This week's Bible study will be Philippians chapter four

Don't Worry, Be Happy

[Philippians chapter four]

Last week when we concluded our in-depth analysis of the third chapter of the book of Philippians, we obtained comprehension about rejoicing in the Lord, as well as comparing our walk with Christ to running in a marathon race of endurance in order to win first prize. We don't do so like a sprint or a 100-yard dash, but rather as a marathon race where all participants must be in that race for the long haul. The principal difference between running this particular marathon, a race that comprises entire lifetimes, is that everybody who finishes wins. Contrast that with sporting or Olympic events, where there is one winner and one loser, or where only first, second and third prizes are offered. But when we run towards a personal, 1-on-1 relationship with Jesus Christ, instead of medals made of gold, silver or bronze, we receive the ultimate prize of eternal life with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Rather than being here on earth, our trophies are in heaven, in New Jerusalem (see Revelation chapters 21 and 22 for details). Regarding the act and the lifestyle of rejoicing in the Lord no matter what our circumstances, the apostle Paul continues and enlarges on this topic, beginning in chapter four and verse one.

“Therefore, my brothers, you whom I long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, my friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Synteche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yoke-fellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the Gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4, verses 1-9, NIV)

Paul was pleading with two women church members who apparently had an argument or strong disagreement of an unknown nature. The names and the argument are unimportant. What matters the most here is that Paul wants them to rally around Christ and himself (in that order) for the sake of the Church and the Gospel. Instead of arguments and contention among themselves, Paul wrote, they should be contending together for the cause of Jesus Christ. In order to do this, Paul wrote, we can all start by rejoicing in the Lord. I can easily put this into perspective. If Jesus walked into the room or into your church right in the middle of worship, what would you do? Would you sit in your chair with your arms folded? Of course not! You would be jumping up and down like children on Christmas morning! You would be running up to Him in order to thank him for saving your soul and your life, or trying to touch him for his healing, or falling down on your knees and crying out to him in worship as the Son of God. Everyone would be quite emotional, to say the least, and I dare say that would include myself as well. Rejoicing in the Lord and praising him should come as naturally to us as breathing or walking. Well guess what? Jesus is already there with us all, not just at church on Sunday (or Saturday, depending on your beliefs and your faith) but at every waking moment of our lives, even when we are fast asleep. Jesus never leaves us, as he said: “Never will I leave you or forsake you”.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” “The Lord is near”, Paul wrote, and it's ever so true. Therefore, whatever is lovely, admirable, kind, generous, truthful, loyal, patient, kind, excellent or praiseworthy, let's all make these things the focus of our lives as we re-double our efforts to become all of the above to the best of our abilities. I said this before and I'll include it in this lesson once again – Jesus is with us all the time. He is watching what we do and He's listening to everything we say. Act as if Jesus is right beside you, because he is. Practice all these things, Paul wrote, and the “peace of God” that is beyond all human comprehension or understanding will be with us wherever we go. So now let's conclude our study of the book of Philippians starting at verse 10.

“I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the Gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what can be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. (Philippians 4, verses 10-23, NIV)

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Let's pause right here and ask ourselves these key questions: Are we content no matter what? Do we let bad situations and bad people ruin our day? If we're broke and hungry, unemployed, or distraught, do we handle these types of circumstances well? Conversely, if we're rolling in money and good fortune, or if we get a job promotion or a pay raise, or a better job, do we gloat about it in the presence of others who are less fortunate than we are? Do we “cop an attitude” and let our good fortune go to our heads? If so, any person who does these things is simply not walking in the Spirit of Christ. Those people can tell me all day long about their alleged Christianity and it won't matter because they're lying to me and to themselves. “I can do all things”, Paul wrote, “through Jesus Christ who strengthens me”. Christ is the focal point, not ourselves. As Christian author Max Lucado wrote, “It's not about me. It's all about Him.” This is something that I must work at every day, and so it is with all of us. Depending on Jesus when we were formerly accustomed to being self-sufficient, self-reliant and independent individuals does not come easily to anyone. I grew up in foster care, with no real family of my own, so I became a fiercely independent person by the time I was a teenager. From that standpoint alone, depending on Christ and waiting on him was difficult for me, and some days it still is. But I focus on doing better one day at a time, because it's easier that way and it allows me to have a closer walk with Christ. And I pray that you all have an equally closer walk with Him who strengthens you as well. I will close this study by quoting the apostle Paul – “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever.... The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”

