Sermon Tone Analysis

What’s hanging on your wall?

I’m sure you noticed the title of the sermon for this morning what’s hanging on your wall?

I think it’s pretty fitting with what we got hanging on ours.

A moose we shall call Bullwinkle, a raccoon that is known as Rocky, Gideon checked out and he left it no doubt.

To help with good Rocky's revival.

The deer hanging is John and the little bear we will call BooBoo.

Really there is a reason why I chose to entitle the sermon what’s hanging on your wall.

Many people have a trophy room or a trophy case.

Or we have other things we consider trophies.

And some of these trophies can be very valuable to us.

I have all kinds of trophies from back in the day, race medals hanging on the rack and even my diploma can be considered a trophy.

But what are they worth?

Too me maybe hard effort or a job well done, and you all may have some trophies as well.

Maybe even some guys like these hanging around.

But what does all of that have to do with the scripture this morning, well get there and it will be found in our 3 learning points for today.

1 You need some protection

2 You doing some boasting

3 Lost and Found department

The transition into this chapter is abrupt.

Paul has explained his response to imprisonment and rival preachers, as well as how the Philippians should respond.

He transitions from telling them to expect the arrival of Timothy, Epaphroditus, and (hopefully) himself to instructing them and encouraging them.

The instructions that follow are based more on their situation than on his, which is one reason his tone changes.

The opening word translated finally is translated elsewhere as the rest or others.

It signals that he is moving on to other matters.

It does not mean this is the last thing he has to say.

So of all the things he could be saying, what does Paul tell them to do?

It turns out to be a little repetition: to rejoice (see 1:18; 2:17–18).

Why is rejoicing so important to Paul?

Does he just want us to smile and be happy for Jesus?

Think about the contexts so far where Paul has either declared that he rejoices/will rejoice, or where he has told the Philippians to do so.

They are not situations that we would characterize as happy; these statements are found in the midst of hardship.

Rejoicing is an activity we choose to do; it is not an emotion that would be being happy if we wanted an emotion.

If we choose to rejoice, it means we are choosing not to do something else.

Paul here gives us a key insight into life that we cannot afford to miss.

God, in His infinite wisdom, has made things to work a certain way.

One of those things concerns our attitude or focus in life.

If we are truly rejoicing and thankful for God’s provision, we cannot complain or be resentful.

It doesn’t work that way; this is by design.

What comes out of our mouths (for better or worse) is an indicator of what is going on in our hearts (see ; ).

What do our words say about our attitude, heart, and focus?

This mutual exclusivity is a great thing for us.

If we focus our efforts on rejoicing in God and in His provision, we are at the same time guarding against things that steal our joy.

This is why Paul is able to call rejoicing protection; he understood how God has wired us.

It’s like the old saying that “the best defense is a good offense.”

Choosing to go on the offensive by rejoicing in the midst of hardship is the single greatest defense from the things that make us turn away from God.

This leads us to our first learning point

1 You need some protection

Verse 1, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.

To write to you again about this is no trouble for me and is a protection for you.”

Paul begins the chapter by again commanding the Philippians to rejoice.

It is one of the most critical things they can do to guard their hearts against discouragement.

It’s not just a good idea, it is a form of protection specifically designed by God for this purpose.

How does it work?

If I am choosing to rejoice in the Lord whatever my circumstances or situation, it will be nearly impossible to grumble and complain about them.

It is an either/or proposition.

A natural consequence of truly rejoicing in the Lord about something is the inability to complain about it.

You cannot grumble and rejoice about the same thing at the same time.

If you’re grumbling, you’re not rejoicing.

By making the choice to rejoice in the Lord in the midst of unpleasant circumstances, we will guard ourselves against fear, doubt, double-mindedness, and the discouragement that comes from opposition.

All of these things are barometers for our heart attitude.

As we see these things creeping in and manifesting themselves, we know that our focus is shifting away from God and onto other things.

I cannot complain about something and simultaneously be thankful for it.

Paul begins by describing rejoicing in the Lord as a form of protection because he is going to warn them about people in their lives who are seeking to steal their joy in 3:2.

Paul references the same group of people in three different ways: dogs, evil workers, and mutilators.

The next verse implies that these people are not the true circumcision; he claims “we [Paul and the Philippian believers] are.”

What he means by this is elaborated upon in the rest of 3:3.

The true circumcision worships the Spirit of God (as opposed to something else); they boast in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

Elaborate on how the dogs have changed but we still face the same issue trying to pull us away and steal our joy.

2 You doing some boasting

Verses 4-6, “4 although I once also had confidence in the flesh.

If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.”

Boasting on the basis of the flesh is to be avoided.

Yet in the very next verse Paul is going to ignore that fact.

The word that introduces 3:4 signals that what follows somehow contradicts what he’s just said, not unlike adding a “but if I was gonna do this.…”

He takes up the idea of boasting hypothetically, challenging anyone who thinks they can beat him in a comparison of flesh-based titles or awards.

Hypothetically Speaking: Paul sets the stage for one of his most significant declarations by essentially saying we should never do such a thing.

Even though Christians are not to put confidence in the flesh, Paul does it anyhow to make the point that in the end, there really is nothing worth boasting about other than being found in Christ with a righteousness that comes through faith in God.

The Greek in the first part of 3:4 could be paraphrased “but if I was gonna do it.…”

He says not to do something, and then he does it in excess to make a point about the incomparable worth of knowing Christ.

And so begins a list of credentials that would have made any Jew of his day envious.

It’s like he is daring anyone to try and one-up him: “You think you’ve got a claim to make?

We’ll just see about that!”

What trophies and accolades does he have hanging on his wall, figuratively speaking?

Heritage, schooling, zealous exploits—he’s got it all.

He was circumcised on the eighth day, just as specified in —a full-blooded Israelite even though he hailed from Tarsus.

And he’s not just any Israelite.

He’s from the tribe of one of Jacob’s two most-favored sons: Benjamin and one of only 2 tribes that returned to Israel after captivity the other was Judah.

He was a Hebrew of Hebrews meaning he knew and could use both of the Hebraic languages Hebrew and Aramaic.

Most Jews at this time couldn’t that’s why there is a Greek version of the OT.

As far as religious education, his reference to being a Pharisee implies adherence to a strict interpretation of the Torah according to their customs.

His statement about persecuting the church makes him a bona fide Pharisee.

His connection to Pharisaism was more than casual; it singularly directed his actions.

His lifestyle also bore out his commitment to living a righteous life.

Paul is not talking here about a works-based righteousness but a life characterized by strict obedience to the Pharisaic code; he lived it out blamelessly.

Paul’s Trophy Wall: Paul boasts in the flesh by creating a figurative trophy wall of his qualifications and accomplishments.

From the standpoint of first-century Judaism, he had impeccable credentials.

This list of accomplishments is just a set-up; they will all soon be figuratively tossed in the trash can or flushed down the toilet either is acceptable.

But until that point, he makes his trophy wall sound as desirable as possible—the more envy the better.

This survey of Paul’s religious credentials proves that if anyone had a right to claim a favored status and to wield religious influence over his peers, it was Paul far more than the Judaizers he references in 3:2.

If the Philippians wanted to put someone on a religious pedestal, Paul is the guy who deserves it.