Joy in Holding Forth
the Word of Life
Book of Philippians
2:14-30
We finished up in
our last lesson understanding that to be saved, is to have God come
to live within us!
2Co_6:16 And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of
the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in
them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
We are to understand
that as believers we must work out our own salvation with the Lord.
We must get up close and personal with our Savior.
What the lost world
does not understand is that God takes great pleasure in this
relationship!
Last week we ended
with this Scripture:
Php 2:13 For it is
God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
We all have
something we can do for the Lord and if we listen to Him, He will
point this thing out to us.
We are always to do
our best to follow the Word of God in everything we do and this same
Word already gives us plenty of things to do to keep is busy.
The very first thing
that we need to concentrate on after the Lord saves us, is obedience!
When the Body of
Christ refuse to obey even the basics of the Scriptures, then they
will break fellowship with the Holy Spirit!
Eph_4:30 And grieve
not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
If we grieve the
Holy Spirit enough we will certainly "quench" the work He
will do within us!
1Th_5:19 Quench not
the Spirit.
When we ignore and
reject any part of the Word of God, we will live a life full of
problems. Too much God to be satisfied in the world and too little
God to be of use in the Church!
So, let's continue:
*****Php 2:14 Do
all things without murmurings and disputings:
Php 2:15 That ye
may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as
lights in the world;
Obeying the Word of
God must be willful and cheerful! To murmur is questioning the truth
of God and doubting God's conclusions!
When we ask the Lord
Jesus to come into our hearts and save us, we are saying, "I
trust the Word of God to be true and my salvation to be real"
The next step is
"repentance". Which means we turn away from the things of
this world and turn toward the truth of God!
To turn around and
reject that truth is then to question your salvation! The Lord is
very patient and He will go with us in every step but we must freely
choose to go with Him!
Psa 119:105 Thy word
is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
These are some of
the most important words in all the Scriptures!
It is the Word of
God that will light our pathway until the Lord returns to take us
home!
So many today are
turning away from the Word of God, or rewriting it to suit their own
lifestyles, that disputings have entered into the Body of Christ and
denominations are even dividing amongst themselves, debating who is
right and they have forgotten that God is always right!
Disputings is
outright arguments over the truth of the Scriptures!
We must be clear,
God said what He meant and God meant what He said! God does not
change from one season to the next, He is always the same!
To allow the world
to freely take over the Church and dispute the Word of God, has made
the Church powerless in our day and time!
When we accept that
all Scripture is the Holy Ghost inspired Word of God, then who are we
to question what God has said?
As the Body of
Christ, God says to not allow these things to go on when we gather
together!
These that do such
things must be quiet or leave and there will be no disputing the Word
of God!
God is not the
author of confusion, so murmurings and disputes are not of God!
1Co_14:33 For God
is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of
the saints.
No one has the right
to further interpret what God says!
2Pe_1:20 Knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation.
When we obey God in
this thing, God will hold us blameless and harmless when the Lord
returns to take us home.
If you remain a
slave to sin, it will cause you to murmur but a true son or daughter
of God will not question the Heavenly Father in anything!
All those who are
working for the Father, are actually working for themselves and not
for this crooked world!
Murmur and disputing
usually comes when pride makes one feel more superior than another
and this is another thing that has blanketed our world today.
The vile disease of
these things spring from an evil and jealous mind and it usually
instigated by things outside the Church.
God said we are
farmers to plant the seed of God and only some will make it to the
good soil but every farmer will weed where he plants his crop.
We must weed out
corruption in our Churches!
A body of believers
who are not peculiar to this world, will certainly not shine in this
world because to act like the world is to be seen just like the
world!
1Pe_2:9 But ye are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
We must hold forth
the Word of Life!
*****Php 2:16
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of
Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
There is nothing
burdensome in the Word of God! There are only Heaven's rewards for
being obedient to God!
Do not get caught up
in the foolishness of who the God of the Bible is. The God of the
Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
We need to
understand that so-called Christians who are inconsistent in the
Scriptures have caused more damage to Christianity than anything else
in the world and all those who do such things will suffer the
"judgment" of God!
Most of those
sitting in the pews today, think that only the pastor or a few elders
of the Church have a ministry but the truth is we all have a
ministry!
We are all to "hold
forth the word of life"!
We are to offer it
in hope of acceptance by all that hear the Word of Life.
