Milo

Philippians

INTRODUCTION
This warm and upbeat letter was written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome around A.D. 61. Despite this circumstance, the key word in Philippians is “joy” or “rejoice,” which occurs 14 times. While the letter is personal, rather than a theological treatise like Romans or Galatians, it contains one of Scriptures’ most powerful affirmations of the Incarnation and exaltation of Christ (2:1–11). The Book of Philippians is also a beautiful expression of the values and motives of Paul himself, and thus an example for Christians of every era.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS
I.
Introduction
Phil. 1:1–11
II.
Paul’s Imprisonment
Phil. 1:12–30
III.
Imitating Christ’s Humility
Phil. 2:1–18
IV.
News of Epaphroditus
Phil. 2:19–30
V.
Warnings
Phil. 3:1–4:1
VI.
Personal Exhortations
Phil. 4:2–9
VII.
Thanks and Farewell
Phil. 4:10–23

PAUL IN CHAINS
Philippians 1

“What has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel” (Phil. 1:12).

In Christ, even bad news can be good news in disguise.

Background
The church in Philippi. Paul founded the church in the Roman colony city of Philippi aboutA.D 50, some 10 years before this letter was written. He visited there again aboutA.D 55, and kept in contact with the believers through letters and helpers like Timothy. The Philippians were apparently very upset when they heard that Paul had been sent to Rome after his arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21–28). They sent a gift of money with Epaphroditus to help Paul with his expenses. This messenger became extremely ill, but recovered, and Paul sent this letter to the Philippians by him when he recovered. Paul touched on many different topics in Philippians, from his own imprisonment to a feud between two leading women in the church there. Despite his own uncertain circumstances and indications of problems in the Philippian congregation, Paul’s letter is vibrant with a joy that exists independent of circumstances. In Philippians, we find the sources of joy available to Christians who walk through dark places with the Lord.

Overview
Paul thanked God and prayed for his partners in the Gospel (1:1–11). He assured them that his imprisonment had been a good thing (vv. 12–26), and exhorted them to stand firm together (vv. 27–30).

Understanding the Text
“I always pray with joy” Phil. 1:4. Prayer for others isn’t a duty. It is a joy: a special opportunity to caress and be close to people we love.
This fresh approach to intercession marks the opening words of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. No special, desperate need drove Paul to prayer. Instead Paul had cultivated the habit, whenever he thought of his dear friends in Philippi, of expressing the joyful feelings remembrance brings by offering up a prayer for them.
What a simple, yet meaningful way for us to enrich our prayer lives. We can cultivate the habit, whenever we think of others, to give thanks and pray for them “with joy.”

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” Phil. 1:3–6. My first week in college in Ohio I had an appendix attack, and an emergency operation. My mom and dad drove down to see me, and Mother brought me a Bible. Trying to joke, I took it and said, “I’m not that sick!”
Sometimes even we Christians think of prayer or other religious exercises as a last resort kind of thing. We pray when we’re desperate, or when we are fearful for others. But Paul prayed out of joy, and with supreme confidence. There was no clear and present danger to the Philippian church. These believers had worked in partnership with Paul in spreading the Gospel from the first. And Paul had total confidence that the work God began in their lives would be carried on to completion, “until the day of Christ Jesus.”
We can have this same confidence when we pray for one another. God won’t abandon any of His own. Our prayers aren’t a last-ditch effort to keep them from sliding over the edge of some spiritual precipice. We pray for other Christians with joy, and with total confidence that God is at work in their lives.
Why then do we pray? We pray as an expression of love. And we pray because we believe that God in some mysterious way uses our prayers to enrich that good work He is committed to do in His children’s lives.

“And this is my prayer” Phil. 1:9–11. Romans 8:26 notes that we do not really know what we ought to pray for others. Yet Paul’s prayers for other believers, like the one recorded here, and like prayers in Ephesians 3 and Colossians 1, can guide us. These prayers are well worth committing to memory. Then, when we think of a friend, we can ask “that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

“What has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel” Phil. 1:12–18. The Philippians were deeply upset at Paul’s imprisonment. For one thing, if Paul were convicted, the Christian movement might be threatened. The Roman government had declared certain religions licit, giving them the legal right to be practiced. Other religions had no legal standing. As the Christian movement emerged from Judaism, and Judaism was a legal religion, early Christianity was protected. If Paul were convicted of some religious crime, the movement he represented might be officially proscribed.
Even if this didn’t happen, the great apostle and evangelist seemed “put on the shelf.” He had been under arrest for two years in Caesarea. Now he was under house arrest in Rome. What would happen to the Gospel without Paul?
I read in today’s paper an account of the explosive growth of evangelical Christianity in Guatemala. That land, torn by bloodshed, its economy destroyed and its people destitute, now is about one third evangelical Christian, and the number is growing at approximately 10 percent a year! We must hurt for those experiencing the terrors of poverty and civil strife. Yet we also need to realize that God is using their suffering on earth to open their hearts to the Gospel.
How often we are shaken by circumstances that are admittedly terrible, but in God’s providence “serve to advance the Gospel.” The lesson Paul was trying to teach the Philippians is that God takes apparent tragedies and molds them into triumphs (see DEVOTIONAL).

