Sermon Tone Analysis

Marvin Vincent in his commentary on Philippians stated:

For Paul life is summed up in Messiah.

Messiah is its inspiration, its aim, its end.

To trust, love, obey, preach, follow, suffer,—all things are with and in Messiah.

JNTC: Philippians, Chapter 1:21

This is better by far for Paul himself than staying alive, precisely because eternal life is the Messiah (v.

21; Yn 1:4, 11:25, 14:6).

Nevertheless, Paul’s choice is to remain alive “because of you” (v.

24), because the Philippians need him.

Conclusion: precisely because of his Messianic faith Paul does not ignore the needs of this world; though recognizing the benefits to himself of the ˓olam haba, he chooses to minister to others here in the ˓olam hazeh.

Paul’s life is not a matter of seeking his own comfort or advancement.

It is all about seeking the advancement of Messiah’s kingdom: to live is tantamount to serving Messiah.

In fact, to die should be seen as gain, because it would mean that Paul would be freed from his trouble-filled life on earth to rejoice in Messiah’s presence.

Lane T. Dennis, ed., ESV Study Bible, The: English Standard Version, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Bibles, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "".

It’s truly a win-win situation.

To live means honoring Messiah with fruitful labor, and to die means possessing Messiah in the fullest sense.

He found a love greater than life itself, and this vision of being with Messiah inspired him to endure.

Tony Merida and Francis Chan, Exalting Yeshua in Philippians, ed.

David Platt, Dr. Daniel L. Akin, Tony Merida, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2016), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 69.

When he thought about death, he thought about being in the presence of Messiah (cf. ).

We are confident, then, and would much prefer to leave our home in the body and come to our home with the Lord.

In light of v. 21, Paul is hard pressed as to which outcome he should desire.

Being with Messiah now would be more attractive for him, while remaining alive (in the flesh) would enable him to help the Philippians further on their own spiritual journey.

Since Paul knows that the way of Yeshua is the way of service (cf.

2:5-11), he is convinced that his own preferences will be put aside so that he can remain and continue with the Philippians for their progress and joy in the faith.

Paul is not merely musing on his own crisis; he is giving the Philippians a model of the service-driven life.

TO DIE WOULD MEAN INSTANTLY BEING WITH MESSIAH.

27 Only conduct your lives in a way worthy of the Good News of the Messiah; so that whether I come and see you or I hear about you from a distance, you stand firm, united in spirit, fighting with one accord for the faith of the Good News,

Note:

This is key to the life of the follower of Yeshua to walk worthy.

The experience of coming to know the Messiah is not a one time event, saying a prayer acknowledging Yeshua as Messiah, but a walk (the word where we get halakha, Jewish law), an ongoing living relationship.

So walking worthy we are following the halacha of Yeshua.

The phrase be worthy of the gospel translates the Greek word politeuesthe.

As the ESV footnote indicates, the Greek can also be translated as “only behave as citizens worthy [of the gospel of Messiah],” a phrasing that nicely captures Paul’s play on words here and in 3:20 (“our citizenship [Gk.

politeuma] is in heaven”).

Philippi prided itself on being a Roman colony, offering the honor and privilege of Roman citizenship.

Paul reminds the congregation that they should look to Messiah, not Caesar, for their model of behavior, since their primary allegiance is to God and his kingdom.

They need to stand together with one another and with Paul in striving for the gospel.

Paul’s emphasis on unity may suggest some division within the Philippian congregation (cf.

4:2-3).

Perhaps the disunity is one reason he mentions the “overseers and deacons” at the outset of the letter (1:1), for they are required to minister in a way that promotes unity.

Lane T. Dennis, ed., ESV Study Bible, The: English Standard Version, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Bibles, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "”.

JNTC: Philippians, Chapter 1:28

With its context, verse 28 is important for Messianic Jews.

Paul counsels boldness in communicating the truth of the Gospel.

When, as Jews who trust in Yeshua the Messiah, we are united in spirit, fighting with one accord (using non-worldly weapons!—2C 10:3–5&N, &N) for the faith of the Good News, then we are enjoined to be not frightened by anything the opposition does.

On the contrary, our boldness, reflecting our refusal to succumb to fear, will be for them, the opposition, an indication that our destiny is superior to theirs leading them to repentance.

