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Philippians Part 2
Good Morning,
He begins the letter by giving a greeting to the
Philippians which is overlooked so many times. Verse two states: " Grace
and peace to you from God Our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Here
we see Paul asking God to cover or overshadow this people with His grace
and peace. Grace is the favor of God that He gives to us all. He
recognizes who they are and he wants the Lord to allow His love, mercy and
goodness to completely envelop the Philippians. Not only grace, but peace
also. This is the peace that only God can give and no one else can
explain. Yes, they will go through trials but God's peace is always there. If
we are saints of God, Paul is saying the same thing to us. We can and
will have the favor of God and the rest that comes from being in Him. May
we accept it, but also ask God to give it to others.
Good Morning, Last week we saw how great God's grace and love is to us. In versus seven and eight Paul is trying to show us how important we should be to each other. He writes:" It is right for me to feel this way since I have you in my heart,...God can testify how I long for all of you in my heart". We hear so much today about how unity and love is needed in the body. However, we see the church instead of feeling this way often times get involved in criticizing and hurting each one. Paul had a real burden for those he ministered to, and missed the fellowship he had with them.
The Lord has placed us together for a reason in a
local body; to
reach the community we are in because of the love of God we
can show to
those around us. We need to begin to show God's love to
those in the
body before we can ever be an example to those in the
community. Let's
begin to put others first and allow our love to not only
change the
heart of those around us, but also ourselves. We all should
long for the
day when we cannot wait to gather together to fellowship and
worship God,
and to fellowship with each other. May this be our desire in
the coming year. Good Morning, We continue to see Paul thank the Lord for the Philippians and yet now he ask them to grow in their love of God and each other. In verses nine through eleven we read: " And this is my prayer; that your love may abound more and in depth of insight, ... filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God". As Paul prays for them, he desires to see their relationship with Christ grow deeper and deeper throughout their lives. He does not want them to stop, but to " strive toward the high prize of Christ Jesus." He makes it plain that this comes through knowledge and insight. Paul is reminding them that " faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." We must have Christ come alive to us by reading, studying and meditating on His word. To really love Christ we must know the depth of who He is, and this is found in His Word and also in spending time with Him. When we desire to make friends with someone, the more we know about them the more we understand who they are. It is no different with Christ. My prayer for you and me is that we will continue to seek the vastness of our Lord ; and that through that seeking we may understand more fully His love for us. May God bless you in your search. Good Morning, Paul makes an astounding statement in versus twelve through fourteen by saying: " Now, I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really helped to advance the gospel.... Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly." Many times we look at suffering and difficult times in our lives only in the negative way. We desire the Lord to relieve the pressure from us as soon as possible so that things can once again be bearable. Paul on the other hand sees the hand of God working through his imprisonment and suffering to help others have the boldness to share the Gospel. Oftentimes it is not what we say that will impact other people's lives, but how we respond to adversity. The world only sees how this hurts themselves, but we can see the hand of God in everything. If we show this to those around us, then we to may be able to say what Paul did, and that is the suffering has done more to spread the Gospel than anything else we could do. Next time let's not be so quick to ask God to alleviate the suffering, but rather see how He is using it to further His kingdom.
