Joy Over Comparison

One of the greatest threats facing the Church today is the spread of fake gospels and the lure of false gods that deceive and lead astray those within the church.

Comparison is the glitter of a false god and a fake gospel.

Is your life meaningful? Is it fulfilling?

How do you know? What do you compare it to?

What gives your life meaning?

Philippians 3:1–11 (ESV) — 1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—

4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Watch out for fake gospels. (1-3)

False gospel compared to the true gospel.

2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.

Strong language - Paul seems mad and rightly so

Speaking about Judaizers - Jewish Christians (or those claiming) — enter churches to tell new Gentile believers that they needed to become externally religiously Jewish in order to become a follower of Christ.

False gospel

In order to explain a false gospel we need to know the true gospel

Creation , Fall, Redemption, Restoration.

Heart of gospel is salvation from sin by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Jesus + _______ = gospel

Same problem as the church in Galatia

Galatians 1:7–9 (ESV) — 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

They acted religiously.

Circumcision was following the Law

They compared horizontally.

They compared their religious deeds with others to see if others were spiritual enough.

They focused externally.

The Judaizers were focused on external acts of religion as a means of gaining a relationship with God instead of looking for the fruit and gifts of the Spirit as evidence of an existing relationship with God.

This serves as a warning for the true church.

3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—

We are the true circumcision

(true church)

How is the true church identified?

Worship by the Spirit of God (use the gifts of the Spirit as opposed to the talents of man)

John 4:23–24 (ESV) — 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Glory in Christ Jesus (instead of seeking personal attention)

Put no confidence in the flesh

The warning for the church is a call to all church members:

Reject false gods. (4-7)

What is a false god?

Calvin - the human heart is an idol factory

Idol - anything you look to for power, provision, pleasure, or protection.

“What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” (xvii) - Tim Keller

How can you identify these insidious idols? How can you tell if you are worshipping a counterfeit God? Keller says:

“A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.” (xviii)

Paul describes the two types of idols in our lives.

Some false gods are given to us and some are ones we build.

Some idols are received and some are achieved.

See if any of these idols look familiar:

Identity

v5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin,

Paul was a really Jewish Jew

His pedigree was solid — everyone would have known Paul was a Jew

Tribe of Benjamin — significant tribe. Tribe of Benjamin was only tribe that stayed true to King David. It was the tribe that gave Israel her first king.

(David Platt)

Social status

a Hebrew of Hebrews;

As a part of the Tribe of Benjamin, Paul was in the upper class.

means he spoke the language of the Hebrews — he fit in — was popular — knew every TikTok dance.

Biblical knowledge

as to the law, a Pharisee;

The Pharisees knew and memorized the Bible.

“As to a Christian I was a pastor.”

Religious activity

6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church;

As a Pharisee Paul would have done a lot of religious things. Paul describes his religious activity as zealous even describing his passion as so strong that he persecuted anyone against the Jewish beliefs.

Moral lifestyle

as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Paul doesn’t mean that before he knew Jesus he was perfect — no one is — he means that if you were to look at the religious law you wouldn’t find any fault with Paul.

Notice that none of these we would say are bad in themselves — the last three would actually be considered a good thing.

However,

When a good thing becomes your God thing it ends up being a bad thing.

Paul was chasing those good things as the ultimate things in his life. They gave his life meaning — they were idols.

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Paul ripped the ‘gain’ sticker off each of those items and wrote ‘loss’ on them — not less than but LOSS

But Paul goes further:

Rubbish = manure

Good things became worth the worst and most wor

Why? 2 reasons:

1) was the only way to stop their draw (for the sake of — he had to let go of his idols to take hold of Christ).

2) In addition, Paul counted everything as loss when compared to Christ. . .

Paul is saying that even the good things were crap in order for him to follow Christ. And he found Christ to be worth infinitely more.

This is what it means to truly follow Christ — the true gospel. To release our idols and cling to Christ — to find in Christ alone all that we were once seeking in ourselves and in the world - even the good things.

Family (without Jesus = loss)

Job

Serving at church

Quiet time

How can I say that? Because when we make an idol to serve we really are expecting it to serve us — give us power, control, identity, pleasure, provide for us.

Using idols means abusing idols.

When you seek your identity from wife — burden she was not meant to bear — doesn’t satisfy and you become angry.

David Platt Sermon Archive They Treasure Christ above Everything This World Has to Offer

He’s telling us that it is possible to love your family and take your family to church, and take your kids to church, just like your parents took you to church. Have a good reputation in your culture and your society in the community where you live; to have biblical knowledge, to know the Word, to love the Word and even to teach the Word. On top of that, to not just be involved in church but to be active, zealous in church activity. Then, on top of all that, to be a decent moral person; it is possible to have all of those things and come to the end of your life and it be written across the top of it, “Wasted!”

Value a relationship with Christ more than everything. (8-11)

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

In order to have Joy Over Comparison you need to to find satisfaction in what you have versus what they have — believe what you have is worth more than what ‘they’ have.

Value salvation forever.

in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

The ultimate question we all face is, “How can I be made right with God.”

There is nothing on earth that can make us right with God.

If you have eternal life what really matters what happens in this life?

Value the power for life.

10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, a

Life change

Ephesians 1:18–20 (ESV) — 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

Revival

Romans 8:11 (ESV) — 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Value satisfaction greater than suffering.

and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Weird statement — I wouldn’t consider this a gain or desirable.

David Platt Sermon Archive They Trust in Christ to Provide Everything They Could Ever Need

Suffering is the taking away of our job. That brings suffering. Our finances. If we were to lose our home, if we were to lose our children or our spouse: Suffering. We were to lose our reputation, our esteem among our peers. We were to lose our strength, our health, our sight, our hearing. All those things would bring about suffering. It’s where suffering comes from.

However, here’s the deal: If we have written “loss” over all those things, then when God calls us to forfeit some of those things, it’s actually not a loss because you’ve already lost them.

Suffering is painful — not diminishing it, but when compared to a right understanding of the value of Jesus - the joy he brings far outweighs the sufferings we may need to endure.

World tells us to chase comfort in this life and shun suffering. Doing this inevitably leads to seeking idols and in the process we miss Jesus.

Jesus suffered — more than any of us will ever suffer — because he understood true value.

There is a sharing in the suffering - Jesus does not leave us alone.

There is a satisfaction greater than suffering when we gain Christ and know him.

If you lose everything and still have Jesus then it is still a gain.

Jesus is worth more than anything you’ve gained, and he is worth losing everything.

It is only when you find something worth losing everything for that you find anything really worth something.

Matthew 13:44–46 (ESV) — 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Conclusion

OT story of a false gospel:

Judges 6:25-27

25 That night the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.

It may be that God wants to use you, but you tear down your idols.

What is the idol you’ve been serving hoping it will serve you?

What are you afraid of losing because you perceive it would change the value of your life?