Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

• Philippians 1:1-30

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Philippians 1:2 ‘peace’: “In its earliest form the word peace meant ‘to bind together’ and came to include the whole idea of being bound so closely together with something or someone that a harmony resulted. The right woman who is joined in harmony with the right man in marriage begins a ‘peaceful’ companionship. One friend who is joined in heart and soul to another friend sustains a ‘peaceful’ relationship where harmony exists. ‘When there is such grace-and-peace harmony, choosing joy flows naturally.’ ”

• Charles R. Swindoll, Bedside Blessings

Philippians 1:6, 10 ‘The Day of Christ Jesus’: “The ‘Day of the Lord’ is a technical expression used in Scripture to speak of the coming seven-year Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3), whereas the ‘day of Christ Jesus’ refers to the rapture of the church, which comes before the terrible Day of the Lord (4:13-18). Sometimes the ‘day of the Lord’ refers to some tragic event and judgment that is coming upon the nation of Israel or her enemies, as in the case of Obadiah 15: ‘The day of the Lord draws near on all the nations.’ In that same prophecy, other expressions are used to describe this terrible visitation: the ‘day of misfortune,’ the ‘day of destruction,’ and the ‘day of disaster’ (verses 12-13).
“In Philippians 1:6, we can see that the apostle Paul is describing a blessed event for the church, not judgment. He writes that he is ‘confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.’ The word ‘perfect’ (Greek, epiteleo) is in the future tense and could be translated ‘to mature, make complete.’ What the Lord has started with the believers He will finish or complete when the rapture comes.
“Given that context, the phrase the ‘day of Christ Jesus,’ which appears with various wordings elsewhere, clearly has to do with the rapture of the church. It does not refer to the judgment of the world. When Paul writes about ‘the day of the Lord’ in 1 Corinthians 5:5, the context tells us he is clearly talking about the rapture. He tells the Corinthian church that they do not lack any spiritual gift while they are ‘awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1:7-8). Paul urges the Philippians to be ‘holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory’ because this church maintained its spiritual integrity in its witness (Philippians 2:16; cf. 1:10; 2 Corinthians 1:14).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Philippians 1:6 ‘a good work comes to completion’: “You want a fresh burst of encouragement? You may have a good friend who is not walking as dose to the Lord as he or she once was. Here is fresh hope. Rest in the confidence that God has neither lost interest nor lost control. The Lord has not folded His arms and looked the other way. That person you are concerned about may be your son or daughter. Find encouragement in this firm confidence: The One who began a good work in your boy or in your girl will bring it to completion; He will finish the task.”

• Charles R. Swindoll, Bedside Blessings

Philippians 1:6 ‘a good work’: “He speaks of a good work-the work of divine grace in the soul that is of the operation of the Holy Spirit. This is eminently a good work since it works nothing but good in the heart that is the subject of it. To bring a man from darkness into light is good. This good is the best that a man can receive. To make a man healthy in body, and wealthy in estate, to educate his mind and train his faculties; all these are good, but in comparison with the salvation of the soul, they sink into insignificance.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Philippians 1:6 ‘Work in Progress’: “It certainly has happened to me, and I’m certain it has happened to you. Life hits us with something unexpected, unplanned, and unpleasant, and we’re clueless as to why it has happened or for what purpose. And even though I don’t welcome those types of circumstances, I have been around long enough to know that there is a godly purpose-Christ will continue to work in us through those situations until His work is complete. What happens in the journey of faith may seem unfair or even painful at times. But I truly believe it is all part of God’s overall plan for my good and the good of others who love Him.
“I’ve gone through professional heartaches-numerous losses in the playoffs and being fired from my position. I’ve been greatly disappointed by players who have let. me down off the field. What I have experienced isn’t really any different from what anyone else has experienced; it’s just a different set of challenges in life to deal with and overcome.
“We don’t always know the answers-we only know that God is working on our behalf, for our good, through it all.”