How can we be
content Christians if we are not willing to tell others about the
wonderful words of life provided by the Lord Jesus Christ and His
Father and inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The lost of this
world have nowhere else to go to find the truth! When we refuse to
witness for Jesus how will they ever know God called them? Not all or
maybe not even many will respond but that is between them and God but
some will!
Joh 6:65 And he
said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except
it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 6:66 From that
time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Joh 6:67 Then said
Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Joh 6:68 Then Simon
Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of
eternal life.
Joh 6:69 And we
believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living
God.
The Apostle Paul
knew that the Lord would recognize him for what he had accomplished
but we are no different. God will recognize all His children for what
they have accomplished (after) they came to know the Lord Jesus as
their personal Savior.
That recognition
will come when the Lord comes to take us home. This day is known as
the "Judgment Seat of Christ". Only Christians will be
there this day and it is a judgment for rewards and not for
salvation!
Rom 14:10 But why
dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy
brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
2Co 5:10 For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad.
1Th 2:19 For what
is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the
presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
So how can we hold
onto the Word of Life and not tell others?
God simply wants us
to know that our labor for Him will not be in vain. If we look back
on our past and do not see rewards ahead, as long as we are living
and breathing God will provide opportunities for those rewards.
God wants to give us
His rewards!
I believe this is
God's favorite pastime, putting up rewards for us in Heaven.
Mat_6:19 Lay not up
for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat_6:20 But lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
The Lord Jesus would
not say this if it were not true!
When Paul says "run"
here, he is referring to "effort". We must put forth the
effort to get into the army of God, while still remembering we are
also to be "fishers of men"!
If we reach just
one, that will be more than none and that one could go forth to tell
others but our goal should be to reach out to more than one!
No labor for the
Lord will go unnoticed in Heaven!
The "Gospel"
message is the Word of Life!
2Ti 1:9 Who hath
saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began,
2Ti 1:10 But is now
made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel:
There are great
differences in life and death and there are great differences in
eternal life and eternal death!
*****Php 2:17 Yea,
and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I
joy, and rejoice with you all.
Php 2:18 For the
same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
Paul continues to
show the differences in true life and true death.
To the Apostle Paul,
this gathering of believers in Philippi were his offering acceptable
to God. It had been Paul who had planted this Church.
In the days of the
Levitical Priesthood once a sacrifice was placed on the alter, then
"grape juice"(wine), a drink offering was poured around the
alter.
Wine and blood were
made for heathen gods and Jehovah would never had done the same!
Psa 16:4 Their
sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their
drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names
into my lips.
Paul was expressing
the fact that he looked forward to being a martyr for the Lord. He
knew he would suffer and die for the cause of Christ but we are saved
by the blood of Jesus and not by the blood of Paul.
As these of the
Church at Philippi were a sacrifice of "faith" to the Lord,
being sanctified by the Holy Spirit, Paul could be as that
drink-offering that was pour out around the alter.
Rom 15:16 That I
should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering
the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be
acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Rom 15:17 I have
therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things
which pertain to God.
It is the things
that pertain to God that must hold the most importance in our lives!
Paul's death would
not be a shedding of blood but a sacrifice for the cause of Christ
and a furtherance of the Gospel.
It's not so
important to remember where we came from, though to look back on
occasion is not always a bad thing, but is real important to know
where we are going.
When you know, that
you know, that you know, you can have personal joy and rejoice with
all the Church. Paul knew this was true for him and he also knew this
was true for this body of believers. They had proved their faith!
When we know that
Heaven is our eternal home, we can rejoice with all those who know
the same.
When we give
ourselves into the service of the Lord, then it could mean that we
may even have to give our life of this body of flesh but this flesh
is going to die at some time.
Heb_9:27 And as it
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
But as the "Born
Again" children of God the death of this flesh can have only one
meaning.
2Co_5:6 Therefore
we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the
body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co_5:8 We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and
to be present with the Lord.
Remember how we
began:
Php_2:12 Wherefore,
my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but
now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling.
When we have worked
out our salvation and have that personal relationship with the Lord,
we will have that desire to be with Him and this desire will increase
as we get older but the Lord has a real need for us to remain here
until He takes us home!
Mat 9:36 But when
he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because
they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Mat 9:37 Then saith
he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the
labourers are few;
Mat 9:38 Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers
into his harvest.
As long as our Lord
is so full of compassion for the lost, we must share with Him in His
compassion, making it our own compassion for the lost.
