Sermon Tone Analysis

Wrapped up

Is it easy to get wrapped up in the things of this life, of this world?

If you answered no, think again, how can we not get involved, invested in the things here and now?

Today we are going to look at:

A warning

An exhortation

Warning an exhortation (vv.1-3)

An example

Works Righteousness (vv.4-6)

Faith Righteousness (vv.7-11)

A faith built on righteousness

(Insert slide: Tangled up from computer)

It is easy, you have to admit it to get wrapped up, tangled up in the things of this world.

Tangible things like family, work, maybe even your reputation, your achievements.

Paul did and he uses his history to show that today, then you see the shift that occurred in him because of Jesus.

We can get wrapped up in the tangibles as well as the intangibles and we can surrender our joy.

The tangible things are not sinful in nature, they are good, they were created by God and for our use and care (Gen1:31) We do need certain things in order to live (Mt6:31-34) and yes, to enjoy (1Tim6:17).

Jesus warns about “stuff” for our life does not consist of the things we posses (Lk12:15)

Everything created was good.

not only good but very good.

He provides for us, He instructs us not to be anxious, not to worry, He knows what we need and will provide for us.

In 1Tim6:17 we are told not to put our hope in the uncertainty of riches.

and in in the abundance of things.

Counting matters.

Paul uses counting in (v.7-8) and from the The Greek counting is examining, evaluating, assessing.

And that is what we will do as we work our way though this section this morning.

Socrates said:

“The unexamined life is not worth living”

Do you weigh, consider, asses seriously the things, the values that weigh out your decisions and directions?

Not many do, and I’m guilty of this too.

In looking at our passage today you will notice that even Paul’s life before he came to know Christ would seem a good life.

He lead a life of righteousness

He was obedient to the Law

He defended the religion of his fathers

Even considered himself blameless

But none of those things gained him entrance into heaven and acceptance from God.

One person wrote once

“Like most religious people today, Paul had enough morality to keep him out of trouble, but not enough righteousness to get him into heaven.”

Paul when he counted, assessed, evaluated his life in the light of Christ the things he lived for were refuse.

So let me get to what He discovered in his journey.

I. Warning: an exhortation

So what is an exhortation?

To address or communicate emphatically something to do or in our case not to to; to warn.

Our passage gives a clear warning.

If we want to rejoice, have joy, as that is what this book is about, then we need to know who and what we are following and Paul gives an exhortation in love to them.

Eventhough he had addressed this previously.

Beware of he dogs (see Php1:17; examples Mat15:26-27; Rev22:15; 2Cor11:3-4)

Dogs at the time, to the Jew, who even called the Gentiles dogs were despised, insolent, miserable creatures, ravenous, homeless, helpless, and unclean

Who is Paul calling dogs that we are to beware of?

- the false teachers who are misrepresenting the gospel (1:17)

These dogs were following Paul around from place to place barking the untruth and trying to stir up trouble with their false doctrine.

2cor

Beware of the evil workers (2Cor11:12-13; Gal3:1)

These evil works, workers in the flesh who take away the grace of God through faith.

These workers who claim must have adherence to the law by the flesh as well as accepting Christ by faith

The exhortation was similar to the one to the church at Corinth that Paul had to defend his apostleship because of the works of the evil workers.

Evil workers who were being effective or you would not find this being addressed to the church at Galatia

Beware of the false circumcision (Act15:1)

The dogs, the evil workers were insisting circumcision as something necessary for salvation

Then he reminds them, exhorts them on who they are in Christ (COl2:8-11; Jn4:19-24; Eph2:8-10)

Jesus taught we need to worship in spirit and in truth (Jn4:19-24) And Paul teaches we are saved by grace through faith (Eph2:8-10)

And that we are the true circumcision

We need to boast of Christ not of works in which cannot save, for the true Christian has no confidence in the flesh.

I’m sure you have heard the saying “The Lord helps those who help themselves” and many even think that is in the Bible, but it is not, we cannot help ourselves to salvation, there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation.

The true christian know this and has no confidence in their flesh or their works but in Christ Jesus and the Father who circumcises us with a circumcision not made with hands.

II.

Works Righteousness (the example)

History can teach us much and Paul uses his life, his history to teach about counting on the wrong things so we can learn to count on the right things.

Paul is not speaking from some ivory tower separated from the world and the battle.

He speaks from experience.

He discovered the futility of trying to work his way to heaven to earn his salvation by a system of works apart from faith.

Here Paul offers himself up as the auditor, counter, examiner, assessor of his own life prior to Christ and found himself bankrupt!

Paul examined his relationship to the nation

His confidence (Act23:1, 24:16; Gal1:13-14)

He was confident of who he was confident of who he was and had a clear conscience in all that he did.

And then look at

But even before Paul was a disciple of Jesus Christ he was zealous for God and excelling

His ancestry

His ancestory

Jew of Jews

He was from tribe of Benjamin, and saying that he was a Jew as descendant of Abraham, not a proselyte.

Nor was he descended from Ismael or Esau.

This would mean he was a pure Jew with good ancestry.

His relationship to the Law (vv.5-6)

He considered himself blameless, he was a Pharisee of a Pharisee, he had obtained the highest religious recognition he could.

The Pharisee would consider if anyone was going to heaven it would be them.

That was what Paul thought.

Measuring by the righteousness of the Law Paul was confident, Paul was secure and Paul was blameless and he maintained the traditions of the Law and man.

His relationship with the enemies of Israel (v.6; Act7:54-60, 8:1-3, 22:1-5 and 1Tim1:12-16)

It was not enough to know the truth (the Law) Paul knew he had to stand up for the truth and he did it with zeal, he persecuted those who taught different.

In Act7:54-60 you can see Paul was there when Stephen was stoned and they laid their cloaks at the feet of man name Saul

Here you can see Saul/Paul was in hearty agreement of the murder, the death of Stephen.

There was a great persecution that started there, he wanted to destroy (ravage) the church, and put people of the Way in prison.

He recalled these times of his zeal before coming to Christ to the Romans, and to the church at Ephesus in writing to Timothy; this can be seen in ACt22:1-5 and 1Tim1:12-16)

So how can someone who had such history, great ancestry, excelled in Knowledge, strengthen to defend the truth be so wrong?

Paul was using the wrong measuring stick, as do men today when they don’t use Jesus as the measuring stick!

From believed works righteousness in which is what he believed to that experience on the Damascus road which gave him the right measuring stick and he abandoned what he thought for the truth found only in faith righteousness of Jesus Christ.

III.

Faith Righteousness

I surrender all.