Phillippians Lesson 1

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PHILIPPIANS
Lesson #1
INTRODUCTION

• Historical, Geographical, and Cultural Background:
• The geographical area in which the city of Philippi was located is called Macedonia.
• The culture was Greek and therefore gentile. However, the Roman Empire was in control of this area in Paul’s day.
• In fact the city was a Roman colony whose inhabitants were Roman citizens with Roman privileges.
• This included the exemption from taxes.
• Written by:

• The book was written by Paul, the apostle, while he was in prison in Rome.
• To understand the message in this book, we must understand Paul’s environmental situation in which the book was written.
• Read Acts 28:14-31
• What were the conditions of Paul’s imprisonment?
• Paul was under house arrest in a house for which he had to pay.
• He was isolated from other prisoners.
• He had Roman guards around the clock.
• He could have visitors, and he could receive and send mail.
• He was falsely accused by the Jews but there were no formal charges against him.
• These were not the worst of conditions, and neither were they the best of conditions.
• Written to:

• This letter is written to a well established church in the city of Philippi in an area called Macedonia. Paul had visited Macedonia on his second missionary journey with Timothy.
• Paul had gone to Macedonia because he was led by God to preach the gospel and establish churches there.
• Read Acts 16:6-10
• While he was there, some important persons were converted to Christ.
• One was Lydia, a wealthy woman who had a thriving business selling and trading fabric.
• She was especially known for her purple cloth.
• She traveled frequently in her business affairs and took the gospel with her once she was converted.
• Another person was Paul’s jailer. This man saw Paul’s attitude in prison every day.
• The church in Philippi began with these two people and their families.
• By the time Paul writes this letter to the church in Philippi, it is some ten 10 years later and Paul is in prison in Rome.
• Date of the book:

• The book was written about 61 AD.
• This date is about ten years after the church was established.
• Frequent words:

• Words that are frequently used in a book give us some indication of the theme or the purpose that was in the mind of the author.
• The word “rejoice” is used ten times in the book.
• The word “joy” is used six times in the book.
• The Purpose of the book:

• Paul writes the letter for 2 reasons:
• Paul writes to thank this church for a monetary gift they sent him in order to make his imprisonment more comfortable.
• Paul writes to correct two problems in the church:
• =1= Rivalry and personal ambitions were hindering the work of Christ. (2:3-4; 4:2)
• =2= Two false doctrines were being considered as authentic in the church:
• =a= The doctrine of the Judaizers (3:1-3)
• =b= The Antinomian doctrine (3:18-19)
• Our purpose is to gain an understanding of how we can have Paul’s positive attitude in any situation and any circumstance.
• Theme of the book:

The Book of Joy and Contentment

• Read Phi 4:11
• This book is written by a man who had no physical freedom to go and do what he wanted to do.
• He had no choice regarding his circumstances, his location, or the people he was with.
• And yet we can call this book, a book of joy.
• This is the question…how can you have joy when nothing is the way you want it to be?
• It is the answer to this question that we will discover in this book.
• Therefore, obtaining joy and contentment is our theme. We will discover that there are ten secrets to obtaining joy and contentment. Some things we will consider in our study:
• What robs us of joy?
• The place I am in [1:12-26] (see 1:7)
• The people I am with [1:27-2:30] (see 1:28)
• The person I am [3:1-21] (see 3:7)
• The circumstances around me [4:1-23] (see 4:11)
• There are two problems solved in this book:
• =1= What good can come because of trouble?
• Troubles cause change in us
• Troubles cause change in others
• Troubles cause the defeat of Satan
• =2= Does God answer prayer?
• That for which Paul prayed was answered affirmatively:
• To come to Rome 1:10
• To impart some spiritual gift 1:11
• To strengthen believers 1:11
• Mutual encouragement 1:12
• To reap a harvest of souls 1:13-15
• The example of prayers where God has answered either yes, no, or wait.
• Outline:

• Encouragement for living the Christian life (1:1-30)
• Paul’s praise of the saints (1:1-8)
• Paul’s prayer for the saints (1:9-11)
• Paul’s presentation to the saints (1:12-30)
• Example for living the Christian life (2:1-30)
• Jesus, the Son, whose attitude we must imitate (2:1-18)
• The servants of God, whose example we are to follow (2:19-30)
• Exhortations for living the Christian life (3:1-21)
• Have no confidence in the flesh nature (3:1-14)
• Walk so as to please God (3:15-21)
• Equiping for living the Christian life (4:1-23)
• Christ at the center of your life (4:1-7)
• God’s presence with you (4:8-9)
• God’s provision for your needs (4:10-20)
• Conclusion (4:21-23)
• Sources For Our Study:

• The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament

John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, editors.

• Philippians

, notes by Dr. George O. Wood

• Philippians: Learning to be Content

by Judy Gerry

• Basic Youth conflicts

seminar by Bill Gothard

• Misc. Notes
• Preliminary background:
• Diagnosing the human condition of discontentment:

• Discontentment is the opposite of the abundant life that Christ promises to the believer. (Joh 10:10)
• Some attitudes that are symptoms of discontentment are:
• Frustration
• Sense of failure or being unappreciated
• Worry and anxiety
• Fear
• Discouragement
• Dissatisfaction
• Restlessness
• Discovering the remedy for discontentment:

• Paul says in Phi 4:11 that he “learned” to be content. How did he “learn” it?
• The word “learned” in Greek means = to come to understand something based on facts.
• This is what our study of Philippians is supposed to do for us…help us to learn to be content.
• What is this contentment we must learn?
• The word “content” means = be satisfied in mind or disposition.
• The word “content” means = to be full; to have enough.

HOMEWORK
PHILIPPIANS 1:1-26
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of introduction to Philippians:
• Under the section of the lesson, diagnosing the human condition of discontentment, do you frequently find yourself experiencing any of these attitudes?
• If so, circle which ones apply:
• Frustration
• Sense of failure or being unappreciated
• Worry and anxiety
• Fear
• Discouragement
• Dissatisfaction
• Restlessness
• Preparation for Phi 1:1-26
• Read Phi 1:1-26
• What negative things happened to Paul in his life and ministry? (1:12-18)
• Why can Paul rejoice because of the things that happened to him?
• What do you think Paul learned so that he would be content?

Memory verse: Philippians 1:6