Weekly Sermons

Book of Philippians Teaching

 

Philippians Overview:

 

Philippians is the 50^th book of the Bible, the 11^th book of the New Testament, the 6^th of Paul’s letters.

What distinction did the church at Philippi have?

First church in Europe, planted about AD 50 on Paul’s second missionary journey!

What province was Philippi in?

Macedonia!

Philippi is a city about 10 miles inland!

It was located on the Egnatian way, a major land route of Macedonia.

“When Paul sent Epaphroditus back to Philippi from Rome (2:25), the trip no doubt was via the Appian Way through Italy, followed by an 80 mile boat trip across the Sea of Adria, then the land journey on the Egnatian Way.” -Irving Jensen, p. 326, Jensen’s Survey of the NTt.  

In 350 B.C. the city was named after Philip of Macedon. Who was his son?

Alexander the Great!

Before that it had been called Krenides (Little Fountains).

It became a Roman Colony in 42 B.C., and had nearly 500,000 residents in Paul’s time.

The men of Philippi were thought to be more manly, like Romans!

That’s as opposed to philosophers like Athens or pleasure lovers like Corinthians. 

What did Philippi not have, though?

No synagogue.

How many Jewish male heads of households did it take to form a synagogue?

10

Read Acts 16:1-15                   Rest of chapter is so cool also!

On Paul’s second missionary journey, after being in Philippi he went to Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth!

Look at the map!

The church would have been about 10 years old when Paul wrote them!

Look at “the Place of the Christological Epistles in the New Testament.”

Philippians is the most joyful and hopeful letter of Paul!

The words rejoice and joy appear 17 times in 4 chapters, an average of once every 6 verses!

This joy and hope is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The word gospel occurs 9 times in the letter, once every 12 verses!

That’s why when I preached 20 messages through Philippians every title had the word gospel in it, like “The Gospel Changes How We View Our Circumstances!”

Less censure and more praise than any other letter!

A key passage about Jesus is 2:5-11, sometimes called the “kenosis” passage. Kenosis means emptying, and this passage describes how Jesus could remain fully God while becoming fully man without diminishing His deity. He voluntarily chose not to use His divine power on earth for personal reasons.

I gave you Irving Jensen’s outline of Philippians to look at: isn’t it awesome?!

Christ our Life!   Christ our Pattern!   Christ our Goal!   Christ our sufficiency!

Like the other “prison epistles,” Timothy is listed as co-author!

Co-authors of Paul’s letters:

Book:	Author:	Co-author(s):	Delivered by:
Romans	Paul	Tertius (writer)	Phoebe?
I Corinthians	Paul	Sosthenes	Stephanas? Fortunatus? Achaicus?
II Corinthians	Paul	Timothy	Titus + 2: Tychicus? Trophimus?
Galatians	Paul	All the brothers    with me
Ephesians	Paul	Timothy	Tychicus?
Philippians	Paul	Timothy	Epaphroditus?
Colossians	Paul	Timothy	Tychicus? Onesimus?
I Thessalonians	Paul	Silvanus Timothy
II Thessalonians	Paul	Silvanus Timothy
I Timothy	Paul
II Timothy	Paul		Tychicus?
Titus	Paul		Zenas? Apollos?
Philemon	Paul	Timothy	Tychicus? Onesimus?

 

What are some of your favorite verses in Philippians?

A Closer Look at Philippians:

1:3     I thank my God upon every remembrance of you!

1:6     God started the work in you, He’ll see it through!             Ephesians 2:10

Day of Christ         -         Joyful tone, not a sober tone!

1:7     We are partners in the defense and establishment of the gospel!

1:9-11          Great prayer!

1:12   Amazing perspective

1:20-30        One of the most amazing passages in the history of literature!

2:1-4            Humility!

2:5-11          The mystery of the incarnation explained!

Illustrates verses 1-4, but also very helpful Christology!

2:12-13        Work out what’s been worked in!

2:14   One of the first verses emblazoned in me by the Holy Spirit.

