IT S ABOUT THE WORK: IN YOU, AROUND YOU, AND THROUGH YOU

IT S ABOUT THE WORK: IN YOU, AROUND YOU, AND THROUGH YOU PHILIPPIANS 1 4 OCTOBER 11, 2015

BRENTWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH PHILIPPIANS 1 4 OCTOBER 11, 2015 TEACHING PLAN PREPARATION > Spend the week reading through and studying Philippians 1 4. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for our pastors, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the study. HIGHLIGHTS BIBLICAL EMPHASIS: The Book of Philippians describes how God is always at work in, around, and through His people. The goal of this work is to make His name known in order to draw more people into the Kingdom. TEACHING AIM: As a result of today s study, you will learn about 1) God s work in you (Phil. 1:3-11); 2) God s work around you (Phil. 2:1-16); and 3) God s work through you (Phil. 3:1-11). 2 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

TEACHING PLAN OCTOBER 11, 2015 INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. For today s study we will take a quick walk through key passages in the Book of Philippians. As we do, we will learn that for God, It s About the Work. From the very beginning of Scripture, we read that God has been at work in our world. His work began with creation, when He took seven days of intense work to form the world and its inhabitants out of nothing. God did not stop working when the world was broken by sin. Since that day He has worked non-stop to redeem, or buy back, all of creation for His glory. Once a person becomes a Christian and experiences the redemption He offers, He sets about the work of sanctification molding and shaping that person into the image of Christ and He works through that person to change the world in His name. Notes 1 What is one thing you do every day that requires work or effort? Do you like doing it? (Ideas include working out, watching what you eat, parenting, a specific task at work, loving others well, and so on.) 2 If you are a parent, describe the work that raising a child demands of you on a daily basis. What makes it worth the work? 3 Just like when we parent, God is always at work in the lives of His children to grow us into Christlikeness and make us effective for His kingdom in the world. Come up with a list of some ways God works in, around, and through you every day. 3 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

TEACHING PLAN OCTOBER 11, 2015 UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. 1. HIS WORK IN YOU > Have a volunteer read Philippians 1:3-11. Paul began his letter to the Philippian Christians by praying that God would carry out His good work in their lives. What words or phrases in these verses describe the work of God in the life of the Christian? God is always at work in the world, but what is the specific good work Paul referred to in verse 6? In verse 6, Paul expressed his confidence that God had been and would continue to work in the lives of the Philippian Christians. These verses refer specifically to the work of justification, sanctification, and glorification. God begins His redemptive work in a person s life through justification, applying Jesus sacrifice for sin onto us. Once a person experiences salvation, God sets about the work of sanctification, or spiritual maturity, which is the process of becoming like Christ. God s work culminates in glorification, when we will be in His presence for eternity. Paul assured his readers that when God starts a work in our lives, He will finish it. Spiritual growth should continue in committed believers until the day of Christ Jesus, that is until Christ returns again to the earth and our glorification is complete. 3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and establishment of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you can approve the things that are superior and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:3-11 Look specifically at verses 9-11 again. What did Paul pray for in these verses? 4 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

TEACHING PLAN OCTOBER 11, 2015 How are these specific prayers related to, and evidence of, God s work in you? 1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship How can our love as Christians plateau or even diminish? What steps can we take to ensure its continual growth? Paul commended the believers in Philippi for their growing maturity in Christ and encouraged them to stay with it. He genuinely wanted them to be open to the work of spiritual maturity God was doing in their lives. Apart from God s work in us, we are incapable of loving as God loves, acting wisely and blamelessly, and living obediently as Paul described. With God s help, though, each of these become ways our lives give glory and praise to God. 2. HIS WORK AROUND YOU > Have a volunteer read Philippians 2:1-18. The second aspect of God s work we want to consider today is God s work around you. From these verses in Philippians 2, how is God at work around you? In the Incarnation, Jesus the Son of God and one with God Himself left His heavenly throne and became human in an act of humble, selfless love that resulted in His death on the cross. One of the key ways God works around us is by helping us live humbly and selflessly in order to reflect Christ to the people around us. How do we make Jesus attitude our own in natural ways that apply at work, home, and church? with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:1-11 5 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

