God’s Working His Good Work Despite Our Circumstances ||Philippians 1:7-20 amplified bible

What is going on, my brethren and my lovely sisters in Christ?

Today we are back at it again.

We are continuing in the book of Philippians.

The whole goal is to get through all four chapters.

Now, how long that takes us, it could take a while.

Uh, because there is a lot of meeting here.

And as I told you before, we are going to go deep into the heart of the Lord and these scriptures where appropriate.

Uh, and uh, we're gonna get more truths.

Uh, we have already gone through uh Philippians chapter 1, verses 1 through 6.

Philippians 1:1–6

And uh fact, now we're gonna go ahead and jump into verse 7.

And I hope I'm not confusing anyone.

Everyone is gathering and understanding the word of God.

Uh, that is my whole goal.

If I'm not able to do that, then I'm not doing my job.

But I try to break it down as much as possible for you to understand.

But at the end of the day, it's the Holy Spirit that is going to open your heart and open your fruit of understanding so that you can be able to get what is being taught in the scriptures.

So, without further ado, I am using an amplified Bible.

I just want to make that known.

I always try to state that the book that um the Bible that I'm reading from.

Um it's been a great Bible for me these last two years.

I used to have one back in the day, but I took for granted what I had in my possession.

And so now I have one again.

I've already gone through it the whole Bible.

Um the first time I'm now on my second run.

I'm I'm working in in the book of 2 Chronicles right now, as I go through the whole Bible again, all the way through the book of Revelation.

And I'm just gonna keep doing that until today, you know.

Hopefully, which is a long time from now, or the rapture happens, because I do believe in that.

Being caught up with the Lord and not having to taste death.

I talked about that a little bit in my last video, uh, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verses 13 through 18.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

And it's just amazing at how many people uh refute that and don't want to believe in the church body of Christ being taken out of that horrific suffering that is one day going to come up on the world.

Uh God's wrath is going to come up on the world, not only his wrath, Satan's wrath at the same time, and that seven-year tribulation, especially upon those uh who won't serve and worship him, the Antichrist, whom is going to be his representative, and all the evil that he wants to do, those that choose God over him, he is going to be wreaking havoc.

A lot of people are going to lose their lives uh for the sake of believing on Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, because they didn't believe the first time, they did not make it to be caught up with the Lord in the air.

Those who are going to be resurrected first, the Bible tells us will not uh proceed those uh, you know, those who are alive will not proceed those who have died and fallen asleep in the Lord.

They will be resurrected first and almost like simultaneously, then those who are still alive in Christ, uh fortunate not to have taste death, will be caught up in the clouds with Jesus Christ.

Uh, the reason why that is, is because we are Jesus' heavenly people tonight.

So this is why he is going to be receiving us or gathering us unto himself in the clouds.

Now, when he steps back down on this earth, that'll be feet first this time.

Okay, and that means now all his enemies are getting ready to be made his footstool, meaning he will have victory over every disobedient enemy.

That's included the demons that are going to be taking over people, and Satan himself, the Antichrist, the false prophet, the beast, all of them are going to be thrown into the lake of fire.

Okay, uh, Revelation chapter 20, that this talks about Satan is going to get his.

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

Make no mistake about it.

He is going to be suffering day and night, just like the other disobedient people that refuse to walk in the free gift of salvation that Jesus Christ gave them.

Regardless of whether they want to accept Jesus Christ or not, his blood has paid the price, the penalty, the sin penalty for their sins.

So they don't have to believe in him, but he definitely believes in them.

And because of their refusal to believe on who he is, well, they will suffer eternal punishment.

I know a lot of people don't like to teach that, but that is scriptural and is in the Bible.

So let's go.

Let's go ahead and get into Philippians verse 7.

And it reads, It is right for me to feel this way about you, because you have me in your heart, as I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the good news regarding salvation, all of you share in his matchless grace with me.

Now I want to stop right there.

So, like I told you guys before, Jesus, um Apostle Paul is in prison when he wrote this epistle, and this is why he says, In my imprisonment, uh the gospel is still being defended.

He is still standing on the gospel, he is still walking obedient despite the fact that he is chained to prison guards who are watching him 24-7.

Okay, now we're gonna see eventually as we continue to get down in chapter one, that the gospel was so powerful that even now there are prison guards, some of the toughest men ever in the world, that are preaching this gospel within the prison walls, the same prison walls that the apostle Paul is in.