This week's Bible study will be Philippians chapter three

Attaining the Ultimate Goal

[Philippians chapter three]

Today we will continue our study of the apostle Paul's letter to the church at Philippi, which was located in what is modern Turkey today. As you recall from last week's lesson, Paul is exhorting and encouraging the Philippian church to do whatever is required – first for the Church and second for themselves – without complaint or excuse, and to be “shining like stars in the universe” as a testimony to everyone we know or come into contact with, that the Spirit of Christ dwells within each of us. They were, Paul wrote, living in a “crooked and depraved generation”, and he strongly urged them to “continue since He loves us all” so very much, but we need to be sure and fear the consequences of disobedience. All we have to do is look around us, and we can see the consequences of rejection of God and of Jesus Christ, his teaching and instruction. Wars, disease, addiction, broken marriages, fractured lives and shattered people, and even premature death can be attributed to willful disobedience or refusal to believe in the salvation of Christ. Granted, there are always other factors regarding these things as well, and just because such things happen, that doesn't necessarily mean that anyone going through such difficulties in life has somehow been condemned. On the contrary, sometimes God steps back and allows hardship to take place in our lives because He is building our moral character, our inner strength and our Spiritual fortitude. Having written this, let's take up where we left off last week with the first half of chapter three.

“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write these things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh – though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from Christ and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead.” (Philippians 3, verses 1-11, NIV)

“Rejoice in the Lord”, Paul wrote. Our salvation is assured, not only for ourselves but for all who believe in Christ and who trust him implicitly. There is no point in being unhappy or discontented due to this priceless gift that we all possess. It is a well-known fact that it takes more facial muscles to frown than it does to smile. That clearly applies here. We do not worship a grumpy God, nor is our Lord Jesus Christ ever in a “bad mood”. These are frivolous human emotions, and as such they are far beneath our Lord and Savior. Religion will not save us either, as the apostle Paul pointed out when he described himself before he was saved on the road to Damascus (see Acts chapter 9 for the full story on that). Although he obeyed the Law of Moses and was a member of the religious elite of his day, the Pharisees, he wrote that “whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ”. All his religious beliefs, which he had learned and memorized from his youth, he now considered to be “rubbish”. He even called those of his former faith “dogs”, which is actually a watered down and diluted way of calling them SOB's! That would be the modern equivalent of calling the Pope an expletive, or of referring to your pastor, priest or rabbi by using profanity. As you can now see, this was really radical stuff in Paul's day to say the least, as it would be in modern times too.

“I consider everything a loss”, Paul wrote, “compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things”. As you can clearly see here, having religious knowledge – knowledge even to the point of persecuting the early church as Paul did – pales in comparison to having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If translated literally from the original Hebrew in which Paul wrote this letter, “having knowledge” meant having intimacy with Jesus, not in a physical way as between man and woman, but in a Spiritual way. Paul had lost everything he had – not just his material possessions, but also his good standing and reputation from within the Hebrew establishment of his day. This is the equivalent of walking away from one's entire life, including our careers, our families and friends, and even our homes. When Paul traveled from church to church, he would arrange for accommodations with one or more of the members of that particular congregation, since he had no money to pay for lodging anywhere. This makes me stop and wonder whether any of us would be willing to make such an extreme personal sacrifice for Christ. But, consider the fact that this is what it will take to remain a follower of Christ during the coming tribulation prophesied in the book of Revelation, in Matthew chapter 24, Luke chapter 21, and numerous other places. Having said that, I think we're ready to finish up chapter three, beginning at verse 12.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already remained perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they may be like his glorious body.” (Philippians 3, verses 12-21, NIV)

“I press on toward the goal”, Paul wrote, “to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”, which was and should still be “to attain to the resurrection of the dead” for all of us. This is a clear reference to the resurrection of Christ on the morning of the third day after he was crucified. In so doing, Jesus conquered death itself and attained eternal life seated at the right hand of the Father (“Where, O death, is your victory; where, O death, is your sting?”, wrote the prophets of old who foresaw the coming of the salvation of Christ centuries before it occurred). By this alone we are saved from eternal death and condemnation, as I have already presented to you numerous times, and so we too have attained eternal life in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That's what Jesus meant when he said, “If I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all men (and women, because equality is Scriptural) unto me”.

