King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2024
Chapters: The Book Of Philippians
Message: Endure Suffering Through Christ
Hello My Friend,
I woke up this morning excited, confident, and wanting to talk to God and praise Him for all the good that He had done, and that is where it ended, life began and so did the discouragement and despair that has been haunting me for the past six months. I really have no clue what is going to happen tomorrow, or even an hour from now, but what I do know is that God is with me and as much I fail Him I know that He will never leave nor forsake me and that one day all of my pains and sorrows will be no more, [Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.]
That is the hope of every saved, born again Christian and sometimes we wonder if the pain will ever end, and sometimes we wonder why we are not getting the pain we deserve, but we must continue in our faith to very the end, with great confidence, having nothing before our eyes except that we will see Jesus.
[Philippians 1:20-24 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. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.]
There is no greater joy than when you discover that God has been walking with you through your pain. That does not mean that we always enjoy it, or get tired, especially when it seems never ending, but it is needful for me and for you too to be here right now, [Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.]
The Book of Philippians is the eleventh book of the New Testament, the fiftieth book of the Bible, and contains four chapters. The author of this epistle (letter) is Paul and it was written and transcribed by Epaphroditus from a prison in Rome, to the church of Philippi, in approximately 64AD. The purpose of the letter was to bring unity to the church and encourage them to keep going for the gospel of Christ, and to express gratitude for their Christian liberty. What we are to learn from the book is that unity with Jesus brings us joy in all that we do, [Philippians 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.]
The Church at Philippi in Macedonia was planted by the Apostle Paul about 53AD, The Philippians were greatly dedicated to Paul, and showed their affection by sending him supplies when he was planting other churches. When they heard that he was in prison, they sent one of their pastors named Epaphroditus, to check on him, who then sent him back with this letter to thank them.
[Philippians 1:1-7 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.]
[ye all are partakers of my grace.] [Partake; To take a part, portion or share in common with others; to have a share or part; To be admitted; not to be excluded.] I do have to say that there is something lacking in the Christian world and that is grace, it is much easier to scream and shout at each other while we are in pain rather than come to understand that we are all suffering. As much as we know God is with us, it does us a great deal of good to have people we can come to for that encouragement and compassion we need. Perhaps one of the biggest burdens that we, as Christians, carry around with us is that we try to handle our burdens by ourselves, we do not want to bother people or ask for help when they have their own burdens, and that wears us out quick. Paul, truly believed that he was put in prison so that he could be used of God there, and he was, and every place that God puts us, whether it be in a prison, a hospital, or a grocery store, is an opportunity to witness to someone.
[Philippians 1:8-10,15-18 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.]
[every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached;] God, has us where we are for a reason. People come and go in our lives for a reason, things come and go for a reason. Sometimes God puts us in some strange circumstances in order to bring others to Christ. We need to lighten up on each other, we are all in this together so instead of finding fault with one another we need to be a friend.
[Philippians 1:27-30 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28 And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30 Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.]
[in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;] No one loves pain, and to be honest we endure more than we think, but we also do not realize that we could have been in much more pain had Christ not be on our side. Everything that we go through serves a purpose, whether it is good, bad, or down right ugly sometimes, but it is allowed by God in order for Christ to manifest in us.
[Philippians 2:1-6 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:]
[thought it not robbery to be equal with God:] God, in the likeness of human flesh, could have made some other way to redeem mankind, but He chose to come here as one of us to do that. Through the birth of a virgin woman, Jesus, not only become a servant, He became the sinless sacrifice that who would redeem every soul forever who believes in and accepts Him. Whether you believe that or not, Jesus, will be exalted, every knee will bow to Him, and everyone of us will confess that Christ is the LORD our God.
[Philippians 2:7-11 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.]
[That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,] Since every knee will bow to Christ I for one rather be on His side. True Christians, while we all do have a little bit of pride in us from time to time, are quite humble, we do not seek the limelight, and if we are in it, we tend to shy away from it as it is not us, but Christ who did the work in us. It is through the Holy Spirit that Christ begins the good work in us, and it is Christ who ultimately holds the words of life in us.
