Philippians – March 24, 2004
Precept Bible Study (BBC)
Kay Arthur Video 11: What Will It Be Like When You See Him Who Died For You?
Jesus was obedient unto death on a cross and God highly exalted Him – what will it be for you?
Psalm 116:1-12 - 1I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. 2Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. 3The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. 4Then I called upon the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!" 5Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful. 6The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. 7Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 8For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 9I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. 10I believed, therefore I spoke, "I am greatly afflicted." 11I said in my haste, "All men are liars." 12What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?
He died a death on the cross because He was obedient –
Philippians 2:9-11 - 9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus was obedient – He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death on the cross
what will you render unto the LORD for all His benefits toward you?
in that day when you stand before Him face to face, what will God do with you?
– will you shrink back in shame or will there be exultation and rejoicing because you have abided in Him?
I John 2:28 - And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
“confidence” – boldness, a boldness of speech
– contrasted with shrinking back in shame
THE DAY OF CHRIST(Corinthians and Philippians)
I Corinthians 1:8 - who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 5:5 - deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
II Corinthians 1:13-14 - 13For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end 14(as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.
the day is future
Philippians 1:6 - being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
“good work” – a work of salvation
that day of Christ comes at the end of a person’s life, sometime in the future, after they leave this earth
Philippians 1:10 - that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
– the day of Christ is a culmination
Philippians 2:14-16 - 14Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
when is the day of Christ? – the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly when the day of Christ is
it is a day that happens after life is over
God is the one who begins your salvation – He chose you salvation is of the Lord
– He opened your eyes, He turned you from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the kingdom of God, He gave you forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those that are sanctified
He began a good work in you – He confirms it until the day of Christ
you are to abide in Him, you are to be blameless in that day
when is that day? – that day of Christ is synonymous with the rapture of the church
– when Jesus Christ leaves heaven and comes down and takes believers up off this earth, raises the dead (the bodies of those dead believers), unites their spirit with their soul, and we are with the Lord
then we stand at the judgment seat of Christ
all of this encompasses the day of Christ
I Thessalonians 2:18-19 - 18Therefore we wanted to come to you-- even I, Paul, time and again-- but Satan hindered us. 19For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
the day of Christ is an accounting day when all the body of believers is together
when the church is all gathered together in one place
II Thessalonians 2:1 - Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
a gathering together in one place
when will the church be gathered together in one place? at the rapture
I Thessalonians 4:13 - But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
the early church was expecting the coming of Jesus Christ at any moment
when the believer dies his spirit went to be with the Lord –
II Corinthians 5:8 - We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
God is our redeemer – He redeems us sprit, soul, and body
there is a coming redemption of the body –
Romans 8:11,23 - 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. … 23Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
the hope that we have is the hope of the resurrection of the body, being with Jesus
I Thessalonians 4:14 - For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
“if” - first class condition – and it is true
– Jesus is going to leave heaven, He is going to come down in clouds, He is going to bring the spirits of those who have died with Him
I Thessalonians 4:15-18 - 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.
don’t mourn over those who have died as if there is no hope – they will be part of the resurrection
I Corinthians 15 – the resurrection chapter
I Corinthians 15:51 - Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--
everyone is not going to die, but everyone shall be changed
I Corinthians 15:52-56 - 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55"O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" 56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
what causes death? – sin
what shows us our sin? – the law
James 2:10 - For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
Romans 6:23a - For the wages of sin is death, …
I Corinthians 15:57 - But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
death has been swallowed up in victory because Jesus, when He hung on the cross, conquered death, was buried, was resurrected –
John 11:25-26 - 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
because He lives you shall also live – if you have Him within you
I Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
your toil is not in vain – there is a greater reward
there is a judgment seat of Christ in the day of Christ
– when we stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, when we are caught up together to meet Him in the air, then we are going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ and we are going to give an account for the deeds done in our body
Romans 14:10-12 - 10But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." 12So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
each one of us shall give an account of himself to God
II Corinthians 5:7-9 - 7For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
what is your ambition? to be pleasing to God?
what will you render unto the LORD for all His benefits toward you?
II Corinthians 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
your labor is not in vain – therefore, always be abounding
- the rapture occurs before the tribulation – the tribulation is the time of Jacob’s trouble
– a time to put the pressure upon the Jews, to bring them to their Messiah because they are walking in blindness right now
- the time for judging the body of Jesus Christ – He is not going to judge us with the world
when He comes back and sets up His millennial kingdom, then we have the judgment of the nations – when He separates the sheep from the goats
Matthew 25:31-32 - 31"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats."
the day of Christ is when Christ gathers His body, those that are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, those who have God at work in them, both to do and to will of His good pleasure
– the time when we give an accounting for working out our own salvation with fear and trembling – to the degree that we should have in the light of all that He has given to us in the benefits of salvation
a day when we find out how innocent, how blameless we were
– how diligent we were to hold forth the Word of life, the Word of God in us as living epistles, known and read of all men, not ashamed of the gospel, but –
II Timothy 4:2-4 - 2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
what will you render unto the LORD for all His benefits toward you?
you will give an account of the deeds done in your body
your focus should not be on the fact of your accountability, not on rewards at the judgment seat of Christ
your focus should be on the cross of Jesus Christ
I Corinthians 3:10-11 - 10According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Christ, the cornerstone – the foundation of your life, of all that you are going to build on
I Corinthians 3:12-15 - 12Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Philippians 2:15-16 - 15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
I Peter 1:17a - And if you call on the Father, …
“if” - first class condition – and it is true
“call” - present tense – keep on calling
I Peter 1:17b-19 - 17… who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 18knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
how are you going to build on such a foundation that cost the very life of Jesus Christ?
the day that the price was paid –
Matthew 26:36-41 - 36Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." 37And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." 39He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 40Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, "What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak
Matthew 26:42-44 - 42Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done." 43And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. 44So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
– three times He went back to the Father
Luke 22:44 - And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
– the body is so built that when the pressure gets so great within a person, either a physical pressure from pain or a mental pressure, the body will faint so that the pressure comes off
medical records record times when the agony was so great that the body did not faint
– the pressure was so great that the capillaries burst and therefore blood was seeping into the tissue
the perspiration would mingle with the blood so that out of the body would come sweat mingled with blood
Jesus knew what awaited Him – He knew the agony, the hell of the physical torture
crucifixion was a common way of death in those days – their means of putting criminals to death – saved for the lowliest of people, they were made a spectacle
but the cause of the agony that awaited Him was the fact that holiness would be made sin
righteousness would taste unrighteousness – because God is of pure eyes He would forsake His Son
for the first time in all eternity Jesus would be separated from the Father and from the Spirit
– the pain was so great that death would have been welcome
Matthew 26:57 - And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.