“fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” Hebrews 12:2 Joy is God’s Graciousness Joy – Jesus went to the cross for joy. That seems impossible. Isn’t joy supposed to be about happiness, about life at its best, about…
“men of whom the world was not worthy” Hebrews 11:38 The Weight of the World Worthy – Do you know the principle of leverage? If you want to lift something very heavy, you can use leverage. You place a support point near the object you want to lift. You put a long pole under the…
“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Philippians 1:29 The Measure of Worthiness Suffer – This word shouldn’t be new to us. It’s pascho from which we get passion and pathos. It’s the word for suffering. What is perhaps…
“You must be blameless before the Lord your God” Deuteronomy 18:13 Blameless is a Social Concept Blameless – The basic idea behind the Hebrew word tamam is “to be complete”. When it is translated as “blameless”, it carries the idea of something that is free from impurity. That’s why this word is often used about…
“according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything,” Philippians 1:20 Why We Aren’t Ashamed Not be put to shame – When we think about shame, we usually have a Greek idea in mind. Shame for the Greeks was a feeling associated with being made ugly in…
“The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior” Judges 6:12 The Life of the Warrior Valiant Warrior – If Jesus should find you working in the field or in the market, would he call you a valiant warrior? Would he call you someone of great valor? You might say, “No, I’m just an ordinary person. …
“But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities” Acts 16:19 Economic Impact Gone – Paul’s first trip to Philippi met with unexpected consequences. When Paul cast the demon out of the girl who followed them around the…
“Only conduct yourselves worthy of the gospel” Philippians 1:27 The Politics of Belonging Conduct – What does conduct have to do with politics? In our era, we probably think that good conduct and politics are opposites. Politicians have earned a tarnished reputation. But the word Paul chooses here tells us something very important. It’s just…
“Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body” Philippians 1:20 The Glory of the Flesh Exalted – This is not the usual word for “exalted”. The common Greek word translated “exalt” is hypsoo. It is found in Matthew 23:12, Luke 14:11, Philippians 2:9, John 3:14 and many other verses. This form of…
“the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives,” Philippians 1:16 The Deepest Reasons Pure motives – There is a tension in Scripture. It is the tension between behavior and motive. God is more interested in the “why” than He is in the “what” and this creates a great but invisible…
