LONG INTRO TO LETTER
PAUL SPENDS FIRST 26 VERSES TO SAY HE IS FINE AND REJOICING… EVEN THO UNDER HOUSE ARREST IN ROME… (ALWAYS CHAINED TO A ROMAN GUARD.)
HE WANTED THEM TO KNOW HOW APPRECIATIVE HE WAS (WITH THEIR GIFTS… OFTEN UNSOLICIATED) AND HOW MUCH HE LOVED THEM.
NOW A 180* TURN
HE NOW FOCUSES ON THEM (PHILIPPIANS)…
READ VERSES 27 –30.
I FOUND A QUOTE FROM A GEORGOUS, AWESOME, BRILLIANT WOMAN: “WE LIVE IN A CHRISTIAN SOCIETY THAT
PROCLAIMS PROSPERTY RATHER THAN SUFFERING”
• FRAN CURRIE
City of PHILIPPI
PAUL CALLS ON THE CHRISTIANS OF PHILIPPI, WHO WERE PROUD OF THEIR ROMAN CITIZENSHIP… AS PHILIPPI WAS KNOWN AS “LITTLE ROME”, TO NOT JUST LIVE AS A ROMAN CITIZEN, BUT WERE CHALLENGED TO LIVE AS THOSE WHO HAD A HIGHER AND VASTLY MORE SIGNIFICANT CITIZENSHIP…
A CITIZENSHIP “WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST”
AND WHAT IS THAT?
THEY SHOULD STAND FIRM IN ONE SPIRIT… THIS SHOULD BE TRUE “WHATEVER HAPPENS” TO PAUL, FOR THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR SPIRITUAL GROWTH RESTED ULTIMATELY WITH THEM AND THEIR APPROPRIATION OF THE RICHES IN CHRIST…. WHETHER PAUL WOULD BE RELEASED, AND THUS ENABLED TO VISIT THEM… OR … BE FORCED TO REMAIN AWAY FROM THEM AND LEARN OF THEIR PROGRESS THROUGH REPORTS FROM OTHERS.
WITH ONE SPIRIT, WITH ONE MIND, STRIVING SIDE BY SIDE
DO YOU ENJOY OUR CHURCH ORCHESTRA?
DO YOU ENJOY WATCHING USC PLAY FOOTBALL?
WHY? ALL (YES) ALL PARTICIPANTS HAVE THEIR
DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES, BUT EACH HAS ONE OBJECTIVE .. ON EACH SCORE, ON EACH PLAY TO WORK AS A TEAM, I.E. WORK TOGETHER… TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR RESPECTIVE GOALS.
BEHAVE IN A WAY TO MATCH YOUR MESSAGE
BEHAVE IN A WAY THAT IS CONSISTENTBEHAVE WITH INTEGRITYBEHAVE WITH SPIRITUAL COMMITMENTHAVE CREDIBILITY IN CONDUCT
HE IS TALKING ABOUT DEALING WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS, DEALINGS AT WORK, DEALINGS WITH YOUR FAMILY
HE IS ASKING US TO DO THE SAME
DID YOU REALIZE?
PAUL’S (REALLY THE HOLY SPIRIT) PASSION FOR UNITY; Romans 12:5 Romans 12:12 1 Corinthians 1:10 1 Corinthians 10:17 2 Corinthians 8 : 11 Galatians 3: 28 Ephesians 2: 11 - 22
GOD’S DESIGN
“STAND FIRM IN ONE SPIRIT, IN ONE MIND, STRIVING SIDE BY SIDE… FOR THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL”. ONE FOCUSED OBJECTIVE… REACH OUT WITH THE GOSPEL .. WHETHER ITS REBUILDING A CHURCH, OR ORPHANIGE IN HAITI, RENOVATING A BUILDING AT HOPE GARDENS, ENCOURAGING ANOTHER BELIEVER IN A HOME BIBLE STUDY… PASSING OUT BACKPACKS IN JORDAN TO MUSLIMS… ET AL
NOTICE THE WORD “ONLY”
PAUL HAS REDUCED HIS EXHORTATION TO ONE THING…. (City Slickers) THE BOTTOM LINE IN OUR EXPERIENCE THE BOTTOM LINE IN OUR CHURCH EXPERIENCE THE BOTTOM LINE IN OUR FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
• TO CONDUCT OURSELVES WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL YOU BELIEVE LIVE AS IF YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF HEAVEN….
“AND NOT FREIGHTENED IN ANYTHING BY YOUR OPPONENTS”
SINCE PHILIPPI WAS ESSENTIALLY A ROMAN CITY, FEW JEWS LIVE THERE… SO THE OPPOSITION CAME PRIMARILY FROM GENTILES…
OPPOSITION STRATEGY… INTIMIDATE / RIDICULE THIS NEW “RELIGION”… perhaps in NEIGHBORHOOD/WORK RELATIONSHIPS AND MAYBE EVEN FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS.
