138. Beginner Bible Course: Paul's letter to the Philippians

EPISODE 138:  Simple Bible overview of PAUL’S LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS

When her brother heard his name,

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Little sister asked her parents for a pony for Christmas. He just couldn't resist. He got a plastic bag and a big box went to a local horse farm and scooped up an entire bag of horse biscuits. He sealed the bag and gift wrap the big box as pretty as any teenage boy could wrap it early Christmas morning. He slid it under the Christmas tree, writing it to his little sister from her parents. Then he stepped back to watch when his little sister unwrapped the packaging and peeked into the box, her face erupted in a beaming smile. Then he heard her say with all this horse poop, there's gotta be a pony around here somewhere. Welcome to Paul's letter to the Philippians.

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His circumstances could scarcely be worse, but this letter is jam packed with hope confidence. Enjoy it's extraordinary. The letter to the Philippians is one of four letters. Paul composed, while under house arrest in Rome awaiting trial before Caesar one constellation is Paul tells us Timothy is there with him. We'll learn more about the relationship between Paul and Timothy. When we get to the episode on second, Timothy, Paul reminds the Philippians he's imprisoned for the defense of the gospel. Yes, he's there because of preaching the gospel, but he also is there because God wants him to stand before Kings and preach the gospel.

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I remind you, he's been brought there at room's expense. Paul mentions his living conditions. He says he's being watched by the Praetorian guard. The handpick soldiers of Rome. Paul says he is in chains. That sounds pretty tough for house arrest. Maybe it's a metaphor, meaning he is lost his freedom. But then again, maybe not, maybe at the time he wrote Philippians he's shackled. Some think he may have even been shackled to a guard in either case, whether they were hanging around the house where he was under confinement or shackled to him, these are handpicked. Roman soldiers rotated through in shifts.

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Paul says because of his imprisonment, the gospel has gone throughout the whole Praetorian guard. Can you imagine being a captive audience with this timid creature? Paul, some have quipped. There was a chain reaction of belief among these soldiers. Clearly it's had some effect at the end of the letter to the Philippians. Paul says greetings from the saints of Caesar's household. Think about that. Paul has made brothers and sisters out of at least a few people within the immediate sphere of Caesar. Paul sees other ponies in his imprisonment. He notes that since he's been taken out, others have stepped up to preach the gospel.

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Some of these are filling the gap Paul's locked up. So we need to be turned loose. Others Paul says are out there preaching to rub salt in Paul's wounds to taunt him as it were with their freedom to preach Paul's reaction. I don't care whether the gospel's preached out of earnestness or to be in my face as long as the gospel's going out. I'm good with that, to those back and Philippi who are worried, Paul would lose his head or become lion shower in Rome. Paul writes this, take a deep breath, understand I'm torn here. People to depart and be with Christ is so much better. Oh man, bring it on.

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But to remain on for your sake is maybe at this time more necessary. So yeah, I think I'm here for a while to live for Christ. But if I don't want to die as gain readers, it's a win-win so don't lose any sleep over me. Okay. To those who would wonder how he's doing, losing everything, including his freedom. Paul has a word Philippians. I may have suffered the loss of all things, but I count them as rubbish. That's sewage for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. Then Paul turns to a Peffer ditis, that's a pretty big name. He's the guy that Philippians have sent to Rome with a gift of money for Paul there in Rome, a path for data's comes down with something and almost dies.

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Paul now sends him back carrying this Philippian letter, along with Paul's deep, deep gratitude in his letter, Paul goes on to tell this first church in the first city of Macedonia that he and Timothy continually pray for them, that they long for them, all that he plans to send Timothy to them, to assist them soon. And he himself hopes to visit Paul warns them to be aware of false teachers. He calls them the circumcision dogs, the ones who'd been dogging him all over the Mediterranean. These are the ones who kept promoting the equation. Jesus plus chores equals salvation. Paul also asks an unnamed person in the church in Philippi to intervene with two women who are at odds with each other.

