Greetings from Paul
Text: Philippians 1:1-4
Core Idea: Paul viewed himself as a slave of Christ and the church as God’s holy people – and this divine perspective led him to give thanks and pray for them with joy. Then may we learn to perceive ourselves and others the same way so that our love for God and this community will continue to grow more and more this year.
INTRODUCTION
Happy New Year, Lighthouse! It is delightful to see you. I’m so thankful that we can begin the new year worshiping together – especially with our Tugboat and Anchor friends. I know I say this often, but I never say it lightly when I say that our children are a blessing from God. When I see our children and youth raise their voices to sing to God and pray, when I see our children run around the gym, when I see our youth hang out in the hall after the service, I’m reminded of God’s faithfulness and love for our church because they truly are the future of our covenant community. Then as we aim to grow deeper in our love for God this year, let’s be intentional in helping the next generation to love God more and more so that they would also see and taste that the Lord is good. That is my prayer for us this year.
Well, today, we begin a new sermon series on the letter to the Philippians which will last us through a few months. Now, why this letter? Two reasons. First, because I promised you. If you remember, Jane and I preached through the first chapter of this letter at our church retreat just over a year ago – and there, I shared that we would take some time in the future to study the whole book because there’s a wealth of life-giving truths that we didn’t get to look at. So, to keep my word, we’ll explore this letter and learn from Paul together. Now, because we went through the first chapter at the retreat, the first few sermons may feel like a review to some of you. If that’s the case, I hope that it won’t deter you from coming but that it’ll be an opportunity for you to refresh your mind and reexamine your life. Second, because it will help you continue to press on with joy in all circumstances. I shared last Sunday that even though I didn’t plan for this, by God’s providence, we talked a lot about suffering and pain last year through the Book of James – how we ought to consider our trials pure joy. Now, I heard that this was a timely truth because many of you were experiencing intense trials and hardships this past year. Then it’s no coincidence that we’re looking at this book now because one of the things that Paul focuses on in this letter is what it means to press on and fight for joy in every circumstance. Then my prayer for us is that through this book, we’ll learn to do just that this year – pressing on to love God and love one another with joy, pressing on to live out the gospel and advance the gospel with joy. Then with that in mind, please turn your Bibles to Philippians 1:1-4. I will invite Chloe to the front – and she will read the passage for us. But please note that she’ll be reading verses 1-11 for context.
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.
Thank you, Chloe, for reading the passage for us. And children, I hope you enjoyed the video – a perfect summary of the whole letter. Now, to better understand Paul’s message to the Philippians, we need to know the context. So, let me start by sharing how this church started in Philippi. We’re first introduced to this community in Acts 16 where we read that Paul and his companions (Silas, Timothy, and Luke) entered the city of Philippi and preached the gospel to a small group of God-fearing women who were praying by the riverside. There, the Lord opened the heart of a local businesswoman named Lydia to respond to Paul’s message – and through her, her whole household became believers. This incident was significant because they ultimately became the core group that helped Paul to plant a church in Philippi. In fact, starting with Lydia, many people were coming to Christ, and everything seemed to be going well – until they were met by a demon-possessed slave girl who had the power to predict the future. We read that she followed and taunted them for days – causing Paul to be greatly annoyed. So, he turned to her and cast the demon out of her. Now, this should’ve caused the people to celebrate – but knowing that their hope of making money was gone, her owners were furious. They seized Paul and Silas, dragged them into the marketplace, and falsely accused them before the rulers of the city – causing them to be stripped and beaten with rods. And if that wasn’t enough, they were then thrown into prison. But around midnight, as Paul and Silas sang hymns to God, there was a great earthquake – causing all the prison doors to open. When the jailer woke up from his sleep to this rather unbelievable scene, he assumed that all the prisoners had escaped and that he would be held responsible – so, he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul and Silas intervened – assuring him that everyone was still there. They preached the gospel to him – and we read that he and his whole household came to believe in God. What they meant for evil; God turned it for good. All that to say, this was how the church in Philippi started – God was doing exciting things there. Now, even though Paul was no longer there, this church that he planted occupied a unique place in his heart. And understandably so, this church loved Paul as well. After all, he was their father in the faith. So, around 10-12 years later, when they heard that Paul was imprisoned in Rome, they took up an offering and sent Epaphroditus to support and encourage him. Then this letter is Paul’s response to their generous care – no wonder it’s filled with expressions of his gratefulness and love for this church.
