Philippians Lesson 7

Philippians 4:4 - 23
Chapters 22, 23, and 24 in Motyer

Today we’ll spend some time looking at a series of final commands that are given to the Philippians at the close of Paul’s letter to them.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Paul begins with a double command to start this list of God’s commands to us. Note that there are not constraints on this command to rejoice. Back in the early 70s a book was published that is still in print. The title is Power in Praise and it has sold millions of copies. The book was/is good in the way it stresses the importance of rejoicing in God constantly but the extension of the principle to praising God for evil in our lives as a method of acquiring what we want from God is problematic. These aspects were criticized during the 70s (at least in the circles I ran in) but the general principal of rejoicing in the Lord always holds true because it is Scripture. So what is the key here? First, that we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord … always. The driving force in our rejoicing is the unchanging eternal Lord who has taken us from the kingdom of darkness and placed us in the Kingdom of Light. Remember the song, “It is Well With My Soul”? That hymn continually comes back to a steadfast rejoicing in the work of salvation. In the Lord we rejoice and we don’t stop. Secondly, in the midst of a bad thing we praise God for His work and His sovereignty in all things. I don’t praise God for the bad thing but I praise Him for His care and love in my life. Satan means bad things for harm but God will use the same things for good. Sometimes we don’t see that in our life and we have to trust God. The accident that Pat and I had was a bad thing. I don’t want to do that again. However, God used the time to draw us closer together as a husband and wife. It was a very positive thing in our marriage. I praise God for the accident but I’m not praising God for a bad thing. I praise God for what He did in turning a bad thing into something good. The hard thing is that we don’t always get to see the end. Thirdly, if you think this is a means of manipulating God into giving you what you want then you really need to think about who you are dealing with. He isn’t your Mom or Dad. He can read you like a kid’s popup book. You can’t manipulate God and His arm is way too big for you to twist.

Paul repeats our command for emphasis and because he knew it would not always be an easy thing to do. This thankfulness is a commandment. You shouldn’t refuse God because you just aren’t feeling like rejoicing from time to time. You must not withhold your rejoicing because of circumstances. It is hard to rejoice when things are not going well and God knows our struggle with this. He is there in the midst of our trials. One awful thing that can happen is the birth of bitterness in our heart towards God for our circumstances. It is awful because it puts you in sin and it is awful because it separates you from the only true source of peace and fellowship with the Savior of your soul.

Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Although these scriptures can be read like a bulleted list I think that they are connected. The rejoicing in God always produced a rock solid faith in His Lordship. Nothing is out of control even when everything appears to be out of control. In this verse we are told to let our “gentleness” be evident to all. The word translated “gentleness” is a word that has no good direct translation to English. That should worry us since we are told to let it be evident to all and we don’t even have a word for it. The old KJV had it as “moderation” and that should make you scratch your head. I had a friend (still have a friend) in the 70s that his mother (an irreligious woman) decided was a Jesus freak (well maybe we were). She said this verse meant he should chill out and not let his love of Christ rule in his life. Nice try but we already owned a Strong’s Concordance. The word is ἐπιεικής [epieikes /ep·ee·i·kace/] and is translated as gentleness, patience, moderation, equitableness, fairness, or mildness. The word seems to really indicate a generosity that ignores offenses. Jesus is our perfected example ring spirit, of which Jesus provides the supreme example of a person with such strength of character that they. Such a person does not insist on his rights (2 Corinthians 10:1; Philippians 2:1–4). I wish we had one word for epieikes rather than a paragraph that would carry the fullness of this humble selfless graciousness. Is there any wonder we don’t have a word for this? You need this character to be displayed in your life to keep you rooted and grounded in the rejoicing of the prior verse. If we are going to live the opposite of egotism in our lives then we need the Holy Spirit every moment.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

First we are told to rejoice, then we are told to display a humble selflessness, and now we are told not to be anxious about anything. We may not have a word for epieikes but we sure have one for anxiety. Some existentialists raise anxiety to a godlike status. Think of the painting called “The Scream” by Edward Munch. It was in the news lately because it was stolen and the recovered. The point is the anxiety or angst that man feels in his aloneness but awareness. The feeling of dread is thought of as good because it means you are aware and alive. It is a desperate lost feeling. So we don’t even have a word for what we are supposed to show to all men and we paint paintings of what we are commanded not to have. God is gracious and full of mercy.