[Philippians 2:12,14-16 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.]
[work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.] Salvation often comes while we are going through a great deal of suffering. There is this saying, “If you have not suffered is your walk with Christ, it is coming.” I have also heard preachers say that if you never have suffered as a Christian, then your walk with Christ is questionable because all Christians suffer for Christ’s sake at least once in their lives.
[Philippians 3:1-4 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. 2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. 3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:]
[To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous,] Let me tell you, if you or other people start putting you down you are going to start thinking like them. We all need encouragement, to be lifted up when we feel like we have nothing in this life, and it is all just falling apart. There is absolutely nothing that we have done in the flesh before we got saved that was recognized and nothing we do for Christ now that is required, therefore, to live through Christ really is to our own gain as we will receive something much more valuable than anything this earth has,and that is eternal life.
[Philippians 3:7-11 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.]
[for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,] Nothing gained or taken from our lives is counted for lost when Christ is involved, in fact, nothing we get on earth is more valuable than Christ. God, supplies our every need when we take our minds off them. Nothing we have here on earth can go with us, if we lose something God will give us something much better so rather than dwell on what we do not have, focus and be thankful for what we do, and that is Jesus Christ, whom we can take with us.
[Philippians 3:13-16 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.]
[forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth] This is something that I always struggle with. There is nothing that we can do about the past, the only thing we can do is take care of today. Jesus, said it this way, [Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.]
No matter what life you choose you are going to face some challenges, you cannot change yesterday, you cannot even change what you did an hour ago, but you can change what you do right now. The past is there for a reason, to help us learn and grow from it, but we must move forward and let go of all of the things that pull us back into the past. Christ lives inside of us, the more we grow, the more we see Him working in our lives, and the more He is seen through us, the stronger we become and are able to not only withstand those challenges, but see great blessings from God. So, I say, do not fear the challenges, rejoice in them.
[Philippians 4:1,4-7 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. 4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.]
[Be careful for nothing; but in every thing…let your requests be made known unto God.] We may not agree with all the things that God places in our lives, but it is never a cause to forsake Him and go against everything He stands for. The truth is, God, is always going to use us for His purpose, we might as well let Him use us in a way that is pleasing to Him rather than to make an example of what not to do, [Romans 9:21-22 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:]
Let me tell you, there truly is nothing more rewarding in anything that we do when it is being guided by Christ. Everything is blessed when we let Him guide us in all that we do, so whether those blessings come through laughter or tears, we can do all things through Christ, who is our strength.
[Philippians 4:8-9,11-13 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. 11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.]
[if there be any praise, think on these things…and the God of peace shall be with you.] Honesty, virtue, purity, all of these things amount to something called integrity, meditate upon them, revolve them in your minds, seriously consider them, and reason within yourselves about them in order to put them into practice so that others can see them and consider them as well. It is not about us, we are already saved and know where we are going, it about reaching the lost while we are still here, [2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.]
God, knows what we have need of, but that does not mean that He does not want us to ask for them. If there is one thing that I have learned this year it is that God will supply our every need as long as we are appreciative of it., [Philippians 4:18-23 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 21 Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you. 22 All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. To the Philippians written from Rome, by Epaphroditus.]
[But I have all, and abound: I am full…a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.] Paul, desired that when they came to appear before God, that they might reap the benefit of all the acts of kindness which they had shown to him. You know, we spend so much time worrying about how we are going to find the way to get the things we need that we lose sight of God being in the picture. God, knows what we have need of, and is preparing us to receive them, and when we are ready for them we will receive them, [1 Peter 5:6-7,10 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Philippians 2:10-11 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.]
Today’s Prayer: God, As much as I know that You always work things out, I get tired of constantly being on the receiving end of the suffering. Nevertheless, I will Rejoice in the Lord always. Lord, Give me the peace that passes all understanding. Give me wisdom and guidance, help me see the light of Christ that shines in me when all I can see is darkness. Give me Your strength, mercy, and grace to see through every challenge, and let me never forget that You work everything out for good and in Your time. I love You, Lord, and pray in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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