EPISODE · Sep 3, 2026 · 29 MIN
Philippians (Lesson 11)
from The Preaching of the Cross
Somebody can say the right things about Jesus and still be driven by the wrong reasons and Philippians 1:15-18 refuses to pretend otherwise. We walk line by line through Paul’s startling observation: some preach Christ out of envy, strife, and selfish contention, while others preach out of love. That one paragraph explains so much of what listeners see in Christian ministry, church conflict, and online “discernment” culture, and it forces a gut check about our own hearts too.We talk about why preaching Jesus Christ and the true gospel still matters even when the messenger is flawed, and why Paul can honestly rejoice that Christ is preached. We also draw a bright line between contending for truth and enjoying a fight. Error and heresy must be resisted, but envy cannot be the fuel. Then we slow down on a hard wisdom point: you often cannot tell who is sincerely contending and who is contending without sincerity, which is why Paul refuses to play heart judge and instead keeps his focus on truth and on Christ being magnified.The broadcast closes with a sober example from Jonah: God can honor true preaching even when the preacher’s motives are a mess. That doesn’t excuse bad hearts, but it does reshape how we respond when we see mixed motives around us. If you want a clearer, more biblical way to handle ministry jealousy, bitterness, and factional pressure while staying anchored in salvation by grace through faith, press play.Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the Philippians study. What helps you keep your motives clean when you need to contend for the faith?Church Website — BibleBaptistDeLand.comMinistry Website — JamesWKnox.org YouTube Channel — YouTube.com/JamesWKnoxSermonsSermon Audio — SermonAudio.com/BibleBaptistDeLandWeb Store — Store.JamesWKnox.org
Embed this episode
What this episode covers
Somebody can say the right things about Jesus and still be driven by the wrong reasons and Philippians 1:15-18 refuses to pretend otherwise. We walk line by line through Paul’s startling observation: some preach Christ out of envy, strife, and selfish contention, while others preach out of love. That one paragraph explains so much of what listeners see in Christian ministry, church conflict, and online “discernment” culture, and it forces a gut check about our own hearts too. We talk about w...
Ready to play
Philippians (Lesson 11)
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
No similar episodes found.
Similar Podcasts
No similar podcasts found.