If you feel anxious then you are commanded to pray and petition God with thanksgiving. The thanksgiving is not a method to get what you want but it is a method to keep your feet on the Rock. It helps us remember that He is in control. We don’t want to pray and wallow in anxiety since that really means we are not allowing the awareness of God’s sovereign control to have a place in our minds. Anxiety means we have forgotten who is in control. We need to ask for what we need. Sometimes we don’t have something because we didn’t ask for it. Sometimes we ask for reasons that are bad and God says no. Sometimes God just says no and doesn’t explain. But we are told to ask. If you don’t ask with thanksgiving then you are disobedient to God. After asking for what I want then the meditation on Him and His love for me and His promises for me brings that Divine Peace transcends understanding. It isn’t contrary to understanding but transcends and goes above and beyond a human understanding.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Our feelings are not as easily corrected by God as our thinking. God can command with His revelation in Scripture and we can obey. When God tells us to rejoice He isn’t telling us to generate a feeling of happiness. He is telling us to “rejoice in the Lord” or to rejoice in what we know to be true in Scripture. Even when I don’t feel happy I can rejoice in my salvation and my right standing with God and a whole list of God’s promises in scripture.

In this scripture we are told to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. This isn’t a command to feel but this is a command to think. I’ve been thinking about The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien again lately. I’ve been listening to some comments by a Baylor professor who has taught on the Gospel in Tolkien’s work for years. One of the things that struck me is that this work growing out of Tolkien’s love of language is a meditation on virtue. It is all about truth, noble things, admirable things, lovely things, excellence, and praiseworthy acts. There is no real mention of divinity in the book while good and evil are brought to the forefront. What a tremendous very long meditation on virtue.

Philippians 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Paul was always sure to maintain a lifestyle and a teaching that was worthy of imitation. My dad frequently said to “Do as I say and not as I do.” That was not a Biblical concept but I knew what he meant. He pointed to Scripture as authoritative. Paul is clearly worthy of imitation. Doctrinally, Paul was used by God to deliver most of the New Testament. Clearly you can not learn what God wants you to learn unless you pay attention to what the Church learned, received, heard, and saw in Paul. Don’t try the false dichotomy of defining some doctrines as “Pauline” to make them less than God’s word to you.

Philippians 4:10-13 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

I can be in need for a while but I have a lot of growing to do before I’m likely to put up with bad circumstances; however, isn’t it good to see the context of “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength?” It isn’t moving mountains and building cathedrals. The context is being content with God in whatever circumstances you find yourself in. Wow. That should humble us and stop our mouths. We are so accustomed to placing our comfort and conditions first that truly we should embrace this scripture to find our contentment as our mountain to move into by God’s strength.

Philippians 4:14-16 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.

These people were Paul’s dear friends and old friends too. They supported his work for years.

Philippians 4:17-20 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Our offerings are sacrifices to God. Note again the context of God supplying all your needs is in response to the obedience in giving.

Philippians 4:21-23 Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Grace starts the book and Grace ends the book. The undeserved favor of God is our life.

Philippians Lesson 6

Philippians 3:17 - 4:3

Chapters 19, 20, and 21 in Motyer

Examples are useful things in all sorts of learning. General rules are good but it is nice to see a particular example and learn from it. Paul brings up the apostolic example in Philippians 3:17.

Philippians 3:17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

According to the command of Jesus we are not to judge others. How does that command and the popular cry of “Don’t you judge me!” fit with this text. Jesus context was the hyper-extended legalism of the Pharisees. I say hyper-extended because they loved adding to God’s command and then feeling superior about arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. Jesus called them white washed coffins. They looked really good on the outside but on the inside were full of dead men’s bones. That sounds a little judgmental doesn’t it? The sad thing is that we tend to judge each other in pharisaical ways. We wipe and polish the coffin and avoid dealing with the serious problems inside. So Jesus says to stop judging each other and judge ourselves.

In the book of Romans Paul also focuses on the self righteousness resulting from this behavior as he established the universal sinfulness of mankind. Here Paul is saying to notice and be thankful for those around you who are seeking God as He sought God. In particular he calls on us to take note of the apostolic example and follow them. That is no trivial example.

Philippians 3:18-19 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.

