7/23/23 Philippians - Part 1

Philippians - Part 1

Philippians 1:1-7

Do you remember back when you were in school? (Some of us may need to reach deep in the old mental filing cabinet to recall our school days 😊)

When you were in school, do you remember a teacher ever giving you an assignment that seemed like it was going to take forever to accomplish?

Maybe it was a long writing assignment, or a project in shop class or art class that you would be needing to spend many weeks to complete…maybe even the entire semester!

I remember back in 3rd grade; I did not like to read AT ALL. I would much rather have been riding my bike, or shooting hoops with my friends, or playing with my toys.

So, my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Rohr, had assigned the entire class a reading assignment that was meant to be worked on over about a two-month period. The assignment was to read a book, take a short quiz on it to prove that you really did read it, then move on to the next book.

The objective was to see how many books each student could read within the given time period. As I recall, there were literally hundreds of books that one could read and as you completed each book, the next one would get more difficult in terms of its content and comprehension.

Well, since my attitude toward reading was not the best at that stage in my life, I pretty much shrugged off the assignment. I would occasionally check a book out just to make it look like I was putting forth some kind of effort.

This went on for a few weeks…and then came parent-teacher conferences.

I still remember what Mrs. Rohr told my mom concerning my effort toward this project; something to the effect that “Andy can do a lot better at this reading assignment than what he has displayed up to this point.”

After hearing this said about myself, I remember something kind of snapped in my head…suddenly, a challenge had been set…the gauntlet had been thrown down.

The situation had completely shifted for me now, what had begun as a relatively boring classroom reading assignment was now an opportunity to see how much ground I could make up on my other classmates, some of whom were already 10 or more books ahead of me already (They were relatively short books)

It’s sad, but that’s the kind of kid I was – If an activity didn’t involve some sort of competition, I was usually pretty ambivalent about it.

Like a 400m runner who stumbled & fell right out of the blocks, I needed to make up some major time and distance.

So, that’s what I did. For the next month, every waking minute that I wasn’t either eating or sleeping…it seemed like I was reading.

Book, after book, after book.

In our classroom, there was a large chart showing where everyone currently was on their quest to become the class reading champion.

I remember the excitement of seeing my little blue magnetic marker begin to pick up momentum and start to pass up other magnetic markers. In the final stretch with about a week to go, I was amongst the top 3, then with one last push of intense reading, I was able to distance myself from the others and claim victory!

I can still remember the feeling of Joy that I experienced after having that challenge put before me, and then responding with a focused effort to rise up and meet that challenge.

I also remember the look of joy on my teacher’s face when she awarded me the “Top Reader” trophy.

Mrs. Rohr had given me a challenge, and I had responded with a level of effort that pleased her – and that brought both of us great joy.

Perhaps some of you (Or some for your children) have a similar story in your life when a challenge was issued, it was met, and afterward, everyone involved had a deep-seated feeling of contentment (In other words, you experienced Joy)

Today, we begin a series of sermons on the book of Philippians. This book, or more accurately, this epistle (Epistle comes from a Greek word meaning, letter) has been nicknamed the “Letter of Joy” because of its many references to joy and gratitude within its 4 chapters.

The apostle Paul wrote this book while in a Roman prison cell, and yet it is a book that is saturated with optimism, hope, and (of course) JOY.

Like that 3rd grade kid who responded to the challenge to be obedient to his teacher’s request, the church at Philippi would come to be known as a church that exemplified what it means to be obedient to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, he gave every believer (And every individual church) a challenge: To teach others about the hope found in Him, and to make disciples of Jesus Christ all over the world.

Matthew 28:19-20 says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The church at Philippi responded to this challenge – and they responded well.

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s my goal to preach through at least 1 complete book of the bible every year.

Last year, we went through the book of 1 Peter (Remember that?)

Figuratively speaking, we boarded an airplane and did a ‘flyover’ of each chapter, looking at small but significant landmarks (important verses) as well as large topographical areas (General theological themes)

Our approach to Philippians will be similar - we’ll be looking at some very well-known verses that speak to individual topics, as well as a few general themes that form the theological landscape of this uplifting book.

