01 - Introduction To Philippians By Pastor Jeff Wickwire Notes

Philippians—The Joyful Letter

Part 1

Introduction

The town of Philippi was in Macedonia, and overlooked the coastal plain and the bay at Neapolis. It was made a Roman colony by Emperor Augustus, and so was part of the Roman way of life, and under the thumb of Roman dictatorship.

It was an old Greek city and an important gold-mining centre. Gold coins were minted there. It was also an important trade route, which is one reason the Romans made it their own and posted a military garrison there.

Paul arrived in Philippi from the town of Troas where he had seen a vision of a man from Macedonia urging him to “come over...and help us” (Acts 16:9). He was on his second missionary journey, which lasted three years and covered around 2,700 miles. Think about that!

Paul’s response to the vision was swift: “Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them” (vs. 10).

42986328004For fifteen years, Paul had labored in the east. But now, as he steps onto the shore of Neopolis, the east is behind him and vast west before him.

When they arrived in Philippi, about 9 miles from the shore where they landed, Paul was soon confronted with a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination. He cast the evil spirit out of her, which greatly angered the men that were making a fortune off of her demonic, psychic abilities.

Her owners stirred up a crowd, Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten, and unlawfully imprisoned. At midnight they sang praises to God, and the jail was rocked supernaturally where every prison door was opened. This was the powerful beginning of the first western church!

After staying in Philippi for a short while, Paul left Dr. Luke in charge of organizing the brand new church, and marched on for further European conquests.

For the record, it’s estimated that the Apostle Paul traveled 10,000 miles in his ministry. He is estimated to have walked 4,400 miles. Think about that. No car, train, plane, or even bicycle!

When Paul wrote the letter we’re about to study, he was a prisoner awaiting trial in Rome. He initially wrote to thank his friends for their financial support, and to encourage them to put aside their petty differences.

The keynote of his letter is joy. No matter what life or Satan may throw at the believer, we’re on the winning side! His prayer was that the Christians might catch this same vision of a triumphant life in Jesus!

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He begins with his customary greeting:

1:1-2 “Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The word “bondservant” is from a Greek word meaning “someone who belongs to another without any ownership rights of their own.” It is also the word for slave. Paul lived with the understanding he was “bought with a price” and was no longer his own!

We see that the church government of the Philippian church was firmly in place. There were “bishops” which is the word for elders or overseers. And there were “deacons,” those called to take care of the practical needs of the church.

Paul speaks “grace” and “peace” over them in the form of a blessing.

Then Paul tells them that they are the reason for much thanksgiving to God on his part:

1:3-4 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,”

The word Paul uses for “thank” is the same word Jesus used when lifting up the bread to heaven before feeding the multitudes. And it’s the same word Paul used when he lifted up bread on the storm tossed ship and “gave thanks.”

So Paul is as thankful for the Philippians as he was for bread!

And he also says that he prayed “always” for them. This was Paul’s way, an incredible model for us!

He told the Romans he prayed unceasingly for them (Romans 1:9). He told the Corinthians he was always thanking God for them (1 Cor. 1:4). He told the Ephesians he never stopped thanking God for them (Eph. 1:16). He told the Colossians he was always praying for them (Col 1:3). He told the Thessalonians he was always making mention of them in his prayers (1 Thes. 1:2) and he was thanking God for them all the time (2 Thes. 1:3). He told Timothy he prayed for him day and night (2 Tim. 1:3). And he told Philemon he made mention of him always in his prayers (Philemon 4).

He truly lived according to his own advice—“redeem the time (make the most of it) because the days are evil” (Eph 5:16).

He remembers next the strong friendships forged from the very first day of his visit:

1:5 “for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,”

He was thinking of Lydia, the “seller of purple” garments we read of in Acts 16:14-15, who was apparently his very first convert in Philippi. When she and her household were baptized, she implored Paul and Silas to stay at her home.

And he was also thinking of the Philippian jailer, who Paul stopped from committing suicide after the earthquake that opened the prison doors. The jailer feared the Romans would blame and execute him for letting them go. He and his whole family had also believed and were baptized. And they too took Paul and Silas in and fed them.

These are some of the people Paul had in mind when he mentions they had “fellowshipped with him in the gospel from the first day until now.”

