Su

pp

lemen

tal No

tes:

The B

ookof

Philippians

Chuck Missler

© 2001 K

oinonia House Inc.

Page 3Page 2

Th

e Bo

ok o

f Ph

ilipp

ians

Intro

du

ction

Ph

ilipp

i

Philippi was founded by the great M

acedonian king whose nam

e it bears.It is on or near the site of ancient w

ells or fountains known as “C

renides.”Its natural advantages w

ere considerable: it was in the neighborhood of

gold and silver mines, w

hich were exhausted in early tim

es by theP

hoenicians and Thasians. T

hey passed successively to the hand of thepow

ers of civilized Europe: the A

thenians, the Macedonians, and the

Rom

ans. During the R

oman occupation w

e read little of them. T

he plainon w

hich it was situated w

as remarkable for its fertility.

How

ever, its primary im

portance was its strategic geographical position

comm

anding the great road between E

urope and Asia. T

he almost

continual mountain barrier betw

een the East and W

est has a depressionhere w

hich forms a gatew

ay for this thoroughfare between the tw

ocontinents. It w

as the advantage of this position that led Philip the

Macedon to fortify the site of the ancient C

renides.

It was this w

hich marked out the very battlefield w

here the destinies ofthe R

oman E

mpire w

ere decided, and which led the conqueror to plant

a Rom

an colony on the scene of his triumph.

Philippi w

as the scene of the decisive battle ending the Rom

an republicin 42 B.C. B

rutus and Cassius, m

urderers of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. , w

eredefeated by the com

bined forces of Mark A

ntony and Octavian, w

holater becam

e Em

peror Augustus. B

ecause of Philippi’s assistance,

Augustus granted R

oman citizenship to these P

hilippians when he

became em

peror.

Augustus founded at P

hilippi a Rom

an military colony w

ith the label,“C

olonia Augusta Julia P

hilippensis.” He conferred upon it the coveted

privilege of “Italic right,” giving its inhabitants the same rights as if they

were living in Italy. (W

e will sense this w

hen we explore A

cts 16:21.)

Th

e First C

hu

rch in

Eu

rop

e

Paul’s first visit to P

hilippi is recorded with a m

inuteness that has fewparallels in L

uke’s history. Luke joined P

aul just as he crossed over into

Au

dio

Listin

g

Intro

du

ction

Background. P

aul’s First V

isit to Philippi (A

cts 16). How

God G

uides.

Ph

ilipp

ians 1

Tim

othy. Our S

ecurity in Christ. T

he Christian’s D

eath Benefits.

Christian C

onduct.

Ph

ilipp

ians 2:1-11

Four Pillars for Christian U

nity. The K

enosis. The G

reat Parabola. Jesus’N

ames.

Ph

ilipp

ians 2:12-30

Practical E

xamples. L

iving for Others. T

he Sanctity of a C

omm

itment.

Ph

ilipp

ians 3:1-11

The A

dvent of the Judaizers. Happiness vs. Joy. L

osses Result in G

ains.T

he Ultim

ate Goal.

Ph

ilipp

ians 3:12-21

Winning the R

ace! Forgetting the P

ast. Finishing W

ell.

Ph

ilipp

ians 4

Getting A

long with C

hristians. The M

eaning of Prayer. G

od’s Rules for

Doubtful T

hings.

Su

mm

ary

Page 5Page 4

Sam

othracia: highest in elevation of northern Aegean islands, m

idway

between T

roas and Philippi. N

eapolis: harbor of Philippi, 10 m

i. inland;(favorable w

ind: two days; later it took five days).

12]A

nd from thence to P

hilippi, which is the chief city of that part of M

acedonia,and a colony: and w

e were in that city abiding certain days.

Paul always focused on strategic centers. H

e arrives about 20 years afterthe foundation of the C

hurch at Jerusalem.

13]A

nd on the sabbath we w

ent out of the city by a river side, where prayer w

asw

ont to be made; and w

e sat down, and spake unto the w

omen w

hich resortedthither.

The story of tw

o wom

en: Lydia and a channeler! T

here was no syna-

gogue (which requires 10 adult m

en); simply a w

omen’s prayer m

eetingthat w

ould become the first church in E

urope.

14]A

nd a certain wom

an named L

ydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira,

which w

orshiped God, heard us: w

hose heart the Lord opened, that she attended

unto the things which w

ere spoken of Paul.

A sales rep. T

he celebrated purple dye was m

ade from the m

urex, ashellfish. (R

ef. by Hom

er.) Inscriptions of the guild of dyers have beenfound at T

hyatira. (Thyatira w

as one of the cities Paul had to om

it onhis w

ay to Troas.)

15]A

nd when she w

as baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If yehave judged m

e to be faithful to the Lord, com

e into my house, and abide there.

And she constrained us.

(“Constrained”: only here and at the end of the E

mm

aus Road.)

16]A

nd it came to pass, as w

e went to prayer, a certain dam

sel possessed with a spirit

of divination met us, w

hich brought her masters m

uch gain by soothsaying:

“Divination”: pu,qw

n puthon; in Greek m

ythology the name of the

Pythian serpent or dragon that dw

elt in the region of Pytho at the foot

of Parnassus in P

hocis, and was said to have guarded the oracle at D

elphiand been slain by A

pollo. Origin: from

Putho (the nam

e of the regionw

here Delphi, the seat of the fam

ous oracle, was located).

The priestess at the fam

ous temple at D

elph was called the P

ythoness;the term

Python becam

e equivalent to a soothsaying demon. S

he was,

Europe, and he w

as with him

during his stay in Philippi. He seem

s to haverem

ained there for some tim

e after Paul’s departure—

the first personplural is dropped at P

hilippi (Acts 17:1) and resum

ed in the same place

after a lapse of six or seven years (Acts 20:5).

This com

bines to make the visit to P

hilippi among the m

ost striking andinstructive passages in L

uke’s narrative.

Acts 16

5]A

nd so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in num

ber daily.6]

Now

when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of G

alatia, and were

forbidden of the Holy G

host to preach the word in A

sia,

The R

oman P

rovince of Asia (the region w

here the seven churches ofR

evelation 2 & 3 are located).

7]A

fter they were com

e to Mysia, they assayed to go into B

ithynia: but the Spirit

suffered them not.

Tow

ards the north, but blocked. Bithynia S

E shore of S

ea of Mam

ora,S

. Shore of B

lack Sea.

8]A

nd they passing by Mysia cam

e down to T

roas.

Note the third person, “they.” A

lexandreia Troas, a port on coast of

Mysia, 30 m

iles S of D

ardanelles.

9]A

nd a vision appeared to Paul in the night; T

here stood a man of M

acedonia,and prayed him

, saying, Com

e over into Macedonia, and help us.

10]A

nd after he had seen the vision, imm

ediately we endeavoured to go into

Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the L

ord had called us for to preach thegospel unto them

.

Notice the “w

e” by Luke. S

ome suspect that he, L

uke, was the m

an inthe vision!

11]T

herefore loosing from T

roas, we cam

e with a straight course to S

amothracia,

and the next day to Neapolis;

When P

aul and his gang crossed the Dardanelles, they changed the

whole course of W

estern Civilization!

Page 7Page 6

thus, Apollo’s “channel.” [T

here’s nothing “new” about the “N

ewA

ge”!]

17]T

he same follow

ed Paul and us, and cried, saying, T

hese men are the servants

of the most high G

od, which shew

unto us the way of salvation.

The occult is alw

ays motivated by self-interest. E

ven “truth” is used to“suck them

in”; soon it is mixed w

ith error.... On each previous occasion

(Mark and L

uke), Jesus comm

anded the acknowledging dem

on tosilence.

18]A

nd this did she many days. B

ut Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit,

I comm

and thee in the name of Jesus C

hrist to come out of her. A

nd he came

out the same hour.

19]A

nd when her m

asters saw that the hope of their gains w

as gone, they caughtP

aul and Silas, and drew

them into the m

arketplace unto the rulers,

If infiltration doesn’t work, then direct oppression. O

utright violencedem

onstrates that one of the enemy’s strongholds w

as being attacked(C

f. 2 Cor 10:4; E

ph 6).

20]A

nd brought them to the m

agistrates, saying, These m

en, being Jews, do

exceedingly trouble our city,21]

And teach custom

s, which are not law

ful for us to receive, neither to observe,being R

omans.

The pride and privilege of R

oman citizenship confronts us at every turn.

This is the sentim

ent which stim

ulates the blind loyalty of the people “byadvocating custom

s unlawful for us R

omans to accept or practice.” T

hisw

ill be the basis of the redress and forces an apology in vv.37-39.

22]A

nd the multitude rose up together against them

: and the magistrates rent off

their clothes, and comm

anded to beat them.

23]A

nd when they had laid m

any stripes upon them, they cast them

into prison,charging the jailor to keep them

safely:24]

Who, having received such a charge, thrust them

into the inner prison, and made

their feet fast in the stocks.25]

And at m

idnight Paul and S

ilas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the

prisoners heard them.

Adoration and w

orship. (Not, “deliver your servants,” etc.) C

f. Ps 113;

115:11; 116:3,4,15,17; 118:6,29; 114:7.

The concert w

as so successful that it brought the house down! O

therprisoners w

ere “attentively listening...”

26]A

nd suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison

were shaken: and im

mediately all the doors w

ere opened, and every one’s bandsw

ere loosed.27]

And the keeper of the prison aw

aking out of his sleep, and seeing the prisondoors open, he drew

out his sword, and w

ould have killed himself, supposing

that the prisoners had been fled.

He w

as accountable to pay their debts if lost. [Cf. T

etelestai: “paid infull” as the com

pletion of their “certificate of debt.”]

28]B

ut Paul cried w

ith a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm

: for we are all here.

29]T

hen he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trem

bling, and fell down before

Paul and S

ilas,30]

And brought them

out, and said, Sirs, w

hat must I do to be saved?

Good question. W

e all need to be certain of the answer.

31]A

nd they said, Believe on the L

ord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and

thy house.

“And thy house”: a prophecy, not a doctrine. T

he first male convert in

Europe.

32]A

nd they spake unto him the w

ord of the Lord, and to all that w

ere in his house.33]

And he took them

the same hour of the night, and w

ashed their stripes; and was

baptized, he and all his, straightway.

34]A

nd when he had brought them

into his house, he set meat before them

, andrejoiced, believing in G

od with all his house.

35]A

nd when it w

as day, the magistrates sent the sargents, saying, L

et those men

go.36]

And the keeper of the prison told this saying to P

aul, The m

agistrates have sentto let you go: now

therefore depart, and go in peace.37]

But P

aul said unto them, T

hey have beaten us openly uncondemned, being

Rom

ans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily?

nay verily; but let them com

e themselves and fetch us out.

Whoops! T

hey had a jurisdiction problem! V

alerian Law

: no Rom

anshould ever be bound: this w

as considered to be an offense against theem

pire. Pocian L

aw forbade any R

oman to be flogged.

Magistrates w

ere at substantial risk themselves! I love the w

ay Paul

“rubs their noses” in it!

38]A

nd the serjeants told these words unto the m

agistrates: and they feared, when

they heard that they were R

omans.

Page 9Page 8

39]A

nd they came and besought them

, and brought them out, and desired them

todepart out of the city.

Oh, please, w

ould you be so kind as to leave quietly! This aspect w

ill alsobe im

portant for us to remem

ber when w

e turn from L

uke’s narrative toP

aul’s letter to the Philippians. A

ddressing a Rom

an colony from the

Rom

an capital, writing as a citizen to citizens, he returns in his thinking

to the political franchise as an apt symbol of the higher privileges of their

heavenly calling, to the political life as a suggestive metaphor for the

duties of their Christian profession:

Conduct yourselves in a m

anner worthy of the gospel of C

hrist...Phil 1:27

Our citizenship is in heaven.

Phil 3:20

40]A

nd they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of L

ydia: and when

they had seen the brethren, they comforted them

, and departed.

Th

ree Very D

ifferent C

on

verts

Neither Jew

or Greek, slave nor free, m

ale nor female, for you are all one

in Christ Jesus

Gal 3:28

The P

urple-Dealer and P

roselytess of Thyatira: an A

sian; engaged inan im

portant and lucrative business; devoted to the truths of the Old

Testam

ent.

A G

irl with the D

ivining Spirit: a Greek; treated by the law

as a mere

chattel without any social or political rights, em

ployed by her masters

to trade upon the impressionable ignorant; bearing the nam

e of theP

ythian god, the reputed source of Greek inspiration, represented the

equivalent what is presently called the N

ew A

ge.

The R

oman Jailer: equally rem

oved from both, held a subordinate office

under government; w

hose worship w

as likely essentially political intone.

First the proselyte, next the G

reek, and lastly, the Rom

an: they would

seem to sym

bolize the progress of Christianity throughout the w

orld.T

hey also illustrate the two great social revolutions C

hristianity hasaffected: the am

elioration of wom

an, and abolition of slavery (Cf. A

cts16:13; 17:4; 17:12). C

f. The solicitation of peace betw

een Euodia and

Syntyche (Phil 4:2-3). This is also the first recorded instance w

here whole

families are gathered into the fold. L

ydia and her household and the jailerand all belonging to him

are baptized into Christ.

As in ancient days, the patriarch w

as the recognized priest of his clan,so in the C

hristian church the father of the house is the divinelyappointed center of religious life to his ow

n family: the church in the

house of Philem

on grew into the church of C

olossae (Philem

on 2); thechurch in the house of N

ymphas becom

es the church of Laodicea

(Colossians 4:15); the church in the house of A

quila and Priscilla

becomes the churches of both E

phesus and Rom

e (1 Corinthians 16:19;

Rom

ans 16:5).

The history of P

aul’s connection with P

hilippi assumes a prom

inencequite out of proportion to the im

portance of the place itself.

The persecutions w

hich the apostle endured here were m

ore thanusually severe and im

pressed themselves deeply on his m

emory, for he

alludes to them again and again:

But even after that w

e had suffered before, and were sham

efully entreated,as ye know

, at Philippi...

1 Thess 2:2

Having the sam

e conflict which ye saw

in me, and now

hear to be in me.

Phil 1:30

His m

arvelous deliverance is without a parallel in his history before or

after, and his labors surpasses his earlier and later achievements.T

heunw

avering loyalty of his Philippian converts is the constant solace of

the apostle in his numerous trials. T

hey are his “joy and crown,” his

“brothers ... whom

I long for” (Phil 4:1). F

rom them

alone he consents toreceive gifts of m

oney for the relief of his personal needs (Phi 4:15); to

them alone he w

rites in language unclouded by any shadow of displea-

sure or disappointment. (T

his is only paralleled with Jesus’ letter to

Smyrna (R

ev 2:8-11); more of the possible parallels w

ill be explored later!)

In fact, Paul’s first visit to P

hilippi ended abruptly in the middle of the

storm of persecution; the apostle left behind a legacy of suffering to this

newborn church. T

he afflictions of the Macedonian C

hristians, and ofthe P

hilippians particularly, are more than once alluded to in P

aul’sletters (2 C

or 8:2; cf. notes on Phil 1:7, 28-30).

Page 11Page 10

Ho

w G

od

Gu

ides

Understanding doctrine:

Unanim

ous agreement

No sense of direction:

Persistent obedience

Relations w

ith others:R

esponsible concernIrreconcilable differences:

Cordial separation

Custom

s, rituals:Im

portant principleD

irections to take:S

ense of Peace

Major change:

Vision or call

* * *

Later V

isits

About five years elapsed betw

een Paul’s 1

st and 2nd visit to P

hilippi; butm

eanwhile his com

munications w

ith this church seem to be frequent and

intimate.

In A.D. 57, when P

aul was residing in E

phesus, he dispatched Tim

othyand E

rastus to Macedonia (A

cts 19:22; Cf. also 1 C

or 4:17; 16:10; 2 Cor

1:1). It would seem

that Tim

othy did not go with E

rastus to Corinth but

remained in M

acedonia.

Lib

eral Su

pp

ort

Despite their abject poverty and sore persecution, the P

hilippian churchw

as foremost in prom

ptness and cordiality of their relief of the needs oftheir poorer brethren in Judea:

How

that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and theirdeep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. F

or to theirpow

er, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they w

ere willing of

themselves; P

raying us with m

uch intreaty that we w

ould receive the gift,and take upon us the fellow

ship of the ministering to the saints. A

nd thisthey did, not as w

e hoped, but first gave their own selves to the L

ord, andunto us by the w

ill of God.

2 Cor 8:2-5

Rep

eated V

isits

In the autumn of 57 A.D., P

aul, released from his engagem

ents in Asia,

revisited his European churches. H

e visited Macedonia on the w

ay toC

orinth (2 Cor 1:15-17; cf. 1 C

or 1:5, 6).

