Shine Brightly for Christ

Philippians 2:12-18 NLT
¹² Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Examine the Scriptures:

Philippians 2:12-13 NLT
Shine Brightly for Christ 

¹² Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important.

Note: We aren’t really talking about Paul’s instructions. 2 Timothy was written by Paul, but notice what it says.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷ God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

We are not really talking about Paul’s instructions.  We’re talking about instructions from God. 

(repeat) And now that I am away, it is even more important. 

What is more important?

Let’s look at another passage recorded by Paul.

Ephesians 6:5-8 NLT
⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. ⁶ Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ⁷ Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ⁸ Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

• As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ⁷ Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

The word “work” is going to show up a lot in this lesson.

Who are you working for?  Who are you trying to please? 

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, 

work out your own salvation ESV 

Keep on working to complete your salvation.  International Children’s Bible

This is not working for salvation.  The Philippians had already received the gift of salvation.

This is talking about an ongoing process that continues after receiving the gift of salvation. 

*** “work out” means continually work to bring your salvation to fulfillment.

• Sanctification is an ongoing process which will not be complete or reach perfection in this life.

Sanctification is the process of becoming more Christ like.

In “progressive sanctification” we have a part to play.

We work out our salvation by keeping in step with the Holy Spirit who leads us in the will of God.

Ephesians 4:1 NLT
^4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

Galatians 5:16 NLT
¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

2 Peter 1:10 NLT
¹⁰ So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen.

Galatians 6:7-9 NLT
⁷ Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. ⁸ Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. ⁹ So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Romans 6:19 NLT
¹⁹ Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

2 Corinthians 7:1 NLT
^7:1 Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.

Hebrews 6:10-11 NLT
¹⁰ For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. ¹¹ Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.

• Living the life that God wants you to live takes hard work.

Working at Redeemer Day School is hard work. 

obeying God

Obey.  Do the things scripture tells believers to do.

John 14:15 NLT
¹⁵ “If you love me, obey my commandments. 

1 John 5:3 NLT
³ Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 

James 1:22 NLT
²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

• Don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.

Don’t get hung up on the passages of scripture you don’t understand.  You already know a lot of scripture.  Do what you know you should be doing.

Example:

Put verses 2 and 3 into practice (achieving unity through humility).

Philippians 2:3-4 NLT
³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 

with deep reverence and fear. 

We need to have a healthy fear of offending God and a righteous awe and respect of Him.

Proverbs 1:7 NLT
⁷ Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Deuteronomy 8:6 NIV
⁶ Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him.

Psalm 34:9 NIV
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.

Proverbs 9:10 NLT
¹⁰ Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

We have a strong and crafty adversary, and we are weak and dependent on God for all that we need. 

• Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.

We need to be practicing and teaching “respect”.

Practicing respect is becoming a lost art.

Fearing God is respecting God.  We need to always honor and esteem God.

Can we do all of this on our own?  Of course not. 

¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

• God empowers and energizes believer’s lives.

2 Peter 1:3 NLT
³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 

John 15:5 NLT
⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

1 Corinthians 12:6 NLT
⁶ God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

• Among other things, God uses scripture and the Holy Spirit to work in us.

Hebrews 4:12 NLT
For the word of God is alive and powerful.

John 16:13 NLT
¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. 

Have the Attitude of Christ (Part 2)

Living the Christian Life

Chapter 2:1-11
Live lives that are united in thought and purpose with other believers and dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another.

Verses 5-11
Christ is the supreme example of humility and selfless concern for others.

• Christ is the supreme example of humility and selfless concern for others.

Philippians 2:5-11 NLT
Have the Attitude of Christ (Part 2)
⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
⁶ Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

 Examine the scriptures:

Philippians 2:5-11 NLT
Have the Attitude of Christ (Part 2)

From the previous passage:

Let there be no divisions in the church.

Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. V. 2

United in self-sacrificing love and humility. V. 2

Looking out for the interests of others. V. 4

Paul goes on to say:

⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

• Christians are to have Christ’s attitude of self-sacrificing humility and love for others.

Christ is the supreme example of humility and selfless concern for others.

• Jesus tells us to follow his example.

John 13:12-15 NLT
¹² After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? ¹³ You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. ¹⁴ And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

Jesus prays for unity among believers.

The Prayer of Jesus
John 17
⁹ “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. ¹⁰ All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. ¹¹ Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.
²⁰ “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. ²¹ I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
²² “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. ²³ I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 

The Christ Hymn

Many view Philippians 2:6-11 as an early Christian hymn, telling about the nature of Christ, taken over and perhaps modified by Paul.

Colossians 3:16 NLT
¹⁶ Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

• We are told, in scripture, to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 

⁶ Though he was God,

John 1:1-2 NLT
¹ In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
² He existed in the beginning with God. 

