PHILIPPIANS Men's Bible Study

Soundcloud Audio from PHILIPPIANS Men's Bible Study
(JULY 22nd, 2014 to AUGUST 12th, 2014)

Notes from Men’s Bible Study on PHILIPPIANS

SPEAKERS:

  • Richard D Eutsler, Sr.
  • Steven Atherton
  • Paul Muller
  • Charles Hocker
  • Richard D Eutsler, Jr.
  • Phillip Walthall
  • Scott Bishop

PHILIPPIANS 1

  • Paul and Timotheus are referred to as servants of Jesus Christ. They understood not only that he was an Apostle but also that he is a servant of Jesus Christ.
  • He gives thanks every single day for the Thessalonians. In contrast with giving thanks upon every remembrance.
  • We need to pray for people as we remember them, because we will be astonished hearing how at the time they were struggling you were praying for them and they were strengthened in the work of the Lord. This will strengthen your faith as well.
  • There’s an amazing story about a man who was a missionary and someone was prompted to pray for him, so he got some men together to pray for this missionary. Upon his return to the USA he visited their Church and shared a testimony of how he went through a situation where he was overtaken by some men who were trying to kill him and steal from him. The men who were attacking him went away and left him unharmed and when they were asked later why they did nothing to him they said because they had seen (for example) 12 men surrounding him and they could not fight them. They counted the men who had been praying for him and there were 12 of them.
  • The Philippians are partakers of Paul’s grace, which we see in multiple places in the scripture. They are partakers of the anointing that was on Paul. We see this with Moses, in Revelation 1,2,3 where it refers to the 7 anointings – every single believer is a partaker of one of those anointings.
  • God gave special insight into how things were going with those who God had put under his charge.
  • Grace is unmerited favor – it covers sin but is also power, wisdom, understanding and Paul shared that with them.
  • Contrary to popular opinion, nobody has their “own” anointing. All believers partake of one of the seven anointings. It also depends on us being under authority.
  • God is his record and will testify of his place in the body.
  • Those who cannot think of when they have done something God is pleased of are generally not standing in pride but humility of mind.
  • There are no people who are “a good man” or “basically a good person” – if you say that then you are not approving things that are excellent.
  • Take care – care is a noun meaning fear, torment and mental anguish. Why would we put that on another person? The cares of the world keep us from producing fruit. We agree with it and say it because we don’t want to be an offense or because we are ignorant and it is not approved of by the Lord.
  • Sincerity goes with humility, which often goes with how you say a thing. Truth is a good example of sincerity. You want to be truthful with those you are in contact with and you want them to receive truth, not by lording over people or being high-minded, but in humility.
  • We want to walk in the same power, love and compassion as Jesus did so people may know God is true.
  • If you read Acts 16 Paul had a vision of a man praying to come and help them. They went, met a man and a woman who had a demonic spirit who followed them about and recognized who Jesus was and they cast the demon out. Paul was then cast into prison and they were singing praises in prison, there was an earthquake and the prison guard received the Lord and then they were released from prison because the people feared the Lord. That doesn’t mean the people all agreed with what happened in that situation. This is the Lord’s account of what happened.
  • Islam has the same spirit that was on the people back then, the spirit that was on them back then is the same as the one that is on Islam now.
  • There are people who will do anything they can to preach against you. There was a preacher who took out a weekly radio ad to discredit a man.
  • There is only ONE Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is not a Methodist Gospel, Baptist Gospel, Presbyterian Gospel etc. If God is not divided, how do we, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, preach in contention? We don’t!
  • Paul’s salvation wasn’t depending on this, it relates to his deliverance from the bonds. Nobody has the power of salvation through any other person than Jesus Christ.
  • When you are Christs, then what is it to you how He is magnified in you? He was magnified by Steven’s, Abel’s, Zachariah’s death. He was glorified by Shadrack, Meshak and Abednego’s deliverance and the deliverance of David. This should not be a concern to us on how the Lord will be magnified.
  • Whether Paul lives or dies it does not matter to him. He lays out a perspective that we can all learn from: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. All I’m here for is for Christ, I have no agenda of my own. From this perspective, where is there any place for fear? If you’re not afraid of death, what is there to fear?
  • A choice of love for others, not for himself, it is more needful for him to stick around and because of this he says “I know I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith”.
  • In Timothy you see where Paul knows his deliverance is near but here in Philippians you see that his time is not near.
  • Ministering to people in love, not because anyone deserves it but because it becometh the Gospel of Christ who died for us when we were yet sinners, gave His life for us when we rejected Him. The least we can do is to do likewise.
  • The spirit of God is ONE spirit and it agrees. If your spirit is contrary to God’s spirit – The Holy Spirit – then we have to acknowledge we have a wrong spirit and trade it in. The way you can see if you have a wrong spirit is does it agree with the Word of God?
  • God is not a skitzophrenic – He does not speak things that do not agree one with another EVER. For example his death on the cross was not for original sin and thereafter you have to pay for it, but it was sufficient for it all.
  • Those who fear are wrong and it is a token of perdition because God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. We confront fear, we do not withdraw from it and turn and run from it.
  • Paul is encouraging them to move forward as he wouldn’t change a thing.

