Sermon Notes
Watch Out
PHILIPPIANS – Part 9
June 7, 2026
1Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If someone else thinks they have reasons to put 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; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
Philippians 3:1-7
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
John 17:3
The Warning
- Watch out for those dogs
- Watch out for evildoers
- Watch out for the mutilators
As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let
them be under God’s curse!
Galatians 1:9
A Description of People Who Know Jesus
1. We serve God by his Spirit
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
Romans 8:9
2. We boast in Christ Jesus
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I
to the world.
Galatians 6:14
3. We put no confidence in the flesh
Small Group Discussion Questions for the Week of June 7, 2026.
Opening
1. What would you rather have right now, Joy or Happiness? Why?
Digging Deeper into the Scriptures
Read Philippians 3:1-7.
1. Why do you think Paul notes that writing the "same things" (repeated teachings) is a good safeguard for them?
What are some spiritual truths you need to be regularly reminded of?
2. What is some false or troubling Christian teaching you have heard before? How does that false teaching steal
joy?
3. What are some current examples of putting "confidence in the flesh" rather than relying on God's grace?
Applying the Scriptures
1. In verse 7, Paul states that whatever was once a "gain" to him, he now considers a "loss" for the sake of
Christ. What are some earthly "gains" or securities that you find hardest to let go of?
2. What does it look like in your daily life to practically count worldly success as "loss" compared to the
surpassing value of knowing Jesus?