50-Corinthians 5 – Philippians 4

Corinthians 5 – Philippians 4

Dec. 5, 2009

We will begin our study this week in the Book of 2 Corinthians in Chapter 5. Last week we finished up the Book of Romans, and looked at Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church, the Book of 1 Corinthians. We then began the Book of 2 Corinthians and looked through Chapter 4. We will continue this week in Chapter 5. In Chapter 5 Paul wrote of a difference between the here and now, and that what God has promised us in the future. The text says in verse 6-8 “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.” Paul continued this thought to conclusion in verse 9-10 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Through the remainder of the chapter it is shown that the moment we accept Jesus as our savior and receive Him into our lives, we experience a change. The text reveals in verse 17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” We each have been given the ministry of reconciliation in that we are to tell others what we have received so that they too can be reconciled to God. After salvation we became ambassadors for Christ. In Chapter 6 Paul began by writing that “now is the acceptable time”, and “today is the day of salvation.” We have not been promised tomorrow. Paul then went on to instruct that there became a need after conversion to do all things, and endure all things so as to not discredit the ministry that had been given by God. Paul told the Corinthians that had spoken freely to them that they should not enter into partnerships with unbelievers. He quoted from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah to illustrate that like the Israelites, they were to come out from the midst of the unbelievers and be a separate people. Paul then opened his heart to the Corinthians, in Chapter 7. He told them of the trials of his ministry and how he had always boasted of them to others. He reminded them he had always spoken to them the truth and was sorry that his earlier letter had caused them sorrow. He did not regret their sorrow because in that sorrow they came to repentance. In Chapter 8 Paul commended the generosity of the Macedonian churches. They gave abundantly in their poverty to others in need. He also commended Titus to them because he was there on his own accord to further the gospel of Christ. Paul continued his thoughts on giving in Chapter 9. He commended the Macedonians in the last chapter, now he used them to teach the Corinthians about Christian giving. He reminded them they needed to give with a clean heart. He wrote in verse 6-7 “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Giving is part of our obedience to God and must not be neglected. It is such a small thing what we do will never come close to what God has done for us. Paul said it best in verse 15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

    Paul then described himself in Chapter 10. He said that he was meek, but bold when needed. He reminded us that our battle is not against flesh as he wrote in verse 3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.” Paul relates at the end of the chapter that anything that comes from his lips that sounds like boasting is not for himself, but is a boast in the Lord.