We must hold forth
the joy of our Christian life and our "faith" in Jesus
Christ is the key to Christian fellowship.
*****Php 2:19 But I
trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I
also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.
This Timotheus is
the same Timothy we are familiar with. Still a young preacher boy at
this time but approaching the time when he will take a church.
We know that Timothy
was later ordained to become a Pastor and Church planter.
1Ti 4:14 Neglect
not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with
the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
1Ti 4:15 Meditate
upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting
may appear to all.
1Ti 4:16 Take heed
unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing
this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
We also know that
Timothy also spent some time in the Roman jail, just for preaching
the Word of God.
Heb 13:23 Know ye
that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come
shortly, I will see you.
It is believed that
Timothy finished in Ephesus and became a martyr in the cause of Jesus
Christ.
Why did Paul send
Timothy to Philippi?
1) To carry the
"good news" from the Apostle Paul.
2) That he could
preach and be a "Spiritual" blessing to them.
3) Then bring the
"good news" of their "faith" back to the Apostle
Paul.
Timothy may have
suffered along with the Apostle Paul and he could tell so many things
and so many stories of how God had shown His "Grace" and
"Mercy" to the missionaries that he was certainly a
blessing to hear!
We must forget,
nothing could stop the Apostle Paul from his calling except the Lord
but sometimes it is truly a comfort to know who is standing with you!
We also know that we
are to work out our own salvation but it certainly can help to have
some young fired up man of God such as Timothy to help us with these
things.
This is what we have
here at Gethsemane.
As we work out our
own personal relationship with the Lord we have a fired-up Pastor who
preaches the truth and it makes things so much better, even easier to
know what is expected from our Christian life!
3Jn 1:3 For I
rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth
that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
3Jn 1:4 I have no
greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
What was the
greatest truth of Timothy? He was for real!
*****Php 2:20 For I
have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
Php 2:21 For all
seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.
Php 2:22 But ye
know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served
with me in the gospel.
When you cannot see
things with your own eyes, then it is best to send someone who thinks
in the same ways as you do.
Many say that
Timothy was so much like Paul that except for appearance, you could
not tell them apart.
We also notice that
Timothy willingly served in second place to Paul!
Paul was a church
planter but He had the heart of a Pastor. Timothy also had the heart
of a Pastor.
The greatest
difference of the Pastor and the Evangelist and the missionary is,
that the Pastor knows God has given him a certain flock to take care
of until He returns.
Isa 40:11 He shall
feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his
arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that
are with young.
Jer 3:15 And I will
give you pastors "according to mine heart", which shall
feed you with knowledge and understanding.
We are all to be
missionaries in our own place and then there are those God has called
to leave their homes and be missionaries to the world.
Evangelist carry the
same "Gospel" to the Church but have not been given the
responsibilities of the Pastor.
Sometimes these
things can change according to the leading of Holy Spirit.
As Paul's thoughts
were caught up in a bit of sorrow, he had a great desire to know
about the churches he had planted and how they were growing in the
"Gospel".
Paul had always
traveled with many godly men and had much help with him at all times
but most of those did now have the heart of a Pastor.
This young Pastor
Timothy not only had the heart of a Pastor, he had the heart of Paul.
He had become Paul's most trusted friend and this was certainly not
to say those others with Paul were not good men as they were.
Think about if you
had a task that you thought only you could do but you were in
bondage, how hard would it be to look out amongst those of your
Christian friends and choose the one who do the same as you in every
situation. It could get very hard to choose the right person.
Timothy was that
person for Paul.
We should remember
that when the Lord was in His passion, He also craved to have such a
friend but He had been abandoned by all His friends.
We must all
understand that in our calling from the Lord we are all not suited
for every mission. Timothy was the one that met what Paul thought to
have the qualifications for this special mission.
What is it to care?
Timothy was not without carefulness. He was vigilant in guarding
against evil and providing for the safety of the church. Things he
had learned from Paul. It also seems that this young man had a fear
of the Lord much greater that the fear of men!
The thing Paul was
most assured of is that Timothy would do the task Paul had given to
him and he would then return with what Paul was seeking, whatever it
was. If this church was lacking in anything of the Lord. Timothy
would provide that also!
1Co 4:17 For this
cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and
faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways
which be in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.
Timothy was willing
to lay down his own life for the Church of Jesus Christ!
*****Php 2:23 Him
therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it
will go with me.