Good Morning, Paul now says that no matter what happens to him, the Gospel will go forward. In verse nineteen we read: " ... for I know through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance." At first glance you would think that Paul is talking about His own deliverance, but the word deliverance really means salvation. However, when you take into account the entire sentence, he is trying to tell the Philippian church not to worry; all that has happened to him will only further the Gospel of Jesus Christ that he has been proclaiming. Individuals are standing up for their faith as never before because they see the trust Paul has in His Lord. In our own lives there are many things that happen to us for no apparent reason. Not true! Everything has a purpose in our lives, therefore, we must understand that although we may suffer-- the Truth of Christ will prosper. How we respond to adversity may affect how others view the Savior we talk about so freely. May we always keep the larger picture in mind; this will help us see the Hand of God at work no matter what takes place in our lives. Good Morning, In Philippians 1:21 we see one of the most astounding words of Scripture. Paul proclaims in prison with all that he has been through: "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Paul's life was to live for the Lord Jesus Christ. No matter what He asked him to do, where to go, or would his life be asked of him today; Paul's answer was the same-whatever You will. Paul even says that in life Christ is the determining factor, but also that if death comes it is gain. When our relationship with the Lord is growing, alive and exciting we can see The Lord moving in us throughout the day, and yet if the Lord calls us home we see it as gain. We know that we will spending an eternity with Him. What a way to live!! No matter what happens in this life we trust the Lord, and then when death comes there is no fear, just expectation and joy. This is exactly how the Lord desires us to live each day. May our relationship emulate Pauls', and may our life be for Christ and if death comes rejoice. May this be a reality in our lives. Good Morning, Paul, now based upon his conviction in verse twenty-one now states: "If I am to go on living in the body this will mean fruitful labor for me, yet what shall I choose? I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ,... but it is more necessary that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain,..." Paul is in a situation that many of us find ourselves in from time to time. On the one hand when life is just to difficult to handle one moment longer, we desire to go home to the Lord. To stand in His presence and see all that He has prepared for us. To see the Triune God, the saints who have gone before and the celestial city and mansions created for us. What a picture!! And yet the other part of us loves our families, friends and relatives. We think of our husbands, wives and children and the pain of separation wants us to cling to them. We desire to see more of our friends and family come to the Lord. The wonderful thing to keep in mind is that the Lord knows exactly when to take us. Paul yearned to be with Him and yet the Lord had something more for Him to accomplish. We should also desire the day when we can be with the Lord, but also use every moment He gives us to minister to those around us. He will take us home in His time. Good Morning, Paul in versus twenty-seven and twenty-eight tries to let individuals know how important their walk with God is in everyday living. He says:" Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ... This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God." Especially now, when the morality of the world around us seems to be collapsing, there needs to be hope for those who are searching. We must allow people to see the love of Christ in our lives so that they will see something that will minister to their needs. Our lifestyle is much more important than what we say. People saw the compassion and love of Christ and responded. We, the church today, have a tendency to be more concerned about what we say than how we act. Our lives, action and speech should be one and the same. May we stand firm, as the Word says, and always be light in the midst of such darkness. People are attracted to light; may it be the light of Christ shining in our lives. Good Morning, Paul closes this chapter with an astounding statement about suffering. He says:" 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 that I had, and you now hear I still have." I believe all of us have no problem with Paul stating that we were granted salvation by God. We see that in the gospels where the writers say,"... you have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." But then Paul also states that we have been granted by Christ to suffer just as he has. Suffering today is frowned upon by many individuals. They consider it a sign of weakness in our relationship with Christ. They compare it to not enough faith or even sin in one's life. However, Paul clearly states that the Lord has granted us to experience suffering just as He has. Now many times we suffer because of our tongue, actions and personal behavior; but when we suffer because of our stance in the Lord, Paul says we should recognize that has been granted to us by God. We will suffer, let us just be sure it is for the sake of Christ and rejoice that He has counted us worthy. Good Morning, This morning Paul deals with a very characteristic that all of us should try and rid ourselves of, and that is selfishness. He says in verses three and four: " Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." It is so easy because of all the things that take place in our own lives to forget that there is a whole world out there that is hurting. In Galations the Lord tells us to, "bear one anothers burdens and so fulfill the Law of God." Granted, all of us have problems and needs that we face everyday, and yet it appears that Paul is telling us that we should be more concerned about the needs of those around us. We here the expression that "I need my needs met": however this goes against what Paul through the inspiration of the Lord is saying. How do we bring the two thoughts together. I believe there is a principle here that the Lord is saying, that is, if we become more concerned about others' needs then our own needs and burdens will be met. Remember Christ came "not to be ministered unto to, but to minister". The next time we feel that we are the only one with problems, ask the Lord to allow us to see the needs of others and begin carrying them, and I am sure in the process our needs will be fully met. May all of us minister to each other in the Body of Christ. Blessings on you, Pastor Hengle
Philippians Part 3 |