Colossians 1:15-20 NLT
¹⁵ Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
¹⁶ for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
¹⁷ He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
¹⁸ Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
¹⁹ For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
²⁰ and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

• The Son of God is God.

• The Son of God has always been God.

Colossians 1:17
¹⁷ He existed before anything else,

John 17:24 NLT
²⁴ Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! 

he did not think of equality with God

Jesus is God.

John 10:30 NLT
³⁰ The Father and I are one.”

as something to cling to.

⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

• Jesus did not stop being God. He gave up the privileges that were His because He is God.

2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT
⁹ You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

Example:

Matthew 26:52-54 NLT
⁵²“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. ⁵³Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? ⁵⁴But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” 

• Christ gave up His right to manifest himself visibly as the God of all splendor and glory. 

The Jesus we will see in heaven will be different than the Jesus seen on earth. 

 he took the humble position of a slave

Matthew 20:28 NLT
²⁸ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

• Jesus came to earth to serve, not to be served.

As a servant, Jesus was always submissive to the will of the Father.

 and was born as a human being.

Jesus is truly God and truly man.

John 1:14 NLT
¹⁴ So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. 

1 Timothy 3:16 NLT
¹⁶ Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:
Christ was revealed in a human body
and vindicated by the Spirit.

• Jesus was born as a human being. 

When he appeared in human form,

⁸     he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Matthew 20:28 NLT (repeated)
²⁸ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

in obedience to God

• It was God’s will that Jesus die for the sins of humanity.

Romans 5:8 NLT
⁸ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

1 John 4:9-10 NLT
⁹ God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰ This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Matthew 26:39 NLT
³⁹ He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

John 10:17-18 NLT
¹⁷ “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. ¹⁸ No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

Crucifixion was a cruel and humiliating punishment intended for criminals. 

⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,

• As a result of Christ’s humble obedience, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor.

Jesus is now in a position of supreme authority and power.

Matthew 28:18 NLT (After His resurrection)
¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 

Acts 2:33-36 NLT
³³ Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. …. ³⁶ “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

1 Peter 3:22m NLT
²² Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

Ephesians 1:9-10, 21 NLT
⁹ God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. ¹⁰ And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.
²¹ Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.

• Jesus is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 

¹¹ and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

God’s design is that all people should worship and serve Jesus as Lord.

• Ultimately, everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, whether willingly or not.

 

Review:

Chapter 2:1-11
Live lives that are united in thought and purpose with other believers and dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another.

Christ is the supreme example of humility and selfless concern for others.

Have the Attitude of Christ

Introduction:

Philippians

Living the Christian Life

Chapter 2:1-11
Live lives that are united in thought and purpose with other believers and dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another.

Verses 1-4 give us a foundation for living in unity with other believers.

Philippians 2:1-4 NLT
Have the Attitude of Christ
^2:1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? ² Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Examine the scriptures:

Philippians 2:1-4 NLT
Have the Attitude of Christ

^2:1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? (Belonging to Christ means to be saved.)  Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 

Paul begins by asking “Is there any …”

These are rhetorical questions.

Paul knows that the answer to his questions (for believers) is “YES”.

We know that we can receive encouragement from belonging to Christ.

We know that we can be comforted by the love of Christ.

We know that we can have fellowship with other believers because of the Holy Spirit.

We know that God has given us tender and compassionate hearts.

Do we really understand what it means to be a child of God?

 

Four incentives.

Verse one could say:

Since you have encouragement from belonging to Christ. (We have been given an Advocate, Comforter, Encourager, or Counselor)

Since you have comfort from His love.

Since you have fellowship together in the Spirit.

Since your hearts are tender and compassionate.

All of this is being offered to us on a daily basis.

² Then make me truly happy

“make my joy complete” NIV 

by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other,

“by being like-minded” NIV

A common purpose

Be one in purpose.

We are to use our different spiritual gifts in a cooperative way, focusing on God’s glory.

We all know that the body has many different parts. (1 Corinthians 12:12-31.)

Look at:
1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT
¹⁰ I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

• Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 

Paul continues this theme through verse 4. 

loving one another,

John 13:34 NLT  (Maundy Thursday)
³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  

• Love one another. 

Mark 12:28-34 NLT
The Most Important Commandment
²⁸ One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
²⁹ Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. ³⁰ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 

and working together with one mind and purpose.

Be one in purpose. (Common goals.)

Paul is telling the Philippians that they need to live together with each other in harmony and love.

Romans 15:5 NLT
⁵ May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT
¹¹ Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

• All Christians should live together in harmony and love. 

³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. 

• Don’t be selfish.