• Tony Dungy, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 28 June)

Philippians 1:7 ‘heart’: “A common biblical word used to describe the center of thought and feeling (cf. Prov. 4:23). defense and confirmation. Two judicial terms referring either to the first phase of Paul’s trial in Rome in which he defended his gospel ministry or in a general sense to his continual defense of the faith, which was the heart of his ministry. partakers with me of grace. … During his imprisonment, the Philippians sent Paul money and Epaphroditus’s services to support the apostle, thus sharing in God’s gracious blessing on his ministry (cf. 2:30).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Philippians 1:9-11 ‘encouraging believers’: “Paul gets it right in these words of encouragement to the believers in Philippi. It begins with love-love for God. But as we grow as believers, as we share with other followers of Christ desiring to grow in their relationships with Him, we add knowledge, insight, understanding, and implementation through action into the mix. But love is primary.
“Growth in knowledge and understanding of God’s ways, His will, and His purpose for our lives will come as we grow in fellowship with Him and perhaps through our fellowship with others.
“Living in this world isn’t easy, with all of its snares, traps, temptations, and pitfalls. God knows that. Living the kind of life Christ calls us to live-pure and blameless and marked by love-is even more difficult. However, with God’s love for us and our love for Him and for others guiding our steps, we have an anchor for our lives.”

• Tony Dungy, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 12 December)

Philippians 1:11 ‘fruits of righteousness’: “This is better translated, ‘the fruit righteousness produces’ (see … Rom. 1:13; cf. Prov. 11:30; Amos 6:12; James 3:17, 18). which are by Jesus Christ. See John 15:1-5; Ephesians 2:10. This speaks of the salvation transformation provided by our Lord and His ongoing work of power through His Spirit in us. to the glory and praise of God. See John 15:8; Ephesians l:12…:14; 3:20, 21. The ultimate end of all Paul’s prayers was that God be glorified.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Philippians 1:12-14 ‘Gaining Perspective’: “Adversity can have a silver lining. Sometimes good actually flows from unlikely places. I think the teams I coached grew stronger from the difficult losses we endured.
“Many times I found myself consoling family and friends after a devastating loss. … What I would say, however, is that when viewed through the lens of eternity, we’d be just fine. It may hurt now, but someday all things will be made new in heaven.
“That’s why I can imagine Paul writing these words of encouragement from prison. I think we could safely say that his was a case of bad things happening to a good person. And yet Paul was energized by what had been happening before his eyes. Because he had been faithful in telling others the gospel message, others were boldly speaking out too. …
“As long as we stay focused on spreading the Good News of Christ, that He came to earth and died for us that we might have abundant life in heaven, we will continue to gain perspective and peace. Holding up any personal issue-no matter how debilitating-against the backdrop of eternity changes things, doesn’t it? And, as in Paul’s case, it’s hard to keep that change inside. We want to boldly tell other people what Jesus has done for us.”

• Tony Dungy, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 5 October)

Philippians 1:13 ‘In chains for Christ’: ”How could Paul be so excited about life when he was forced to live it under prison conditions? The answer is simple, because he saw what God was doing through him even while he was in chains. A unique evangelistic enterprise was occurring in Rome, the likes of which may never have been seen since. And Paul-chains, guards, house arrest, and all­ was at the hub of this evangelistic enterprise. God had a plan for reaching the Roman Empire. And do you know whom God had placed in charge of all the arrangements for this great evangelistic outreach in Rome? Emperor Nero! …
“If you read between the lines, you can see what was happening. Nero, the emperor, had commanded that every six hours one of the young men who constituted Paul’s personal bodyguard would be brought in and chained to the apostle Paul. Nero’s purpose was to keep a fresh guard on this dangerous man. But God had a higher purpose than Nero: He used Nero to send a succession of Rome’s best and brightest young men in to be instructed by Paul in the things of Christ!“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

