Philippians 1:28-30 and Introduction of Chapter 2

What's going on, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ?

This is Evangelist Toby Dalton.

I am back again.

I'm kind of in the middle now of getting with God about coming up with my own church name.

I probably won't have a building yet, man, but I'm looking to build a community.

I'm looking to build a community of people that are serious about the word of God.

And not just serious about the word of God.

They are serious in their relationship with God.

Because you have a lot of people that talk about they know the Lord.

Yeah, but they don't walk like they know the Lord.

And their fruits don't bear it.

And I don't have time to fool with a lot of people with fruits that don't bear it.

Now that does not mean that we don't hang with people that we got to help spiritually grow, because that is part of a huge responsibility of the church to help many to reach spiritual maturity.

It's not much about the numbers as much as it is about spiritual maturity.

But um I am in deep prayer with the Holy Spirit on a church name, mainly specifically for community sake, because I'm looking for serious people in the Word of God.

We study this truth day and night.

We're able to help each other in our time of circumstances to grow strength in one another, just as God commands us to do, and not forsake an assembly.

I've gone to many churches.

I've gone to many churches with a member of two megachurches.

And while it was great for a while, I've always come to the same dead point of there's not enough solid teaching.

And uh that really bothers me.

And that's the reason why I've taken it so seriously with the Lord the last couple of years.

The Holy Spirit helping me to understand this Bible in a way that I can teach it to help others be able to understand it, and we can deal with and live out of precept upon precept, line upon line.

And uh that's the way I like to do it.

I love to read whole chapters when I'm teaching and uh back it up with supporting scriptures where and when necessary.

We've been studying in the book of Philippians, uh, took a detour, went to Romans chapter 8, taught that whole chapter, and now I'm back in the book of Philippians.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

We're gonna finish with chapter 1, get into chapter 2, see if we can finish chapter 2, uh, starting at the 28th verse.

We got like three verses left between 28 and 30.

And uh I've covered these verses before, uh, talking about John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

We're gonna go over to John back to John chapter 1, as a matter of fact.

John 1 · chapter mention

We're gonna look at a few places in John.

Uh and so we're gonna go from there, but I am looking to start my own church community.

Um, when the Lord gives me a name and uh supporting scriptures, mission statements to back that up so that he can operate fully in what this church is going to represent.

Uh, it's gonna be an online church.

Uh, I I'm not sure yet.

Uh I can't do live because obviously I don't have 50 subscribers and uh on YouTube, so I got to get up to that point and pray that God will help me get to that point so I can do live eventually and be able to do live church and us teaching from Genesis all the way to the book of Revelation, as long as the good Lord has us still here until that last Gentile comes into the body of Christ, and we can all be taken up out of here before evil really uh the bottom drops, you know, so to speak.

So let's get on into it.

Like I said, we are going to finish up chapter one, and we're gonna go to chapter two, but Philippians, one of my favorite epistles by the apostle Paul.

Now he is at he is in prison at this time, and he tells us this a few times within these this first chapter he talks about in his imprisonment.

This is one of his prison epistles that he wrote.

Uh, he also wrote Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon while he was in prison.

But souls were still being worn.

This is what the apostle Paul tells us in that first chapter that souls were still being worn.

It was not stopping the Holy Spirit from working and doing his work while within the prison walls, even with him chained to guards, had guards getting saved, and not worrying about the consequences as they were preaching the gospel of salvation within the prison.

Alright.

So that should tell you how powerful the word is and how powerful it is also to be in a symbol with other people that are like-minded, such as yourself in the word.

The apostle Paul is going to talk about this again being of one mind, one purpose.

Unfortunately, there are so many denominations now that it's hard to be of that one mind and one purpose because there are so many different translations and interpreters of the Bible and the scriptures and what they believe that scriptures mean.

There are so many that try to be independent of Jesus, but want to do what Jesus does.

Uh, whether that's casting out demons, healing people, but our healing or casting out any demons or walking in the power of the Holy Spirit comes through Jesus Christ.

We cannot do it independent from Jesus.

Okay, and this is why the apostle Paul is going to stress this uh a few times in the book of Philippians and why it's important to be of one mind, one purpose.

So I am using the amplified Bible.

Uh, if you don't have one, that is okay.