Before we dive into our passage for today, let’s remind ourselves a little about the church at Philippi.

Over the past month, we’ve been looking at some of the people who Paul and his companions met while founding the church in Philippi – Lydia, the demon-possessed servant girl, the jailer, the magistrates and authorities in power – these were all people who we met in Acts chapter 16 while Paul and his companions stepped foot into Europe for the first time.

That initial visit to Philippi during Paul’s second missionary journey would have been around the year 50 AD

Now fast-forward about 13 years. It’s around the year 63 AD.

Paul is now in house arrest in Rome waiting for a decision from the emperor regarding his freedom. He was sent there by authorities in Jerusalem after appealing his case to Caeser, something Paul was able to do since he was a Roman citizen.

While in this cell, he was allowed to have visitors. One of these visitors was a man from the town of Philippi by the name of Epaphroditus.

Epaphroditus brought with him a gift of money for Paul from the Philippian church, and he ends up staying with Paul for an extended period of time.

After Epaphroditus almost dies from an illness while assisting Paul in Rome, he eventually recovers, and Paul sends him back to Philippi along with a letter addressed to the church there expressing his gratitude.

That letter is what we now have in front of us: the book of Philippians.

Verse 1 (Philippians 1:1) informs us that Timothy was still working closely with Paul and was someone who would have been near and dear to the church at Philippi since Timothy was with Paul when the church was founded there.

Lydia, the Jailer, and others would have had fond memories of young Timothy – and here he is 13 years later, still working alongside Paul in the ministry.

We also notice from verse 1 that the church at Philippi has grown. Paul references people in offices such as overseers (Elders) and deacons. We can assume, then, that there would have been numerous other positions filled in the church as well – making for a healthy, well-structured church family.

One of the reasons that I wanted to look in depth at the Philippian church is because it serves as an example of what a healthy church should look like – one that we can strive to emulate.

This church does not have any glaring weaknesses. For the most part, Paul has only positive things to say about the church and the people who worshipped there.

They were by no means a perfect church – but they were a very healthy church.

They were an obedient, loving, doctrinally strong, encouraging, and benevolent body of believers with no glaring problems….and this gave Paul great JOY!

…and more importantly, a healthy church gives God great JOY !!

In verses 3, 4 and 5, Paul describes the ways in which the church at Philippi brought him joy.

First, in verse 3 (Philippians 1:3) is the joy of recollection. Paul remembers the events of his second missionary journey that had unexpectantly led him to the city of Philippi some 13 years prior.

We often do the same thing, don’t we? We like to reminisce about days gone by and how we saw God work through our lives and through our ministerial efforts.

I’ve been your pastor here for less than a year, but I’ve already had the opportunity to hear about many fond memories that so many of you have regarding what God has done through this body of believers over the years – and it warms my heart to hear those stories. They are testimonies to this church’s obedience to God - and to God’s faithfulness to this church.

Verse 4 (Philippians 1:4) talks about the joy of intercession.

Intercession, simply put, is prayer offered up for someone else. When we take the time to intercede before God on behalf of the needs and welfare of others, it not only brings God Joy, it brings us Joy as well.

Faithful intercessors are more preoccupied with the well-being of others than their own well-being. Now….how many of us can say that about our prayer life?

It sounds nice, but it can be very difficult to put into practice!

It’s all too tempting to fall into a cycle of bringing a laundry list of our own wants and desires before God in prayer rather than to focus on the needs of others first.

Paul exemplified this godly characteristic in his life as he was always praying for others, and we seldom see him pray for personal concerns in scripture.

So many attributes about joy seem counter-intuitive to our human minds, including this truth about intercessory prayer.

One would think that addressing our own needs and wants would bring us the most joy, but it is actually the opposite. It is through the process of praying for others that we really receive the greatest spiritual benefit.

Verse 5 (Philippians 1:5) speaks to the joy of participation.

There’s an important Greek word Koinonia. Koinonia is translated as ‘Fellowship” or “Communion.”

The root of the word Koinonia has its meaning in the idea of sharing something in common or sharing possessions or money.

