I’ll start this morning with a word of warning: If any preacher, any religious blogger, any author – sounds like the Apostle Paul, have nothing to do with him. If any man even hints: “Brethren, be followers together of ME, and mark them which walk so as ye have US for an ensample,” run from him as fast as you can. In I Corinthians 4:16, Paul says, “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of ME.” And in II Thessalonians 3:7 he says, “for yourselves know how ye ought to follow US…” Flee for your life from anyone making sounds like this.
Someone might say, “But these are the words of the Apostle Paul.” And that is my point exactly, these are the words of one of God’s specially authorized ambassadors. With the death of the Apostle John there have been no other apostles like the first twelve. No pope, no preacher, no dictatorial pastor has the same authority as Paul. However, if that preacher says what Paul says in I Cor. 11:1 and you can see that it is TRUE, then follow him. In that verse the Apostle says, “Be ye followers of me, even as I ALSO am of Christ.” If someone is truly a follower of Christ, then you can assume he is going in the right direction.
WHY was it that Paul told his Philippian friends to be “followers together of me?” It was because there were people, not holding to Biblical truth, who were telling others – “Follow ME.” Heretics of differing degrees have been around since the very beginning of the Christian faith. But Paul is referring to one variety of the very worst. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the ENEMIES of the CROSS of CHRIST.”
Why were there tears sprinkled across the pages of this epistle? He doesn’t tell us exactly, but we can make some assumptions. For example, if those people were once members of the Philippian church, the congregation had lost some former friends. If they were professing Christians, and we assume they were, but they were at that time denying the cross, then the brethren might grieve as though someone had died. And then there is the fact that enemies of the cross of Christ are enemies of God, and those people will spend eternity in God’s judgment. These are things worthy of Christian tears. This morning I’d like to promote the cross of Christ, by considering the enemies of the cross.
The ENEMIES of the cross.
I will come back to what Paul specifically says here, but there many scriptures referring to these heretics. Those scriptures can be divided between people who have believed and rejected, and those who never believed in the first place. But eventually they both fall under the same category – “ENEMIES of the cross of Christ.”
In I Corinthians 1, Paul says, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the CROSS is to them that perish FOOLISHNESS, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” There are intellectuals who say that it is ludicrous to think that the death of someone two thousand years ago can pay any kind of debt of someone today. “Absolute foolishness,” they say. The Jews were declaring that very thing just months just after Christ’s crucifixion. “Foolishness.” Intellectuals and unbelievers have been telling people that faith in Christ’s death on the cross is foolishness for a multitude of reasons. But it is in that intellectualism and unbelief where their problem lays. As v. 21 reminds us, “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching (the cross) to save them that believe.” The enemies of the cross of Christ often call it delusional to trust what took place at Golgatha.
The Apostle Paul was concerned for the churches scattered across Galatia, and he told them so. “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you to the grace of Christ unto another gospel; Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you would PERVERT the gospel of Christ. But though we, or any angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” And again, what is that gospel? I Corinthians 15 – “How that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture.” And the scripture says that Christ died on the cross – not on a guillotine, or by stoning or sword. “And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
Many of the enemies of the cross, PERVERT the message of the cross. For example, some wicked people say Jesus of Nazareth died because he pretended to be God’s Messiah. They say that he deserved that death because of his blasphemy. But the truth was – and still is – Jesus is Son of God, the Messiah, God’s anointed; He is the Saviour. Others pervert the crucifixion and the cross, saying that Christ didn’t actually die; he only passed out. Was Christ still only unconscious after a spear was jabbed into his pericardium? Was He still asleep when his body was wrapped up for burial? Do you think those who prepared him for burial would not have checked for a heart beat? His enemies, as well as His friends, were convinced that He was dead. No one can honestly pervert the message of the cross like this with any success.
The enemies of the cross “frustrate the GRACE of God” as Paul says in Galatians 2:21. Frustrated grace is a serious problem, because justification comes only through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. – Romans 3:24. “It is the grace of God that bringeth salvation…” – Titus 2:11. How do these people frustrate grace? In one of several ways, by teaching that the cross is of none effect, because righteousness comes through obedience to the law – Galatians 2:21. But as Paul says, “if righteousness come of the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” This common doctrine of obedience to the law frustrates the grace of God.
Paul says here in Philippians that “MANY walk (about as) “the enemies of the cross of Christ.” There are not a few of them; there are many of them. And remember there wasn’t the proliferation of cross-denying denominations within Christendom back then. At that time, the enemies of the cross were confined to the Jews and the heathen. But today we have church after liberal Christ-denying church denying the efficacy of the cross of Christ.
And those “many enemies WALK” in their heresies – they live and go about their daily lives in their denials. They aren’t just writing books, and preaching weekly sermons. Their denial is a way of life to these people. The live in open rebellion against the message of the Bible.
Here in Philippians Paul describes specific characteristics of some of these enemies of the cross. “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” The people whom Paul had in mind, simply were more interested in the world and the flesh than they were in spiritual things. They despised the cross of Christ, because it demanded higher considerations than they wanted to make. Paul may have been thinking about the “concision” whom he mentions in verse 2 – “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.” These “concision” were people, if they had any religion at all, were emphasizing the religious rites over spiritual principles. They were demanding circumcision, both of Jew and Gentile. They were demanding baptism in order to be accepted in Heaven. They could have been saying, “If you don’t speak in tongues, you aren’t a child of God.” “If you aren’t a member of our church, you are not a citizen of God’s kingdom.” “And if you aren’t tithing – filling the church coffers and the preacher’s belly – you aren’t among the elect.” Paul says that their emphasis is on the things of the flesh rather than the things of the Spirit – like the cross.