“And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.” Never mind all the little details that can get us bogged down in minutia, but be very clear on the main points of your Christianity and your salvation which is found only in Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the “author and finisher of our faith”, and our “kinsman redeemer”. He alone made the Supreme Sacrifice, offering up himself for the sins of humankind. Otherwise, we would never be able to stand in God's presence and live within his anointing. Without Jesus Christ, none of us would stand even the slightest chance of being able to spend eternity with God in heaven. “Join with others in following my example”, Paul wrote. I find this to be a very good illustration of leadership by example. Anybody can stand in a pulpit on Sunday morning and point his or her finger at everybody and say, “Thou shalt not” or whatever. Whereas Paul wrote that the Philippian church should not just do as somebody says, but instead we are to be following the example of the apostle Paul and do as he did as he followed Christ.

“Our citizenship is in heaven”, Paul wrote, “and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they may be like his glorious body.” We are not of this world. We live within it, I grant you that. But I have noticed, as have most of you, that the closer I draw myself to Christ, the more that the rest of the unbelieving world pushes me away. This in no way means that Christians don't have a social life, or even a love life (provided that it is monogamous). But it does mean that we should regard ourselves as separate and as being set aside so we can keep ourselves detoxified by the impurity and idolatry of the world and all the useless junk that the world has to offer to us and so tempt us to sin against Jesus. Upon our physical death, our former bodies are left behind so that we can take on the pureness and the glory that is Christ Jesus, and these will be immortal bodies that will last forever, beyond the reach of the passage of time as we now know it. This is the ultimate victory that awaits us, and it is the “prize” that the apostle Paul wrote about in the above passage of Scripture. Follow the example of Paul as I do. Press onward toward the prize that can only be found in the eternal life of Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of the Father while he waits for just the exact right moment to transform us into celestial beings that live forever. That very moment is forthcoming, and it's the most worthy goal we can ever achieve.

This week's Bible study will be Philippians chapter two

Every Knee Will Bow and Every Tongue Confess

[Philippians chapter two]

Brothers and sisters, today we will continue our study of the apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians by examining chapter two. In keeping with my commitment to this ministry and to Christ, and since there is so much in here to contemplate, I'm committed to reaching as many people as I can. So rather than rush through this and risk losing anybody, let's take our time with this slightly longer, power-packed letter from the apostle Paul, beginning at verse one. 

 

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to their own interests, but also to the interest of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2, verses 1-13, NIV)

Have comfort in and through God's unlimited love, and have fellowship in the Holy Spirit so we can develop tenderness and compassion! Remember the words of the apostle John, who wrote that, “it doesn't matter how much we love God, so long as we remember that God loved us first” by sending his son Jesus to be a living sacrifice for all of us. Tenderness and compassion towards others is a hallmark of those who work continuously at being better Christians, as well as being full-time “ambassadors for Christ”. Jesus said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”. Don't tell Jesus how often you go to church, or how much you put into the collection basket. He is far more interested in, first, how well we treat others, and second, how did we serve other people.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” If we spend our lives devoted to our own comfort, and that of our immediate families, then that is worth very little in God's sight. That's why everyone will have to stand before God and be judged according to how well they served others, first as ambassadors for Christ, and second with a life well lived by putting others ahead of ourselves in importance. “Whatsoever you do for the least of my brethren”, Jesus famously said in all four gospels, “that you do for me”.