Concerned chiefly with your own personal profit or pleasure.

• Self-centeredness is a mortal enemy of unity and harmony in the church.

Self-centeredness is a desire of our sinful nature.

Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.  

Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  

Romans 12:10 NLT
¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Ephesians 5:21 NLT
²¹ And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

1 Peter 5:5 NLT
⁵ … . And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

• Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 

⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Galatians 5:26 NLT
²⁶ Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT
²⁴ Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. 

Everyone naturally looks out for his or her own interests.  

• The challenge here is for us to look out for the interests of others in the same way we look out for our own interests. 

This can only be accomplished when the Holy Spirit is active in our lives. Refer back to verse 1.

Scripture tells us that we have the Holy Spirit living in us.

1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT
¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?

Galatians 5:16 NLT
¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 

Psalm 143:10 NLT
¹⁰ Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 

Ephesians 3:16 NLT
¹⁶ I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 

• Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 

• Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.

 

 

 

 

Live as Citizens of Heaven

Philippians 1:27-30 NLT
²⁷ Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. ²⁸ Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. ²⁹ For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. ³⁰ We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

Examine the scriptures:

Philippians 1:27-30 NLT
Live as Citizens of Heaven 

²⁷ Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven,

The Philippians were Roman citizens.

Philippi prided itself on being a Roman colony.

Philippians knew the privileges that came with being a Roman citizen.

Paul reminded the Philippian church that, more importantly, the Philippian Christians (like us) were citizens of a heavenly kingdom.

Paul encouraged the Philippian believers to look to Christ, not Caesar, for their model of behavior.

• Remember that you are a citizen of Heaven.

Philippians 3:20 NLT
²⁰ But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

1 Peter 2:9-11 NLT
⁹ But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
¹⁰ “Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
¹¹ Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 

Live your life in a way that reflects what you believe.

If you call yourself a Christian, live like a Christian. 

conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT
¹² We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

What would that look like?

Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT
Unity in the Body
^4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. ² Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ³ Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

Pray that your life would honor and please the Lord.

Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

• Live your life in a way that is worthy of the Gospel of Christ.

• Live your life in a way that would honor and glorify Christ. 

Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 

• As a body of believers, stand together in unity and steadfastness.

As a body of believers, have a common purpose,

fighting together for the faith.

• Christians need each other and must stand together, especially when the Gospel is under attack.

Apparently, there was some disunity in the Philippian church.

Philippians 4:2-3
² Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. ³ And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. 

An appeal for unity.

1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT
 ¹⁰ I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Psalm 133:1 NLT
¹ How wonderful and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in harmony! 

²⁸ Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies.

Stand strong despite persecution.

Live courageously for Christ.

• Do not be intimidated or frightened by persecution. 

This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, 

Stand up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In the end God wins.

Romans 1:18-19 NLT
¹⁸ But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. ¹⁹ They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.

• Persistent opposition to the church and the gospel is a sure sign of eventual destruction.

KJV (and other translations) uses the word perdition – a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death.

John 3:18 NLT
¹⁸ “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 NLT
¹⁵ Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. ¹⁶ To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? 

but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 

Don’t be intimidated by your enemies.

When Christians are persecuted for their faith, it is a sign of the genuineness of their faith.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 NLT
Encouragement during Persecution
³ Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. ⁴ We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. ⁵ And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 

• Live courageously for Christ in the midst of opposition and persecution knowing that you are going to be saved. 

²⁹ For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 

• Both faith (trusting) and suffering are gifts (or privileges) from God.

Acts 5:41 NLT
⁴¹ The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. 

Matthew 5:10-12 NLT
¹⁰ God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

³⁰ We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

When Paul and Silas first visited Philippi they were imprisoned.

Acts 16:19-24 NLT
¹⁹ Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. ²⁰ “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. ²¹ “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
²² A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. ²³ They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. ²⁴ So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

1 Thessalonians 2:2 NLT
² You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition. 

• It is not uncommon for Christians to struggle. 

• As Paul says to the church, We are in this struggle together. 

 

Paul’s Life for Christ

Torn between two desires.

Sometimes only God can make the decision.

Philippians 1:19-26 NLT
Paul’s Life for Christ
¹⁹ For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.
²⁰ For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. ²¹ For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. ²² But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. ²³ I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. ²⁴ But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
²⁵ Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. ²⁶ And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

 Examine the scriptures:

Philippians 1:19-26 NLT
Paul’s Life for Christ 

¹⁹ For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me,

Prayer and the Holy Spirit.

this will lead to my deliverance.

• Prayers of the saints and the working of the Holy Spirit are both powerful assets for us as believers.