Jesus said we would have weeds and wheat growing together. Until the last day we’ll have folks in the Visible Church (everything in the field) who are not part of the Invisible Church (the wheat in the field). Just because you know you won’t eliminate all the weeds doesn’t mean you don’t remain watchful and at the harvest you deal with it. Wheat doesn’t handle foot traffic well, the grassy weeds can be hard to identify in the wheat, and the intertwined roots can damage the wheat if you try to pull out the weeds. Jesus told the parable of the weeds and said, “When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared” (Mt 13:26). This was said because it is so hard to tell some grassy weeds from wheat except by their seed heads or “fruit”.

Jesus taught that the owner of the field said, “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn. (Mt 13:30)’ ” God will eventually put an end to all pretense but in the meantime … we speak the Gospel as purely and clearly as God’s Grace allows.

How do you identify an enemy of the Cross? Paul goes on to clarify that “their destiny is destruction” so we know that he is talking about tares and not wheat. These are not Christians. This is why I really don’t like the term “carnal Christian” because generally when scripture addresses the issue of folks who are in the fellowship of Christians and yet acting like they are unsaved … well it is because they are unsaved. Weeds are in the field but are not wheat. You wouldn’t call them carnal wheat. There is nothing that makes a weed in a wheat field wheat. A farmer would look at you like you were nuts if you started calling the weeds by the crop name just because you found them in the field.

Another characteristic of the enemies of the Cross is that their god is their own desires. Whatever they want trumps God’s commands and direction because He isn’t the Lord of their life. We need to be careful in our own lives not to let our desires sneak in with spiritual clothes on and direct us in error. If we are correctable, then God helps us daily with that problem. The enemies of the Cross do not have shame for making decisions that are based on their wants and not on God’s commands. They don’t place Spiritual things first but place earthly things first and glory in things that they should be ashamed of. We check the fruit to know the tree. Instead of calling people “carnal Christians” perhaps it would be better to just say the “lost in church”. It seems more like a disservice to both the Church and to the lost in church to use the term carnal Christian.

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

The distinction is the direction of our eyes. Where are you looking? We have a citizenship in heaven and not here on earth. The Apostles showed us how we were to live with our eyes on heaven. We are looking to Christ our savior and waiting for his transforming power to give us a resurrection power. Our heavenly body will be “like his glorious body” by His power that brings everything under His control. Jesus is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.

Remember that you will not be a disembodied spirit floating on a cloud. We will have bodies that are not limited like these bodies but remember that Jesus was touchable after his resurrection not a wisp and vapor. It is important to remember this teaching because the world, through the secular arts, tends to teach that we’ll be disembodied rather than embodied. Our bodies will be like His. I sort of hope that my resurrection body will have no scars. I’ve picked up a few more this year. The reason I have that hope is that Jesus has His scars and I’d be embarrassed to have any in His presence. Nothing I have been through in this world is worthy to be compared with him. The marks of my passage through this world should disappear before His marks. I hope that when all tears and mourning are passed away that my scars go with them.

We should live our lives in expectation of His return. That is a good thing to remember. I remember the book “88 Reasons Christ is Returning in 1988”. I didn’t think the author was right. I’d already seen too many mistakes in interpreting prophecy by then. But I remember setting in my office in mid-September of 1988 and telling God, well OK go for it if you are ready. I guess he wasn’t.

Philippians 4:1-3 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

The “therefore” points back to citizenship in Heaven and focus on our returning Savior. We stand firm on our citizenship in Heaven and not of this earth. We stand firm waiting on our Savior. We meet Him in the air or we may meet Him there but we will meet Him.

I’ve observed that a fundamental source of differences within the Church is sometimes the point of view of those who have been saved forever (as a child) and those who have been saved late in life. It is often a fruitful difference of opinion and I think it is often constructive as Christ builds his Church.

Here Paul is pleading with two ladies to work together. However, this is pretty far out on a limb so if you want to ignore me on these points they certainly are not essential points. Scripture makes the same points elsewhere. The names have Greek meanings that make me laugh.

Euodia is “fragrant/fine journey” she has the smell of success. Maybe the name is as it is because of the role of spices and food in most successful journeys.

Syntyche means “with fate/accident” or sort of a to come suddenly or not when expected. It seems reasonable to think that she may have been named because of something sudden, unexpected, and providential about her birth.

