The Glory of Christ

The audio from my sermon from Sunday night at the Glory of Christ conference is online. You can get it here.

Philippians Overview Sermon

I enjoy doing overview sermons at the end of the series instead of at the beginning. In my Philippians overview sermon, I simply meditated on the sufficiency of Christ. Paul's great example is that Jesus is enough.

• Because Jesus is enough, we can rejoice even when we suffer.
• Because Jesus is enough, we can look forward to death.
• Because Jesus is enough, we can humbly love one another.
• Because Jesus is enough, we can be content in any circumstance.
• Because Jesus is enough, we can be counted righteous by God.

Hallelujah, All I Have is Christ. Hallelujah, Jesus is My Life.

Philippians Commentaries

After studying Philippians, preaching through it, and writing a basic commentary of my own, here are my thoughts on the available resources.

Philippians is one of the few books that has 3 top-notch, excellent commentaries.

1. The best commentary on Philippians is Walter Hansen's Pillar NT Commentary on Philippians. Readable, pastoral, extensive, helpful, Christ-centered, applicable. Everything you look for in a good commentary.

2. Gordon Fee's NICNT commentary on Philippians is a close second to Hansen's. This is a very good commentary (my favorite in the NICNT series). Fee does a great job outlining passages and keeping the big picture in mind, while at the same time providing rigorous exposition.

3. If you can read Greek, PT O'Brien's NIGTC is excellent.

4. I also like Hawthorne (WBC), but found myself disagreeing with his conclusions more than the others.

5. I was disappointed by Motyer, Silva, and Melick.

6. DA Carson's little book, Basics for Believers, is a great small resource for understanding the main point of each chapter.

7. I think MacArthur's Philippians homeletical commentary might be one of his best.

My Commentary on Philippians

My study through Philippians has been life-changing. I am sad that it is coming to a close (like saying "bye" to a precious friend). As a gift to my church, I have been writing a very basic commentary on Philippians over these past 5 months. I hope people will use it to further their study of Philippians and to help them teach God's Word to others.

So, if you are interested, here is a link to my commentary on Philippians.

I'll soon be sharing my thoughts on which Philippians commentaries are most helpful and which are not as helpful.

Work Out Because God Works In

John Murray helpfully summarizes Phil. 2:12-13:

“No text sets forth more succinctly and clearly the relation of God’s working to our working. God’s working in us is not suspended because we work, nor our working suspended because God works. Neither is the relation strictly one of co-operation as if God did his part and we did ours so that the conjunction or co-ordination of both produced the required result. God works in us and we also work. But the relation is that because God works we work. All working out of salvation on our part is the effect of God’s working in us, not the willing to the exclusion of the doing and not the doing to the exclusion of the willing, but both the willing and the doing. And this working of God is directed to the end of enabling us to will and to do that which is well pleasing to him. We have here not only the explanation of all acceptable activity on our part but we have also the incentive to our willing and working. What the apostle is urging is the necessity of working out our own salvation, and the encouragement he supplies is the assurance that it is God himself who works in us. The more persistently active we are in working, the more persuaded we may be that all the energizing grace and power is of God.”

From Redemption Accomplished and Applied

Philippians 2:5-11 - Gospel Glory

This is one of the most majestic passages in all of Scripture. In this passage, we are allowed to peer deeply into the greatest realities in the history of the universe.

The passage takes us on a breath-taking journey from the highest of heights in the eternal counsels of God to the lowest of lows and the agony of the cross and back up again to the most supreme place in the universe.

In Sunday's sermon, I focused on 2 aspects of the glory of Christ in this passage:
1. The Self-Humiliation of Christ (v. 6-8).
2. The Super-Exaltation of Christ (v. 9-11).

In verses 6-8, we see 4 downward steps in Christ's self-humbling:

• The top step is that Jesus is God.
• The first step down is that Jesus became a man.
• The second step down is that Jesus became a servant.
• The third step down is that Jesus was obedient to the point of death.
• The final step down is that Jesus died on a cross.

In verses 9-11, we see at least 4 truths about the exaltation of Christ:

• Jesus is at the highest place in the universe.
• Jesus' exaltation includes His resurrection, ascension, and enthronement.
• Jesus is Lord of the universe and has comprehensive authority.
• Jesus is the universal object of worship to the glory of God.

Philippians

I'm absolutely loving studying, memorizing, and preaching Philippians. Each morning, I can't wait to soak in it and memorize the next portion. Each week, I can't wait to explore what the sermon passage is going to pour forth. Each Sunday, I can't wait to proclaim Christ from Philippians.

Sovereign Lord, make us say with Paul, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Ruin us for ever lesser pleasure by making us see the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. Give us contentment in the inexhaustible treasure of Jesus.