Ap

plicatio

n

“Why doesn’t G

od guide us today like in the Book of A

cts?”

Paul m

ust have been puzzled:

•Q

uarrelling with B

arnabas, he parted from him

;•

He w

anted to preach the Gospel, so he passed through S

yriaand C

ilicia, and came to D

erbe and Lystra, and there he m

etT

imothy.

•H

e wanted to go on to proconsular A

sia, and he could not doit: H

e was sick; an infirm

ity of the flesh was upon him

and hecould not go on. It w

as necessary to that he should takeanother direction and he w

ent into Galatia and preached there.

•T

hen he turned back again. There w

as no reason that he couldunderstand. It w

as a picture of cross currents, of difficulty,perplexity and darkness.

•T

hen he felt the lure of Bithynia; he w

ould go there. No, he m

ustgo w

est and on he went, perplexed.

•T

hen came the vision of the m

an of Macedonia (...and w

hen hetalked it over w

ith Luke in later days, L

uke would w

rite thestory w

ith hindsight.)

The S

pirit forbade him preaching in A

sia. The S

pirit of Jesus drove himever and ever on tow

ard Troas. T

he guidance of the Holy S

pirit isvalidated by the results: P

hilippi, Thessalonica, B

erea, Athens, C

orinth.

The guidance of the S

pirit was subsequently recognized by these m

en:...not alw

ays by flaming visions;

...not by words articulate in hum

an ears;but by circum

stances,by com

monplace things,

by difficult things,by dark things,by disappointing things.

The m

an the Spirit w

ill guide is the man w

ho is in an attitude in which it

is possible for the Spirit to guide him

. ...an attitude of life; of loyalty tothe L

ord, faith in the guidance of the Spirit, and constant w

atchfulness.

It is the watcher for the L

ord who sees the L

ord.

Page 13Page 12

of false play, no reproaches for disorderly living, no warnings against

serious sins. (There appears to be one source of strife or rivalry, but these

differences seem related to social rather than doctrinal issues.)

* * *

Ph

ilipp

ians 1

1]P

aul and Tim

otheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in C

hrist Jesusw

hich are at Philippi, w

ith the bishops and deacons:

Tim

oth

y

A young convert closely associated w

ith Paul. Eunice (II T

im 1:5), as w

ellas her m

other Lois, had instructed T

imothy in S

criptures from infancy

(2 Tim

3:15). Tw

o of Paul’s letters are addressed to him

: “My ow

n sonin the faith” ( I T

im 1:2, 18; II T

im 1:2).

In six of Paul’s Epistles, T

imothy joined in salutation. T

imothy w

as with

Paul on his second m

issionary journey...at Ephesus during the days of

strife ...with him

on last journey to Jerusalem ...w

ith him on his first

imprisonm

ent ...Paul sent for him

in the loneliness of his secondim

prisonment.

Paul considered T

imothy his son, his child, his com

rade in the fight...P

aul circumcised him

so as not to offend Jewish prejudices (som

ethinghe w

ould not have done if he were a G

entile, like Titus).

It is distinctive that Paul and T

imothy take no official title here: sim

plythe servants (dou/loj doulos, bondslaves) of Jesus C

hrist (Cf. E

x 21:5,6; D

eut 15:15-17). They, as bondslaves, had renounced all to serve the

Lord, as those w

ho are alive from the dead. [N

o one can become a servant

of Jesus Christ until they realize that by nature they are a slave to sin.]

One can becom

e a slave:by conquest;

Ps 19:13by birth;

Ps 51:5by debt.

Rom

6:23

One could gain freedom

by earning it; by purchase; or as a gift. Only

One could pay sin’s price on our behalf.

He had intended to sail directly to Israel, but receiving inform

ation abouta plot against his life, he changed his plans and returned by land (A

cts19:21; 20:1-3). T

hus, Macedonia received a double visit. H

is affectionaterelations w

ith Philippi seem

to rivet him there. T

he second letter to theC

orinthians and the letter to Galatians w

ere written from

here.

Pau

l at Ro

me

Paul’s appeal challenged the hostility of the greatest pow

er the world

had ever seen. The very em

peror to whom

the appeal was m

ade bearsthe ignom

iny of the first systematic persecution of C

hristians, which

raged for several centuries, and which ended in establishing the G

ospelon the ruins of the E

mpire.

And it isn’t im

probable that Paul foresaw

the importance of his decision

when he transferred his cause to the tribunal of C

aesar. He “m

ust visitR

ome” (A

cts 19:21); he had “been longing for many years” to visit the

imperial city

(Rom

1:10-16; 15:22-24, 28); the heavenly vision strength-ened his purpose, “Y

ou must also testify in R

ome” (A

ct 23:11).

Som

e scholars believe that Luke “V

olumes 1 &

2” (including the Book

of Acts) w

ere the legally required pre-trial documents required to

precede the appellant before Caesar. (L

uke seems to take pains to

emphasize that at each uprising it w

as the Jewish leadership—

not Paul

and his companions—

that were the cause. A

lso, it is interesting thatcenturions are alw

ays “good guys,” etc.)

Paul remained in R

ome for “tw

o whole years” (A

cts 28:30). How

ever, itdidn’t seem

to impede the progress of his m

issionary work! H

e hadw

ritten to Rom

ans three years before; six full years before the Neronian

outbreak.

Paul was a prisoner for 4-5 years (A.D. 58-63); ½

in Caesarea; ½

in Rom

e.D

uring this period he wrote four letters: to the P

hilippians, to theC

olossians, to the Ephesians and to P

hilemon, all probably from

Rom

e.(W

hile scholars differ, there seems to be evidence that P

hilippians isdistinctive from

the other three, and was the earlier of the series.)

It certainly is distinctively affectionate, intimate, and provocatively free

of any doctrinal exhortations. There is no appeal to his apostolic

authority, and in no letter is his comm

endations more lavish, or his

affection deeper. There are no m

isgivings of their loyalty, no suspicions

Page 15Page 14

The saints as a w

hole are greeted, and the elders and deacons arespecially m

entioned. This is unusual. It im

plies a particular sense ofobligation to the elders and deacons on the part of the apostles, probablyin connection to the assem

bly’s gifts of support.

“Saints” are sim

ply those “set apart.” “Elders” m

ay, or may not, be

official. Those possessing the qualifications listed in the epistles to

Tim

othy and Titus should be sought out to take responsibilities in

oversight in the house of God. [T

o fail to acknowledge such w

ould failto be in subjection to the W

ord of God, but a true bishop or overseer

would be the last m

an to insist upon obedience to him. H

e would rather

lead by serving the saints and by the force of a godly example.]

“Deacons” are those w

ho minister in tem

poral things, chosen for thispurpose. T

he word m

eans “servant”—not a “bondm

an” but one actingvoluntarily in response to the expressed desire of others.

Note the w

ord “all.” It is used very significantly in this epistle to bindall together into one bundle of love, refusing to recognize any incipientdivision am

ong them.

2]G

race be unto you, and peace, from G

od our Father, and from

the Lord Jesus

Christ.

Grace w

as the general Grecian salutation. Peace, that of the H

ebrew. Paul

always links them

together, and in that order (God’s order). T

rue peacerests upon the w

ork of the Cross, evident of H

is precedent Grace (C

f.L

uke 2:14; John 14:27; John 20:19; Phil 4:6-7).

3]I thank m

y God upon every rem

embrance of you,

[I wish som

eone could say that about me: I’m

afraid any such “remem

-brances” about m

e would be a m

ixed bag at best!] Paul’s prayers alw

aysbegin w

ith thanksgiving...

4]A

lways in every prayer of m

ine for you all making request w

ith joy,

Joy is the main them

e of this intimate letter. Inner joy occurs 16 tim

esin these four brief chapters.

5]F

or your fellowship in the gospel from

the first day until now;

Fellow

ship is mentioned three tim

es in this epistle: our fellowship w

ithG

od, our fellowship w

ith the Holy S

pirit, and our fellowship in the

sufferings of Jesus Christ. F

ellowship in the gospel m

ay be exercised invarious w

ays: by prayer; by participation in the public testimony; by

furnishing the means to enable the laborer to go forth unhindered by

perplexities and anxieties as to necessary means to carry on his w

ork.

Ou

r Secu

rity in C

hrist

6]B

eing confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good w

ork in youw

ill perform it until the day of Jesus C

hrist:

This is one of the three great passages w

hich focus on our security inC

hrist:

And I give unto them

eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shallany m

an pluck them out of m

y hand. My F

ather, which gave them

me, is

greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them

out of my F

ather’shand.

John 10:27-28

For I am

persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, norprincipalities, nor pow

ers, nor things present, nor things to come, N

orheight, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us fromthe love of G

od, which is in C

hrist Jesus our Lord.

Rom

ans 8:38-39

There are other less form

al allusions:

The L

OR

D w

ill fulfill his purpose for me.

Psalm 138:8 (N

IV)

For by one offering he hath perfected forever them

that are sanctified.H

ebrews 10:14

...I have loved thee with an everlasting love...

Jeremiah 31:3

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; w

e are perplexed, butnot in despair; P

ersecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.

. . Know

ing that he which raised up the L

ord Jesus shall raise up us alsoby Jesus, and shall present us w

ith you.2 C

orinthians 4:8-9, 14

This assurance is also suggested by the im

ages that are applied tobelievers throughout the B

ible:

Page 17Page 16

...trees that do not wither (P

s 1:3); cedars of Lebanon, year to year (P

s92:12); house built on a rock (M

t 7:24); Mt. Z

ion that cannot be moved

(Ps 125:1).

Paul had no doubt as to the final outcom

e of every true believer. God

finishes what H

e starts. [Has H

e started a good work in you?]

If so, He has saved you for a purpose (R

om 8:28ff). A

nd He’s not finished

with any of us yet.

There is no C

hristian listening to my voice w

ho will think as w

ell of himself

five years from now

as he does this morning.

–Donald G

rey Barnhouse

7]E

ven as it is meet for m

e to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart;

inasmuch as both in m

y bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel,

ye all are partakers of my grace.

“All” believers included: v.4, 6-7. L

it.: “all of you being participants with

me of grace.” N

o room for divisions here.

8]F

or God is m

y record, how greatly I long after you all in the bow

els of JesusC

hrist.

“Longing”: not just tolerance.

Pau

l’s Prayer (C

f. Co

lossian

s 1:9ff)

9]A

nd this I pray, that your love may abound yet m

ore and more in know

ledgeand in all judgm

ent;

We are to be fruitful. F

ollowing the fam

iliar Eph 2:8, 9...

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is

the gift of God: N

ot of works, lest any m

an should boast.

...is verse 10:

For w

e are his workm

anship, created in Christ Jesus unto good w

orks,w

hich God hath before ordained that w

e should walk in them

.E

phesians 2:8, 9, 10

God w

ants productive children.

10]T

hat ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye m

ay be sincere andw

ithout offence till the day of Christ;

“Sincere” =

without w

ax; translating eivlikrinh,j heilikrines, sun-tested;found pure w

hen tested in sunlight. Fine porcelain w

as greatly valued,but it w

as so fragile that only it could be fired with the greatest difficulty

without being cracked. U

nscrupulous dealers would fill any cracks w

itha pearly-w

hite wax w

hich could pass without being readily detected. If

held to the light, however, the w

ax appeared as a dark seam. H

onest Latin

dealers marked their w

ares “sine cera” (without w

ax).

11]B

eing filled with the fruits of righteousness, w

hich are by Jesus Christ, unto the

glory and praise of God.

Fruitfulness: W

ant to prosper? In Psalm

1, v.3 is preceded by v.2.

Blessed is the m

an that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor

standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. B

uthis delight is in the law

of the LO

RD

; and in his law doth he m

editate dayand night. A

nd he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that

bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and

whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3

Su

ffering

You can’t appreciate the next several verses unless you can put yourself

in the shoes of Philippian C

hristians. It had been at least four years sincethey had seen P

aul; they had heard rumors of the things that had

happened to him and they w

ere worried. N

ews had reached Philippi from

Rom

e that their fellow church m

ember, E

paphroditus, had been sick. The

news bearer updated them

on Paul also but some tim

e had elapsed. They

would be asking serious questions: W

as Paul still in chains? W

as hesick? H

ad he already come to trial? O

r had he been martyred? ...they had

no way to deal w

ith these speculations.

But now

they had a letter from P

aul! At lease he w

as alive! How

eagerlythey w

ould have read it. Can you im

agine them reading the first eleven

verses with references only to them

selves?

12]B

ut I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things w

hich happenedunto m

e have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

At least he w

as alive!

Page 19Page 18

At the tim

e of writing to the P

hilippians he could have no confidence hew

ould ever be free again.

Things have turned out quire different from

what P

aul had planned forhim

self. He had carried the gospel to various parts of the w

orld: Syria,

Crete, A

sia Minor (w

hat we know

as Turkey), and G

reece. He planned

to go west even to S

pain after returning once more to Jerusalem

and thento R

ome.

Instead, he found himself on trial for his life. H

e faced entirely falseaccusations leveled at him

by his own people (A

cts 21:28). He w

as nearlylynched by a religious m

ob and ended up in a Rom

an prison, havingescaped a flogging only by pleading R

oman citizenship (22:22ff). H

isw

hole case was a m

ockery of justice: although right was on his side, he

could not secure a hearing. He w

as the subject of unjust and unprovokedinsults and sham

e (23:2), malicious m

isrepresentation (24:5; 25:6), anda deadly plot (23:12ff; 25:1ff). H

e was kept im

prisoned due to corruptofficials.

Then cam

e the storm at sea, and then to chains in R

ome aw

aiting—for

two years—

the uncertain decision of an earthly king. Nevertheless, still

imprisoned, still chained, still unheard, still uncertain, he looks back and

avers, “what happened to m

e served to advance the gospel.”1 A

ll thefrustration, all the delays, all overshadow

ed by the fact that it served tospread the gospel.

13]S

o that my bonds in C

hrist are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;

“Palace”: praitw

,rion praetorion. Originally assum

ed to refer to abuilding; how

ever, since the 17th century m

any ancient manuscripts

have been uncovered that mention the R

oman P

raetorium and in none

of these manuscripts does the w

ord ever refer to a palace or a buildingof any kind. In all of them

it refers to people: to the Praetorian G

uard, theofficial bodyguard of the em

peror, which also took charge of all im

perialprisoners.

These very soldiers that guarded him

were brought to hear the gospel;

it is evident that great numbers of them

believed (Cf. 4:22). (From

Paul’spoint of view

, the chains were to keep them

from getting aw

ay! Can you

imagine being chained to P

aul for a full shift?)

14]A

nd many of the brethren in the L

ord, waxing confident by m

y bonds, are much

more bold to speak the w

ord without fear.

And others w

ere not only encouraged; they went from

fear to boldnessas a result of P

aul’s example.

Ch

ristian T

rou

blem

akers

15]S

ome indeed preach C

hrist even of envy and strife; and some also of good w

ill:

There is hardly a problem

in the church today that did not exist in some

form in the church of the first century. (C

orinth being one of theconspicuous exam

ples, but Rom

e, too.)

16]T

he one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction

to my bonds:

Paul speaks of those w

ho preached Christ out of “envy and strife” and

“contention.” These w

ere Christians w

ho were trying to get P

aul intotrouble w

ith their preaching! [Christians are w

ell known for arranging

their firing squads in circles!]

He also alludes to this friction in other books: he indicated that m

ost ofthe C

hristians had deserted him. It is not generally recognized how

poorly Paul had been received in Rom

e. The pastors w

ere jealous of Paul.T

hey neglected him for that reason. W

hen the pastors forgot their duty,the people follow

ed suit. In time P

aul was alm

ost forgotten.

The proof of this lies in the fact w

hen Onesiphorus, a visitor to R

ome,

tried to find Paul som

e years later, no one could tell him w

here Paul w

as.It w

as only by a diligent search that he found him (2 T

im 1:16-17).

Paul is reporting that they preached C

hrist out of unworthy m

otives:jealousy, strife, and partisanship. D

id you know that Paul very likely lost

his life as a result of the trouble caused by the troublemaking C

hristiansin R

ome?

The inform

ation that exists from the early church age about the events

that led up to the death of Paul points to this conclusion: envy led som

eC

hristians to denounce Paul and, as a result of their denunciation, P

auland perhaps others also, w

ere presumably executed under N

ero:

1)W

e noted that when O

nesiphorus arrived in Rom

e, no one seemed

to be able to tell him w

here Paul was (2 T

im 1:16-17). T

hen Paul beganto m

ake converts through the Praetorian G

uard. His view

s spread

Page 21Page 20

through Rom

e, provoking jealousy among the leaders of the R

oman

congregation. Paul alludes to that here and in his 2

nd letter to Tim

othy.