I think that in the wisdom and providence of God that He is giving us a little additional instruction here. If you have had a life that is as fine a journey as a person is likely to have in this world, then you need to be alert and sensitive to those who are saved late in life as if by accident. And if you were saved late in life then you need to be alert and sensitive to those who have been saved for a long time. The interaction is intended by God to be a good one and beneficial for the church. The interaction fails to be constructive when we don’t submit to Scripture and in particular God’s command from this same book to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (Php 2:3-4).” We have one more name who these ladies were told to work with. Clement is (by tradition) the same Clement who became the Bishop of Rome toward the end of the first century. His name means mild or merciful. As we live and work together we certainly need mercy and mildness toward each other as we resolve, and live with, differences.

Philippians Lesson 5

Philippians 3:4-16
Chapters 16, 17, and 18 in Motyer

One of the key questions used in Evangelism Explosion to clarify a person’s position with regard to the Gospel is “If you were to die tonight and God asked you why He should let you into heaven then what would you say?” If someone answers “Nothing but the blood of Jesus” then they may have an understanding of Grace. If someone answers, “Because I’ve been a pretty good person all my life and God grades on a curve” then they probably don’t understand the Grace by which we are saved. As the set of Laws given in Old Testament scripture came to an end as a means of obtaining righteousness then those who had always relied on them had a major hurdle to overcome in the Gospel. The Apostle Paul probably had the highest hurdle of anyone but the Holy Spirit radically changed his concept of where righteousness came from and why God should accept him.

Philippians 3:4-6 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

Paul was in the perfect position to be confident in his ability to work his way to heaven. He had ritual (circumcision), race (Israel), rank (Benjamin), tradition (Hebrew of Hebrews), religion (Pharisee), sincerity (zeal), and legalistic righteousness (obeyed the law). Consequently, you could say he was the least likely to abandon a righteousness made by his own hands and to accept salvation by Grace alone through Faith alone in Christ alone to the Glory of God alone.

Since birth Paul had labored to under the covenant that was given at Mount Sinai. He mentions the “People of Israel” because under that covenant God made promises to the nation of Israel. It was an “if then” arrangement that was dependent on the obedience of the nation and Paul could argue that he was faultless as far as a legalistic righteousness could take him. Of course that still meant that he was a sinner.

We have folks in this day and age that consider church membership and adopting a particular life style to be means of acquiring righteousness. Anytime you want to be righteousness then you had better figure out what God says because anything else is of academic interest at best. The moral law still is something that we as God’s children should obey. In fact, Jesus makes it clear that simply physical obedience is not sufficient and that we need both physical obedience and a deep heart obedience. That is a staggering standard and would be crushing were it not for God’s provision of the Holy Spirit to be the One Called Alongside to aid us. We have our righteousness settled before God by the work of Jesus in which our sins are forgiven and we wear the imputed righteousness of Christ. Then we live our out lives learning to be obedient to God in both our actions and attitudes.

Philippians 3:7-9 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

How do you respond to Grace? Paul treasured it above everything else because he realized that this finished work was something that set him free from the law of sin and death. Think of all the “water under the bridge” when Paul says “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Think of all the preaching, danger, hunger, cold, imprisonment, and beatings. Paul’s losses were not always voluntary but he wanted Christ above all else.

The law was good. The law was not a bad thing; however, because of our sinful nature it condemns us all as sinners. On the other hand the covenant given on Mt. Sinai was temporary. Christ’s work on the Cross was the end of the Law for righteousness sake. Paul labors this point in Romans (and in other places as well) and he stresses that we now have the promise fulfilled that was given to Abraham. As Christians we are the children of Abraham. We are wild branches grafted into the True Vine. We are living examples of all nations being blessed through Abraham. We are the children of the promise. We are the Children of Israel. We expect to see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit someday in the physical land of Israel. At that time we expect to see many of Jewish descent come to a saving knowledge of Christ but right now we are the Seed of Abraham.

Paul knew that there was no parallel salvation through the law. Paul knew that righteousness based on Faith predated the Law. He goes to great pains to explain that in the book of Romans. All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God but God has made a way. We have the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith or … we have nothing but filthy rags. It is one or the other and we don’t want to (when we are thinking clearly) contaminate the righteousness that comes by faith with a vain attempt at righteousness in the flesh. How might we do that? When we count ourselves righteous because of our good works we have sinned. We have something to ask God’s forgiveness for and to repent from. Paul, who had the best of the best when it came to a legal righteousness, knew that he had rubbish apart from Christ.

