Exalting Jesus in Philippians [Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary]

248 Pages·2016·1.4 MB·English

by  Tony Merida

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Series Introduction
Partnership and Church Planting in Philippi 1:1-2
The Happiest Man in Rome 1:3-8
Praying for Your Partners in the Gospel 1:9-11
How to Maintain Joy in Ministry 1:12-18
A Life Worth Living and a Death Worth Dying
1:18b-26
Living Worthy of the Gospel Together 1:27–2:4
A Christ-Centered Mind-set 2:5-11
Shining Like Stars 2:12-18
Model Servants 2:19-30
The Glory of Knowing Christ 3:1-11
Making Every Effort to Know Christ 3:12-21
Shepherding a Church’s Heart 4:1-9
Models of Giving and Receiving 4:10-23
Works Cited
Scripture Index

“Dr. Merida has produced a commentary that is faithful to the text, sensitive to
voices of the past, and full of practical applications. Here we see exegesis and
applications wedded in a beautiful and Christ-exalting way. This is the work of a
pastor-scholar writing for the church within the church.”
Edgar Aponte, Director of Hispanic Leadership Development and Instructor
at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary “Tony Merida has accomplished a
rare achievement! His commentary on Philippians is skilled without being
stuffy, clear without being simplistic, and at its core you will find a scholar’s
mind and a preacher’s heart. He has provided a great gift to pastors and students
of the Word.”
Bernie A. Cueto, campus pastor and assistant professor of Biblical and
Theological Studies, Palm Beach Atlantic University “While many
commentaries are written by scholars for scholars, Tony Merida and Francis
Chan’s Exalting Jesus in Philippians is written for preachers by preachers. (Two
of the most prominent ones at that!) Like their sermons, Merida and Chan’s
commentary is informative and conversational, humorous and convicting. They
seamlessly transition from a quip about Quarterback Tom Brady to a quote by
New Testament scholar Gordon Fee, from a joke by comedian Jim Gaffigan to a
citation of St. Cyprian. Sections of the commentary are punctuated with
devotional questions to help readers reflect and discuss, which makes this book
not only a priceless resource for pastors but also a viable option for small
groups. In addition to their insights as preachers, Merida and Chan share Paul’s
fervent heart for church planting and his profound heartache for the lost, which
provides a fresh, extraordinary perspective on Philippians.”
Joseph R. Dodson, Associate Professor of New Testament, Ouachita Baptist
University “This commentary, like all in this series, does not disappoint. Tony
faithfully takes us to the text, equipping us to faithfully take the text to our
churches and to our streets. Exalting Jesus in Philippians will be a high-caliber
addition to your arsenal as you joyfully seek to make Jesus known to all people
in every circumstance as we look to the day when ‘every tongue will confess that
Jesus is Lord,’ to the glory of God the Father.”
Mike Hanafee, pastor, Restoration Church, Detroit, Michigan
“This commentary on Philippians is a gift to pastors because it blends qualities
rarely combined in commentaries: faithful text-work, careful application, and
winsome communication. Tony and Francis stay anchored to Scripture, model a
heart for people, and most importantly, keep their eyes on Jesus. As preachers,
we should always do the same, and this commentary will serve us well.”
C. J. Mahaney, senior pastor, Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville
“Precise and diligent exposition of God’s Word must remain a core value of
God’s people if the church is going to continue to fulfill God’s purposes. This
commentary will strengthen and encourage that value among the churches for
years to come. It does an excellent job of unpacking the riches of Philippians in a
way that is clear, Christ exalting, and gospel saturated. Filled with helpful
illustrations and thoughtful applications, I am confident that this will be a
powerful tool in the hands of those who love God’s Word and desire to handle it
rightly.”
Kevin Peck, Lead Pastor of the Austin Stone Community Church, Austin,
Texas
Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary: Exalting Jesus in Philippians
© Copyright 2016 by Tony Merida and Francis Chan
B&H Publishing Group
Nashville, Tennessee
All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-0-8054-9758-8
Dewey Decimal Classification: 220.7
Subject Heading: BIBLE. O.T. PHILIPPIANS—COMMENTARIES \ JESUS
CHRIST
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holman Christian
Standard Bible ® Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible
Publishers. Used by permission.
Scripture marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright ©
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Scripture citations marked NIV are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by
Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living
Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 • 21 20 19 18 17 16
VP
SERIES DEDICATION
Dedicated to Adrian Rogers and John Piper. They have taught us to love the
gospel of Jesus Christ, to preach the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, to pastor
the church for which our Savior died, and to have a passion to see all nations
gladly worship the Lamb.
—David Platt, Tony Merida, and Danny Akin March 2013
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Just as Paul opens up by thanking God for the Philippians, I, too, want to
express my gratitude to God for several gospel partners.
Thank you, Imago Dei Church, for being such a joy to pastor. The elders count
it an undeserved privilege to shepherd such a Bible-loving, missionary-minded
congregation. It was a joy to study Philippians with you.
I’m also indebted to Samuel Rogers, Ben Palka, and BreAnna Lewis for
helping me put the finishing touches on the commentary.
To my bride, Kimberly, and our five children, thank you for your constant
love, support, and prayers. May God continue to bless us as we seek to exalt
Jesus together.
Finally, I want to say thank you to Sandra Schmid for tracking down the audio
files of Francis Chan’s sermons through Philippians. I was greatly edified and
blessed by these messages. I have incorporated many of Francis’s ideas into the
body of the commentary. When a personal illustration is used, I try to identify to
whom it is referring (me or Francis). Thank you, Francis, for the joy of
partnering in this venture. I pray that this commentary will be used in the
multiplication of disciples around the world, for the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Tony Merida
SERIES INTRODUCTION
Augustine said, “Where Scripture speaks, God speaks.” The editors of the
Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series believe that where God
speaks, the pastor must speak. God speaks through His written Word. We must
speak from that Word. We believe the Bible is God breathed, authoritative,
inerrant, sufficient, understandable, necessary, and timeless. We also affirm that
the Bible is a Christ-centered book; that is, it contains a unified story of
redemptive history of which Jesus is the hero. Because of this Christ-centered
trajectory that runs from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22, we believe the Bible
has a corresponding global-missions thrust. From beginning to end, we see
God’s mission as one of making worshipers of Christ from every tribe and
tongue worked out through this redemptive drama in Scripture. To that end we
must preach the Word.
In addition to these distinct convictions, the Christ-Centered Exposition
Commentary series has some distinguishing characteristics. First, this series
seeks to display exegetical accuracy. What the Bible says is what we want to
say. While not every volume in the series will be a verse-by-verse commentary,
we nevertheless desire to handle the text carefully and explain it rightly. Those
who teach and preach bear the heavy responsibility of saying what God has said
in His Word and declaring what God has done in Christ. We desire to handle
God’s Word faithfully, knowing that we must give an account for how we have
fulfilled this holy calling (Jas 3:1).
Second, the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series has pastors in
view. While we hope others will read this series, such as parents, teachers,
small-group leaders, and student ministers, we desire to provide a commentary
busy pastors will use for weekly preparation of biblically faithful and gospel-
saturated sermons. This series is not academic in nature. Our aim is to present a
readable and pastoral style of commentaries. We believe this aim will serve the
church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Third, we want the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series to be
known for the inclusion of helpful illustrations and theologically driven
applications. Many commentaries offer no help in illustrations, and few offer
any kind of help in application. Often those that do offer illustrative material and