Two Brothers Building up the Body

  Today we’ll be wrapping up the book of Philippians. When I started preaching through this book November of 2024 I had no clue where the Lord would take me. I had simply wanted to remember that the joy of the Lord is found in Himself, not in anything here in this world. And as we’ve gone week by week, we’ve been reminded again and again that joy is not tied to our outward circumstances. That’s why Paul could write with such confidence from a Roman prison cell, because his joy was anchored in Christ, not in comfort or freedom. Yet, because he had “the mind of Christ” he was able to rejoice despite his circumstances. The gospel was being advanced and that brought him further joy. I also wanted to remind us of the personal nature of this letter, that Paul loved the believers there in Philippi and wrote to help them and thank them. Let’s go to our text now.  “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared...

  A couple of weeks ago I took up the first seven verses of Philippians chapter 4. We talked about Euodia and Syntyche and their dispute. We talked about the importance of rejoicing in the Lord despite circumstances. We were reminded that there is nothing we need to be anxious about, because we can come before His throne with our cares and lay them at His feet and we were told that “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard [our] hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Today we’ll be taking up the next seven verses and so I’ll read them now: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived y...

2 Chronicles 34 There are few figures in the Old Testament as refreshing as Josiah. He appears briefly, steps into a spiritual wasteland, and responds with zeal, faith, and obedience—without coercion, without manipulation, and without waiting for ideal circumstances. His life gives us a blueprint for godly leadership and practical devotion, even in spiritually dark days. Zeal for God (vv. 1–13) Josiah began to reign at just eight years old, inheriting not only a kingdom but also a history soaked in idolatry. His father, Amon, and grandfather Manasseh, had filled Judah with idols of every kind. Josiah could have accepted his surroundings as “normal.” He could have shrugged and said, “It’s just how things are; who am I to change it?” Instead, at sixteen years old, he began to seek after the God of David. By twenty, he acted. Verses 4–7 describe his campaign against the idols. He tears down altars, crushes carved images, and purges the land of the religious corruption that had become ...