Grace Bible Church - Phillipians Study

Rejoicing in Glorifying God - Philippians 4:14-23

Sun, 26 Dec 2004 12:00:00 -0500

This morning we come not only to the last Lord's day in 2004, but also to the conclusion of our study of Paul's epistle to the Philippians. It has been a wonderful study for me in prodding me to have a more godly outlook and response to the things that go on in life. I hope it has done the same for you in helping and prodding all of us to be able to rejoice in all circumstances.

The Practice of Contentment, Part 2

Sun, 12 Dec 2004 12:00:00 -0500

Over the last month we have been dealing with the issues of contentment and have found that the common understanding of contentment, defined by Webster as the state or quality of "being satisfied, not displeased," is not adequate to describe the contentment Paul describes in Philippians 4:11. Webster's definition can also be used of both complacency or something temporary, which is the kind of contentment many people find in the various philosophies that man has developed for himself in trying to find meaning to life. They may develop a sense of peace or calm, but complacency or something temporary is a sad substitute for the internal peace and confidence that God wants us to learn.

The Practice of Contentment, Part 1

Sun, 05 Dec 2004 12:00:00 -0500

For the last couple of sermons we have been talking about being content. Webster defines contentment as: the state or quality of "being satisfied, not dis-pleased," but that definition can also be used of both complacency or something temporary. Everyone has times when things go the way that they like and they are pleased. They are content for the moment by Webster's definition, but circumstances change and when things are not pleasing the sense of satisfaction also disappears. Even when things continue well, that sense of pleasure that comes with achieving some goal quickly diminishes resulting in a loss of contentment. The contentment that some gain from their complacency is a sad substitute for true contentment. Many people, including some professing Christians find this kind of contentment through one of various philosophies that Satan has used to deceive man, but Webster's definition is not adequate for the contentment God wants us to learn.

The Secret of Contentment, Part 2

Sun, 28 Nov 2004 12:00:00 -0500

How many of you are content this morning? Some of you may answer that differently this morning than you did a couple of weeks ago considering the definition that I gave then based on Paul's statement in Phil. 4:11 that he has "learned to be content."

The Secret of Contentment, Part 1 - Philippians 4:10-16

Sun, 14 Nov 2004 12:00:00 -0500

Webster defines contentment as: the state or quality of being satisfied, not displeased. How many people, including yourself, feel that way? - Satisfied, not displeased.

Rejoicing in All Circumstances, Part 6 - Thinking Rightly

Sun, 07 Nov 2004 12:00:00 -0500

Turn to Philippians 4 again this morning as we continue our study of verses 8 & 9. Staring in verse 4 we read as follows:

Rejoicing in All Circumstances, Part 5 : Thinking Rightly -

Sun, 24 Oct 2004 13:00:00 -0400

Paul gives us God's command in Philippians 4:4 to "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!" Yet, so many professing Christians live life with only minimal joy. Why? Why do so many people who say they know Jesus Christ as their Savior and therefore bound for heaven live more in a manner like they are on a journey headed to either purgatory or hell? When you go on a journey to someplace you want to go, the goal of reaching that destination not only drives you on to reach it, but it also affects your attitude while your making the trip. Lets face it, a trip to the dentist is always more somber than a trip to your favorite restaurant. Why then such somberness, melancholy, and even depression among those that say they are going to Heaven?

Rejoicing in All Circumstances, Part 4 - Peace through Prayer

Sun, 17 Oct 2004 13:00:00 -0400

Anxiety and worry. Two words to describe the condition of feeling disturbed or even depressed through fear regarding some event or outcome (Webster). It has also been described as the "interest paid on trouble before it falls due." The Biblical Greek word for worry, merimnavw / merimna', means "to be drawn in different directions," and is derived from a root meaning "to be thoughtful" and related to another word meaning "to remember." To be anxious, to worry, is to be troubled with cares. The uncertainty of the future causes the mind to go back and forth about the possible outcomes and how to react to them. At times, it feels like you're tied between two horses that are pulling in opposite directions.

