Each week Vox Home Groups meet to study and discuss the Bible, eat food, and pray together. This is a summary of the announcements and Bible study that took place.
PHILIPPIANS 1:12-18a
12I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.REVIEW
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
1. This is a letter from Paul to the Philippian church. Paul encouraged by the church, especially because he’s in prison. Paul encourages them to press on until the end; "the day of Christ approaching."
2. God at work in us. God begins, follows through, and finishes the work in us
Led to more questions we’ll get to today
3. Paul’s confidence is in God, not anything else. If Paul’s confidence is in the church, leads to disappointment. Paul’s confidence is in God, which does not disappoint.
PHILIPPIANS AS SCRIPTURE
1. Bible is STORY of God; this letter is included in that. Not just a missionary writing a letter to a church; it is Scripture. Same as OT; same authority.
2. Bible is BREATH of God. God speak to us through these letters directly right here and now. Paul gives church long-term perspective, God is giving us the same. Paul encourages church to continue in gospel work, God is doing the same with us.
THE GOSPEL
1:12 - I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel...Paul seeking to give new meaning to his imprisonment. "You thought that this was a bad thing, but here’s what is really going on." What does Paul say is really going on? The advance of the gospel is what is really going on.
But if you were in the hospital. Someone came up to you and said, "Hey, this situation is really for the advancement of the gospel." You would feel that much encouragement. This is because most people don't have a clue of what the gospel is.
THE GOSPEL IS CENTRAL
Most of us don’t know what the gospel is or that it’s completely central to much of the NT.
"gospel" is mentioned 6 times in the first chapter of Philippians
9 times in whole book of Philippians
70 times in Paul’s letters to various churches
20 times in the gospels
90 times in the NT
Jesus spoke about the gospel as central to faith and salvation.
Mark 1:14-15 - Jesus came proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'The gospel is important and understanding it is paramount. We need to know what Scripture says about the gospel to understand what Paul was talking about when he spoke of "the advance of the gospel".
Mark 8:34-36 - And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
1 Corinthians 15:1-2 - Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.1. The gospel is proclaimed. ["the gospel I preached to you"]
2. The gospel is received. ["which you received"]
Gospel is “good news”, so it is proclaimed and received as news, but it is more than news.
Colossians 1:5-6 - Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.
3. The gospel is what we stand in. ["in which you stand"]
4. The gospel is what God uses to save us. ["by which you are being saved"]
Gospel is much more than news. It's the means by which God speaks to people’s hearts, convicts them of their sin, and offers a new life.
Romans 1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
The gospel is both the message and the power by which the message is made effective.
ADVANCING THE GOSPEL
So when we look in Philippians 1:12-18 again. "Advancing the gospel" means "truth becoming known, speaking the word, preaching/proclaiming Christ."
Paul is encouraged because the gospel is still going out. Moreover, as we see in Phil 1:15-18, Paul is not discouraged by those preaching the gospel out of contempt. Paul is confident that God can still reach people's hearts through the gospel regardless of who is preaching it.
OUR ENCOURAGEMENT
Many times look at Scripture and get discouraged.
Matthew 28:19-20 - Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."We read this and think, "I’m just not a salesman; this just isn't me."
It is true: if we try to advance the gospel ourselves, we will fail
We cannot pierce people’s hearts
We cannot stir people’s conscience
We are not able to do the work needed to advance the gospel
Our command and joy is that God is already doing the work
The gospel is going out and being advanced
Our part in that is not essential, but an extension of grace
ADVANCING WITH GOD
Advancing the gospel is one of God’s primary objectives
We’re met with the question of "How can we work alongside God in his work?"
1. Jump all the way into the gospel.
Begin seeing the whole of life through the lens of the gospel
Adversity will lose its power
Your life will be pointed toward what God is going after
2. Regularly subject yourself to God in all his beauty.
Sing worship songs
Read the Psalms and weep
3. Ask God to make your heart like his.
4. Study the news of the gospel.
THREE QUESTIONS
#1 Describe a time when your view of a situation had to be corrected.
#2 What is one God might be advancing the gospel through your life?
#3 What are some needs in your life that we could pray for?