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” Phil. 1:21. Paul stated the one attitude which enables us to discover good in ills that would otherwise mar our lives. If we look at circumstances merely from a human point of view, and think first of our own comfort or our situation in this life, we might have good reason for despair. But Paul didn’t look at life this way at all. He was concerned only with serving Jesus and glorifying Him.
If this is our primary motivation, our circumstances here will be relatively unimportant. We can live for Jesus in a hovel or a palace. We can share our pennies or our millions. We can give thanks for our rags or for our riches.
Make pleasing Jesus your sole desire, and you declare independence from all the circumstances that can ruin the lives of others who struggle on without Him.

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel” Phil. 1:27–30. This paragraph sums up Paul’s theme in a simple exhortation. “Whatever happens.” Whether you prosper or go bankrupt. Whether you become popular or an object of scorn. Whatever comes, live as a Christian who is worthy of the great gift God has given in the Gospel.
What marks the “worthy” Christian life? Maintaining unity. Contending for the Gospel. Remaining confident rather than fearful.
The exhortation is important for us as well as for the first-century Philippians. In this life we too may be given an unusual gift. The gift, “on the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him.”
By using any circumstances He sends as opportunities to serve God, we can make our suffering not only a gift from God, but a gift to Him.

DEVOTIONAL
Circumstantial Evidence
(Phil. 1:12–19)
In our courts of law the best evidence is direct evidence: there are witnesses to an event who can testify to who did what and when. Next best is circumstantial evidence: facts and information that when interpreted make who, what, and when likely. The problem with circumstantial evidence is always in that little phrase, “when interpreted.”
For instance, take a beautiful, vibrant, athletic young woman. She has an accident that permanently paralyzes her from the neck down. “Terrible,” we say. And we’re right. “Her life is ruined,” we think. And we’re wrong! Through that accident Joni Eareckson Tada became a great gift to the church, and found a new and fulfilling life for herself.
This is essentially what Paul was trying to teach the Philippians when he wrote, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel” (v. 12). Circumstances are deceiving. Yes, Paul, the early church’s premier evangelist and church planter, had been put on the shelf. Yes, he’d spent two years locked up in Caesarea, and now he was under house arrest in Rome. It looked like a terrible setback for the church, and a terrible waste of Paul’s few remaining years. But that is only how it looked. That is not how it was.
Look, Paul said. Everyone in the palace guard knows I’m here because of Jesus. And most of the brothers have been “encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously.” Like a football team whose star quarterback is out of the game, the rest try harder! Even those who resented Paul were out preaching more vigorously, and though their motives were questionable, Christ was being preached! So Paul didn’t see his imprisonment as a tragedy at all. He looked beyond the circumstances, and interpreted them with a clear understanding of God’s goal of getting out the Gospel. As for Paul himself, well, through the Philippians’ prayers, he would surely be delivered.
Let’s learn to interpret circumstantial evidence as Paul did, taking into account the fact that God works all things together for good for those who love the Lord. What looks like a tragedy may lead to one of history’s greatest spiritual triumphs. What looks like defeat may be turning into victory. What looks like suffering may be the harbinger of joy.

Personal Application
Face the worst, and expect the best.

Quotable
“Suffering, though a burden, is a useful burden, like the splints used in orthopedic treatment.”—Soren Kierkegaard

THE LORD WILL COME
1 Thessalonians 4–5

“The Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command . . . and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thes. 4:16).

Christ’s coming is both comfort and challenge.

Background
Eschatology in the Thessalonian letters. It is clear from reading these letters that during the few short weeks or months Paul was with the Thessalonians, he gave them a rather detailed picture of the end times. These letters speak of Christ’s return for His saints, the appearance of the Antichrist, final judgment, and other aspects of the end time. Yet the exact sequence of events, and how elements of the whole eschatological picture fit together, is a matter of debate by earnest Christians.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember as we read these letters is that, as Christ’s “first coming” encompassed a period of more than 30 years, His “second coming” also embraces a period of years. Much of the confusion about the end times comes from assuming that the “Second Coming” is a single event, rather than a series of world-shaking events spread over a period of years.
This does not necessarily help in determining how the events mentioned in the Thessalonian letters relate to each other or other Old and New Testament passages. Even so, we can accept each as describing some aspect of future history.
What seemed most important to Paul was not to provide a chart, but to provide a challenge. Paul called on the Thessalonians and on us to see what God intends to do, and then to apply that vision of the future to guide current choices and adjust present attitudes. It is the application of prophecy that we need to focus on as we read these letters devotionally.

Overview
Pleasing God calls for holiness (4:1–9) and brotherly love (vv. 10–12). Christ’s own will be raised at His imminent return (v. 13–5:3). Till then we are to live expectant, self-controlled lives, encouraging one another (vv. 4–11). Paul closed with various specific instructions (vv. 12–28).

Understanding the Text
“How to live in order to please God” 1 Thes. 4:1. The verb rendered “please” here had a broad meaning in the New Testament era. It spoke of action which not only won approval, but which constituted active and actual service. We are God’s servants as well as His sons. We are to dedicate our lives to serving Him.
Paul said that the Thessalonians knew how to live to please/serve God. But he went on to remind them anyway. If we are not constantly reminded of what we know, we are all too prone to forget. So let Paul’s words of exhortation remind us too of the persons we are called to be, and the service we are called to render.