What is this deliverance?  We don’t really know.  It could be:

Deliverance from prison (verses 12-14)

Philippians 1:12-14 NLT
¹² And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. ¹³ For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. ¹⁴ And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

Or

The deliverance brought to the believer by death. (verse 23)

²³ I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me.

Or

Both (or even something else).

keep me safe,
freedom,
Salvation: preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.
Deliverance from sin and its consequences (this does not seem to fit here).

Paul is asking for prayer from the Philippians and help from the Holy Spirit. 

Two of Paul’s prayers.

Romans 15:30 NLT
³⁰ Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 4:3 NLT
³ Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.

Two verses about prayer.

Ephesians 6:18 NLT
¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

James 5:16 NLT
^… The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

• The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 

²⁰ For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed,

What keeps us from being ashamed of ourselves when we stand before Christ?

1 John 2:28 NLT
Living as Children of God
²⁸ And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. 

Romans 8:9 NLT
⁹ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.  

• Remain in fellowship with Christ.

John 15:5 NLT
⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 

but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past.

Paul’s boldness
Acts 28:30-31 NLT (this may have ?? been when Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians)
³⁰ For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, ³¹ boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.

A challenge to Us

2 Timothy 1:7-8 NLT (From Paul imprisoned in a cold dungeon to Timothy, and to us)
⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
⁸ So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.

 

• Be bold for Christ.

 And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 

Paul greatest desire was to maintain his faithful witness to Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT
³¹ So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

²¹ For to me, living means living for Christ,

2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT
²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

• So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 

• Our lives should bring honor to Christ whether we live or die. 

and dying is even better.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NLT
The Hope of the Resurrection
¹³ And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
¹⁵ We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. ¹⁷ Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ So encourage each other with these words. 

 ²² But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. ²³ I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 

Live and serve Christ (sharing the gospel with others and building up the church)

Or

Die and be with Christ in heaven for all of eternity.

 

Paul would be a good model of the service driven life.

• A service driven life can be a very difficult life.

Hardships Paul experienced:

2 Corinthians 11:24-28 NLT
²⁴ Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. ²⁶ I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. ²⁷ I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
²⁸ Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.

• Heaven is something to look forward to with great expectation.

John 14:1-3 NLT
^14:1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. ² There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

Revelation 21:1-4 NLT
The New Jerusalem
^21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
³ I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT
⁹ That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”

Philippians 3:20-21 NLT
²⁰ But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. ²¹ He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT
New Bodies
^5:1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.

1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
The Hope of Eternal Life
³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, ⁴ and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 

²⁴ But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

Philippians 2:3-4 NLT
³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 

²⁵ Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. 

Paul would continue to remain with the Philippians which would be for their benefit.

²⁶ And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

Paul knows that the honor and glory belong to Jesus. Jesus is the one who is making a difference in the lives of the Philippians.

Paul’s Joy that Christ is Preached

Philippians 1:12-18 NLT
Paul’s Joy That Christ Is Preached
¹² And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. ¹³ For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. ¹⁴ And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.
¹⁵ It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. ¹⁶ They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. ¹⁷ Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. ¹⁸ But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 

Examine the scriptures:

Philippians 1:12-18 NLT
Paul’s Joy That Christ Is Preached 

¹² And I want you to know,

• Paul is about to say something he deems is important. 

my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here

Paul is in prison in Rome because of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul is also facing opposition from people outside the church as well as being misrepresented by people within the church. (vs. 15-18)

From a human perspective, things are going poorly for Paul.  It may appear to some that Paul’s ministry was put on hold.

• Paul is in prison.

• Paul is also facing opposition from people outside the church as well as being misrepresented by people within the church. 

everything that has happened to me here (repeated)
has helped to spread the Good News. 

• In spite of the fact that things looked bleak for Paul, Christ was being preached. Paul’s ministry has not been curtailed.

Because of Paul’s imprisonment in Rome many people heard the Gospel who would not otherwise have heard it.  Paul’s imprisonment created new opportunities for Paul to share the Gospel.

Paul’s ministry was not being hindered, it was being advanced. 

¹³ For everyone here,

All of the people in Rome who met and heard Paul.

Paul was communicating with many people even though he was a prisoner. 

 including the whole palace guard, 

The palace guard was a group of elite soldiers.  It was an honor to be one of these soldiers.

Paul, most likely, was chained to a Roman soldier.

Speak of a captive audience, that soldier was going to hear about Jesus.

If Paul was chained to a soldier 24/7, he would come in contact with a significant number of soldiers over an extended period of time. 

knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 

“Because of Christ” could have different meanings.

Paul was not in prison because he was a criminal, rather, Paul was in chains because he was preaching the good news of Jesus Christ.

