Chestnut Mountain Church

Who is influencing you? Who are you following? In Philippians 3:17-21, Paul is telling the Philippians to follow his example of following Christ. As a Christian, you have to follow somebody. There are going to be good examples and bad examples. The bad examples Paul gives are the false teachers that Paul continues to warn the Philippians about. Be careful of who is influencing you. Are the people...

In Philippians 3:12-16, Paul is remind the Philippians that salvation isn’t the finish line, but it is the starting line. As believers, we must work to reflect Christ and the work He has done in us. We aren’t doing works hoping that God will take hold of us but we are doing it in response of taking hold of us. The reason that we work for the Lord is not so that we earn His love but in response to...

In Philippians 3:1-10, Paul is warning them of the false teachers as from a Jewish mindset, they thought that they could earn God’s love and acceptance if they checked all the boxes and did what they were supposed to do. The false teachers are trying to reintroduce the idea that they have to earn God’s love. Paul is warning them not to go back to the bondage that they have been saved from because...

In Philippians 2:19-30, Paul speaks in high regard to the church of Philippi about Timothy and Epaphroditus. Through both of their lives, we see the importance of the local church pouring into people and the faithfulness of their serving for the advancement of the gospel. These were just ordinary men that God used to serve and spread the gospel. Through their humility, faithfulness, and obedience,...

In Philippians 2:9-18, Paul is wanting to get out in front of a known conflict/disagreement before it trickles into the church. He reminds the Philippians that they have been called to represent the name of Jesus and they need to live in the harmony of the Lord. As Paul says, we must work out our salvation in fear and trembling. This doesn’t mean we work for our salvation but working as a result o...

In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul reminds the Philippians of the attitude and mindset that they should take on. The attitude Paul describes is that of Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ, we must take on this same attitude and mindset of Jesus. When we realize that it’s not about us, everything changes. Serving God is not a temporary service; it is a lifestyle. In the moment of salvation, we stepped int...

In Philippians 2:1-5, Paul is talking about being unified with the same attitude. As citizens of Heaven, we are called to live lives worthy of the gospel, and that includes having the same mindset of the gospel so that we can serve one another humbly. If we want to walk in gospel unity, it is driven by the love of Christ. We must do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit. It’s not just taking...

What is your purpose in life? This question is one you probably often ask yourself throughout your life. To discover our purpose though, we must first discover Christ. Purpose in life begins with a relationship with Christ. As followers of Christ, our supreme purpose in life is to tell others about the gospel. The most meaningful gospel ministry takes place in your neighborhood, in your workplace,...

What is our attitude when it comes to life and death? Paul’s attitude is unique. In his letter to the Philippians, he expresses his attitude towards life and death to remind the Philippians about what matters most. Living and dying are all about Christ. Paul writes that to live is Christ and to die is gain. This is the purpose of life. We have been crucified and our life is Christ now. This is how...

What drives us to do what we do? What pushes a Christian to do what a Christian does? What motivates us? In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Paul addresses motivation among believers for those with pure motives and those without pure motives. Those with pure motives are preaching out of a heart of good will. This is the same kind of heart Paul has. In looking at these two groups of people, we see...

In Philippians 1:8-11, Paul prays that the Philippians’ love may grow with knowledge and discernment so they may be able to approve what is right and what is best. We have all walked through experiences, trials, and tragedies that we never saw coming. Even though our circumstances change, our Savior never changes. God is using these terrible situations to clear the way to make it possible to step...

In Philippians 1:8-11, Paul prays that the Philippians’ love may grow with knowledge and discernment so they may be able to approve what is right and what is best. This love that Paul writes of is agape love meaning that is it unconditional, sacrificial love. In the same way that Jesus has called us to love, He met us with this kind of love when He saved us. If we want to grow in this love, we nee...

Paul’s obedience led to the birth of the Church of Philippi. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we see that Paul takes this time to tell the Church of Philippi how much he loves them. Paul was the bright spot for the church and the church was the bright spot for Paul. Because of this joy, Paul thanked the church, remembered the church, and prayed for the church. The Church of Philippi was never...

As 1 Thessalonians 5 concludes, Paul speaks to the church of Thessalonica about the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives in terms of spirit habits they must have in relations to God. Our spiritual being requires exercise if it is going to be healthy and productive. It is the will of God that Christians express joy, prayer, and gratitude in all things. We also must not quench the work of the Holy...

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul is switching from talking about the Good News and now is going to talk about the bad news. Paul talks about the day of the Lord. Everyone will know that Jesus is Lord one day. Which side of the coin will you be on? Will be a believer or an unbeliever? The unbelievers are consumed by darkness and the believers are consumed by light. While we were still yet sinners, Christ...

The future is bright; there’s nothing to fear. In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul writes about the meeting in the air that we are promised as Christians to have one day with the second coming of Jesus. While we cannot comprehend what this meeting will be like and what all the details will be, we can read this passage of Scripture with hope as a Christian. Our hope is found in Christ and Christ alone. List...

In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul teaches that not only does the Holy Spirit empower us to overcome temptation but also empowers us to love. The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Because of the Holy Spirit pouring out love in our hearts, we are taught how to love. We are called to love one another the way a family loves each another. Now we are called to love each...

In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul reminds the Thessalonians as followers of Christ they are called to be set apart and to take advantage of the resource given to them, the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we have something living in us to help us overcome the temptations of this world, the Holy Spirit. Take advantage of the resource God has given you. Apart from Him we can do nothing. Someone who doesn’t know...

As Christians, we have a mission, we have been given a message, and we have been given power to carry that message. In Luke 24, after the resurrection, we see Jesus meeting the disciples on their level. He recognized their emotion and response. We see the empathy of our Savior. He is patient with fear and doubts. He also gave them a mission though. Jesus is telling them to stay in the city until t...

We have all lost something. We have all misplaced something in our life. There is nothing more frustrating than when you can’t find what you’re looking for. As we celebrate Easter, we look to the women who went to the tomb and became perplexed when they didn't find Jesus there. The angels told the women that they were perplexed because they were looking in the wrong place and they had forgotte...

This week is what defines our faith. This week is our identity as believers in Jesus. On Palm Sunday, we take time to remember what Jesus did for us. Jesus desired to lay His life down because of His love for us. For the believer, if we have trusted in Jesus and placed our faith in the finished work of the cross, the Lord’s Supper is the most humbling thing we can participate in as a follower of C...

In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3, Paul is talking to these new believers in Thessalonica about running and walking on this Christian journey. This journey with Christ is not about how fast we are moving but the fact that we are always moving forward. We always have to be moving forward. We should be walking in a manner to please God does not mean to earn his love but that we are living for Him. Paul is pu...

In 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13, we see the selflessness of Paul. Paul was always about other people. If we could imitate the selflessness of Paul, this would change our church, this would change our community, and turn our world upside down. Paul is thanking and praising God for all God is doing in everyone else’s life. Paul is constantly being persecuted, ridiculed, and punished for his faith but he c...

In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5, we see that Paul wanted to be with his church. Paul wanted to be with other believers. Paul was missing his church family. When is the last time that you have been burdened about a church family member? When is the last time you have been in agony over a brother or sister in Christ? God has called you here to have relationships with people. When you have relationships wit...

God was doing what He was doing in and through the church of Thessalonica because of the emphasis the Thessalonians were putting on God’s Word. The power has always been, always will, always going to be found in the Word. There is unity in the Word of God. If we open our hearts and minds, the power of God will bring salvation and perform a work in all of us. There’s power in the Word of God not ju...