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The Bible teaches there is only one God. He told Moses that His name is Yahweh, (Exodus 3:14 – “I AM THAT I AM”). Yahweh describes Himself as eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent (without beginning and without end; all-knowing; all powerful; and ever-present). God has also revealed Himself as Creator, Savior, Healer, Father, and Friend. His plan for mankind is a singular plan in that mankind was made in the image of God and was given the Holy Spirit of God at the point of creation (Genesis 2:7).
The book of Genesis records the fall of man and the point when sin separated mankind from God. The way back to God required more than man could manage. Only God had the capacity to save man from sin. With this in mind, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus of Nazareth, who was born of a virgin in the town of Bethlehem. Jesus lived a sinless life, died an atoning death on the cross of Calvary, was buried, and on the third day He rose to life again victorious over sin, death, hell, and the grave. Forty days later He ascended into heaven and this same Jesus is coming again as a conquering King to rule the earth in righteousness and true holiness.
When Jesus ascended into heaven to await His coming again, God sent the Holy Spirit to fill the lives of men and women, boys, and girls, who Believe in Jesus and who receive Him into their hearts as Savior and Lord. As well, the Holy Spirit was given to empower the Church and to convict the hearts of the lost concerning the love of Christ.
It was during the early period of the Church, about 30 years after Jesus ascended into heaven and the sending of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, that we find the Apostle Paul in prison in Rome. He was locked up for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The best date I can offer is AD62, when imprisoned Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to write a letter to the congregation at the Church in Philippi and thank them for their financial support of his ministry.
The Holy Spirit of Almighty God is all knowing, all powerful, and ever present. Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to share his heart with the Philippian Church. However, the Holy Spirit had a greater use for that letter than just encouraging those people in Philippi who had helped Paul.
For almost 2000 years since the Holy Spirit has guided men and women to preserve the integrity of the message He inspired Paul to write that day from Rome. Under the supervision of the Holy Spirit that letter to the Philippians was carried to its initial target audience, and then copied and translated and sent around the world, crossing the seas, circling the globe, and even finding its way into outer space. Today there is a never-ending stream of the Gospel of Jesus being sent throughout the earth and across the universe carried on the waves of light and trumpeted by individuals in pulpits, on the streets, in homes, schools, offices, alleyways, in war torn areas, nursing homes, back yard bar-be-cues, and on social media outlets all throughout the world. That’s amazing!
Chances are, you have a copy of the Book of Philippians in your hand, pocket, or purse right now. If not, then without question, you most likely have access to one. This is an amazing accomplishment, all brought to you free of charge under the direction of the Holy Spirit. If Paul had only known … how do you think he would have felt about the few minutes it took him to write these 1,629 words we still read and re-read today?
Let’s turn our attention to the last chapter of the Book of Philippians this evening and we continue to discover ageless lessons from the Holy Spirit in these Letters from Prison.
Philippians 4 NLT
1 ¶ Therefore, my dear
brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you,
dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work.
·
Stay
true to the Lord.
· Stand fast (NKJV)
2 Now I appeal to Euodia and
Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.
·
These
were two hard working women who helped the Apostle Paul and who were a blessing
to the others in the Church … but they had a disagreement. Disagreements can be
so divisive.
·
Paul
wants there to be peace between these two people so that there can be peace in
the Church.
· Settle your disagreements – Now there’s a word from the Lord!
3 And I ask you, my true
partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling
others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my
co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
·
Help
– don’t hurt or add to the problems people are experiencing with others in the
Church.
·
Hard
working Church members are so valuable to the work of God.
· We have both an individual, and a collective responsibility to help others restore and maintain relationships as much as possible.
13 For I can do everything
through Christ, who gives me strength.
·
We
know the Holy Spirit said this to the Believers in Philippi and He continues to
preserve this statement of fact to inspire us as well.
·
This
verse is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible.
· But why did the Holy Spirit want to emphasize this truth? What is the context and when does this truth apply to me? Let’s look at:
12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.
11 Not that I was ever in
need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
·
I
cannot stress the importance of getting the Word of God right. Because: The Word of God is only the Word of God when it is the Word
of God.
·
The
Word of God only means what God meant when He said it.
· Every Word and every promise of God is conditional.
“I can do all things through Christ” is a fact as it applies to the Believer being able to manage life with a little or with an abundance. The Holy Spirit guided the Apostle Paul to emphasize that whether he had a full stomach or an empty stomach, without respect as to whether he had plenty or had little, that he had learned to be content with whatever he had and that he could do whatever was needed, anything, all things, everything, through Christ, who gives him the strength to manage and be content with whatever he has.
This scripture is directly aimed at the ability God gives us through Christ to conquer our own nature and need when it comes to having little or plenty.
I hope to stress the importance and the power of the Word of God to set the tone of our lives so that we are both pleasing to God, and content with what God has given us, and what He has given us the opportunity to do.
The last verse we will survey in this letter from prison is another favorite verse of mine which I quote and stand on by faith in God’s Word. I cannot however divorce myself from the conditions which I must meet before I can muster the faith necessary to stand rightfully on this Rock.
Paul was originally moved by the Holy Spirit to write a letter of thanks to the congregation in Philippi because they had been faithfully supporting him with their finances and encouraging words. Even while he was in prison, they sent a messenger with some money to help him continue to preach the Gospel and carry on the ministry to which God had called him.
Now in the conclusion of this letter Paul returns to thank them again and to share his heart for them. The Holy Spirit gives us this same promise He gave to the Philippian Christians providing we also do what they did. It is imperative we become a support for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to reach others. Then verse 19 becomes a rhema word for us.
19 And this same God who
takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which
have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
·
Based
on the fact that they had been a supply for his need, God will also be a supply
for their needs. (Ephesians 6:8; 2 Corinthians 9:6)
·
It’s
a principle seen throughout the Bible – we reap what we sow.
·
There
must first be a seed before a harvest can be expected.
·
Give
and it shall be given to you … (Luke 6:38; Proverbs 3:9-10)
·
Honor
the Lord with all your increase … your barns will be filled …
·
He
who waters others will be watered also himself (Proverbs 11:25)
·
Whatsoever
good thing any man does, he will receive of the Lord.