Philippians 1:16 ‘selfish ambition’: “This describes those who were interested only in self-advancement, or who ruthlessly sought to get ahead at any cost. Paul’s detractors used his incarceration as an opportunity to promote their own prestige by accusing Paul of being so sinful the Lord had chastened him by imprisonment. not sincerely. See … verse 10. Paul’s preacher critics did not have pure motives.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Philippians 1:17 ‘the latter out of love’: “Paul’s supporters were motivated by genuine affection for him and confidence in his virtue (cf. 1 Cor. 13:1, 2). appointed. The Greek word describes a soldier’s being placed on duty. Paul was in prison because he was destined to be there by God’s will, in order to be in a strategic position to proclaim the gospel. defense of the gospel. See note on verse 7.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Philippians 1:19-24 ‘The Certainty of Life to Come’: “Though Paul was probably in prison in Rome when he wrote to the Philippians, his imprisonment was a benefit in that it emboldened other believers to speak ‘the word of God without fear’ in various places (Philippians 1:14). While some preached from good will, others preached the truth from envy and strife-probably because they were jealous of or disagreed with Paul (verse 15). Yet even then Paul rejoiced because it didn’t matter to him how the truth was proclaimed (verse 18).
“While Paul was a special servant of the Lord, we can tell from the upcoming verses that he was still very human. He struggled with whether it was better for him to live yet suffer, or die and be with Christ. On the one hand he wished to remain alive in order to keep his work going, which would mean ‘fruitful labor’ (verse 22). On the other hand, he said he had ‘the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better’ (verse 23). Ultimately it was Paul’s ‘earnest expectation and hope’ that he would be used ‘whether by life or by death’ (verse 20). He lived by the principle, ‘For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain’ (verse 21). Prophetically, he was convinced he should remain so he could continue his ministry to others ‘for your progress and joy in the faith’ (verse 25). His prophecy came to pass, and he lived for another four to seven years. If he wrote the letter to the Philippians at the end of A.D. 60, then he survived until at least A.D. 64 or 66.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Philippians 1:21-24 ‘belief leads to success’: “William James could have been a football coach because coaches always talk about visualizing success. The great American novelist once wrote, ‘Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.’ He understood that human beings can accomplish almost anything if their minds tell them it can be done.
“That truth certainly applies to sports teams-the difference between losers and winners is often determined between the ears-but it also applies to any human endeavor. I’ve even heard of prisoners of war who were able to play golf or invent something new, skills they didn’t have before their imprisonment. Isolated in captivity, their minds visualized everything it would take to accomplish new things, and then they were able to do them. Clearly, our minds are powerful parts of us. It was the same with our team. Players who weren’t able to practice all week but could watch and visualize themselves doing it, often went out and had a great game on Sunday.
“The apostle Paul had two visions of his future. In one, he would live on in his painful body, probably in prison, and teach more people about the Kingdom of God. In the other, he would die and be with Christ. Spiritually, Paul was in a good place: he was able to accept either vision for his life and be content with it. Because God was in charge of his circumstances, Paul could focus his mind on the task at hand-helping people know Christ. And because he knew he would be with Christ for eternity, he could endure his present trials.”

• Tony Dungy, Uncommon Life – Daily Challenge (excerpt from devotion for 27 December)

Philippians 1:21 ‘he lived to know Christ more and live by that knowledge’: “If He lived, he lived to know more of Christ studying his person and learning by his happy experience so that he increased in his knowledge of his Lord and Savior. Paul might well say, ‘For to me to live is Christ’-to know Christ more, to imitate Christ more, to preach Christ more, and to enjoy Christ more. ‘And to die is gain,’ because death, he felt, would free him from all sin and from all doubts as to his state in the present and the future. It would be gain to him, for then he would be delivered from all suffering. And he would find, above all, his Savior, and be a partaker of his glory.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Philippians 1:21 ‘Only Christ satisfies’: “When money is our objective, we must live in fear of losing it, which makes us paranoid and suspicious. When fame is our aim, we become competitive lest others upstage us, which makes us envious. When power and influence drive us, we become self-serving and strong-willed, which makes us arrogant. … All these pursuits fly in the face of contentment … and joy.
“Only Christ can satisfy, whether we have or don’t have, whether we are known or unknown, whether we live or die.”

