That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:7-14)
Overview
[1] Philippians, Thru The Bible Radio with Dr. J. Vernon McGee ©, with free downloads Notes & Outlines (PDF), Complete 5-Year Study (MP3), Confidence, Certainty, and Cheer (PDF)
The epistle is practical; its key thought is joy. It has been labeled “The Secret of Joy.” Some form of the word occurs 19 times. It answers the question, “How may I have joy in my heart?” The man who wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4), was in the Mamertine prison in Rome. Joy does not depend upon circumstances. (Read the complete article)[2] Book of Philippians, from gotquestions.org (this website is also available in Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, Burmese-Myanmar, Cebuano, Chinese - Simplified, Chinese – Traditional, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Malaysian, Persian-Farsi, Portuguese, Quechua, Sesotho, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese, Zulu, and 70 other languages)
Philippians can be called “Resources through Suffering.” The book is about Christ in our life, Christ in our mind, Christ as our goal, Christ as our strength, and joy through suffering. It was written during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, about thirty years after the Christ’s ascension and about ten years after Paul first preached at Philippi.[3] To Know Christ And To Make Him Known, A Devotional Commentary on the Book of Philippians, by Paul G. Apple
Paul was Nero’s prisoner, yet the Epistle fairly shouts with triumph, the words “joy” and “rejoice” appearing frequently (Philippians 1:4, 18, 25, 26; 2:2, 28; Philippians 3:1, 4:1, 4, 10). Right Christian experience is the outworking, whatever our circumstances may be, of the life, nature, and mind of Christ living in us (Philippians 1:6, 11; 2:5, 13). Philippians reaches its pinnacle at 2:5-11 with the glorious and profound declaration regarding the humiliation and exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Read the complete article)
As we labor together until Christ returns, fellowship in the gospel sparks three responses: joyful thanksgiving, intimate bonds, purposeful prayer for spiritual maturity. (Read the complete article)[4] Philippians, from Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)
WRITER: The Apostle Paul (Philippians 1:1)Discussion
DATE: The date of Philippians cannot be positively fixed. It is one of the prison letters. Whether Paul was twice imprisoned, and if so, whether Philippians was written during the first or second imprisonment, affects in no way the message of the Epistle. A.D. 64 is the commonly received date. The immediate occasion of the Epistle is disclosed in Philippians 4:10-18.
THEME: The theme of Philippians is Christian experience. Soundness of doctrine is assumed. There is nothing in church order to set right. Philippi is a normal New Testament assembly—“saints in Christ Jesus, with the bishops (elders) and deacons.” The circumstances of the apostle are in striking contrast with his Christian experience. As to the former, he was Nero’s prisoner. As to the latter, there was the shout of victory, the paean of joy. Christian experience, he would teach us, is not something which is going on around the believer, but something which is going on within him.
The key-verse is, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Right Christian experience, then, is the outworking, whatever one’s circumstances may be, of the life, nature, and mind of Christ living in us (Philippians 1:6,11; 2:5,13).
The divisions are indicated by the chapters:
1. Christ, the believer’s life, rejoicing in suffering, Philippians 1:1-30.
2. Christ, the believer’s pattern, rejoicing in lowly service, Philippians 2:1-30
3. Christ, the believer’s object, rejoicing despite imperfections, Philippians 3:1-21.
4. Christ, the believer’s strength, rejoicing over anxiety, Philippians 4:1-23.
[1] Key verses: Philippians 1:21; 2:5-11; 3:7-14; 4:4, 6-7, 13
[2] Joy and rejoicing in the midst of life’s struggles: The word “joy” is mentioned six times in this epistle (Philippians 1:4, 25; 2:2, 17-18; 4:1). The word “rejoice” appears eight times (Philippians 1:18; 2:16-18, 28; 3:1, 3; 4:4). Please review our lesson on eternal security of the believer / perseverance of the saints.
[4] The Mystery Of The Incarnation, by Ken Boa
Although we live in a pluralistic culture that tells us that Christianity is just one option in a whole cafeteria of equally valid spiritual choices, a closer look at the Bible reveals its profound uniqueness. Its claims about God, humanity and the way of salvation set it apart from other religions, and this uniqueness is especially evident in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who could have imagined that the transcendent Creator of the universe would have personally visited our planet, even in splendor and majesty? But the gospels go far beyond this: they reveal that the King of Creation came in the weakness and vulnerability of a little child – a child who would grow up to be spurned and rejected by His own people – a Man of Sorrows whose suffering and death would purchase the gift of divine forgiveness and eternal life. (Read the complete article)[5] “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6)
The phrases “the day of Christ,” Philippians 1:10; 2:16; "the day of Jesus Christ," Philippians 1:6; "the day of the Lord Jesus,” 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14; “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Corinthians 1:8, denote the time of the Parousia of Christ with His saints, subsequent to the Rapture, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. In 2 Peter 1:19 this is spoken of simply as “the day,” (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words)[6] The Apostle Paul (played by Doug Whitley, Preachers of the Past)
Further study (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)
[1] Philippians: Introduction, Argument, and Outline, by Daniel B. Wallace, Th.M., Ph.D.
[2] Teaching Outlines for the Book of Philippians (Series), by Greg Herrick Th.M., Ph.D
[3] Studies in Philippians, from bible.org
[4] Materials by Bob Deffinbaugh, Th.M.
- To Live Is Christ: A Study of the Book of Philippians (Series)
- The Importance of the Incarnation
- Personal Implications of the Incarnation (Part 1) Philippians 2:5-18
Sermons on Philippians 1:21 (Be like the Bereans! Acts 17:11)
[1] Philippians 1-2 Where’s the joy part 2, by Danny Parker, First Baptist Church
[2] Looking Ahead, by Michael Stark, New Beginnings Baptist Church
[3] The joy of living and dying for Jesus, by Michael d'Offay
[4] Live Free or Die Hard (Win Win Situations), by Jerome King
[5] Philippians 1:19-26, by Michael Fennema
[6] Overcoming Pessimism, by Shane Robinson
[7] Rejoice Always 02 - The Sweet Fruit of Suffering, by Richard DeRuiter
[8] Philippians 1:20-26, by Ronnie Mitchell
For other available sermons, please surf to Sermon / Preaching resources. Sermons are also available from South McGehee Baptist Church, McGehee, Arizona; Central Baptist Church, Lowesville; First Baptist Church, Mountain View, Missouri; Swift Creek Baptist Church; Word of Life Baptist Church, Pottsville, Philadelphia; Palm Springs Baptist Church, California; South Woods Baptist Church; Grove Baptist Church, Ulster; Dudley Baptist Church, United Kingdom; Independent Fundamental Baptist Sermons, Fundamental Christian Radio Broadcasts, Off-Site Audio Page and The Christian Radio Tuner
Notes: (1) This ministry does not necessarily endorse or share all the views and opinions expressed in the materials, resources or links mentioned in these posts. Please always refer to the Articles of Faith and Biblical distinctives of Baptists when you study these materials. (2) This lesson is part of the projected 300 plus lessons. From time to time, the lessons will be updated, revised, combined, formatted, and edited to comply with the VOA Simplified English word list. Later on, these lessons will be categorized, numbered sequentially, and made available as PDF downloads.
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