The Wiersbe Bible Study Series: Philippians: Even When Things Go Wrong, You Can Have Joy
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About this ebook
Unlock the treasure of the “joy epistle,” which pinpoints the joy-stealers in life and shows why you don’t need to be anxious. Like us, the believers at Philippi needed to understand what it means to be joyful in Christ, no matter what the circumstances may be. However, God wants us to discover the secret of true joy and contentment by living in His will.
Written in a personal, easy-to-understand style, join Dr. Warren Wiersbe, trusted pastor and respected Bible teacher, as he leads you on a journey to opening your mind and heart to the riches of God in the Wiersbe Bible Study Series.
Warren W. Wiersbe
Warren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of the Moody Church and general director of Back to the Bible, has traveled widely as a Bible teacher and conference speaker. Because of his encouragement to those in ministry, Dr. Wiersbe is often referred to as "the pastor’s pastor." He has ministered in churches and conferences throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. Dr. Wiersbe has written over 150 books, including the popular BE series of commentaries on every book of the Bible, which has sold more than four million copies. At the 2002 Christian Booksellers Convention, he was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Dr. Wiersbe and his wife, Betty, live in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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Book preview
The Wiersbe Bible Study Series - Warren W. Wiersbe
THE WIERSBE BIBLE STUDY SERIES: PHILIPPIANS
Published by David C Cook
4050 Lee Vance View
Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.
David C Cook Distribution Canada
55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5
David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications
Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England
The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,
no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form
without written permission from the publisher.
All Scripture quotations in this study are taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version of the Bible®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
In the Be Joyful excerpts, all Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from
the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked ph
are taken from J. B. Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English, revised editions
© J. B. Phillips, 1958, 1960, 1972, permission of Macmillan Publishing Co. and Collins
Publishers; and nasb are taken from the New American Standard Bible,
© Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
ISBN 978-0-7814-4570-2
eISBN 978-1-4347-6565-9
© 2007 Warren W. Wiersbe
Be Joyful by Warren W. Wiersbe © 1974, 2005 David C Cook,
ISBN 978-0-89693-739-0, LCCN 74-76328.
The Team: Steve Parolini, Gudmund Lee, Jack Campbell, Theresa With, and Susan Vannaman
Cover Design: John Hamilton Design
Cover Photo: ©iStock
First Edition 2007
Contents
Introduction to Philippians
How to Use This Study
Lesson 1
Joy in Chains (Philippians 1:1–26)
Lesson 2
The Battlefield (Philippians 1:27–30)
Lesson 3
Like Minded (Philippians 2:1–11)
Lesson 4
Christian Living (Philippians 2:12–30)
Lesson 5
New Values (Philippians 3:1–11)
Lesson 6
The Race (Philippians 3:12–16)
Lesson 7
The Not Yet (Philippians 3:17–21)
Lesson 8
Contentment (Philippians 4:1–23)
Bonus Lesson
Summary and Review
Introduction to Philippians
Jesus Christ was a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief
(Isa. 53:3 KJV). Yet, He possessed a deep joy that was beyond anything the world could offer.
Those who have trusted Christ have the privilege of experiencing fullness of joy
(Ps. 16:11 KJV). However, few Christians take advantage of this privilege. They live under a cloud of disappointment when they could be walking in the sunshine of joy.
Thieves of Joy
Most of us must confess that when things are going our way
we feel a lot happier and we are much easier to live with. But have you ever stopped to consider how few circumstances we actually control? We have no control over the weather or over the traffic or over the things other people say and do. The person whose happiness depends on ideal circumstances is going to be miserable much of the time. And yet here is the apostle Paul in the worst of circumstances, writing a letter saturated with joy!
All of us have lost joy because of people—what they are, what they say, and what they do. But we have to live and work with people; we cannot isolate ourselves and still live to glorify Christ.
And things! What thieves they can be. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned against storing up treasures on earth—they are not safe, they do not last, and they never satisfy. Yet most people today think that joy comes from the things they own.
Worry may be the worst thief of all. How many people have been robbed of peace and fulfillment because of anxiety? Worry even has physical consequences, and, while medicine can remove the symptoms, it cannot remove the cause. If Paul had wanted to worry, he had plenty of occasions. He was a political prisoner facing possible execution. His friends in Rome were divided in their attitudes toward his case. But in spite of these difficulties, Paul does not worry.
These, then, are the four thieves that rob us of joy: circumstances, people, things, and worry. How do we capture these thieves and keep them from taking away the joy that is rightfully ours in Christ? We must cultivate the right kind of mind.
Attitudes That Cultivate Joy
The reason many Christians are upset by circumstances is because they do not cultivate the single mind.
When a Christian is single-minded, he is concerned about the fellowship of the gospel, the furtherance of the gospel, and the faith of the gospel. Paul rejoiced in his circumstances because they helped strengthen his fellowship with other Christians, gave him opportunity to lead others to Christ, and enabled him to defend the gospel before the courts of Rome. When you have the single mind, your circumstances work for you, not against you.
In chapter 1 Paul puts Christ first, and in chapter 2 he puts others second, which means he puts himself last. If we go through life putting ourselves first, and others go through