Or

Paul was in prison because he was destined to be there by God’s will, in order to have a unique opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus with a group of people who otherwise would not have been exposed to Paul’s preaching.

• Many people in Rome, including the palace guard, would be hearing Paul’s testimony.

• The palace guards would have opportunities to share Christ with other Roman soldiers as well as share the gospel with Roman officials. 

¹⁴ And because of my imprisonment,

most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

Paul’s boldness was contagious.

The positive response Paul was receiving in the face of opposition caused others to speak out more courageously and fearlessly for Christ.

• Paul’s boldness in the face of opposition caused others to speak out more courageously and fearlessly for Christ. 

¹⁵ It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry.

Their message is true.  Their motives are wrong.

These were people who were hoping to advance their own reputation by their activities. 

But others preach about Christ with pure motives. ¹⁶ They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 

Their message is true.  Their motives are pure. 

¹⁷ Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 

They preach intending to make Paul’s imprisonment more painful. 

¹⁸ But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice.

This implies that the true Gospel was being presented.  These preachers are not being accused of preaching “a different gospel” or “another gospel” like those in the churches of Galatia.

Some are preaching with wrong, insincere motives but the Gospel is being preached.

“The power of the Gospel, therefore, does not depend on the character of the preacher.” (Dr. Constable)

Paul was glad when the gospel was proclaimed, regardless of who received the credit. Paul endured the unjust accusations without bitterness at his accusers.

• “Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way.” 

And I will continue to rejoice. 

• Paul is rejoicing because the gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached. 

 

Application

We may be going through some really tough times, but if the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached we have reason to rejoice.

 

 

 

 

Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians

Introduction:

This is one of Paul’s prayers recorded in scripture.

Pray this prayer for others as well as for yourself.

Philippians 1:9-11 NLT
Paul’s Prayer
⁹ I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. ¹⁰ For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. ¹¹ May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Examine the scriptures:

Review Philippians 1:3-8 NLT

Paul’s Thanksgiving for the Philippians
³ Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. ⁴ Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, ⁵ for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. ⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
⁷ So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. ⁸ God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:9-11 NLT

Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians

⁹ I pray that your love will overflow more and more, 

From the ESV
It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, ….   (ESV)

The most important commandment. 

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”
“And he (Jesus) said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36-39 ESV) 

• Love calls for action. 

Love for God. 

John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 

Love for people.

1 John 3:18 NLT
¹⁸ Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

It is my prayer that you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.

I pray that you also love the people around you.

• Love comes from God.

Romans 5:5 NLT
⁵ … For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 

1 John 4:7 NLT
⁷ Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.

Genuine love requires growth and maturation.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 NLT
¹² And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.

1 Thessalonians 4:10 NLT
¹⁰ Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.

2 Thessalonians 1:3 NLT
³ Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 

and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 

From God:

Colossians 1:9 NLT
⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.

 From the Holy Spirit:

John 14:17 NLT
¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. 

I pray that your love is not simply an emotional love, 

but rather it is love that comes from embracing the truths found in scripture.

• Do what the scripture tells you to do. Embrace the truths found in scripture.

Example:

1 Peter 1:22 NLT
²² You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. 

¹⁰ For I want you to understand what really matters,

see the difference between what is important and what is not and choose what is important (ERV)

be able to discern what is best (NIV)

I pray that your growing love for God and others, as well as your love for Biblical truths, enables you, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to know right from wrong.  

I pray that you will become better equipped to make right decisions and good choices.

Romans 12:2 NLT
² Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷ God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 

• Become better equipped to make right decisions and good choices. 

so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 

Be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.

• Live wholesome lives. 

Our goal: 

Become more like Christ. 

1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT
 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Luke 2:52 NLT
⁵² Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. 

I pray that you have a right relationship with God.  

I pray that you relate to others in such a way that you do not cause them to stumble. 

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 NLT
¹² And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. ¹³ May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen. 

2 Corinthians 5:10 NLT
¹⁰ For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. 

• Relate to others in such a way that you do not cause them to stumble. 

¹¹ May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—

the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ— 

May your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce. (GNT)

• Allow yourself to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

(Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

I pray that your life is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Ephesians 2:10 NLT
¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 

for this will bring much glory and praise to God. 

(1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

I pray that your life glorifies God. 

John 15:8 NLT
⁸ When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

 

It is my prayer that you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. 

I pray that you also love the people around you.

I pray that your love is not simply an emotional love, but rather it is love that comes from embracing the truths found in scripture. 

I pray that your growing love for God and others, as well as your love for Biblical truths, enables you, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to know right from wrong.  

I pray that you will become better equipped to make right decisions and good choices. 

I pray that you have a right relationship with God.  