In Chapter 11 Paul defended his position as an apostle to the Corinthians. The reason for this letter was that there were false teachers in the city that wanted to discredit Paul and his divinely appointed authority. Paul told the people he preached the gospel to them without charge and that many other churches had given so that he could come to them. He said the others were false apostles and related in verse 14-15 “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.” Paul then told of some of the suffering he had endured to bring the gospel to the Gentile world. In Chapter 12 Paul meekly told the story of a man caught up to the third heaven. Paul was speaking of himself and the special gift he had been given. Paul was taken to the home of God to get a firsthand knowledge of what awaits a child of God in the eternal state. Because of this gift Paul was given a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble. Much debate has gone on through the years on what this thorn actually was, but it is unimportant. The important truth is located in verse 9-10 “He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” At the end of the chapter Paul said he would come visit the Corinthian church for the third time. Paul then concludes his letter in Chapter 13. He told the people in Corinth to examine themselves. They were to use a critical eye to find out if they really were saved and true Christians. We too should examine ourselves to see if we also hold to all the Word of God teaches. This ends the Book of 2 Corinthians. We will now begin the Book of Galatians. Paul wrote his letter to the churches in the region of Galatia in Asia Minor shortly after the Council at Jerusalem around 49 AD. Paul felt the need to address the Judaizers there who in defiance to the Council continued to require Gentiles to submit to circumcision and become Jews before conversion to Christianity. Paul, in Chapter 1, gave no personal greeting to anyone in this letter. He got right down to the purpose of this letter. Paul wrote that he could not understand why the churches had so quickly abandoned the true gospel they had received for a distortion of the truth. Paul strongly told them in verse 8-9 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” Paul then defended his ministry by reminding them of his former life in Judaism and his pedigree. He also revealed in this letter that he was in the Arabian Desert for three years before going to Jerusalem to meet with Peter. He saw no other Apostle during his fifteen days with Peter, but he did speak with James, the Lord’s brother. In Chapter 2 Paul said that fourteen years later he returned to Jerusalem with Barnabus and Titus to attend the Council. Titus was a Greek and compelled to become circumcised against the liberty Christ died for. He revealed that it was for Peter to bring the gospel to the circumcised, and for Paul to bring the gospel to the uncircumcised Gentile world. Paul opposed Peter when they met because Peter had compromised the truth when he made a distinction between Jew and Gentile Christians. When watched he avoided the Gentile Christians he used to eat with and stayed with the Jewish Christians. This story proves Paul’s apostolic authority in that he was able to oppose another apostle publicly and teach him the truth. In Chapter 3 Paul asked what had happened to the churches? He wanted to know who had so strongly influenced them away from the truth. He reminded them that faith brings righteousness, not works. Paul, in this chapter outlined the true intent of the Law. Christ had freed us from the bondage of the Law. Paul wrote in verse 24-26 “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” The Law points out our sin. Jesus died to free us from the penalty of our sin. We still though need to obey the Lord. The promise of God to His church is that we, like the descendants of Abraham, are heirs of the promises of God. In Chapter 4 Paul sets forth the doctrine that in Christ we are sons of God. We were held in bondage as a slave to sin until God sent His Son. We now in this age are still slaves to sin until we accept Jesus and receive God’s free gift of salvation. Paul used the illustration of Abraham’s two sons to explain those that are bound and those that are free. Hagar was the bondwoman and her son was bound, Isaac was the child of the promise and free. We are like Isaac, free and heirs of God. Paul then told us in Chapter 5 that we are to walk by the Spirit. The outward physical signs like circumcision are meaningless without a changed heart. What is now important is that we love one another. Paul then describes the deeds of the flesh, and the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit is singular and not just a collection of worthwhile traits. To possess the fruit of the Spirit is to have all of them not just one or two parts. By this fruit you will be able to identify a true child of God. In Chapter 6 Paul told us to bear one another’s burdens. If a brother stumbles we are to lift him up. Another way of saying this is that if a fellow Christian falls into sin we are not to point him out for condemnation, but to go up alongside of him with a goal of restoration. Sadly the old saying seems to be true; Christians are the first to shoot their wounded. This ends the Book of Galatians. We will now turn to the Book of Ephesians. The Book of Ephesians was written as a letter by Paul from Rome in 60-62 AD. It is one of the prison epistles that Paul wrote while he was held captive by Caesar in Rome. It is believed that this letter was possibly meant to be circulated throughout all the churches beginning with the church at Ephesus. In Chapter 1 Paul wrote of the blessing God had given those who believed in His Son. In verse 3-4 Paul wrote “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love” We have been given redemption, knowledge of the mystery of God’s will, and an inheritance. Paul praised the Ephesian church for their love for the saints, and their faith. Paul also placed Jesus as His rightful place as head of the church. In Chapter 2 Paul wrote that in Christ we have been made alive. We were dead in trespasses and sin. As recorded in verse 8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Through Christ we have been brought into the household of God. Paul wrote of the stewardship he had been given of the grace of God to the people he ministered to in Chapter 3. Paul was given the knowledge of the mysteries of God and an insight into the mystery of Christ that had not been revealed to others. Paul was given the task, by the Lord to bring the gospel to the Gentiles and give them access to the family of God. Chapter 4 is a call for unity in the church. Paul reminded us that we are all one. We each have been given grace as a gift from Christ. Paul wrote in verse 11-13 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” These individual spiritual gifts when brought together with Jesus as the head compose the complete properly working church. In the last part of the chapter Paul explained our Christian walk. We are to have been changed and need to walk not as we did before, but in a new way with a renewed mind. The text says in verse 30-32 to end the chapter “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Paul encouraged us to be imitators of God in Chapter 5. We ought to walk in love as Christ did. We need to watch our actions and do what is proper. Silly talk and coarse jesting are not acceptable behaviors for a true Christian. Paul revealed in verse 13 “But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.” We are to be careful how we walk. We are encouraged in verse 18-21 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” The end of the chapter covers God’s order as it relates to the relationship between a husband and his wife. The husband has a responsibility to love his wife as Christ loves His church. The wife is to respect her husband. When both people fulfill their proper roles the submission part comes easy. As the man submits to Christ the wife submits to her husband. These things have nothing to do with rule or power, but are God’s proper order to lead a godly life. Likewise in Chapter 6 this order passes on to the children. It will never work unless each part is willing to submit to God’s will and assume their proper place and work together in unity. The order then goes on to slaves and their masters. In the end of the chapter Paul describes the armor of God. We all need to study the parts and put on the whole armor of God daily to protect us against our enemy. This ends the Book of Ephesians. We will now begin the Book of Philippians. The Book of Philippians is another of the prison epistles of Paul that he wrote from Rome in 60-62 AD. This letter was to the church in the Macedonian city of Philippi. The purpose of Paul’s letter was to encourage the church, inform the people of his condition in prison, and to tell the church the reason for Epaphroditus’ early return to them. In Chapter 1 Paul greeted the church and told them how he had prayed for them during his imprisonment. He told them that his imprisonment had turned out for the good in that the gospel had been preached to the entire Praetorian Guard and everywhere else. This would not have happened any other way. Paul rejoiced in his condition in that Christ had been exalted in his distress. He wrote in verse 21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Paul had firsthand knowledge of what was to come for him, but was willing to remain to spread the gospel to the world. Paul wrote in verse 27-30 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.” We should also expect to suffer as Christ suffered. In Chapter 2 Paul encouraged us to be like Christ. He wrote in verse 3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Paul told the Philippian church that he would soon send Timothy to them, and also he would soon follow. He needed to send Epaphroditus early because he had become very sick during his service to the Lord. The people in Philippi were told to receive him properly as a loyal worker for the Lord. In Chapter 3 Paul warned of false teaching in the Philippian church. He listed his accomplishments before conversion and counted them all loss to the cause of Christ. He may have lost all his past accomplishments, but he gained Christ, everything else became worthless in comparison. Paul wrote in verse 20-21 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” In Chapter 4 Paul wrote in verse 4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” He told us to pray and make our requests known to God. This right relationship will bring us peace. He also listed the things we should think about and practice in our Christian walk. At the end of the chapter Paul confessed that he was content in any of his circumstances that the Lord would provide for all his needs. This ends the Book of Philippians and also our study for this week. Next week we will begin in the Book of Colossians and finish up in the Book of Hebrews.