You have the Bible that you're comfortable with, then stay with that Bible.

Uh, but if you do want to rock with me on the Amplified Bible, there's a free version on Bible Gateway, the AMP edition, not the AMPC, the classic edition, because I'm using the AMP edition.

I felt real good about this Bible the last couple of years.

Um, I'm going through it for a third time, going through the Bible, again, two times through the Amplified Bible.

So uh, excuse me, you probably saw a little bit come out of my mouth there.

So I do apologize.

Thank God y'all weren't close to me.

But anyway, uh we're gonna go ahead and jump on into it, man.

So let's just jump on in.

Uh start in verse 28, and in no way be alarmed or intimidated in anything by your opponents for such constancy and fearlessness on your part.

It's clear, is a clear sign, a proof and a seal for them of their impending destruction, but a clear sign for your the uh for you of your deliverance and salvation, and that too from God.

Now, very interesting about this scripture, the apostle Paul, they went under a lot of heavy persecution.

Okay, this is why the apostle Paul talks about how he was greater than all the apostles.

That's Peter, all of them.

I know a lot of people won't want to hear that, but the reason why is because the apostle Paul won in greater numbers, uh, the apostle Paul also suffered greatly, and one of the reasons why is because of the consequences of what he did to the Jewish church and persecuting the Jewish church.

Okay, now just because uh God has not wiped us out of this world because of our sin does not mean he is going to straight up ignore it, and there's no consequence to follow.

There is consequence for what we do.

Now, what keeps us from going into the grave and God totally wiping us out is because, just like Jesus told the apostle Paul, that his grace was sufficient to get him through the trials and the thorn in his flesh, okay, that was given to him by Satan, alright, to keep him humble because of all the visions that he was getting.

God didn't want him to get the big head and thinking that it's him getting the visions.

So it does not mean that we're not going to have to deal with consequences in our life.

Even David, King David, because of what he did with adultery.

Okay, God told him that evil would never leave his house, and it didn't, all the way down to one of his own sons trying to kill him for the throne, him having to run and hide from his son.

Okay, and so evil just kept following throughout his children, his bloodline.

Eventually, his son King Solomon ended up giving away uh himself over to women, turning away from the worshiping of God, the one true God, into more pagan gods because of all the women that he had married, especially a lot of the foreign women that he had taken as wives and concubines.

Okay, so it does not mean that consequences are not going to be dealt with, but because but God gives us grace to get through those consequences and still be able to live our lives in order to preach and minister the gospel of Christ.

Okay, now so in this situation when he's talking about here in Philippians verse 28, that don't give up in despair based on the persecution that you're dealing with, because what this is evidence of is two things it is evidence of the destruction, future destruction of those who are coming against you, and it is also evidence of your salvation, meaning you belong to the Lord, because Jesus said, As they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

So let's keep going.

Verse 29, for you have been granted, look at this, the privilege for Christ's sake, not only to believe and confidently trust in him, but also to suffer for his sake.

And that's the continuation of verse 28.

Verse 30, and so you are experiencing the same kind of conflict what you saw me endure and what you hear to be mine now.

Now, like I told you, the apostle Paul got a whole chapter of all the sufferings that he suffered.

However, many beatings that the other apostles had, he said his was double.

However, much more being stranded with no food that the apostles had, he said he had greater.

And it's in it goes in great length talking about how he suffered.

There was times the apostle Paul says himself that he almost gave up in despair.

Those members of the Jewish church, he got to see firsthand in greater sufferings how that felt.

Okay, this is why he tells us that he was poured out as a drink offering, which is a uh Old Testament term in the Old Testament.

His life was getting ready to come to an end, and he left it all out there.

He poured all the wisdom out that was given to him by our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, when he talks about the conflict that he is still dealing with, that's when he's behind prison bars.

He's hoping to get out at some point to come back to visit them.

These people held a special place in the apostle Paul's heart, and he lets that be known.

Okay, he tells them how they are partakers of his grace and all of those things, and how much he loves them, and how much his love has more abounded for them, and how he prays that their love also abounds, not only for him, but all others who are in the body of Christ, such as his love, had been shown as an example of Christ Himself.

Okay, so now this privilege thing, when he tells you this, it is it is a real thing, because the Holy Spirit, God Himself, does not have to allow us to get close to Him at all.