CJB: Chapter 1:29-30

29 because for the Messiah’s sake it has been granted to you not only to trust in him but also to suffer on his behalf,

30 to fight the same battles you once saw me fight and now hear that I am still fighting.

Paul rounds out this paragraph by touching on the nature of Messiahian suffering.

What he says may surprise some believers.

Most Messiahians understand salvation as a gift from God (; ), but Paul points out that suffering for Messiah’s sake is also a gift.

Suffering for the sake of Messiah is a privilege.

Paul’s words are worth a careful, prayerful reflection.

How exactly is suffering for Messiah a gift?

According to the previous verse, it provides a sense of assurance that we belong to Yeshua.

Suffering also brings you closer to Yeshua.

Paul relates this idea in 3:10-11.

This attitude regarding suffering appears throughout the book of Acts.

At one point, after the apostles had been beaten, Luke says, “Then they went out from the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be dishonored on behalf of the Name” ().

They did not just tolerate suffering, they rejoiced in it!

They saw it as a gift.

Note:

This is where the walk with Messiah becomes even more difficult when suffering comes.

We are called here to model the Messiah (more in Ch 2) and here the believers in Philippi are being called to learn from Paul's own example of being in prison.

What are the most difficult circumstances you are presently facing?

How can Messiah be exalted in that situation?

JNTC: Philippians, Chapter 2

In Paul directs us to Messiah Yeshua, a person equal with God yet whose incarnation and life are the supreme example of humility.

This passage urges us to imitate Messiah’s attitude.

Note:

The unity spoken of in 1:27 above is grounded in a common purpose and that purpose is to follow the example of Messiah Yeshua.

2:5

The believer’s mind needs to reflect on the proper model, if life is to be lived for God.

Paul isn’t simply speaking to the private experience of individuals.

He is writing about unity in the church, which comes through adopting a humble, Messiah-like mind-set.

He wants to see “a community mindful of Messiah” (Hanson, Letter, 118).

Imitation is a theme of Philippians.

Later in the chapter, Paul holds Timothy and Epaphroditus up as examples worthy of honor and emulation (2:19-30, esp.

20-21,30).

In chapter 3 Paul tells the church to follow his example and to “observe those who live according to the example you have in us” (3:17).

While we may emulate many role models in life, we must remember that Yeshua is the example par excellence.

Tony Merida and Francis Chan, Exalting Yeshua in Philippians, ed.

David Platt, Dr. Daniel L. Akin, Tony Merida, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2016), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 92.

Ralph P. Martin’s The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians (Tyndale Commentary Series, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1959); he has also written a monograph on these six verses.

The unusual Greek words in this passage suggest that Paul may be quoting an Aramaic or Hebrew hymn used by the Messianic Jews in Israel when celebrating Pesach and Zikkaron.

This is used as a Messianic Jewish addition to the Aleinu given the similar language.

Yeshua is and always has been God.

“Form” could also be a reference to Messiah being the ultimate image of God, “the exact imprint of his nature” ().

It might also refer to the fact that he is the visible expression of God’s invisible glory ().

Remarkably, Messiah did not imagine that having “equality with God” (which he already possessed) should lead him to hold onto his privileges at all costs.

It was not something to be grasped, to be kept and exploited for his own benefit or advantage.

Instead, he had a mind-set of service.

“Messiah did not please himself” ().

In humility, he counted the interests of others as more significant than his own ().

Lane T. Dennis, ed., ESV Study Bible, The: English Standard Version, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Bibles, 2008), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "".JNTC: Philippians, Chapter 2:6

But more likely it means refraining from seizing what was not yet his, namely, rulership over all created beings, including humanity, who, because of sin, required his death on their behalf in order to be eligible to share in that rulership.

For this reason he chose the Father’s will over his own (; MJ 10:7, quoting (8)), accepting the path of obedience and suffering for the sake of the promised reward (vv.

8–11; MJ 2:6–14, 5:8, 12:2).

The pre-existence of the Messiah was a familiar concept in rabbinic Judaism (Yn 1:1–18&NN), so that it is unnecessary to resort to the idea that Paul is drawing on pagan notions of a “heavenly man” who descended and carried through a mission of redemption for mankind.

The Tanakh provides more than sufficient ground for this passage in its material about Adam () and the suffering Servant of Adonai (); there is no need to resort to explanations that assume Hellenistic or Gnostic influence.

b.