I N D E X
THE PARABLES
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(2) Suffering, Rejoicing and Reward - The Sermon on the Mount says:
`Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven' (Matt. 5:11,12).
Philippians says:
`But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather
unto the furtherance of the gospel; so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other
places ... some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: the one preach
Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds ... What then? ... I therein do
rejoice, yea, and will rejoice ... For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him,
but also to suffer for His sake' (Phil. 1:12-18, 29).
(3) Perfection, the Standard
`Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect' (Matt. 5:48).
`Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect ... Let us therefore, as many as would be
perfect, be thus minded. According to a mark I press toward the prize' (Phil. 3:12-15 Author's translation).
(4) Sonship should be manifest
`Love your enemies ... that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven' (Matt. 5:44,45).
`That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke' (Phil. 2:15).
(5) The light must shine
`Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven' (Matt. 5:16).
`Shine ye (A.V. margin) as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life' (Phil. 2:15,16).
(6) A spirit of yielding in contrast with self-assertion
`Blessed are the poor in spirit' (Matt. 5:3),
`Blessed are the meek' (Matt. 5:5),
`Resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any
man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall
compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain' (Matt. 5:39-41).
`Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus ... the form of God ... the form of a servant ... He
humbled Himself' (Phil. 2:5-8).
`Let your moderation (yieldingness) be known unto all men' (Phil. 4:5).
(7) Anxiety over daily affairs
`Take no thought (merimnao) for your life' (Matt. 6:25). `Take no thought for the morrow' (Matt. 6:34).
`Be careful (merimnao) for nothing' (Phil. 4:6).
The verb merimnao, `to take anxious thought; be anxious', occurs in the prison epistles only in Philippians.
There in that epistle it occurs twice. Seen together they present the truth complete.
`Be careful (anxious) for nothing' (Phil. 4:6).
`I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state (be anxious concerning your affairs). For
all seek their own' (Phil. 2:20,21) .
It is impossible to be anxious over self, if one seeks first the kingdom of God and the blessing of others.
This spirit should be that of all who seek the prize.
(8) Contrasted with the reward is destruction
`Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction (apoleia), and many there be which go in
thereat' (Matt. 7:13).