PHILIPPIANS 2

  • It was given not only to the Philippians to believe on Him but also to suffer for Jesus’ sake.
  • When your focus is on the Lord the consolation, the comfort of love, the fellowship of the Spirit, any bowels and mercies is visible to you. But if your eyes get off the Lord you come to the place where you wonder about the Lord.
  • We’re all supposed to have the love of Christ. We, as a fellowship, are not there yet.
  • We have to yield to the work of the Lord through humility.
  • Pride is an issue with the Philippians, they are out for their own glory not for the glory of the Lord.
  • The lowliness of mind is a choice that you have; You come to recognize your own shortcomings, vanity and utter corruption.
  • When you begin to see yourself as you really are you realize you do the same things as others. It’s easy to esteem others when you see the same problem in yourself. Instead of judging them and lifting yourself up you’re able to love them and esteem them.
  • God reflects how you treat others as how you treat Him.
  • Consider others that you may be able to minister to them.
  • A servant ministers unto others.
  • Jesus as a man was different because His father was the Holy Spirit of God, the curse that came upon the seed of Adam didn’t come upon Him because He wasn’t of the seed of Adam.
  • Even to the death of the cross, His will (Jesus) was to do the Father’s will.
  • Find out what God’s will in heaven is for you and you’ll know what His will is for you on earth.
  • There is no name above the name of Jesus.
  • The higher your opinion of yourself the less you recognize Jesus and who He is.
  • Nobody can save you but Jesus Christ, nobody can believe for you, you have to do that for yourself. You have to do that with the recognition that you’re not going to be able to stand before Him in the day of judgement you’ll be cast out because it’s impossible to please God without faith. It’s a battle of unbelief.
  • Don’t take your salvation for granted, but daily work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Know that your faith for yesterday isn’t going to save you today.
  • If you believe God, you’ll do what He says. You do those things (heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils) because you believe Him, when you justify yourself in not doing them you’re justifying yourself in unbelief.
  • He wants you to do of His good pleasure because it will bless you and minister unto others.
  • Murmurings seek to justify yourself in what ever you’re asked to do, it’s rebellion. If you are a murmurer and dispute those that your authorities tell you, you are not blameless or harmless or the son of God.
  • All of the things you have to seek are in the kingdom of God, not in this world.
  • When people see that they cannot move you from the Lord they begin to consider the testimony of your life.
  • God’s answer to every situation should be on your lips.
  • When you go forward in the Lord believing others may see and believe on Him too.
  • Mercy comes when you’ve done wrong and you acknowledge it.
  • If you look at your own things you’re only looking at them, but if you have others looking on them there are many looking in on them.

PHILIPPIANS 3

  • It’s very important for the fundamental principles to be spoken over and over again because it’s needful and safe.
  • The circumcision comes when you die to your flesh and are risen in Christ. When you walk in faith, in the spirit, then you’re going to rejoice in Christ Jesus and you’re going to have no confidence in your flesh.
  • If you’re really going to serve God you’re going to have to learn to do all things new through Christ Jesus.
  • It’s impossible to do those things of God in the flesh.
  • The more you recognize your evil nature then the more you’re going to rejoice in Christ Jesus.
  • An evil worker is anyone that is speaking anything but the gospel of Jesus Christ.
  • Paul counted anything that didn’t bring Him closer to the Lord lost. He counted all that stuff dung, all He wanted was to win Christ.
  • You can’t have your own righteousness and the righteousness of God, you can only have one.
  • The righteousness of God is not the righteousness of man or the law.
  • You can not even know the Lord if your faith is not in the gospel. If it’s in any other thing you may know of Him but not know Him.
  • Beware of people that claim to be of the faith. Christians are shown by their love for one another.
  • To be able to press towards the mark you can’t be thinking on the things of the past, you can’t run forward looking backward. If you’re going to press towards that mark you have to be free to be looking at that mark.
  • Yesterday’s faith won’t save you today.
  • God didn’t furnish us for failure but to succeed in Him.
  • Mark those who are walking after Christ and follow them.
  • A worker of iniquity is one who walks in pride, self worthiness is iniquity.
  • If we are in the body of Christ, Christ is seated at the right hand of God the Father, we are in heaven, our conversation the things we speak of are from there. Our entire desire and hope is in the change of our vile body into His glorious body, in which we dwell by faith until we receive our new body.
  • Conversation is more than talking, it’s our life, our existence. If your life in the world, you’re looking to yourself and your deeds to save you. If your life is in Christ in heaven, you’re looking for the savior Jesus Christ to save you.
  • The church is the body of Christ, the kingdom of God here on earth.
  • When all things have been subdued to Him, then we have that perfect peace, as He has always desired from the beginning. We live in His kingdom, we’re no longer under the curse.

