Saturday, February 9, 2008
Quote for the day
The goal of human philosophy used to be truth without God. Today’s philosophies are open to the notion of God without truth–or to be more accurate, personal “spirituality” in which everyone is free to create his or her own god. Personal gods pose no threat to sinful self-will, because they suit each sinner’s personal preferences anyway, and they make no demands on anyone else. - John MacArthur
Friday, February 8, 2008
Ten Questions to Ask to Turn a Conversation Toward the Gospel
Many Christians suffer with unnecessary fears about sharing their faith. Once they finally get a conversation turned to the subject of the Gospel, however, most believers find that they're able to manage quite well. Much of the time the biggest problem is simply moving a conversation from small talk to "big" talk, the biggest subject of all—the Gospel. Here's a list of questions that can help. Some of them aren't original with me, though I don't recall where years ago I first heard the ones I've borrowed. I've found that the last one opens more doors for the Gospel in the widest variety of situations. - from article by Don Whitney
- When you die, if God says to you, "Why should I let you into Heaven?", what would you say? Are you interested in what the Bible says about your answer?
- If you were to die tonight, where do you think you would spend eternity? Why? Are you interested in what the Bible says about this?
- Do you think much about spiritual things?
- How is God involved in your life?
- How important is your faith to you?
- What has been your most meaningful spiritual experience?
- Do you find that your religious heritage answers your questions about life?
- Do you have any kind of spiritual beliefs? If what you believe were not true, would you want to know it? Well, the Bible says . . . .
- To you, who is Jesus?
- I often like to pray for people I meet; how can I pray for you?
The Gospel
1. Christ is Lord (Rom. 10:9). Jesus Christ is truly God, and yet is a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit (Jn. 1:1, 14, 5:18, 8:24; Mat. 28:19).
2. All have sinned against God and fall short of His glory (Rom. 3:23). We are dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1-3).
3. God loves us while we are yet sinners (Jn. 3:16, Rom. 5:8).
4. Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3, 1 Jn. 4:14). He assumed a human nature (Jn. 1:14, Rom. 8:3, Phil. 2:6-11) and lived a sinless life (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15, 5:9, 7:26, 1 Pet. 1:18-19, 1 Jn. 3:5). At the cross, He provided:a) Atonement (propitiation, reconciliation), a penal substitution, an offering of sacrifice, a price paid (Rom. 5:8-11). The atonement secured the application of:
b) Redemption, the payment of a ransom (Mk. 10:45, Heb. 9:15), “buying back” from the bondage of sin (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23, Gal. 1:4).
5. Christ was raised on the third day (Rom. 6:4-7, 1 Cor. 15:4, 20-22), and ascended into heaven after forty days (Acts 1:2-3, 9-11, 2:33, 1 Tim. 3:16), and was enthroned at the right hand of God (Mk. 16:9, Eph. 1:20, Heb. 1:3) where He constantly makes intercession for His people (Rom. 8:34, Heb. 9:24, 1 Jn. 2:1) until He returns as Judge (Mat. 24:30-31, 25:31-32, Jn. 5:22, 27, Acts 10:42, 17:31).
6. Regeneration, a new birth (Jn. 3:3, Tit. 3:5) that makes us new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) through the work of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:5-8).
7. Faith (Rom. 3:25, 4:5, 10:9). Saving faith consists not merely of knowledge and belief (Mat. 13:20-21, Ja. 2:19-20) but of trust (2 Cor. 1:9-10), self-surrender (Lk. 9:23, Gal. 2:20), and obedience (Rom. 6:17, 16:25-26). Faith is not a result of our own endeavor, but is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation (Jn. 14:6, Acts 4:12).a) We are saved by grace, not by works: Faith alone (Rom. 3:28, 4:5 Gal. 2:16).
b) Confess with the tongue Christ as Lord (Rom. 10:9).
8. Repentance (Mat. 4:17, 10:7; Lk. 4:43, 24:46-47, 13:3, 5).True repentance represents a turning to God, a turning from evil, and an intent to serve God (1 Thess. 1:9). It involves the intellectual recognition of sin (Rom. 3:20), an emotional change of feeling for sin committed against a holy and just God (2 Cor. 7:9-10), and a willful turning away from sin (Acts 26:18, 20, 1 Pet. 3:11).
9. Justification, a forensic (i.e. legal) declaration of acquittal that excludes all possibility of condemnation (Rom. 5:1, 19, 8:33-34), providing salvation from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9). We are justified by grace through faith (Rom. 3:24-25). Justification is by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness: As our sins were reckoned to Christ, so Christ’s righteousness is reckoned to us (Phil. 3:9).
10. Adoption into the family of God (Jn. 1:12, Gal 4:4-7, Eph. 1:13-14, Heb. 9:15), into a union with Christ (Rom. 6:5, 7:4) where we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1) and eternal life (Jn. 3:15).
11. Sanctification [positional], to be set apart, to be made holy. A status conferred not by moral transformation but by the sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 10:10).
12. Progressive sanctification, an ongoing process that conforms us to the image of Christ (Phil. 2:13, 2 Cor. 3:18, Heb. 12:14, 2 Pet. 3:18).
13. Perseverance through divine preservation. God, through the Spirit, secures the final salvation of all true believers (Jn. 6:37-40, 10:28-29, Rom. 8:39-39, Phil. 1:6, 1 Pet. 1:5).
14. Glorification, redemption of the physical body. (Rom. 8:23, 1 Cor. 15:53, 2 Cor. 3:18, Phil. 3:20-21). We will be like Christ (1 Jn. 3:2) and will dwell with Him (Rev. 21:3-4) for eternity (Mat. 25:46).
2. All have sinned against God and fall short of His glory (Rom. 3:23). We are dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1-3).
3. God loves us while we are yet sinners (Jn. 3:16, Rom. 5:8).
4. Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3, 1 Jn. 4:14). He assumed a human nature (Jn. 1:14, Rom. 8:3, Phil. 2:6-11) and lived a sinless life (2 Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15, 5:9, 7:26, 1 Pet. 1:18-19, 1 Jn. 3:5). At the cross, He provided:a) Atonement (propitiation, reconciliation), a penal substitution, an offering of sacrifice, a price paid (Rom. 5:8-11). The atonement secured the application of:
b) Redemption, the payment of a ransom (Mk. 10:45, Heb. 9:15), “buying back” from the bondage of sin (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23, Gal. 1:4).