“It is God’s will that you should be holy” 1 Thes. 4:3–8. Paul specifically mentioned avoiding sexual immorality. But Paul’s broader concern was for controlling all “passionate lust.” Paul used this phrase not just of sexual appetite but of overpowering desire of any kind. A passion for power, a passion for money, a passion for food, a passion for approval and popularity can have just as destructive an impact on holiness as sexual passion.
We are not to be mastered by our desires, but are to let God master us. We must keep a tight reign on any desires whose grip might keep us from serving Him and others.

“You yourselves have been taught by God to love each other” 1 Thes. 4:9–10. One of the most powerful motivations for that service which pleases God is Christian love. Note that such love is reciprocal: Christians love “each other.”
There is something deadly about an unrequited sacrificial love. The daughter who gives up marriage to care for her invalid mother may do so out of love. But if the mother remains critical, bitter, and demanding, even the purest love is likely to sour. The husband who keeps on loving his unfaithful wife may be admirable. But in time that home is sure to shatter from her sheer selfishness. Any love which is constantly rejected must ultimately fail.
This is one reason why God created His church to be family. God gave us brothers and sisters in Christ so we can experience as well as extend love. In the mutuality possible in the body of Christ, our ability to love can grow, and we can find the resources we need to enable us to love others who do not love in return.
If you are in a situation where your love is met only with bitterness or rejection, seek Christian friends who will support and love you. Even in the best of situations we need an intimate relationship with other believers where we can give and receive love.
If you’re looking for a church, don’t look first at programs and activities. Look to see if the people of the church truly love each other.

“Make it your ambition” 1 Thes. 4:11–12. We’re used to parents being ambitious for their children. Usually what Mom and Dad are ambitious for is that the kids get ahead—a bigger job, a higher salary, more status. And often we nod approval when young people show “drive and ambition.” Again what we mean is that they work hard, find a good job, and are on their way “up in the world.”
Paul had a different slant on ambition. In essence, Paul said make it your ambition to be as ordinary as possible. Lead a quiet life. Mind your own business. Work hard, earning your own living with your own hands. Be a good, but rather ordinary, citizen.
I rather like Paul’s emphasis. Ordinary folks, living good, honest, hardworking, ordinary lives, have a habit of winning the respect of those who know them. For God’s people, winning respect is a much higher goal than getting to the top!

“About those who fall asleep” 1 Thes. 4:13–18. One of the most powerful of Paul’s eschatological statements emerged from a very practical concern. Some of the Christians in Thessalonica had died. Friends and family were terribly upset. Would these folks miss out on Jesus’ return?
In compelling language, Paul reassured them. When Jesus appears, believers who are “asleep” will be raised from the dead, and then, together with still-living saints, all Christians will soar together into the clouds to meet Jesus, and be with Him forever.
Paul then applied this dramatic vision simply: “Encourage one another with these words.” When a loved one dies, we can look ahead, catch a glimpse of Jesus’ triumphant appearance, and rejoice.

“About times and dates” 1 Thes. 5:1–3. The early church expected Jesus to return at any moment. They didn’t know when. They just knew that, at a moment the world did not expect Him, Jesus would appear to execute final judgment.
What Paul was talking about is the doctrine of “imminence.” All that this means is that Jesus could return at any moment. There are no conditions to be met that would hinder Him from coming today, tonight, or tomorrow. We know that Halley’s comet won’t return until the late 21st century. But Christians through the ages have been aware that Jesus could return at any moment.
Wouldn’t it be grand if Jesus should come November 16th? Or even today? (See DEVOTIONAL.)

“Hold them in highest regard” 1 Thes. 5:12–13. I suffer from a terrible disease. The Sunday service snoozies.
It goes back to my days in seminary, when I worked from 11 P.M. to 7 A.M. seven nights a week and carried a full 19 semester-hour-load of classes. Every day at chapel I’d find a seat near the wall, lean my head against it, and sleep. Now, even when I preach, it’s hard to keep awake as the service proceeds. And when others preach—well, it’s been nearly impossible. Till we came to our present church and the excellent preaching of our pastor, Richard Schmidt, a warm and delightful brother. I suddenly realized that my wife’s elbow hadn’t been buried in my ribs for several months, and that I was actually staying awake most Sundays! I called Richard and told him how much I appreciated his sermons. They were even worth staying awake to hear!
He laughed and said “thanks.” And added, he wished the other retired preachers in the congregation had the same attitude. It seems they persistently gave him a hard time.
If God has used your minister to speak to you, to bless you, to encourage or strengthen you, why not give him or her a call? Such folk need more than our respect. They need our encouragement.

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire” 1 Thes. 5:19. Older versions say, “Don’t quench the Spirit.” The meaning isn’t mysterious at all. Have you ever had a youngster come to you, full of enthusiasm over an idea or project? And watched his or her face fall when you said no?
Well, the Holy Spirit is enthusiastically committed to ideas and projects by which you can serve God and experience great blessing. And every time you say no to His prompting, it’s like throwing a bucket of cold water.
The Spirit won’t force you or me to follow His promptings. We can quench His ministry to us by a simple no. But when we do, it is to our great loss.