2)S

uetonius, a Rom

an historian who w

rote the lives of the Caesars,

tells us that “since the Jews constantly m

ade disturbances at theinstigation C

hresus [Christ],” thinking that C

hrist was the ring

leader. Claudius expelled them

from R

ome. T

his expulsion of bothC

hristians and Jews is alluded to in A

cts 18:2.

3)A

Rom

an Christian, C

lement, w

rote a letter to the believers in Corinth

about 90 A.D; in chapters 3 to 6, Clem

ent warns the C

orinthiansabout the bad effects of jealousy w

hich had resulted in suffering anddeath am

ong God’s people. H

e alludes to seven examples from

theO

ld Testam

ent, and seven from m

ore recent times, including P

aul.(1 C

lement 5). Jesus w

arned his disciples that they would betray one

another (Mt 24:10).

17]B

ut the other of love, knowing that I am

set for the defence of the gospel.18]

What then? notw

ithstanding, every way, w

hether in pretence, or in truth, Christ

is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

Paul’s m

ind was filled w

ith Christ. (M

entioned 17 times in this chapter

alone!) Even the false teachers can serve? [G

od can use tainted vessels.T

hat should encourage us: we, too, can be on the team

!]

No

Disap

po

intm

ents

Everything hum

an is stained with disappointm

ent.

19]F

or I know that this shall turn to m

y salvation through your prayer, and thesupply of the S

pirit of Jesus Christ,

20]A

ccording to my earnest expectation and m

y hope, that in nothing I shall beasham

ed, but that with all boldness, as alw

ays, so now also C

hrist shall bem

agnified in my body, w

hether it be by life, or by death.

“Asham

ed” = disappointed (in B

iblical usage).

...hope maketh not asham

ed;R

omans 5:5

and thou shalt know that I am

the LO

RD

: for they shall not be ashamed

that wait for m

e.Isaiah 49:23 (quoted tw

ice in Rom

ans)

God does not disappoint us: three verses, all contain “asham

ed:”

(#1):F

or I am not asham

ed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the pow

er of God

unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the

Greek.

Rom

ans 1:16

(The G

ospel is defined in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.)

(#2):F

or the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am

notasham

ed: for I know w

hom I have believed, and am

persuaded that heis able to keep that w

hich I have comm

itted unto him against that day.

2 Tim

othy 1:12

My deposit is safe w

ith Him

.

(#3): A

ccording to my earnest expectation and m

y hope, that in nothing I shallbe asham

ed, but that with all boldness, as alw

ays, so now also C

hrist shallbe m

agnified in my body, w

hether it be by life, or by death.Philippians 1:20

What scope!

1)P

aul knew that C

hrist would ultim

ately be exalted and rule in power

until He had crushed all enem

ies beneath His feet (P

s 2:1-2; 110:1-7; 1 C

or 15:24-25; Phil 2:9-11).2)

Paul knew

that God’s determ

ination to exalt His son also extends to

those who are united to H

im by faith [yes, even you and m

e!]. Thus,

Phil 1:6.3)

Paul recognized that C

hrist would be m

agnified in him w

hether helived or died.

We tend to live in tw

o worlds: the “sacred” and the “secular.” B

ut JesusC

hrist knew no such divisions in H

is life.

I do always w

hat pleases Him

. John 8:20

So it w

as with P

aul.

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or w

hatsoever ye do, do all to the gloryof G

od. 1 C

orinthians 10:31

Page 23Page 22

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of G

od, that ye presentyour bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto G

od, which is your

reasonable service.R

omans 12:1

How

? By:

Casting dow

n imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself

against the knowledge of G

od, and bringing into captivity every thoughtto the obedience of C

hrist;2 C

orinthians 10:5

Wh

at is Ch

ristianity?

Christianity is a person.

21]F

or to me to live is C

hrist, and to die is gain.

I am crucified w

ith Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but C

hrist livethin m

e: and the life which I now

live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Sonof G

od, who loved m

e, and gave himself for m

e.G

alatians 2:20

These tw

o verses, one from the early days of his m

inistry and one fromthe end, sum

marize the living essence of Paul’s faith: the very heartthrob

of his life.

22]B

ut if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet w

hat I shall chooseI w

ot not.

Th

e Ch

ristian’s D

eath B

enefits

Unfortunately, death holds no benefits for unbelievers. Subconsciously,

every non-Christian know

s this: death looms large as a dreadful enem

y.

Men fear death as children fear the dark.

Francis Bacon

People know

that in death a person must m

eet his Maker. H

ow grateful

Christians can be that C

hrist came to free us from

such terrors!

Forasm

uch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he alsohim

self likewise took part of the sam

e; that through death he might destroy

him that had the pow

er of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them

who

through fear of death were all their lifetim

e subject to bondage.H

ebrews 2:14-15

23]F

or I am in a strait betw

ixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be w

ith Christ;

which is far better:

“Depart”: avnalu,w

analuo, to break camp. (F

rom w

hich we get the

English, “analysis.”) It carried the idea of leaving som

ething perma-

nently behind.

When the R

oman arm

y reached the end of a long march, they m

ade camp:

and this was a very elaborate affair. A

n adequate rectangle was paced

off, and the entire encampm

ent was secured by a m

oat and rampart, often

to a height of 10-12 ft. The top w

as reinforced and the cornersstrengthened. W

hen the camp w

as struck, the soldiers moved on,

leaving behind the fortifications like a discarded chrysalis, mute testi-

mony to the fact that they had been there.

This is w

hat need to do: leave behind all that is not useful: all the sin, allthe pain, all the care and anguish of this w

orld.

For the C

hristian, death is not a gain of the worst in life; it is an

improvem

ent on the best!

24]N

evertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

He is sticking around for your benefit, P

hilippi!

25]A

nd having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue w

ith you allfor your furtherance and joy of faith;

26]T

hat your rejoicing may be m

ore abundant in Jesus Christ for m

e by my com

ingto you again.

We have no clear record of w

hether this desire was fulfilled, but there

are early church traditions that it was. W

e know he w

as released fromhis first im

prisonment, and allow

ed to go about in freedom for several

years before being again apprehended and martyred for the sake of

Christ, follow

ing him even unto death.

Ch

ristian C

on

du

ct

Privilege implies responsibility.

27]O

nly let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of C

hrist: that whether

I come and see you, or else be absent, I m

ay hear of your affairs, that ye standfast in one spirit, w

ith one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Page 25Page 24

“Conversation” w

as employed by our ancestors as a w

ord of far wider

scope that is generally suggested today. It meant not only talk, but

included our entire behavior; our whole m

anner of life. But the

translation difficulties go deeper. In the NIV

, it used six words to

translate it:

“conduct yourselves in a m

anner worthy...”

politeu,omai politeuomai, is based on the noun m

eaning city: polis, andactually refers to citizenship. In the classical age, the polis w

as thelargest political unit and the G

reek belonged to it as we belong to a

country, and in his culture it was the biggest thing in his life. T

he verbm

eans “to conduct oneself worthily as a citizen of the city-state.” W

egot a taste of this last tim

e when w

e reviewed A

cts 16:

And brought them

to the magistrates, saying, T

hese men, being Jew

s, doexceedingly trouble our city, A

nd teach customs, w

hich are not lawful for

us to receive, neither to observe, being Rom

ans.A

cts 16:20-21

We, how

ever, have our citizenship in heaven:

...from w

hence also we look for the Saviour, the L

ord Jesus Christ:

Philippians 3:20

We are to be a citizen of heaven, like A

braham,

By faith he sojourned in the land of prom

ise, as in a strange country,dw

elling in tabernacles [tents] with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs w

ith himof the sam

e promise: F

or he looked for a city which hath foundations,

whose builder and m

aker is God.

Hebrew

s 11:9-10

The em

phasis here is to stand together. One m

ind and purpose.

The C

hristians at Philippi knew

what it m

eant to stand fast as Rom

ansat the frontiers of the R

oman w

orld... Some C

hristians publicly wash their

hands of all involvement in com

munity and national life. N

o one lookedm

ore earnestly for the Lord’s quick return than P

aul, but it was preem

i-nently P

aul who set w

ith all the enthusiasm he could m

uster to claim the

world for C

hrist! So m

ust we. W

e must carry the battle for hum

an soulsbeyond the confines of our churches to the universities, the law

courts,the corporate boardroom

s, and the marketplace.

“T

he early Christians did not say in dism

ay: “L

ook what the w

orld hascom

e to,” but in delight, “

Look w

hat has come to the w

orld.”–E

. Stanley Jones

Stan

d U

p an

d B

e Co

un

ted

The battle is joined and there w

ill be persecution.

28]A

nd in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them

an evident tokenof perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of G

od.

“Perdition”: T

hese unholy adversaries read their own doom

in the happyfellow

ship of the saints of God, and see in it proof of the L

ord’s words,

...upon this rock I will build m

y church; and the gates of hell shall notprevail against it.

Matthew

16:18

This is often m

isunderstood: it is not the assembly of G

od that is as acity besieged; rather it is H

ell—or H

ades—the realm

of darkness that isbesieged by the forces of light; it is the forces of light w

ho are carryingon an offensive w

arfare—not defensive; and it is to them

that the promise

is given that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” This is the

“perdition” spoken of above.

29]F

or unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him

, butalso to suffer for his sake;

30]H

aving the same conflict w

hich ye saw in m

e, and now hear to be in m

e.

If you squeeze an orange, you should get orange juice;If you squeeze a lem

on, you should get lemon juice.

If you squeeze a Christian, you should get C

hrist.

* * *

Next C

hap

ter:

Rem

edies for ourselves:a) W

e need to develop a low opinion of ourselves;

b) We need to have a better opinion of others.

c) We need to possess the m

ind of Christ.

Com

ing: the famed K

enosis.

Page 27Page 26

Ph

ilipp

ians 1 S

tud

y Gu

ide

Stu

dy Q

uestio

ns:

1)W

hat made P

hilippi strategic from a R

oman perspective?

2)W

hich of Paul’s letters w

ere written from

Philippi? F

rom R

ome?

3)R

eview P

aul’s several imprisonm

ents. How

did they advance theG

ospel?

4)W

hat are the several ways that fellow

ship in the Gospel m

ay beexercised?

Nam

e three key passages emphasizing our security in C

hrist.

Discu

ssion

Qu

estion

s:

1)W

hat is “Christianity”?

2)A

re there distinctions between the sacred and the secular in the

Christian w

alk? Justify your answer from

Scripture.

3)W

hat makes a “house church” unusually effective in personal

growth?

4)W

hat were T

imothy’s personal strengths? W

eaknesses?

5)H

ow should w

e, as a fellowship, deal w

ith “Christian troublem

ak-ers?” H

ow does M

atthew 18 fit into the picture?

6)H

ow is “gossip” the m

ost painful sin?

Fo

r Fu

rther R

esearch:

1)C

ompile a list of passages supporting the hom

e fellowship, in

contrast to the elaborate cathedrals of history.

Notes:

1.E

xcerpted from H

.C.G

. Moule, P

hilippian Studies, Pickering & Inglis, G

lasgow,

n.d., p.71, 78; q.v. Boice.

Ph

ilipp

ians 2a

Intro

du

ction

Many consider the forthcom

ing passage as the most sublim

e mystery

in all of Scripture.

But first: O

thers

The last four verses of C

hapter 1 and in the opening verses of Chapter

2, Paul focuses on the relationships am

ong believers.

Only let your conversation [conduct; citizenship] be as it becom

eth thegospel of C

hrist: that whether I com

e and see you, or else be absent, I may

hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one m

ind strivingtogether for the faith of the gospel; A

nd in nothing terrified by youradversaries: w

hich is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of

salvation, and that of God. F

or unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ,

not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; H

aving the same

conflict which ye saw

in me, and now

hear to be in me

Philippians 1:27-30

It is a matter of unity. It is a necessity in tim

e of war.

Ph

ilipp

ians 2

1]If there be therefore any consolation in C

hrist, if any comfort of love, if any

fellowship of the S

pirit, if any bowels and m

ercies,

“If” = “S

ince...”; intensive form.

Here there are four pillars for C

hristian unity [NIV

]:

1)because there is “encouragem

ent”;2)

because there is “comfort from

His love”;

3)because there is “fellow

ship in the Spirit”;

4)because there is an experience of “tenderness and com

pas-sion” of G

od.

1)[K

JV “bow

els”: bowels, intestines (and the heart, lungs, liver, etc.)

were regarded as the seat of the m

ore violent passions, such asanger and love; but by the H

ebrews as the seat of the tenderer

Page 29Page 28

affections, esp. kindness, benevolence, compassion; hence, our

heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.) Y

et, we are alw

ays tempted

to divisiveness in ways that injures our w

itness...]

Encouragem

ent: Jesus prayed:

That they all m

ay be one; as thou, Father, art in m

e, and I in thee, that theyalso m

ay be one in us: that the world m

ay believe that thou hast sent me.

John 17:21

Som

e take this to refer only to a spiritual unity that all believers possess,regardless of actual deeds and feelings. Y

et, there is a unity that thew

orld can see and on the basis of which people can com

e to believe inJesus: this unity m

ust be expressed in deeds, gestures, and speech: i.e.,the w

ay we think about, talk to, and act w

ith other Christians.

Love: C

hristians have a duty to see more than another C

hristian’s faults.O

ur love is actually to be an outpouring of His L

ove through us as we

are transformed by the indw

elling presence of His S

pirit.

A new

comm

andment I give unto you, T

hat ye love one another; as I haveloved you, that ye also love one another.

John 13:34

This leaves no room

for qualification. [Cf. The W

ay of Agape for practical

instruction in this area.]

Christian F

ellowship: N

ot merely hum

an fellowship based on com

mon

interests: a fellowship created by G

od; because by grace we have been

made m

utually dependent mem

bers of Christ’s body.

That w

hich we have seen and heard declare w

e unto you, that ye also may

have fellowship w

ith us: and truly our fellowship is w

ith the Father, and

with his Son Jesus C

hrist.1 John 1:3

Mercy of C

ompassion:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of G

od, that ye presentyour bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto G

od, which is your

reasonable service.R

omans 12:1

If we have been delivered from

the fires of Hell by the m

ercies of God,

how can w

e fail to show com

passion to those who also confess C

hrist’snam

e, even though they might have offended us or disagreed w

ith ourinterpretation of S

cripture? Thus,

2]F

ulfil ye my joy, that ye be likem

inded, having the same love, being of one

accord, of one mind.

By this shall all m

en know that ye are m

y disciples, if ye have love one toanother.

John 13:35

“I’m T

hird

”

[A m

ysterious plaque above a desk: God first; O

thers second; I’m third.]

It is evident that Christians w

ill never see eye to eye on all points. We

are all influenced by habits, by environment, by education, by the

measure of intellectual and spiritual apprehension to w

hich we have

attained, that it is an impossibility to find any num

ber of people who look

at everything from the sam

e viewpoint. Y

et,

3]L

et nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of m

ind let eachesteem

other better than themselves.

4]L

ook not every man on his ow

n things, but every man also on the things of others.

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law

of Christ.G

alatians 6:2

Be kindly affectioned one to another w

ith brotherly love; in honourpreferring one another;

Rom

ans 12:10

Cf. M

atthew 25:31-46.

As P

aul admonishes the P

hilippians to “consider others better thanyourselves” and to look “to the interests of others,” he w

as actuallycarrying them

to the frontier of the great war being w

aged between the

powers of light and darkness.

[Preamble: C

ontrast with the Fall of Satan: E

zek 11-19; Isa 14:12-14.]

Page 31Page 30

Th

e Ken

osis

The U

ltimate E

xample. K

enosis from the G

reek, here rendered “emptied

Him

self” or “divested Him

self;” here, “made H

imself of no reputation.”

The passage of P

hilippians 2:5-11 is the NT

equivalent of the prophecyfound in Psalm

110:1

The L

OR

D said unto m

y Lord, Sit thou at m

y right hand, until I make thine

enemies thy footstool.

Psalm 110:1

This verse is quoted, directly or indirectly, 27 tim

es in the NT

, and was

the verse that Jesus used to confound the Pharisees (M

t 22:41-46). Itteaches that the O

ne called David’s L

ord, the Messiah, w

ill one day reignover all things and that all H

is enemies shall be defeated.

Th

e Great P

arabo

la

This passage is am

ong the most glorious sections of the N

ew T

estament.

This carries the descent of the L

ord Jesus Christ from

the highestposition in the entire universe dow

n to the death on the cross, and thenup again to see H

im seated once m

ore on the throne of His glory before

which every knee shall bow

.

