Philippians 1:5-8
Psalms 42:1-3 (NKJV) As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, "Where is your God?"
He says that his tears run down his face into his mouth. He is being tormented and taunted by his enemies who say, "Why are you so miserable, where is your God?"
Psalms 42:4 (NKJV) When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.
He is remembering the times when he used to gather with God's people, the times when he got together to worship. I am not able to do that anymore, I'm dispossessed, I'm not able to join with those who worship. His sadness is coming from his circumstances.
In verse five, he begins to interrogate himself.
Psalms 42:5 (NKJV) Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.
Have you ever talked to yourself? That is good to do at times. Self, you know that you shouldn't feel like this. The real problem comes when self talks to you instead of you talking to self. Self tells you, "Things are bad, we're miserable."
He is telling himself to hope in God, to trust in Him.
In verse six, he jumps right back into his depression.
Psalms 42:6-7 (NKJV) O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar. 7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
This is a tough verse to translate but a literal translation could be, "blow upon blow." The picture it gives is of the ocean when the surf is high and the waves just keep pounding, and you try to stand up in the water but can't. As soon as you get your footing, another wave comes and knocks you down again. That is the picture here, you're going through troubles and just as you seem to be getting back on your feet, more trouble comes and knocks you down again. He just can't seem to get victory in his troubles.
Psalms 42:8-11 (NKJV) The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me; A prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God my Rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10 As with a breaking of my bones, My enemies reproach me, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
He goes back to talking to himself and trying to convince himself that he will get through these bad circumstances as he hopes in God. Psalm 43 continues the same theme. David endeavors to still his spirit, with hope and confidence in God.
Psalms 43 (NKJV) Vindicate me, O God, And plead my cause against an ungodly nation; Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! 2 For You are the God of my strength; Why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
Verse 4 is the key, God is his joy. So in verse five he says to himself, "Get with it me, hope in God." This is a man in depression, a man who knows he is wrongly focusing on his circumstances. Have you ever been there? Have you ever found yourself talking to yourself saying, "Yes, it is bad but God is still in control and I just need to trust in Him." You've been there, blow upon blow. He knows that his joy is found in God, but he can't seem to get from his circumstances to his God.
As we contrast Paul to the Psalmists, here we see that Paul was also in very bad circumstances. He was in jail as he wrote this letter to the Philippians. Paul was no doubt lonely, he says that he is sending Epaphroditus back to them:
Philippians 2:25 (NKJV) 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;
He was also sending Timothy to them:
Philippians 2:19 (NKJV) But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
So, he is by himself. He, like the psalmist, is also dispossessed. He couldn't go and worship with the saints. Please notice how important it is to men of God to be able to gather with like minded believers and worship. Is corporate worship important to you?
Paul was also being criticized by his enemies:
Philippians 1:16 (NKJV) The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;
There were some preaching just to try to make it more difficult for Paul. Paul was in the same situation that the psalmist was, struggling with his circumstances, but the big difference between them was that Paul was rejoicing in his God. Paul knew joy.
Remember our theology of joy: Joy is the product of an intimate relationship with God produced in us by the Holy Spirit as we receive and obey the Word, and it is displayed in trials.
If it is produced in us by the Holy Spirit, are we passive in the attitude of joy? Do we just sit back and allow God to make us joyful? No!
Philippians 4:4 (NKJV) Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Joy is a command. You are commanded to rejoice. We are responsible to exhibit joy in the midst of the worst circumstances, but we can only do this as we are dependant upon God. God gives us the power, but we are involved, it is dependant discipline. We are dependant upon God for joy, yet we are disciplined in our life so that we do the things that we need to do, we receive and obey the Word.
A good illustration of the Christian life is seen in the proper way to climb a telephone pole. The secret of climbing a telephone pole is to lean back, allowing your weight to rest on the broad leather belt that encircles yourself and the pole, allowing your spikes to dig into the pole at as broad an angle as possible. And climbing a pole is easy-- as long as you lean back, resting in the belt. But if all you do is rest in the belt you will stay at the bottom of the pole and not go anywhere. But if you begin to climb using your effort yet the whole time relying on that belt, you'll be alright. Of course, if you fail to lean back and pull yourself toward the pole, then your spikes will not dig in and you'll slip. And it isn't very pleasant to slip because the pole is covered with splinters, and these easily dig into your body. That is what the Christian life is like, we are to depend on God, lean on him, trust in Him. Yet, we discipline ourselves to move. When we start counting on ourselves in the Christian life, just like trying to cling to the pole, we will slide down. When we slide down it hurts.