I pray that you relate to others in such a way that you do not cause them to stumble. 

I pray that your life is full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

I pray that your life glorifies God.

Paul’s Thanksgiving for the Philippians

Introduction:

Note what Paul is most thankful for in this lesson.

Philippians 1:3-8 NLT
Paul’s Thanksgiving for the Philippians
³ Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. ⁴ Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, ⁵ for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. ⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
⁷ So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. ⁸ God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. 

Examine the scriptures:

Philippians 1:3-8 NLT
Paul’s Thanksgiving for the Philippians 

³ Every time I think of you,

About 10 years had passed since Paul first worked with the Philippians.

Paul was now in Roman chains 800 miles away. 

I give thanks to my God. 

Paul expresses his sincere gratitude to God for his friends in Philippi.

Paul is constantly praying for the people in his life.  In fact, he tells the Philippians that he prays for them every time he thinks about them.

• Paul is constantly praying for the people in his life.

Ephesians 6:18 NLT
¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. 

• Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

Notice what Paul is most thankful for in the following verses.

Romans 1:8 NLT
⁸ Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.

1 Corinthians 1:4 NLT
⁴ I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.

Colossians 1:3-4 NLT
³ We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people,

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 NLT
² We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. ³ As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:3
³ Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing.

2 Timothy 1:3-5 NLT
³ Timothy, I thank God for you …Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ⁴ … ⁵ I remember your genuine faith, …

Philemon 1:4-5 NLT
⁴ I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, ⁵ because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. 

• Paul is thankful for people’s …

Paul is thankful for people’s faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all of God’s people.

⁴ Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 

When Paul prays for the Philippians, he does so with joy. 

⁵ for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 

The Philippians readily (“from the first time you heard it”) received the Gospel and became partners with Paul in spreading the Gospel.

Paul introduced and summarized the main theme of Philippians, namely, partnership in the gospel.

Paul’s imprisonment limited his ministry to the Philippian church, but he still prayed for his brethren in Philippi. His prayers were full of joy as he petitioned God for the saints there.

This partnership includes financial support and their concern for Paul, including now while he is in prison. 

⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

These are powerful words of encouragement.

• It is God who initiates our salvation.
• It is God who transforms us (believers) into the likeness of His son Jesus.
• It is God who will one day take us (believers) to be with Him in heaven.
• God will be with us, as believers, until the day we die or until Jesus’ return and then we will be with Him for all of eternity.

God began a good work within us.

It is God who initiates our salvation.

Romans 8:29 NLT
²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 

Ephesians 1:3-8 NLT
³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. ⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵ God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. ⁶ So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. ⁷ He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. ⁸ He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

God will continue his work in us until it is finished.

It is God who transforms us (believers) into the likeness of His son Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT
²³ Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

Hebrews 10:10 & 14 NLT
¹⁰ For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.

¹⁴ For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

Ephesians 4:11-15 NLT
¹¹ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. ¹³ This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
¹⁴ Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. ¹⁵ Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

It is God who will one day take us (believers) to be with Him in heaven.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 NLT
⁹ For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. ¹⁰ Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. ¹¹ So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 

Ephesians 1:13 NLT
¹³ And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. ¹⁴ The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Verse six is loaded. (Read the following from Dr. Constable’s Notes on Philippians.) 

In the New Testament God has revealed that salvation is a process. It involves justification, which takes place when a sinner trusts Jesus Christ as his or her Savior. It also includes progressive sanctification, which occurs continuously from the time of justification until the Christian’s death or the Rapture. And it culminates in glorification, when the redeemed sinner finally sees Jesus Christ and experiences transformation into His image. (From Dr. Constable’s Notes on Philippians)

Ephesians 2:10 NLT
¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. 

In this life here on earth, none of us are perfect.
Many of us are not always doing the good things that God planned for us to do.

Christians can and do resist, oppose, and limit God’s sanctifying work in them (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19).

Ephesians 4:30 NLT
³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 NLT
¹⁹ Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

• Christians can and do resist, oppose, and limit God’s sanctifying work in them (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19). 

Reread: 

³ Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. ⁴ Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, ⁵ for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. ⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. 

⁷ So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart.

You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. 

Imprisonment would have been a source of shame in the culture of that time.  In spite of that, the Philippines willingly identified themselves with Paul with their continued support. 

⁸ God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.

• Paul’s love for the Philippians originated from Christ’s love for Paul.

John 13:34 NLT
³⁴ So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings from Paul to the Philippians

Introduction:

Central theme of Philippians:

How to live as a Christian in a non-Christian World.

Philippi was certainly “a non-Christian world”.

Remember the difference between scripture (God’s Word) and commentary (man’s words).

Much of the content in this lesson is from commentaries.