“Your attitude”, Paul wrote, “should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”, who humbled himself to the extreme of lowliness by allowing himself to be executed as a common criminal, only to rise again on the morning of the third day. In so doing, He achieved eternal life for himself, as well as for all who call upon his name. That means us, people, so that when our lives are finally over we can be with him in Paradise. Without the supreme sacrifice of Christ Jesus, nobody would be saved, that's for sure! “At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, ... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus conquered everything, even death itself. Moreover, when Jesus lay in the borrowed tomb in which he was buried for three days, he went on a search and rescue mission for every lost soul who has ever lived or whoever will live. Meaning, He liberated hell itself and all those who were in it who were not destined to be there forever like Satan and his demonic minions who wreak havoc upon the earth and its inhabitants. Jesus swept them all up and took them home with him, like a parent coming to the rescue of a kidnapped child!

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”, Paul wrote, but what did he really mean here? Having fear of the Lord, in its original context, meant to have extreme reverence towards God, who chose to make us in his image and likeness even though He didn't have to or feel compelled to. It doesn't mean that we should be afraid of God as we would, say, a bully or an armed criminal, or an abusive parent or spouse. God operates out of love, not fear, as the apostle John wrote when he said, “Perfect love drives out fear.” If anyone comes to you and claims to be a servant of Christ while making you feel apprehensive or intimidated, get away from that person or that church (yes, unfortunately there are churches like that) immediately. Sometimes knowing God's will is mainly common sense, and in cases like this there is no need to inquire of the Lord. The obvious answer can sometimes be right in front of us. The flip side of this coin is the mention of the word “trembling”, meaning that we don't have to fear God, but we should fear the consequences of sin if we are doing so deliberately. (Yes, unfortunately there are Christians like that, and they are jeopardizing their salvation in and through Christ if they continue and do not repent!) Now that we have examined this treasure trove of Spiritual material, we can move on to the second half of our study of chapter two.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars of the universe as you hold out the word of life – in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me. I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy with you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the Gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy upon him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help that you could not give me.” (Phil. 2, verses 14-30, NIV)

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure...”. One thing is for sure – nobody likes those who constantly complain, and that goes double for those who bicker and quarrel constantly over every tiny little thing. Such people are negative people who take offense at everything and everybody they dislike, and often for trivial reasons, as you know. Such people can and do profess their faith in Christ all day long, but they are in danger of not being saved because their faith is polluted with negative human emotion, not to mention the fact that such people are inherently ungrateful and often mean-spirited individuals. No matter how much they receive and how much they benefit, they are never satisfied – they always want more. Under no circumstances will any person who is greedy, ungrateful, hateful, argumentative or combative make it into heaven when their physical lives are over. This was what Jesus meant when he said, “Not everyone who says 'Lord, Lord', will see the kingdom of God”. As it was then, so it remains to this day.

“Shine like stars of the universe as you hold out the word of life”, is exactly what those who complain and argue should be doing instead. So if there is anyone like this who wishes to repent – and it's a commendable thing when one recognizes the error of their ways and repents – this would be an excellent place from which to begin. Jesus taught something similar to this during his famous and beloved sermon on the mount when He taught, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5, verses 14-16.)” There is your answer in a nutshell – be a shining light for all to see. Not everyone can do this in exactly the same way, so there is no perfect one-size-fits-all method that applies uniformly to all persons. Instead, we should be doing just as the apostle Paul wrote earlier when he referred to “working out your own salvation with fear and trembling”. 

 

“For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ”. As we saw in another recent study, those individuals who become ministers as a career choice – meaning they are in it for the money – are entering the ministry for all the wrong reasons. As a well-known evangelist said fairly recently, “The only way I could start this ministry was to mortgage my house to the hilt. But things got off to a really slow start, so I asked God why the ministry wasn't doing any better at that time. I protested to the Lord that I had already given my house for start-up money, and that I had nothing left to give. But God answered my prayer by saying that He didn't want or need my house, but what he really wanted was me. I had totally surrendered the house and the money, but I forgot to include myself.” So it is with the rest of us, and this is what Paul was referring to when he wrote what he did.