Now, I don’t know about you but whenever I read the opening words of a NT letter, I’m often tempted to read them rather quickly – assuming that they’re just a formality. But we must remember that there are no wasted words in Scripture – just hurried readers of Scripture. Then today, I want us to slow down so that we would consider these words more carefully knowing that they reveal important truths that set the tone of this letter. Let me share three things from this passage:
· HOW PAUL VIEWED HIMSELF
· HOW PAUL VIEWED THE PHILIPPIANS
· HOW PAUL RESPONDED TO THESE REALITIES
1) HOW PAUL VIEWED HIMSELF
Verse 1, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.” The word “servants” in Greek is doulos which literally means “slaves.” That’s how Paul described himself – a slave of Christ Jesus. Now, in the English language, the word “slave” carries a negative connotation. We think of forced labor, abusive subjugation, and unjust treatment that was evident in England and the United States. So, as a result, the Bible translators decided to use the word “servant” rather than “slave” to remove any discomfort and misunderstanding from modern readers. But this is unfortunate because something significant has been lost in translation. Let me explain. In terms of human slavery, we know that slaves are chosen, purchased, owned, subject to their master’s will, totally dependent on their masters for sustenance, accountable, and evaluated by their masters. In other words, their existence was closely tied to their masters – slaves belonged to their masters. Now, what’s interesting is that the fundamental aspects of slavery are the features of our redemption that Scripture emphasizes. For example, Ephesians 1:4-5 says that we are chosen; 1 Corinthians 7:23 says that we have been bought at a price; 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that we are not our own but belong to Christ; Acts 5:29 says that we are subject to God’s will and control over us; Philippians 4:19 says that we are totally dependent on God for everything in our lives; Romans 4:12 says that we’ll have to give an account of ourselves to God; and 2 Corinthians 5:10 says that we will be evaluated by God. All that to say, these are all essential components of slavery. Then what does this mean? It means that as much as Jesus is our Savior, He’s our Master and our Lord as well.
Of course, we don’t hear much about this in churches today. The concept of slavery has disappeared – instead, they emphasize success, health, wealth, prosperity, and the pursuit of happiness. We often hear that God loves people unconditionally, that He wants them to be all they desire to be, and that He wants to fulfill every desire, hope, and dream. Personal ambition, personal fulfillment, and personal gratification became the selling point for drawing people to desire a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Instead of teaching Christians to submit to Christ, they teach that Christ is here to fulfill all their wishes. But the Bible’s teaching could not be more different. It tells us that Jesus is our Master – we are His possession. He’s our Lord – we are His slaves. Pastor John MacArthur writes, “True Christianity is not about adding Jesus to my life. Instead, it is about devoting myself completely to Him – submitting wholly to His will and seeking to please Him above all else. It demands dying to self and following the Master, no matter the cost. In other words, to be a Christian is to be Christ’s slave.” Now, because many people still equate slavery with dehumanizing cruelty that deprived the slave of all freedom, some of you may have a difficult time embracing this identity for yourself. If this is the case, let me remind you that Jesus is not like any Master. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep. He’s the humble King who comes not to be served but to serve. He’s the Lamb of God who offers Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Matthew 11:28-30 says that He’s gentle and humble in heart – which means that His yoke will be easy, and His burden light. All that to say, give Christ the throne of your heart. Let Him take control over your life because He’ll never treat you unjustly – instead, He’ll always embrace you with mercy and grace.