And “their glory is in their shame.” The meaning might be: the things in which they boast are actually unspeakably disgusting. Or it could be that their fleshly, belly-filling lives brings shame to the gospel of the cross. Our “their glory” could mean as it does in the Old Testament referring to idol gods. These who are denying the efficacy of the blood of the Cross, were in fact worshiping idol philosophies.
And with that, let’s briefly move on to consider JESUS’ CROSS.
Paul was not saying this, but… If crucifixion was still one form of capital punishment, there would be “Christians” all over this country declaring themselves to be “enemies of the cross.” I say that, because Paul is not talking about the structure on which Jesus died. I don’t suppose that the Apostle would have liked seeing so many cross tattoos, but he is not referring to people who preach for or against tattoos. I doubt that he would have been too excited about cross earrings and crosses on necklaces, but I don’t think he’d openly preach against them. In mentioning “the cross of Christ” he was not speaking about images of the cross – either pro or con.
He was thinking about the doctrine of the cross; the effect of the cross; the purpose of the cross. He was talking about one of the rudiments of the gospel; the foundation of the Christian’s hope. “It pleased (God) the Father that in (Christ Jesus) should all fulness dwell” speaking of the fulness of God. “And having made peace THROUGH the BLOOD of his CROSS, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; By him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were some time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body his flesh through death to present you holy and unblamable and unreproveable in his sight…” Colossians 1. What these enemy of the cross were attacking was the imputation of Christ’s crucifixion to the sinners whom God was saving. Colossians 2 – “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, NAILING to his CROSS.” In the crucifixion, God’s law which, we have broken time and time again, was in effect, nailed to the cross as Christ was nailed to the cross. And the blood which poured out of Jesus’ wounds covered our sins and the law which condemned us. Enemies of the cross want to substitute some other means of forgiveness for what God decreed and to what Paul was preaching.
Again I go back to I Corinthians 1 where Paul says – “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the PREACHING of the CROSS is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” Simply put, if Christ had died any other way, or if God’s Son had not died at all, there would be no remedy for our sins. “God forbid that I should glory, save in the CROSS of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
The enemies of the cross of Christ, are not looking in the right direction spiritually. The writer of the Book of Hebrews declares and that he and other believers were… “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him ENDURED the CROSS, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Even after returning to Heaven, and sitting beside God the Father, the Son of God will be seen and known as the One who endured the cross in order to purchase our salvation. The professing Christian who can’t see by faith, the wounds in our Saviour’s hands, feet, side and perhaps even on His head and back, is not a friend of Christ; he is an enemy of the cross.
And what about that ENMITY?
“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.” It seems to me there are two kinds of enmity when it comes to the cross – there is unilateral and bilateral. By that I mean: There are sinners who openly hate the Lord and everything about Him. They are enemies of the idea that God created all things by nothing more than His will and His word. They hate the thought that Jehovah, as Creator, demands every creatures’ obedience and surrender. They despise the thought that they are sinners in God’s sight – or in anyone else’s sight. They hate the preaching of the cross of Christ, because doing so brings them back to these other things. So they CHOOSE to be God’s enemies when they are already God’s enemies through unbelief. They are enemies of God and of the cross in two directions – from God and from themselves.
But then there are those who are God’s enemies without making that deliberate choice to be enemies. We are all God’s enemies because “all have sinned coming short of God’s glory.” In contrasting God’s people with everyone else, Paul says in Romans 8 – “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to law God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh CANNOT please God.” In this world where there are degrees of friendship between individuals, those degrees don’t exist with God. Those whose lives are consumed by the flesh and fleshly things – by sin – “CANNOT please God.” And those who cannot please God are His enemies. Period.
What happened when Israel decided they didn’t like God’s gracious and miraculous gift of daily manna? Numbers 11:1 – “And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord… and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them…” It is a fearful thing to be an enemy of God.
In Deuteronomy 32 we have an example of a hymn which Moses taught Israel to sing or at least forced them to hear. It is not a hymn that I would enjoy. Three quarters of the way through, beginning in verse 37, we read – “And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.” Where are the gods who will rise up to protect those people who despise the cross of Christ? They don’t exist. Where is there any blood righteous enough – where is there anything else available – to cover the sins of those who hate the cross?
Hebrews 10:28 tells us, “He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how must sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, as unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Counting the blood of God’s covenant, or in this case the blood of the cross, as unholy makes one an enemy of God. And “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
At the conclusion of another Old Testament hymn – the “song of Deborah,” we hear: “So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord; BUT let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might.” To be an enemy of Jehovah guarantees an eternity in the Lake of Fire. Ah, but those who love Him – “they that be wise – shall shine as the brightness of the firmament…”
Conclusion:
Those who are enemies of the cross of Christ are enemies of Christ and therefore enemies of God. Those people will not be victorious in their rebellion. Their hatred will not produce anything but their own eternity in the Lake of Fire. Because “the wages of sin is death” – eternal death.
But “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” – speaking of the one who died on that cross. The gift of eternal life is given to those who accept Christ’s work on the cross as a substitute for their sin. It is given to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord as well as their Saviour. Is that a description of you? Have you, with true sorrow in your heart for your many sins… Have you put your trust for deliverance in the blood which Christ Jesus shed on the cross?