DEVOTIONAL
Sons of Light
(1 Thes. 5:1–11)
I remember very well playing down in the basement as my mother washed clothes. I was 4 or 5, so it was well over 50 years ago that I dressed up as Pecos Pete, and rode down the steps to rescue her from rustlers. That was pretend. But I also remember very well my mother telling me she expected Jesus to return in her lifetime. That wasn’t pretend. That was very real to my mom. She was wrong. She died in a car accident in the 1960s. But awareness that Jesus’ return was just around the corner was a cornerstone of my mother’s life.
What Mom told me as a child is still very real to me. My wife and I often speak of it, and expect Jesus to return before either of us joins Him through death. We don’t know when He will come. The “times and the seasons” are a mystery. But the reality of Jesus’ return looms large in our thoughts.
Paul pictured those who live with that awareness as “sons of the light and sons of the day.” We’re not in the dark about the future—or about how to live our lives here and now.
Jesus is coming! And so we exercise self-control, and keep our values in harmony with His. Jesus is coming! And so set faith and love as a guard over our hearts. Jesus is coming! And so our perspective is shaped by the certain hope of His appearance, not to judge us, but to rescue us from the wrath about to fall on our lost world. Jesus is coming! And so we encourage each other, and build each other up, placing a higher premium on persons than on things. As God does.
My mother wasn’t wrong to expect Jesus. We’re not wrong either. And as long as His coming is real to us, our choices, and our lives, are sure to be transformed.

Personal Application
Look for Jesus, and brighten the eastern horizon of your life.

Quotable
“I have felt like working three times as hard since I came to understand that my Lord is coming again.”—D.L. Moody

1 Thessalonians





INTRODUCTION
The young church at Thessalonica suffered immediate persecution, and Paul was driven from the city (Acts 17:1–9). This early letter, written about A.D. 50, was intended to encourage and further instruct very new believers.
This and a second letter pick up themes found in all Paul’s letters, such as the inspiration of Scripture, the deity of Christ, salvation based on Jesus’ death, personal purity, love, and especially emphasizes teaching about Jesus’ second coming. Paul clearly felt it was important to ground new converts in basic Christian doctrines.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS
I.
Introduction
1 Thes. 1
II.
A Relationship Described
1 Thes. 2–3
III.
Exhortation and Conclusion
1 Thes. 4–5

EFFECTIVE MINISTRY
1 Thessalonians 1–3

“We were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the Gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us” (1 Thes. 2:7–8).

The way we relate to others authenticates the Gospel’s message of love.

Overview
Paul praised God for the Thessalonians’ steadfastness (1:1–3) and evidences of their true conversion (vv. 4–10). He reminded them of his very personal ministry there (2:1–12) and encouraged them in their suffering (vv. 13–16). He spoke of the love which moved him to send Timothy to visit them (v. 17–3:7) and his own joy at Timothy’s good report (vv. 8–13).

Understanding the Text
“Work produced by faith” 1 Thes. 1:1–3. The Thessalonians were remarkable as a truly committed church. They not only received the Gospel—they acted on it!
What is so surprising is that Acts 17 seems to suggest Paul’s missionary team was in this city of 200,000 only a few weeks or at most a couple of months before riots and rumors forced them to flee to Berea. Even so they left behind the nucleus of a strong, vital church, which remained faithful despite persecution. What a challenge to us, who may have known the Gospel much longer, but may display less evidence of its grip on our lives.
What was the Thessalonians’ secret? They had faith that produced work, love that prompted labor, and hope that inspired endurance (v. 3). No one who truly lays hold of the Gospel’s message of faith, love, and hope can remain the same.

“You welcomed the message” 1 Thes. 1:4–6. Verses 4–10 describe a total response to the Gospel message: a response that preachers everywhere yearn to see in their congregations, and we yearn to see in those we love.
The very first element in that response is, “You welcomed the message.” God’s people in Thessalonica did not hesitate, or hold back, or cluck critically. They were excited and enthusiastic when they heard the Word of God.
Some years ago Joe Bayly wrote a classic little book called The Gospel Blimp. It told of some enthusiastic Christians who decided to bombard their town with tracts, and figured that a blimp would be great. They could drift over backyards and drop tracts on everyone! It’s hard to imagine that folks would really “welcome” Gospel bombs detonating in their yards. Certainly Paul had a better way. He shared the Gospel personally “with deep conviction” and relied on the power of the Holy Spirit, not the Gospel Blimp. And Paul “lived among” the people he tried to reach, so that they knew him and his way of life.
If you and I want others to welcome the Gospel, Paul’s approach is essential.

“The Lord’s message rang out from you” 1 Thes. 1:7–9a. The old saying is still true. Shepherds don’t have lambs. Sheep do.
It certainly was true in Thessalonica. Paul was forced to leave the city after riots were stirred up by Jewish opponents. But the church kept on growing, spiritually and numerically. Awhile ago I was talking with a Chinese friend just back from mainland China, who was telling me about the quiet revival going on there. In the ’70s when religion was proscribed, the church was forced underground, and leaders were stifled or imprisoned. Yet now, just 15 years later, Christmas church services are swamped as millions openly profess their faith in Christ, and many more millions take part in a dynamic house-church movement. The shepherds were taken away by the state. But it didn’t matter. It is sheep who have lambs, not shepherds, and the ranks of Chinese Christians continue to swell.
Wherever average Christians are willing to become imitators of the Lord, to serve as models for others, and to sound forth the Word, the Gospel will continue to thrive.