Rejoicing, Not Grumbling - Philippians 2:14; 4:4 & Selected Scriptures

Sun, 10 Oct 2004 13:00:00 -0400

Most of you are aware that Grace Bible Church has been hit with some pretty hard blows in the last month. We have an adversary that has been working overtime to get us off track and destroy God's ministry here if possible. The hardest hitting blow has only recently revealed itself, and we are still finding out the length, breadth and depth of it. The nature of this blow is related to what I can only describe as our adversaries exploitation of a personal offense or offenses into a web of grumbling and complaining that has strained and even broken some relationships; disrupted and damaged some of our ministries, some seriously; cast doubt on our church leaders and assassinated my character which has greatly hindered the teaching ministry to some. I believe that problems of this nature need to be faced head on, so this morning we are going to back to Philippians 2:14 to talk about grumbling and disputing and how to replace that with rejoicing.

Rejoicing in All Circumstances, Part 3 - Having a Forbearing Spirit

Sun, 03 Oct 2004 13:00:00 -0400

Have you ever had one of those period of times when things just don't seem to be working out the way you would like them? (I know, some of you think that is your life). That has been true for my family the last month or so. Just before we went down to see my folks in Mississippi the dishwasher stopped working. (We have since found that jamming the door closed with a stick seems to work). I went to the basement to get something and noticed the dehumidifer, which keeps the mold down there at bay, was not working. A half hour later I finally found the problem was a kink in the hose where the line goes into the sewer. Then there is my refrigerator. It has one of those ice and water dispensers in the door. I was sitting at the table talking with Dan Fredericks, who was our speaker last week and for the IFCA Conference on Monday and Tuesday, when the dispenser just stated shooting water on the floor. It is disconnected now, but at least I now know why there had been puddles in front of the refrigerator lately. It really wasn't the kids. Finally, I sat down to work on this sermon yesterday and the computer monitor decided it was a good time to die. So I moved a monitor over from another computer and got back to work.

Rejoicing in All Circumstances, Part 2 - Philippians 4:4

Sun, 12 Sep 2004 13:00:00 -0400

How do you react when your personal circumstances turn sour? What is your response to personal trials whether they be financial, career, medical or personal conflict? If you are a normal person, depending on the particular situation, you might react with either some level of anger from mild irritation to being outright mad, or some level of disappointment ranging from mild discouragement to full depression. Normal humans usual respond to situations that block their goals with some level of anger, and they respond to goals that now appear to be unreachable with some level of depression.

Rejoicing in All Circumstances, Part 1 - Philippians 4:4

Sun, 05 Sep 2004 13:00:00 -0400

There is an old story about four men traveling on a train in England in one of those compartment where two seats face one way, and the other two seats face them. These men did not know each other, but in the course of conversation, one of the men said that he could accurately guess the occupation of the other three.

Resolving Conflict in the Church - Philippians 4:2,3

Sun, 29 Aug 2004 13:00:00 -0400

How do you deal with conflict? People handle it all sorts of different ways. Some seek to just avoid it by either running away from it or by appeasing their enemies. Some go to the opposite extreme and almost seem to welcome it if not instigate it themselves. Then there are those who will not back down from their core issues of belief, yet will also seek to find common ground in which compromise can be made and the issues resolved. While that introduction could be a good introduction to a political speech since the major political parties and candidates differ so much on the issues related to dealing with those that hate America and seek our harm, our interest this morning is dealing with conflict in the church.

Standing Firm - Philippians 4:1

Sun, 22 Aug 2004 13:00:00 -0400

Paul begins the fourth chapter of Philippians saying, "Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved." The "therefore" tells us that what Paul is going to say in this chapter is predicated in all that he has already said. So as a quick review is in order. What is Philippians all about? This wonderful book is about being able to rejoice in the Lord in all circumstances. It is tragic that so many professing Christians live their life without that joy because they either continue to keep one foot in the world, or they do not believe God's promises, or both.

The Return of Jesus Christ - Selected Scriptures

Sun, 15 Aug 2004 13:00:00 -0400

This morning we are going to take a short break in our study of Philippians in order to expand on a theological subject that was brought up in our study of Philippians 3:20,21 last week. In that passage Paul calls on the Philippian believers to follow his example in living for God and "pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." In verse 20 he gives them one of the reasons for doing this. "For our citizenship is in heaven." Paul was calling on them to live according to what they actually were in Christ. We discussed the meaning and ramifications of being a citizen of heaven last week, so I will not repeat it again here except to say that the Christian is even now a citizen of heaven though we are still on earth. All the benefits and responsibilities belong to us now, though we will not be able to experience all of them until we are in heaven. One of those benefits will be the transformation of our physical bodies into spiritual bodies that will be like Jesus Christ. The physical pains and limitations that are upon us now will be done away with as we are transformed from perishable to imperishable, and from mortal to immortal (1 Cor. 15).