5. Christ was raised on the third day (Rom. 6:4-7, 1 Cor. 15:4, 20-22), and ascended into heaven after forty days (Acts 1:2-3, 9-11, 2:33, 1 Tim. 3:16), and was enthroned at the right hand of God (Mk. 16:9, Eph. 1:20, Heb. 1:3) where He constantly makes intercession for His people (Rom. 8:34, Heb. 9:24, 1 Jn. 2:1) until He returns as Judge (Mat. 24:30-31, 25:31-32, Jn. 5:22, 27, Acts 10:42, 17:31).
6. Regeneration, a new birth (Jn. 3:3, Tit. 3:5) that makes us new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) through the work of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 3:5-8).
7. Faith (Rom. 3:25, 4:5, 10:9). Saving faith consists not merely of knowledge and belief (Mat. 13:20-21, Ja. 2:19-20) but of trust (2 Cor. 1:9-10), self-surrender (Lk. 9:23, Gal. 2:20), and obedience (Rom. 6:17, 16:25-26). Faith is not a result of our own endeavor, but is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation (Jn. 14:6, Acts 4:12).a) We are saved by grace, not by works: Faith alone (Rom. 3:28, 4:5 Gal. 2:16).
b) Confess with the tongue Christ as Lord (Rom. 10:9).
8. Repentance (Mat. 4:17, 10:7; Lk. 4:43, 24:46-47, 13:3, 5).True repentance represents a turning to God, a turning from evil, and an intent to serve God (1 Thess. 1:9). It involves the intellectual recognition of sin (Rom. 3:20), an emotional change of feeling for sin committed against a holy and just God (2 Cor. 7:9-10), and a willful turning away from sin (Acts 26:18, 20, 1 Pet. 3:11).
9. Justification, a forensic (i.e. legal) declaration of acquittal that excludes all possibility of condemnation (Rom. 5:1, 19, 8:33-34), providing salvation from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9). We are justified by grace through faith (Rom. 3:24-25). Justification is by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness: As our sins were reckoned to Christ, so Christ’s righteousness is reckoned to us (Phil. 3:9).
10. Adoption into the family of God (Jn. 1:12, Gal 4:4-7, Eph. 1:13-14, Heb. 9:15), into a union with Christ (Rom. 6:5, 7:4) where we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1) and eternal life (Jn. 3:15).
11. Sanctification [positional], to be set apart, to be made holy. A status conferred not by moral transformation but by the sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 10:10).
12. Progressive sanctification, an ongoing process that conforms us to the image of Christ (Phil. 2:13, 2 Cor. 3:18, Heb. 12:14, 2 Pet. 3:18).
13. Perseverance through divine preservation. God, through the Spirit, secures the final salvation of all true believers (Jn. 6:37-40, 10:28-29, Rom. 8:39-39, Phil. 1:6, 1 Pet. 1:5).
14. Glorification, redemption of the physical body. (Rom. 8:23, 1 Cor. 15:53, 2 Cor. 3:18, Phil. 3:20-21). We will be like Christ (1 Jn. 3:2) and will dwell with Him (Rev. 21:3-4) for eternity (Mat. 25:46).
While studying "born again"
The study of God's word is so amazing and illuminating. I find myself often blown away by the clarity and consistency that I see all through the Bible. In this present season of my life, Nancy and I are ministering on Wednesday nights at Carmel Baptist Church. Russ Rosser has asked me to teach a 10 week course on "How to study the Bible." Last week was week #4 and it was time to start covering the "Laws of the Heart." I have taught this before and so as I was reviewing my notes I again came across the section in John 3 where Jesus is having a discussion with Nicodemus. But this time I went into a more in depth study of the phrase "born again." So I want to share with you some of my study notes that I hope will really encourage you about the phrase and meaning of "born again."
First of all the phrase "born again" only occurs 4 times in the entire New Testament. Christians often throw this phrase around so much that you tend to think it is everywhere. It shows up in the following verses:
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
1Pet. 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pet. 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
Now let's turn our attention to the phrase "is born again" located in John 3:3 and you can see it listed above
If you have a study Bible look at John 3:3 and there should be a number 1 to the right of the word “born.”
In the study column of your Bible check and see if it doesn’t say the words “from above.”
This indicates that you could translate as follows “unless one is born from above”
Also “is born” in the Greek is gennao and is a verb which is in the passive voice.
The difference between the active and passive voice
In this case born from above must happen to a person
For example - check out these two sentences:
Bert hit the ball - in this sentence the verb hit would be in the active voice as it is an action that I am performing or doing.
The ball hit Bert - however in this sentence we see that the verb is passive voice because the action is now something that happens to me.
Just follow those principles of grammar and look at the verb "is born again." This is in the passive voice which means the Lord Jesus is telling Nicodemus if a man is to be "born from above" then that action must happen to him. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Don't read past that implication so quickly brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus did NOT tell Nicodemus that a man must make himself born again or go get himself born again. But instead Jesus said the state of being born again is something that must happen to a person from above or from God.
And while we are in John 3:3 here are a few more things for us to consider:
The word "unless" is what is known as a necessary precondition, which means in this sentence
Nicodemus listen to Me very carefully about this Biblical truth.
I am not saying that you “might not” and I am not saying that you “will not” but I am saying that you “can not” meaning it is absolutely impossible for you to see the kingdom of God “UNLESS-UNLESS-UNLESS” you are born again!!!
The Greek word for “see” used here means to know, understand or perceive.
Putting it all together…
If a man, woman, boy or girl is ever going to see the kingdom of God it can not happen…UNLESS
They are born from above which means some action from above must happen to this person.
Hear me clearly on this important point - a man cannot get himself born again by anything that he does but is born again by everything that God does to him!
If you have spent years and years in the American church then that statement probably will not sit very well with you. Because if you tell an American that people in the church need to be born again they will figure out a strategy, program, plan or some gimmick that can get people born again! There is a danger in our Christian culture especially in some of our fast growing churches that tend to point toward how many people got saved or made decisions for Christ. But the statistics are revealing that one year later 85-90% of those who walked the aisle, prayed a prayer, signed a card or raised a hand actually fell away. How can that be? OK, are you ready for a Biblical truth that can explain it? They tried to get themselves born again and that is not what Jesus said to Nicodemus. But rather Jesus said that the state of being born again which is the only way a person can see the kingdom must-must-must be done by God Himself to the person.