Php 2:24 But I
trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.
It is probable that
Paul had defended himself before the high court of Rome at this time
and was waiting on the outcome of the Roman legal process. We already
know that Paul was an innocent man have only been locked up for false
charges of Judaizers.
It was easy for Paul
to prove his Roman citizenship so this was not an issue.
Paul was a mighty
man of God but he could not foresee his own future.
Paul's thoughts were
not on these things because his thoughts were always on the "Church"
the "Body of Christ".
Since it is evident
that Paul did not travel with Timothy we can be certain of only two
things.
1) Paul found that
he would not be released at this time.
2) Or, Paul found
that he was scheduled for execution.
Paul's faith did not
allow him to linger on these things.
Gal 2:20 I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Gal 2:21 I do not
frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain.
Paul and Timothy
were bound together in all these things as Paul was in bondage to
Rome but also to his circumstances that only God had total control
over!
Paul also knew that
there is never a good time to quit on God!
1Co 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord.
We see that Paul was
certainly not alone at this time.
*****Php 2:25 Yet I
supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and
companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he
that ministered to my wants.
Php 2:26 For he
longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had
heard that he had been sick.
Php 2:27 For indeed
he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him
only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
Epaphroditus was an
elder of the Church in Philippi who had traveled to Rome to assist
the Apostle Paul in any way that he could. In fact, he had work so
hard at this, that it had affected his health and this thing had been
heard back in his home church.
Notice again the
powers of an Apostle were never to be used for private matters but
only for public matters in connection with the "Gospel".
It is a fact that
those who preach the Cross of our Lord must also bear the cross of
our Lord.
Luk_9:23 And he
said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The words of the
Lord do not ever change!
Once Epaphroditus
knew his brothers and sisters in Christ had heard of his sickness, he
knew they would also be more worried about him then they needed to
be.
Once we place our
life in the hands of God we are certainly at the "Mercy" of
God. We should keep this thought in mind, "God does not begin a
work and then suddenly quit until His will has been accomplished.
We should understand
the thoughts of Paul.
Epaphroditus was of
a great value to Paul. He had been a complete man of God and Paul did
not want to harm his Christian testimony in any way.
Paul did not want
this brother to be seen as a quitter. He was a fellow soldier. We
have many problems in Christianity and one of those is we will leave
our fellow soldiers on the battlefield without our help.
Paul, even not
knowing his own outcome, was still concerned for the Body of Christ!
The Church in
Philippi would not be the same until they could see the face of their
brother Epaphroditus!
He would never
forsake Paul.
He would never
forsake his own church.
He would never
forsake the Lord Jesus Christ
*****Php 2:28 I
sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again,
ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.
Php 2:29 Receive
him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in
reputation:
Php 2:30 Because
for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his
life, to supply your lack of service toward me.
Many of us serve in
the cause of Christ but not everyone is a true "fellow laborer"
or "fellow soldier"!
What is the truth of
a soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ? We know who the true enemy is and
we concentrate on his demise!
Eph_6:12 For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
We must endure some
things to continue in this battle.
2Ti 2:3 Thou
therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 No man that
warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may
please him who hath chosen him to be a soldiers.
These are the
thoughts of Paul and Epaphroditus was such a soldier and these
Philippians should treat him as such.
We must honor those
who survive the battles with evil and go on to serve another day! We
honor them when we accept them for who they are in the work of the
Lord.
We are all in the
battle but the battle is the Lord's!
1Th 5:12 And we
beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are
over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th 5:13 And to
esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at
peace among yourselves.
There is great joy
in holding forth the Word of Life but we stay in the battle till the
Lord comes!
When Paul was on the
road these Philippians had supplied the needs of Paul so that he
could be in places like Corinth where Paul refused any help.
Epaphroditus had not
only ministered to Paul in spiritual needs but he had worked and
anything else that he could do to supply Paul's physical needs.
We already know of
human necessities but the supplies of writing material and other
things probably came by this brother soldier.
Paul expressed that
he had been completely satisfied with what this brother had been able
to do.
We should never tear
down our brothers and sister in Christ but rather build them up!
We should always
remember these words of Jesus as we deal with one another in Christ:
Mat 25:36 Naked,
and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison,
and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37 Then
shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38 When saw
we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when
saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the
King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye
have done it unto me.
Sometimes we are
more concerned for our own welfare rather than the welfare of the
Church!
Amen