Now let that sink in for a minute.

This is the reason why the apostle Paul talks about the defense of the good news.

Just because he is in prison does not mean he is shying away from preaching and talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is believing on Jesus' death, his burial, and resurrection.

Okay, this is the reason why he says what he says, having that defense, and that all of those and Philippi share in his matchless grace.

We talked about the superabundant grace that Jesus Christ had.

Okay, this superabundant grace that cover whatever sin you have.

What that means is that he took away the power that sin had.

Okay?

This is very important.

So when we walk in obedience today, we walk free from the spirit of slavery, which carries sin.

Sin is dead tonight.

We are dead to sin.

So if we're walking in sin, it's not because we're being forced to, because the power has been weakened.

It is because we want to.

And when you start actually thinking about it that way, it should start making you think differently about walking continuously in sin.

This is why Paul says we should not be walking in sin any longer, because we have been free from it.

Okay?

But this is what the apostle Paul talks about when he talks about the defense of the gospel.

He's still standing on the word of truth regardless of his circumstances.

And he has a heart for these people.

And I told you this these people are probably one of his most favorite people, too.

Because he knows that the moment he presents the body of Christ, he is going to be heavily rewarded for the fruits that these people produced.

Now they won't be the only ones.

There'll be many that the apostle Paul was responsible for for bringing the gospel, and those people that welcome the gospel and begin to spiritually mature in that gospel, he will be rewarded for that.

The same way we will be today, when we bring souls into the kingdom of God, we will be rewarded, especially when many reach the level of spiritual maturity that God wants them to reach, so that they can in turn teach the same very things that God has given you to be able to teach through the Holy Spirit.

Okay, now.

So let's keep going here.

Let's go to verse 8.

It says, For God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus, whose great love fills me.

Now, I want to stop right there.

Jesus' love is great, is enormous.

It is uh the bandwidth of his love spreads far and wide.

When he went to the cross, shows us evidence of this.

Okay, it shows us evidence of how far his love spreads.

Okay, God spread that love through Jesus Christ.

That's why it says that he loved the world.

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

Now we're going to teach about what that means for Jesus to be the only begotten Son.

Okay.

I can't wait until we get to that moment where we can talk about this so you can get an understanding of what that means.

Acts chapter 13 gives us a great example of what it means to be the only begotten.

Acts 13 · chapter mention

And it's very strong in what it's saying about Jesus Christ being that.

Okay, but this is that love that the Apostle Paul says that he is filled with.

Okay, from him throughout all those whom he was responsible for, bringing into the body of Christ.

The Apostle Paul didn't just bring the gospel to people and then just left them like orphans.

No, he calls himself the spiritual father, okay?

He covers many, he checked in on his people, he prayed for his people, a covering day and night.

Okay?

Unfortunately, we have so many pastors that pastors that don't take on this responsibility, making sure that they're covering their people, making sure that they're trustworthy and faithful of the sheep that Jesus Christ has given them.

Well, the apostle Paul was definitely that.

And he set himself as an example for us to be the same way.

If you're going to teach this word, we're going to teach this word, we have to cover and pray for those whom Jesus Christ trusts us with through the Holy Spirit, who stirs the minds and the hearts to come to us.

We have to be faithful in whomever he gives us.

If it's only one or two people, we got to be faithful in praying for those people.

We got to be faithful and using our gifts to help them to advance their own lives in spiritual maturity.

All right?

Now, so let's keep going.

So this is that love that the apostle Paul is talking about, that he's filled with.

Okay?

And uh verse 9, and this I pray, here we go, once again, that your love may abound more and more, also, displaying itself in great, greater depth, in real knowledge, and in practical insight.

So the same love that the apostle Paul has been filled with is the same love that he prays that the people in Philippi abounds more and more in.

Now, when you look at the churches in Thessalonica, he also said the same thing.

But the whole, the whole uh belief of the apostle Paul for the people.

And what the apostle Paul wanted was that not only will we grow in this love, but that we will grow our fruit of understanding when we read and study this word, that the Holy Spirit will open it up in a way that we understand it to new levels, new heights.

Okay.

Uh, my fact let's go to Ephesians chapter 1, and we can look at that a lot more in greater detail when the apostle Paul is writing to the church, churches in Ephesus, and watch what he tells them about something very similar.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

Here he goes again.