PHILIPPIANS 4

  • These people were dear to Paul, he wanted to help them.
  • Joy – when someone receives the Lord and really begins to step forward in – it is a joy.
  • Crown – they do him honor in the Lord and confirm that which he has been ministering.
  • Standing fast – there were attacks going on, struggles. Standing fast is to determine there is nothing that is going to move you off that mark, off the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  • Paul’s calling a couple of people out. Let them be of the same mind in the Lord. Where we are all supposed to be.
  • Yokefellow – a colleague, a person who is a partner. Like a yoke of oxen who are matched and go forth together.
  • Help – if they’re laboring with him they are preaching the Gospel. Priscilla (and Aquilla) was a good example of this. Provide for them.
  • Fellow laborers with Paul in the Gospel. People who are sound in the faith, tried and true.
  • Rejoice in the Lord alway – not when you feel like it, all the time, regardless of the circumstances that are going on around you. An expression of your faith and your appreciation. Even if you are going through problems you know He will bring you out of them.
  • A true Christian’s attitude is not controlled or moved by what goes on around him, not being swayed by what people say or do. A true Christian’s attitude is set by the Spirit of God.
  • Moderation – you’re not moved by all the things going on around you. It is why your answers are strikingly different from others. That is how you make your moderation known.
  • The Lord is at hand – he is as close to you as your hand. You don’t have to go looking for him for help, He (and His power) is standing right there with you.
  • Be careful for nothing – not be anxious for anything. The way to not be anxious is to by prayer and supplication let your request be made known unto God.
  • Do not be full of care. Care is fear, worry, anxiety. Seed and the sower – the seed that was choked out was choked out by fears and worries (cares of the world).
  • When you believe God your anxieties are relieved as you lift things up to the Lord and leave it there. If you don’t trust him you keep hanging onto them yourself.
  • When you cast (verb) your cares (noun) on the Lord, you cast your worries and fears on him because he careth for you, because he is watching for you and standing in for you and doing what is necessary to get you through.
  • When you have that faith you cast these things on him. Then you have the peace of God which passeth all understanding.
  • Peace of God is not that feel good thing – it is that peace that comes from the cessation of war. Then you are able to stand.
  • In whatever things your mind is on – when you think on these things approach it from the perspective of verse 8: true, honest, just, of good report, any virtue, any praise. An admonition to remind us to be brought back to be on that which it should be on. These things keep you focused on what is good and His provision for you.
  • The woman with the issue of blood, if she could but touch the hem of his garment she would be healed. It is by that virtue that the power of God goes out of you to heal others and to do miracles. That virtue needs to be dedicated, to have a fidelity to the Lord – that is where that virtue comes from. You cannot have a fidelity to the Lord and be tied into the world and the things of the world. It is constantly being loyal to the Lord.
  • How you show fidelity – those things you have heard and received and seen in me – do! And the God of peace shall be with you. If you don’t, he won’t. Paul showed fidelity to Christ, if they followed that they would likewise show fidelity to Christ.
  • Care of me hath flourished – their financial giving to Paul.
  • Lacked opportunity – a grace on Paul’s part to them. This is not because Paul wants their stuff or is lacking. Paul has learned to be content with what he has. You hear here a minister who is not ruled by filthy lucre. He wants to see them give because he knows it’s going to go on their account.
  • Communicated – helped him.
  • These people who had received were steadfast in their support of him. This is why they were dear to him notwithstanding they issues they had.
  • They were the only ones of all the different fellowships Paul had established who in the midst of these difficult circumstances were sending support. It was noteworthy to him.
  • Sent once and again – something they continued to be mindful of, providing for the work he was doing.
  • What you get from God is much better than what you give to God.
  • Have all and abound, I am full – a high praise.
  • Odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God – shows the sacrifice they were willing to make themselves, showing their faith and commitment to the Lord.
  • My God is going to supply all your need according to His riches in glory – by Christ Jesus – through the Gospel. You don’t have to be worthy, He makes you worthy.
  • Be glory for ever and ever – He is God, He is our father – may He be glorified and may we be thankful.
  • Saint – every believer is a saint.
  • Salute every saint in Christ Jesus – salute them all.
  • Greet you – again that is all. You love the brethren and appreciate them above everyone else you know.
  • Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you – Paul not only had the authority to say this but was pleased to do so.