How to read the Epistles - Philippians 4:10-20

November 07, 2011

Langdon Palmer

Can you really be content in all circumstances? Why does Paul say things that seem harsh ? Have you ever been inspired to read a book of the bible based on a great quote you saw, only to find there was a lot of other stuff in the book that seemed not so great? Was Paul grumpy in some of his comments to the Philippians? All of these questions turn around how we interpret the Epistles - the letters of Paul. Reading the Epistles is like reading someone else's mail and so we really need to understand the context if we are going to get what the author is trying to say. Today we look at Paul's famous verses about being content in all circumstances. We start by realizing that this was a letter written on a specific occasion - Paul is writing a thank you note to good friends for a gift they gave him. We end by looking at the secret of Paul's contentment. This recording starts several minutes into the sermon.

Episode Notes

Can you really be content in all circumstances? Why does Paul say things that seem harsh ? Have you ever been inspired to read a book of the bible based on a great quote you saw, only to find there was a lot of other stuff in the book that seemed not so great? Was Paul grumpy in some of his comments to the Philippians? All of these questions turn around how we interpret the Epistles - the letters of Paul. Reading the Epistles is like reading someone else's mail and so we really need to understand the context if we are going to get what the author is trying to say. Today we look at Paul's famous verses about being content in all circumstances. We start by realizing that this was a letter written on a specific occasion - Paul is writing a thank you note to good friends for a gift they gave him. We end by looking at the secret of Paul's contentment. This recording starts several minutes into the sermon.