Everything's Possible - Introduction
The Epistle to the Philippians is a well-known writing from which most Christians can quote. The top three quotes are listed below:
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.†(1:6)
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.†(1:21)
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.†(4:13)
These are great texts from which to memorize and find inspiration and motivation. However, it is easy to find ourselves neglecting the greater context or, even worse, pulling one of these verses out without regard to the greater story that is being told. These inspirational moments are part of a much greater whole that must be considered in order for us to understand them truly.
The good news about this particular book is that it is small, so understanding the whole of the Epistle is not difficult and takes only a little work. In the four chapters, we see a significant amount of organization and planning. As we study this book, it is important to keep a few things in mind.
When I was in a preaching class in college, my professor asked us to spend one month reading the book of Philippians each day. We read this book, all four chapters each day for a month, and each day, we had to write a sermon about some aspect of the text we thought was interesting, inspiring, and meaningful. As mentioned above, there are some great quotes, and those were easy to use as a foundation for a sermon. However, after about a week of writing sermons on the book of Philippians, things were getting more difficult. By the time we hit day 25, it felt like it was impossible to wring out any more meaning from this little letter!
I made it through, and I wish I had kept all those notes. They would have been incredibly helpful—or at least fun to look at 30 years later!
But the exercise was not lost on me. To simply go back into the same text again and again is a challenge, but I became more and more familiar with the writing, the repetition, and the points that Paul was trying to make. Therefore, at the beginning of this study, we will publish the whole book of Philippians so that you might go back and read it daily. For the audio guide, we will make one extra episode, which is the reading of the entire book, all four chapters. You will be able to use this as a resource throughout the five weeks of the series. By the end, you should know this epistle so well that it becomes more than just some quotable phrases. It should become a recipe for understanding what it takes to live for God and with God in every situation.
Thanks so much for joining us.![PastedGraphic-1.png](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/lgOLt3zuCMI6FRznLiXulOUvc2rJcGctcpF5ht44OB0DjHqtSErefNA3FaIHznKlXqVoJrx63Jk_4YJSjjNPqVjgfE2U03zMP7oHNp8c8JjkgXeBwtKi14sx1cG9RbuY1qWDc0SQepKP5w9GPvhx3HeFm4f_WL6l)
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.†(1:6)
“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.†(1:21)
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.†(4:13)
These are great texts from which to memorize and find inspiration and motivation. However, it is easy to find ourselves neglecting the greater context or, even worse, pulling one of these verses out without regard to the greater story that is being told. These inspirational moments are part of a much greater whole that must be considered in order for us to understand them truly.
The good news about this particular book is that it is small, so understanding the whole of the Epistle is not difficult and takes only a little work. In the four chapters, we see a significant amount of organization and planning. As we study this book, it is important to keep a few things in mind.
- Find the Structure. These letters are not a random and jumbled bunch of words and thoughts. Rather, they are cohesive missives that fit together for a particular purpose and a particular audience. The author is trying to do something in this short letter, so we must look for all the structural hints and clues that help us understand how this letter holds together.
- Look for Literary Devices. Philippians use one particular literary device more than others: the Chiasm. We will talk more about this later, but quickly, it is a device used in biblical poetry that uses repetition to highlight the writer's main idea.
- Notice the Repetition. Paul repeats his main ideas about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in each section of the letter. We can break this letter into seven clear sections, and in each one, he repeats what he wants us to understand.
When I was in a preaching class in college, my professor asked us to spend one month reading the book of Philippians each day. We read this book, all four chapters each day for a month, and each day, we had to write a sermon about some aspect of the text we thought was interesting, inspiring, and meaningful. As mentioned above, there are some great quotes, and those were easy to use as a foundation for a sermon. However, after about a week of writing sermons on the book of Philippians, things were getting more difficult. By the time we hit day 25, it felt like it was impossible to wring out any more meaning from this little letter!
I made it through, and I wish I had kept all those notes. They would have been incredibly helpful—or at least fun to look at 30 years later!
But the exercise was not lost on me. To simply go back into the same text again and again is a challenge, but I became more and more familiar with the writing, the repetition, and the points that Paul was trying to make. Therefore, at the beginning of this study, we will publish the whole book of Philippians so that you might go back and read it daily. For the audio guide, we will make one extra episode, which is the reading of the entire book, all four chapters. You will be able to use this as a resource throughout the five weeks of the series. By the end, you should know this epistle so well that it becomes more than just some quotable phrases. It should become a recipe for understanding what it takes to live for God and with God in every situation.
Thanks so much for joining us.
By Pastor Timothy Gillespie
Download a PDF Version of our Series Guide
Daily Study Podcast
The Abide Daily Podcast
Thank You for Supporting the Ministry of Crosswalk
RECENT
ARCHIVE
2024
January
New Wine - Day 2New Wine - Day 3New Wine - Day 4New Wine - Day 5New Wine - Day 6New Wine - End of Week 1New Wine - Day 8New Wine - Day 9New Wine - Day 10New Wine - Day 11New Wine - Day 12New Wine - Day 13New Wine - End of Week 2New Wine - Day 15New Wine - Day 16New Wine - Day 17New Wine - Day 18New Wine - Day 19New Wine - Day 20New Wine - End of Week 3New Wine - Day 22New Wine - Day 23New Wine - Day 24New Wine - Day 25New Wine - Day 26New Wine - Day 27New Wine - Day 29New Wine - End of Week 4New Wine - Day 30New Wine - Day 31New Wine - Day 32
February
New Wine - Day 33New Wine - Day 34New Wine - End of Week 5The Invitation - IntroductionThe Invitation - Day 1The Invitation - Day 2The Invitation - Day 3The Invitation - Day 4The Invitation - Day 5The Invitation - Day 6The Invitation - End of Week 1The Invitation - Day 8The Invitation - Day 9The Invitation - Day 10The Invitation - Day 11The Invitation - Day 12The Invitation - Day 13The Invitation - End of Week 2The Invitation - Day 15The Invitation - Day 16The Invitation - Day 17The Invitation - Day 18The Invitation - Day 19
March
The Invitation - Day 20The Invitation - End of Week 3The Invitation - Day 22The Invitation - Day 23The Invitation - Day 24The Invitation - Day 25The Invitation - Day 26The Invitation - Day 27The Invitation - End of Week 4The Invitation - Day 29The Invitation - Day 30The Invitation - Day 31The Invitation - Day 32The Invitation - Day 33The Invitation - Day 34The Invitation - End of Week 5The Invitation - Day 36The Invitation - Day 37The Invitation - Day 38The Invitation - Day 39The Invitation - Day 40The Invitation - Day 41The Invitation - End of Week 6The Invitation - Day 43The Invitation - Day 44The Invitation - Day 45The Invitation - Day 46The Invitation - Day 47The Invitation - Day 48Experience - IntroductionThe Invitation - End of Week 7Experience - Day 1
2 Comments
Thank you. Can't wait to dive in!!!!
Thank you for restarting the Daily blogs - they are my morning "starters". I appreciate the efforts it takes to write a daily note with good thought content. CJM