• Charles R. Swindoll, Bedside Blessings

Philippians 1:21 ‘Real Human Beings’: ”Real human beings can in freedom be the creatures of their Creator. To be shaped in a form like the incarnate One means human beings can be what they in reality are. Sham, hypocrisy, senseless effort, compulsion to be different, better, more ideal than one is-all of that is done away with here. God loves real human beings. God became a real human being. To be shaped in a form like the crucified One means to be a human being judged by God. Human beings carry around with them daily the death sentence of God, the necessity of dying before God because of sin. They attest with their lives that before God nothing can stand, except in judgment and in grace. … To be shaped in a form like the resurrected One means to be a new human being before God. New human beings live in the midst of death, are righteous in the midst of sin, and are new in the midst of the old. Their secret remains hid­ den to the world. They live because Christ lives, and they live only in Christ. ‘Living is Christ’.”

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I Want to Live These Days with You, devotional compiled from several of his writings

Philippians 1:21 ‘not Christian escapism’: ”The themes of Philippians are captured in four key verses, the first of which is found in Philippians 1:21: ‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain:’ I think we often treat this verse as a statement of Christian escapism. We put the emphasis at the end of the sentence, ‘to die is gain;’ and think, Yes, it would be great to get away from all the pressures and pain and struggles of life. But that’s not what Paul is saying.
“Look closely and you see he is really saying, ‘I don’t know which to choose. To me to live is to have Christ, but on the other hand, to die is to gain heaven! I enjoy living the adventure of life-but I long to experience the next adventure in the life to come:’ Paul was certainly not fed up with life. He loved living, because he wanted Christ to have every opportunity to live through him! “

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

Philippians 1:23 ‘hard pressed’: “The Greek word pictures a traveler on a narrow path, a rock wall on either side allowing him to go only straight ahead. depart and be with Christ. Paul knew if he died he would have complete, conscious, intimate, unhindered fellowship with his Lord (see … 2 Car. 5:1, 8; 2 Tim. 4:6-8). far better. Lit. ‘very much better;’ the highest superlative.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Philippians 1:27 ‘the whole course of our life’: “The phrase ‘live your life’ refers to the whole course of our life and behavior in the world. It signifies the actions and the privileges of citizenship, and we are to let our whole citizenship-our actions as citizens of the new Jerusalem-be such as becomes the gospel of Christ.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Philippians 1 ‘Challenge’: “For the Christian, death is a journey to the eternal world. It is a victory, a rest, a delight. I am sure my small amount of physical suffering in life has been mild compared with Paul’s. But I think I have some understanding of what he meant when he told the Philippians:·’For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. … [I] desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better’ (Philippians 1:21, 23). The more a Christian suffers in the body, the more he or she thinks about the triumph of going home to heaven.”

• A. W. Tozer, Jesus is Victor!

My Thoughts

This letter is attributed to Paul and Timothy.  Timothy was sent by Paul to be the pastor of the church at Ephesus, but when Paul first came to Philippi, Paul had Silas, Timothy, and probably Luke with him.  The change of pronouns to “we” (plural, first person) indicates Luke, as the author, being with Paul, but maybe not all the time as the group split up and rejoined each other.  Was Timothy with Paul in prison, just visiting, or was Paul using another source that was trusted by the people of Philippi?