Jesus says that no one can come to the Father but through me, and we're gonna go to those scriptures, and vice versa.

No one can be drawn to Jesus unless God the Father draws them.

So when he says it is a privilege, it really is a privilege because God could leave us out there blinded.

We don't deserve to know Christ, we don't deserve to know the Father.

Okay, and this is what the Apostle Paul is trying to stress here.

So, with that being said, let's go to John chapter one, because just as it is a privilege to get to know Christ, watch what Jesus says.

Watch what John says, it is also a privilege to know the Father.

Start of verse eleven.

John chapter one, verse eleven.

Watch what it says here.

He came to that which was his own, that which belonged to him, his world, the world he created, his creation, his possession, and those who were his own people, the Jewish nation, did not receive and welcome him.

But watch this, but to as many as did receive and welcome him, he gave the right, look at this, the authority, the privilege to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in, adhere to, trust in, and rely on his name.

The Holy Spirit, ladies and gentlemen, is the one that stirs the hearts and minds of the people to believe.

The Bible tells us that God is the one who opens the hearts to receive Christ.

Without Him opening the hearts, no one can receive Christ.

And vice versa.

Once you have received Christ, now through Christ, you now have the privilege to receive the Father and not only receive the Father, but become children, adopted sons and daughters of Jesus Christ, specifically expressed in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

So this is that privilege here.

Let's go to John 14 and look at verse 9.

When we're talking about this privilege.

Watch what Jesus says here.

Jesus said to him, Have I been with you for so long a time?

Now he's talking to one of his disciples, because his disciple has requested to see the Father.

And Jesus is like, Haven't you been with me long enough to know that if you're seeing me, you are seeing the Father?

And this is what he's getting ready to say.

Jesus said to him, Have I been with you for so long a time?

And you do not know me yet.

Philip, nor recognize clearly who I am.

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say, Show us the Father?

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me?

The words I say to you I do not say on my own intuition, initiative, or authority.

But the Father abiding, continually in me, does his work, his attesting miracles and acts of power.

So they are not independent of one another, they are intertwined together.

This is why Jesus says that if you've seen me, you've seen the Father.

Now, where this is clearly evidenced at is when you get to the book of Revelation.

Now, a lot of people misinterpret that, and they automatically want to go to race.

Well, that means he's black.

I would venture to tell you, my brothers and sisters, that does not mean anything has any relation to Jesus having hair of wool, meaning he's black.

The version that John was seeing is the version that Jesus Christ was truly saying, he saw the word come alive here.

That if he is seeing Jesus, he is seeing the Father.

John literally saw the Father right there in Jesus, just like Jesus said, that that would be.

Okay?

So that was the word coming true of John seeing the Father, literally, within Jesus Christ.

Alright?

Now, we're gonna get to that in a minute as we get down in chapter two.

Let's go to John.

Two verses up.

Verse 6, John 14.

You know what?

I'm gonna try and let's go to Colossians.

I was getting ready to wait to go to Colossians, but I'm gonna go now because I'm feeling led by the Spirit to go ahead on into Colossians chapter 2.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

Let's go to Colossians chapter 2, and then we'll come back to John.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

Colossians chapter 2.

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

We're gonna look at verses 8 and 9.

For the argument of people who want to say that Jesus is not God, it tells us not only that Jesus is the representative of the Godhead.

Jesus says, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father.

And also the Holy Spirit is there.

But it also the apostle Paul gives us warning against those that are coming to say the very things they say today.

Jesus ain't God.

To ignore those vain arguments.

Watch this.

Let's go here.

Colossians chapter 2, verses 8.

Colossians 2:8

Here we go.

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, pseudo-intellectual babble.

Those who continue to say when there's biblical evidence that Jesus is God, that Jesus is not God.

Now I talked about this when we went to Titus.

We saw in three places that Jesus is not only God, he is God our Savior.

Jesus Christ.

Alright?

So we don't get caught up in the people that are trying to deceive us.

Trying to dupe us out of our foundational belief on who Jesus is.

Alright?

Watch this.

According to the tradition and musings of mere men.

There are men out there that can package some words together very cleverly.

But of course, that's what Satan does.

They might be packaging up, packaging them words, packaging them words up cleverly, but guess what?

It's babble because it's not true.

