STUDIES FROM THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS
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OUTLINE
1.CALLING
2.CAUTION
3.CONDESCENSION
4.CHEERFULNESS
5.CONTENTMENT
6.CONFIDENCE
7.CONTRIBUTION
THE MESSAGE
STUDIES FROM THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS
1.CALLING
We have a high calling of God in Christ Jesus and we must strive to fulfill that call in our life.
The Lord who has begun a good work in us will fulfill it until the day of Christ.
Christ must be the very purpose of our life.
We must keep growing in our love and knowledge and understanding.
We must discern the things that are excellent and be sincere and blameless until Christ returns and be filled with the fruits of righteousness so that God will be glorified in our lives.
We must long to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable to His death.
We must be willing to sacrifice anything for the glorious privilege of knowing Christ .
We must forget the past and press forward to fulfill the high calling of God in our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Philippians 1 : 3-11,
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,
5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.
8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 2: 12-18
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
17 Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
18 For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.
Philippians 3 : 1- 16
1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
2.CAUTION
We must be careful and cautious about dangerous people who claim to be serving God but in reality are evil workers .
They have selfish and evil motives in everything they do .
Even their preaching is motivated by jealousy and strife .
They are enemies of the cross who are earthly minded always striving selfishly for earthly gain.
We must be careful not to follow their bad example .
We must honour and receive godly ministers like Timothy and Epaphroditus.
We need not fear our enemies knowing that it will end in their destruction.
We have security in the Lord and we should be prepared to suffer for Christ as well .
We live for Christ and if we die for Him , it would only be a gain.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Philippians 1 : 12- 26
12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,
13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;
14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill:
16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;
17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.
19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.
23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith,
26 that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.
Philippians 2 ; 19 -30
19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.
21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.
23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.
24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.
25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;
26 since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.
27 For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful.
29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem;
30 because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.
Philippians 3 : 17-21
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
3.CONDESCENSION
We must humble ourselves just as the Lord Jesus humbled himself , laying aside His heavenly glory.
He took the form of a servant even though He was equal with God and humbled Himself even to the extent of dying on the cross.
We must have the same attitude that Jesus had.
When Jesus humbled himself , God exalted him above everyone else so that everyone would bow before the name of Jesus.
We must not be selfish and try to gain vain glory for ourselves.
We must humble ourselves and receive God’s honour and promotion in our lives.
We must work with others in the kingdom of God in the spirit of love and unity.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Philippians 2 : 1-11
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 4: 1 - 3
1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Philippians 1: 27 - 30
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
4.CHEERFULNESS
We must rejoice in the Lord always and be full of cheerfulness.
We must not be depressed by gloomy circumstances being filled with worry and anxiety.
Rather we must place all our burdens on the Lord through prayer and thanksgiving .
Then we would enjoy the divine peace of the Lord in our hearts and minds.
We must think thoughts that are pure, lovely , admirable, excellent and praiseworthy .
We must maintain an attitude of joy and cheerfulness in every situation trusting in the goodness and faithfulness of God.
We must follow the examples of godly leaders who embody the spirit of humility.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Philippians 4 : 4 - 9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
5.CONTENTMENT
We must learn to be contented in every situation in our life .
We must learn to live in contentment whether we experience lack or abundance .
We must be able to face hunger as well as abundance of food.
We must have a heart of contentment in every situation whether high or low.
We must not be affected by changing standards of living but must be contented in every state that the Lord allows us to live.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Philippians 4 : 10 – 12
10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
6.CONFIDENCE
We must have the confidence that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
We must face every situation and every challenge with the courage and confidence that Christ gives to us.
We need not be afraid to take up new responsibilities thinking about our limitations .
We must rely on the strength that Christ gives to us and face every task with boldness.
The Lord will give us the necessary strength and grace and wisdom to accomplish what we have to do .
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Philippians 4 : 13
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
7.CONTRIBUTION
We must be generous in contributing to the Kingdom of God.
There are great blessings when we give generously to God .
We receive a great reward from Him .
Our sacrificial contributions are credited to our heavenly account and we would receive an abundant reward in eternity.
Our giving is a sweet smelling sacrifice to God which is pleasing and acceptable to Him.
The Lord will be faithful to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory.
We would receive out of His abundant heavenly riches everything that we need in our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Philippians 4 : 14 – 20
14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.
15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.
16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.
17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.
18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.
19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