In the NIV, the descriptor for both Paul and Timothy is servant.  The KJV uses the same word, but the NASB uses bond-servants.  Some translations use slave.  Bond-servant is more accurate, in that there is a nature of an indentured servant.  Paul and Timothy are under a bond, a slavery of sorts, to Almighty God.  They have gone “all in.”  They hold nothing as their own; they work for God.  A servant can find greener pastures, but a bond-servant answers to a higher authority.  The people of Philippi are greeted and then a special note to the overseers and deacons.  Elders and Deacons are more often used today, but the definitions of the two terms can change from one denomination to another.  And as Paul is known for doing, he uses the terms Grace and Peace in his greeting.

Paul then gives thanks for the Philippians.  They have been faithful.  Paul prays for them, thinking of them often.  He knows that they pray with joy, and he is in partnership with them even though he is in prison.  What Paul prays for and is assured is that what began as good works within the Philippians will be carried through to completion.  He is talking about two things here.  First, we cannot lose our salvation, thus what was planted will not die, but the manner and matter of growth depends on the faithfulness of those who accept Jesus Christ.  He prays that they will continue in sanctification to its completion, which means the death of each believer.  And the biggest part of sanctification is the depth of knowledge of Jesus Christ.  If we know Jesus more, we will wish to be more like Him, and a part of Jesus was a suffering servant.

Paul is in chains and the guards and others in which Paul works with and talks with know he is in chains for Christ.  He proclaims the gospel without fear.  He tells the Philippians to do the same.

Others proclaim the word out of envy and rivalry, but they do so from a standpoint of selfish ambition and to stir up trouble while Paul is in prison.

But those who would spread the gospel out of fear of the Lord do so out of love.  Whenever and wherever the true gospel of Christ is preached, Paul rejoices.

Then Paul says for them to take heart.  Paul will exalt the Lord whether he lives of dies.  Philippians 1:21 seems quite popular as most of the scholars had comments on that verse.  This is not being fatalistic.  Our lives should be for Christ and Christ’s kingdom, whether we are a prisoner, a farmer, or a local magistrate.  Christ should be praised.  God must be glorified, but it would be better to praise and glorify in God’s presence, face-to-face in Glory.  Nothing can compare to that, but as long as we have breath, our breath should proclaim Christ.  Nothing fatalistic about that at all.  In fact, Paul says that it is better for the Philippians if he remains to help them on their way toward full sanctification and to lead more to Christ.

And then, even though this is the first chapter, Paul gives them a charge.  They should live a life worthy so that he, Paul, will know that the people are being fruitful, growing, and standing firm.

Then Paul says that it is right that we believe and suffer.  Jesus suffered for our sake.  Why should we not suffer?  If we do as Paul suggests in this chapter and spread the gospel, some people will not like it.  I worked in an organization that frowned upon displays of someone’s beliefs, but it was obvious among the managers that I had to be watched closely, because I taught the customer’s employees and my love for Jesus was a little too obvious.  I know those things as facts, the lack of upward mobility within the company can only be surmised as suffering for Christ’s sake.

But there are some places in this world where being a Christian is hazardous to your health, and it is interesting that the church is growing in many of those areas.  Maybe Paul is correct in that we believe and suffer.  If we do not, we might take Jesus for granted.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Philippians 1:1-11 Thanksgiving and Prayer 1. Would ‘Grace and Peace’ or ‘Guilt and Pressure’ better describe your experience with Christ now? Why?
“2. Take five minutes to put Paul’s prayer into your own words, applying it to your group, to be read as prayers.”
Philippians 1:12-1:30 Paul’s Chains Advance the Gospel 1. For me to live is ____. Given your priorities and schedule this week, how would you honestly fill in the blank? What things would change if you filled it in with ‘Christ’? How would this new reason for living affect your daily life, or any hardship you’re facing?
“2. Since churches often divide along denominational, cultural, theological, and social lines, what would it mean to apply verse 27 in your community in concrete ways? What would have to change in you to make such unity possible?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Philippians 1 is divided into two sets of questions as shown.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.