Alright?

So don't listen to the traditions of men.

Following the elementary principles of this world rather than following the truth, the teachings of Christ.

Verse 9.

For in him, watch this.

All the fullness of deity, which is what the book of John is all about.

The revealing, true revealing of who Jesus is.

He's not only the word, he's not only the word in the flesh who came up and dwelt among us.

He is God Himself.

For in him all the fullness of deity, the Godhead dwells in bodily form, completely expressing the divine essence of who?

God, the whole Godhead.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

All in Jesus Christ.

This is why you saw that heavy description when you get to the book of Revelation.

The hair of wool, the eyes a penetrating fire.

John was looking at the pure representation of the Godhead that once walked this earth, now seated at the right hand of the Father.

Alright?

So we don't give way into vain arguments that just because the words seem intelligent.

The apostle Paul calls them pseudo-intellectual babblings, basically.

They hold no weight.

Now, let's go back over to John.

Verse 6, chapter 14 again.

A few verses up from where we were in verse 9.

Watch what it says here.

Jesus again.

Jesus said to him, I am the only way to God.

For all those who say there are many different ways to God, there's not.

Jesus says, I am the only way.

And the real truth and the real life.

No one comes to the Father but through me.

It don't get no plainer than that.

This is what it means by the privilege of not only knowing Jesus Christ, but now that you have the relationship with Jesus Christ and you have come to trust in and rely on him as your Lord and Savior, you now have been given the privilege to become children, adopted sons and daughters into the body of Christ.

Alright?

So Jesus is the only way.

There is no other way.

Just like you see on my hat.

Jesus is the only way.

There is no other way.

So now let's go to John chapter 10 and look at verse 30.

John 10 · chapter mention

We're gonna run these verses down.

John chapter 10 and look at verse 30.

John 10 · chapter mention

Watch what Jesus says here.

Verse 30 says, I am the Father.

I and the Father are, guess what?

One in essence and nature.

You've seen me, you've seen the Father.

It don't get no plan in there, ladies and gentlemen.

But now let's go to John chapter 6, because John chapter 6 is exactly what the apostle Paul was saying.

John 6 · chapter mention John 6 · chapter mention

That Jesus represents the fullness and deity of the Godhead.

And this is what John, this is the side of Jesus that John saw, and that's why you got the heavy description of what he saw in Revelation about Jesus Christ.

Alright now.

So let's get on to it again.

Go to John chapter 6 and look at verse 44.

John 6 · chapter mention

And it says here.

Here we go.

No one can come to me unless the who brings them.

Father who sent me draws him, giving him, look at this, y'all, the desire.

God has to give you the desire.

It's what he meant by it is a privilege to know Christ.

And vice versa.

It is a privilege to know God because they don't have to allow us to get close to them.

But because of his love for his chosen ones, he wakes his chosen ones up so that we get to know his voice.

Because what did Jesus say?

Those who know my voice, they won't stray from it.

Alright?

But God has to give us the desire to come to Jesus.

And watch what Jesus says.

And I will raise him up from the dead on the last day.

Those who are mine, if you have died in the Lord before that rapture happens, you will like Lazarus be called by name and raised from the dead into a body of immortality on your way into eternity, just like Jesus Christ is tonight.

So now let's go back to Philippians.

And now we have just finished up chapter one.

We're gonna see how far we can get in chapter two.

See how far we can get there.

Alright, now therefore, if now in the in the in my Bible, Amplified Bible, you'll see these first two words.

They are capitalized.

And I've talked about this before.

It's like yelling at the rooftop.

Now I know uh a lot of people, this is not considered typing etiquacy.

Because they always tell you when somebody's typing in all caps, they're yelling at you.

Okay, but uh in this situation, the apostle Paul is saying, I ain't worrying about typing educacy right now.

I need to stress these two words.

Therefore, if there is watch this, any encouragement and comfort comfort in Christ, as there certainly is in abundance, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship that we share in the spirit, if there is any great depth of affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the look at this same mind.

Today we fight against that because there are so many different minds out there today.

Nobody is of the same mind which is in Christ.

There are many that say they are, but their fruits don't show it.

So the apostle Paul gives all these prepositions, if there is, and he'll give those same type of language in chapter 4.