In these few verses w

e sweep from

Christ’s life from

eternity past toeternity future, and are adm

itted to the breathtaking purposes of God in

human salvation. T

hey teach:the divinity of C

hrist,H

is preexistence,H

is equality with G

od the Father,

His incarnation and true hum

anity,H

is voluntary death on the cross,the certainty of H

is ultimate trium

ph over evil,and the perm

anence of His reign.

Som

e scholars attempt to dism

iss the distinct doctrines of Christianity

as late developments in the history of an historically conditioned and

evolving church. There w

as no evolution of the doctrines. There have

been attempts to clarify them

, and advances toward a fuller understand-

ing of their significance.

5]L

et this mind be in you, w

hich was also in C

hrist Jesus:

6]W

ho, being in the form of G

od, thought it not robbery to be equal with G

od:

The first view

we have of Jesus is in reference to H

is preincarnate state:in the form

of God and as G

od’s equal.

In the beginning was the W

ord, and the Word w

as with G

od, and the Word

was G

od. The sam

e was in the beginning w

ith God. A

ll things were m

adeby him

; and without him

was not any thing m

ade that was m

ade. In himw

as life; and the life was the light of m

en.John 1:1-4.

And now

, O F

ather, glorify thou me w

ith thine own self w

ith the glory which

I had with thee before the w

orld was.

John 17:5

Philips’ paraphrase: “L

et Christ Jesus be your exam

ple as to what your

attitude would be. F

or he, who had alw

ays been God by nature did not

cling to his prerogatives as God’s equal.”

Who is the im

age of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: F

orby him

were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,

visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dom

inions, or principalities,or pow

ers: all things were created by him

, and for him: A

nd he is beforeall things, and by him

all things consist.C

olossians 1:15-17

Another parallel passage:

God, w

ho at sundry times and in divers m

anners spake in time past unto

the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his

Son, whom

he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom

also he made

the worlds; W

ho being the brightness of his glory, and the express image

of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his pow

er, when

he had by himself purged our sins, sat dow

n on the right hand of theM

ajesty on high;H

ebrews 1:1-3

Jesus cannot be understood on the basis of his earthly life alone. He is

a man. H

e is also God. T

here are two key w

ords: morfh, m

orphe, which

points both outward to the shape of an object and inw

ard to indicatethings that cannot be detected on the surface; and, i;soj isos, equal; suchas in isom

er, a molecule having a slightly different structure from

anotherm

olecule but being identical with it in term

s of its chemical elem

ents andw

eight; isomorph, having the sam

e form; isom

etric; in equal measure.

Page 33Page 32

These phrases slash across any lesser confessions of C

hrist’s deity. We

are speaking of the unique and eternal Godhead.

Th

e Glo

ry of G

od

I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work w

hich thougavest m

e to do. And now

, O F

ather, glorify thou me w

ith thine own self

with the glory w

hich I had with thee before the w

orld was.

John 17:4, 5

These verses highlight four aspects:

1)Jesus possessed a glory before the incarnation;

2)T

his glory was G

od’s glory;3)

He did not have it after the incarnation;

4)T

here is a sense in which H

e did possess it while on earth for H

erevealed it by finishing the w

ork the Father gave H

im to do.

In the early years of the Greek language—

of Hom

er and Herodotus—

there was a G

reek verb (dokew dokeo) from

which the G

reek noun for“glory,” do,xa doxa, sprang, m

eaning “to appear” or “to seem”; and the

noun that came from

it mean “opinion” (thus, orthodox, heterodox, and

paradox).

In time, the verb w

as used only for having a good opinion about some

person, and the noun came to m

ean the “praise” or “honor” due to oneof w

hom a good opinion w

as held. It is in this sense that Psalm

24 speaksof G

od as the King of glory.

This understanding of G

od’s glory was reinforced in the E

nglishlanguage by a w

ord which m

eans almost the sam

e thing: the Anglo-

Saxon word “w

orth.” It refers to intrinsic character. Consequently, w

henpeople are engaged in praising G

od they are acknowledging his w

orth-ship. D

ropping the difficult consonants, this becomes “w

orship.”P

hilologically, the worship of G

od, the praise of God, and the giving of

glory to God, are identical.

Th

e Sh

ekinah

Along this conception is an entirely different m

eaning of the word glory

which entered the G

reek language later from its contact w

ith the Hebrew

culture: it is the idea of “light” or “splendor” which is found in G

reek onlyafter the S

eptuagint translation of the OT

.

Moses:

But if the m

inistration of death, written and engraven in stones, w

asglorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the faceof M

oses for the glory of his countenance; which glory w

as to be doneaw

ay:2 C

orinthians 3:7

Cloud that overshadow

ed the Tabernacle, E

x 13:21, 22; et al; Transfigu-

ration, Mt 17; D

amascus R

oad, Acts 9:3ff.

God is conform

ing you to the image of Jesus C

hrist:

But w

e all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the L

ord,are changed into the sam

e image from

glory to glory, even as by the Spiritof the L

ord.2 C

orinthians 3:18

7]B

ut made him

self of no reputation, and took upon him the form

of a servant,and w

as made in the likeness of m

en:

The next view

we have is in H

is condescension. He had been above all

humans, above all angels. Y

et He becam

e lower than both in love for

humans and in obedience to H

is heavenly Father.

For ye know

the grace of our Lord Jesus C

hrist, that, though he was rich,

yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty m

ight berich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

Can G

od become m

an? Can H

e enter His creation?

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given... Isaiah 9:6

Note the tw

o verbs: Jesus was alw

ays God’s S

on; thus, as a son He w

asgiven. In the incarnation, H

e became a m

an; thus, a child is born, notgiven. A

nd again,

But w

hen the time had fully com

e, God sent his Son, born of a w

oman, born

under law,

Galatians 4:4 (N

IV)

Paul uses three different w

ords to describe what it m

eant for the eternalS

on of God to becom

e man.

Page 35Page 34

morfh, m

orphe, which points both outw

ard to the shape of an object andinw

ard to indicate things that cannot be detected on the surface. First

used in the very nature of God (v.6); here, the very nature of a servant

(v.7).

o�moi,wma hom

oioma, outw

ard appearance, identity.

sch/ma schema, the habitus, as com

prising everything in a person which

strikes the senses, the figure, bearing, discourse, actions, manner of life

etc.

Christ endured all that w

e endure in this world: its pressures, its longings,

its circumstances, its influences. A

nd He w

as tempted as w

e are:

For w

e have not an high priest which cannot be touched w

ith the feelingof our infirm

ities; but was in all points tem

pted like as we are, yet w

ithoutsin.

Hebrew

s 4:15

Cf. M

atthew 4: the three tem

ptations... Physical, spiritual, vocational

(Psalm

2 detour?).

And H

e was even like us w

ith disappointments! H

e wept real tears over

Jerusalem:

O Jerusalem

, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them

which are sent unto thee, how

often would I have gathered thy children

together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye

would not!

Matthew

23:37T

he Purpose, and the T

ragedy, of all history. Thus,

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Matthew

23:38

But the T

riumph of all history follow

s in the next verse:

For I say unto you, Y

e shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, B

lessedis he that com

eth in the name of the L

ord.M

atthew 23:39

Th

e Nad

ir of th

e Parab

ola

8]A

nd being found in fashion as a man, he hum

bled himself, and becam

e obedientunto death, even the death of the cross.

The cross is the m

ost important event in the history of the universe. It

is the central fulcrum of the entire B

ible. 2/5 of Matthew

’s Gospel is

concerned with the final w

eek in Jerusalem. 3/5 of M

ark, 1/3 of Luke and

nearly ½ of John. It w

as in the initial announcement to Joseph:

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his nam

e JESU

S: forhe shall save his people from

their sins.M

atthew 1:21

Jesus Him

self spoke of the suffering that was to com

e (Mark 8:31; 9:31;

et al), linking His m

ission to the crucifixion:

And I, if I be lifted up from

the earth, will draw

all men unto m

e. This he

said, signifying what death he should die.

John 12:32

This w

as even anticipated in Num

bers 21:8, 9, as Jesus explained toN

icodemus:

And as M

oses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so m

ust the Sonof m

an be lifted up:John 3:14

This explanation gave rise to the m

ost famous quote of all:

For G

od so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that

whosoever believeth in him

should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16

John emphasizes that the crucifixion w

as the key to the whole program

:John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 17:1. Jesus review

ed this by goingthrough the entire O

T on that seven-m

ile Bible study on the E

mm

ausR

oad (Luke 24:25-27).

There w

as no depth to which Jesus did not go. H

e relinquished His

rightful position to become the S

aviour of Sinners. B

ut in addition to itstheological role in paying our ransom

, it also serves as our example:

For even hereunto w

ere ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,

leaving us an example, that ye should follow

his steps:1 Peter 2:21

Here, in P

hilippians, that is the subject: the sufferings of Jesus as anexam

ple of the patient endurance under the strictures of Rom

an rule.

Page 37Page 36

Peter continued:

Who his ow

n self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that w

e, beingdead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by w

hose stripes ye were

healed.1 Peter 2:24

Th

e Sin

Bearer

But now

he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away w

ithsin by the sacrifice of him

self.H

ebrews 9:26 (N

IV)

On Y

om K

ippur, the Day of A

tonement, tw

o goats were chosen, one as

a sin offering for the sins of the people and one to fill the role of thescapegoat:

And A

aron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, andconfess over him

all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all theirtransgressions in all their sins, putting them

upon the head of the goat, andshall send him

away by the hand of a fit m

an into the wilderness: A

nd thegoat shall bear upon him

all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited:and he shall let go the goat in the w

ilderness.L

eviticus 16:21, 22

This w

as to remove the sins, bearing it on him

self. The first w

as to providethe blood that w

ould be placed on the Mercy S

eat, representing thepaym

ent for the penalty to satisfy divine justice. All this w

as anticipatedas early as E

den, when G

od Him

self replace their self-made coverings:

Unto A

dam also and to his w

ife did the LO

RD

God m

ake coats of skins,and clothed them

.G

enesis 3:21

... teaching them that by the shedding of innocent blood they w

ould becovered.

Jesus died to remove sin; to satisfy divine justice; and to reveal G

od’slove:

Herein is love, not that w

e loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his

Son to be the propitiation for our sins.1 John 4:10

For G

od so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that

whosoever believeth in him

should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16

And, thus, our response:

I am crucified w

ith Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but C

hrist livethin m

e: and the life which I now

live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Sonof G

od, who loved m

e, and gave himself for m

e.G

alatians 2:20

Th

e Ap

og

ee Fo

llow

s

9]W

herefore God also hath highly exalted him

, and given him a nam

e which is above

every name:

The final picture w

e have is of Jesus again in heaven. Four tim

es in His

ministry, Jesus spoke on this text:

And w

hosoever shall exalt himself shall be hum

bled; and he that shallhum

ble himself shall be exalted.

Mt 18:4; 23:12; L

k 14:11; 18:14

He lived the text. T

he 1st half of each clause has an active verb. T

he 2nd

half of each clause has a passive verb. Everything that is said in the 1

st

four verses of Philippians 2:5-11 has Jesus H

imself as the subject.

His N

ame(s)

He is the M

essiah, the Anointed O

ne. He is the prom

ised delivererthrough w

hom blessing com

es to Israel and the Gentile nations, the

climax of all history.

Jesus is the Son of M

an. This phrase m

eans far more than sim

ply His

humanity. It originates in D

aniel:

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of m

an came w

iththe clouds of heaven, and cam

e to the Ancient of days, and they brought

him near before him

. And there w

as given him dom

inion, and glory, anda kingdom

, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his

dominion is an everlasting dom

inion, which shall not pass aw

ay, and hiskingdom

that which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13, 14

Page 39Page 38

Jesus is the Son of G

od. So G

od Him

self declared on two occasions (M

t3:17; 17:5). T

hus, Satan so addressed Him

(Mt 4:3, 6). It w

as the high pointof the disciples’ confession (M

t 16:16). Thus:

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of G

od, God dw

elleth in him,

and he in God.

1 John 4:15

Jesus also is the great “I AM

”: His w

as the voice in the burning bush(E

x 3:14; Jn 8:58).

Seven “I A

M” statem

ents punctuate John’s Gospel:

I AM

the bread of life (John 6:35f);I A

M the light of the w

orld (John 8:12; 9:5);I A

M the door of the sheep (John 10:7f);

I AM

good shepherd (John 10:14);I A

M the resurrection and the life (John 11:25);

I AM

the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6);

I AM

the vine, ye are the branches (John 15:5).

10]T

hat at the name of Jesus every knee should bow

, of things in heaven, and thingsin earth, and things under the earth;

Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them

take counsel together: who hath

declared this from ancient tim

e? who hath told it from

that time? have not

I the LO

RD

? and there is no God else beside m

e; a just God and a Saviour;

there is none beside me. L

ook unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of

the earth: for I am G

od, and there is none else. I have sworn by m

yself,the w

ord is gone out of my m

outh in righteousness, and shall not return,T

hat unto me every knee shall bow

, every tongue shall swear.Isaiah 45:21-23

The K

JV adds the w

ord “thing” in each of the phrases as an added word

by the translators even though there is no corresponding word in the

Greek. A

ctually, the three phrases are translations of three adjectivesin G

reek, and may refer to either things or people. It is better to refer to

them as personalities: “beings in heaven, beings on earth, and beings

under the earth,” and refers to angels, humans, and dem

ons.

11]A

nd that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is L

ord, to the glory ofG

od the Father.

There is another “nam

e” that appears to be “above every other name”:

Lord.

The G

reek is ku,rioj kyrios, the title that citizens of Rom

e used toacknow

ledge the divinity of Caesar. T

his title was never used of the

emperors until they w

ere thought to be deified through religiouscerem

ony. The test phrase K

yrios Kaiser m

eant “Caesar is L

ord.”C

hristians were executed for not saying these w

ords, insisting that Jesusis L

ord, not Caesar, as divine.

The H

ebrew term

, ynIdoa adonai, is even more declarative, since it served

to replace the “unpronounceable” name of G

od, hwhoy> (Yehovah, Y

ahveh,et al.). E

ven in the written places, the vow

el points were altered to rem

indthe reader to say “A

donai” instead. Thus, the O

T A

donai became

virtually synonymous w

ith the tetragamm

aton in practice.

Thus, w

hen early Christians m

ade their confession, “Jesus Christ is

Lord” they w

ere actually confessing that Jesus of Nazareth is the G

odof Israel, Jehovah, the only true G

od. Furtherm

ore, the word A

donaicontains a personal ending: it does not just m

ean “Lord” or “G

od”; itm

eans “my L

ord” or “my G

od.” It is the word that M

ary used of Jesusin the garden on R

esurrection morning. It is the confession of T

homas,

made eight days later, that John used to provide a clim

ax to his Gospel.

In both cases the words w

ere personal.

It is no enough merely to acknow

ledge mentally that Jesus C

hrist is God.

The devils also do that and trem

ble (James 2:19). Jesus m

ust be your God.

He m

ust be your Lord.

Jesus Is C

om

ing

Ag

ain

There is another great truth in the title, “L

ord.” It means that Jesus is G

od.It m

eans that Jesus is sovereign. It also means that Jesus is com

ing again.

Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. F

or in that he put allin subjection under him

, he left nothing that is not put under him. B

ut noww

e see not yet all things put under him.

Hebrew

s 2:8

He has yet to return to conquer evil and to establish H

is righteous will

forever. He is not only our K

insman-R

edeemer, H

e is also our Avenger

of Blood.

Page 41Page 40

Have ever notice the nam

es that Paul uses to refer to Jesus in his letter

to the Thessalonians? A

ll through his letter he uses the personal, most

human nam

e: Jesus.

When he begins to talk about C

hrist’s return, however, he no longer

refers to Jesus as Jesus but to Jesus as Lord. F

rom this point on the nam

eoccurs five tim

es:

For this w

e say unto you by the word of the L

ord, that we w

hich are aliveand rem

ain unto the coming of the L

ord shall not prevent them w

hich areasleep. F

or the Lord him

self shall descend from heaven w

ith a shout, with

the voice of the archangel, and with the trum

p of God: and the dead in

Christ shall rise first: T

hen we w

hich are alive and remain shall be caught

up together with them

in the clouds, to meet the L

ord in the air: and so shallw

e ever be with the L

ord.1 T

hessalonians 4:15-17

Paul associated the second com

ing with the fact that C

hrist is Lord. T

hisanticipation is also preserved for us in a prayer in the A

ramaic language

at the end of 1 Corinthians: m

aranatha. (It is actually composed of tw

oA

ramaic w

ords run together: the word of com

e and the word for L

ord:

Maran-atha “O

ur Lord is C

oming” (Indicative); M

arana-tha “Our L

ord,C

ome!” (Im

perative). John also includes this idea in the next to the lastverse of the B

ible:

He w

hich testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. A

men. E

venso, com

e, Lord Jesus.

