“Philippians- An Exposition“

This message is the third part after the introduction of an expository study of the Epistle of Philippians written by the apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

In this study message we will be looking at Philippians chapter 1 and reading it into the context of chapter 2 with specific emphasis on verse 2:1 with all of the context we can use to expose the text for what it said to its first audience as well as what it says to us doctrinally.

The main focus of this study is aimed at seeing the place of the Holy Spirit of YHWH God as the driving force of the salvation in life and in death of the Saint. We will be considering the functional nature of the person of the Holy Spirit in drawing one into fellowship with Himself, as he comforts the believer with the mystery of Gospel by revealing the person of Jesus Christ as God.

Remember when You are

freely enjoying the notes you are reading or freely listen…

SOME ONE IS STILL PAYING FOR IT

Contribute when you can to keep us growing and free

Subscribe to RNCM Podcast Feed

iTunes • Other 

CLICK HERE FOR OUR SUPPORT PAGE

MP3 AUDIO MESSAGE DOWN LOAD-Listen any time!

OR

Page for Streaming Message – You can follow along with study notes below!

This message directly follows the Worship Service and is integrated with it

 Also Click HERE for our Psalm worship and Scriptural resuscitation service accompanying this message.

Our Worship is from the 1650 Scottish Metrical Psalter (SMP) and Scriptural resuscitations from the KJV or from our Own ‘Convocational Book of Doctrinal Resuscitations’.

Please feel free to get a copy of the words from any source and Worship with us.

Scottish Psalter 1650 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

And please always support the efforts of Christians that devote time in their lives for your spiritual well-being.

Delivered on 11-8-2021 / grego. 3-10-2022

These Study notes below are Interactive with E-Sword! – FREE DOWN LOAD HERE

THEN: Just cut and paste into you E-Sword topic notes

Compiled by JS LOWTHER
renewedcovenantministry.com
servant@renewedcovenantministry.com

Philippians 

An Exposition 

Pt.3 If there be any para-klesis, if there be any para-muthion

(Php 2:1-5)

Overview of Chapter 1

Paul had just taught us the meaning of the resolve of the perseverance of a saint, foremost from the first day until now;
Php 1:5-6
That from the first day of our conversion even until now; we are confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

That this performance a partaking of the apostles grace, and that in us, it is ‘our love’, abounding yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment:
That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

Php 1:11  Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Paul applies this performance of the work of God to his persecuted and successful life as an Apostle, saying ‘the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel‘;

That ‘many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.’…
saying, ‘notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. ‘

This is,’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. ‘

Php 1:21  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Php 1:22  But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.
Php 1:23  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:
Php 1:24  Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.
Php 1:25  And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;
Php 1:26  That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

And Paul lead us into this next chapter by saying:

Php 1:27  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;
Php 1:28  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.
Php 1:29  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Php 1:30  Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

Here is what Paul is saying,

Do you hear what I said has happened to me?

Do you hear my resolve, that in every thing Christ is preached?

DO us understand that the day of Christ is inevitable?

In life Christ is the Christians focus, in death Gain is found in Christ alone, as you will  stand at his judgment seat to give account.

Therefore, Christ is the only focus of Life and death.

Some principles in parable form from the LORD Christ:

Mat_6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Mat_12:35  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Mat 12:36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Mat 12:37  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Where our treasure ought to be in life or in death now, as the Lord continues to perform his work is where it truly is in the future.

Let’s carry the sentiment of this chapter over into this next chapter, do not leave it apart from the whole of this epistle to the Philippians:

Christ is the treasured word that is never idle at any given time, and the treasure found here as hard as it is for our flesh to swallow is this:

Php 1:29  For unto saints it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Php 1:30  That we all have the same conflict which we saw in Paul and all the apostles, and now hear in this book.

Now let this be attached here to:

Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

Php 2:1 Εἴ τις οὖν παράκλησις ἐν Χριστῷ, εἴ τι παραμύθιον ἀγάπης, εἴ τις κοινωνία Πνεύματος, εἴ τις σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί,

Let this verse both connect to the prior language and let it also, explain that which is to come in the text:

Php_2:1

If there be therefore any consolation (lit. Greek  paraklēsis ‘near calling’, as an encouraging voice / comfort of words, COMFORT) in Christ,

if any comfort (lit. Greek para-muthion / lit. ‘coming near the mystery’ /CONSOLATION) of love,

if any fellowship of the Spirit,

if any bowels and mercies,

ABP+ “comfort G3874 in Christ, if any consolationG3890”

The ABP+ offers the most consistent translation, that keeps there concepts the same as they are spoken of from other texts as we shall see.

Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

What Paul is explaining is a further application of the two greatest commandments in this context as it interacts with

v.1:9-11 “your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent… being “…sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”

Here is where the Law and the Gospel leads when taken as the treasured Word of God, never idle, never to return void (HOLD THAT Thought).

The Law of God, Theonomy, the Torah of YHWH when applied to the Church of Christ is to not produce selfish pride and vain glory!

Rather it is to do exactly what the Word of YHWH Jesus Christ pre-incrnate said in:

Lev_19:18  Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

There is a specific an distinct reason why Jesus Christ John 1:1-14 is said to be the Word of God who was God AND was with God, because both are true!
An there is a reason why we acknowledge the Word of God as the pre-incarnate Christ, and there is a reason why we affirm the Law of God as the treasured and undefiled Word of God and the treasure of every Christian who has Christ as the treasure of their heart.
By understanding this we can further understand how the Law of God instructs us in our lives as Christians, in a treasured ways, and offers us clear and definitive lines in the preverbal sand as to how far we are to go in confirmation and defense of the Gospel.

The Word of God is unified with the paraklēsis, the “near-calling” in Christ, the comfort in Christ, notice that the near-call the para-clesis is not without, on the outside, but within Christ, coming out from Him, proceeding from the Son,  that is where it comes from, that is what it is IN.

And Christ is the Word.

How do we first Hear? by faith. And how does faith come? by hearing and hearing by the word of God!

How do we continue in performance of the work of God? By faith continued, faith preformed until the day of Jesus Christ.

(Rom 10) Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, it comes from the Call of Christ, yet this is the Comfort of the Gospel, and that comfort is resident in the Comforter, the Paraclete proceeding from the Word who is Christ!

This is why we affirm the Law, because the Law condemns the sinner in order to save the righteous who only has hope in the promissory word of Christ the Covenant of Grace.

The Law drives you into the arms of Jesus Christ as a savior!

And the more law from the word of God you accept into your life the more you need a savior to have the comfort and confidence of the Spirit in good works.

By the Word of Christ the Law giver is the sinner converted, is the sinner comforted, the sinner is given of the nearness of the mystery of love, is given of the consolation of love, this one has in fact come into the fellowship of the Spirit, the holy Spirit, the Paraclete comforter of the person of YHWH God Almighty, with bowels and mercies, fulfilling the joy of the apostles, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind… not through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind … esteeming others better than themselves.

And this estimation of love with no vanity can only be taught by the Word of God, by Christ through the Law with sincerity, knowledge and all judgment, to approve things excellent, the more perfect way, and this taught by the work of God’s Spirit.

Php_2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2  Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Before continuing on to a furthered understanding of this para-klesis or the near calling of comfort, and the para-muthion, consolation of the Spirit which is IN Christ, lets go to see the person of the Holy Spirit on this matter,

Often called ‘The Para-klete / παρακλητ- G3875 due to these verses’:

Joh_14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Joh_14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Joh 14:28  Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
Joh 14:29  And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
…
Joh_15:26  But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
Joh 15:27  And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

…

Joh_16:7  Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Joh 16:8  And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9  Of sin, because they believe not on me;
Joh 16:10  Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
Joh 16:11  Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

There is a 2 fold reason for me to expose Philippians at this point in this way by looking back at the record of Jesus teachings on this subject of the Holy Spirit as person, as the Comforter, the Near-caller:

1.First because the context of the meaning of 2:1 demands it in asking:
a. What is the para-klesis, and therefore who is the Paraclete, the consolation or comfort in Christ?
b. What is the para-muthion, the nearness of the mystery of love, the comfort of a myster wrapped in love?
c. and What is the fellowship or communion of the Spirit?

2.Second, As here after described Paul is going to wrap this Comfort and consolation of mystery up into an amazing Christian revelation, of the Spirits work in teaching the truth concerning the Godhead of Jesus Christ, as will come hereafter, as this Truth can only be taught by the Holy Spirit of God, heard in the voice of Jesus Christ testifying of him self unseperable from the Spirit of who He is.