Philippians 1:1-2 NLT
Greetings from Paul
^1:1 This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.
² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Compare this greeting to some of Paul’s other greetings.

• Paul’s greeting to the Philippians was similar to greetings from some of his other letters.

2 Corinthians 1 NLT
Greetings from Paul
¹ This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
I am writing to God’s church in Corinth and to all of his holy people throughout Greece.
² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Colossians 1 NLT
Greetings from Paul¹ 
This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
² We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.
May God our Father give you grace and peace.

1 Thessalonians 1 NLT
Greetings from Paul
¹ This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.
We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
May God give you grace and peace.

2 Thessalonians 1 NLT
Greetings from Paul
¹ This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.
We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Philemon NLT
Greetings from Paul
¹ This letter is from Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
I am writing to Philemon, our beloved co-worker, ² and to our sister Apphia, and to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house.
³ May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Examine the scriptures:
Philippians 1:1-2 NLT
Greetings from Paul 

^1:1 This letter is from Paul and

Written by Paul

61 or 62 A.D.

• Philippians was a letter written by Paul to the Church in Philippi. 

Timothy,

Timothy was not a co-author of this letter.

Timothy was one of Paul’s most trusted co-workers and messengers.

Timothy was Paul’s beloved son in the faith.

1 Timothy 1:2 NLT
² I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith.

• Timothy had a special interest in the Philippian saints.

Philippians 2:20 NLT
²⁰ I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare.

Philippians 2:19 & 23 NLT
¹⁹ If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along.
²³ I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here.

Paul may have dictated this letter to Timothy.

slaves of Christ Jesus.

• Paul and Timothy considered themselves slaves of Christ Jesus.

Someone who belongs entirely to Christ, completely devoted to His service.

Someone with a spiritual union with Christ.

I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi

God’s holy people.  (Set apart).

The saints at Philippi were set apart for God.

Paul was writing to a church of believers.

Paul most likely wrote this letter to the Philippians during his first Roman imprisonment (A.D. 60-62). It is believed that Paul also wrote Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, the other Prison Epistles during this same time period.

Paul’s visits to Philippi.

Paul visited Philippi on his second missionary journey about 50 A.D.  (49-52 A.D.)

From the beginning there was opposition to Paul’s preaching.

Paul stopped at Philippi two times during his third missionary journey.  (53-57 A.D.)

Paul’s letter was written to the Philippians after he had visited them.

Philippi

Philippi was a small but prosperous Roman colony in the providence of Macedonia.

• Philippians were citizens of Rome and the people enjoyed the special privileges this entailed.

Acts 16: ¹² From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.

The Via Egnatia, which was the main highway going from Rome to Asia ran through Philippi, and it brought much commerce and many travelers to Philippi.

The area was important for its gold mines.

The economy was bolstered by the fertility of the land.

Not enough Jews to permit the establishment of a synagogue (needed 10 Jewish men who were heads of households)

Paul does not quote the Old Testament in this letter.

The first church in Macedonia was established here.

Through his ministry there several people trusted Christ as their Savior.  Some of these were Lydia and her family and the Philippian jailer and his family.

Lydia and her family.

Acts 16:14-15
¹⁴ One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. ¹⁵ She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed. 

The Philippian jailer and his family.

Acts 16:16-34
Paul and Silas in Prison
¹⁶ One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. ¹⁷ …
¹⁸ This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
¹⁹ …
²² A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. ²³ They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. ²⁴ So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
²⁵ Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. ²⁶ Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! ²⁷ The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. ²⁸ But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
²⁹ The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” ³² And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. ³³ … Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. ³⁴ He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

Soon after Paul’s visit a local church was established in Phillipi.

• Lydia and her family and the Philippian jailer and his family were a part of this community of believers.

 who belong to Christ Jesus,

• This letter was written to Christians.

including the church leaders

Overseers, bishops, or elders were responsible for shepherding or pastoring the flock.

and deacons.

Deacons had special practical service responsibilities in the assembly.

Paul does not normally single out “church leaders and deacons” in his greetings.

This communicates the fact that the Philippian church was structured and had leaders and deacons.

² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Paul’s standard greeting.

Grace:

In Christianity, God’s grace and God’s mercy are often confused. Although they are similar expressions of God’s favor and love, they possess a clear distinction. When we experience God’s grace, we receive blessings from God that we do not deserve. When we experience God’s mercy, we are spared from punishment that we do deserve.

Grace can even be defined by the acronym God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.

Grace is undeserved blessing that comes from God’s kindness.

Grace expresses God’s steadfast love toward man.

 

Grace followed by peace.