2:19-30        Timothy and Epaphroditus

3:1-11          All is dung compared to knowing Christ; beware false teachers!

3:12-21        Pursuing now our heavenly call!

4:1-3            Szygos, get Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord!

4:4-9            Ammunition for our thought life!

                    4:9     What would Paul do?

Key question in quest for holiness: Can I thank God for this?

4:10-14        Thanks, and the key to contentment!

4:15-20        Thanks, and glory to God!

4:17             Key verse about eternal rewards!

Not the account at Paul’s bookstore, where they could get a free Paul and Silas bobblehead if they sent enough money in, but their account in Heaven, the one Jesus encouraged people to store up treasure in!

4:21             Caesar’s household – Gentiles saved because of Paul’s witness while in the prison he wrote to the Philippians from!

Why would that really appeal to the Philippian Christians?

Paul had led the Philippian jailor and family to the Lord, and he is still involved in prison ministry!

What a beautiful book!

Love!           Truth!          Hope!

 

Ten Conclusions from Studying Every Prophecy of the Bible

 

First, God made an unconditional promise to Abraham that he and his descendants would be a blessed people, a great nation, that all nations would be blessed through his seed, and that the Promised Land would be theirs. This is often referred to as the Abrahamic Covenant.   

 

Genesis 12:3; Genesis 13:14-15; Genesis 15:18-19; Genesis 17:1-21; Exodus 23:31; Leviticus 26:44-45; Deuteronomy 4:25-31; Deuteronomy 30:3-5; Psalm 89:30-34; Luke 1:67-75; Romans 11:25-26; Galatians 3:17-18

 

Second, God made a conditional promise to Israel as it received what has been called the Mosaic Law/ Covenant. Israel would experience blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience. The law revealed the character of God, God’s expectations, provision for forgiveness, and the need of a Savior.

 

Deuteronomy 28-38; Matthew 5:17-18; Galatians 3:15-25

 

Third, God made an unconditional promise of a throne within the Promised Land to David’s descendants. This is often referred to as the Davidic covenant.

 

2 Samuel 7:11-16; 2 Samuel 23:5; 1 Kings 2:1-4; 1 Kings 9:4-9; 1 Chronicles 17:3-5; Psalm 132:11-18; Jeremiah 36:30; Luke 1:26-33; Luke 1:67-75

 

Fourth, Israel’s Messiah would die as an atoning sacrifice for sinners yet rise from the dead (what we now refer to as the First Coming of Jesus Christ). The following predictive prophecies related to Christ’s first coming were made hundreds and some even thousands of years before Jesus came. The prophets began to speak of a coming New Covenant this Messiah would bring, replacing the conditional Mosaic covenant, completing the others.

 

Genesis 3:15; Genesis 49:9-12; Numbers 24:17; Deuteronomy 18:18-19; Deuteronomy 21:22-23; I Samuel 2:35; Psalm 22; Psalm 110; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:1-2; Isaiah 11:1,10; Isaiah 11:2; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:8; Isaiah 53; Isaiah 61:1-4; Jeremiah 16:19-21, 31:8; Daniel 9:24-27; Micah 5:2-4; Zechariah 9:9-10; Zechariah 13:7-9; Malachi 3:1

 

Fifth, the phrase ‘Day of the Lord’ in the Old Testament, when applied to the End Times, seems to encompass what we call the Tribulation, the Second Coming of Christ, the Battle of Armageddon, and what we call the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the Millennium.

 

Tribulation passages:

Daniel 9:24-27; Isaiah 10:20-21; Isaiah 11:10,12; Isaiah 13:1,6,9; Daniel 2 and 7; Daniel 8 and 11; Daniel 12:4-12; Joel 2:30-32; Amos 5:18; Amos 7:7-9; Amos 9:8-10; Zephaniah 1:2-3; Zephaniah 1:14-18; Matthew 24; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; Revelation 6-19

Second Coming/ Battle of Armageddon passages:

Psalm 2; Psalm 110:5-6; Isaiah 11:4; Isaiah 34:1-3; Isaiah 64:1-2; Jeremiah 25:30-38; Jeremiah 50-51; Joel 3; Zephaniah 3:8-13; Zechariah 12:8-14; Zechariah 14:1-21; Malachi 4:1-6; Matthew 24:29-31; 2 Thess. 1:3-10; 2 Timothy 4:1; Jude 14-15; Revelation 19.

