Philippians (Lesson 12)

And here we go again.

Thank you each and everyone for tuning in today.

I'm Brother James, and I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, and I welcome you to this, another edition of the Preaching of the Cross Radio Broadcast.

I'm still trying to get everything in order here.

Get my Bible in place, get my notes in place, get my thoughts in place, and I'm glad that you've tuned in today.

Hope you can stay with us for the next half an hour as we study together from God's pure and perfect word, the Holy Bible, the lamp to our feet, the light to our path, the only sure source of absolute truth to lead us and guide us through this present evil world on to glory in and through the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are studying the Bible book of Philippians.

This is our twelfth lesson together, and we're all the way up to verse number 19, it looks like.

So thank the Lord He knows what he's doing, he just needs a willing vessel.

Verse 14.

And by the way, he doesn't often let us in on what he's doing, but he knows what he's doing.

Okay, verse 14.

And many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Some indeed preach Christ of envy, even of envy and strife, and some also of good will.

The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing that affliction of my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel.

What then?

Notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

So the apostle Paul had lived long enough to say, as long as somebody is preaching salvation and others are getting saved, whatever else he's doing wrong, God will straighten that out at the judgment seat of Christ, but at least he's preaching the gospel, and I'm glad of that.

That's what we covered on the last program.

Now, verse 19, here we go.

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.

For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain, but if I live in the flesh, body living in the body, staying alive on this earth, this is the fruit of my labor.

Yet what I shall choose I wot not, for I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better.

Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you, and having this confidence I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Okay.

The theme of this book, as we've come to understand, is joy and rejoicing, and a joy and rejoicing that comes only from serving others.

In this passage, Paul is directed by the Holy Spirit to testify and to say that it would be far better to leave this world and leave this body of flesh and to go to be with Jesus than it would be to stay down here on this earth.

But it would be better for the other Christians, in particular those in Philippi, if he stayed.

And so he said, Personally, I'd rather go and be with the Lord.

But for your benefit, I'd rather stay.

And I'm asking you to pray to God that I can stay so I can help you.

Now there's a man whose heart reflects what this book of Philippians is all about.

It's an incredible thing.

Surely, surely we would all rather be in heaven than have to face any more of the dangers and difficulties and setbacks and tears and trials and troubles of this life.

But living for others, not for self, sometimes oftentimes necessitates that we put aside what we want so that we might supply what others want or what others need.

So verse 19 says, I know that this, this, shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of Spirit of Jesus Christ.

That word, this is a peculiar word.

It may be looking back to the preaching of the gospel in verse 18, so you can read that as Paul saying, you know, if enough people hear the gospel and enough people get saved, I won't get my brains beat out every time I talk about Jesus.

I'm going to get some deliverance and get some freedom from this constant persecution and harassment if we can just keep preaching the gospel.

Now that's possible.

Or the this could look forward.

It could be that he's saying, I'm sitting here in this jail and I'm going to die, but if you guys just pray hard enough and seek the face of God, maybe God will deliver me and save me from this death, and I can come back there and see you again and help you some more.

Now we have a case like that in Acts chapter twelve.

Acts twelve, starting at verse number one.

Now, about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hand to vex certain of the church.

And he killed James, the brother of John with a sword, and because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also, then were the days of unleavened bread.

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

Alright, let me help you before you uh are bothered too much about that word Easter being there.

Who put Peter in prison?

Herod.

Herod is not a Jew, he's a Roman.

Herod would not be celebrating Passover, a Jewish holiday.

He'd be celebrating Easter, a pagan holiday.

And so your King James Bible, the translators who knew a Roman pagan fertility celebration from a Jewish feast day, understood that Easter is the word for the verse.

What's real troubling about the word though is it it would certainly make the translators and the writers of the New Bibles want to get rid of it is that the man who is persecuting and vexing the church and killing James and putting Peter in prison is celebrating Easter.

So it's obvious that Easter isn't a Christian holiday or the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, now is it?

See, that's the kind of things Brother James says that nobody else wants to say that just cause so much aggravation among Christians that aren't sincere.

I'm just I'm just teaching in the Bible.

Alright, verse five.

Peter therefore was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him, and when Herod would have brought him forth the same night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains, and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined prison, and he smote Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly, and his chains fell off from his hands.

And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself and bind on thy sandals, and so he did, and he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee and follow me.

And he went out and followed him and wis not that it was true, which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision.

When they were past the first and second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city, which opened to them of his own accord.

And they went out and passed on through the street, and forthwith the angel departed from him, and when Peter was come to himself he said, Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

So there is a case where God's people prayed, and God delivered his preacher from prison and the likely death that awaited him there.

When Paul writes to the Philippians, he says, Hey folks, if you guys will just pray, God can get me out of here, like he got Peter out.

In fact, why wouldn't the church of Philippi pray for God to move in the prison house?

When sitting in that church at Philippi and hearing this letter read is the Philippian jailer and his family who were present the night God sent an earthquake and opened every cell in the prison.

You remember that from Acts chapter 16?