Our joy comes from dependant discipline. Joy is a settled state of mind which is synonymous with peace. It is an attitude that enables you to view the world with all its ups and downs with a levelheadedness. Joy is not a giddy, bubbly countenance. You don't have to have a smile on your face when your world is falling apart. It is an INNER confidence and peace that God is in control. Can you picture Paul and Silas in that Philippian jail smiling and laughing and appearing to be having fun? They weren't putting on some false front. Joy is an inner peace and confidence that allows you to rest in every circumstance knowing that God is in control. It is your understanding of God that determines you joy. The more you understand the sovereignty of God from the Scriptures the more you will have joy.
In verses 3-8 of Philippians 1, we see the elements of Joy. We see here the joy of; memory, prayer, fellowship, anticipation, and affection.
Last week we saw the joy of memory in verse 3-- memory causes thanksgiving. The ability to recall the goodness of people, to remember the best, to look past the negatives, and be thankful for the sweet memories of life. Thankful people are joyful people.
Then we saw in verse 4, the joy of prayer-- when you spend time in prayer for someone and you see God answer those prayers, it causes joy. The word for prayer here is that which speaks of a petition for someone else.
We also saw the joy of fellowship in verse 5-- the Philippians had sent Paul a financial gift and he was rejoicing in their fruitbearing. His joy came from their spiritual growth, their maturity.
All of these have to do with what God is doing in the lives of others. Paul was a selfless individual. It is near to impossible to have joy when you are focusing on yourself. Let me show you how to me miserable.
James 4:1-4 (NKJV) Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
The self-centered person fights for the things they want for themselves. They are worldly because they are self-centered. Worldliness is a self-centeredness that focuses on me, my wants, my goals, and forgets about anybody else. That is worldliness, focusing on yourself. Selfish people are miserable people because they will never get everything that they think they deserve.
In verse six, we see the joy of Anticipation.
Philippians 1:6 (NKJV) 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;
What is Paul anticipating here that brings him joy? He is anticipating something. What is it? What is the meaning of verse 6? There are many different opinions on this verse, as you can imagine. The majority of commentators see in this verse the doctrine of the "Perseverance of the saints." This is one of the points of Calvinism. The acronym-- Tulip--is used for the five points of Calvinism. It stands for Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints.
When someone says that they believe in the perseverance of the saints, you have to find out what they mean by that because this doctrine can be interpreted in two different ways:
1. A true Christian will never fall away, but will live a life of holiness and obedience. They will always persevere in holiness, they will always live a holy life.
2. The other interpretation which I hold to, is basically that no one whom God has brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ will ever be lost. When I use the term "Perseverance of the saints," I'm speaking about eternal security.
Many people see in verse 6 the doctrine of the "Perseverance of the saints." They view it as talking about the security of the believer or the fact that believers continue on in holiness never falling into sin. But does it teach that?
Let's examine view 1. Does the Bible teach that a true believer will always walk in obedience? Not hardly. If so, why all the exhortations to believers to STOP sinning? Is verse 6 saying that a Christian will never live in sin? No! The Bible teaches that we can walk in sin and even turn from the faith.
Doctrine of carnality-- teaches that believers can live in a sinful state.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NKJV) And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
They were acting like unsaved men. Were the Corinthians saved? The Scriptures make it clear that they were.
1 Corinthians 1:2 (NKJV) To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
1 Corinthians 1:4 (NKJV) I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,
1 Corinthians 1:7 (NKJV) so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
It should be clear that they were believers, but were they living in obedience? No!
1 Corinthians 5:1 (NKJV) It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles; that a man has his father's wife!
1 Corinthians 5:11 (NKJV) But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; not even to eat with such a person.
So it is possible for someone who is a Christian to live a sinful life. I think that it is even possible for someone who is a Christian to turn away for the Christian faith.
Doctrine of Apostasy -- teaches that we can turn away from the faith.