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You'll meet them in chapter four Yoda. And Sinte ki he coaches this person how to coach these two ladies to live in harmony as sisters in the Lord, humanly speaking Paul's circumstances are bleak yet. As he stares at these circumstances, he sees a pony in it everywhere. This letter to the Philippians is chock full of joy. And that's the one word theme for Philippians joy in the midst of difficult circumstances have joy. This is an amazing letter and very contemporary how to have joy. If you've gone all in on Jesus as Messiah and Lord, despite dire circumstances in my class, I have my students read through these 104 verses out loud in class.

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They've heard many of these verses before in Sunday school or on wall plaques or t-shirts verses that really resonate that if used as life verses would impact the trajectory or outcome of one's life, I then tell them my mom's story. She was all in on Jesus and loved him from her earliest child memory. She served Jesus faithfully for over eight decades. The theme verse of her life is from Philippians. We carved it on her tombstone. As my students read through these hundred and four verses, I challenged them. When you think you've found my mom's life verse in Philippians, I want you to raise your hand. I'll write the reference on the whiteboard.

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You're allowed to change your mind. I'll keep the eraser. In my hand, there'll be a prize for the one who guesses it and guessing which verse my mother chose from Philippians as the rudder of her life is no easy task. In 10 years of teaching with about 15 classes of eighth grade students, there's only been one student who's ever selected it. That's not because it's obscure. It's just that the odds are long. There are just so many great verses in Philippians. I'm going to give you a sampling of what my students have selected as my mom's life verse. I should say they're allowed to select two verses. If those verses go together, here's one, Philippians one, six being confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ.

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Jesus, that kind of confidence could change the trajectory of your life or Philippians one 20 and 21. I have courage that Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death, for, to me to live as Christ and to die is gain or one 27 as citizens of heaven. I beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How about chapter two verses three and four, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but rather in humility of mind, regard the other as more important than yourself, not looking only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

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How about two, 14 and 15, do nothing out of grumbling or complaining so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. How about three, seven and eight, but whatever was gained to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Not only that I consider all things to be lost in view of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake, I've lost all things and count them, but rubbish that I might gain Christ, or how about three 12 through 14? I'd give them three verses on this one. Not that I've already obtained all this or have arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Jesus Christ took hold of me.

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I do not consider myself as taking hold of it yet. But one thing I do forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me. Heavenward in Christ Jesus a little too much to put on a t-shirt, but what a life mission. How about three 20? Our citizenship is in heaven from which we eagerly, wait a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, or four, four, and five rejoice in the Lord, all the ways. And again, I say rejoice, let your gentleness be evident to all the Lord is near, or how about four, six, and seven, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made, known to guide and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus or this one, which might be a life.

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First. I would pull out a Philippians four, eight, and nine. Finally brothers, whatever is true. Whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely. Whatever is admirable. If there's anything excellent or worthy of praise, rivet your mind on these things. I can't even tell you how often I come back to that one or how about for 11 and 12? I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation I can do. All things through Christ who gives me strength or how about four 19. My God will meet all your needs.

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According to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. That's just the sampling of what my students have chosen. And I have to use the eraser a lot. As we move through the four chapters, my students are constantly switching their votes. You're wondering what my mother's passage is. I'm not telling I have future classes. Here's the point. Philippians is jam packed with life altering principles of living for Jesus within difficult circumstances. It's a win-win for those who've made Jesus, both Messiah and Lord. There's a pony in everything I didn't even read for you. The most famous section of Paul's letter to the Philippians, we believe it was a him in the early church.

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I'm going to give you an assignment to read it. Philippians two, five through 11, one of the most stunning passages about who Jesus is, what he did for us and who he will be in our future in the entire new Testament. Philippians could be summarized like this. The attitude of Jesus. Plus the knowledge of Jesus brings the peace and contentment of Jesus. Despite life circumstances, we can live with the joy of Jesus deep in our hearts. Paul wrote to the Galatians one fruit that flows out of the fullness of God's. Holy spirit is joy, joy. Despite our circumstances, joy. Despite what we find inside the box, growing in the knowledge of Jesus is precisely what triggers Paul's third prison letter to a church.

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The church in Colossae they're being told Jesus is not enough. Paul begs to differ and we'll look at that letter to the Colossians in our next wordpicture.