Introduction

• Proverbs 23:23
• Objective – truth that exists independently of individual perspectives, emotions, or biases.
• Subjective – based on my individual experience, and not to be universally applied.
• John 8:44

Truth is inescapable

• Acts 17:16-21, 30-33 – Did their rejection mean that what Paul said wasn’t true? No!
• Some things are universally true.
• Some people believe people can choose to be cats.
• If you try to say there is no objective truth, you are making a statement about objective truth and are inconsistent with yourself.

Humans often have a flawed perception of truth, but that doesn’t mean truth doesn’t exist.

I may be opposed to the truth.

• II Timothy 3:7-9, 1-6

I may be mistaken.

• Hebrews 5:11-14
• Dan Barker tried to argue that since all Christians don’t agree, God may not exist. But all atheists don’t agree either!

I may be sincerely mistaken.

• Acts 26:9

I may be deceived.

• II John 1:7
• Matthew 7:15-18
• I John 4:1
• If I am deceived, I need to become more discerning.

Truth exists, even in the moral and spiritual realm.

• John 14:6 – Is this objective or subjective?
• John 17:17 – Is God’s word only true sometimes? No!
• John 8:31-32
• John 12:48 – God’s word will judge us.
• Romans 1:28-31, 18, 25
• Romans 2:5-8 – “the truth”

Introduction

• People often name Philippians as their favorite book of the Bible, mainly because it speaks so much about joy.
• Paul visited Philippi during his second missionary journey.
• Acts 16:6-15 – Paul arrives in Philippi after receiving the “Macedonian call” and immediately has success teaching the gospel, teaching Lydia and others.
• Acts 16:16-18 – Paul encounters a girl with an unclean spirit, which Paul casts out of the girl.
• Acts 16:19-24 – Paul and Silas are thrown in prison on false charges by the men who were using the girl for fortune-telling.
• Acts 16:25-30 – Paul and Silas were praying and singing when God released their bonds. The Philippian jailer asked what to do to be saved. He evidently knew enough to ask the question.
• Acts 16:31-34 – The Philippian jailer is baptized, along with his entire family.
• Acts 16:35-40 – Paul and Silas were released and escorted out of the city. Paul evidently wanted to make the point that they had done nothing wrong with regard to the gospel. He may have also been trying to make life easier for the disciples he was leaving behind.

Paul’s contact with the Philippians

• Second journey (Acts 16) – 50-53 AD
• Third journey (Acts 20:6) – 54-57 AD
• Letter from prison (Rome, Acts 28) – 61-63 AD

Philippians 1

• Philippians 1:1 – “Saints” just meant “holy ones” and was a common term for Christians. It did not have the special connotations that some apply to the term today.
  • New Testament terms for local church leaders
    • Presbuteros: translated as elder or presbyter
    • Episkopos: translated as overseer or bishop
    • Poimen: translated as pastor or shepherd
    • How do we know these words all refer to the same men? The words are used interchangeably in Acts 20:17, 28; I Peter 5:1-2.

What does scripture say?

• What is a wise man?
  • Context is everything
  • In New Testament, Greek “Magos”
  • Can mean magician, astronomer, scientist, doctor, etc.
  • True meaning usually derived from text
  • Acts 13:6 – Bar-Jesus (Elymas)
• Hebrew “Chakam”
  • Wise men – 124 times
  • Cunning – 10 times
  • Unwise – 2 times
  • Wiser – 2 times
  • Subtle (shrewd) – 1 time
  • Not the same as sorcerer (Kashaph) or magician (chartom)

Wise men in Old Testament

• Pharaohs had wise men AND sorcerers
  • Genesis 41:8
  • Exodus 7:11
• Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men – Daniel 2:2
  • Magicians – occult knowledge
  • Sorcerers
  • Conjurers – astrologers
  • Chaldeans – smartest people in the land (compare Bohemian)
• There were men who were wise
  • Their virtues were extolled
  • Deuteronomy 1:13-15
  • Proverbs 13:20; 29:8

Wisdom in the New Testament

• Compared to foolish – Matthew 7:24-27
• Their wisdom compared to God’s majesty – Romans 1:20-23
• Wisdom desirable for a Christian – Romans 16:19; Ephesians 5:15
• But not in one’s own eyes – Romans 11:25
• Not in the wisdom of this world – I Corinthians 1:20

What about the magi?