1 Timothy 4:1 (NKJV) Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
The word for "depart" here is aphistemi. It means, "to depart from, to remove yourself, to fall away." It is a form of the Greek word translated "apostasy." It is a purposeful, deliberate, departure from "the faith." The definite article before the word faith marks it out as speaking, not of faith as an act, but of "the" faith-- the body of Christian doctrine. They are departing from the teaching of Scripture. This is apostasy.
How many of you know someone who became a Christian, got all excited about the Christian life, began to live for God and then they quit and went back to their old lifestyle?
Many today would say they were never really saved. They define an apostate as someone who just "thought" they were saved and then fell away. They say, "If you're truly saved, you'll live right, and if you quit living right, it's because you never really believed." If this is true, than our assurance is based on works, and so is our salvation. And if that's the case, than we can never really have assurance because we don't know if we'll keep living right, keep working.
One year when I was speaking at youth camp during a question and answer time, I asked the teens, "How is a person saved?" I got all kinds of crazy answers. We finally nailed it down to faith. I asked them, "So is it just faith?" One teen said, "NO, you have to read your Bible." I said, "So, we are saved by faith plus reading our Bibles." They said, "That's right." So I asked them, "How much do I have to read my Bible?" They said, "You just need to read it." I said, "If we are talking about being saved, and to do so I have to read my Bible, I better know how much I need to read it." They got my point and decided that it was faith alone that brings salvation.
John 3:16 (NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
So, assurance comes from believing. So, believing equals never perishing or eternal life. So, if I believe I can rest assure that I have eternal life and will never perish. Now someone will interject, "If you 'really' believe." What does it mean to believe? Do you believe that 2+2= 4? Do you believe that with your head or your heart? There is only one way to believe-- we believe with our minds. Christ died for your sins. Do you believe that? What is the difference between believing that 2+2=4 and believing the gospel? The difference is in WHAT you BELIEVE not HOW you believe. It is not HOW you believe but WHAT you believe that saves you. We are saved by believing, not by working. Can someone who has believed leave the faith? Yes! Paul tells Timothy that some shall depart from the faith. Look at:
1 Timothy 1:18-20 (NKJV) This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
The word "learn" is the Greek word piadeuo. It means to be trained, educated, corrected. Every use of this in the New Testament refers to Christians.
Hebrews 6:4-9 (NKJV) For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
Here we see those who were partakers of the Holy Spirit falling away. These are Christians who were leaving Christianity and going back to Judaism. They had "tasted" the heavenly gift. This same word "tasted" is used in chapter 2 of Christ when it says that He tasted death for every man. Christ totally partook of death, and these believers had totally partaken of salvation. These are believers who had departed the faith.
7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;
These Hebrews understood their Old Testament and they knew that rain is a blessing from God. Rain is a promised blessing for covenant keepers.
8 but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
This is not a reference to hell. What is it a reference to, do you know? It is speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. It is a biblical picture of discipline. It they turn away from Christianity, they will be chastened by fire. We see this same idea in chapter 10. Again, he is speaking to believers.
Hebrews 10:26-31 (NKJV) For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people." 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Verse 29 makes it clear that this is a believer, "he was sanctified." He is warning these Hebrew believers that if they turn away from Christianity and go back to Judaism, that they will be chastened. Apostates face temporal judgement and ruin but they never face the loss of their salvation.
What about James? When you try to teach that salvation is by grace alone, someone is going to say that according to James, you must have works in order to be saved.
James 2:14 (NKJV) What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
Can faith save you? Yes! Only faith can save you. "Save" here is used in the sense of physical deliverance from temporal judgement. James is not dealing with the issue of eternal life. The danger of apostasy is real, we must all guard against it.
How do you guard against apostasy?
1 Timothy 4:16 (NKJV) Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
The context of this chapter is the subject of apostasy, and Paul tells Timothy that he will save himself by guarding his life and continuing in doctrine.
So, Philippians 1:6 cannot mean that a Christian will never fall away, but will always live in obedience until death. The Bible doesn't teach that, so that cannot be the meaning of Philippians 1:6.
