Philippians: The Right Confidence

 

STOP — Philippians 3:1–6

Summarize

Paul wanted the Philippians to have joy and to worship in addition to honoring Epaphroditus, because God had been merciful.

Now that Paul has updated the Philippians he moved to provide some teaching. He wanted to warn them of false teachers. These teachers taught that it was important to be circumcised and follow other aspects of old covenant law in order to follow Jesus. Paul taught that it was not, that these things were merely external things that they should not place their confidence in. If they mattered Paul would have more reason than anyone to boast with confidence because his credentials were the best. 

Truth

Our confidence is in the saving work of Jesus and the transforming work of the Spirit.

Observations

1. Paul wanted to provide an update on himself, Timothy, and Epaphroditus to show the Philippians how God had been at work and provide them with a reason to rejoice, to thank God for what He was doing.
2. The subject of false teaching was something Paul had addressed before, but he knew that it was something that needed to be revisited. False teaching is able to lead people astray and if we don’t stay vigilance it is easy to believe that they are teaching the truth.
3. The line Paul draws between true faith and the false teaching is what we put our confidence in. Is our confidence in what we have done and who we are or is it in what Jesus has done and who the Spirit says we are.
4. Verse 3 is key. Circumcision was the sign that people were part of God’s people in the old covenant. God’s people, the circumcision, in the new covenant are identified by their Spirit-guided worship and are confident in Jesus’s death and resurrection for salvation. Their confidence is in the actions of God and not in what they have accomplished.
5. Paul wrote that if our confidence was in the things of the flesh, our ancestry and our actions, then he would have more confidence than anyone else. Very few other people could match Paul’s credentials.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for providing the way of new life through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection and the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. May I continue to rely on You for what I need.

Tomorrow: Philippians 3:7-11

Philippians: Timothy and Epaphroditus

 

STOP — Philippians 2:19-30

Summarize

Paul was in prison, but he still wanted to maintain contact with the churches he helped start. He told the Philippians that he wanted to send Timothy to them to let them know how Paul was getting along. Paul commends Timothy for his faithfulness to the Gospel and his commitment to Paul. The plan was to send Timothy to them after the decision about Paul was made, and Paul was hopeful that he could travel and see the Philippians after he was released.

Since it could be a while before those visits could happen, Paul decided to send Epaphroditus back to Philippi. Epaphroditus carried the letter and care package to Paul from the Philippians. He had been a great help to Paul in prison, even risking his life since he got sick in the process. Paul wanted the Philippians to receive him back with the knowledge that he accomplished his task and then some.

Truth

Faithfulness and commitment are essential to the life of a disciple.

Observations

1. Paul knew that the Philippians were interested in how things were going with him, so he had the plan to send Timothy to them. It is important that we do what we can to keep the lines of communication open.
2. Timothy set himself apart from other people because of his commitment to the Gospel. In Philippians 2:1-4 Paul wrote about the importance of not looking after your own interests, but also to consider the interests of others. Here, Paul commends Timothy for having that type of attitude.
3. Face to face time is crucial to relationships. Paul desired to go and see the Philippians again, and he was confident that God would allow that to happen.
4. Epaphroditus was the letter carrier from the Philippians to Paul. He did more than just carried the letter, he joined in Paul’s work when he arrived. He proved to be a great help to Paul.
5. In his decision to carry the letter and help Paul, Epaphroditus put his life on the line when he got sick. We don’t know the risks that lay ahead of us, all we can do, like Epaphroditus, is to be faithful in the calling that is right before us.
6. Paul saw that it was God’s mercy that heal Epaphroditus of his illness and kept Paul and the Philippians from experiencing the distress of his death.
7. We should honor those people who put their lives on the line for the Gospel.

Prayer

Lord God, help me to follow the example of Timothy and Epaphroditus, who were faithful to the Gospel and committed to their friend Paul.

Tomorrow: Philippians 3:1-6

Philippians: Lights in the World

STOP — Philippians 2:12-18

Summarize

Paul wanted the Philippians to obey him in this teaching of humility. It wasn’t enough for them to do what is right when he was there, it was even more important to do it when he wasn’t there. When they lived a life of obedience they continued the work of salvation in their life. God would join them in this work. To live in humility and to work out their salvation meant they needed to quit grumbling and arguing, but live as holy people. Their good lives should make them stand out in the world around them. Paul wanted them and him to find joy in their humble obedience as they grew in their spiritual formation.

Truth

Our lives can be a light in the darkness when we follow the example of Jesus.

Observations

1. The Philippians obeyed when Paul was around. They wanted to please him. Now Paul wants to emphasis that they need to obey even when he wasn’t there. Our obedience should not be dependent on who is watching us. True faith leads us to do the right thing even when there is no immediate benefit to us.
2. We miss out on spiritual formation when we neglect living with humility and being obedient. We need to take this seriously, fear and trembling, and not just treat it as a nice optional thing to do.
3. God is at work with us to transform our lives. So our transformation isn’t just about our effort, it is God working in us. We need to trust that He is at work.
4. Two things we need to avoid, things that will effect our unity, are grumbling and arguing. It is our unity and working together in one purpose that helps us stand out, to shine like stars, in this world.
5. Their continued spiritual formation is confirmation that Paul’s efforts are not being wasted. He needed to know that his sacrifice was making a difference.
6. The Philippians should find joy in their spiritual formation, just as Paul did. We need to be joyful in the positive change that happens to those around us because of their faith.

Prayer

Lord God, help me to be obedient. I want to experience the transformation you have for my life.

Tomorrow: Philippians 2:19-30

Philippians: Have the Attitude of Jesus

 

STOP — Philippians 2:5-11

Summarize

For unity to exist there must be humility. The example for humility the Philippians are to follow is that of Jesus. Jesus is God, but when it came time to rescue the world for evil and destruction, Jesus didn’t think he needed to hold on to his rights as God, but he freely gave them up so he could become a servant, a great act of humility, so he could do what was best for his creation. His humility lead to the humiliation of death on the cross. Even though Jesus freely gave up his rights as God, God, because of Jesus’s humility, exalted Jesus above everything else in all of creation. This reveals God’s loving and gracious character and will lead all of creation to worship Him.

Truth

The humility of Jesus shows us that we will not miss out on blessing if we humble ourselves and let others go first.

Observations

1. This connects back to Paul’s teaching that we should consider others better than ourselves and to think about their interests as well as our own interests. Paul wants us to know that this call to humility is us following the example of Jesus.
2. Paul taught that Jesus is God. We may not understand all the mechanics of things, but what can understand is that Jesus voluntarily gave up rights due to him as God to rescue his creations from sin and evil.
3. Jesus’s humility led him to the humiliation of the cross and death. Our humility will, most likely, be a lot less costly.
4. “For this reason...” God exalts Jesus back to his status, gives him all authority, because he put the interests of others ahead of his own rights. God’s promise is that our sacrifice will not be in vain, that he will restore to us, and expand, all that was lost.
5. The humble obedience of Jesus, along with our humble obedience, leads to God receiving the worship that He deserves.

Prayer

Lord God, give me the wisdom, faith, and love that I need to follow the humble example of Jesus.

Tomorrow: Philippians 2:12-18