Like our church today, the church at Philippi was a very benevolent church, a very giving, church.

Whether it was time, talents, or money, the Philippian church set the gold standard when it came to sharing of themselves with others – through ministry, fellowship, and providing monetary support.

And guess what, the more they shared, the more joy they received!

This principle has not changed through the centuries – the more we give of our time, talents, and treasures, the more joyful we will be….Period.

Again, this seems a bit counter-intuitive, right?

Our culture preaches that in order to be happy, we must focus on our own needs, wants, and desires to the point that we become fixated on making lots of money, acquiring lots of things, and essentially using other people for our own benefit.

If you go to a worldly psychiatrist, they will tell you that the secret to contentment and happiness is to continually work on your own life, your own relationships, your own job, your own past, your own feelings, etc.

This is contrary to how the Bible tells us to find contentment and joy.

Rather than looking inward, real joy is found in looking outward – obediently to God and in service to others.

When is the last time you volunteered with others in a ministry or other capacity where you were serving people....It felt great, didn’t it?

We build upon that joy every time we turn the spotlight off ourselves, and on to our God and on our fellow man.

Hopelessness and depression are an epidemic in this country – even within the church!

We have more material items, more freedoms, and more information at our fingertips than at any other time in the history of the world, and yet we have the highest rates of depression and anxiety that the world has ever seen.

Do you see a parallel here?

The more we focus on ourselves, the less joy we have in life – It’s really that simple.

Wanna be happier? Start focusing on providing for the needs and well-being of others.

Verse 6 (Philippians 1:6) is one of those verses that you may already have memorized if you have spent any time at all in the word.

This is one of the most comforting verses in the Bible and it talks about the joy of anticipation.

As believers, we anticipate the day in which we will be made new with Christ. We so look forward to the day when we will shed this worldly flesh and take on our new heavenly bodies and be in the presence of our savior.

When Paul says, “He who began a good work in you”, essentially, he is talking about your salvation.

God begins our path to salvation by drawing us near to Him.

Jesus says in John 6:44:” No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

This passage reminds us that God first reaches out to us – we do not initially reach out to God.

In our sinful flesh, we are born not wanting to reach out to God, In fact, we cannot come to Him in our own power….God must first draw us to Himself.

Therefore, if it is God who begins a good work in us – if it is God who initially draws us to himself – then we can have the utmost confidence that He will also carry us through this world of pain and despair, until we finally exit this world and we are united to our savior.

I know there are varying views on the topic of apostasy (The belief that someone can actually fall away from the faith and lose their salvation) but when I read passages like this one, they tell me that a genuine believer whose salvation was initiated by God need not worry about falling away because God has promised that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, He will also safely deliver a believer through this life and into the next.

This is why verse 6 brings me so much joy – because it reminds me that God is in complete control of my destiny.

It reminds me of 1 John 4:4 “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have been indwelt by the person of the Holy Spirit, who scripture says, has a stronger pull in our lives than the pull that Satan has over us.

This is why we need to consistently live in a spirit of thanksgiving toward God for His power in our lives.

Ephesians 4:30 reminds us not to withhold joy from God when it says: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

In other words, God’s got you….so live like it!

Finally, verse 7 (Philippians 1:7) is Paul’s way of wrapping up this joy-filled salutation.

He reminds us that God-given Joy is not dependent upon our circumstances.

Paul writes that he possesses the joy of the Lord no matter what his circumstances might be – whether he is living well in a mansion, or barely surviving in a dirty jail cell….whether he is In need or whether he has plenty.

This is my prayer for all of us today as well.

Don’t allow your circumstances to overshadow your Christian Joy.

If the Holy Spirit really is living in you, then others should be able to see him.

If the Holy Spirit really is living in you, you will react to pain, frustration, and disappointment differently that how the world reacts to these things.

Today is a joyful day. Not just because the God of the universe loves you and cherishes a relationship with you….But because In a few minutes, a young lady will be providing encouragement to all of us through the act of baptism - a public proclamation of her acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior of her life.

Jesus said that healthy churches will make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….and that is exactly what we are about to do.

Let’s Pray.