What about the second view, is verse 6 teaching eternal Security? This is what I mean when I talk about "Perseverance of the saints." Many take this as the meaning of verse 6. God began your salvation and God will finish it. Does the Bible teach this? Yes! We saw in Acts 16 that it was God who opened Lydia's heart. God begins salvation and God completes it. Let's look briefly at the doctrine of eternal security.
Romans 8:29-30 (NKJV) For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
The word "foreknew" means to love before, or for-loved. In Amos 3 :2, God says to Israel, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth." Does that mean that God didn't know the other nations? NO! It meant that he had a special love relationship with Israel. Israel was His chosen nation.
Matthew 7:23 (NKJV) "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
If God is omniscient, how come he didn't know them? It means that He didn't have a love relationship with them. So the word "foreknew" has to do with loving before hand. There is an unbroken chain here from foreknowledge to glorification. The ones he foreknew, he called and the ones he called, he justified and the ones he justified, he glorified. It is an unbroken chain.
Let's look also at:
John 10:25-28 (NKJV) Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. 26 "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
The life we have been given is everlasting, it will never end. God began salvation and God finished it. Salvation is all of God.
We have security! In salvation we have:
That's Security! Eternal security.
So, if by the "Perseverance of the saints" you mean eternal security, the Scriptures clearly teach it, but does Philippians 1:6? Just because the Bible teaches eternal security, doesn't mean that Philippians 1:6 does. I don't think that verse 6 is teaching eternal security. Let's examine the verse.
"Being confident" is the Greek word peitho. It means to obey, to believe, to convince, to persuade. In the perfect tense, it means -- to have confidence. Paul says, "I have confidence." He uses that same word in 1:14, 25 and 3:3 of this epistle. Each time translated confidence. He also uses it in 2:24 and 3:4 of trust.
"Begun" is the Greek word enarchomai. It means, to make a beginning. "He which" is God. "In you" is su. It's in the plural speaking of the Philippian church. He is not talking to an individual but to the first century Philippian church. "Good work" is agathos ergon. Agathos means good or noble. Ergon means deed or action.
"Will perform it" is epiteleo, to fulfill further (or completely), i.e. execute; by implication, to terminate. The work that was begun in them would be completed in the day of Jesus Christ.
What is the "day of Christ?" In the Old Testament you are probably familiar with the phrase the "day of the Lord." The "day of the Lord" is used in the Old Testament in regards to the judgements and destruction of various nations. It usually meant a time when God Himself would punish or judge people by the means of armies of other people. The invading armies of other nations brought judgement and destruction upon various nations, and these times were each called "the day of the Lord" when they were proclaimed of the Lord.
While the various references to "the day of the Lord" in the old Testament referred to various nations, the reference in all such expressions in the New Testament are to that "day of the Lord" in AD 70, when the nation Israel was destroyed.
Is the phrase "the day of Jesus Christ" different from the "day of the Lord"? No! "The Day of Jesus Christ" is a reference to the return of Christ, who is LORD.
Philippians 2:11 (NKJV) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In 2 Peter 3, Peter connects "his coming" (verse 4) with "the day of the Lord" (verse 10).
2 Peter 3:4 (NKJV) and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
The "DAY OF CHRIST" is an alternate name for the "Day of the Lord."
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 (NKJV) Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
So, the "day of Jesus Christ" is the same as the day of the Lord, it is speaking of the parousia of Jesus Christ, his second coming that took place in AD 70.
Philippians 1:6 (GWT) I'm convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.
The real question in this verse is, "What is the 'good work?'" The "good work" must be interpreted by the koinonia of the previous verse. I believe that verse 6 refers to the perfecting of the Philippians as workers for the gospel. In verse 3, Paul expresses his thanks to God for the Philippians. The expressed reason for this thanks comes in 1:5. Paul's thanksgiving was specifically for the church's participation (koinonia) in the advance of the Gospel. The koinonia in 1:5 alludes to the gifts Paul received from the Philippian church. 2 Corinthians 8:6 uses almost identical verbs, "begin, finish", for Titus's administration of the relief fund for the Jerusalem church.
The Philippians were partners (koinonoi) with the apostle in the proclamation of the good news, not in the sense that they were co-evangelists with him, but that they supported him financially in his mission work.
