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http://www.gty.org/resources/Sermons/1655
makes for every enlightened edification in many ways - relating the worship of the 'works of Cain'' to Judaizers and the works of faith and grace to the Gospel and the faith of Abel - who are a type of ''small remnant'' in each generation for God shall always have His witness on Earth.
the 2 forms of worship stem from Abel[ the small remnant] and Cain classed as a 'nest of vipers/Judaizers'' who promote their OT works for salvation.
in part of a great edifying word........................................................
the 2 lines
Abel and faith
Cain and works.
makes for every enlightened edification in many ways - relating the worship of the 'works of Cain'' to Judaizers and the works of faith and grace to the Gospel and the faith of Abel - who are a type of ''small remnant'' in each generation for God shall always have His witness on Earth.
the 2 forms of worship stem from Abel[ the small remnant] and Cain classed as a 'nest of vipers/Judaizers'' who promote their OT works for salvation.
in part of a great edifying word........................................................
"These people as a type of Cain," he says, "believe in salvation by the flesh; they have confidence in the flesh.
Their good works go right back to Cain, they are in the same line, Satan's lie all the way down the line."
Now Paul says,
"Look, I've had all that stuff." Verse 4.
"I might have confidence in the flesh." Sure. "If any other man thinks he has reasons for which he might trust in the flesh, I have got more reasons.
Circumcised the eighth day," right on schedule, "stock of Israel, tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law," what? "Blameless."
He says, "If you want to count on your flesh, I can count on my flesh more than all of you!"
But look at verse 7. "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ's sake."
He just crossed out all that human merit for Christ's sake. "Yea, doubtless, I count all those things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things and do count them but manure that I may win Christ."
He says, "All that stuff that I had in terms of personal merit, all of that Jewishness, all of those things that were mine in terms of good works, in terms of circumcision, in terms of attachment to Judaism, in terms of racial identity with Israel, all of that stuff is nothing but manure to me in order that I might win Christ."
What is he saying? He's saying that you have to count all of that stuff as meaningless nothing to come to Christ. What he's saying is that the Judaizers aren't even saved.
He says in verse 9,
"I want to be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, righteousness which is of God by faith."
Paul says,
"I don't want to count on my own works, on my own human merit.
I could if you're going to talk about confidence in the flesh, but count it as manure that I may know Christ and I know Him only through faith."
The Judaizers weren't even saved.
They had piled up all of this manure, if we can use Paul's word, and they were putting their confidence in it, in their flesh.
Let me add this: an interesting group, the Judaizers did announce that Jesus was the Messiah.
That's what's so interesting.
These who would follow salvation by works did announce that Jesus was Messiah, but watch.
They never could have announced he was the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, no!
Because for the most part they didn't even believe they could be responsible for sin since they were Jews, circumcised, and with all the blessings of God
I think one of the great illustrations of their hazy, inadequate, and wrong concept of Jesus is the writing of the book of Hebrews. It's amazing to me, as I studied the book of Hebrews, to find out that the writer has to spend so much time proving to these Jews that Jesus, their Messiah, is better than prophets, better than Moses, better than angels, better than Joshua, and better than Aaron.
You say, "What does that signify?"
That signifies that they thought of Messiah as not such a big deal.
The writer of Hebrews had to go to great lengths to prove that their Messiah Jesus was greater than than the Old Testament saints.
The Judaizers were then unsaved and were counting on their own flesh. They were counting on salvation by works. That's the old heresy, and it's the same heresy today, the same pattern today.
Their good works go right back to Cain, they are in the same line, Satan's lie all the way down the line."
Now Paul says,
"Look, I've had all that stuff." Verse 4.
"I might have confidence in the flesh." Sure. "If any other man thinks he has reasons for which he might trust in the flesh, I have got more reasons.
Circumcised the eighth day," right on schedule, "stock of Israel, tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law," what? "Blameless."
He says, "If you want to count on your flesh, I can count on my flesh more than all of you!"
But look at verse 7. "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ's sake."
He just crossed out all that human merit for Christ's sake. "Yea, doubtless, I count all those things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things and do count them but manure that I may win Christ."
He says, "All that stuff that I had in terms of personal merit, all of that Jewishness, all of those things that were mine in terms of good works, in terms of circumcision, in terms of attachment to Judaism, in terms of racial identity with Israel, all of that stuff is nothing but manure to me in order that I might win Christ."
What is he saying? He's saying that you have to count all of that stuff as meaningless nothing to come to Christ. What he's saying is that the Judaizers aren't even saved.
He says in verse 9,
"I want to be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, righteousness which is of God by faith."
Paul says,
"I don't want to count on my own works, on my own human merit.
I could if you're going to talk about confidence in the flesh, but count it as manure that I may know Christ and I know Him only through faith."
The Judaizers weren't even saved.
They had piled up all of this manure, if we can use Paul's word, and they were putting their confidence in it, in their flesh.
Let me add this: an interesting group, the Judaizers did announce that Jesus was the Messiah.
That's what's so interesting.
These who would follow salvation by works did announce that Jesus was Messiah, but watch.
They never could have announced he was the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, no!
Because for the most part they didn't even believe they could be responsible for sin since they were Jews, circumcised, and with all the blessings of God
I think one of the great illustrations of their hazy, inadequate, and wrong concept of Jesus is the writing of the book of Hebrews. It's amazing to me, as I studied the book of Hebrews, to find out that the writer has to spend so much time proving to these Jews that Jesus, their Messiah, is better than prophets, better than Moses, better than angels, better than Joshua, and better than Aaron.
You say, "What does that signify?"
That signifies that they thought of Messiah as not such a big deal.
The writer of Hebrews had to go to great lengths to prove that their Messiah Jesus was greater than than the Old Testament saints.
The Judaizers were then unsaved and were counting on their own flesh. They were counting on salvation by works. That's the old heresy, and it's the same heresy today, the same pattern today.
Abel and faith
Cain and works.
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