Millennium/ Day of Judgment passages:

Isaiah 24:21-23; Exodus 32:32-34; Psalm 1:5; Psalm 37:12-13; Psalm 96:13; Psalm 98:8-9; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Isaiah 34:4; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Peter 3:1-7; Revelation 20

 

Sixth, Israel’s Messiah will reign on the throne promised to David in the land promised to Abraham. The most likely time these prophecies could be fulfilled is the millennial reign of Jesus Christ described in Revelation chapter 20.

 

Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-8; Acts 1:6-8; Revelation 20; Jeremiah 30:1-9; Ezekiel 34:23-24; Ezekiel 37:24; Hosea 3:4-5; Amos 9:11-15; Psalms 10:16; Psalms 37:9; Isaiah 2:1-11; Isaiah 11:1-12:6; Isaiah 56:6-8; Isaiah 62:1-4. 12; Jeremiah 3:11-18; Jeremiah 16:14-15; Jeremiah 29:10-14; Jeremiah 30:1-11; Jeremiah 31:31-40; Jeremiah 33:14-18; Ezekiel 36:22-37; Hosea 1:8-2:1; Hosea 3:1-5; Hosea 14:1-7; Joel 2:25-27; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 2:12-13; Haggai 2:1-9; Haggai 2:20-23; Zechariah 14:1-21; Matthew 19:27-29; I Corinthians 6:1-3

 

Seventh, the apostles explain to us the mystery of the church and the rapture of the church between the time Christ fulfilled the prophecies of the Suffering Servant (First Coming) and the time He will come as the Conquering King (Second Coming). This fits with the concept of an interval of time before the final seven years mentioned in Daniel chapter 9:24-27.

 

Daniel 9:24-27, Joel 2:28-32; Acts 1:6-8; Romans chapters 9-11; Matthew 13:10-15; Matthew 13:31-32; Ephesians 1:9-10; Ephesians 2:6-7; Revelation chapters 2-3

 

Eighth, the apostles, in anticipation of an imminent Rapture of believers, introduce a sense of giddy anticipation that is very different in tone than the ‘Day of the Lord’ verses in the Old Testament. Characteristic of this is their use of the phrase found in the apostles, “the Day of Christ.”

 

Philippians 1:6; 1 Corinthians 1:7-8; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 2 Corinthians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 4:14; Ephesians 4:30; Philippians 1:10; Philippians 3:10-14; Philippians 3:18-21; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Titus 2:11-15; Hebrews 9:27-28; Hebrews 10:25-29; 1 Peter 1:7; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:2-3

 

Ninth, the apostles seem to promise that believers will be raptured before, and not experience, the Tribulation, the day of God’s wrath.

 

I Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10

 

Tenth, the final expectation of the redeemed is dwelling with God forever on the New Earth in new bodies. The final woe of the lost is presented as eternity in the Lake of Fire. In 2 Peter the apostle Peter seems to refer to this time as “the Day of God” coming after “the Day of the Lord” (2 Peter 3:10-13). It is also recognized here that there are many verses that refer to “rewards” for believers and “degrees of punishment” for unbelievers.

 

Job 19:25-27; Psalm 23:6; Isaiah 60:18-22; Isaiah 65:17-25; Isaiah 66:22-24; Matthew 11:20-24; Matthew 13:36-43; Romans 2:5-8; Romans 2:14-16; Romans 8:18-25; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Hebrews 4:13; Hebrews 12:22-29; James 1:12; 2 Peter 3:8-13; Revelation 21-22.

 

<>< 

 

Dr. Danny Campbell, Senior Pastor, The Tabernacle, Danville, Virginia