TEACHING PLAN OCTOBER 11, 2015 In what areas of life might you need to live more humbly in order to allow God to work around you? Why do we resist serving others in the same manner of humble love Jesus served us? 12 So then, my dear friends, just as you Christ gave us an example we should follow. From Jesus example of humility, we learn that as Christ followers, God desires to work around us to model Jesus humble, selfless, sacrificial love to the world. Read verses 12-13 again. What additional insight does Paul give in these verses about God s work around you? What is your responsibility and what is God s responsibility for achieving His good purpose? How does that work relate to shining like stars, as Paul encouraged his readers to do? have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world. 16 Hold firmly to the message of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn t run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 In the same way you should also be glad and rejoice with me. Philippians 2:12-18 Verses 12-18 connect God s work in us with God s work around us. As we grow in sanctification, our lives become more distinct from the world around us. We all have the personal responsibility for sharing the light of the gospel with others, but God does not leave us alone to do this. With the help of the Spirit in our lives, God works through us to draw others to Himself. People genuinely committed to Jesus will show it by what they do and how they grow spiritually. 6 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

TEACHING PLAN OCTOBER 11, 2015 3. HIS WORK THROUGH YOU > Have a volunteer read Philippians 3:1-11. God begins a good work in your life when He calls you to Himself. While God is constantly at work around you and even uses you in that effort He is also constantly working through you. The verses in Philippians 3:1-11 speak to the work of spiritual maturity through which we come to know Christ more. What do we learn about God s work through us from Paul s own testimony? What does it mean to place confidence in the flesh (v. 4)? Why is it dangerous to place confidence in our own credentials and achievements? How does doing so hinder the work God wants to do through you? Before meeting Jesus, Paul was a devout Jew. His story illustrates the meaninglessness of religious works that do not involve God working through you. Who we are in Christ is not based on what we do, it s all about what God does. Paul had once believed he could only earn God s grace through his own efforts. But an entirely new way of thinking took over Paul s life, and he dedicated himself to serving Christ no matter the cost. From these verses, what can you conclude is the ultimate goal of God s work through you? 4 If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. 7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Paul had come to realize that the most important thing in life is knowing Jesus and growing in Him. Salvation is not about what we can do for God, but what God has already done for us through Jesus sacrifice on the cross. Knowing Christ begins with faith but involves much more. It involves a growing and personal relationship with Him that shapes our entire outlook on life. Philippians 3:4-11 7 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

TEACHING PLAN OCTOBER 11, 2015 APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. 1 How have you been encouraged or challenged by today s discussion about God s work in, around, and through you? Notes 2 When we view our lives as a platform for God to work, what changes in how we approach our relationships, our work, and daily life in general? 3 Spend a few minutes discussing ways you would like to see God work in, around, and through your group in the coming months, then pray specifically for that to happen. P R A Y Ask three different group members to voice prayers of gratitude to God for His work in, around, and through you. Pray that you would open yourselves up to that work through submission and obedience to Him, and pray that your group would be a place where you are challenged and encouraged to allow God to continue His good work in your life. 8 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

TEACHING PLAN OCTOBER 11, 2015 FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up email to your group with some or all of the following information: > Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: How have you experienced God working in you this week? Around you? Through you? What is one way we can be praying for the work God is doing in your life? Have you taken the opportunity to humbly and selflessly serve others this week? Do so as an opportunity to show others the good work of God in your life. > A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer requests mentioned during your group gathering. > The challenge to memorize Philippians 1:6. 9 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

COMMENTARY OCTOBER 11, 2015 1. HIS WORK IN YOU (PHIL. 1:3-11) In his conversations with God, Paul remembered his positive, productive experiences with the Philippian Christians. The word praying conveys continuous action and has the idea of asking God to meet a need. In particular, Paul s petitions for the Philippian believers were infused with joy because of their partnership in the gospel. The term partnership translates the Greek word koinonia, which comes from a verb meaning to share, to associate oneself with, to be made a partner. Notes Paul expressed his confidence in the Philippian Christians continued spiritual growth. His certainty was not based on his ability or on their efforts but on God, who had started a good work in them. The beginning of God s good work occurred when the believers placed their faith in Christ. By His grace, God would carry their salvation on to completion (fully finish it). Paul and the Philippian believers shared in a common enterprise: spreading the gospel. They were joint participants in God s redemptive purpose. Here the term grace referred to Paul s missionary ministry. With a solemn oath, Paul declared his intense, eager yearning to be reunited with his friends. Christ Jesus was the Source of Paul s deep desire. Through Paul, Christ s love reached out to his friends. Out of his deep care for his friends, Paul continually prayed for them. He wanted their love to keep on growing. Paul pointed to two areas in which he prayed that the Philippian Christians love would overflow: knowledge and every kind of discernment. Christian love must be informed and insightful. More than wanting his friends to be able to distinguish right from wrong, Paul wanted them to choose the best over the merely good. The Philippian Christians ability to distinguish the excellent from the merely good would enable them to be pure and blameless in the day of Christ. Paul wanted his friends to be filled with the fruit of righteousness the qualities that righteousness produces in believers. Righteousness is a right relationship with God through faith in Christ. In that relationship, Christ indwells believers and works to cause their lives to reflect His character. Believers are to be filled with the spiritual qualities righteousness produces so that 10 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