Read that last paragraph again slowly, and carefully. It might surprise you or even amaze you - does it? Well you are in good company because now read John 3:7 as Jesus reiterates to Nicodemus these words - “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ If you do a quick check of the verb "be born again" you will find that it is still in the passive voice. Jesus is continuing to tell Nicodemus - this born again must happen to you!
At this point in my study I was having an official glory fit! And I had only studied two verses in John regarding the phrase "born again." Remember that the phrase "born again" only occurs 4 times so I was excited about looking at the other 2 references in 1 Peter. Now before we go to those verses would it not be incredible if the verbs used by Peter meant the same thing as the verbs used by the Lord Jesus in describing how one is "born again." Well with that in mind, let's go take a look shall we.
1Pet. 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
All we need to do is read slowly, carefully and observe the basic structure of this sentence to understand what Peter means in regard to how a person is born again.
First of all who is Peter referring to in the first part of this verse:
Answer - God (God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ)
What is he telling us that God has caused? Read the sentence and ask who is causing what to happen?
Answer - God is causing "us" Christians to be born again - is that consistent with what we learned in John 3?
Why does He do this for us?
Answer - His great mercy
Do you see how good Bible study works when you ask questions like who, what and why?
Who did this? God
What did God do? He caused us to be born again
Why did God do it? His great mercy
At this point in the salvation equation so to speak man has not done a thing, is not responsible for any of it and can take no credit for it! So let me ask this question how much credit or glory should a man have in being born again? Answer - nothing
How much credit should God get for a person being born again? Answer - everything or all credit or better yet all glory!
Does that sound consistent with how God does everything that He does in and throughout all the Bible? Doesn't God wants us to be sure to know that He and He alone is to get all the glory?
OK, keep moving we are still not done, now go to:
1Pet. 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
Again let's look at the verb "have been born again." Well guess what? Just like in John 3:3 and John 3:7 this verb is in the "passive voice." By now you should know that means that something is happening to the person and in this case they are being born again.
You have been born again (it happened to you)
NOT by a seed which is perishable (not by yourself or your flesh which we know according to Scripture is all perishable)
But you being born again came from that which is imperishable and that is God Himself!
Could that verse be any clearer to you in what it means?
Does this match us with the other 3 uses that we have in the New Testament with what it means to be "born again."
Answer - yes it does!
There is more much more but for the sake of this blog article that is more than enough for all of us to spiritually chew on for some time.
In this exercise we are simply studying the phrase "born again." And the object of this drill is to understand what the author meant by what he wrote when he used "born again." From our study it seems clear to me that in order to be born again God must perform this action on a person and when He does so it is because of God's great mercy. In other words there is no person who has ever existed or who will ever exist that deserves, earns or can merit being born again. Even as creative and brilliant as the American church can be they still can not make or get a man to be born again because only God can do that act!
First of all the phrase "born again" only occurs 4 times in the entire New Testament. Christians often throw this phrase around so much that you tend to think it is everywhere. It shows up in the following verses:
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
1Pet. 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pet. 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
Now let's turn our attention to the phrase "is born again" located in John 3:3 and you can see it listed above
If you have a study Bible look at John 3:3 and there should be a number 1 to the right of the word “born.”
In the study column of your Bible check and see if it doesn’t say the words “from above.”
This indicates that you could translate as follows “unless one is born from above”
Also “is born” in the Greek is gennao and is a verb which is in the passive voice.
The difference between the active and passive voice
In this case born from above must happen to a person
For example - check out these two sentences:
Bert hit the ball - in this sentence the verb hit would be in the active voice as it is an action that I am performing or doing.
The ball hit Bert - however in this sentence we see that the verb is passive voice because the action is now something that happens to me.
Just follow those principles of grammar and look at the verb "is born again." This is in the passive voice which means the Lord Jesus is telling Nicodemus if a man is to be "born from above" then that action must happen to him. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Don't read past that implication so quickly brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus did NOT tell Nicodemus that a man must make himself born again or go get himself born again. But instead Jesus said the state of being born again is something that must happen to a person from above or from God.
And while we are in John 3:3 here are a few more things for us to consider:
The word "unless" is what is known as a necessary precondition, which means in this sentence
Nicodemus listen to Me very carefully about this Biblical truth.
I am not saying that you “might not” and I am not saying that you “will not” but I am saying that you “can not” meaning it is absolutely impossible for you to see the kingdom of God “UNLESS-UNLESS-UNLESS” you are born again!!!
The Greek word for “see” used here means to know, understand or perceive.
Putting it all together…
If a man, woman, boy or girl is ever going to see the kingdom of God it can not happen…UNLESS
They are born from above which means some action from above must happen to this person.
Hear me clearly on this important point - a man cannot get himself born again by anything that he does but is born again by everything that God does to him!
If you have spent years and years in the American church then that statement probably will not sit very well with you. Because if you tell an American that people in the church need to be born again they will figure out a strategy, program, plan or some gimmick that can get people born again! There is a danger in our Christian culture especially in some of our fast growing churches that tend to point toward how many people got saved or made decisions for Christ. But the statistics are revealing that one year later 85-90% of those who walked the aisle, prayed a prayer, signed a card or raised a hand actually fell away. How can that be? OK, are you ready for a Biblical truth that can explain it? They tried to get themselves born again and that is not what Jesus said to Nicodemus. But rather Jesus said that the state of being born again which is the only way a person can see the kingdom must-must-must be done by God Himself to the person.
Read that last paragraph again slowly, and carefully. It might surprise you or even amaze you - does it? Well you are in good company because now read John 3:7 as Jesus reiterates to Nicodemus these words - “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ If you do a quick check of the verb "be born again" you will find that it is still in the passive voice. Jesus is continuing to tell Nicodemus - this born again must happen to you!
At this point in my study I was having an official glory fit! And I had only studied two verses in John regarding the phrase "born again." Remember that the phrase "born again" only occurs 4 times so I was excited about looking at the other 2 references in 1 Peter. Now before we go to those verses would it not be incredible if the verbs used by Peter meant the same thing as the verbs used by the Lord Jesus in describing how one is "born again." Well with that in mind, let's go take a look shall we.
1Pet. 1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
All we need to do is read slowly, carefully and observe the basic structure of this sentence to understand what Peter means in regard to how a person is born again.
First of all who is Peter referring to in the first part of this verse:
Answer - God (God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ)
What is he telling us that God has caused? Read the sentence and ask who is causing what to happen?
