| HOPE IS THE NECESSARY FOCUS OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY |
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- He who began a good work in you will finish what He
started until the day of Christ Jesus (1:6)
- It is God who works in us to will and to act
according to his good purpose (2:13)
- God exalted him to the highest place with a name
above every name (2:9)
- By power to control everything, he will transform
our lowly bodies so that they will be like his (3:21)
- God is able to meet all of the giver's needs
according to his riches in Christ (4:19)
- Stand firm in the spirit, contending as one man for
the faith of the gospel (1:27)
- Be like minded, having the same love, being one in
spirit and purpose (2:2)
- Do nothing out of selfish ambition and vain conceit
(2:3)
- In humility, consider others better than yourselves
(2:3)
- Each should look not only to his own interestes, but
to the interests of others (2:4)
- On the basis of Christ's humility, we should work
out our salvation with fear & trembling (2:12)
- Do everything without grumbling and complaining in
order to be blameless children of God (2:14)
- Believers, who put no confidence in the flesh, but
worship by the Spirit, are the circumcision (3:3)
- Let your gentleness be evident to all (4:5)
- Paul's doxology, to our God and Father be glory
forever! (4:20)
- For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (1:21)
- Stand firm without being frightened in any way of
those who oppose you (1:28)
- It has been granted on behalf of Christ for you to
believe, and also to suffer (1:29)
- Children of God shine like stars in the universe,
holding out the word of life (2:15,16)
- The Backdrop for the children and the word is this
crooked and depraved generation (2:15,16)
- Rejoice in the Lord (3:1)
- Those who are mature will have their knowledge
clarified (3:15)
- The caveat is to live up to what they have already
obtained (3:16)
- Us: Citizenship in heaven, eagerly await Savior from
there - Lord Jesus Christ (3:20)
- We should stand firm, not as earthly citizens, but
as heavenly citizens (4:1)
- Rejoice in the Lord always (4:4)
- Prayers and petitions should be accompanied by
thanksgiving (4:6)
- Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, bring requests to God (4:6)
- Then the peace of God which surpasses understanding
will guard your heart in Christ Jesus (4:7)
- Think on the noble, pure, lovely, admirable,
excellent and praisworthy (4:8)
- Whatever has been learned or received or heard from
Paul, put into practice (4:9)
| Hope as Modeled by Paul, His Companions, and Christ |
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- Because of Paul's imprisonment word went out to the
entire palace guard (1:13)
- Because of his chains, many have been encouraged to
speak the word more courageously (1:14)
- Our attitude should be modeled after that of Christ
himself (2:5)
- Christ was in very nature God, but didn't consider
it something to be grasped (2:6)
- Christ made himself nothing and took the very form
of a servant (2:7)
- Christ, made in the likeness of man, humbled himself
and became obedient to death on a cross (2:7,8)
- At the name of Jesus every knee in heaven earth and
under the earth will bow to Jesus (2:10)
- Every tongue will confess the Jesus is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father (2:11)
- Timothy looks out for Christ's interests more than
his own (2:21)
- Timothy has served Paul in the gospel as a son with
his father (2:22)
- Epaphroditus as he risked his life for the gospel
(2:29,30)
- Paul encourages the Philippians to follow his
example (3:17)
- Paul encourages them to take note of those who live
according to the pattern he presented (3:17)
- Whatever had been learned or received or heard from
Paul, was to be put into practice (4:9)
| Hope Contrasted with the Hopeless Enemies of the Cross |
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- This is a sign that they will be destroyed, but you
will be saved (1:28)
- Watch out for the dogs who do evil, mutilators of
the flesh (3:2)
- Paul's acknowledgement that many live as enemies of
the cross of Christ (3:18)
- Enemies of the cross: Destiny- destruction, God-
stomach, glory- shame, mind on earthly things (3:19)
| A COMMUNITY IN NEED OF A UNIFIED GOAL FOR MATURITY |
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| The Philippians Admonished to Proper Conduct |
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- If Paul is poured out for them, they ought to
rejoice with him (1:18)
- Philippians encouraged to conduct themselves in a
manner worthy of Christ (1:27)
- Philippians have been united with Christ and having
fellowship with the Spirit (2:1)
- Philippians have experienced the tenderness and
compassion of knowing Christ (2:1)
- Paul's plea for Euodia and Syntyche to agree with
each other in the Lord (4:2)
- Paul's appeal to the loyal yokefellow to assist them
in their disagreement (4:3)
| The Philippians Admonished to Discern What is Best |
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- Paul's prayer that their love might abound more and
more in knowledge & depth (1:9)
- Aounding love is for the purpose of discerning what
is best (1:10)
- Discerning what is best is in order to be blameless
until the day of Christ (1:10)
- Abounding in love and discernement is to the glory
and praise of God (1:11)
- Discerning what is best is in order to be filled
with the fruit of righteousness through Christ (1:11)
- All the mature should take a similar view of not yet
obtaining the goal, but pressing forward (3:15)
- God is able to meet all of the giver's needs
according to his riches in Christ (4:19)