Acts 16 · chapter mention

God is certainly able to get men out of a jailhouse, and Paul's saying if you people will pray, he just might do it again.

But he's also talking here about salvation not from sin, but from death.

Second Corinthians one verse nine.

But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead, who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver, in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us, ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on your behalf.

So he almost died in verse eight, second Corinthians one.

He's writing in verse nine and saying we came close to death.

In verse ten he said, But God delivered us.

And verse eleven says, in part because you people prayed for us.

Now don't you think it's uh above the character of a holy God to be deceitful?

Wouldn't you agree with that?

I don't think there's anybody listening to my voice right now that would accuse God of being a deceiver or a con man.

Well, if over and over and over again the writers of the Bible urged the churches that were receiving their letters to pray for them, it has got to do some good.

It has got to make a difference.

It has got to change lives and destinies and situations and the intentions of enemies and the condition of churches.

God isn't just writing these things in the Bible to deceive us or to laugh at us.

Ah, look at that, they fell for it, they're praying down there.

I don't I don't believe that.

The Holy Spirit had Paul say, Pray for me that I can live.

Pray for me that I can be delivered to preach another day.

Pray for me that I can live to lead one more soul to Jesus Christ.

Why would God put that in the Bible if it didn't make any difference?

I believe it does make a difference.

Look in Romans chapter 15, show you some more.

Romans 15 · chapter mention

They're all through here.

Romans 15 and verse number 30.

Now I beseech you, brethren.

I beseech you, brethren.

He's begging them, he's pleading with them.

I beseech you, brethren.

He wants them to do something.

I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.

Well, uh about one in particular, verse thirty-one, that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judea, and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints, that I may come at you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

There it is again.

There it is again.

He is saying, pray, pray that I can be delivered from the bad guys and be accepted by the good guys.

He says, Come on, people, pray for me, pray for me.

And I guarantee you, if Paul needed it, if Paul needed it, then we certainly need prayer, one for another, for safety, for protection, for deliverance.

Listen, there are people that want to stop the preaching of the gospel this world over.

There are people who do not want the good news of Jesus Christ proclaimed, and they'll do anything and everything in their power to stop God's preachers from preaching God's word.

And the Bible says we ought to pray for liberty and freedom and protection for God's preachers.

Ephesians six verse eighteen says it this way, praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

Think of that, think of that.

This is Paul the apostle.

You wouldn't think you wouldn't think that this man would in any way lack courage or boldness.

But he says, hey, don't expect me to be bold.

Don't just don't just take it for granted that I'm going to be bold.

Pray for me that I will be bold.

Don't think it's just something that's gonna magically happen.

Pray that God will give me courage.

It's easy for a preacher or somebody that's burdened about the lost to criticize people that don't witness.

It's easy to criticize people that don't speak up for the Lord.

I'm persuaded that all the criticizing in the world isn't going to change anything if there's not prayer behind it.

Behind our pleading and our exhorting and our beseeching, may God help us to pray one for another, that as individuals and as a church, we will be bold for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Don't just expect it to happen.

Pray to God for boldness, for protection, for safety, for power on behalf of His people.

I'm telling you.

Just about every single day, somebody prays for this preacher.

I know it's so.

And and the people of our church pray, God, send us people that will boldly stand for you and will sincerely love the brethren.

If it happens, it happens.

When it does, we don't say, Wow, what a lucky break.

What a chance encounter.

No, when God sends someone to our church who wants to witness, who wants to speak out, who wants to stand for the Lord, we thank God for answering prayer.

Look at Colossians chapter four.

Colossians four verse two, continue in prayer, and watching the same with thanksgiving, with all praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak.

Isn't it something?

Over and over and over again Paul says, Don't forget to pray for me, that I don't chicken out.

Don't forget to pray for me that I'll open my mouth and proclaim Jesus Christ.

Don't forget to pray for me that I'll do what I'm supposed to do.

I'll say it again.

If Paul needed those kind of prayers, I need them ten times more, you need them ten times more.

God help us to pray one for another.

Philemon.

Philemon verse twenty two.

Having or twenty one, having confidence in thy obedience, I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.

But with all, prepare me also a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.

So here is a man who is asking God's people over and over again to pray for him.

First of all, that he might be delivered from prison so that he can preach to more people and serve God longer.

Though he would like to go to heaven, he knows it's needful to continue his work on earth.

Then he he asks them to pray that he would be bold to open his mouth and preach the gospel.

Then he asks that the enemies would not stop him and that God's people would receive him.

This would be a great way for saved people to spend their time praying for God's ministers, praying for God's witnesses, praying one for another, that they might boldly, safely, successfully proclaim the good news of our glorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It's very easy to talk about others.

But what if we talked about others to God in prayer, upholding and supporting them?

I'm gonna say this again.

I don't believe God is toying with his people.

Surely if all these verses are in the Bible encouraging us to pray, it must be beneficial to pray.

It must be a good thing to pray.

May God help us.

May God help us in this matter.

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Until then, I'm Brother James.

May the Lord richly bless you.