Answer - God is causing "us" Christians to be born again - is that consistent with what we learned in John 3?
Why does He do this for us?
Answer - His great mercy
Do you see how good Bible study works when you ask questions like who, what and why?
Who did this? God
What did God do? He caused us to be born again
Why did God do it? His great mercy
At this point in the salvation equation so to speak man has not done a thing, is not responsible for any of it and can take no credit for it! So let me ask this question how much credit or glory should a man have in being born again? Answer - nothing
How much credit should God get for a person being born again? Answer - everything or all credit or better yet all glory!
Does that sound consistent with how God does everything that He does in and throughout all the Bible? Doesn't God wants us to be sure to know that He and He alone is to get all the glory?
OK, keep moving we are still not done, now go to:
1Pet. 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
Again let's look at the verb "have been born again." Well guess what? Just like in John 3:3 and John 3:7 this verb is in the "passive voice." By now you should know that means that something is happening to the person and in this case they are being born again.
You have been born again (it happened to you)
NOT by a seed which is perishable (not by yourself or your flesh which we know according to Scripture is all perishable)
But you being born again came from that which is imperishable and that is God Himself!
Could that verse be any clearer to you in what it means?
Does this match us with the other 3 uses that we have in the New Testament with what it means to be "born again."
Answer - yes it does!
There is more much more but for the sake of this blog article that is more than enough for all of us to spiritually chew on for some time.
In this exercise we are simply studying the phrase "born again." And the object of this drill is to understand what the author meant by what he wrote when he used "born again." From our study it seems clear to me that in order to be born again God must perform this action on a person and when He does so it is because of God's great mercy. In other words there is no person who has ever existed or who will ever exist that deserves, earns or can merit being born again. Even as creative and brilliant as the American church can be they still can not make or get a man to be born again because only God can do that act!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Pillsbury Dough Boy Dies
It is with the saddest heart that I must pass on the following news: Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community.
The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and complications from repeated pokes in the belly.
He was 71.
Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin.
Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess
Twinkies and Captain Crunch.
The grave site was piled high with flours.
Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded.
Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes.
Despite being a little flaky at times, he still, as a crusty old man, was considered a roll model for millions.
Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough; two children John Dough and Jane Dough; plus they had one in the oven.
He is also survived by his elderly father Pop Tart.
The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Philippians - Session #3 - review notes
Hello guys,
Well I guess by the subject line of this email it reminded you what we discussed at length this morning. Before we go any further let's look at where we have been so far in our study of Philippians.
In the first 2 weeks we took a detailed look at the background surrounding this book from the second journey recorded in Acts 15-16 to Paul's traveling companions. The more I personally go through and think through the background the more I am impressed with the sovereignty of God. Paul is going to preach the gospel to a jailer in Philippi and he and his whole household are going to get saved. But the way God does it through the trip from Asia-Minor to Europe from Lydia to the slave girl and then the jailer is absolutely incredible.
Last week we started to look at some of the key words and the word that I think best describes the theme of this gospel is JOY. Therefore we launched into a study of the doctrine of joy and I won't go into that again as you have it in your notes.
This week we looked at the first sentence, trust me the pace will pick up but am trying to lay a solid foundation that will help as we study the next 4 chapters. In the first sentence of Philippians we read - Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus. In 9 of 13 epistles Paul mentions in his opening salutation that he is an apostle but doesn't mention this at all in Philippians. Sometimes we need to learn from what is not there and not just what is there. This is the closest church to the apostle Paul and he is writing to them about joy, fellowship and the gospel. He also includes Timothy though this is a letter that Paul writes and you know this by the personal pronouns such as "I" and "my" that he uses in
Chapter 1. In my study I was struck by the word bond-servant and since this is how Paul started I concluded it must be important for us to study this word in some depth.
There are 4 key words in Philippians that we will discuss at length.
1. Joy
2. Bond-servant
3. Fellowship
4. Gospel
OK, let's look at the word bond-servant in some detail. The word itself is doulos in the Greek. In the 13 epistles of the apostle Paul he uses this word a total of 38 times. Here is what it means:
One who give himself or herself up another's will, those whose service is used by Christ to advance His kingdom or one devoted to another to the disregard of their own interest.
Some other words that you see associated with bond-servant are:
- ownership
- possession
- allegiance
- subjection
- dependence
Now that you have the definition and some words regarding bond-servant in your mind let's turn to some Scripture.
Ex. 21:5 "But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,'
Ex. 21:6 then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.
From the little bit of reading I have done the bond-servant then put a ring into his ear to identify himself with his master.
Can you think of an application for this in your life?
Do others see in your words and actions as one who identifies himself as a servant of the Lord Jesus?
How about your wife?
How about your children?
How about your co-workers?
Here are the 5 principles of bond-servant hood that we studied this morning.
1. A bond-servant thinks in terms of stewardship rather than ownership.
Psa. 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.
According to Psalm 24 - Everything belongs to God
A bond-servant understand that he does not own his possessions but has been entrusted with the care of his master's possessions.
Remember the story of Joseph in Genesis 39:4-10
Gen. 39:4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge.
Gen. 39:5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; thus the LORD'S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.
Gen. 39:6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph's charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.
¶ Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
Gen. 39:7 It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."
Gen. 39:8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge.
Gen. 39:9 "There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?"
Gen. 39:10 As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her.
2. A bond-servant does not expect to be served but instead serves
Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
You need to be careful in your understanding and application of this principle of being a bond-servant. I have heard it said for years incorrectly in the church that since the Lord Jesus died for you then the least you can do is go to church, read your Bible and get involved in some type of kingdom work. That is incorrect thinking and bad doctrine if you will allow me to be blunt. There is no person on planet earth that can serve the Lord Jesus Christ in a way that will ever add one ounce to what He did for us on the cross. Therefore to have a pay Jesus back mentality is an insult the cross. The serving we do is horizontally for those who God places in our life in order that by our service to them we demonstrate the greatness of Christ. Unfortunately many times in our service we want others to acknowledge us, applaud us or praise us for what we have done. Guys, if we ever serve like that then we rob Christ of His glory. So when it comes to serving let's remember Christ is the Blessor and we are the blessee, Christ is the Giver and we are the receiver. But when it comes to serving others let's also remember that we do so in a way where we manifest Jesus and not ourselves.
Also Luke 17:3-10 provides some helpful insight.
Luke 17:3 "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Luke 17:4 "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."
Luke 17:5 ¶ The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you.
Luke 17:7 ¶ "Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'?