Both grace and peace find their source in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Purpose:

-Tell the Philippians that Epaphroditus had served him well.  Epaphroditus had been sent by the Philippians to minister to Paul who was in prison.

-Tell the Philippians that Epaphroditus had recovered from a serious illness.

It is possible that Epaphroditus had carried this letter back to Philippi.

Philippians 2:25-27 NLT
Paul Commends Epaphroditus
²⁵ Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. ²⁶ I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. ²⁷ And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.

-Encourage the Philippians in their faith. Challenge them to stand firm in the face of persecution.

-Inform the Philippians of his circumstances in Rome, and assure them that he was still in good spirits,

-Thank the Philippians for their continued support.  The church helped Paul in different ways.

Philippians 4:15-18 NLT
¹⁵ As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. ¹⁶ Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. ¹⁷ I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.
¹⁸ At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus.

2 Corinthians 11:9 NLT
Speaking to the Church in Corinth
⁹ And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.

-Address some problems in the church

Warn the Philippians against false teachers (Judaizers)

Encourage the Philippians to live in humility, unity, and harmony with each other.

 

Philippians is personal and practical and joyful in its tone and teaching.

 

Completing the Armor and Final Greetings

The Final Piece of Armor.

The Whole Armor of God.

We are in a spiritual on a daily basis.

God has made spiritual resources available to us through Jesus Christ, and we need to use them in our battle against evil.

The spiritual resources mentioned in the previous passage were the truth (belt), righteousness (breastplate), the Gospel (shoes), faith (shield), salvation (helmet), and the Word of God (sword).

The final piece of our armor is prayer.

Without prayer we are not properly armed for spiritual battle.

Without prayer, our armor is incomplete.

Ephesians 6:18-24 NLT
¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
¹⁹ And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. ²⁰ I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

Final Greetings
²¹ To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work. ²² I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.
²³ Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. ²⁴ May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 6:18-24 NLT

¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit

We are in a spiritual warfare.

• Without prayer, our armor is incomplete.

Pray in the Spirit.

Pray with divine help.

• Pray with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

Jude 20 NLT
²⁰ But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,

Praying out of hearts and souls that are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:26 NLT
²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Pray for things the Spirit wants us to pray for.

Praying in the Spirit is praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for.

Verses to reflect on.

Matthew 6:10 NLT
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven. 

Colossians 1:9 NLT
⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 

1 John 5:14 NLT
¹⁴ And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. 

at all times and on every occasion.

• Pray continually in all situations.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT
¹⁷ Never stop praying.

Philippians 4:6 NLT
⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  

Romans 12:12 NLT
¹² Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Prayer is crucial in spiritual warfare.

• Prayer is essential at all times and on every occasion. 

Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers

Stay alert and be persistent.

Matthew 26:41 NLT
⁴¹ Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

Mark 13:33 NLT
³³ …, be on guard! Stay alert! 

Luke 11:9 NLT
⁹ “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 

• Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers. “…, keep on asking, … keep on seeking, … and keep on knocking, …” 

 for all believers everywhere.

• • Scripture tells us to pray for all believers everywhere.

• Scripture tells us to pray for all people.

Pray for all people.

1 Timothy 2:1 NLT
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 

Apply the following to prayer. 

Galatians 6:10 NLT
¹⁰ Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

• Request prayer for specific needs. 

¹⁹ And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. 

²⁰ I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador.

So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

As a teacher, ask God to give you the right words as you are addressing your students.

Ask God to help you to be bold in sharing Biblical principles.

Final Greetings

²¹ To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along.

Apparently Tychicus was the person who brought this epistle to the Ephesians.

He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work. ²² I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.

Paul’s salutation to the Ephesians. (An expression of goodwill.) 

²³ Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, 

and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 

Peace, love, and faith are gifts from God.

“Keep on keeping on” seems to fit here.

1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT
¹³ Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

These are gifts that will last forever.

Paul’s benediction to the Ephesians. (Bestowing a blessing.) 

²⁴ May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul concludes the letter much like he began the letter.

Ephesians 1:2 NLT
² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 

• Paul’s closing words are both encouraging and motivating,

 

For the faculty and staff at Redeemer Day School

1 Thessalonians 1:2-4 NLT
² We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. ³ As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁴ We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.

 

• • • Without prayer, our armor is incomplete.
    • Pray with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
    • Pray continually in all situations.
    • Prayer is essential at all times and on every occasion.
    • Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers. “…, keep on asking, … keep on seeking, … and keep on knocking, …”
    • Scripture tells us to pray for all believers everywhere.
    • Scripture tells us to pray for all people.
    • Request prayer for specific needs.
    • Paul’s closing words are both encouraging and motivating,