“You turned to God from idols” 1 Thes. 1:9b-10. The sequence here can never be reversed. Some try to reform a person before or without conversion. Some say, “I’d like to come to church, but I have this habit. As soon as I break it, then.”
What’s wrong is that we don’t turn from idols to God. We turn to God from idols. We have to turn to God first, because only God’s power will enable us to break the chains that bind us.
So don’t think, “As soon as I get my life straightened around, I’ll come to God.” Come to God, and let Him straighten your life around for you.

“You know that we never” 1 Thes. 2:1–6. Paul had two gifts to offer the Thessalonians. These are the same two gifts that you and I have to offer others. The Gospel and ourselves.
Both the gifts can and often will be misunderstood. But you and I as persons are the most vulnerable to criticism. What a grand way to attack the Gospel. Ignore its message of God’s love, and suggest that the messenger is greedy, or deceitful, or is trying to trick people. It really does hurt the Gospel when something like this proves to be true, as in several celebrated televangelists’ cases.
But think what a great opportunity you and I have to adorn the Gospel by being honest and loving! Paul said, “You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed.” The really significant words here are “you know.” Paul developed a close enough relationship with the Thessalonians, even in the brief time he knew them, that he was sure they knew his inmost motives and self.
By living openly and honestly with others we guard not only our own reputation but the integrity of the Gospel as well.

“Like a mother caring for her little children” 1 Thes. 2:7–9. When Paul tried to describe the relationship he developed with others as he shared the Gospel, only family images would do.
It would have seemed funny to strangers, to hear Paul, described in early documents as a wizened little man whose large nose almost met his chin, speak of himself as a “mother caring for her little children [infants].” But it wouldn’t seem funny to the Thessalonians, for they would have felt just that quality of tender, protective love, flowing from the great apostle.
Love isn’t a matter of how we look, or how much money we have, or how much education. Love is simply the overflow of a deep concern for the welfare of others. If you have that love, nothing else matters. If you do not, nothing else counts.

“We dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children” 1 Thes. 2:10–12. Paul continued to use family imagery. Again, nothing else quite conveys the kind of relationship that fits the Gospel (see DEVOTIONAL). This time the key words are “each of you.”
My sons, Paul and Tim, had the same parents, grew up in the same house, went to the same schools—but are very different from each other. Each needed to be treated as an individual. That’s what is so impressive about Paul’s reminder here that, like a father with adolescent children, he dealt with “each” of the Thessalonians as an individual. Those who needed encouraging, he encouraged. Those who needed comfort, he comforted. Those who needed urging—what we might call a good kick in the pants—Paul urged. His goal was the same in every case: to help them “live lives worthy of God.” But how he worked with others toward that goal took individual differences into account.
If we’re to minister effectively to others—even members of our own families, we must come to know them as individuals and respond to each according to his or her characteristics and needs.
Loving doesn’t just mean letting others know us and our motives. It means getting to know others, individually, and well.

“The Word of God, which is at work in you” 1 Thes. 2:13–16. Frank was a young convert in our Brooklyn congregation. The jolly, heavy-set 20-year-old paid a high price for his faith. His mom and dad, traditional ’50s Catholics, saw his conversion as apostasy. They tried to bribe him with a set of drums he’d longed for. Finally they threw him out of the house. Frank suffered intensely, but he kept faith with what he thought was right. And all of us young people in our church hurt for him.
Paul knew the ambivalence that must come when someone becomes a believer and suffers persecution as a result. But Paul reminded himself and the Thessalonians that you “became imitators of God’s churches in Judea.” There’s a long tradition of suffering linked with Christian commitment. Things don’t automatically get better. They may get worse!
When those we love suffer for their faith, we can hurt with them. But we must remember that suffering is nothing new. What is new is the fact that God’s Word is at work in us. And in this we can rejoice.

“Our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory” 1 Thes. 2:17–3:13. When the very elements that make up this universe dissolve in fervent heat, only human beings will remain. Paul had chosen to love people, rather than things. When Christ comes again, Paul’s hope, joy, and crown of rejoicing will be present with him, preserved for all eternity.
Paul was forced to leave these very precious people when the rioting began in Thessalonica. No wonder he sent Timothy to visit them as soon as he could (3:1–5), and was filled with joy when he brought back a good report (vv. 6–13).
Let’s make others the focus of our concern, and the touchstone of our values, so that they become our joy.

DEVOTIONAL
Home, Sweet Home
(1 Thes. 2:1–12)
I suppose I had many reasons for taking the bus home from college so many weekends. I did bring back bags of dirty laundry, like most college guys. But the real reason was that nothing felt quite like home. Nothing was quite as comfortable as Mom baking bread in the tiny kitchen, or Dad smoking his pipe on the front porch. Nothing felt quite so “right” as watching Dad wash the dishes while Mom dried, or sprawling in an easy chair while Mom read aloud stories and articles from the Saturday Evening Post.
Home was warm, comfortable, a place where I was welcomed and loved even if I was a college man now, and out on my own. Home had a climate all its own.
Paul understood this as well as anyone. He knew that home is the one really effective climate for evangelism and for spiritual growth. So Paul not only brought others the Gospel in word, he created a sense of family by the way he loved every member of the Thessalonian church.
What people need today, perhaps even more than in other times, is that climate of warmth, intimacy, and caring that marks a loving home. The church that provides this climate will be sure to grow. And its members will become mature.