Even in our hearts, or maybe especially in our hearts, the end doesn’t justify the means. God wants you to serve Him with your whole heart. A good work is a work done as God directs, when God directs, with no thought but for the Glory of God. John Bunyan was an Englishman with little formal education and he wrote the second best seller in the history of the English language. The book “Pilgrim’s Progress” by Bunyan is second only to the Bible in copies printed. Once after he preached someone told him that he had preached a wonderful sermon to which he replied, “Aye, you have not need to tell me that, for the devil whispered it to me before I was well out of the pulpit.” Satan might tempt Bunyan to the sin of pride but Bunyan knew that his righteousness was bought by the blood of Jesus alone. A nobody gentile like Bunyan (who God used in a tremendous way) and a Hebrew of the Hebrews like Paul (who God used in a tremendous way) are both branches supported by the True Vine and rejoicing in their Savior to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 3:10-11 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul wanted to be immersed in Christ and to know the power of His resurrection. But he doesn’t stop there. He also embraced the sufferings of Christ and His life of sacrifice. Paul knew that resurrection power came as a result of a life of service and death to self and yet Christ makes that resurrection power available to us as we seek to live lives in His service. Paul wanted to be so identified with Christ that when others saw him they would see Christ in him. Fundamentally, the power of the Cross enables me to take up my cross and lay down my life and see that resurrection power in my life day by day till that last day when I fully enjoy my resurrection.

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

We don’t have to be perfect to be in the game. I hope everyone can agree that is a good thing. Even an apostle isn’t perfected on this side of Glory. The attitude is one that is a sports analogy. There is to be a hunger for the goal. We are to stay away from apathy toward the things of the Holy Spirit. If you aren’t hungry and focused on the goal then you are everyone’s favorite opponent. Without that desire I’ll wander out without my spiritual armor and I’ll be hard of hearing and ineffective in what God calls me to do. Eventually I’ll be subject to discipline by my Father to get me back on track. God can make us run laps and stadiums until He has our attention again. He didn’t take hold of us in vain.

Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Letting go of our failures and defeats is a hard lesson to learn. Even in sports failures can seem to build. We get a problem stuck in our head and we have trouble leaving it behind. We fail repeatedly and lose confidence that we’ll ever succeed. We can’t fix the past. We may have unrepentant sin in our past. You can fix that and need to right now. Once we have repented from past sins then the failure we must avoid is letting past failure stop us from following God today. Think of Paul. Think of what he did to the church. He was so bad people were scared to let him know who they were. Paul was there when Stephen the first martyr was killed. Paul had worse things than you to forget and leave behind. Life is too short to waste the rest of it (no matter how long or short) thinking of past failures. If you do that then you are disobedient to God because He is telling you, through Paul, to suck it up, shake it off, and get on with it.

Philippians 3:15-16 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

This maturity can be thought of as a fitness for the trial and a readiness for the contest. A man with his head in his hands mourning his last loss and thinking of what a failure he was in not ready for the next battle. If you aren’t yet ready for the contest then God will make it clear to you soon.

Motyer says, “For Paul does not expect us to achieve everything on our own. There is a God who is over all, whose irresistible purpose is to make us like His Son. As we obey the truth He has already given us, He will Himself take charge of the process, and where we are still in error, deficient or weak, He will reveal that also.”

Amen. What a gracious God! And remember, you are not being called to be something you are not; He is calling you to be what you already are. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Philippians Lesson 4

Philippians 2:12 – 3:3

Chapters 13, 14, and 15 in Motyer

We have some connected sections of scripture here so I want to remind you were we are as we start this weeks study. This week we really get a workout on the old “When you see a therefore then find out what it is there for.”

Last week we ended with a piece of worship music that Paul included and he was praising Jesus for His work and His life lived at one with God.

Last week we finished with:

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

That “therefore” was there because of the perfect life of the Lamb of God (Agnes Dei). He served perfectly and His perfect sacrifice provided both forgiveness and righteousness for us. Now His name is above every name. The name given him as a human, Jesus, is the most exalted name and every knee must bow in worship to Him to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

We have the example of Christ whose life of perfect obedience we are called to imitate. We have the “therefore” in this verse to point back to the exalted Christ to which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess him as Lord. Since our Lord is higher than any other our lives are lived before the face of the Lord Almighty and we naturally must live our lives with a deep awe and desire to please God. Even more so when we realize that it God within us motivating us to do those things He desires. To refuse to obey is to place your will above the will of the highest power in the universe. There is no one greater than Him and to sin is to set my will above His will. We have a responsibility to participate with God in our salvation. Our salvation is three fold. We are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. This is the “being saved” part that God calls us to participate in and pay attention to Him so we may be obedient children.