| The Philippians Encouraged by Their Participation with Paul |
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- They share in God's grace with him, whether in
chains or defending and confirming gospel (1:7)
- Some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry (1:15)
- Some preach out of love, understanding the
importance of Paul's chains (1:16)
- Some preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not
sincerely, in order to stir up trouble for Paul (1:17)
- Paul understands that the better is to remain alive
for the sake of the Philippians (1:24)
- Paul knows he will remain for the sake of the
Philippians growth and joy in the faith (1:25,26)
- The Philippians shared in the struggles of Paul
(1:30)
- If Paul is poured out like a drink offering on
behalf of the faith of the church he rejoices (2:17)
- Paul's evaluation of Timothy - no one who takes a
genuine interest in their welfare (2:19,20)
- Timothy is thus chosen to find out how the
Philippians are doing on Paul's behalf (2:23)
- Epaphroditus longing for them; distressed because of
their knowledge of his sickeness (2:26)
- Encouragement to welcome Epaphroditus as he risked
his life for the gospel (2:29,30)
- These women at odds have contended with Paul for the
sake of the gospel (4:3)
- Paul rejoices in the Philippians renewed concern and
gifts to him (4:10-13)
- Paul praises the Philippians for sharing with him
(4:14)
- Paul looks forward to what will be credited to the
Philippians account on behalf of their gift (4:15-19)
| Paul's Devotion and Prayer for the Philippians |
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- Paul's prayer of thanksgiving for the Philippians
partnership with Him (1:3-5)
- Paul's right to feel this way, he hold the
Philippians in his heart (1:7)
- Paul longs for them with the devotion of Christ
(1:8)
- Paul's prayer that their love might abound more and
more in knowledge & depth (1:9)
- Paul is encouraged by the Philippian prayers and the
Spirit of Jesus (1:19)
- Paul is torn between further fruitful labor in the
body, or the joy of dieing and being with Christ (1:22-26)
- Paul understands that dieing and being with Christ
is far preferable (1:23)
- Paul was spared, and anxious to send him back to
relieve their anxiety as well (2:27,28)
- Paul wants to be found righteous in Christ by faith,
without a righteousness by the law (3:9)
- He wants to know Christ, in death and suffering, in
life and the power of the resurrection (3:10,11)
| Paul's Model of Ministry for the Philippians |
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- Paul's imprisonment has served to advance the gospel
(1:12-14)
- Paul rejoices in the preaching of Christ from either
pure or false motives (1:18)
- Paul is convinced that what has happened will be his
deliverance (1:19)
- Paul expects sufficient courage so that Christ will
be exalted in his body, by life or death (1:20)
- Paul is eager in his hope of not being ashamed
(1:20)
- It is no problem, present circumstances accepted,
for Paul to exhort them to rejoice (2:1)
- If Paul is poured out like a drink offering on
behalf of the faith of the church he rejoices (2:17)
- Paul lists his reasons to take confidence in the
flesh if merited (3:4-6)
- Paul willingly loses everything that was to his
benefit in the flesh in order to gain Christ (3:7)
- Paul considers his credentials dung, and has lost
all things in order to gain Christ (3:8)
- Paul does not consider himself to have gained it,
but he presses on toward the goal (3:12)
- Paul forgets what is behind, presses forward to win
the prize for which God has called him (3:13,14)
- Paul's evaluation of Timothy - no one who takes a
genuine interest in their welfare (2:19,20)
- Timothy looks out for Christ's interests more than
his own (2:21)
- Timothy has served Paul in the gospel as a son with
his father (2:22)
- Timothy is thus chosen to find out how the
Philippians are doing on Paul's behalf (2:23)
- Paul's evaluation of Epaphroditus - brother, fellow
worker, fellow soldier sent by them (2:25)
- Epaphroditus longing and distress because of their
knowledge of his sickeness (2:26)
- Encouragement to welcome Epaphroditus as he risked
his life for the gospel (2:29,30)
- So that you might be pure and blameless until the
day of Christ (1:10)
- Paul's confidence that he will have sufficient
courage to glorify Christ in body in life or death (1:20)
- To depart and be with Christ is much better, but to
remain with you is more necessary (1:23,24)
- Those who oppose you will be destroyed; You will be
saved by God (1:28)
- The Philippians perseverance is linked to Paul's
ability to boast in the day of Christ (2:16)
- Paul is concerned for the Philippians well being to
show he did not run the race in vain (2:16)
- Paul desires to attain to the resurrection of the
dead (3:11)
- Paul does not consider himself to have obtained
perfection, but presses forward to the goal (3:12-14)
- Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a
savior from there (3:20)
| The Believer's Perseverance in the Work of Salvation |
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- Continue to work out your salvation with fear and
trembling (2:12)
- You are to be blameless children of God in the midst
of a crooked and depraved generation (2:15)
- The children of God shine like stars in the universe
as they hold out the word of life (2:16)
- The destiny of the enemies of Christ is destruction
because their mind is on earthly things (3:19)
- He who began a good work will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ (1:6)
- God works in you to will and to act according to his
good purpose (2:13)
- Our bodies will be transformed to be like his
glorious body (3:21)