Revelation 22:20

Paul is not here—

as elsewhere in his epistles—

combating an error of

faith: he is pleading for a life of love.

To him

that overcometh w

ill I grant to sit with m

e in my throne, even as

I also overcame, and am

set down w

ith my F

ather in his throne.R

evelation 3:21

* * *

Stu

dy Q

uestio

ns:

1)W

hat are the four “pillars of Christian unity?”

2)W

hat is the Kenosis, and w

hy is it significant?

3)W

hy is it called “the great parabola”?

4)L

ist the places where the Shekinah glory appears in the O

ldT

estament. A

nd New

Testam

ent.

5)C

ontrast the “child” and “son” in Isaiah 9:6.

6)L

ist the “I AM

” statements m

ade by Christ in the N

ew T

estament.

7)E

xplain why the death of C

hrist was not a tragedy, but an achieve-

ment.

Discu

ssion

Qu

estion

s:

1)H

ow can love be a duty?

2)F

rom your ow

n experience(s), give examples of “putting the m

ostcharitable construction” on a situation.

3)D

iscuss the various examples of N

ew T

estament quotes of P

salm110:1, and how

it was used to confuse, etc.

4)D

iscuss the four aspects of Christ’s glory—

and its limitations from

the incarnation—as reflected in John 17:4, 5.

5)C

ontrast the use of kyrios and adonai in the New

Testam

ent.

Fo

r Fu

rther R

esearch:

Explore the role of the M

ercy Seat, and its possible prophetic role for

being the very Throne from

which the M

essiah will rule in the M

illen-nium

. (Cf. 2 C

hronicles 35:20ff; Isaiah 18; Zephaniah 3:10; etc.)

Ph

ilipp

ians 2b

[Review

of P

hilip

pian

s 2a]

It’s not clear who it w

as who first thought that “being spiritual” m

eansw

ithdrawing from

the world. B

ut the idea certainly entered the Church

Page 43Page 42

at an early period and has had detrimental effects ever since. T

here areall kinds of stories of m

onks and others who resorted to strange and

unnatural antics to separate themselves from

their mission field. T

heB

ible does not support this view of spirituality.

Certainly it is essential to spend tim

e alone with G

od in prayer. Yet the

Bible never allow

s us to think that meditation has achieved its purpose

for us unless it results in practical application. There is no value to a

mountain-top experience unless it helps us to live in the valleys.

Ph

ilipp

ians 2

Call for unity (vv. 1 - 4); then K

enosis (vv. 5 - 11). The “G

rand Parabola”

of the Kenosis—

the condescension of God to becom

e a man, H

issacrificial death, and H

is ultimate reign over all creation—

these sublime

doctrines were introduced into this letter, not for their ow

n sakes, butfor very practical purposes. T

hey were included for an exam

ple for therole of obedience and hum

ility in living the Christian life.

And P

aul will include three m

ore very practical examples before w

econclude this chapter.

Ap

plicatio

n (vv. 12 - 30)

12]W

herefore, my beloved, as ye have alw

ays obeyed, not as in my presence only,

but now m

uch more in m

y absence, work out your ow

n salvation with fear and

trembling.

Notice that P

aul uses “wherefore” tw

ice in three verses (v.9 and v.12):“because of this...”: tw

o parallel results of Jesus’ conduct: Jesushum

bled Him

self; and He becam

e obedient to death, even the death ofthe cross: therefore G

od exalted Him

(v.9). Jesus showed the course of

humility and obedience, therefore the C

hristian is to work out his or her

salvation (v.12).

“Work out”? N

ot a self-help salvation. On the contrary, because you

are already saved, because God has already entered your life in the

person of the Holy Spirit, because you, therefore, have H

is power at w

orkw

ithin you ...because of these things you are now to strive to express

this salvation in your conduct.

[It does not say “work for your salvation,” or “w

ork toward your

salvation,” or “work at your salvation;” it says “w

ork out your salva-tion.]

There is a clear parallel betw

een vv.12-15 and Deut 32. (T

he words

“children,” “blameless, and “crooked and depraved generation” in v.15

also occur in Deut 32:4-5. P

aul seems to have had this passage in m

ind.)

The deliverance of Israel from

Egypt w

as not because they merited it; it

was entirely because G

od loved them. If they had their w

ay they would

have stayed there. In fact, they wanted to go back. B

ut God trained them

for 40 years and now they w

ere at the Jordan River.

Moses knew

that he would not be allow

ed to continue with them

. He

knew that G

od had called them and led them

and was w

ith them even then.

On this basis he argues that they are to possess the land and live there

as God’s obedient children.

Paul w

as about to be taken out of this world him

self as Moses w

as. They

had been in bondage to sin and God had delivered them

, too. So they,

too, are to “strive” for the realization of God’s love, peace, holiness,

goodness, and justice in their lives. [And so are you to!] It is G

od the Holy

Spirit in us w

ho does the working:

13]F

or it is God w

hich worketh in you both to w

ill and to do of his good pleasure.

Adam

had lost his free will in his disobedience; he proved it by running

away from

God w

hen God cam

e to see them in the garden. T

hat geneticdefect is now

passed on to us. We are helpless but for G

od’s initiatives.

No m

an can come to m

e, except the Father w

hich hath sent me draw

him:

John 6:44

The w

ell-known verses in E

phesians speaks twice of w

orks:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is

the gift of God: N

ot of works, lest any m

an should boast. For w

e are hisw

orkmanship, created in C

hrist Jesus unto good works, w

hich God hath

before ordained that we should w

alk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10

One kind of w

ork is condemned because it com

es out of ourselves andis contam

inated by sin. The other kind of w

ork is encouraged becauseit com

es from G

od as He w

orks through the Christian.

Page 45Page 44

These verses are P

aul’s own com

mentary on P

hilippians 2:12-13.

Wh

at are Yo

ur G

oals?

Most of the critical skills in life cannot be learned from

a book while sitting

on the sidelines. That’s w

hy we have bootcam

ps in the military, training

camps for sports, and academ

ies for leadership. Most professional

activities involve contrary-to-instinct behavior. [Scuba diving, and

grand prix driving examples...]

While w

e are not to be of this world, w

e are to be in this world. W

e livefor Jesus C

hrist in the midst of a w

icked and ungodly generation. We are

not to retreat from the m

ission field we find ourselves in.

How

can we live for C

hrist in this world? D

on’t fret: “What is this w

orldcom

ing to?” But proclaim

: “What has com

e to this world!”

Paul now

lists three specific goals:

14]D

o all things without m

urmurings and disputings:

Disputings: dialogismo,j dialogism

os, from w

hich we get the E

nglishw

ord, “dialogue.” The concept here is not to be in rebellion against

God’s w

ill.

15]T

hat ye may be blam

eless and harmless, the sons of G

od, without rebuke, in

the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, am

ong whom

ye shine as lights inthe w

orld;

We are to be in com

plete submission to G

od:a) doing all things w

ithout complaining or arguing;

b) our life is to be blameless before other people;

c) our life is to be blameless before G

od also.

We are to be like D

aniel. He lived in the m

idst of the fountainhead ofungodliness, B

abylon. He didn’t hide in a corner: he lived in the king’s

palace and became his key advisor. H

is enemies tried to find fault w

ithhim

, but could only accuse him of his w

orship of YH

WH

!

Then said these m

en, We shall not find any occasion against this D

aniel,except w

e find it against him concerning the law

of his God.

Daniel 6:5

We are to live blam

eless before God. T

he word here is the sam

e as inE

phesians,

According as he hath chosen us in him

before the foundation of the world,

that we should be holy and w

ithout blame before him

in love:Ephesians 1:4

This does not m

ean that we com

e to the point where w

e will be w

ithoutsin. R

eal sanctification lies in the increasing realization of how sinful w

eare. W

e need to be open before Him

.

Search me, O

God, and know

my heart: try m

e, and know m

y thoughts:A

nd see if there be any wicked w

ay in me, and lead m

e in the way everlasting.Psalm

139:23, 24

This process w

ill continue throughout life. Sounds im

possible? Not

with G

od, the God of the Im

possible! We, ourselves, are incapable of

living out the kind of life that God requires of us. B

ut God is capable of

living out that life in anyone who yields to H

is Spirit. H

e does for us, andin us, w

hat we cannot do for ourselves. T

he Bible tells us how

this will

happen:

I am crucified w

ith Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but C

hrist livethin m

e: and the life which I now

live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Sonof G

od, who loved m

e, and gave himself for m

e.G

alatians 2:20

Paul now

includes three practical examples of w

hat he is talking about.

Exam

ple #1: P

aul H

imself

16]H

olding forth the word of life; that I m

ay rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have

not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.17]

Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and

rejoice with you all.

“Offered”: spe,ndw

spendo: to pour out as a drink offering, make a libation,

part of a pagan sacrificial offering; following a burnt offering of an anim

al,the offeror w

ould take a cup of wine and pour it on the altar; it w

ouldim

mediately disappear in a puff of steam

.

Paul is a prisoner in R

ome and expecting to be offered up upon a pagan

altar. When he w

ould be killed it would only be the drink offering poured

out upon the far greater offering of their faith.

Page 47Page 46

His achievem

ents—even his pending m

artyrdom—

he place very low on

the scale. Does our hum

ility among other C

hristians match his?

18]F

or the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice w

ith me.

Exam

ple #2: T

imo

thy

19]B

ut I trust in the Lord Jesus to send T

imotheus shortly unto you, that I also

may be of good com

fort, when I know

your state.20]

For I have no m

an likeminded, w

ho will naturally care for your state.

21]F

or all seek their own, not the things w

hich are Jesus Christ’s.

22]B

ut ye know the proof of him

, that, as a son with the father, he hath served w

ithm

e in the gospel.

We learn four things about T

imothy:

1)P

aul had “no one else like him.” In m

any ways, he w

as like Paul.

2)T

imothy w

as concerned for others; sincerely.3)

Tim

othy put Jesus Christ first in his life.

4)T

imothy learned to w

ork with others; he had developed a skill of

cooperation.

This also says a lot about P

aul, as a father and teacher. Served “

with”

me...jointly.

Our youth now

love luxury. They have bad m

anners, contempt for

authority, disrespect for older people. Children now

adays are tyrants.They no longer rise w

hen their elders enter the room. They contradict their

parents, chatter before company, gobble their food, and tyrannize their

teachers.– S

ocrates, 500 B.C.

We m

ust remem

ber we are but bondslaves. B

ut we also should express

leadership in setting standards and lead by example.

23]H

im therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how

it will go w

ithm

e.24]

But I trust in the L

ord that I also myself shall com

e shortly.

Exam

ple #3: E

pap

hro

ditu

s

Of all the m

en Paul honors in this epistle, E

paphroditus gets the most

attention.

It is a eulogy that builds to a climax.

25]Y

et I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, m

y brother, andcom

panion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your m

essenger, and he thatm

inistered to my w

ants.

A brother in C

hrist (a new ideal in P

aul’s day!): Fellow

ship among

guilds, soldiers, etc., was exclusive. T

he world w

as polarized into Greeks

and Rom

ans; Jews and G

entiles; aristocrats and plebeians; citizens andsoldiers, etc. T

here was nothing exclusive—

exclusionary—about the

early Christians. [D

oes that describe the church(es) today?]

A com

panion in labor: Com

mitted, not just “involved.” T

he church inE

phesus was lauded by Jesus:

And hast borne, and hast patience, and for m

y name’s sake hast laboured,

and hast not fainted.R

evelation 2:3

Despite financial and num

erical “success,” the churches in Am

ericahave increasingly becom

e identified with the popular culture and so

have become unable to speak prophetically to it. It has becom

ecom

placent and lost its intellectual and cultural dynamic.

It needs to be reconstituted as a working church:

1)intellectually: scout the shelves of m

odern day bookstores and youfind a denial of the fundam

ental doctrines of Christianity. W

e needclear thinkers, w

insome w

riters, and persuasive apologists toreverse the trends and publish w

orks of real and lasting value;2)

socially: we need to recapture an active role in addressing the social

concerns. (Cf. the earlier abolition of slavery, the child labor law

s,etc.)

3)evangelism

: the people need to be won; on a one-to-one basis.

Fellow

Soldier: Epaphroditus fought side by side w

ith Paul.

Rom

ans pioneered shoulder-to-shoulder fighting which led to their

successes. The R

oman Phalanx w

ere a terror to the ancient world. A

wall

of shields; esp. the “tortoise” formation, etc.

26]F

or he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard

that he had been sick.

Page 49Page 48

Philippi w

as about 800 miles from

Rom

e, a traveling distance of at leastsix w

eeks. The m

essage that he was sick w

ould have made a round trip

in no less than three months.

27]F

or indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but G

od had mercy on him

; and not onhim

only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow

upon sorrow.

This is a refutation of the faith healers w

ho insist, like Job’s comforters,

that sickness is result of sin, a lack of faith, or God’s chastening.

28]I sent him

therefore the more carefully, that, w

hen ye see him again, ye m

ayrejoice, and that I m

ay be the less sorrowful.

Paul clearly did not teach “healing in the atonem

ent” or that it was a

birthright of all Christians. W

e never read of him or his fellow

-laborersbeing m

iraculously healed. Sickness is often a badge of honor am

ongG

od’s children.

29]R

eceive him therefore in the L

ord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation:

30]B

ecause for the work of C

hrist he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life,

to supply your lack of service toward m

e.

Livin

g fo

r Oth

ers

The high point of P

aul’s praise for his friend Epaphroditus w

as hissacrifices of his ow

n interests for others. Paul w

as in prison and most

of his friends had deserted him. [C

f. our own experience: bankruptcy,

earthquakes, etc., accompanied by abandonm

ent of our “Christian

friends,” etc.]

The concept of a fiduciary.

Servants, be obedient to them that are your m

asters according to the flesh,w

ith fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto C

hrist; Not

with eyeservice, as m

enpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the

will of G

od from the heart; W

ith good will doing service, as to the L

ord,and not to m

en:E

phesians 6:5-7

Obedience to “m

asters according to the flesh”; i.e., physical and mental,

not spiritual or of the conscience. “In singleness of heart” (60 minutes

of each hour paid); also, as a fiduciary. “As unto C

hrist”: no distinctionbetw

een secular and “sacred.”

So

me V

ocab

ulary

Faithful (1 C

or 4:2)F

irmly adhering to duty; of true fidelity; loyal; true to allegiance;

constant in the performance of duties or services; true to one’s w

ord;honest; loyal.

Fiduciary

The relation existing w

hen one person justifiably reposes confidence,faith, and reliance in another w

hose aid, advice, and protection is soughtin som

e matter;

The relation existing w

hen good conscience requires one to act at alltim

es for the sole benefit and interests of another with loyalty to those

interests;

The relation by law

existing between certain classes of persons (as

confidential advisors and the one advised; executors or administrators

and legatees or heirs...corporate directors or officers...)

Th

e San

ctity of a C

om

mitm

ent

Society’s desperate need: D

iligence only when the boss is looking?

Slacking off w

hen the boss is away is a form

of dishonesty.

A C

hristian can perform any good w

ork as a ministry to C

hrist... fromthe heart. B

eing a witness; vs. “W

itnessing”...[“Undercover C

hris-tians”...] W

hat if the master is overbearing, abusive, unreasonable? “A

sunto the L

ord” (!) Your w

ages are only temporal. O

ur real rewards are

from H

im.

* * *

An old m

issionary returning from m

any years of sacrificial service inA

frica was on the sam

e ship with P

resident Theodore R

oosevelt,returning from

a big game hunt in A

frica: When the ship docked, great

crowds, press, et al., greeted the P

resident. The old m

issionary and hisw

ife walked off unnoticed and m

ade their way to a cheap hotel. “It

doesn’t seem right! W

e gave our lives in Africa to w

in souls to Christ

and when w

e arrive home there’s nobody to m

eet us. The president

shoots some anim

als and receives a royal welcom

e!” the missionary

complained.

“That’s because w

e aren’t home yet,” the w

ife noted.