YOU GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT TO ADVERSARIES BY:
(EVEN THO IT IS A FALSE HOPE)YOU GIVE CONFIDENCE TO YOUR ENEMIES
BY BEING INTIMINATED … EVEN A LITTLERATHER, IN THE LORD, WE CAN
SURPRISE OURSELVES WITH OUR BOLDNESS.
IT IS OUR ENEMIES WHO WILL BE INTIMIDATED… (I WISH WE COULD SEE THE INTERNAL FEELINGS OF DAVID COPPEDGE’S ATTACKERS). GOD WILL PRICK THEIR CONSCIENCE.
REMEMBER, AS WE HAVE RECEIVED THE GRACE OF GOD IN SALVATION (AS A GIFT),…SO WE
HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SUFFERING UNDER HARDSHIPS..
ANOTHER GIFTSUFFERING IS NOT A PUNISHMENT,
BUT IS A TOOL IN OUR SOVEREIGN’S HAND.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND? ARE YOU HURTING? BE ENCOURAGED… GOD IS AT WORK IN/THRU YOU.
I AM SPEAKING TO MYSELF
I TRIED TO HELP ONE OF OUR CHILDREN.. AND IT COST US OUR RETIREMENT INCOME. BUT GOD WILL GROW US THROUGH THIS TO BE MORE LIKE HIM. HE WILL TAKE CARE OF US.
HE PROMISED.AND HE WILL CARE FOR YOU… WHETHER
IT’S PHYSICAL/RELATIONAL/EMPLOYMENT/ FINANCIAL/ WHATEVER… EVEN IF YOU ARE
INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE INDUSTRY.
SO, WHY DO WE SUFFER?
CHASTENING AND SUFFERING BRING BELIEVERS TO MATURITY IN CHRIST.
“SO MANY OF US WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM SUFFERING .. TO AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS. WE DO NOT REALIZE THE AWFUL COST WE MAY PAY IF WE ARE NOT WILLING TO SUFFER” --- KAY ARTHUR
SUFFERING FOR HIS SAKE
John 15: 18-21Romans 5: 3-5Romans 8: 16-18
LETS STOP AND ASK SOME QUESTIONS: WHAT IS SUFFERING? HATRED AND PERSECUTION WHO FROM? THE WORLD .. BECAUSE THE WORLD
HATES THE BELIEVERS BECAUSE IT HATED JESUS SUFFERING IS A FACT SINCE WE ARE HEIRS
TOGETHER WITH HIM AND WILL SUFFER WITH HIM IN THIS LIFE
WHAT WILL SUFFERING BRING?
SPIRITUAL MATURITYTRIBULATION WILL BRING
PERSEVERANCEPERSEVERANCE WILL BRING PROVEN
CHARACTER AND HOPETHE SUFFERING OF THIS TIME (LIFE)
WILL NOT COMPARE WITH THE GLORY TO BE REVEALED
(THAT YOU AND I WILL ENJOY WHEN HE COMES AGAIN).
MORE
ROMANS 8: 28-30 READ WHY DO WE SUFFER: IN ORDER TO BE
CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST.
IF WE COULD JUST REMEMBER THIS… THAT THIS HORRIBLE TRIAL IS MAKING ME MORE LIKE CHRIST… WOW …. THE TRIAL WOULD NOT BE SO BURDENSOME.
MAYBE WE WOULD BE POSITIVE… EVEN JOYFUL
MORE
2 CORINTHIANS 1: 7; 4: 11-18 (AMPLIFIED) IF YOU SQUEEZE A TUBE OF TOOTH PASTE…
WHAT COMES OUT? WHEN YOU ARE SQUEEZED BY LIFE’S
TRIBULATIONS … WHAT SHOULD COME OUT? OUR SUFFERINGS ARE ABUNDANT… SO ARE
OUR COMFORTS IN CHRIST ABUNDANT
MORE
PHILIPPIANS 3:10 DEFERColossians 1: 24
TO BE CONFORMED TO CHRIST CONFORMED: PRESSED INTO THE MOLD PRESSED INTO THE MANNER OF LIFE OF BEING
DEAD TO THE WORLD AND ALIVE TO CHRIST
LASTLY
1 THESSALONIANS 3: 3-42 TIMOTHY 2:12; 3: 10-12HEBREWS 2: 10I PETER 1: 6-9; 2: 18-25; 4:1;4:12-5:1; 5:10.
WE WILL QUIT HERE… SUFFERING PROVES OUR FAITH
CLASS PARTICIPATION
HOW ARE WE TO RESPOND TO SUFFERING? ARE WE TO RUN? GRIT OUR TEETH?
• HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO REJOICE IN SUFFERIING?