We're going to start at verse 17, Ephesians chapter 1, verse 17, in relations to what we just read about about not only the love more abounding more and more, but also that they they walk in true knowledge and practical insight, meaning the Holy Spirit is opening up the word to them in a way to where they're seeing it at a spiritual and deeper, more intimate level.

Ephesians 1:17

He's finna tell us right here in more detail.

All right, it says, verse 17, it says, I always look at this, pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, watch this, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation that gives you, look at this, a deep and personal and intimate insight into the true knowledge of him, for we know the Father through the Son.

Now let's read verse 18.

And I pray, hear the Apostle Paul once again, covering his people, wanting them to have a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will take them deeper into the heart of God.

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is the only one who knows the mind of God, and because we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us, the Holy Spirit is the one who takes us deep into the heart of what God is thinking.

The heart of God's will.

Okay?

And it's through this word.

And the more of the feeling of the Holy Spirit we have within us, the deeper our relationship becomes, and the deeper we can go in insight in this word.

All right.

Verse 18 again, and I pray that the eyes of your heart, look at this.

Now, this is your inner being, not the heart that you that pumps and and and pumps blood out throughout your body.

This is your innermost being.

This is where your spirit man dwells.

This is where God the Father dwells.

The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes verse chapter 3 that God the Father has placed eternity, he's placed himself in all human beings.

This is why man has no excuse.

Because God has planted himself in every one, he indwells everyone, and he's waiting on us, just like Moses acknowledged that burning bush to acknowledge him, once that happens, then your inner man is where the transformation begins, ladies and gentlemen.

And so he's praying that the very core, the center and core of your being may be enlightened, flooded with light by look at this, the Holy Spirit, so that you will know and cherish the hope, the divine guarantee, the confident expectation to what he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, God's people.

That glorious inheritance, ladies and gentlemen, that the Holy Spirit has indwelled us as our down payment is to eternal life.

We get so caught up in the things of this world that we forget that eternal life is the greatest gift.

Because when this life is over, ladies and gentlemen, that is all we are going to have to go with us.

When this life is over, love is the only thing that will transcend time.

Alright?

And so that love is very important to carry on into eternal life.

That love is going to be overflown when all of us, God's children, come together.

It is going to be overwhelmingly wonderful.

Alright?

So the apostle Paul always prayed for God's people.

And that transcends to us today to receive a more deeper and intimate knowledge of Him, which is the word.

Clarity, your fruit of understanding, continuing to be open, allowing the Holy Spirit to take you even deeper into the heart of God.

Now, let's go to verse 10.

Watch this.

What is the reason for this knowledge and practical insight?

Verse 10 tells us so that you may learn, look at this, to recognize and treasure what is excellent, identifying the best and distinguishing moral differences, and that you may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.

Actually, living lives that lead others away from sin.

When you are walking in this kind of love, ladies and gentlemen, you're not misleading people.

You're not only living a life that displays what the gospel is all about in your life, but you are a pattern for other people, leading them away from sin.

And we spoke about this how intercession for other people, especially God's people, is pleasing and acceptable in the sight of the Lord.

Okay?

Now, and you see that he continues to stress the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then there is a distinct difference between the day of our Lord Jesus Christ versus the day of the Lord.

I spoke about this in a video, my last video.

You can go check that out.

So now verse 11 it says, filled with, look at this, the fruit of righteousness, which comes through who?

Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God, so that his glory may be both revealed and recognized.

His glory, not our glory.

I know there's a lot of people that don't want to come to this realization, but you can't be Jesus.

We should be privileged that we are used by Jesus as vessels to show Jesus is still who he said he was back then.

This is how man is able to do greater works than he is because now that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, it allows him to be spread out, to not be confined to only the areas he was then.

But now he is able to be everywhere because we are willing vessels to show that Jesus is still the same today, yesterday, and forever.

Amen.

Alright.

Now, so it's through Jesus Christ we have these fruits of righteousness.

Ladies and gentlemen, our righteousness is not our righteousness, it's Jesus' righteousness.

Our authority and how and why we speak this word of truth is through Jesus, not us.

I know if people don't want to die to themselves and they want to be the most important thing ever.

I try to allow the word to speak more than me speaking a lot off the top of my dome.

Because it's not my wisdom, it's Jesus' wisdom that I speak for.

Alright?

Everything belongs to Jesus.