Personal Application
Build your church as birds build nests—one tiny twig of love at a time.

Quotable
WE EXIST TO PROVIDE LOVE AND CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER . . .
through sharing each other’s needs, burdens, and joys
through serving each other in a sacrificial way
through learning how to love and be loved.
God in His grace, has given us to each other. An integral part of our life as His body is caring for and supporting each other.—From the Mission Statement, Crossroads Community Church

AGAINST ALIEN NATIONS
Jeremiah 46–52

“That day belongs to the LORD, the LORD Almighty—a day of vengeance, for vengeance on His foes” (Jer. 46:10).

If judgment truly begins at the house of God, as Hebrews suggests, how will God’s enemies escape? In these chapters Jeremiah directed his message of impending judgment to the nations that had mistreated God’s covenant people.

Overview
A collection of oracles condemning foreign enemies concludes the book. Jeremiah described judgment about to fall on Egypt (46:1–28), Philistia (47:1–7), Moab (48:1–47), Ammon (49:1–6), Edom (vv. 7–22), Damascus [Syria] and others (vv. 23–39), but especially on Babylon (50:1–51:64). The book concludes by recapping Jerusalem’s fall (52:1–34).

Understanding the Text
“Concerning Egypt” Jer. 46:1–28. For over a thousand years Egypt had tried to extend its sphere of influence to include Canaan—and had often succeeded. Godly King Josiah fell in 605 G.p. fighting Pharaoh Neco, and Judah’s last kings had been encouraged to rebel against Babylon by empty promises of Egyptian aid. Egypt had proven herself a brutal overlord and a deceptive ally. Thus Jeremiah portrayed Egypt as a warlike nation intent on conquest (vv. 1–9). But the day of battle belongs to the Lord. Pharaoh was only a “loudmouth” (v. 17): the sword will “devour till it is satisfied” (v. 10).
There is irony in verses 11 and 12. From the third millennium G.p. Egypt was renowned for her physicians, medicines, and books on healing. But now for Egypt herself “there is no healing.”
While verse 28 makes it clear that Jeremiah is speaking of a contemporary defeat of Egypt by the Babylonians, the Lord intends events to convey a timeless message. God is in charge of history. The defeat of Egypt is evidence that the Lord can—and one day will-deliver His people and return them to their land (vv. 27–28).
History still witnesses to the moral nature of our universe and conveys a message of hope. Nations built on evil, as was Nazi Germany, carry the seeds of their own destruction. God values righteousness and peace, and one day will give His people both.

“Concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza” Jer. 47:1–7. The chronological note is obscure but suggests that Jeremiah focused on current events. The Egyptians were about to crush the remnants of Judah’s ancient enemies, so terrifying them that fathers would not even turn back to help their own children (v. 3).
Note that God used the agency of one of His people’s enemies to bring ruin to another. You and I don’t need to take revenge on those who mistreat or harm us. Such people have plenty of other enemies God can and will use to repay them!

“Concerning Moab” Jer. 48:1–47. The Moabites originally occupied the high plains east of the Jordan River. Moab had tried to seduce the Israelites into immorality and idolatry on their journey from Egypt (Num. 25:1–3), and the two peoples were generally hostile to each other after that time. The prophecies in this chapter seem to summarize the oracles other Old Testament prophets directed against this people (cf. Isa. 15–16; Ezek. 25:8–11; Amos 2:1–3; Zeph. 2:8–11).
The destruction described here is merited, for in her complacency (Jer. 48:11–15) and conceit (vv. 26–34) Moab “defied the LORD” (v. 42). Despite this the Lord lamented over Moab (v. 36), and in the future will “restore [her] fortunes” (v. 47).
One of the most significant features of biblical prophecies of judgment is that they typically conclude just like the oracle against Moab. Sins are exposed, judgment is decreed, and yet, always, God expresses His love and promises that after necessary discipline His people will be restored. Even foreign nations, with no claim to a covenant relationship with the Lord, are to be justly punished for their sins but, in the end, their fortunes too will be restored.
We can understand such promises made to Israel and Judah. After all, God by a formal, legal covenant committed Himself to bless Abraham’s children. But He has no such obligation to foreign nations that not only fail to know Him, but are even enemies of His chosen people. Yet again and again we see that God intends to bless all peoples—not because He has to, but simply because He cares.
Theologians speak of a doctrine called “common grace.” Somehow God has chosen to bless all human beings in many ways, whether they know and trust Him or not. Reading the oracle against Moab we sense, despite its theme of judgment, a strong current of very uncommon grace! God’s love will leap over every obstacle. He will find a way to redeem His enemies as well as His own.