COMMENTARY OCTOBER 11, 2015 God will be glorified and praised. God s glory is His redemptive character revealed. Behind the Greek word is the Hebrew term that means heavy in weight. The verb form means to give weight to in the sense of recognizing value or importance. We glorify God when our lives give evidence of His redemptive power and draw others to Him. We praise God when we recognize His redemptive character and express our gratitude. Notes: 2. HIS WORK AROUND YOU (PHIL. 2:1-18) Paul built his challenge for unity on the reality of Christ within each believer. The phrase encouragement in Christ refers to encouragement that comes from Christian commitment. That Christ lived in the Philippians hearts was indeed a great blessing for them. The term comfort from love refers to Christ s love for them. Believers are the eternal recipients of God s tender affection not because they deserve love, but because it is God s nature to love. The participation in the Spirit emphasizes the shared nature of the Christian life. The presence of the Holy Spirit makes possible the proper functioning of the body of Christ. With the expression affection and sympathy, Paul pointed to the mercies the Lord had given the believers at Philippi. The Holy Spirit provided rich fellowship among them (v. 1). In verse 2 Paul shifted from the spiritual blessings the believers enjoyed together to their responsibility to him. The Philippian believers had a heartfelt concern for Paul. He planted the church at Philippi. They watched as he invested his life in their lives. Now he called them to continue what they started. In contrast to his positive instructions, Paul also detailed for the Philippians what attitudes to avoid in pursuing unity. The word nothing (v. 3) emphasized Paul s conviction that rivalry or conceit should not taint any aspect of the church s life. The term rivalry implies a selfish ambition that causes disputes and divisions. The sense is that the problems facing the Philippians caused members to choose sides. Paul saw schisms in the church as contrary to the testimony of Christ and dishonoring to God s name. Also the word conceit describes what is vainglorious or groundless pride. The cornerstone of Christian faith is that humans are powerless to save themselves and must trust 11 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

COMMENTARY OCTOBER 11, 2015 Christ to provide all that is necessary for salvation. Thus the believer has no basis for arrogance toward others. Furthermore, arrogance strikes at the heart of Christian unity, spoiling the testimony of the faithful. To avoid such a destructive mind-set, Paul directed the believers to consider fellow Christians and their needs as more important than their own interests and concerns (v. 4). The church s antidote for selfishness and divisions is an abiding concern for the welfare of others. Paul called the believers to take careful note of the concerns others hold. Such willing consideration of others erases the gaps between individuals and builds a strong unity. The apostle then gave the Philippians a vivid illustration of the perspective he intended them to have. He showed them Christ. Verses 5 through 8 paint a poignant picture of the humility Christ revealed in His incarnation and His substitutionary death. Paul urged them to exchange their selfish motives for the Savior s attitude. While Christ has all cause for glorying, being God Himself, He willingly surrendered Himself for the needs of others. The Son of God did not seek His own advantage, that is, He refused to ignore others needs. The passage states that Jesus Christ made himself nothing. The result was that the Savior set aside His glory to minister grace and mercy to those who are most undeserving of such blessings. Assuming the form of a slave, the Lord placed Himself under the authority of His Father. The focus of the Son was to please the Father, and in doing so He sacrificed Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even to death on a cross. In 2:12 Paul continued his practical exhortation on how the Philippians were to live whether in his presence or in his absence. Paul had just shown the depth of Jesus obedience (2:5-11), and it is that same level of obedience that believers are to exhibit. Obedience to Christ is the primary responsibility of the church, and it is a critical component of the Christian life. The humility and obedience we see in Jesus Christ is to be a factor on our own lives. How are we to show obedience? The command is to work out your own salvation. When we work out our salvation, we are taking the salvation God s given us and strengthening it through spiritual growth. 12 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