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Next, one of my favorite verses:

1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

It is not by our own efforts that we are saved, but it is by “He who has begun” the work of grace in us. Jesus is the “author (originator) and finisher (perfecter) of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).

Paul writes that the same Lord that began the work will continue the work to completion so that we are ready for “the day of Jesus Christ.”

Now, the Bible distinguishes between various special “days.” The “day of Christ” mentioned here is the day when Jesus will come and receive His church to Himself in the rapture, proceeded immediately by the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3) where our works will be judged by fire.

Another day mentioned in Scripture is the “day of the Lord” is mentioned 16 times in the OT, and 4 times in the NT. The day of the Lord points to the coming judgment, followed by the millennial age, and concludes with the cataclysmic dissolution of the entire universe.

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10).

Another “day” pointed out in the Bible is “the day of God,” which is the eternal state beyond all the events of time when God is “all in all.”

It’s been said that there is yesterday, today, and that day. THAT day, the day of Christ’s return, is the day we look for and live for!

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Next, Paul recognizes that the Philippians were not afraid of his chains:

1:7 “just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.”

Paul was considered to be a dangerous insurrectionist by Roman authorities. He had boldly proclaimed a King greater than Caesar. Thus, to stand with him was to place yourself in imminent danger, which the Philippians did.

An analogy would be of those who stood with and protected the Jews during Hitler’s reign of terror! They endangered their own lives to save them. So did the Philippians with Paul.

Because they stood with him in his persecutions, they were made “partakers with me of grace.” The same grace that rested on Paul was enjoyed by the Philippians church because they had stood with him in his cause—the cause of Christ!

Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward” (Matt. 10:41).

And so it was with the Philippians. By receiving an apostle and aiding his work, they received an apostle’s grace!

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He then expresses deep affection for them:

1:8 “For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.”

We know from 4:18 that Paul’s co-laborer, Epaphroditus, had brought Paul a financial gift from the Philippians and had brought him up to date regarding their spiritual condition. This conjured fond memories in Paul where he’s essentially saying, I miss you. Big time. Deeply. With the very love of Christ.

He longed to see Lydia and her household, the jailer and his household, and all those that came to Christ with his first visit. ___________

Next, we get a glimpse into the prayers Paul prayed for them, and by extension, this is the will of God for us is well!

1:9 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,”

Paul, the lover of the church, prays that their own love for one another will grow without limit—“more and more.”

But notice, Paul distinguishes something about love we’re missing today. There is a “sloppy agape” out there that says we should love people to the point of never correcting them, never offering wise counsel, never judging the things they do. That, we’re told, is true love!

But Paul’s prayer was that the Philippians would love with both knowledge and discernment. Love is universal but it is not gullible. It should be discerning and based on knowledge gained by experience.

The word he uses for discernment means, “judgment, to judge something as to its value. To make a judgment call.” True love draws borders, limits, parameters, lines in the sand. A parent who loves his child “in knowledge and all discernment” will not indulge his every wish, and will not withhold rebuke and discipline.

Nobody has ever loved like God loves us. The Cross of Christ shouts to the world, “God loves you!” But God’s love never violates His holiness, never operates in conflict with His wisdom, and never ignores His own righteous laws.

So Paul says, “I pray that your love for one another grows by leaps and bounds, and that it is accompanied by wisdom and discernment.”

Why is this so important?

1:10 “that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,“

The word “approve” means “to examine, to test.” It is used in reference to testing metals for purity. Paul’s idea is that Christians should carefully examine what comes their way to see if it is of God, or from the enemy. Is it a good thing, or is it something bad posing as good?

We are even to learn to distinguish between the good and the best. The good is the enemy of the best!

Why? “That you may be sincere...”

Sincere means “to be tested by the sunlight.” Let me explain:

In Paul’s day, a sculptor would often carve too deeply into the marble, and would put wax in the cut to hide his mistake. The wax looked just like the marble, so when a buyer looked at the statue, it looked perfect!

But later when the sun shone down on the statue the wax would melt, revealing that the buyer had been deceived. So wise customers learned to write in their sale contract for marble sculptures the words, “Without wax.” They demanded that the work be “sincere.”

Paul’s prayer is that the Philippians (and all Christians) would be “without wax,” without offense to the day of Christ. To accomplish this, we must walk in wise, discerning love, avoiding the traps of Satan. As Jesus said, “Wise as a serpent, gentle as a dove!”