Philippians 1:19-26

Paul, in prison, continues to rejoice. His priority is his mission in Christ.

What priorities in our life compete for our time and energy?

Family, Job, Marriage, Friends, reputation, hobbies, church, …

Do you feel hard-pressed sometimes to juggle all these priorities?

What has God called you to do?

How can we adjust our priorities to move our personal mission for Christ UP?

In V25 Paul says that he is convinced that he will remain alive.

What does he expect his remaining alive to produce?

            Progress and Joy in the faith

            Confidence in Paul

            Paul’s return to the Philippians.

*IF your personal mission for Christ was on the top of your list, what would those results be?

What were the competing priorities Paul mentions in these verses?

Life and Death

What is so great about departing to be with Christ? Doesn’t that mean to die?

Paul’s view of death did not include suffering and pain, nor did it include separation from his friends, or leaving behind his wealth. He focused on being with Christ in life and in death.

By thinking about what God has called us to do and be, and choosing to set that as a high priority, we can lead others to progress in their faith, fulfill our calling, and experience the joy that comes with being obedient and productive in our life’s mission.

Philippians 1:12-18

I – Circumstantial Evidence

12-14 – Paul is telling the Philippians that his imprisonment has been a good thing for the cause of Christ.

Why was it a good thing?-  Because Paul used the opportunity to witness to others

One of my favorite Bible characters is King David. David had a lot of trouble in his life. Based on David’s responses to trials in Psalms, what do you think David would have done in Paul’s circumstances?

Psalm 3:7-8

7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You  have shattered the teeth of the wicked. ⁸Salvation belongs to the LORD;
Your blessing be upon Your people!

When you face trouble, do you respond more like Paul or more like David?

I think we sometimes put too much emphasis on our circumstances and less focus on the eternal consequences of live events. (this is easy to say when things are going well, harder when we are in a prison of difficult circumstances)

II- Those self serving Preachers!

In verses 15-18 Paul talks about some who were preaching the gospel from less than pure motives.

What happens in a church when people in the congregation begin to question the motives of the Pastor?

Paul was rejoicing in the fact that Christ was preached. Does this tell us anything about how to respond to imperfect people who are sharing the message of the gospel?

"The power of the gospel, therefore, does not depend on the character of the preacher."

Gerald Hawthorne (Commentary)

That is good news – That means that even we can share the gospel with others!

Philippians 1:8-11

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians

NASB

⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; ¹¹ having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

NIV

⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be 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.

In these verses, Paul prays that the love of the Philippians would abound in knowledge and insight.

Love abounding more and more – Marriage (newlyweds vs. 30 years)

Paul did not specify the object of the love he talks about here.

Can love abound more and more among believers? How does that happen?

How does our love for one another increase our knowledge and depth of insight?

Does our love for one another help us discern what is best?

Does our love for one another contribute to our being pure?

Blameless - "Aproskopos has to do with being 'blameless' in the sense of 'not offending' or not causing someone else to stumble."

We need to love in harmony with God's revelation and with His Spirit's guidance (v. 9) so we will choose the best over the good (v. 10a). This will result in our being without flaw (sincere) and without blame (blameless) when we stand before God to give  an account of the stewardship of our lives at the judgment seat of Christ (v. 10b; 2 Cor. 5:10; cf. 1 John 3:3).

What is the fruit of righteousness? Galations5:22-23²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

How does righteousness (that comes through Jesus) glorify God?

Philippians 1:1-6

Introduction – From Paul and Timothy, to the saints in Philippi.

Letter Form – From, To, Greeting or good wishes (Christians Prayer)

Paul is in Prison – Probably in Rome. AD 60 or so.

¹ Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the ^[a]saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, ^[b]including the overseers and deacons: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, ⁵ in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

There is a special bond among believers. Paul had a special bond with the Christians at Philippi.

What is it that causes that relationship among believers? How do you get to participate in those kind of friendships?

How are some believers robbed of this blessing?

Paul records that he continues to pray for his friends at Philippi. He prays for them with JOY.

He also mentions that their participation in the gospel (ongoing) is part of that prayer.

Why do you think Paul recorded that he was praying for this group?

What does it do for you to know that your brother or sister is praying for you?

When you pray for someone, do you tell them? Why or Why not?

Paul talks about God beginning and completing a good work in the believers at Philippi. It has been suggested that the good work that God had begun in this church was Salvation, the result of the Gospel.

3 Big Words Justification (experiencing salvation / accepting Christ as savior) Sanctification (the process of God molding his children into the person He wants them to be) Glorification (Final transformation into our glorified eternal condition)

One way to look at this good work is to see it as Sanctification, or God working in our lives to shape us into His people, who reflect His image.

This promise sounds so wonderful, and it really is, but sanctification can mean that God has to knock off a few rough edges in us, which can be painful at times.

How does God work in our lives to sanctify us?

I believe that the “Day of Christ Jesus” refers to the time when Jesus will return to earth to collect His church. This verse also is comforting to us because it is a promise that our salvation does not depend on our work, but on the work of the Lord.

God's Presence in Worship

God has manifested His presence in different ways throughout history. This morning we are going to visit a few passages of scripture that demonstrate how God has shown Himself to Man, and then we are going to discuss what it is like to experience God’s presence in worship.

OT

Genesis 3:8 They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

Exodus 13:21 The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

2 Chronicles 5:11-14 When the priests came forth from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions), ¹² and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets ¹³ in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the LORD saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴ so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

NT

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

John 14:9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 16:5-8 “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. ⁸ And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

Many of the encounters with God in the Bible are visual, but today we have the Holy Spirit to “come to us”.

How can we recognize God as the Holy Spirit?

Is your worship different when you expect to encounter God? How?

What can cause us to miss experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit in worship?

What is the result of experiencing the presence of God in worship? (John 16) conviction, righteousness

Worship and Scripture

Why does God desire our worship?

Matthew 4:8-11
Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’ Deut 6:13” 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Satan wanted Jesus to worship him.
What technique did he use to try to get Jesus to worship him? (shortcut to power, personal glory)
Why do you think Satan wanted Jesus to worship him?
Does Satan try to temp you to worship something other than God?
Why? Idols.

What constitutes worship of anything other than God? Do you have to “bow down” to money, fame, or personal glory to consider it worship?

Jesus responded to Satan’s attempt at temptation with scripture. The scripture he quoted is a command to worship and serve God only. In this single response Jesus emphasized the importance of both Worshipping God and knowing God’s word.

Worship like a magi

Matthew 2:1-12
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER
WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’”
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

How much trouble did the magi go to?
Travel, investigation, preparation, financial sacrifice

What was their state of mind when they arrived to see Jesus?
They rejoice with exceeding great joy

What was their primary way of expressing worship in this passage?
Giving gifts

What happened after they worshiped?
God warned them in a dream to go a certain way


How much trouble are we willing to go to in seeking to worship the Lord?
How often do you enter into worship with Joy?
How important is it to open your treasure and present gifts to God?
What is the result in your life when you worship God in spirit and in truth?