Philippians 2:14-18 Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

As a further explanation of working out our salvation Paul tells us to never complain or argue. That would include all arguing and complaining about being told not to argue and complain. The purpose is not be saved. Remember that you can’t add to the justification that is completed by Christ in your life. We are called to obedience so that we’ll become blameless and pure, children of God without fault. We are called to be different in a fallen world that doesn’t serve or love God.

Paul speaks of how his life is being spent and that should concern us as well. Don’t waste your life … Piper really did bring home some important points. It was great to hear Trey Sinyard speaking on those points in the service last week. On the last day when you stand before God what will be precious to you and what will be far from your mind?

A guy that I’ve found fascinating is Ernest Hemingway. He considered himself a man’s man and I think most people thought of him in that way. Even his writing was athletic in a way. Every word was chosen to be exact and mean something. Many of us read “The Old Man and the Sea” as a High School assignment. It was more likely to be read by guys because it was about fishing and it was short. The fishing part probably got guys to start it but the short part probably had more to do with finishing it. I listened to it while I mowed grass yesterday. Paul says that “even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” Hemingway says the opposite of this and says it for everyman. I don’t know how much you remember of the book but it is so short and pointed that it is hard to forget if you grasped his point and his point was “

Ecclesiastes 1:2-3 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

Hemingway builds a strong since of nihilism and yet bravery in the face of the meaningless universe with the Old Man. The fish represents all fish and his skill in fishing and hence his life work. The Sea represents God but not a personal god. Hemingway has the Old Man catch a huge 18 foot swordfish, fighting for days, spending 3 days without sleep (Christ Symbolism) at sea in a small boat, back cut from the line, hands bleeding, fish so big he could only strap it to the boat as he heads back, sharks eat his fish, he gets home with a head and back bone, and falls into bed in the position of the crucifixion. The boy, who loves him, sees his end in him and just starts crying. He cries as he goes to get him some coffee, he cries when he sees the remains of the fish, and he cries at the brokenness of the old man. I’m convinced that the crying was for both the old man and himself. Hemingway says the life will crucify you. It will be a meaningless ripping of your best from you and no one will really know or long remember your work. He even has some tourists who see the backbone and tail while eating breakfast and ask the waiter about it. He doesn’t speak English and all they get from him is “shark” and they comment that they didn’t know sharks had such pretty tails. I would bet that Hemingway read Ecclesiastes. It may have been the only part of the bible that he understood. He didn’t realize that God had a bunch more to teach him but the end of even someone with Solomon’s wisdom is nihilism and Hemingway wrote a very potent book preaching it.

Apart from God, Hemingway is right. The point of Ecclesiastes is to show us where we end up in our own wisdom. God give us meaning in our lives. The things we learn from Scripture will be useful after 10,000 years and God uses even our work under the sun to teach us spiritual lessons. For me, as a high school student, what I learned from The Old Man and the Sea was courage and perseverance. That was my take home lesson. I think it is ironic that while Hemingway meant mostly hopelessness I heard mostly face life as a man. That was very “Hemingway” too but I could face life with courage, not because it meant nothing, but because it meant something. I could trust God to lead me and use me.

Paul could say that if he was poured out as a drink offering on the top of the service of the Philippians … then fine and dandy and praise to God. He knew his Lord was Lord. He could work out his salvation with fear and trembling yielded to the God of the universe. God is not something without personality and meaning like the sea but a God who calls us His children.

We know that lives spent in the service of others can’t be wasted. The following scriptures show the love that existed within the Church.

Philippians 2:19-30 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.

For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.

And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

If you want a life with impact then obey God. You need to address eternal things to have eternal impact. Jesus said that if we wanted to be great then we’d be the servant of all. God makes ministering to people fundamental to serving Him. He give us an opportunity to participate with Him in a work that will last forever.

Philippians 3:1-3 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

Sola Gratia … we are saved by Grace alone. On that last day I pray none of you will be clinging to something that you have done for God. I pray that you’ll be singing “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus”. We have no claim to stand before God except for the work of Jesus on the Cross by which our sins have been forgiven and His righteousness has been imputed to us. God counts me to be in right standing with Him because of Jesus and because of Christ alone.