Page 51Page 50

Addenda:T

he R

equ

iremen

ts of a F

idu

ciary

Many form

s of conduct permissible in a w

ork-a-day world for those acting

at arm’s length are forbidden to those bound by fiduciary ties. A

trusteeis held to som

ething stricter than the morals of the m

arketplace. Not

honesty alone, but the punctilio of an honor the most sensitive, is then the

standard of behavior. As to this there has developed a tradition that is

unbending and inveterate. Uncom

promising rigidity has been the attitude

of the courts of equity when petitioned to underm

ine the rule of undividedloyalty by the “

disintegrating erosion” of particular exceptions... O

nlythus has the level of conduct for fiduciaries been kept at a level higher thanthat trodden by the crow

d.Justice C

ardozo, Meinhard v. Salm

on

A director of a corporation is in the position of a fiduciary. H

e will not

be permitted im

properly to profit at the expense of his corporation.U

ndivided loyalty will ever be insisted upon. P

ersonal gain will be denied

to a director when it com

es because he has taken a position adverse to orin conflict w

ith the best interests of his corporation. The fiduciary

relationship imposes a duty to act in accordance w

ith the highest standardsw

hich a man of the finest sense of honor m

ight impose upon him

self... While

there is a lofty moral ideal im

plicit in this rule, it actually accomplishes a

practical beneficent purpose. It recognizes the frailty of human nature;

it realizes that where a m

an’s imm

ediate fortunes are concerned he may

sometim

es be subject to a blindness often intuitive and compulsive. T

hisrule is designed on the one hand to prevent clouded conception of fidelityand a m

oral indifference that blurs the vision, and on other hand, tostim

ulate the most lum

inous critical sense and the finest exercise ofjudgem

ent uncontaminated by the dross of prejudice, of divided allegiance,

or of self-interest.Justice S

hientag, Litw

in v. Allen

Stu

dy Q

uestio

ns:

1)C

ompare P

hil 2:12-15 and Deut 32.

2)G

ive examples, in addition to P

aul, Tim

othy, and Epaphroditus, of

allowing the life of C

hrist to flow in one’s life.

Discu

ssion

Qu

estion

s:

1)W

hat does Paul m

ean when he says, “W

ork out your own salvation

with fear and trem

bling”? I thought your salvation was entirely H

isdoing...

2)D

iscuss examples w

here professional skill involves contrary-to-instinct behavior.

3)D

iscuss examples in the S

cripture of the error of “murm

uring.”

4)D

iscuss the role of fiduciaries in our modern society and relate them

to our responsibilities as mem

bers of the Body of C

hrist.

Fo

r Fu

rther R

esearch:

1)E

xplore examples of enforcem

ent of fiduciary responsibility intoday’s jurisprudence.

Ph

ilipp

ians 3a

The third chapter of P

hilippians is probably the most beloved chapter

of Paul’s letter. It lays out som

e of the most cardinal doctrines of the

Christian life. It also unveils, in stirring language, P

aul’s own key

personal goal: to know and serve the L

ord Jesus. His key challenge is

to be joyful!

[Stop and consider the situation: it w

as Paul, a prisoner in R

ome—

anduncertain of his continuing to even be alive in the days ahead—

who w

asencouraging his friends in P

hilippi, who w

ere free, to be joyful. One

would think it should have been the other w

ay around! They should

have been encouraging him.]

What robs us of our joy? T

hings. Paul w

ill give us a lesson on “How

to count.”

Verses 1-11: P

aul’s Past. P

aul, the Accountant.

“I count.”>

New

values.V

erses 12-16: Paul’s P

resent. Paul, the A

thlete“I press”

> N

ew vigor.

Page 53Page 52

Verses 17-21: P

aul’s Future. P

aul, the Alien.

“I look”>

New

vision.– W

iersbe

Rem

ember, P

hilippi was a R

oman colony, “R

ome aw

ay from R

ome.” In

a sense, we, too, are a colony of heaven on earth. O

ur citizenship is inheaven...Philippians 3:20 (N

ASB)

The key w

ord in the first 11 verses is “count”: to evaluate, assess.

The unexam

ined life is not worth living.

Socrates

Ph

ilipp

ians 3

These first three verses em

phasize that joy is founded to a large degreeon sound doctrine.

1]F

inally, my brethren, rejoice in the L

ord. To w

rite the same things to you, to

me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

(“Finally...” = yet tw

o more chapters! W

hat Paul really means is, “For the

rest...”; in contrast to his “finally” in 4:18.)

Rejoice in the L

ord: Jesus promised you for those w

ho followed H

im.

This w

as announced from the very beginning:

And the angel said unto them

, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good

tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. F

or unto you is born thisday in the city of D

avid a Saviour, which is C

hrist the Lord. A

nd this shallbe a sign unto you; Y

e shall find the babe wrapped in sw

addling clothes,lying in a m

anger.L

uke 2:10-11

Joy is the birthright of all true believers. Jesus declared:

These things have I spoken unto you, that m

y joy might rem

ain in you, andthat your joy m

ight be full.John 15:11

Jesus prayed to the Father:

And now

come I to thee; and these things I speak in the w

orld, that theym

ight have my joy fulfilled in them

selves.John 17:13

2]B

eware of dogs, bew

are of evil workers, bew

are of the concision.

The orthodox Jew

would call the G

entile a “dog,” an unclean animal; but

here Paul calls the orthodox Jew

s “dogs”! He isn’t just calling nam

es:he is com

paring these false teachers to the contemptible scavengers.

Th

e Ad

vent o

f the Ju

daizers

From

the very beginning, the Gospel w

as sent “to the Jew first” (A

cts3:26; R

om 1:16). T

he first seven chapters of Acts deals only w

ith Jewish

believer, or Gentile proselytes to Judaism

(Acts 2:10). In C

hapter 8 them

essage went to the S

amaritans—

the “part-Jew.”

When P

eter was called to open the G

ospel to the Gentiles—

without first

becoming Jew

s—it created an uproar that w

as ultimately confronted at

the Council of Jerusalem

in Acts 15. Paul w

as specifically sent out by theH

oly Spirit to m

inister to the Gentiles (A

cts 13:1-3; 22:21).

But the dissenters did not desist: they follow

ed Paul everywhere, stirring

up trouble as they went. (L

uke Volum

e 2, the Book of A

cts, makes the

responsibilities for the uprisings quite clear.)

The B

ook of Galatians specifically addresses these issues, and it is these

very “Judaizers” that Paul is addressing in these first tw

o verses here.

“Evil w

orkers” were teaching that salvation w

as by faith + w

orks,especially the w

orks of the law. Paul is indicating that their “good w

orks”w

ere really evil works because they w

ere of the flesh and not the spirit,and w

ere an incumbrance to salvation.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is

the gift of God: N

ot of works, lest any m

an should boast.Ephesians 2:8, 9

For w

e ourselves also were som

etimes foolish, disobedient, deceived,

serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and

hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of G

od our Saviourtow

ard man appeared, N

ot by works of righteousness w

hich we have

done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the w

ashing ofregeneration, and renew

ing of the Holy G

host; Which he shed on us

abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; T

hat being justified by hisgrace, w

e should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:3-7

Page 55Page 54

Concision:

katatomh, katatome, to cut up; m

utilation. A pun on

“circumcision.” T

he Judaizers taught that circumcision w

as essential tosalvation (A

cts 15:1; Gal 6:12-18). P

aul sees it, in itself, as only am

utilation. Even in the O

T, true circum

cision is always of the heart (D

eut30:6).

The true C

hristian has experienced a spiritual circumcision in C

hrist:

In whom

also ye are circumcised w

ith the circumcision m

ade without

hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision

of Christ:

Colossians 2:11

3]F

or we are the circum

cision, which w

orship God in the spirit, and rejoice in

Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Cf. R

om 2:25-29. W

e are His w

orkmanship (poi,hma poem

a, from w

hichw

e get poem; E

ph 2:10).

Confidence in the flesh? D

ismiss the com

mon claim

, “The L

ord helpsthose w

ho help themselves.” N

ot so. This is just as w

rong today as itw

as in Paul’s day. T

he Lord helps those w

ho come to the end of

themselves!

Hap

pin

ess vs. Joy?

Every C

hristian virtue has its worldly counterpart:

World:

Christian:

SexL

oveSecurity

Trust

Self-gratificationPeace

Happiness

Joy

Happiness is our translation of the L

atin word fortuna, w

hich is closelyrelated to chance. H

appiness is circumstantial; joy is not. Joy is a

supernatural inner quality of delight in God. H

ow does one get this joy?

1)B

ecoming a C

hristian. Understand w

ho you really are, and theprogram

God has provided for you, and lay aside any self-effort,

trusting Christ for it all.

2)O

btain a mature know

ledge of God’s W

ord.

The statutes of the L

OR

D are right, rejoicing the heart: the com

mandm

entof the L

OR

D is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Psalm 19:8

I have rejoiced in the way of thy testim

onies, as much as in all riches.

Psalm 119:14

If ye keep my com

mandm

ents, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have

kept my F

ather’s comm

andments, and abide in his love. T

hese things haveI spoken unto you, that m

y joy might rem

ain in you, and that your joy might

be full.John 15:10-11

Cf. E

xodus 13:9; Deut 6:4-8; 11:18.

This book of the law

shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt

meditate therein day and night, that thou m

ayest observe to do accordingto all that is w

ritten therein: for then thou shalt make thy w

ay prosperous,and then thou shalt have good success.

Joshua 1:8

3)P

ursue a life of righteousness and peace.

For the kingdom

of God is not m

eat and drink; but righteousness, andpeace, and joy in the H

oly Ghost.

Rom

ans 14:17

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication w

iththanksgiving let your requests be m

ade known unto G

od. And the peace

of God, w

hich passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds

through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6, 7

Pau

l’s Balan

ce Sh

eet

Hum

an ruin (Serm

on on the Mount):

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your F

ather which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew

5:48

A chain is ineffective is just one link breaks. O

ne sin shatters any claimto the righteousness of G

od’s standard.

Page 57Page 56

Hum

an righteousness—at its best—

is still inadequate to qualify for thedestiny G

od has in mind for us.

Paul illustrates this from

his own experience:

4]T

hough I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other m

an thinketh thathe hath w

hereof he might trust in the flesh, I m

ore:

Paul fills out his “balance sheet:”

5]C

ircumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of B

enjamin, an

Hebrew

of the Hebrew

s; as touching the law, a P

harisee;

Israelite: Israel was the covenant nam

e of God’s people, just ast the w

ord“Jew

” emphasizes their racial origins.

Benjam

inite origin was source of pride: B

enjamin and Joseph w

ereJacob’s favorite sons. T

hey were born to R

achel, Jacob’s favorite wife.

Israel’s first king came from

the tribe of Benjam

in. Benjam

in was the one

tribe that remained loyal to Judah w

hen the civil war divided Judah from

Israel after the death of Solom

on.

The P

harisees were the m

ost faithful of all the Jewish sects in their

adherence to the Law

, and regarded as the summ

it of religious experi-ence.

Paul w

as personally taught by the great rabbi Gam

aliel (Acts 22:3), and

his career was a prom

ising one (Gal 1:13-14); yet he gave it all up to

become a m

ember of the hated “C

hristian sect.”

6]C

oncerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is

in the law, blam

eless.

Paul’s zeal in defending orthodoxy included zealous attacks on the

followers of “that deceiver” (M

t 27:62-66), and participation in thestoning of Stephen (A

cts 7:54-60). Cf. A

cts 22:1-5; 26:1-11; 1 Tim

1:12-16.

Seven achievem

ents: some inherited; som

e earned. These “assets” w

ereactually liabilities: they kept him

from G

od:

Lo

sses Resu

lt in G

ains

It would seem

, on the surface, that Paul is boasting, in the flesh. B

utactually, he is dem

onstrating precisely what needs to be avoided! H

e is,autobiographically, an ideal exam

ple:

7]B

ut what things w

ere gain to me, those I counted loss for C

hrist.

“But”: perhaps the m

ost important w

ord in this chapter! What is

impressive from

a human point of view

is quite different from G

od’s pointof view

. Paul had enough m

orality to keep him out of trouble, but not

enough righteousness to get him into heaven! H

e was spiritually

bankrupt! Paul had to lose his “religion” to find salvation...

How

could anyone go so wrong? B

y using the wrong m

easuring stick.L

ike the rich young ruler (Mark? re: M

ark 10:17-22) or the Pharisee in

Christ’s parable (L

uke 18:10-14), Saul had been looking at the outside

rather than the inside. [Jesus, in the Serm

on on the Mount, em

phasizedattitudes and appetites as w

ell as actions.]

8]Y

ea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge

of Christ Jesus m

y Lord: for w

hom I have suffered the loss of all things, and

do count them but dung, that I m

ay win C

hrist,

It would be difficult to find a m

ore forceful refutation of human effort to

please God that w

hat Paul has presented here. (F

our Greek participles,

avlla. menou/nge kai., alla menoun ge kai, introduce the strong statem

entsof v.8.)

Paul’s confrontation on the road to D

amascus cause him

to see every-thing in his life quite differently! (C

f. Acts 9:1-21.)

This did not m

ake him repudiate his heritage: H

e did not become less a

Jew; it m

ade him a com

pleted Jew—

one who had found his M

essiah!

It is this personal relationship that is paramount; T

hat is what Jesus

prayed for with H

is Father:

And this is life eternal, that they m

ight know thee the only true G

od, andJesus C

hrist, whom

thou hast sent.John 17:3

Page 59Page 58

Tw

o K

ind

s of R

igh

teou

sness

Works righteousness (vv.1-6) and faith righteousness (vv.7-11)

9]A

nd be found in him, not having m

ine own righteousness, w

hich is of the law,

but that which is through the faith of C

hrist, the righteousness which is of G

odby faith:

This verse is a sum

mary of the B

ook of Rom

ans: the heart of salvationin one verse.

All are classified w

ithin three spiritual types:R

omans 1:18-22, Self-justified;

Paul indicts in vv.21-28;

Rom

ans 2:1-16, the Moral P

erson;W

ho still falls short of God’s requirem

ents;R

omans 2:17-29, the R

eligious Person;

But G

od looks at the heart (1 Sam

16:7)

All are short of G

od’s requirements. T

hat’s God’s am

azing predicament.

How

can a just God forgive sins?

It may be that deity can forgive sins, but I don’t see how

.– S

ocrates, 500 B.C.

The A

nswer: by an am

azing gift! The gift of H

is Son, to pay the price,

and thus enable the Redem

ption of those who w

ould accept God’s

program.

Gaining the righteousness of C

hrist: the technical term is im

putation: toput to one’s account. C

f. Rom

ans 4:1-8 carefully. [Our sins had, con-

versely, been put on His account!] R

omans 9:30-10:13 is the parallel

passage that deserves our careful study.

The only indefeatible barrier to truth is the presum

ption that youalready have it.

Fello

wsh

ip w

ith C

hrist

One of the m

isconceptions we see prom

oted today is the celebration ofa “decision for C

hrist” as some kind of clim

ax or ending. It should be seenas only a beginning—

a launching.

You say you are saved? W

hat have you done with it? W

hat fruit hasit yielded? . . .

Faith is not an instantaneous event: it is a path of grow

th. Abraham

isa prim

e example. G

od called him out of the U

r of the Chaldees; but he

didn’t fully respond until his father died! He sim

ply moved up river for

a spell (Acts 7:2-4). B

ut his pilgrimage is a journey of grow

th (Heb 11:8,9).

By the tim

e you get to Genesis 22, his faith included the ostensible

resurrection of Isaac! (Heb 11:17-19; R

om 4:20-21).

Th

e Ultim

ate Go

al

The ultim

ate goal, of course, is fellowship:

10]T

hat I may know

him, and the pow

er of his resurrection, and the fellowship of

his sufferings, being made conform

able unto his death;

Fellow

ship: koinwni,a koinonia, partnership; participation. P

aul ex-changed a set of rules—

the Law

—for a F

riend, Master, C

ompanion.

The sufferings here are not the substitutionary sufferings on the cross.

Only C

hrist could qualify for those. Paul did aspire to participate w

ithC

hrist in suffering for the sake of righteousness. (God had used A

naniasto tell P

aul what he w

ould do as a servant of Christ, cf. A

cts 9:16). The

Apostle did, indeed, suffer for C

hrist because he represented Him

soopenly and truly (cf. R

om 8:36; 2 C

or 4:10).

Often, the ultim

ate intimacy is arrived at, ironically, through w

hat some

have called, “The D

ark Night of the Soul,” w

hen even God seem

s to haveisolated us from

Him

—no m

atter how m

uch we pray, etc. T

his is thesubject of our book, F

aith in the Night Seasons, a practical guide to the

really dark times w

hich God uses to draw

us to deeper intimacy w

ith Him

.]

“And the pow

er of His resurrection”

11]If by any m

eans I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Cf. E

ph 1:15-23; 3:13-21 for the forecast of what it can do in your life!

The w

ord translated “resurrection” is a unique translation of evxana,stasijexanastasis, a w

ord used nowhere else in the N

T. It m

eans a partialresurrection out from

among other corpses; literally an “out-resurrection.”

Page 61Page 60

Why? D

id he doubt he would be raised from

the dead? Hardly. S

ome

suspect that he was using this w

ord to refer to the a‘rpa,zw harpazo, or

Rapture, thus expressing the hope that the L

ord would return during his

lifetime.