The clear description of Jesus Christ was taught on the Para-klete to come, a Comforter, who was the Comforter, the Para-klete, a Person by pronoun, and Christ said of HIM:

It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…

(By human experience we do not agree with the words of Jesus here, do we?)

How often rather than obedience to the word of God, to the Words of Jesus Him self stated above, do we rather:

Wish we could see Him, and live when He lived, ask him questions?
But Jesus said:
It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you…

We fool our self often by thinking if we lived with Jesus in the flesh we would believe, He’d give us all the answers we need, as if being with Him is more expedient that being with the Holy Spirit and having acess to the compleated Word of God in the Holy Scriptures?

We doubt it, we say if I were there with Jesus we’d not betray our Lord, but Judas betrayed.
We doubt it, we say if I were there with Jesus we’d not deny Christ, but Peter denied.
We doubt it, we say if I were there with Jesus, we’d not doubt in faith, but Thomas was faithless.
We doubt it, we say if I were there with Jesus, we’d never loose sight of His person, but on the road to Emaus none of the disciples knew it was Him, they could see it possible he was risen from the dead.

We fool ourselves, as if we are more faithful than those who were there, we say in contradiction to Jesus’ words ‘It is more expedient if I be with thee then’, But Jesus say, No the Spirit is more expedient for you.

That Spirit of truth is here, this is the Comfort IN Christ, we like the apostles after Pentecost were anointed with and boldly witnessed to.

Once you comprehend this mystery, once you see how it these words of Christ are here in Philippians uniting the Saints and resolving them in to a singular mind, to live is Christ to die is gain, to live a life accredited from the beginning to be a choice of God to work and to perform the work, we see the work of the most un-idle word in the universe in all the cosmos, the Work of the Word of God- Yah-suo , Yah’s Salvation, Eternal Life who we call Jesus Christ, and we see His word united monolithically, singularly united to the Work of the Spirit as they jointly and united work the Work of God in the lives of Saints called to true holiness.

And is this comforting to you as to the Apostle Paul as he just spoke in the end of Chapter 1?

Php 1:29  That unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake?

Is this your comfort, your consolation, your resolve?
We all must be honest, for He knows our falsehood.

Do you have this mysterious love that draws you nearer to Christ, Comfort in the proclamation to Live is Christ… To Die is Gain because my treasure is in heaven?
Do you know in this life the Word of God in it’s fulness, the most obscure law of Moses is life?
Do you know that in death the Word of God and his faithful covenant of comforting Grace and mercy is the Word which will save unto the uttermost?
Do you have comfort in these fruits of righteousness which proceed from an abounding Love in knowledge and all judgment?

And do these truth lead you to have bowels and mercies,
Php_2:2  Fulfill the apostles joy,
be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Leading us to do nothing through strife or vainglory;
but rather in lowliness of mind letting us each esteem other better than themselves.

Php 2:4  Looking not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
and how is this done by this comforting spirit of truth?

Because it is the work of the Spirit, the comforter the paraclete and heavenly guest which reproves the world of sin because they believe not on Jesus Christ, and gives you faith in the Jesus Christ who is God and with God…

Because it is the work of the Spirit, the Comforter the Paraclete and heavenly guest which reproves the world of righteousness because he resurrected and ascended to go to His Father and sees Christ no more… but you hear Him, and Know him and see Him at the right hand of God.

Because it is the work of the Spirit, the comforter the paraclete and heavenly voice which reproves the world of judgment because the prince of this world is judged… But unto the Saints the judgment of Jesus Christ the LORD YHWH of Glory

And who is the Prince of the world that the world has judged? Is it Satan, the Devil? An arch angel ?

Let’s ask the scriptures:

1Co_2:7  is the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

The princes of the world condemned the Prince of the world and judged Him a criminal, because they can not recieve that He was and is in the form of God, and equal with God… and but took on the form of a servant and a man of no reputation.

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…
Is this the Spirit we have been given by the world or the Word?

This is the mind of Christ, to know and be comforted of the Spirit in the mystery, and fellowship of the Spirit, that:

Php_2:5  … Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Php 2:12  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.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.