COMMENTARY OCTOBER 11, 2015 We cannot work out our salvation without God s intervention. There is human responsibility, but there is also divine empowerment. It is a partnership. We work out our salvation with a serious realization that God is working in us. The word for God s working refers to an energizing work that is always effective. When God works, He succeeds and enables us to act. God places the desire within us to be obedient, and then He leads us to do it. When we are obedient, we are true to God s purpose. We carry out His will, and the purpose behind His will is to bring glory to Himself. God enables us to work out our salvation, and the way we work it out is to bring praise and glory to the One who gave it to us. Paul called the Philippians to do everything all aspects of working out their own salvation without grumbling and arguing (v. 14). When we are working for God s purpose and His glory, it s difficult to be self-centered. Yet self-centeredness and pride enter into our spiritual progress leading us away from unity with God. When we live as Paul described, we are seen as blameless and pure (v. 15). Our lives are to be pure unadulterated with the things of the world. Our lives are to be of such purity that no one can blame us or find fault with anything in our lives. We already are children of God, but we are to live like children of God. The faultlessness of believers is contrasted with the world of non-believers, which is characterized by Paul as a crooked and perverted generation. This generation is crooked in that it has turned away from the truth. Perverted is an even stronger word and carries the idea that it has twisted and distorted the truth. The contrast is so sharp between the two groups that it can be compared to the difference between light and darkness. In the midst of the moral darkness around us, we shine like stars in the world. Even with our imperfections, we still serve as a light to a world in darkness. We shine we are seen and we point to Christ. Christians always ought to live in such a way as to present a vivid contrast to the world in which they live (v. 16). The word translated hold firmly indicates that Paul desired his readers to be beacons of truth to those pagans among whom they lived. By 13 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

COMMENTARY OCTOBER 11, 2015 their lives, the Philippians were to demonstrate that they were holding fast to the gospel. Paul s words in verse 17 indicate that he was aware of the very real possibility that he would suffer martyrdom for the cause of Christ. He referred to the possibility of such a death in sacrificial terms. Paul then invited his readers to reciprocate by rejoicing with him in light of his possible martyrdom (v. 18). Rather than being sad at the prospect of his death, Paul urged them to rejoice with him. 3. HIS WORK THROUGH YOU (PHIL. 3:1-11) Paul marked a transition point in his letter with a term that can mean finally but often indicates something like well, then, or furthermore (v. 1). He is only halfway through his letter at this point. In spite of Paul s difficult circumstances, his relationship with Christ provided him with joy. He encourages us to rejoice in the Lord. This spirit or attitude of joy permeates this entire letter. Joy comes, however, only as one lives in the Lord. He is joy s only source. As a father protects his children, Paul wanted to keep his spiritual children from harm (v. 2). He warned them in strong language of opponents who would tempt them to false doctrine. These men were unclean dogs, not qualified to enter into spiritual worship. A group of Jews in Paul s day attempted to distort the gospel by adding the requirement of circumcision plus faith in Christ as necessary for salvation (Acts 15:1). Their false way of salvation was evil, as it could cause great confusion to the true message of Christ. They misunderstood the teachings of the Old Testament on circumcision and the Christian gospel of salvation by grace through faith. They wanted to preserve the Jewish heritage at any cost. In disagreement with the teachings of his opponents, Paul took over their claims as belonging to the church and not to the Jews (v. 3). The opponents claimed to be the true Israel, circumcised in the flesh, being the truly spiritual ones, and glorying in their worship and goodness as measured by obedience to the law. Paul turned the tables. Believers in Christ are the true circumcision 14 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church

COMMENTARY OCTOBER 11, 2015 (Rom. 9:24-26; Gal. 6:16), having their hearts circumcised. Christians put no confidence in the flesh, neither in the ritual of circumcision, nor in the practice of obeying a law. This stands radically opposed to the false teachers who said Gentiles had to be circumcised to be acceptable to God. The Philippians and modern readers must make the choice glory in Christ or in human religious achievement. Genuine believers have their complete hope or confidence in Christ s finished work on our behalf on the cross rather than anything done by them for God or in God s name. Trusting in anyone or anything besides the true Messiah is foolishness. If anyone had bragging rights about their status and achievement, Paul did (vv. 4-6), but Jesus showed him that just being Jewish did not make him righteous before God. While these credentials and accomplishments are impressive, Paul placed no stock or confidence in them (vv. 7-8). His relationship with Christ was far superior to his Jewish background. The things of the world all human accomplishments are viewed as rubbish or garbage in comparison to gaining Christ. Paul s focus changed completely. No longer did personal religious ritual and obedient religious acts occupy center stage. All eyes were on Christ and on him alone. Paul s description of his desires pointed forward to a goal (v. 12). Not yet mature, he was still very much in the race of the Christian life. The perfection he would have at the future resurrection was not yet attained. He still had to deal with what in Romans 7 he calls the flesh, an innate pull to sin. He had to deal with his sinful body and was only too aware of the need for further spiritual growth. He purposes to press on as he had not attained the intense personal knowledge of Christ that he desired and had not become all that Christ wanted him to be. Paul always held God up as the source of every part of the salvation experience. 15 It s About the Work Brentwood Baptist Church