Luke 17:8 "But will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink'?
Luke 17:9 "He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?
Luke 17:10 "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"
I think the disciples in this story understood the fact that forgiveness is hard to do. But the Lord Jesus goes on the explain "why" forgiving someone is so hard for us.
Basically He is saying that we don't have a bond-servant mentality. In other words we find it hard to forgive others (wife, kids, friends) when we think they are to serve and meet our needs. Jesus says that a bond-servant spirit carries with it the attitude of serving instead of being served. One of the ways that we serve others is by forgiving them. Slaves don't expect to be served in this way but instead they are always willing to serve.
3. A bond-servant should not expect to be treated better than their master
John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
John 15:21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
1Pet. 2:18 ¶ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
1Pet. 2:19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
1Pet. 2:20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
1Pet. 3:14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED,
1Pet. 3:17 For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
There are those in the church today that think believing in Jesus should somehow equate to the unrestricted blessings of God. I have heard and seen this first hand and in my opinion it is false teaching and extremely dangerous in the body of Christ.
They think and teach that Christians need not experience:
1. Sickness
2. Suffering
They teach and proclaim a gospel that is one of:
- health
- wealth
- prosperity
However as you can see clearly in the Bible that to become a bond-servant of Christ means to enter His rejection and suffering.
4. A bond-servant finds delight in his master
Dan. 4:19 ¶ "Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar replied, 'My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!
Dan. 4:27 'Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.'
Read the entire context between 19-27 to get the full story. Remember Daniel was a bond-servant to the King Nebuchadnezzar and in this story you can see how interested he is in his master. Even though this King had destroyed Daniel's homeland and had dispersed the Jews Daniel served him with an attitude of delight.
John 3:22 ¶ After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.
John 3:23 John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized—
John 3:24 for John had not yet been thrown into prison.
John 3:25 ¶ Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification.
John 3:26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him."
John 3:27 John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.
John 3:28 "You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'
John 3:29 "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:31 ¶ "He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
Matthew 25:20-30 - In this parable the slave who receives the most attention is the one who refused to invest his master's money. We learned this morning in our reading that the master referred to this bond-servant as "wicked and lazy." However the first two bond-servants who invested the money their master calls them "good and faithful."
The last slave found his master to be hard and demanding. Is this how you see God? Do you know others that have this view of their heavenly Father? We see that because of how this slave view his master then he took no pleasure in contributing to his master's success.
However a good bond-servant loves his master and takes pleasure in the things of his master. Look carefully at Matthew 25:23 and see that the reward for this kind of bond-servant is one who enters the JOY (theme of Philippians) of his master.
5. A bond-servant ultimately understands his purpose
1Cor. 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1Cor. 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Brothers in Christ understand that God Himself paid the most costly price ever with the death of His Son Jesus. And though we rebelled and defiled His name He bought us for Himself! Therefore we are to reflect, display and manifest Him in such a way that when others see us they really see Him.
Next week we will develop the plan for the book of Philippians. Until then may I encourage you to continue reading and think about how the apostle Paul flows in his thoughts regarding joy, fellowship, gospel and suffering as a bond-servant of Christ.
Blessings,
Well I guess by the subject line of this email it reminded you what we discussed at length this morning. Before we go any further let's look at where we have been so far in our study of Philippians.
In the first 2 weeks we took a detailed look at the background surrounding this book from the second journey recorded in Acts 15-16 to Paul's traveling companions. The more I personally go through and think through the background the more I am impressed with the sovereignty of God. Paul is going to preach the gospel to a jailer in Philippi and he and his whole household are going to get saved. But the way God does it through the trip from Asia-Minor to Europe from Lydia to the slave girl and then the jailer is absolutely incredible.
Last week we started to look at some of the key words and the word that I think best describes the theme of this gospel is JOY. Therefore we launched into a study of the doctrine of joy and I won't go into that again as you have it in your notes.
This week we looked at the first sentence, trust me the pace will pick up but am trying to lay a solid foundation that will help as we study the next 4 chapters. In the first sentence of Philippians we read - Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus. In 9 of 13 epistles Paul mentions in his opening salutation that he is an apostle but doesn't mention this at all in Philippians. Sometimes we need to learn from what is not there and not just what is there. This is the closest church to the apostle Paul and he is writing to them about joy, fellowship and the gospel. He also includes Timothy though this is a letter that Paul writes and you know this by the personal pronouns such as "I" and "my" that he uses in
Chapter 1. In my study I was struck by the word bond-servant and since this is how Paul started I concluded it must be important for us to study this word in some depth.
There are 4 key words in Philippians that we will discuss at length.
1. Joy
2. Bond-servant
3. Fellowship
4. Gospel
OK, let's look at the word bond-servant in some detail. The word itself is doulos in the Greek. In the 13 epistles of the apostle Paul he uses this word a total of 38 times. Here is what it means:
One who give himself or herself up another's will, those whose service is used by Christ to advance His kingdom or one devoted to another to the disregard of their own interest.
Some other words that you see associated with bond-servant are:
- ownership
- possession
- allegiance
- subjection
- dependence
Now that you have the definition and some words regarding bond-servant in your mind let's turn to some Scripture.
Ex. 21:5 "But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,'
Ex. 21:6 then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.
From the little bit of reading I have done the bond-servant then put a ring into his ear to identify himself with his master.
Can you think of an application for this in your life?
Do others see in your words and actions as one who identifies himself as a servant of the Lord Jesus?
How about your wife?
How about your children?
How about your co-workers?
Here are the 5 principles of bond-servant hood that we studied this morning.
1. A bond-servant thinks in terms of stewardship rather than ownership.
Psa. 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.
According to Psalm 24 - Everything belongs to God
A bond-servant understand that he does not own his possessions but has been entrusted with the care of his master's possessions.
Remember the story of Joseph in Genesis 39:4-10
Gen. 39:4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge.
Gen. 39:5 It came about that from the time he made him overseer in his house and over all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house on account of Joseph; thus the LORD'S blessing was upon all that he owned, in the house and in the field.
Gen. 39:6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph's charge; and with him there he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate.
¶ Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.
Gen. 39:7 It came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."
Gen. 39:8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge.
Gen. 39:9 "There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?"
Gen. 39:10 As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her.