“Concerning” others Jer. 49:1–39. Several hostile peoples are dealt with in this chapter. Again the focus is on the contemporary historical setting rather than the “last days.” Babylon, the agent God will use to discipline His people, will also strike the Jews’ enemies. In one act God will both discipline His own people, and punish those historically hostile to them.
The message of these chapters must have been encouraging to the exiles once they were in Babylon. When they struggled to understand why, as we all do when tragedy strikes, the revelation of God’s purpose to punish the nations as well as Judah would help His people sense the consistency and fairness of the Lord. God is a moral judge, who will punish all sin. Yes, He disciplines us. But He is evenhanded in His acts. He disciplines us. And He punishes those who are not His own. And, most wonderful of all, He offers pardon to all.

“Concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians” Jer. 50:1–51:64. Jeremiah’s major oracle against foreign nations was reserved for Babylon. The spectacular rise of this Chaldean power would be matched by a sudden fall (50:1–20). God would call other nations against her, for “the LORD has opened His arsenal and brought out the weapons of His wrath” (vv. 21–27). The exiles of Judah would return triumphantly to their homeland (vv. 28–40) after God called up an army from the north to crush Judah’s conqueror (vv. 41–46). Amid further descriptions of Babylon’s doom (51:1–5, 11–19), the prophet added a warning to the people of Judah. Babylon was beyond healing. When the time came to return home, the people of Judah should “flee from Babylon.”
This lengthy prophecy carries a postscript. Seraiah, an official who accompanied Zedekiah to Babylon in 594/3 G.p. (cf. v. 59), was to read these prophecies against Babylon to the captives already there, and then sink his copy in the river, to symbolize the impossibility of Babylon arising again.

“All this happened to Jerusalem and Judah” Jer. 52:1–34. Jeremiah had written in most passionate language about Judah’s sins, and about impending judgment. But now, in a brief appendix, there is only a blunt, straightforward account of Jerusalem’s fall. It is almost as if all emotion has been exhausted, all passion drained. There is hardly even a capacity to feel horror, for the terrible has become commonplace. Zedekiah rebelled. The Babylonians finally took the city from starving defenders. The king’s children were executed and he was blinded. The temple was burned and its holy vessels cut up for transportation to Babylon. Key spiritual and military leaders left alive were executed. The few thousand survivors were then transported to Babylon.
It’s left for us to read between the lines, if we wish. To feel the hunger and fear; the anguish of watching loved ones die. To sense the anger and hatred that surged—often against Jeremiah—as the futility of resistance became more and more clear. But all that was past now. It was over. And, in Babylon, the remnant of the people of Judah would be given a fresh start.
Judgment never is pleasant. But the historical accounts of Scripture remind us that judgment is sure.

DEVOTIONAL
Babylon Must Fall
(Jer. 50–51)
The awesome specter of Babylon dominates many chapters of the historical and prophetic books of the Old Testament. The impression made on God’s people by this ancient kingdom is so great that the name has been transformed into a symbol. The symbol is seen most clearly in Revelation 17 and 18, where Babylon stands first for humanistic religion, and then for materialistic human society. All man’s achievements, all that human beings strive and hope for in this world, is summed up in that one word, Babylon.
I’m not an exponent of allegorical interpretation of Scripture. Or of spiritualizing the Old Testament. Yet in these chapters describing the coming destruction of historic Babylon, something more than history is at stake. The prophet says, “Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon” (Jer. 51:49). And somehow, in those words, I hear a message for me today. Babylon, with its worldly hopes and worldly ways, with its focus on wealth and power, with its pride in human achievement, is responsible for so much spiritual deadness. The excitement of hitching a ride to Babylon, of making it big in the Big City, has made God’s priorities and His ways seem dull and even foolish to many. Yes, Babylon must fall, because so many are slain by her superficial attractiveness.
And the very first place Babylon must fall is from my heart.

Personal Application
Only a heart fixed on God will have no room for love of the world.

Quotable
“Worldliness is a spirit, a temperament, an attitude of the soul. It is a life without high callings, life devoid of lofty ideals. It is a gaze always horizontal and never vertical.”—J. Henry Jowett

FLIGHT TO EGYPT
Jeremiah 40–45

“You made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, ’Pray to the LORD our God’ ” (Jer. 42:19–20).

Knowing the will of God obligates us to do it. Better not to ask God’s will unless you intend to do it!

Overview
Brisk narrative chapters tell of the assassination of the Babylonian-appointed governor, Gedaliah (40:1–41:15), and the Jewish remnant’s hasty flight to Egypt despite Jeremiah’s warnings (v. 16–43:13). Now destruction faced the fleeing population, which persisted in idolatry (44:1–30). A footnote contains God’s promise to, and rebuke of, Baruch (45:1–5).

Understanding the Text
“You people sinned against the LORD” Jer. 40:1–6. Jeremiah was found chained with other captives due to be sent to Babylon. We do not know whether or not the Babylonian commander truly believed what he said to Jeremiah when he set the prophet free (vv. 1–3). But his words show that the enemy was well acquainted with the prophet’s message.
We never know how far our words carry when we witness to our faith in God or share His message with others.

