Philippians Bible Study Week 1

Transcription

1 Philippians Bible Study Week 1 Key Facts (from The Cross, The Cradle, and The Crown) - Author Paul - Date Around 59 AD (most likely prior to Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon) - Provenance First Roman imprisonment - Destination Church at Philippi - Occasion Thanksgiving for the Philippians partnership in the gospel and warnings against disunity and false teaching as hindrances to the spread of the gospel. - Purpose To promote gospel centered unity for the sake of advancing the gospel - Themes partnership in the gospel and walking worthy of the gospel - Key verses 1:27-30 Background Text - First church in Europe, gospel transitioned from Asia Minor. - Luke records the founding of the church at Philippi in Acts 16. o Macedonian vision (16:6-10). And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them (10). o Lydia the first convert (Acts 16:11-15). The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul (14). o Paul and Silas were thrown in prison for freeing a slave girl from demon possession. They were singing in prison, when God broke their chains by sending an earthquake. The Philippian jailer and his family are saved and baptized. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God (34). - The church was encouraged and built up through the presence and teaching of Timothy, Erastus, and Paul (Acts 19:21-23; 20:6) - They took care of Paul as he labored in the gospel, and this is evidence of their long standing relationship (2 Corinthians 11:9). Philippians 1: things we will focus on tonight: 1. Who we are 2. How we love 3. What we love

2 Who We Are 1:1-2 1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons. 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are slaves of Christ - This is one of Paul s primary ways to identify himself throughout the Scriptures (Romans 1:1; Titus 1:1) - The word bears the full weight of being owned by another. There was no autonomy for the slave. His own will was totally subject to the will of another so that he was a person with no right of personal choice. (Word Biblical Commentary, 4) o We are not our own, rather we are owned by God (1 Corinthians 6:20) o Yet we are also friends for we know what the master is doing (John 15:15) - Slavery to God is the only true freedom - And paradoxically, for Paul to be a slave of this divine master was the only way to be a truly free person free from the tyranny of sin (Rom 6:18-22), of fear (Gal 4:8-9), and of the law (Rom 7:1-6) (WBC 5) - Paul is going to stress throughout this letter a very Christian concept, the greatest person must be the servant and the most important the slave of all (cf. Mark 10:43-44) (WBC 5) - In speaking of deacons as those who serve, here value systems are completely reversed and Jesus is responsible for this change. He consciously opposed the world s idea of values and substituted his own; greatness lies not in freedom from serving, but in serving (Mark 10:43), in being the servant of all. Hence Paul sees rulers as servants of the church or of Christ (Roma 16:1; 1 Cor 3:5; Eph 6:21; Col 1:7). (WBC 9) 1. Do I see myself this way? In what areas of my life is this true of me and what areas of my life am I still trying to maintain ownership of? 2. How does the truth that being a slave of God is the only way to be free help me navigate and speak into the present cultural waters of everyone doing whatever is right for them?

3 We are saints in Christ - Paul s use of saints sets up his expectations for their behavior. They are a holy people, set apart by God, distinct by God s gracious choice, much like Israel (Ex 19:5, 6; Lev 11:44, 45). - Why are we chosen to be his people, his saints? 1 Peter 2:9-12 clarifies that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light and abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. - Relationship to God requires a moral response; God s people must live like God. (WBC 6) - In Christ Paul uses 164 times, For Paul, in Christ seems to have been the key phrase by which he was able to describe the essence of the Christian life (1 Corinthians 1:30, 31) (WBC 6). 1. Do I live in light of who I already am in Christ? Is my obedience flowing out of my new identity as a saint or am I still trying to earn the right to be a saint by my behavior? We are recipients of grace and peace - Although Paul uses this greeting often, it is not out of routine, but carries great significance. - Grace and peace The whole greeting, therefore, states that the OT dream for the future is being fulfilled (Isaiah 11:1-9) and therefore it becomes an epitome of all that is central and essential in the Christian religion. (WBC 11) - We cannot walk worthy of the gospel if we do not live in light of its benefits, namely grace and peace (Psalm 103:2). - Grace o The gift of God that is our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9) o How we are justified and redeemed (Romans 3:24) o The means by which we gain access to God and therefore a reason for great rejoicing (Romans 5:2). o A sufficient help in times of suffering and weakness (2 Corinthians 12:8-9) o A quality that overflows from the fullness of Christ (John 1:14) o The means by which we do God s work (Acts 6:8)