2. A bond-servant does not expect to be served but instead serves
Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
You need to be careful in your understanding and application of this principle of being a bond-servant. I have heard it said for years incorrectly in the church that since the Lord Jesus died for you then the least you can do is go to church, read your Bible and get involved in some type of kingdom work. That is incorrect thinking and bad doctrine if you will allow me to be blunt. There is no person on planet earth that can serve the Lord Jesus Christ in a way that will ever add one ounce to what He did for us on the cross. Therefore to have a pay Jesus back mentality is an insult the cross. The serving we do is horizontally for those who God places in our life in order that by our service to them we demonstrate the greatness of Christ. Unfortunately many times in our service we want others to acknowledge us, applaud us or praise us for what we have done. Guys, if we ever serve like that then we rob Christ of His glory. So when it comes to serving let's remember Christ is the Blessor and we are the blessee, Christ is the Giver and we are the receiver. But when it comes to serving others let's also remember that we do so in a way where we manifest Jesus and not ourselves.
Also Luke 17:3-10 provides some helpful insight.
Luke 17:3 "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Luke 17:4 "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him."
Luke 17:5 ¶ The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you.
Luke 17:7 ¶ "Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come immediately and sit down to eat'?
Luke 17:8 "But will he not say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink'?
Luke 17:9 "He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?
Luke 17:10 "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"
I think the disciples in this story understood the fact that forgiveness is hard to do. But the Lord Jesus goes on the explain "why" forgiving someone is so hard for us.
Basically He is saying that we don't have a bond-servant mentality. In other words we find it hard to forgive others (wife, kids, friends) when we think they are to serve and meet our needs. Jesus says that a bond-servant spirit carries with it the attitude of serving instead of being served. One of the ways that we serve others is by forgiving them. Slaves don't expect to be served in this way but instead they are always willing to serve.
3. A bond-servant should not expect to be treated better than their master
John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
John 15:21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
1Pet. 2:18 ¶ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
1Pet. 2:19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
1Pet. 2:20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
1Pet. 3:14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED,
1Pet. 3:17 For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
There are those in the church today that think believing in Jesus should somehow equate to the unrestricted blessings of God. I have heard and seen this first hand and in my opinion it is false teaching and extremely dangerous in the body of Christ.
They think and teach that Christians need not experience:
1. Sickness
2. Suffering
They teach and proclaim a gospel that is one of:
- health
- wealth
- prosperity
However as you can see clearly in the Bible that to become a bond-servant of Christ means to enter His rejection and suffering.
4. A bond-servant finds delight in his master
Dan. 4:19 ¶ "Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar replied, 'My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!
Dan. 4:27 'Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.'
Read the entire context between 19-27 to get the full story. Remember Daniel was a bond-servant to the King Nebuchadnezzar and in this story you can see how interested he is in his master. Even though this King had destroyed Daniel's homeland and had dispersed the Jews Daniel served him with an attitude of delight.
John 3:22 ¶ After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing.
John 3:23 John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people were coming and were being baptized—
John 3:24 for John had not yet been thrown into prison.
John 3:25 ¶ Therefore there arose a discussion on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification.
John 3:26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him."
John 3:27 John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.
John 3:28 "You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'
John 3:29 "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.
John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:31 ¶ "He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
Matthew 25:20-30 - In this parable the slave who receives the most attention is the one who refused to invest his master's money. We learned this morning in our reading that the master referred to this bond-servant as "wicked and lazy." However the first two bond-servants who invested the money their master calls them "good and faithful."
The last slave found his master to be hard and demanding. Is this how you see God? Do you know others that have this view of their heavenly Father? We see that because of how this slave view his master then he took no pleasure in contributing to his master's success.
However a good bond-servant loves his master and takes pleasure in the things of his master. Look carefully at Matthew 25:23 and see that the reward for this kind of bond-servant is one who enters the JOY (theme of Philippians) of his master.
5. A bond-servant ultimately understands his purpose
1Cor. 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
1Cor. 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Brothers in Christ understand that God Himself paid the most costly price ever with the death of His Son Jesus. And though we rebelled and defiled His name He bought us for Himself! Therefore we are to reflect, display and manifest Him in such a way that when others see us they really see Him.
Next week we will develop the plan for the book of Philippians. Until then may I encourage you to continue reading and think about how the apostle Paul flows in his thoughts regarding joy, fellowship, gospel and suffering as a bond-servant of Christ.
Blessings,
Philippians - Session #2 - review notes
Good morning gentlemen,
I apologize for the time delay in sending out notes from last week's study in Philippians. It seems that the courthouse of Mecklenburg County still needs my services and until that ends my time is somewhat limited. Therefore please bear with me and we will get up to speed I think by sometime early next week.
In the time we spent together last Tuesday morning it was broken down in the following way:
1. A review of the background of Philippians - This is a key and vital piece whenever you start to study any book in the Bible. As you know the background that we have been looking at regarding the Philippians is located in Acts 15 and 16. I would encourage you again to re-read and get this section of Scripture embedded deeply into your minds as you start to study the entire book of Philippians. When you look into the background especially of missionary trip #2 you notice that Paul is taking Silas with him to go back and strengthen churches they already planted. Little did Paul know that God had much bigger plans for him on that trip. Remember that Paul tries to go south and is prevented and then he tries to go north and is prevented again. Would you say that you see the sovereign hand of God at work in this trip? (Sidenote-what may God be sovereignly preventing or permitting in your life in order that He might be glorified?) Anyway the next thing we read Paul is having a vision to come to Macedonia. This means he will go from Asia Minor into Europe. I would ask you to be very familiar with the story of Lydia and how the Lord opened her heart. Next you have the slave girl who Paul rids of a demon and because of that act is thrown in jail. And then the relationship that develops between the jailer and how he and his family come to saving faith. At this point - Pray-Pray-Pray and Think-Think-Think, what is God doing and how is He going about it? Basic Bible Principle - if you want to know what God is doing today just see what He has done in the past because what He did then He is still doing now!
Can you imagine an apostle that God loved more than the apostle Paul? Yet He directs in such a way that Paul and Silas must suffer a horrendous beating at the hands of the magistrate, after that they are thrown into the deepest part of the prison and put into the stocks. Don't miss the point of the prison visit. It was to preach the gospel to that jailer and his household. Hey guys, is that how you would have done it? Just read that Bible and look at what God does and be amazed that His thoughts and ways are above and beyond ours. And then as Paul is leaving Philippi he makes sure to tell the officials that he is in fact a Roman citizen and that what they did was unlawful. Once again look how God orchestrates these events so that as Paul leaves this church is protected from future harassment from the city officials. If you don't have this background firmly fixed in your mind then would you go over this again. As part of the review for next week I may ask someone to give this background as we start into our study.