Now, there’s a reason why Paul reminded the readers of his slavery to Christ from the very outset of the letter. As much as the Philippian church was compassionate and generous, it didn’t mean that they were without flaws. Epaphroditus must have told Paul about these things because the content of this letter reveals that there was evidence of grumbling and complaining in the church, evidence of selfish ambition and conceit, and evidence of disunity and relational conflict that was weakening the church. When this church started, it must have been overflowing with excitement and joy. They must have witnessed amazing conversion stories like Lydia and the jailer. They must have passionately studied the Word and desperately prayed together. They must have generously shared their lives with one another and courageously preached the gospel to others in the city. In other words, they must have been thriving and growing in so many ways. Then what happened? How did sin infiltrate their community? Because they let their guard down. Their initial romanticism must have subsided, and reality settled in – the burdens of life started to weigh them down and their remaining sin began to lead them astray. And when Paul heard this from Epaphroditus, he felt the need to identify himself as a slave of Christ. Then this was what he was basically saying to the Philippians, “Friends, I am a slave of Christ. I was bought at a cost – and I now belong to Christ. I no longer live but Christ lives in me. I exist for His glory, His joy, and His purpose. This is the reason why I can be joyful even though I’m chained in prison. This is the reason I will continue to devote myself to advancing the gospel. This is the reason why I will continue to fight against my sinful desires and pursue holiness. Then what about you? Who do you belong to? Who are you living for? What drives your life? What determines your decisions? Are you still struggling with sin? Then remember who you are – remember that you’ve been bought with a price. You belong to Him.” Then let me ask you, “How do you view yourself today? Do you view yourself as an independent individual with rights and freedom to pursue after your own ambition? Or do you view yourself as a slave of Christ – owned by Him and living to serve His interest? What is the motivation for all that you do? What are your priorities? Can you honestly say that all of your life flows out from this identity?” Brothers and sisters, we must learn to embrace this identity for ourselves because only then will we love God and serve others with joy in our hearts. Then this is how we guard our church. This is how we press on with joy. We are slaves of Christ – we no longer live for ourselves but for Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us (Gal. 2:20).
2) HOW PAUL VIEWED THE PHILIPPIANS
Verse 1, “To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi.” Paul viewed himself as a slave and the Philippians as holy people. In Greek, it’s actually one word which is often translated as “saints” – we are saints of Jesus Christ. Now, what does it mean to be holy? The task of defining holiness may be harder than we think because the word “holy” is a foreign idea to all of us – and it doesn’t help the fact that the Bible uses this word in many ways. Sometimes the word is related to God’s goodness or perfection – but it also means being pure, free of sin, or morally good. Then to help us understand this better, let’s take a look at Leviticus since the whole book is devoted to the subject of holiness. One thing you’ll notice in Leviticus is that it talks a lot about holy things – a holy place, holy ground, holy oil, holy water, holy bread, and so on. Then considering this, the word “holy” cannot just mean being morally good – because what does a moral ground look like? What does an impure bread look like? Then in the Bible, the primary meaning of the word “holy” is actually “to be separate or set apart.” So, when God says, “I am holy,” He means that He’s completely separate and different from all other beings. He’s totally unique. He’s beyond our imagination. He cannot be compared to anything in this world for there’s absolutely none like Him. Then what does it mean that God’s people are holy? Sure, it must mean that we’re called to be pure – but more fundamentally, it must mean that God has separated us from the rest of this world to Himself. In other words, when God calls us holy, He’s reminding us that we are His. He’s telling us, “You don’t belong to the world – You belong to Me. So, don’t be like the world. Be like Me. Imitate Me because I have called you out of this world to live for Me and My Kingdom purposes.”
Now, it’s important to point out that Paul calls them “God’s holy people in Christ Jesus.” In other words, they’re called holy not because they were in any way better than others but only because of what Christ has done for them – solely by the grace of God. And let me emphasize the fact that Paul calls all of them holy. Not just the select few, not just the leaders but they’re all called saints in Christ Jesus. This was Paul’s perspective of the church – and this is the perspective that should inform our view of our church as well. Whether they’re mature or immature in the faith, if they have turned from their sins and trusted in the Savior for the forgiveness of their sins, they are saints in Christ – the people we see around us are God’s holy people. Then, brothers and sisters, we need to remind ourselves of this often – and here’s why. In some ways, I believe that we as a church are still in this honeymoon stage. We’re only two years old – but it’s incredible how much joy and love you have for this community. Many of you serve sacrificially but also gladly and willingly. Many of you give generously but also cheerfully. Many of you enjoy doing life with one another – and you continue to want to spend more time with each other. And I am truly grateful to see this. Now, I don’t want to in any way dampen this spirit, but I do want to inform you that this probably won’t last forever. I pray that it doesn’t subside prematurely, but the reality is that it won’t last forever because we live in a fallen world, because we’re broken and sinful people. And as a result, we will one day grow familiar with our church life. And when things grow familiar, daily life and its burden will take over us. The mundaneness of life will blind us from seeing the specialness of what we’re experiencing here. And inevitably, you will be disappointed. In fact, you’ll be disappointed with me – the more you get to know me, the more you see me make mistakes or make decisions that may be different from what you had envisioned, you’ll undoubtedly be disappointed with me. And you will be disappointed with others in the church who don’t appear to be serving you with the care, attention, and excellence that you desired from them. And if that wasn’t enough, sin in our lives will become more evident as we do life together. As we get comfortable with each other, as we take everything we have here for granted, we’ll be tempted to give into our sins. Now, when that day comes, when things become too familiar, when you feel like your joy is diminishing, when your discontentment and disappointment are growing, remember that this church is made up of those who are holy in the sight of God. Remember that everyone we see here has been set apart by the Lord for His glory and pleasure. It’s so important to remember this because it’s this perspective that will make a difference and sustain the church when things become familiar, when we feel mundane, when we feel shaken by our sins and needs. When we remember that we’re serving a fellow saint in Christ, someone who was set apart by the Lord, someone who has been made in the very image of God, someone who has been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, how can we allow familiarity or our sin get in the way of loving them, serving them, caring for them? Brothers and sisters, if we want to press on with joy, we must view one another from the perspective of God because we cannot do this on our own. We need one another in order to persevere and press on. I pray that you would have the eyes to see one another this way.