Righteousness?

Our faith is Jesus' faith.

Our authority is Jesus' authority.

Our hope for immortality is Jesus' immortality.

Our hope as joint heirs is because of what Jesus has done for us.

All spiritual blessings belong to Him, and therefore, because we are true children of God, those who walk obedient, that is.

Not those who say they are, but they don't walk obedient.

Their fruits don't bear it.

Their fruits don't bear righteousness.

But we become joint heirs because we walk obedient and we're led by the Holy Spirit to walk in that obedience.

Alright now.

So we are filled with the fruits of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

So that it's his glory that is revealed and recognized.

Alright?

Now, verse 12.

Now I want you to know, believers, that what has happened to me, this imprisonment that was meant to stop me, has actually served to advance the spread of the good news regarding salvation.

Now we spoke about this when did Apostle Paul just Talked about through his imprisonment.

How they share, how the people in Philippi shared in Jesus Christ's matchless grace.

And how the gospel was still moving forward.

He was still standing on the gospel regardless of his circumstances.

And he's confirming it here that despite his circumstances, the gospel was still powerful and saving and winning lives, even in prison.

Now you're gonna see how even more powerful it was, even though there were people mocking the gospel.

The Bible tells us, and we're gonna see that, that the gospel was still serving the purpose it was supposed to.

With folks that was only preaching the gospel for their own selfish gain and mocking the apostle Paul, they were still doing God's work, and souls were still being warned.

Let that sink in for a minute.

So let's keep going.

So verse 12.

Now I want you to know, believers, that what has happened to me, this imprisonment that was meant to stop me, has actually served to advance the spread of the good news regarding salvation.

Look at this.

Verse 13.

My imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become common knowledge throughout the whole proletarian.

Imperial guard and to every one.

These guards were getting saved.

And they didn't care if they were gonna be in, they were gonna be persecuted.

They supposed to have been watching Paul, yet the gospel was so powerful they was getting saved, and they were preaching the gospel too within the prison walls.

Alright, now so let's keep going.

Verse 14, because of my chains, seeing that I am doing well, still, despite circumstances, and that God is accomplishing.

God is not him, God is accomplishing great things.

Most of the brothers have look at this renewed confidence in the Lord.

He's talking about the wonderful things that are happening in them prisons and have far more courage.

See this, y'all, to speak the word of God concerning salvation without fear of the consequences.

See that they had no fear of the consequences.

And these are some guards that are preaching the gospel.

They've joined the apostle Paul in prison.

So the Apostle Paul basically came in there and turned that prison upside down with the gospel.

So instead of the circumstances shaping him, the gospel shaped his environment so that he was able to still have spiritual success and reach people.

See, when the gospel is preached powerfully like that, ladies and gentlemen, it shapes the environment.

The environment don't shape us.

Alright?

Now, so regardless of what consequences people could have faced, they did not care.

They were preaching and teaching the gospel without fear.

Alright?

See?

Consequences seeing that God can work.

Look at this, y'all.

His good in all circumstances.

Well we just spoke about.

God was shaping that environment.

That's something.

See, that's when you know when you don't put limits on God.

See, when we walk limitless in God, God will change a whole environment.

If we allow him to use us right.

See, this is why the devil don't like the light walking into his domain and his territories.

Just like we saw the apostle Paul cast out that demon and that girl who had the spirit of divination.

God don't Satan don't like us walking in his territories because we have the ability through Jesus Christ, not us.

It's nothing that we do.

But we reveal and recognize the glory of Jesus Christ by allowing him to use us as vessels to reshape a whole town that was guarded and used by the devil.

Alright?

Now, verse 15.

Some, it is true, here goes, the apostle Paul's finna talk about these people who were mocking him, but watch what the gospel was still doing, even though they were mocking the apostle Paul, are actually preaching Christ out of envy and rivalry.

Look at this, y'all, toward me for no better reason than a competitive spirit or misguided ambition, their own selfish game.

But others out, look at this, uh, look at this, of goodwill, those who are truly faithful and loyal, preaching the word out of a pure heart, and a loyal spirit toward me.

The latter preach Christ out of love because they know that I have been put here by God on purpose.

Look at this, y'all.

This was not by accident.

God allowed the apostle Paul to be put within them prisons to show his goodness that the apostle Paul was talking about.

God was still working his good work despite the circumstances.

