1. To Count all (1-11) Salvation is not by works. v.1-6 Salvation is by faith. v.7-11 Exhortation. v.1-3 Example. v.4-6 V.1 a) Copy - Writing the same. Paul is going to repeat himself by explaining our hope in Christ, this time he did it from a different angle. V.2 b) Caution - Watch out. I. The 3 bewares: II. Dogs - The opponents to God’ s Truth. Mat.7:6; Is.56:10-11 III. Evil workers - The people who work with wrong agenda’ s: Evil character. IV. Mutilation - The Judaizers who proclaimed salvation also by circumcision. Acts 15:1 V.3 c) Circumcision - We Worship God. I. True circumcision is of the heart that is the new nature in Christ. Rom.2:29 II. The 3 declarations in opposition to the 3 bewares: 1. Worship God - In Spirit and in Truth. John 4:23-24 2. Rejoice in Christ - Rest and be joyous in His purchased salvation. 3. No confidence in the flesh - Trust in God and His salvation, the old man saves no man. Rom.7:13-25 III. The Triune God is mentioned in this verse: God, Spirit and Christ. V.4 d) Confidence - Witness of the flesh. Paul now uses himself as an example of one who could have confidence in the flesh. V.5 e) Citizenship - Worthy through family and the law. I. Circumcision - Paul was an Israelite by birth, not a Gentile Jewish proselyte. II. Tribe of Benjamin - He was of the family of Abraham. III. A Hebrew of the Hebrews - He was brought up as a strict Jew, one who learned the Hebrew language. IV. A Pharisee - The most orthodox of the sects within Judaism in his day. They not only tried to keep the written law but also the oral law: The interpretive traditions of the Scribes. Acts 5:34; 22:3; Gal.1:14 V.6 f) Character - Works concerning zeal. I. Zeal - He was a serious promoter of Judaism, even killing for the cause. II. Righteousness - His external behaviour was without blame. Paul had enough morality to be kept out of trouble, but no Righteousness to get him to heaven. V.7 g) Counting - Withdrawal from these. I. His Jewish heritage and zeal gave him a name, respect, a job and authority, that was his gaining. II. Paul counted it all loss, he rejected it as means of life and a way to heaven for the greater and better things in Christ. (Hebrews deals with this issue) V.8 h) Cause - Withdrawal from all. I. Everything was of less value and Christ was the loftiest value for Paul. II. His past life was rubbish in the light and value of the promises of inheritance in Christ. III. Rubbish (Gr. skybalon) means excrement or food gone bad. Do we view our whole past life as that? IV. He knew this was necessary if he was going to know Him by experience. Know (Gr. gnosis) is an experiential knowledge. V.9 i) Condition - Way of faith. I. Our lives are found in Christ hidden to the world but present before God. Col.3:3 II. Paul realized in Christ light that all his work was filthy rags. Is.64:6 Filthy (Hebrew word means menstrual cloth). III. By faith we can have God’ s own righteousness. Rom.3:21-24 V.10 j) Conforming - Way of His life and death. I. We come to know Him by: 1. Forsaking ourselves. 2. Abiding in Christ. 3. Obtaining His righteousness. 4. Believing Him. 5. Objective knowledge deals with facts about the person, personal knowledge deals with fellowship with the person. II. As we begin to know Him and practice these 4 areas we will also know experiential His resurrection power: 1. The spiritual resurrection - Justification. Eph.2:5-6 2. The soul’ s transformation in to His resurrection - Sanctification. Heb.10:39 3. The physical resurrection into His likeness - Glorification. 1.Cor.15:35-54 4. The first 2 we know now and the second at His coming. III. Those who will live a godly life will suffer: 1. Because the Devil persecute the children of God. 2.Tim.3:12 2. Because suffering brings us to our knees. 1.Peter 4:1; Ps.119:67 3. Because suffering produces patience. Jam.1:3; 1.Peter 1:6-7 4. When we suffer, Jesus suffer with us. Mat.25:31-40 5. V.7-10 Paul deals with experiencing the death of Christ - Loosing. and experiencing the resurrection of Christ - Gaining. IV. Summery: Christ will be for us during our earthly journey - 1. Personal knowing. 2. Powerful living. 3. Painful experience. V.11 k) Completion - Worthy Walk. Resurrection (Gr. exanastasin) means out-resurrection There are 2 good interpretations of the out-resurrection. I. It’ s the Rapture, for only the spiritual watchful Christians experience rapture. 1.Thes.4:15-18: Mat.25:1-13 II. Or it’ s a better resurrection according to ones faithfulness and reward. Heb.11:35; 1.Cor.15:40-44; Dan.12:2-3