4 o What strengthens our hearts (Hebrews 13:9) o Something we readily extend to others (1 Peter 4:10) o A gift of God to the humble (James 4:6) - Peace o A blessing from God that strengthens us (Psalm 29:11) o Something we are to pursue (Psalm 34:14) o A promise from God for His people (Psalm 85:8) o A quality that originates in Christ (Isaiah 9:6) o A state of mind we are kept in by God when we trust Him (Isaiah 26:9) o Our security in the midst of the most difficult circumstances (Isaiah 5:10) o Something we can have in Christ though the world around us is trouble (John 16:33) o It calms our fears (John 14:27) o A gift that overflows from God Himself (2 Thessalonians 3:16) o The filling of God which enables us to overflow with hope (Romans 15:13) o It guards our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7) 1. Am I consciously aware of God s grace and peace to me every day in Christ Jesus? 2. What areas of my life am I presently struggling in that are a result of not walking in light of the grace and peace of God? Group Question 1. Share which one of these aspects of our identity is most encouraging or most challenging. Why? 1: I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be

5 pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Our identity is crucial in our ability to love and our measure of genuine obedience will never surpass the measure of our love. Without the affection of Christ Jesus we will not pray, participate in the mission of God, or progress in our faith. We are slaves of Christ and therefore are compelled to obey the master s call to love Him, our neighbor, and one another (Matthew 22:37-39; John 13:34-35) We are saints in Christ and therefore now have the ability, through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, to actually love one another genuinely, as Christ does (1 John 4:7-8) We are recipients of grace and peace and therefore can extend grace and peace as tangible expressions of love (2 Peter 1:2) With this foundational piece in place, we can jump into the how and what of love. How We Love By Prayer - Paul prayed all the time, for all of them, intentionally, and with joy. - Paul s love drove his prayer life. He remembered them and prayed for them often, with an attitude of joy, because of his sincere love for him. - This specific word used for prayer denotes need and implies intercession for a specific need to be met. Intercession indeed is the fundamental response of love within the brotherhood of believers (WBC 17) - We cannot genuinely say we love another person if we do not pray for them. Prayer is the main way to obtain the good of that person, so to not pray is to not seek their good. - Paul prayed with joy Joy is a defiant nevertheless, which Paul sets like a full stop against resentment and fear which might otherwise well up within him joy allows one to see beyond any particular event to the sovereign Lord who stands above all events and ultimately has control over them (WBC 18). 1. Is your prayer life evidence of genuine love? Does love drive your prayer life?

6 2. Does the word all or always describe any aspect of your prayer life? Group Question 1. Why do you think praying for the people in our congregation is so important? 2. What keeps us from doing so? What steps can we take to do so more? By Partnering in the Gospel - Paul s primary point of gratitude towards them was their partnership in the gospel. The fact alone that they were together in Christ through the Gospel created much gratitude in and of itself. Then because of their unity in the gospel itself, the mission of the gospel defined their relationships with one another. - The word here translated as partnership implies a whole hearted, active participation in every imaginable way with Paul in the labor and suffering that was necessary to spread the good news (WBC 19) - The partnership is specifically in the gospel, the good news. The gospel is the power that created the partnership and the power by which their partnership is made useful. The gospel is the good news in the sense that it is itself God s power by which people are changed (Rom 1:16). - Christian fellowship, then, is self-sacrificing conformity to the gospel. There may be overtones of warmth and intimacy, but the heart of the matter is this shared vision of what is of transcendent importance, a vision that calls forth our commitment (The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown 567) - The word feel here contains the ideas of thought and mind and emotions as well. Paul not only feels deeply for the Philippians, but as a consequence he plans, or schemes, how best his concern for them can be actualized in tangible ways. (WBC 22). - Yearn - Paul loves them as Christ loves them and because Christ loves them through him. In Paul it is not Paul that lives, but Jesus Christ; wherefore Paul is moved not by Paul s but by Jesus Christ s affection. (WBC 25) This is what the Gospel effects, people who are one with Christ and so feel and think as he does.