• Translations divided between “magi” and “wise men”
  • Transliteration versus translation
  • Selection of “wise men” over other possibilities
  • Dodging the issue by transliteration
    • Similar to “baptism”
• What happened
  • Matthew 2:1-12
    • Matthew 2:6 – This is a quote from Micah 5:2.
  • Took place “… after Jesus was born in Bethlehem …”
    • Not the night of His birth
    • Wise men from “the East”
      • Likely Persia (Iran)
      • One-way trip of 800-900 miles
      • Daniel 9:24-27
        • Written in Persia
        • Timeline given
      • Balaam’s prophecy? Numbers 24:17
    • Were they Jews?
      • Many had remained after the captivity
      • At the time, outnumbered Jews in Judea
      • “His star” was their signal of the event
  • Went to Jerusalem
    • Began inquiring whereabouts of Jesus
    • Stated intent to worship Him
    • Herod’s trouble
    • Scribes and priests understood prophecy of Micah
    • Herod got the timing of Jesus’ birth from appearance of star
    • Herod’s lie – intent to worship
    • Wise men go, find, give, worship
      • Star indicated where Jesus was
      • They rejoiced
      • Three gifts or gifts of three things?
        • Gold
          • Valuable, could fund journey to Egypt
          • Representative of royalty, divinity
        • Frankincense
          • Sap from the Boswellia tree – Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, South Africa, India
          • Also valuable in trade
          • Used in offerings (see Leviticus 2:1-2 – grain offerings)
          • Exodus 30:34 – Kept in the testimony of the tabernacle
          • Symbolic of Jesus as high priest?
        • Myrrh
          • Sap of Commiphora tree
          • Purification ritual – Esther 2:12
          • Anointing tabernacle, high priests, kings
          • Bitter taste – Mark 15:23
          • Embalming – John 19:39-40
      • Aided in Jesus’ escape
    • How did they know not to go back to Herod?
    • Herod’s subsequence action – Matthew 2:16-18

What can we say about the wise men?

• Read, understood, believed God’s word
• Sought Jesus – despite great effort involved
• Saw Him as God – to be humbly worshipped
• Saw Him as valuable – opened their treasures to Him
• In conflict of commands – Herod and God
• Chose to obey God

Introduction

• I Corinthians 1:1-3

Love them.

• I Corinthians 1:4 – These people were troublesome for Paul, but he was thankful for them.
• I Corinthians 4:14-15
• I Corinthians 10:14 – He loved them!
• I Corinthians 15:58
• I Corinthians 16:23-24
• The simple fact that he was writing to them shows his love for the Corinthians.
• There is nothing in the Bible that says you must have a relationship with someone before you can helm them spiritually. Paul spoke to complete strangers constantly.

Tell them what’s right and wrong.

• Paul was clear with the Corinthians:
  • I Corinthians 1:10-11 – divisions among them
  • I Corinthians 3:1 – men of flesh … infants in Christ
  • I Corinthians 4:7 – arrogant, as though I were not coming to you
  • I Corinthians 5:1 – immorality among you
  • I Corinthians 6:8 – you yourselves wrong and defraud
  • I Corinthians 9:11 – is it too much if we reap material things from you
  • I Corinthians 11:20 – when you meet … it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper
  • I Corinthians 15:12 – you say there is no resurrection of the dead
• I Corinthians 7:1-2, 10 – Paul got pretty personal!
• Imagine a doctor that won’t tell the patient what the problem is.

Minimize yourself and magnify God.

• I Corinthians 1:12-15 – Paul tried to minimize himself.
• I Corinthians 3:5
• I Corinthians 4:1-4 – Paul describes himself as a servant. We must all stand before God.
• I Corinthians 9:12, 15, 19-23

Be a good example.

• I Corinthians 4:16-17
  • We should not be seeking glory.
  • We already are examples.
• I Corinthians 11:1
• I Corinthians 8:13 – Paul would forego a liberty to prevent a brother from stumbling.
• I Corinthians 9:26-27
• We may not realize how much people are watching us.

Deuteronomy 32

• Deuteronomy 32:1-47 – The song of Moses.
  • See Deuteronomy 31:1-19 – This song was a warning of future events.
  • Note that the decision always belonged to the people. God was laying out the paths before them, but it was theirs to choose.
  • God is just. When we sin, it is our decision.
    • Romans 7:7-12
    • If there is not law, there is no sin. But we cannot blame God and His laws for our own sin. God’s laws are for our good. The problem is sin!
  • Deuteronomy 32:15 – “Jeshurun” is a poetic, ironic reference to Israel, meaning “upright one.”
  • Deuteronomy 32:21 – See Romans 10:19.
  • Deuteronomy 32:44-47 – Obey God or face the consequences!
• Deuteronomy 32:48-52 – Moses will die on Mt. Nebo.

Deuteronomy 33

• Deuteronomy 33:1-5 – Moses begins to bless the people.
• Deuteronomy 33:6-25 – Blessings for each tribe
  • Deuteronomy 33:6 – Reuben
  • Deuteronomy 33:7 – Judah
  • Deuteronomy 33:8-11 – Levi
    • It is not clear exactly what the Urim and Thummim were. Apparently, they were some sort of small token. See Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8. They were somehow used to determine the will of God.
  • Deuteronomy 33:12 – Benjamin
  • Deuteronomy 33:13-17 – Joseph
  • Deuteronomy 33:18-19 – Zebulun and Issachar
  • Deuteronomy 33:20-21 – Gad
  • Deuteronomy 33:22 – Dan
  • Deuteronomy 33:23 – Naphtali
  • Deuteronomy 33:24-25 – Asher
  • Note: Where is Simeon?
• Deuteronomy 33:26-29 – Conclusion of blessings

Deuteronomy 34

• Deuteronomy 34:1-12 – The death of Moses
  • Deuteronomy 34:1-8 – God shows Moses the land of Canaan then Moses dies and God buries him.
  • Deuteronomy 34:9-12 – Joshua takes over as leader of Israel.