The apostle Paul finishes up this chapter with some comments about the business of the early church. On the surface, at least, most of this seems to be rather mundane stuff. But there is one final thing I wish to point out in closing this week's study. A nearly forgotten minister in the early church was a gentleman by the name of Epaphroditus. Paul notes that this person became ill to the point of nearly dying while performing his service to the church at Philippi. This makes me wonder how many modern preachers, teachers, evangelists and overseers (see 1^st Corinthians chapter 14) would go to this extreme for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. So let us ask ourselves, “Would I be willing to serve Jesus Christ even to the point of nearly dying, like Epaphroditus did? Would I be faithful even unto death?” 

 

Whether you believe it or not, we are very close to our Lord and Savior's second and final coming. As we get ever closer, there can be no doubt that the infamous Antichrist will soon make his appearance on the world stage. As you know or have heard, he will force everybody “both great and small” to receive his mark on the hand or forearm or forehead. How this will occur is still open to debate, and it currently includes what I see as excessive speculation. Two things I know for sure, and that is that no one will be able to buy or sell unless they have the mark of the beast, and those who refuse to allow themselves to wear his mark will be killed, and this may well include myself if I am still living then. Paul prophesied about this when he wrote in another letter, “a day is coming when no man will be able to work”. Are you prepared to become a living sacrifice for Christ by refusing to take the mark of the beast? I am, and you should be too. Jesus sacrificed himself for us on the cross, so we should all be prepared to do the same. This is tough to contemplate, I know. But the reward will be eternal life in Him. Amen.

This week's Bible study will be the 2nd half of Philippians chapter one

To Live Is For Jesus Christ, But to Die Is Gain

[Philippians chapter 1, verses 18-30]

When we concluded last week's study of the first half of Philippians chapter one, the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi expressing his concern about various congregations competing with each other instead of being united while spreading the Gospel of Christ. Some preached and taught with complete devotion to Jesus, while others preached and taught for selfish or corrupt reasoning as well as what amounted to vanity or pride. Evidently some were founding and administrating the churches and ministering to their members out of a desire to serve Jesus Christ, while others were doing so because they saw founding and administrating their churches as being what we would today call being a vocation or a career choice. Being in the ministry is a calling, but more than that – ministry is a passion to serve the One who performed the ultimate service for all of us by dying on the cross for our sins, only to rise from the dead on the morning of the third day! Under no circumstances should going into the ministry be considered to be a professional career move, as this amounts to being a pastor and leader of churches for all the wrong reasons (such as an easy paycheck). As we begin today's study, the apostle Paul takes up where he left off, setting a good example for us all by being thankful and grateful no matter who was leading any given church at that time. So let's get underway beginning at the second half of verse 18.

“Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ but to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what will I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.” (Phil. 1, verses 18-26, NIV)

You will no doubt recall from last week's study that Paul was “in chains” for Christ, and his comment that “all the palace guard” had become keenly aware that Paul was a man who lived his life as a living testimony to Christ. This is the equivalent to what we would term today to be leadership by example. Back in Paul's day and time living conditions were very primitive by today's standards, and there was no internet or any other form of long distance communication except for what we would call snail mail. These letters would be carried by couriers who likely worked for ultra-low wages by modern standards (on second thought, wages today are just as bad, if not worse). “Through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ”, Paul wrote, “what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” It is a proven fact, based on my own experiences plus that of countless other believers, that God can and does take bad persons, places and situations and turn them into good for all those who love the Lord and have an intense desire to serve Him. Remember that serving halfheartedly, or serving out of feelings of obligation, does not measure up to God's standards. One of the best quotes from the Bible in this regard – and a personal favorite of mine – comes from the book of Revelation chapter three, verses 15-16, which says “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

“For to me, to live is Christ but to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.” These two sentences hearken back to one of the teachings of Christ Jesus. He said, “He who loves his life will lose it, but those who sacrifice their lives for my sake will find it.” It's all about priorities, everyone! Does anyone love their earthly life, their possessions, and themselves more than anything else? Then that person will not see the kingdom of God or spend eternity with Him! People such as these are too attached to their homes, cars, boats, airplanes, big screen TV's and especially their investments, and they will lose everything when their lives are over. You can't take anything with you when you die, nor have I ever seen a funeral procession in traffic with a rented truck following behind it. Do not store up treasures on earth, Jesus said, store your treasures in heaven instead. “Wherever your treasures are”, he said, “there your heart will be as well.” (Matt. 6: 21) Make Christ your treasure, recognizing that life is really short, so you will have the fruit of your labor and your heart in the right place.

