Posted in Philippians on Aug 23rd, 2007 No Comments »
A Wonderful Dilemma
PHILIPPIANS 1:21-26 07/29/07
We are all faced with dilemmas of one kind or another every day. A dilemma, according to Webster’s, is “A situation that requires a choice between two evenly balanced alternatives both of which are usually unpleasant.” I believe that the current conflict in Iraq is a true dilemma. If we leave our troops there, we know that more of them will die. If we bring them all home now, we know that evil forces will have a better opportunity to collaborate to do our nation more harm. This dilemma should cause us to pray fervently for our troops, our president and for congress. But not all dilemmas are negative. The apostle Paul, even though he was in prison and chained to a Roman soldier, in his thinking faced a very wonderful dilemma. His decision was between two balanced alternatives, both of which were positive and profitable. It was a classic “win/win” situation.
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Posted in Philippians on Jul 24th, 2007 No Comments »
PHILIPPIANS 1:12-21
Someone has said that “Philosophy is a quest for a comprehensive understanding of human existence.” Human beings have always sought to explain the meaning of life. We try to answer questions such as “Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?” Sometimes philosophers and scholars have summed up the meaning of life with short sayings.
Here are just a few:
“I think, therefore, I am.” ~ Descartes
The man who said “God is dead” also said, “To forget one’s purpose is the commonest form of stupidity.” ~ Nietzsche
(What if you forget that your purpose is to worship the living God? 
)
“To me, if life boils down to one thing, it’s movement. To live is to keep moving.” ~ Jerry Seinfeld
“When it’s all over, it’s not who you were. It’s whether you made a difference.”
“You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” ~ Albert Camus
“What is the meaning of life? To be happy and useful.” ~ The Dali Lama
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”
“The person lives most beautifully who does not reflect upon existence”
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
“To live is to think.”
“To live is not breathing; it is action.” Rousseau
The apostle Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ.”
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Posted in Philippians on Jul 21st, 2007 No Comments »
Philippians 1:6
God has never started anything He didn’t finish. When all is said and done, God will have no unfinished projects, no uncompleted work. Because He is perfect all His works will be perfected. He is not lazy, like we are, nor is He ever discouraged. He is not subject to uncontrollable circumstances, nor is He limited by insufficient knowledge or power. “Plan A” is the only plan God has and “Plan A” will be completed. In Verse 6 Paul says that he is “confident of this very thing.” He didn’t say it was a possibility or even a probability. Rather, this is something Paul is absolutely certain about. He knows God! He understands His character and He knows that if God has begun a good work of grace in a believer’s life, He will finish that work.
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Posted in Philippians on Jul 21st, 2007 No Comments »
Philippians 1:12-18
I believe that this portion of Scripture is meant to reassure us today in our walk with God and to cause us to rejoice. We, like Paul face various kinds of hardship and trials. We also suffer and go through things that leave us downhearted and discouraged. God wants to lift us up in the midst of our affliction and to teach us to rejoice in one thing above all others – He wants us to rejoice when Christ is preached! As we study this passage, we will look at three reasons why Paul could rejoice and why we too can rejoice in our sufferings.
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Posted in Philippians on Jul 3rd, 2007 No Comments »
Philippians 1:11
The astronomer Galileo is reported to have said that, “The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.” At the beginning of the summer season we all look forward to and are already beginning to enjoy some of the delicious fruits of soil and sun. God, the creator and sustainer of all things in this universe, is looking for fruit. He is so occupied with the producing of spiritual fruit in our lives it is as if He had nothing else in the universe to do. The church can be compared to a garden or a vineyard. In John chapter 15 Jesus said that the Father is the gardener. In His garden, there is only one plant – a vine – the true vine, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the vine and believers are the branches. God has saved us for the purpose of bearing fruit.
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Posted in Philippians on Jun 11th, 2007 No Comments »
Philippians 1:1-11
Paul remembered the Philippians:
I. In prayer
II. In their partnership in the gospel
III. In their need for growth
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