* * *

Stu

dy Q

uestio

ns:

1)D

efine “Judaizers” and explain their error.

2)C

ontrast “happiness” and “joy.”

3)L

ist three paths to true joy.

4)W

hat does Paul m

ean when he contrasts “a gain for m

e” and “lossfor C

hrist”?

5)W

hat does Paul m

ean when he says, “If by any m

eans I might attain

unto the resurrection of the dead” (v.11)?

Discu

ssion

Qu

estion

s:

1)D

iscuss the realities of Matthew

4:8.

2)D

iscuss God’s P

redicament, as recognized by S

ocrates in 500 B.C.:It m

ay be that deity can forgive sins, but I don’t see how.

3)C

ontrast works righteousness (vv.1-6) w

ith faith righteousness(vv.7-11).

Fo

r Fu

rther R

esearch:

Explore fully the resurrection as detailed in 1 C

orinthians 15, and theharpazo declared in 1 T

hessalonians 4:13ff.

* * *

Ph

ilipp

ians 3b

In Philippians 3, P

aul is giving us his spiritual biography:• his past (vv.1-11), P

aul the Accountant;

• his present (vv12-16), Paul, the A

thlete;• his future (vv.17-21), P

aul, the Alien.

In the previous session we encountered “P

aul, the Accountant,”

revising his evaluations since discovering Jesus Christ. In the rem

ainingportion of this chapter w

e will encounter “P

aul, the Athlete,” pressing

toward the finish line w

ith renewed spiritual vigor; and w

e also see “Paul,the A

lien,” having expatriated his citizenship to heaven.

It is interesting to see Paul draw upon illustrations from

the military (“the

whole arm

or of God”, E

ph 6:10-18); from architecture (“you are the tem

pleof G

od”, 1 Cor 6:19, et al); from

agriculture (“what a m

an sows, that shall

he reap,” Gal 6: 7-9); and from

athletics (in the verses that follow).

An ideal: “S

omething that everyone is expected to honor but nobody is

expected to attain.” Som

e view C

hristian discipleship this way. T

hat’stragic but unfortunately prevalent.

Paul does not allow

this kind of thinking to continue. In verse 10, Paul

had expressed his lifelong goal:

That I may know

him, and the pow

er of his resurrection, and the fellowship

of his sufferings, being made conform

able unto his death;Philippians 3:10

But P

aul also recognized that many of his readers w

ould dismiss this as

an idealistic impracticality and unattainable. S

o Paul continues:

Win

nin

g th

e Race!

12]N

ot as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow

after, if that I may apprehend that for w

hich also I am apprehended of C

hristJesus.

This is the declaration of a C

hristian who never perm

itted himself to be

satisfied with his spiritual attainm

ents. A sanctified dissatisfaction is

the first essential to progress in any race or serious undertaking.

Page 63Page 62

“Perfect” here really m

eans completed, m

ature. We are continually

warned against a false estim

ate of our spiritual condition.

The church at S

ardis had “a name that thou livest and art dead,” (R

ev3:1). T

hey had a reputation without reality. T

he church at Laodicea

boasted that it was rich but w

as actually “wretched, and m

iserable, andpoor, and blind, and naked” (R

ev 3:17).

[It is sobering to realize that each of the representative seven churchesin R

evelation 2 & 3 w

ere surprised at their report card! That should give

us all pause for reflection...]

We are also rem

inded of Sam

son who thought he still had his old pow

er,but in reality it had departed from

him (Judg 16:20).

Verse 12 is not only a statem

ent of the demands of discipleship, it also

is an announcement of the principles by w

hich this calling should berealized:

1)H

e acknowledges that he w

as called by Christ Jesus;

2)G

od had a purpose in calling him;

3)H

e acknowledges that this puts an obligation on him

self—an

obligation to follow after Jesus.

We are called—

by the God the U

niverse—w

e didn’t choose Him

: He

chose us:

No m

an can come to m

e, except the Father w

hich hath sent me draw

him:

and I will raise him

up at the last day.John 6:44

Ye have not chosen m

e, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that yeshould go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should rem

ain: thatw

hatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in m

y name, he m

ay give it you.John 15:16

Did A

braham chose G

od? Hardly. H

e was perfectly satisfied w

here hew

as in the Mesopotam

ian river valley in a pagan, idol-worshiping

culture—but G

od called Him

to be the vehicle for His plan of redem

ptionfor m

ankind.

Moses likew

ise. David, the youngest of seven sons of Jesse. John the

Baptist—

before he was born!

Paul w

as in the process of persecuting Christians... In each case, it w

asG

od’s initiative. And so it is w

ith you and me. A

nd, in each case, it was

for a specific purpose.

And w

e know that all things w

ork together for good to them that love G

od,to them

who are the called according to his purpose.

Rom

ans 8:28

[And there’s m

ore:]

For w

hom he did foreknow

, he also did predestinate to be conformed to

the image of his Son, that he m

ight be the firstborn among m

any brethren. M

oreover whom

he did predestinate, them he also called: and w

hom he

called, them he also justified: and w

hom he justified, them

he also glorified.R

omans 8:28-30

13]B

rethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,

forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things

which are before,

Paul w

as certainly not complacent: he w

as intensely comm

itted tow

inning the race of life; of maxim

izing his opportunities.

“One thing”: an im

portant flag phrase for each of us:•

“One thing thou lackest,” Jesus said to the self-righteous rich

young ruler (Mark 10:21);

•“O

ne thing is needful,” Jesus explained to busy Martha w

hen shecriticized her sister (L

uke 10:42);•

“One thing I know

!” exclaimed the m

an who had received his sight

by the power of C

hrist (John 9:25);•

“One thing have I desired of the L

ord, that will I seek after,” testified

the Psalm

ist (Ps 27:4).

•O

ne of the secrets of discipline is to concentrate on “one thing.”

[Cf. B

enjamin F

ranklin’s pursuit of virtues: Ben F

ranklin’s Alm

anac...]

No athlete succeeds by doing everything; he succeeds by specializing.

Ben F

ranklin’s famous adm

onition is usually misquoted: “Jack of all

trades and master of one.” [not “none”!] F

or the Christian, the “one”

must be the B

ible. And he let’s nothing distract him

:

A double m

inded man is unstable in all his w

ays.Jam

es 1:8

Page 65Page 64

Fo

rgettin

g th

e Past

When the children of Israel w

ere delivered from the bondage of the w

orld[E

gypt] they repeatedly yearned for the earlier, more fam

iliar, life.

We rem

ember the fish, w

hich we did eat in E

gypt freely; the cucumbers,

and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: B

ut nowour soul is dried aw

ay: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before

our eyes.N

umbers 11:5, 6

“Forgetting those things...” P

aul simply m

eans that we need to break the

power of the past by living for the future:

And Jesus said unto him

, No m

an, having put his hand to the plough, andlooking back, is fit for the kingdom

of God.

Luke 9:62

[As the race driver said, as he ripped out his rear view

mirror: “W

hat’sbehind us doesn’t m

atter!”] We don’t w

ant to be a leeks-and-garlicC

hristian!

“Reaching forth”: literally, “stretching as in a race.”

14]I press tow

ard the mark for the prize of the high calling of G

od in Christ Jesus.

“I press!” This is the sam

e verb translated “I follow after” in v.12. It

conveys the idea of intense endeavor.

It is important for us to realize that P

aul is not telling us how to be saved.

That w

ould be by works and self-effort, and w

ould contradict what he

wrote in the first 11 verses—

as well as m

ost of the rest of his epistles!

In order to participate in the Greek gam

es, the athlete had to be a citizen!.H

e did not run the race to gain his citizenship. (In v.20, he will em

phasizethat “our citizenship is in heaven” [already].) B

ut since we are already

the children of God through faith in C

hrist, we have the responsibility

of “running the race” and achieving the goals that God has set for us.

[Rew

ards; Cf. 1 C

or 3:11-15, using an architectural illustration, etc. For

an excellent discussion, see The R

eign of the Servant Kings, by Joseph

C. D

illow, S

choettle Publishing C

o., Hayesville N

C, 1992.]

Fin

ishin

g W

ell

15]L

et us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus m

inded: and if in any thing yebe otherw

ise minded, G

od shall reveal even this unto you.

How

can you know G

od’s will? H

ow is it possible for som

eone to knowthe m

ind of God? If G

od has a plan for your life, how does he reveal it

to you?

Paul, here, focuses his readers on this issue: “A

nd if on some point you

think differently, that, too, God w

ill make clear to you.” (N

IV)

God is com

mitted to guiding us. N

ot necessarily more than a step at a

time. Just like an aircraft flying on instrum

ents. It works because it is

trusted.

God is com

mitted to revealing H

is will to us. T

here are a number of

principles to apply to this crucial area:

1)W

e can have this assurance because of the nature of God. G

od made

the world to reveal H

imself to those w

ho would ultim

ately live in it.

For the invisible things of him

from the creation of the w

orld are clearlyseen, being understood by the things that are m

ade, even his eternal power

and Godhead; so that they are w

ithout excuse:R

omans 1:20

2)W

e must be w

alking by God’s W

ord.

If any man w

ill do his will, he shall know

of the doctrine, whether it be of

God, or w

hether I speak of myself.

John 7:17

Nothing can be the w

ill of God for you that is not in accordance w

ith His

Word. H

is will for nonbelievers is also clear:

And this is the w

ill of him that sent m

e, that every one which seeth the Son,

and believeth on him, m

ay have everlasting life: and I will raise him

upat the last day.

John 6:40

If you are not a Christian, G

od is not interested in telling you whether

or not you should accept that job at (company X

); or whether you should

Page 67Page 66

marry S

ally or Mary (or H

enry or John); or whether or not to enlist in the

military, etc. H

e is interested in whether or not you w

ill believe in JesusC

hrist and receive Him

as your personal Savior. God’s w

ill for you startsat this point.

If you are a Christian, there is clear insight:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of G

od, that ye presentyour bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto G

od, which is your

reasonable service. And be not conform

ed to this world: but be ye

transformed by the renew

ing of your mind, that ye m

ay prove what is that

good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of G

od.R

omans 12:1, 2

Thus, anything that contributes to your grow

th in holiness is an aspectof G

od’s will for you.

God’s w

ill for your work:

And w

hatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto m

en;K

nowing that of the L

ord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:

for ye serve the Lord C

hrist.C

olossians 3:23, 24

Further,

Servants, be obedient to them that are your m

asters according to the flesh,w

ith fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto C

hrist; Not

with eyeservice, as m

enpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the

will of G

od from the heart;

Ephesians 6:5, 6

“With singleness [sincerity] of heart”: as in a fiduciary relationship...

What about the detailed events in one’s life: how

does one knoww

hether to go to certain movies, m

aking friends with people at w

ork,social drinking, et al? A

nother predictable factor:

Finally, brethren, w

hatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are

honest, whatsoever things are just, w

hatsoever things are pure, whatsoever

things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any

virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which

ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and

the God of peace shall be w

ith you.Philippians 4:8, 9

3)A

nother principle is daily fellowship w

ith the Lord. H

e has assuredus that,

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the w

ay which thou shalt go: I w

illguide thee w

ith mine eye.

Psalm 32:8

To “guide you w

ith His eye” H

e must first catch our eye! A

nd you must

remain “eye-to-eye” w

ith Him

. We can’t know

His w

ill for us without a

knowledge of G

od’s Word.

Blessed is the m

an that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor

standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. B

uthis delight is in the law

of the LO

RD

; and in his law doth he m

editate dayand night.

Psalm 1:1, 2

Peter said that w

e are:

...born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word

of God, w

hich liveth and abideth for ever.1 Peter 1:23

Has the W

ord of God penetrated your heart? N

othing else will do it: not

the word(s) of a person, not philosophy, not history, not science.

That w

hich is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit

is spirit.John 3:6

This is the first great blessing of B

ible study. The second is our

sanctification.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy w

ord is truth.John 17:17

It is through study of the Bible and fellow

ship with G

od that we are

increasingly as He w

ould have us to be. Unfortunately, C

hristians oftenseek holiness anyw

here but by God’s W

ord. They seek it through

reading other literature, by attending religious conferences, by emo-

tional experiences, even mysticism

.

Do you w

ant to know how

relevant the Bible can be to your life and how

God can use it to reveal H

is will to you? T

hen you must spend tim

e

Page 69Page 68

reading it daily. If you are a Christian, G

od has a specific path marked

out for you. You w

ill find it only as you discover His w

ill for you throughScripture.

16]N

evertheless, whereto w

e have already attained, let us walk by the sam

e rule,let us m

ind the same thing.

This typically requires us to reverse our standards to H

is. In the Navy,

they call that a “Turn 18.” W

e call that “conversion.”

There w

ere many in the B

ible who began show

ing great promise, but

failed at the end because they disregarded God’s rules. T

hey did not losetheir salvation but they did lose their rew

ards (1 Cor 3:15).

Lot (G

en 19);S

amson (Judg 16);

Saul (1 Sam 28:31);

Ananias and S

apphira (Acts 5).

...and it can happen to us.

Livin

g in

the F

utu

re Ten

se

17]B

rethren, be followers together of m

e, and mark them

which w

alk so as ye haveus for an ensam

ple.18]

(For m

any walk, of w

hom I have told you often, and now

tell you even weeping,

that they are the enemies of the cross of C

hrist:

How

strange, in a letter devoted to joy, to find Paul w

eeping! Not for

himself, not for his treatm

ent by the Rom

ans, but for others. He w

asheartbroken over the w

ay some professed C

hristians are living, peoplew

ho “mind earthly things.”

19]W

hose end is destruction, whose G

od is their belly, and whose glory is in their

shame, w

ho mind earthly things.)

Alien

s in a F

oreig

n L

and

20]F

or our conversation is in heaven; from w

hence also we look for the S

aviour,the L

ord Jesus Christ:

As w

e discussed in an earlier session, the Greek w

ord, poli,teumapoliteum

a, translated “conversation” means “citizenship;” it is the

word from

which w

e get the English w

ord, “politics.”

As w

e mentioned earlier, P

hilippi was particularly fond of its privileged

status as if on Rom

an soil. Just as Philippi w

as a colony of Rom

e onforeign soil, so the church is a “colony of heaven” on earth. I like the w

ayD

onald Barnhouse sum

marized us:

A group of displaced persons, uprooted from

their natural home, and on

their way to an extraterrestrial destination; not of this planet, neither in

roots nor in its ideals.D

onald Grey B

arnhouse

Because A

braham looked for a city, he w

as content to live in a tent:

For he looked for a city w

hich hath foundations, whose builder and m

akeris G

od....These all died in faith, not having received the prom

ises, buthaving seen them

afar off, and were persuaded of them

, and embraced

them, and confessed that they w

ere strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. A

ndtruly, if they had been m

indful of that country from w

hence they came out,

they might have had opportunity to have returned. B

ut now they desire a

better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore G

od is not ashamed to be

called their God: for he hath prepared for them

a city.Hebrew

s 11:10, 13-16

Paul concludes this chapter w

ith a glimpse at eschatology: O

ur Blessed

Hope.

21]W

ho shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious

body, according to the working w

hereby he is able even to subdue all things untohim

self.

“Vile”: tapei,nw

sij tapeinosis: lowness; hum

iliation; low estate.

The body of glory:

For in this w

e groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house

which is from

heaven:2 C

orinthians 5:2

“House”: oivkhth,rion oiketerion: a dw

elling place, habitation; of thebody as a dw

elling place for the spirit. The only other place in the N

ewT

estament that this w

ord is used is in Jude:

And the angels w

hich kept not their first estate, but left their own

habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto

the judgment of the great day.

Jude v.6

Page 71Page 70

...which refers to the fallen angels in G

enesis 6 who “disrobed” from

theirprevious existence to indulge in the m

ischief producing the Nephilim

.

Another insight into the hyperspace that w

ill be involved with our

resurrection bodies is given to us by John:

Beloved, now

are we the sons of G

od, and it doth not yet appear what w

eshall be: but w

e know that, w

hen he shall appear, we shall be like him

;for w

e shall see him as he is.

1 John 3:2

Which m

eans that we w

on’t simply be treated to a “3-dim

ensional”representation of a higher dim

ensional being: we w

ill enjoy the same

dimensionality—

“we w

ill see Him

as He is!”

More to com

e...

* * *

Stu

dy Q

uestio

ns:

1)R

eview the various prom

ises for “Rew

ards” for service and comm

it-m

ent (in contrast to salvation itself). 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 is good

place to start.

2)W

hich two of the seven churches w

ere distinctive in that nocom

mendation w

as given to them? (W

hich two had no criticism

s?)

3)O

f those called for God’s purposes in the B

ible, list some exam

plesof those w

ho began with great prom

ise, but did not finish well.