3) HOW PAUL RESPONDED TO THESE REALITIES
Paul viewed himself as a slave of Christ and he viewed the Philippians as God’s holy people. Then what did that lead Paul to do? Give thanks and pray. Verse 3, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.” When Paul recalled their love, support, and encouragement, he was overflowing with thanksgiving. Not only that, it caused him to pray for them – and not just pray but pray with joy. In other words, he wanted to pray for his friends. He wanted to intercede for their struggles and hardship. He wanted to support them in prayer as they lived out the gospel and advanced the gospel. So, he prayed for them regularly, intentionally, and passionately. Why? Ultimately because he perceived the Philippians as blessings from God. He didn’t take them for granted. He didn’t feel entitled. No, knowing that it was God’s sovereign grace that brought Paul to Philippi, knowing that it was God’s tender mercy that opened the hearts of the Philippians, knowing that it was God’s compassionate love that led to the planting of this church, knowing that it was God’s unwavering faithfulness that sustained this church, knowing that it was God’s generous provision that strengthened their friendship, every time Paul remembered them, his heart was overflowing with thanksgiving to God. Then let me ask you, “Is this the way you view our community? Do you consider each individual you see in this room a blessing from God or a burden you need to carry? Every time you think about the people here, is your heart overflowing with thanksgiving or complaints? Do you pray for your brothers and sisters in this church? If so, do you pray joyfully or more dutifully, begrudgingly?” A year ago, at the retreat, Pastor Jane shared, “Gratitude and affection and joy do not grow without intimate knowledge. The relationship stays very shallow and at a distance when there is no growth in your understanding and knowledge of the person.” Then in light of this truth, I pray that you’ll labor to deepen your relationships with others this year. In fact, think of one or two people in our church you’d like to get to know better and go for a meal. Brothers and sisters, I pray that you’ll plant this truth in your heart today so that when this community becomes too familiar to you, when you are disappointed by others here, when your heart grows apathetic toward one another, you’ll choose to pray for them instead of walking away from them. Find things to give thanks for them. Ask God to help you see them as a blessing, not a burden. Ask God to help you see them as His holy people. Ask God to change your heart so that you’ll love them, serve them, care for them – knowing that they too have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. This is how we guard our community. This is how we press on with joy together.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Paul viewed himself as a slave of Christ and the church as God’s holy people – and this divine perspective led him to give thanks and pray for them with joy. Then may we learn to perceive ourselves and others the same way so that our love for God and this community will continue to grow more and more this year.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) In verse 1, Paul viewed himself as a servant (slave) of Christ Jesus. Is this how you view yourself today? How will this shift in the understanding of your identity change the way you live your life?
2) In verse 1, Paul viewed the Philippians as God’s holy people in Christ Jesus. Is this how you view others in the church today? How will this shift in your understanding of others change the way you love and serve others? Why is this important to remember when things become familiar, when we feel mundane, or when we feel shaken by our sins and needs?
3) In verse 4, Paul’s heart overflowed with thanksgiving – thinking about the Philippians. Does your heart overflow with thanksgiving every time you think about our community? Do you consider each individual you see in your group a blessing from God or a burden you need to carry? Do you pray for them regularly, earnestly, and joyfully? Spend some time praying for each other.