2. Is there a word or a phrase that continues to show up in this book? And last week we discussed the word joy (noun) and rejoice (verb) occurs 14 times in this 4 chapter epistle.
Philippians Chapter 1 verses 4, 18 and 25
Philippians Chapter 2 verses 2, 17, 18,28 and 29
Philippians Chapter 3 verse 1
Philippians Chapter 4 verses 2,4, and 10
Now when you start to look at the noun and the verb for joy in the New Testament that becomes a Bible study in and of itself. And I do think these are the kinds of things we need to touch on before we launch into our Chapter by Chapter, paragraph by paragraph and sentence by sentence study within Philippians. It appears that Paul has a "theology of joy" that he is writing about that few American Christians seem to know little about. Just so you don't think I am pointing fingers please put me at the top of the list. I am trying to imagine as best I can and put myself into the situation of the apostle Paul. He has just been beaten along with his traveling companion Silas. In doing a little research these whippings normally opened up the skin almost like you would fillet a fish. Many times the victim ended up with crushed vertebrae in the back along with damage to major organs. And after this occurs and they are put in the stocks and by the way these are a different type of stocks than we normally see. In these the victims arms and legs are stretched to the point of intense pain and then locked into place. As you also can imagine the jailer probably had many other prisoners who were in the same condition and they may have spent there time cursing the system, government or even God. But in Paul and Silas you see two men who are preaching, praying and praising at the top of their lungs the goodness of God! Guys that is the kind of joy that I want to know more fully and more deeply as I continue to know the Lord Jesus. Therefore I think at least part of the theme we need to consider in this epistle is that of joy.
So with that in mind allow me to give an overview in the "theology of joy"
Contrast this with the word "happiness". Happiness means a FEELING of satisfaction or delight that is based on present circumstances. The word is related to happen stance which denotes chance. One is unable to program or plan for happiness because by its very definition it may or may not happen. Since this is the delight that is tied to an occasional happening this is the very best that man can do.
However the word "joy" used in a Biblical connotation must be related to God Himself. Joy is an attitude of deep down confidence not due to circumstances but rather in spite of the circumstances. Maybe you will like this definition best "Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of one's heart when the King is in residence there".
Rejoice which is the verb for joy in the NT occurs 74 times
Joy which is the noun occurs in the NT 59 times
1. Joy is a gift from God
Psalm 16:11 - You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
2. Joy is to those who believe the gospel
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Luke 2:8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
Luke 2:11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
3. Joy is being produced in those who believe the gospel through the Holy Spirit
Rom. 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
4. Joy comes to and through those who receive and obey God's word
Jer. 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name,
O LORD God of hosts.
Luke 24:32 They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?" Remember these were two disciples that Jesus met on the road to Emmaus? When Jesus explained the word to them about Himself in all the Scriptures their hearts burned with joy and they could not wait to go and tell others.
1John 1:4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
5. Joy is mixed with the trials of life. As a matter of fact our joy will never be made complete until it is contrasted with trials.
James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
James 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing
1Pet. 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
1Th. 1:6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
2Cor. 6:10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
6. Joy manifests in the believer as they set their hope on future glory.
Rom. 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
1Pet. 4:13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
Jude 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
So now put all this together in one definition in order to explain our "doctrine of joy".
Joy is a gift from God, to those who believe and receive the gospel, being produced in them through the Holy Spirit, as the believer receives and obeys the word of God, as it is mixed with trials as they set their sights on the hope of future glory.
Also we looked at the word grace as it relates to the writings of the apostle Paul. He begins each of his 13 epistles with the phrase "grace to you" and ends each of these epistles with the phrase "grace with you". I did think it necessary for us to spend a little time on this phrase, what it means and what it means to us in our daily lives.
I think it would be helpful for you to look at the beginning and ending of each of Paul's epistles to see this for yourself. Now take some time to meditate on "grace to you". I was reminded of this in the book of Exodus when the people of God left Egypt and were out in the wilderness. God send them "manna" from heaven in order to feed them everyday. Notice the LORD only gave them enough manna for the day. In other words, the word of God designed to be read and digested each and every day contains enough grace coming to us to sustain for the cares of that particular day whatever they may be. Now look at the last expression "grace with you". I think this means that enough of the grace of God comes and stays to get you through each and every day. So when Paul's letter came to the Philippians there was enough grace coming and staying to get them through each and every day, that is a wonderful promise from our heavenly Father.
Here is a definition of grace I posted on my blog site some time ago:
G.S. Bishop when speaking of grace says;
"Grace is a provision for men who are so fallen that they cannot lift the ax of justice; so corrupt that they cannot change their own natures; so adverse to God that they cannot turn to Him; so blind that they cannot see Him; so deaf that they cannot hear Him; and so dead that He Himself must open their graves."
Next week we will look at one more critical word and develop a doctrine of that in our study and also the overall plan for the book of Philippians. Keep in mind whenever you start to study a new book the first three requirements for good study are:
1. The historical background
2. Theme of the book
3. Plan for the book
After that you can then start to dive and dig into the chapters, sentences and verses in order to study and understand what the author meant by what he wrote.
Hope this helps to continue you along in our study of Philippians the epistle of joy in the New Testament.
Blessings,
I apologize for the time delay in sending out notes from last week's study in Philippians. It seems that the courthouse of Mecklenburg County still needs my services and until that ends my time is somewhat limited. Therefore please bear with me and we will get up to speed I think by sometime early next week.
In the time we spent together last Tuesday morning it was broken down in the following way:
1. A review of the background of Philippians - This is a key and vital piece whenever you start to study any book in the Bible. As you know the background that we have been looking at regarding the Philippians is located in Acts 15 and 16. I would encourage you again to re-read and get this section of Scripture embedded deeply into your minds as you start to study the entire book of Philippians. When you look into the background especially of missionary trip #2 you notice that Paul is taking Silas with him to go back and strengthen churches they already planted. Little did Paul know that God had much bigger plans for him on that trip. Remember that Paul tries to go south and is prevented and then he tries to go north and is prevented again. Would you say that you see the sovereign hand of God at work in this trip? (Sidenote-what may God be sovereignly preventing or permitting in your life in order that He might be glorified?) Anyway the next thing we read Paul is having a vision to come to Macedonia. This means he will go from Asia Minor into Europe. I would ask you to be very familiar with the story of Lydia and how the Lord opened her heart. Next you have the slave girl who Paul rids of a demon and because of that act is thrown in jail. And then the relationship that develops between the jailer and how he and his family come to saving faith. At this point - Pray-Pray-Pray and Think-Think-Think, what is God doing and how is He going about it? Basic Bible Principle - if you want to know what God is doing today just see what He has done in the past because what He did then He is still doing now!