4)W

hat does the word fiduciary m

ean? How

is it relevant to theC

hristian walk?

Discu

ssion

Qu

estion

s:

1)R

eview P

aul’s use of idioms:

From m

ilitary (or naval) life;F

rom accountancy;

From

athletics;From

politics (citizenship).

2)H

ow can our past be hindrances to our future?

3)Jesus gives us—

through grace—the greatest gift im

aginable. Yet,

does He also include “rew

ards” that are earned? Why? H

ow?

4)R

eview the L

etters to the Seven C

hurches in Revelation 2 &

3, andcom

pare them w

ith churches today.

5)H

ow can w

e practically determine G

od’s will in our lives?

Fo

r Fu

rther R

esearch:

1)R

esearch the use of incentives in the Scripture.

2)R

eview the concepts of inheritance in both the O

ld and New

Testam

ents, noticing particularly the elements that could be for-

feited and the elements that could not.

3)E

xplore the nature of nature of hyperspaces and their implications

regarding the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ.

Ph

ilipp

ians 4

Review

In Chapter 3, P

aul highlighted the conquests that Christ has m

ade forthose that trust H

im.

1)C

hrist died to bring us salvation and the righteousness that comes

by faith (3:9);

Our sins w

ere removed and punished:

As far as the east is from

the west, so far hath he rem

oved ourtransgressions from

us.Psalm

103:12

And I w

ill remem

ber their sins no more.

Hebrew

s 8:12; 10:17

Page 73Page 72

2)H

e lives that we m

ight enjoy the power of H

is resurrection (3:10,11).

3)H

e has promised to reveal H

is will to us (3:15), and H

is rules ofconduct (3:15-19).P

hilip

pian

s 4

1]T

herefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, m

y joy and crown, so

stand fast in the Lord, m

y dearly beloved.

These w

ords bridge the great doctrinal statements of the previous

chapter with the intensely practical chapter that concludes P

aul’sepistle.

“Stand fast.” A

military term

. Holding the ground that H

e has con-quered!

Put on the w

hole armour of G

od, that ye may be able to stand against the

wiles of the devil. F

or we w

restle not against flesh and blood, but againstprincipalities, against pow

ers, against the rulers of the darkness of thisw

orld, against spiritual wickedness in high places. W

herefore take untoyou the w

hole armour of G

od, that ye may be able to w

ithstand in the evilday, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girtabout w

ith truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness... etc.E

phesians 6:11-14

Gettin

g A

lon

g (w

ith C

hristian

s)

“Are all people m

embers of G

od’s family?” N

o. Cf. John 8:31ff.

The w

orst kind of lie: self-delusion.

“W

e be Abraham

’s seed, and were never in bondage to any m

an: howsayest thou, ye shall be m

ade free?”John 8:33

Never in bondage? E

gypt, 400 years; Philistines, A

mm

onites, Syrians,

Babylonians; and R

ome, as they spoke... [P

arentage? “W

e be not bornof fornication...” John 8:41?!]

“Y

e are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. H

ew

as a murderer from

the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because

there is no truth in him. W

hen he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:

for he is a liar, and the father of it.”John 8:44

For G

od’s children, however, G

od comm

ands a visible, earthly, unity.P

aul’s ultimate exam

ple, was, of course, the kenosis, that w

e studied inC

hapter 2:5-11.

2]I beseech E

uodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the sam

e mind in the

Lord.

These tw

o wom

en had been at odds with one another and the disagree-

ment threatened the unity and effectiveness of the church.

3]A

nd I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those w

omen w

hich laboured with

me in the gospel, w

ith Clem

ent also, and with other m

y fellowlabourers, w

hosenam

es are in the book of life.

“True yokefellow

” is masculine in form

; probably a reference toE

paphroditus, who has already been described as “m

y brother, felloww

orker, and fellow soldier” (2:25) and w

ho would now

carry the letter toPhilippi from

Rom

e.

4]R

ejoice in the Lord alw

ay: and again I say, Rejoice.

In addition to working together, w

e are also comm

anded to “rejoice” inthe L

ord. (We, too often, rather spend our tim

e nitpicking...)

“Rejoice” is a variant of the w

ord “joy,” one the great Christian virtues,

a supernatural fruit of the Spirit of G

od. It is in contrast to “happiness’w

hich is a virtue of the world, entirely external, and circum

stantial. Joyissues from

the nature of God.

5]L

et your moderation be know

n unto all men. T

he Lord is at hand.

“Moderation:” “F

orbearing” (NA

SB

); “Gentleness” (N

IV).

Th

e Mean

ing

of P

rayer

Few

doctrines are more generally m

isunderstood than true prayer. Does

prayer change things? Does G

od change His m

ind as the result ofbelieving prayer? O

r does God m

ove us to pray?

Page 75Page 74

What does it m

ean “to pray without ceasing?” W

ho can pray? How

doyou pray? A

ny why should a person pray anyw

ay? [In any gatheringof G

od’s people, these questions are likely to generate different and evencontradictory answ

ers!]

Prayer is talking w

ith God. It is exclusively for believers only. T

he onlyprayer G

od hears and answers is one that is m

ade through His S

on, ourL

ord Jesus Christ:

Jesus saith unto him, I am

the way, the truth, and the life: no m

an cometh

unto the Father, but by m

e.John 14:6

He is not one w

ay among several: H

e is the only way. A

s in allconversations, w

e must know

people well before our conversations can

really flow freely. L

earn about Him

. Spend tim

e with H

im.

Barriers to P

rayer: Clinging to som

e sin in your heart:

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the L

ord will not hear m

e:Psalm

66:18

Behold, the L

OR

D’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither

his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated

between you and your G

od, and your sins have hid his face from you, that

he will not hear.

Isaiah 59:1, 2

Too soiled to present yourself before the throne? R

emem

ber the“C

hristian’s Bar of S

oap:”

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and

to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Pray for others: it is called “intercession.” It is the heavy artillery in the

armory of G

od.

We never know

when the Spirit m

ay move us to hold up a brother or sister

in time of need. A

nd we are inevitably astonished to discover the

implications of w

hat may seem

but a whisper before the T

hrone Room

of the Universe...

[Trish, a neighbor w

ho was visiting N

ew Z

ealand, during the Sunday

church service became overw

helmed w

ith the need to pray for my w

ifeN

ancy. When returning to the U

.S., and com

paring notes with her, w

erealized that during that church service in N

ew Z

ealand, it was 5 P

.M.,

Saturday, August 1, in the U

.S.: the very time that our firstborn son, C

hip,died from

a stroke while jogging...]

1

A m

ust verse for mem

orization:

6]B

e careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with

thanksgiving let your requests be made know

n unto God.

“Careful” =

anxious. This is G

od’s cure for anxiety. Experts tell us that

stress is one of the most destructive forces in the hum

an predicament.

“Worry is assum

ing a responsibility that God didn’t intend for you to

have.”

“Worry is a trickle of fear passing through the m

ind which soon cuts a

crevice so deep that it drains all other thoughts away.”

“Every thing”=

there is nothing trivial between you and your F

ather.

7]A

nd the peace of God, w

hich passeth all understanding, shall keep your heartsand m

inds through Christ Jesus.

That doesn’t prom

ise that we w

ill receive what w

e ask for. God know

sour real needs better that w

e do. We m

ust remem

ber to praise God for the

prayers that He doesn’t answ

er! (That is often one of the m

ore dramatic

discoveries we m

ake during a high school reunion...!)

And w

e know that all things w

ork together for good to them that love G

od,to them

who are the called according to his purpose.

Rom

ans 8:28

Rem

ember P

aul’s prayer in Rom

ans 15:

That I m

ay be delivered from them

that do not believe in Judaea; and thatm

y service which I have for Jerusalem

may be accepted of the saints; T

hatI m

ay come unto you w

ith joy by the will of G

od, and may w

ith you berefreshed.

Rom

ans 15:31, 32

Page 77Page 76

Paul w

as in Corinth and w

as about to go on to Jerusalem w

ith thecollection from

the Gentile churches. A

fter that he had planned to travelto R

ome as an am

bassador for the Gospel. A

nd he asked for three things:

1)“T

hat I may be delivered from

them that do not believe in Judaea;”

2)“that m

y service which I have for Jerusalem

may be accepted of the

saints;”3)

That I m

ay come unto you w

ith joy by the will of G

od, and may w

ithyou be refreshed.”

Were these requests fulfilled? N

ot as he expected.(1)

He w

as delivered—and then protected—

with a tw

o-year imprison-

ment at C

aesarea.(2)

His reception in Jerusalem

was hardly w

hat he had hoped for.(3)

His joyous journey to R

ome w

as at government expense as a

prisoner in chains. It was w

ith joy and by the will of G

od; but he was

hardly refreshed by the reception of the believers there. But he did

have the peace of God as prom

ised.

Go

d’s R

ules fo

r the D

ou

btfu

l Th

ing

s

Can a C

hristian drink alcohol or not? Can a C

hristian go to a dance? Can

he enter politics? Can he w

ork for a company that m

anufactures war

materials? T

o what extent can a believer adopt the standards of his tim

esand society? T

here are three principles which should assist in 99%

of thesituations:

1) Avoid legalism

:

For sin shall not have dom

inion over you: for ye are not under the law,

but under grace.R

omans 6:14

Even Peter fell into this trap; Paul rem

onstrated him (G

al 2:11-14); and helater defended the case for liberty at the C

ouncil (Acts 15:10-11). A

t thesam

e time, avoid the error of license (R

om 6:15); grace leads to holiness

(6:22).

2) All T

hings are Not E

xpedient:

All things are law

ful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things

are lawful for m

e, but I will not be brought under the pow

er of any.1 C

orinthians 6:12

All things are law

ful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are

lawful for m

e, but all things edify not.1 C

orinthians 10:23

That does not require us, how

ever, to attempt to live our entire lives on

what som

e others may say or think. T

hat will lead to hypocrisy,

schizophrenia, and madness.

And, here, P

hilippians 4:8:

3) The B

etter Things

8]F

inally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, w

hatsoever things are honest,w

hatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, w

hatsoever things arelovely, w

hatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if therebe any praise, think on these things.

What m

akes this verse remarkable is the virtues m

entioned here arepagan virtues! T

hese words do not occur in the great lists of C

hristianvirtues: love, joy, peace, patience, et al. T

hey are taken from G

reek ethicsand from

Greek philosophers. Fellow

ship with G

od does not necessarilyexclude the best values the w

orld has to offer. We can thrive on beauty

in music, art, architecture, literature, etc.

9]T

hose things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in

me, do: and the G

od of peace shall be with you.

A C

hu

rch C

on

cerned

10]B

ut I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now

at the last your care of me hath

flourished again; wherein ye w

ere also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

After a lapse of 10 years, their loyalty to P

aul again results in theirgiving—

despite their own m

eager resources. Epaphroditus w

as dis-patched to R

ome w

ith their gifts.

11]N

ot that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in w

hatsoever state I am,

therewith to be content.

[Which proves P

aul is not a Texan.]

12]I know

both how to be abased, and I know

how to abound: every w

here and inall things I am

instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound andto suffer need.

Page 79Page 78

13]I can do all things through C

hrist which strengtheneth m

e.14]

Notw

ithstanding ye have well done, that ye did com

municate w

ith my affliction.

15]N

ow ye P

hilippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, w

hen Ideparted from

Macedonia, no church com

municated w

ith me as concerning

giving and receiving, but ye only.

“But ye only.” H

ow illum

inating it is to observe from w

here our realloyalties endure...

16]F

or even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto m

y necessity.17]

Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that m

ay abound to your account.18]

But I have all, and abound: I am

full, having received of Epaphroditus the things

which w

ere sent from you, an odour of a sw

eet smell, a sacrifice acceptable,

wellpleasing to G

od.

Th

e Go

d W

ho

Pro

vides

The P

recious Prom

ises!

For G

od so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that

whosoever believeth in him

should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16

And w

e know that all things w

ork together for good to them that love G

od,to them

who are the called according to his purpose.

Rom

ans 8:28

I am the door: by m

e if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go

in and out, and find pasture.John 10:9

My sheep hear m

y voice, and I know them

, and they follow m

e: And I give

unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any m

anpluck them

out of my hand.

John 10:27-28

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication w

iththanksgiving let your requests be m

ade known unto G

od. And the peace

of God, w

hich passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds

through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6,7

And this is the confidence that w

e have in him, that, if w

e ask any thingaccording to his w

ill, he heareth us:

And if w

e know that he hear us, w

hatsoever we ask, w

e know that w

e havethe petitions that w

e desired of him.

1 John 5:14-15and, here, P

hilippians 4:19:

19]B

ut my G

od shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ

Jesus.

My G

od. All your need. G

reatest need? Forgiveness. A

nd Fellow

ship.

20]N

ow unto G

od and our Father be glory for ever and ever. A

men.

21]S

alute every saint in Christ Jesus. T

he brethren which are w

ith me greet you.

22]A

ll the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.

That’s revealing! W

e can only speculate on this one. Certainly a

significant percentage of the Praetorians that w

ere chained to Paul for

an entire shift at a time! C

an you imagine!

23]T

he grace of our Lord Jesus C

hrist be with you all. A

men.

<T

o the Philippians w

ritten from R

ome, by E

paphroditus.>

Am

anuensis: use of professionals...

Epaphroditus devoted him

self to the ministry beyond his physical

powers; the exertion w

as too great and he lost his health and almost his

life. His convalescence w

as succeeded by homesickness. H

e was

depressed by the thought that the Philippians w

ould have heard of hiscritical state, and w

as anxious to return to allay their fears (2:25-30).

[He is not to be confused w

ith Epaphras (C

olossians 1:7; 4:12; Philemon

23) for although the names are the sam

e, one was a native of P

hilippi, theother of C

orinth.]

Paul is believed to have visited m

ore than once to Philippi and his other

Macedonian churches in the interval betw

een his first and secondcaptivities (1 T

im 1:3).

* * *

Stu

dy Q

uestio

ns:

1)Is fasting appropriate in our day?

Page 81Page 80

2)W

hat are the basic requirements for prayer?

3)W

hat are the principal barriers to prayer?

Discu

ssion

Qu

estion

s:

1)D

oes prayer change things?

2)D

oes God change H

is mind as the result of believing prayer?

3)W

hat does it mean “to pray w

ithout ceasing?”

4)W

ho can pray?

5)H

ow do you pray?

6)A

ny why should a person pray anyw

ay?

Fo

r Fu

rther R

esearch:

1)S

tudy the interrupted prayer in the Old T

estament (D

an 9).

2)W

hat are the distinctions between prayer, praise, and w

orship? Be

precise, Biblical, and denotative.

Notes:

1.N

oted in our book, Faith in the N

ight Seasons.

Bib

liog

raph

y

Boice, Jam

es Montgom

ery, Philippians, B

aker Book H

ouse, Grand R

apids MI,

1971.

H. A

. Ironside, Philippians, L

oizeaux Brothers, N

eptune NJ, 1922.

J. B. L

ightfoot, Philippians, C

rossway B

ooks, Nottingham

, England, 1994.

D. M

artyn Lloyd-Jones, T

he Life of Joy and P

eace - An E

xposition of Philippians,

Baker B

ook House, G

rand Rapids M

I, 1992.

Warren W

. Wiersbe, B

e Joyful, Bible S

tudy of Philippians, V

ictor Books, W

heatonIL

, 1974.

Page 83Page 82

No

tes:N

otes:

Ab

ou

t Th

e Co

ver Desig

n(o

n th

e tape cassette alb

um

s)

Th

e “Fro

nt” co

ver:

The G

reek border: “I am A

lpha and Om

ega, the beginning and the ending,saith the L

ord, which is, and w

hich was, and w

hich is to come, the

Alm

ighty (Revelation 1:8).” T

he center design element sym

bolizes theW

ord of God Incarnate, illum

inated by the Holy S

pirit.

Th

e “Back” co

ver: (the “fro

nt” to

the Jew

ish read

er)

The H

ebrew border: “H

ear O Israel: T

he Lord our G

od is one Lord: and

thou shalt love the LO

RD

thy God w

ith all thine heart, and with all thy

soul, and with all thy m

ight (from the S

h’ma, D

eut 6:4-5).”

The center design represents the B

urning Bush, m

ade up of Hebrew

letters which proclaim

“the Eternal O

ne cannot lie.”

Th

e Sp

ine:

The spine includes a M

enorah from the O

ld Testam

ent, a Maranatha

Dove suggesting the N

ew T

estament, and the K

oinonia House logo at

the base.

Koinonia H

ouseP.O. Box D

Coeur d�Alene Idaho83816-0347

(208) 773-6310www.khouse.org

ISB

N 1-57821-165-4