And this is what the apostle Paul wants us to understand.

Don't allow your circumstances to shape you, but allow God's word to shape the environment.

Alright, so let's keep going.

So God put him there on purpose for the defense, look at this, of the gospel.

He mentions this and makes puts emphasis on this again.

17, but the former preach, these same people, Christ, insincerely, out of selfish ambition, just self-promotion, thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment.

But watch what they're actually doing.

What then does it matter so long as in every way, whether in pretense for self-promotion or in all honesty to spread the truth, Christ is being preached, and in this I rejoice, despite the fact they are mocking me, and they are preaching the gospel only out of envy and a competitive spirit of rivalry.

They are still serving a purpose because the gospel shows how powerful it is past their mocking.

The gospel is still working.

Alright, now.

Yes, and I will rejoice later as well.

God is doing his thing, even though I'm up in here.

God is still working it.

I love it, man.

I love it.

This is this is why I love this book the way that I do, man.

Because you'll see the apostle Paul continue to distress despite your circumstances.

Rejoice.

Rejoice.

Because that means things are a lot better than what you think.

And we have our moments because we're human.

There's there's times the apostle Paul says he almost gave up in despair and wanted his own life taken.

So if he, someone whom Jesus used greatly after his disobedience, but he tells us it was ignorance, that he persecuted the Jewish church, he talks about that.

If he was almost to the place of despair, that makes us no different.

That's the reason why Jesus gave us the apostle Paul as a pattern for us.

And he suffered greatly, he had depression, all kind of stuff.

But because of the strength and the grace of God, he was able to get through it.

And he was able to get to that place where he can say, I fought the good fight of faith.

He was confident he was going home.

Alright?

Now, so verse 19, for I know with confidence, see this, that this will turn out for my deliverance and spiritual well-being through your prayers and the superabundant.

Here goes that beautiful word again: supply of the Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Okay, they are one in the same together, working together, which upholds me.

Look at that, y'all.

Now, verse 20.

It is my own eager expectation and hope that looking toward the future, I will not disgrace myself nor be ashamed in anything, but that with courage and the utmost freedom of speech, even now, as always, Christ will be magnified and exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Now, that verse 20 is a powerful, powerful scripture there.

And I'm gonna tell you why.

And then we're gonna talk about this.

And we're gonna stop right here.

But I want to read this one more time.

Watch this, it says, It is my own eager expectation and hope that looking toward the future, I will not disgrace myself, nor be ashamed in anything, but that with courage and the utmost freedom of speech, even now as always, Christ will be magnified and exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell y'all, this is a problem today.

When you hear pastors get in all these troubles, getting caught in adultery, getting caught in scams, yet claiming they are of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul says, I will be ashamed by nothing, meaning I'm gonna live a life that exemplifies who Jesus Christ is.

Need not to be ashamed by doing things I shouldn't be doing.

The apostle Paul tells us himself that, yes, I can do anything, but everything is not necessary, and I will not be a slave to any.

Just because I have the freedom of doing it doesn't mean I have to do it, ladies and gentlemen.

And as soon as we get to that place, many of us who have chosen to teach this word, this is why James says you'd rather not be a teacher, because teachers are going to be judged a lot more harder than the average.

Well, you're not just someone who taught the word.

Did you live it?

Did you walk it out?

Did you set yourself as a pattern for those to live it and walk it out as well?

Or did you bring continuous shame to his name?

Continuing to sin just because you know grace will more abound.

It's too much of that.

And see, this is the reason why the church of Corinth was in there.

Because people still today, because of their arrogancy and their pride, ignore the stuff that their pastor is doing.

Right up under their nose.

They don't address it, they don't say anything to them, but yet they're still sitting up in that audience hooping and hollering, praise Jesus.

And their pastor is an embarrassment.

But he can get away with it because they let him.

Because you know why?

Because they're also out doing stuff themselves.

They found someone that can entertain them in a way that they don't mind allowing him to do the foolishness that he's doing.

Now we're gonna stop right there.

Because when we come back and we we jump into verse 21, this is when things are gonna get real deep and controversial.

Because a lot of people don't want to realize this.

It is another topic in the body of Christ, and not only in the body of Christ, many cult religions that have been twisted out of source.

We're gonna jump in to all of those things when we come back.

God bless y'all.

I'm evangelist Toby Doubt it.

Peace and blessings.

I'm out.