Can you imagine an apostle that God loved more than the apostle Paul? Yet He directs in such a way that Paul and Silas must suffer a horrendous beating at the hands of the magistrate, after that they are thrown into the deepest part of the prison and put into the stocks. Don't miss the point of the prison visit. It was to preach the gospel to that jailer and his household. Hey guys, is that how you would have done it? Just read that Bible and look at what God does and be amazed that His thoughts and ways are above and beyond ours. And then as Paul is leaving Philippi he makes sure to tell the officials that he is in fact a Roman citizen and that what they did was unlawful. Once again look how God orchestrates these events so that as Paul leaves this church is protected from future harassment from the city officials. If you don't have this background firmly fixed in your mind then would you go over this again. As part of the review for next week I may ask someone to give this background as we start into our study.
2. Is there a word or a phrase that continues to show up in this book? And last week we discussed the word joy (noun) and rejoice (verb) occurs 14 times in this 4 chapter epistle.
Philippians Chapter 1 verses 4, 18 and 25
Philippians Chapter 2 verses 2, 17, 18,28 and 29
Philippians Chapter 3 verse 1
Philippians Chapter 4 verses 2,4, and 10
Now when you start to look at the noun and the verb for joy in the New Testament that becomes a Bible study in and of itself. And I do think these are the kinds of things we need to touch on before we launch into our Chapter by Chapter, paragraph by paragraph and sentence by sentence study within Philippians. It appears that Paul has a "theology of joy" that he is writing about that few American Christians seem to know little about. Just so you don't think I am pointing fingers please put me at the top of the list. I am trying to imagine as best I can and put myself into the situation of the apostle Paul. He has just been beaten along with his traveling companion Silas. In doing a little research these whippings normally opened up the skin almost like you would fillet a fish. Many times the victim ended up with crushed vertebrae in the back along with damage to major organs. And after this occurs and they are put in the stocks and by the way these are a different type of stocks than we normally see. In these the victims arms and legs are stretched to the point of intense pain and then locked into place. As you also can imagine the jailer probably had many other prisoners who were in the same condition and they may have spent there time cursing the system, government or even God. But in Paul and Silas you see two men who are preaching, praying and praising at the top of their lungs the goodness of God! Guys that is the kind of joy that I want to know more fully and more deeply as I continue to know the Lord Jesus. Therefore I think at least part of the theme we need to consider in this epistle is that of joy.
So with that in mind allow me to give an overview in the "theology of joy"
Contrast this with the word "happiness". Happiness means a FEELING of satisfaction or delight that is based on present circumstances. The word is related to happen stance which denotes chance. One is unable to program or plan for happiness because by its very definition it may or may not happen. Since this is the delight that is tied to an occasional happening this is the very best that man can do.
However the word "joy" used in a Biblical connotation must be related to God Himself. Joy is an attitude of deep down confidence not due to circumstances but rather in spite of the circumstances. Maybe you will like this definition best "Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of one's heart when the King is in residence there".
Rejoice which is the verb for joy in the NT occurs 74 times
Joy which is the noun occurs in the NT 59 times
1. Joy is a gift from God
Psalm 16:11 - You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
2. Joy is to those who believe the gospel
John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Luke 2:8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
Luke 2:11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
3. Joy is being produced in those who believe the gospel through the Holy Spirit
Rom. 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
4. Joy comes to and through those who receive and obey God's word
Jer. 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name,
O LORD God of hosts.
Luke 24:32 They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?" Remember these were two disciples that Jesus met on the road to Emmaus? When Jesus explained the word to them about Himself in all the Scriptures their hearts burned with joy and they could not wait to go and tell others.
1John 1:4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
5. Joy is mixed with the trials of life. As a matter of fact our joy will never be made complete until it is contrasted with trials.
James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
James 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing
1Pet. 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
1Th. 1:6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
2Cor. 6:10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.
6. Joy manifests in the believer as they set their hope on future glory.
Rom. 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
1Pet. 4:13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
Jude 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
So now put all this together in one definition in order to explain our "doctrine of joy".
Joy is a gift from God, to those who believe and receive the gospel, being produced in them through the Holy Spirit, as the believer receives and obeys the word of God, as it is mixed with trials as they set their sights on the hope of future glory.
Also we looked at the word grace as it relates to the writings of the apostle Paul. He begins each of his 13 epistles with the phrase "grace to you" and ends each of these epistles with the phrase "grace with you". I did think it necessary for us to spend a little time on this phrase, what it means and what it means to us in our daily lives.
I think it would be helpful for you to look at the beginning and ending of each of Paul's epistles to see this for yourself. Now take some time to meditate on "grace to you". I was reminded of this in the book of Exodus when the people of God left Egypt and were out in the wilderness. God send them "manna" from heaven in order to feed them everyday. Notice the LORD only gave them enough manna for the day. In other words, the word of God designed to be read and digested each and every day contains enough grace coming to us to sustain for the cares of that particular day whatever they may be. Now look at the last expression "grace with you". I think this means that enough of the grace of God comes and stays to get you through each and every day. So when Paul's letter came to the Philippians there was enough grace coming and staying to get them through each and every day, that is a wonderful promise from our heavenly Father.
Here is a definition of grace I posted on my blog site some time ago:
G.S. Bishop when speaking of grace says;
"Grace is a provision for men who are so fallen that they cannot lift the ax of justice; so corrupt that they cannot change their own natures; so adverse to God that they cannot turn to Him; so blind that they cannot see Him; so deaf that they cannot hear Him; and so dead that He Himself must open their graves."
Next week we will look at one more critical word and develop a doctrine of that in our study and also the overall plan for the book of Philippians. Keep in mind whenever you start to study a new book the first three requirements for good study are:
1. The historical background
2. Theme of the book
3. Plan for the book
After that you can then start to dive and dig into the chapters, sentences and verses in order to study and understand what the author meant by what he wrote.
Hope this helps to continue you along in our study of Philippians the epistle of joy in the New Testament.
Blessings,
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