7 - Who do we love? It is love without qualification. Rather it is love unlimited Paul prays that the Philippians increasingly may be persons characterized by love, even as God their Father, is himself characterized by love (1 John 4:3) (WBC 26). - Love that always abounds In 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Paul prays may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do so for you. Then in 4:9-11 Paul writes that the Thessalonians have been taught by God to love and are doing well in this regard. Then after encouraging them, he exhorts them to do this more and more. - Christians, because of being one with Christ, ought to abound in all things. Christians overflow in ability to comfort (2 Cor 1:4-5), in generosity (2 Cor 8:2), in thanksgiving (2 Cor 4:15), in every good work (2 Cor 9:8), in the work of the Lord (1 Cor 15:58), in everything (2 Cor 8:7) (WBC 26) 1. Is the Gospel the lens by which you love others? Both in terms of being family in Christ now and in terms of partnering for the gospel mission? 2. Does you love increase more and more? What steps can you take to ensure it is doing so? Group Question 1. Would your church relationships be characterized by partnership in the gospel? If not, in what specific ways can you really start to live that out? What We Love - Our love must grow in accordance with knowledge. Knowledge provides the guide rails for what we love and also the material to help our love increase. Love without knowledge is relativism and knowledge without love is legalism. They must go hand in hand. - Knowledge and discernment is intellectual and moral insight. Without knowledge love is easily misdirected. (WBC 26). Love, therefore, although constantly expanding, is nevertheless regulated by knowledge and discernment. (WBC 27) - Discernment is the ability to make proper moral decisions in the midst of a vast array of differing and difficult choices that are constantly presenting themselves to the Christian. (WBC 27)

8 - Our love must grow in knowledge and discernment so that we can approve of what is excellent. Love sharpened by knowledge and discernment is for Paul the ultimate requirement for acquiring a sense of what is vital (WBC 28). This is incredibly important in our day, as people define love as the freedom to do whatever one wants, as long as it doesn t harm anyone else. True love has guardrails and this is what we must offer to the world. - We not only approve of what is excellent, but we love what is excellent. The book of Philippians is a sustained attempt to persuade believers to rejoice in what matters (1:10:18) (The Cradle, The Cross, and The Crown 577). - What is most excellent, important, and right will be proved at the day of Christ. We must be pure and blameless, filled with the fruits of righteousness that come through Jesus Christ to stand approved at that time. We share a love directed by knowledge and discernment because we know That the quality of their lives and the character of their behavior toward others are vital as preparation for the final judgment the day of Christ thus lends direction and seriousness to ethics. (28) - Ultimately we love and long for the glory and praise of God. All things are pointed in this direction so our aim in all our conduct is the glory and praise of God. 1. Is your love directed by knowledge and discernment? 2. How can a proper pursuit of knowledge (especially of God) help our love to increase when we sense it waning 3. How often do you think of the day of Christ? Does eternity play much of a role in determining how you behave now?

9 Group Question 1. How does this love that accords with knowledge and discernment differ from the culture s view of love? 2. What does this kind of love look like in specific situations? I.E. a. Someone in your discipleship group is in some specific sin and doesn t want to change based on the idea that that God would never command such things because He is a God love. b. You are having a conversation with an unbelieving friend about current issues and he or she remarks everyone should just be free to do what they want to do, to follow their heart. c. How do we respond to the #lovewins campaign (love wins, meaning as long as you are loving and not harming anyone then you are free to do whatever you want)? What is a Christian point of view on that?