a moment to confirm your night and all that kind of thing. All right? No? You can just stand up and sit down, Grant. Thank you. You can't stand up without giving a teaching of some kind. All right, we also have a group on Wednesday night with Paula Linda Greig. He knows. Doug Stone on Wednesday night. All right, Doug's not here. All out of size I had made a mess of my rainbow My way now seems so unwise So I