“I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith...” Despite being jailed for the Gospel, Paul was determined to remain on earth and in the service of Christ Jesus. I find Paul's complete absence of selfishness to be inspiring and most admirable. There was no question whatsoever in Paul's mind that he would go to be with the Lord for all eternity when his life here on earth was over. We all need this kind of assurance, and it can only be obtained by complete and unshakable faith in Christ. I don't mean the fist-bumping high-fives kind of assurance that come from selfishness, pride or vanity. That would be an emotional reaction. I'm writing about assurance in the Spirit, which is knowing that we have lived our lives for Christ to the very best of our abilities, and that His shed blood on the cross makes up the rest of the difference. That would be a Spiritual reaction devoid of human vanity, conceit or ambition. Finally, let your joy in Christ, meaning his salvation and eternal life, be evident to all those you come into contact with so that all our joy in Jesus Christ would be overflowing for all to see. In other words, be a good example through leadership by example. And now let's finish up the first chapter of Philippians, starting at verse 27.

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one Spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the Gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved – and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggles you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” (Phil. 1, verses 27-30, NIV)

“Stand firm in one Spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the Gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.” Be united in the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ, all for one and one for all! Let there be no disunity, conflict or strife within any congregation, but instead be resolute and uncompromising in your faith. Contend as one body, whether male or female, because there will be no gender, race or ethnicity in existence once we have entered the Kingdom of God. There is gender and race in the flesh, but never in the Spirit. Never be frightened by those who oppose you or who try to bully you with their point of view, because that is the very antithesis of the Holy Spirit. If God is for us, Paul wrote in one of our earlier studies, then who can be against us? Also, we are not to rely on our own abilities in our acts of selfless service to the Lord. “Lean not on your own understanding”, the Bible admonishes. God doesn't need our help, but it is we who need His help instead. This is the hallmark of true devotion to Christ, and real Christians are not intimidated by those who presume to dominate our thinking and micro-manage our lives for us (I have seen this occur in too many of the churches I have been a part of in the past). And we are most certainly not intimidated by Satan, who has no power over us once we surrender our lives to Christ. So, if you find yourself beset by circumstances and people who work against you and who make themselves your enemies, and if there seems to be no way out, remember that God will provide us with sufficient strength so that when we are caught in the middle of bad things, people and circumstances we will be strong enough to endure all kinds of avarice and temptation. Remember that God is always with us, and so is our guardian angel (yes, everybody has one of those without exception). Since He is constantly with us, we believers need to make that a 2-way street, constantly making ourselves available to the Lord no matter what. Those who do this will lead victorious lives with a lot more pluses than minuses, and it will show in our way of living, and especially in how we treat other people. That, fellow believers, is the trademark of every devoted Christian, and it's always an admirable goal worth attaining.

This week's Bible study will begin a series on the Book of Philippians

Rejoicing With Other People of Faith

[Philippians chapter 1, verses 1-18]

Today, having just completed our verse-by-verse study of Galatians, we will move on to the book of Philippians. Unlike Galatians, which was a healthy dose of tough love mixed with plenty of encouragement, Philippians is a book full of exhortation, thanksgiving and lavish praise. As we begin, we are made aware of the presence of Timothy, a protege' and a deacon of the apostle Paul's for which two of Paul's letters are named after. Although not one of the original apostles, Timothy figures prominently in early church history. And so today we'll be going over the first half of chapter one, beginning at the first verse.

“Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the Gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.” (Phil. 1, verses 1-11, NIV)

“Grace and peace to you...” Grace, which is unmerited or unearned favor from God and is only obtained when we give our lives to Christ, always precedes the Peace of Christ, which is literally a lifetime project for every believer, speaking from my own experience. The Peace of Christ is not something that is doled out by God like an allotment, but it is the end result of a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ on a personal level. We do not get His peace all at once, but it is learned by all believers a little at a time because our limited human minds would not be able to comprehend it if it were to be delivered to us all at once. It would overload our brains if we were to attempt such an undertaking on our own.

 

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Let's stop and ask ourselves a fundamental question about this. Do the people we come into contact with on a regular basis thank God every time they think of you? If not, then we're still not there yet in our walk with Christ. Family members, friends, co-workers, our bosses and company managers, those we worship with at church and strangers we meet everywhere, if we can get all of these individuals to thank God for us and the good things we do just once, that would be sufficient evidence of a life well lived. Remember what Jesus taught us – it's in all four gospels – “whatsoever you do for the least of mine, that you do for me”. Make others your reason for living! Why lead a self-centered life, or why be egotistical? Nobody can please God when they act like that, they are pleasing only themselves. Remember another thing Jesus said about that: “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but they who humble themselves before God will be exalted”. (Luke 18: 14)

“He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.” He, of course, refers directly to Christ. “Carry it to completion” means how well you lived your life by honoring God, with the understanding that this is an ongoing process or a work in progress that lasts a lifetime. “Whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the Gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.” I find this to be admirable about the apostle Paul. He maintained a good attitude even though he and Timothy were “in chains”, which is an old expression for being in jail. Never mind, Paul wrote, that I am locked up again for preaching the Gospel. Just keep on worshiping and praising God anyway. Keep your eyes on Christ, Paul was writing, not on me.

Paul's prayer, “That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ”, is my prayer for all of you as well. Being “pure and blameless until the day of Christ” is a clear reference to the Second Coming of Christ. Although we are citizens of the kingdom of God and by extension children of God, we are to maintain our status as such in anticipation of His return. This is job #1 for every Christian believer no matter who they are, where they live, how much money they have (or not), or who they know. If we devote as much of our time as we can and make it our first priority, many of the other smaller things in life will simply fall into place. With that in mind, let's continue at verse twelve.

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel. As a result, it has become clear to the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the Gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” (Phil. 1, verses 12-18, NIV)

“What has happened to me”, Paul wrote, “has really served to advance the Gospel.” Evidently the apostle Paul was imprisoned when he wrote this entire letter. Attempts to stifle the Gospel by the Roman government apparently had the exact opposite result of what was originally intended. “Because of my chains”, he wrote, “most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” The same thing has happened throughout the history of the greater church, the most notable example being the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Empire in 1989-1990. Once communism fell, it was followed by mass revival in Europe and Russia, and more recently in mainland China, all of which are currently works in progress for the Lord and the Church. In my opinion, this is a sure sign that we are living in the last days as described throughout the Bible, which says that all will be finished as far as the Lord is concerned “when the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled”. That means us!

“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of good will.” The ferocious competition between rival churches for new membership – which is a code word for new donation sources in certain “prosperity gospel” churches, and which I have previously commented about at length – is as old as Christianity itself. Still other churches – I will decline to name any denominations here – preach and teach that their message is the only true gospel, implying that every other church out there is phony except for theirs. I view this as being tantamount to judging other people, which the Bible repeatedly warns us about. Judgment isn't our job, it's God's and His alone. To sum this up in a single sentence, there are those who preach the Gospel and who attend church for all the wrong reasons. Those who do this and refuse to repent of this serious sin will fully deserve the condemnation they will receive. They will stand before God on judgment day expecting to be admitted to heaven for eternity, only to find themselves headed in the opposite direction, much to their horror. I pray every single day that I please not end up like these thoroughly deceived individuals, and that my name remain in the Lamb's Book of Life (see Revelation chapter 20, verses 12-15). For anyone who is a believer – or who wants to become one – and who isn't already doing as I do, today is the prefect day to start. Remember, we don't have much time left, and I cannot overemphasize this fact. Start getting yourselves ready, because He is coming back very soon. And as we do, let us all rejoice together because of Jesus Christ and all he has done for us.