Who was Paul's confidence in? The Philippians? No! His confidence was that God would complete what He had begun. God had begun the "good work" of the Philippians supporting Paul in his evangelistic mission, and Paul was confident that God would continue to do this work through them right up to the return of Jesus Christ. He was confident that they would continue to support him financially and be a faithful church right up to the very time Christ returns.
Notice: this verse is speaking to the first century Philippians. It was dealing with their special situation. They had been financially supporting Paul in his gospel mission from the very beginning and Paul was confident they would continue to do so right up to the return of Christ.
There was a real push before 70 AD to spread the Word so that the fiery tribulation would be minimized, and to spread the Gospel in opposition to the Law. This would shift once the old was taken out of the way and the new fully consummated. At 70 AD there was a definite shift. The Law was removed, the Kingdom was manifested, and the Jewish influence on the community greatly lessened. The work of spreading the gospel in the face of Judaism finished at 70 AD with the return of Jesus Christ. It was another example of how 70 AD facilitated the gospel and created freedom from the bondage of Judaism, which had previously greatly restricted it.
The Second Coming: Please notice that Paul expects these first century Philippians to be alive when Christ returned. He didn't say that God would continue this good work in them until they die, but until Christ returned. This is similar to what Paul says to the Thessalonians:
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NKJV) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul prays that the first century Thessalonians "body" would be preserved until the Lord returned. He clearly expected a first century return.
In verses 7 and 8 we have the Joy of affection.
Philippians 1:7-8 (NKJV) 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.
Paul says, "It is right for me to think this of you all." Think what? That God would continue to work through them in the area of financially supporting him. The word "think" is phroneo. It means objective thinking, an opinion. We could translate this,"Since it is right for me to hold this opinion in behalf of you all."
Why does Paul think this of the Philippians? "Because I have you in my heart." In the Greek this can mean, " I have you in my heart" or "Because you have me in your heart." It can mean either one and there is no way of being certain on which he meant. Robertson writes, "There is no way to decide which idea is meant except to say that love begets love."
Paul is saying it is right for me to think this of you all because You have me in your heart. How did he know they had him in their heart?
Matthew 6:21 (NKJV) "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
They were giving him their treasure because he was in their heart.
Philippians 4:9 (NKJV) The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Paul was in their heart and because he was in their heart, when they would think about Paul they would think of his teaching, example, and his commitment.
I also carry around in my heart the godly men that I have met who have taught me and to this day motivate me in godliness because of their example and teaching. They are in my heart.
"In my chains" -- Paul was in prison when he wrote.
"In the defense and confirmation of the gospel."-- The word gospel here is euaggelion, it means gospel , good news, doctrine.
"Defense" -- the evangelization. They were with him while he was in prison. They stuck with him.
"Confirmation" -- is doctrinal teaching. They were with him in his teaching and the spread of the gospel. He says, "You are"-- it is present tense. "Partakers with me of grace" -- they were fellow believers. The Greek says, literally, "all of you being participants with me of grace."
Philippians 1:8 (NKJV) For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
Paul calls on God to witness to the truthfulness of what he is saying. The words, "Long after" is epipotheo, (to yearn); to dote upon, i.e. intensely crave possession, to desire greatly. He says he longs for them in the "affection" of Jesus Christ. The word "affection" is splagchnon, an intestine; fig. pity or sympathy:--bowels. I have the same affection for you as Christ has. We use the word "heart" today to refer to feelings, but to the Hebrew the word "heart" meant mind, thinking. When the Hebrews wanted to express emotion, they talked about the bowels. We should understand that. When we get emotional, we feel it in our gut.
Paul says, "I care about you with the compassion of Jesus Christ." This is a strong bond.
What causes this affection? Well, first let me say that Biblical love is a volitional response that is commanded. Affection is an emotion and you cannot command emotions, they're involuntary. So what caused Paul to have this affection toward them? I think it was this, and I believe it is this that makes friendships; common interest, common desire, common goals, and a common purpose. Paul loved them and they loved him. This is the joy of affection.
So we see in verses 3-8, the joy of; memory, prayer, fellowship, anticipation, and affection.
These are the elements of Paul's joy. His joy is found in what God is doing in the life of others.
This message preached by David B. Curtis on June 14, 1998.
|
|