Philippians: The Gospel Community

I've never been as excited about a sermon series as I am about the next 5 months in Philippians. My joy is full.

Along with preparing and preaching sermons from Philippians, I am working on 2 gifts for my church family:

1. Depending on the Spirit, I am memorizing all of Philippians.

2. For the glory of God, I am writing a basic commentary on Philippians.

Here is something of an introduction to the commentary, called, "The Gospel Community."

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is about the gospel of Jesus Christ that creates and shapes a community of believers. In this friendly letter, we encounter the supremacy of Jesus Christ. The person and work of Jesus Christ is the dominant subject of Philippians. However, there is nothing abstract or out of touch about this presentation of Christ. In Philippians, Jesus Christ transforms and informs our lives and relationships with each other. In Philippians, Jesus Christ captures our attention in such a way that joy is possible even in the midst of great suffering. Philippians is a practical book about the very center of the Christian faith.

Philippians Introduction

We learn from Philippians that the Christian life is the pursuit of joy in Jesus Christ. Christ is more valuable than everything we pursue in this life. To live is Christ and to die is gain because it means we get more of Christ. If we have Christ, we can be content in any and every circumstance because Christ is the One who gives us strength. Christ is our example of humility and He is the Savior who was obedient to death, even death on the Cross.

Let us learn from Paul that everything minus Christ is really nothing and Christ minus everything is really everything. Christ is more than enough.

In 1:3-8, Paul thanks God for the Philippians for 3 reasons:
1. Paul thanks God for them because of his own affections for them.
2. Paul thanks God for them because of their partnership in the gospel with him.
3. Paul thanks God for them because of God’s sovereign work in their lives and church.

• God is the sovereign initiator of His redemptive work ("He who began a good work in you...)
• God is the faithful completer of His redemptive work ("will bring it to completion").

Jesus in Philippians

Here is what I feasted on this morning. These 50 references to my Savior in Philippians:

1:1 – Paul and Timothy are servants of Jesus
1:1 – The saints are in Jesus
1:2 – Grace and Peace are from Jesus
1:6 – God will complete the work He started in us at the day of Jesus
1:8 – Paul yearns for the Philippians with the affections of Jesus
1:10 – Paul prays for them to be pure and blameless for the day of Jesus
1:11 – Righteousness comes through Jesus
1:13 – Paul’s imprisonment is for Jesus
1:15 – Some preach Jesus with impure motives
1:17 – They preach Jesus out of rivalry
1:18 – Paul rejoices that Jesus is proclaimed
1:19 – The Spirit of Jesus will help Paul
1:20 – Paul wants Jesus to be honored in his body
1:21 – For Paul, to live is Jesus
1:23 – To be with Jesus is far better than living on earth
1:26 – Paul wants them to glory in Jesus
1:27 – We are to live worthy of the gospel of Jesus
1:29 – We suffer for the sake of Jesus
2:1 – Encouragement comes from Jesus
2:5 – We are commanded to have the mind of Jesus
2:6 – Jesus did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped
2:7 – Jesus made Himself nothing, being born as a servant
2:8 – Jesus humbled Himself and was obedient to death on the cross
2:9 – Jesus has the name above every name
2:10 – At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow
2:11 – Every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord
2:16 – Paul looks toward the day of Jesus
2:17 – Paul hopes in Jesus to send Timothy
2:21 – Most people do not seek to glorify Jesus
2:30 – Epaphroditus risked his life for the work of Jesus
3:3 – We are to glory in Jesus
3:7 – Paul counts everything as loss for the sake of Jesus
3:8 – Paul counts everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of Jesus
3:8 – All must be rubbish in order to gain Jesus
3:9 – Righteousness comes through faith in Jesus
3:10 – Paul wants to know Jesus
3:11 – Jesus has made Paul His own
3:14 – Paul presses toward the call of God in Jesus
3:18 – Some walk as enemies of the cross of Jesus
3:20 – Jesus is the Lord and Savior, whom we wait for
3:21 – Jesus will transform our bodies by the power that enables Him to subject all things to himself
4:1 – We are to stand firm in the Lord Jesus
4:2 – We are to agree in the Lord Jesus
4:4 – We are to rejoice in the Lord Jesus
4:5 – The Lord Jesus is at hand
4:7 – God’s peace will guard our hearts in Jesus
4:13 – Paul can do all things through Jesus
4:19 – God will supply all needs according to His riches in Jesus
4:21 – The sains are in Jesus
4:23 – Paul prays that the grace of Jesus will be with the Philippians

New Pillar Commentary Coming Soon: Philippians

As of right now, I'm planning to preach through Philippians in 2010. So, of course I'm excited that my favorite commentary series has its Philippians volume coming out soon: The Letter to the Philippians.