Okay, so he says, Make my joy if these things are showing itself within your fellowship, a consolation of love, an abundance of Jesus Christ's love and his comfort for us.

Okay, if these things are showing a huge amount of affection and compassion through the Holy Spirit, then make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love toward one another, knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose, and living a life, look at this, that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel, the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ.

Now, I want to go to 2 Corinthians chapter 3.

2 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

Because for some reason, we have a hard time gathering and understanding how important it is we are to be representing, walking righteously in Christ, that shows evidence of our salvation, evidence of eternal life, and that Christ truly is a part of who we are through the Holy Spirit.

Alright?

So let's go to 2 Corinthians.

I want to look at chapter 3, and let's just start at verse 1.

Watch what it says here.

Are we starting to commend ourselves again, or do we need, like some false teachers, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

No.

Well, because what do false teachers, what do they thrive off of?

Self-recognition, they're full of pride, they're arrogant, and they need to be praised.

The Post Paul said we don't need any of that.

But watch what it says here.

He says, You are our letter of recommendation, written in our hearts, recognized and read by everyone.

You are probably going to be the first thing somebody reads.

They probably hadn't even thought or wanted to look at their Bible, but they're gonna look at your life to see what your life speaks.

Does it speak of Christ or does it not?

That's why the apostle Paul talks about heavily evaluating, self-evaluating ourselves to make sure that our lives exemplify the life of Christ.

And if it doesn't, well, we should be asking God to help us make some adjustments in our hearts, giving us a clean heart so that people can see the evidence of Christ.

And this is what the apostle Paul was saying.

We don't need no self-recommendations.

You guys are our recommendations because the same pattern that we set for you, if you're following that pattern which we follow in Christ, then when people read your personal epistle, they will see the love and the wisdom of this word that we have imparted to you.

Alright?

So, verse 3, you should you show that you are a look at this letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of the living God, walking in his righteousness, because we have the Holy Spirit.

The apostle Paul posed the question if you truly have the same Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ had, then you should be walking righteously, such as Jesus Christ did.

Not on tablets of stone, like Moses wrote, but on tablets of human hearts.

Such is the confidence and steadfast reliance and absolute trust that we have through Christ toward God.

You can be the only epistle sometimes somebody will read.

And that's why it's so important to be careful what type of people you set as patterns for your life.

You need to be making sure those people are walking in Christ, such as Christ walked, in order to safely be able to pattern yourself after them because of the word.

You may not even have a full understanding of the word yet, but that pattern is set.

And it reads loudly to many who are watching you and reading you.

Alright?

Now, so we have to reflect lives that represent Christ and the salvation through faith that we believed in upon getting saved.

Verse 5, verse 3, do nothing from selflessness or empty conceit through factual motives or stripes, but with an attitude of humility, being neither look at this, arrogant nor self-righteous.

Regard others as more important than yourselves.

Now that is not a natural way, according to your sin nature, to think regarding others more important than yourself.

Now that does not mean putting people on a pedestal.

Because now you put people in a position where you are worshiping them and forgetting about the principles of God.

That does not mean that.

That's what that means.

You laying down your own life for others.

What did Jesus say?

There's no greater friend than one that is willing to give his life up for his friend.

How far are you willing to go in love?

This is why the apostle Paul says this all the way up in that first verse.

If there's any affection, any compassion, any love, then let that show.

As we walk in one mind, one purpose, knit together, loving one another.

So we have to learn how to die to ourselves and think about others.

The world will teach us that we have to have ambitions.

Okay, if those ambitions impede you loving another brother or sister in Christ, then that is a problem because Jesus said that love is the fulfillment of the law.

Through love, not self-righteousness, such as many in Israel tried to do.

Okay?

This is what the apostle Paul is saying.

We have to lay down self-righteousness, being self-religious, trying to live out the law without the Holy Spirit.

Who helps impart that love in us to carry out loving one another?

Okay?

Now, I'm gonna stop right there.

I'm gonna stop at that verse, and we're gonna come back and pick that up because I want to jump into what the Bible heavily talks against when it comes to self importance.

So we're gonna come back, we're gonna pick up there uh in verse 3 and 4, and we're gonna go off into why it is important to deny self importance.

Other than that, man, I'm evangelist, Toby Doubt it, peace and love.

I'm out.