“Gedaliah . . . took an oath to reassure them” Jer. 40:7–41:15. Gedaliah is one of Scripture’s least-known but most attractive figures. When he was appointed to govern Judah, he took pains to reassure the remaining population. He promised to represent their interests to the Babylonians, and settled them on productive land where they would have food and ultimately prosper.
At first all went well. Reassured by Gedaliah’s appointment, Jews who had fled to neighboring countries returned, and the initial harvest was abundant. When warned of a plot to assassinate him, Gedaliah brushed it aside, refusing to believe the worst of a person he thought of as honorable and a friend. In all this Gedaliah showed himself to be a truly good man. But Gedaliah was an exception, and good men do not prosper in the land of the wicked. He was murdered, along with the small garrison of Babylonian soldiers left in Judah.
Perhaps only the words of Isaiah provide insight when a person like Gedaliah dies before his time, and the wicked seem to prosper. “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death” (Isa. 57:1–2).

“Please hear our petition” Jer. 41:16–42:3. The murders terrified the Jewish population. Surely the Babylonians would avenge this terrorist act! All the remaining Jews, under discharged army officers led by Johanan son of Kareah, assembled and begged Jeremiah to ask God what they should do.
On the surface this step seems a pious and wise one. But, as noted earlier, it is dangerous to ask God for guidance unless we fully intend to do as He directs.

“May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything [you] tell us” Jer. 42:4–22. After a 10-day delay, Jeremiah brought the anxious remnant God’s answer. The message was unequivocable and clear. The Jews were to remain in the land; God would see to it that Nebuchadnezzar dealt kindly with them. They were definitely not to go to Egypt. If the people did try to flee to Egypt, “not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.”
As the men of Jeremiah’s day were about to discover, it’s not what we don’t know of God’s will that may be our problem. Knowing God’s will carries the obligation to do God’s will. Failure to do what we know is right is far more serious than not understanding what the Lord requires.

One of the most exciting finds by archeologists in Jerusalem is the bullae (seal) used by Baruch, the scribe to whom Jeremiah dictated this Old Testament book. The seal, illustrated here, was used as an authenticating stamp and reads “to/from Baruch // son of Neriah // the scribe.”

“They entered Egypt in disobedience” Jer. 43:1–13. The people of Jeremiah’s time had decided beforehand what they wanted God to say. When Jeremiah’s message disagreed with their expectations, they accused Jeremiah of lying!
It seems like such an easy way out. You don’t like what the Bible says? Well then, just decide not to believe it! You feel uncomfortable about this or that passage? Then just ignore it, or revise it to suit. A contemporary paraphrase by Shirley Maclaine, the New Age Version, renders Romans 3:23 as: “For all have experienced momentary lapses and have come up a tad shy of the Divine Entity’s absolute idea, but hey, nobody’s perfect. So don’t worry. Be happy!”
Nice try, Shirley. But this admittedly more cheery phrasing does not change the truth affirmed in the original. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And it has no impact on the fact that “the wages of sin is death” (6:23). One can choose to deny, ignore, or reinterpret the Word of God. But nothing a person does can change the fact that what God says is true and binding.

“To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence” Jer. 44:1–30. Rebelliously the leaders and remaining people of Judah announced that they were going to Egypt anyway. What’s more, “We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers . . . did in . . . the streets of Jerusalem.”
This defiance of God and His Word was the final demonstration of the attitude which cost the people of Judah their kingdom. Now the remaining few trudged into Egypt, terrified of the Babylonians behind them, but blind to the destruction that God assured them lay ahead.
And so the remnant disappeared into the desert, as the focus of God’s plans for His people shifted to highlight the captives in Babylon.

DEVOTIONAL
Seeking Great Things
(Jer. 45)
Baruch was a frustrated man. His confrontation with Jehoiakim over the words Jeremiah dictated to him had ruined his prospects! He saw a bright career going down the drain.
We know from the text of Jeremiah that Baruch was a member of a respected Jerusalemite family (36:4), and that his brother was an official in the royal court (51:59). He was trained as a scribe, very likely in order to serve in government. Everything about Baruch—background, education, connections—suggests that he could normally expect to gain a high-status, high-paying position in the local aristocracy.
And then somehow Baruch got mixed up with Jeremiah, was linked with that unpopular prophet in the mind of King Jehoiakim—and that was it! No high pay. No fancy chariot. No job with the king. Kaput! And so Baruch pouted, and complained, “Woe to me.”
I suppose we can identify with Baruch to some extent. He had great plans for himself, and a real prospect of making it big. When his plans crashed down around him, he became despondent, “worn out with groaning” and finding “no rest.” Life didn’t seem worth living to Baruch unless he achieved his goals, and made it in the big city.
It was then God spoke to Baruch, and rebuked him. God was about to bring the whole society crashing down! “Should you then seek great things for yourself?”
Bluntly God told Baruch, “Seek them not.” And then God made a promise. In the coming disaster the Lord would give Baruch something more precious than position—God would let Baruch “escape with your life.”
Sometimes we need to be reminded, as Baruch was. We may not see the realization of our dreams. We may not reach the potential we think we have. We may never take our place among the rich and famous of this world. But compared to the gift that God has given us, the gift of life, these things mean little. “Seek them not,” is still some of the best advice Scripture has for the godly. Instead of wanting what we do not have, let’s be grateful for God’s gift of life. And use our lives to serve Him.

Personal Application
Satisfaction is not found in getting what you want, but in wanting what you get.

Quotable
“Greatness after all, in spite of its name, appears to be not so much a certain size as a certain quality in human lives. It may be present in lives whose range is very small.”—Phillips Brooks