The Context of Philippians

Intro

Hey, all…and welcome back to another ministry year here at Coram Deo College. If you’re new with us…welcome in the first place. My name is Cody and I’m the college pastor here at Coram Deo.

If you have any questions...

I want to start off with a few announcements…things we have going on...

Announcements:

Calendar In the Seats (Mention After Hours)

GroupMe (Slide)

C - Groups (Slide)

Podcast (Slide)

PITP (Slide)

Night of Worship and Prayer (Slide)

3CFall Dates (No Slide)

Engage Global (No Slide)

So…lot’s of things going on this year, but let’s get into what we are doing tonight…and what we are doing throughout most of this semester in terms of our time in the word goes...

We will be spending our time together tonight, and for the next several weeks in the book of Philippians. If you’re new with us…this is typically what we do. We choose a book of the bible, and we walk through it verse by verse or section by section, learning what we can from God’s word and learning how we can apply it to our lives.

Our three convictions as a ministry are that we want to be..

Centered on Christ.

Committed to Discipleship.

and Confident in the Word of God.

And our time in Philippians is going to help us do just that. it’s going to encourage and convict us to have Christ be what our lives are centered around…hence why the our subtitle for this series it..to live is Christ.

This series is going to convict to be further committed to not only our own discipleship, but to the discipleship of others. Even tonight’s message will hit on that.

And definitely, this series is going to grow our confidence in what the word of God says…and what the word of God promises.

So let’s get into it tonight. Turn to the book of Philippians.

Tonight is simply an introduction to the text…and the message is titled…

The Context of Philippians

How many of you have heard the term “Context is King” or “Context is Key”. Yeah. Most of you have heard it…because although it’s a catchier phrase…it’s a crucial concept to keep in mind as you read all of scripture.

When you read any passage of the Bible, especially if you’re starting in the middle of a book or a chapter…understanding the context allows you to better understand the Author’s true intended message and response.

And tonight, I want to give you the context of Philippians. And the heart behind this message is that you will have a greater understanding of who is writing it…who they are writing it to…and the weight of the message that was written.

So let’s look at our passage tonight…we are just going to be in the first two verses…but the first two verses establish our foundation of context. I’ll read you follow along.

Philippians 1:1–2 ESV

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So…short passage, but actually a lot of context to be found here. And when I say context, I don’t just mean historical context that fills our minds…but I also mean applicational context. That is…context that stirs our hearts and should be applied to our lives. And here’s the first point of context that I’m reminded of.

Paul and Timothy were real people. (v. 1a)

Here’s why this matters…it matters to me because I have a tendency to lose sight of the human quality of things. I have a tendency to think more towards ideas and numbers, and theology and doctrine. I’m a big picture kind of guy…and if I’m not careful…I lose sight of individuals and focus on groups. I lose sight of the trees and see just a forest.

And what that causes sometimes…is for me to forget that Paul and Timothy were real historical people. People who had parents, and cousins, and sisters…people who had jobs and lived lives. People who were holier than thou saints…but were literally just some dudes that loved Jesus and wanted to serve him. These are people who have real testimonies about how God worked in their lives…and people who struggled with sins…and people who questioned God at times.

They were living and breathing human beings…not just some far removed ancient heroes that exist solely to write what we read.

Take Paul for example.

Paul was a man who’s life was radically changed and shaped by God.

He was born as Saul in Tarsus (southern coast of Turkey)…that’s a real place.

Map Picture Showing Tarsus

Did you know…Saul was probably around the same age as Jesus…I don’t know why that was surprising to me…I always imagined him as older…maybe that’s because he outlived Jesus here on earth…but actually, they were close in age.. but instead of being raised in Galilee he was schooled as a Pharisee in Jerusalem.

After Jesus’ death…Saul persecuted the church, until Jesus radically intervened in his life…Acts 9. His name was changed to Paul, and he immediately became a traveling missionary and preacher for the early church. As a missionary, he became a church planter.

Which, this right here is an example of why this point is applicational to you, not just head knowledge. Think about it...Paul spent the first 30 some years of his life on one path. The path of a Pharisee, born, raised, taught, to do this one thing. And then Jesus, takes all those things…and turns them into something completely different.

Before we get any further…I want you to take this as a bit of encouragement right here. Because Paul…his influence in the Christian church in undeniable. The letters he wrote, the missionary work he did…it can’t be reckoned with.

But when in his life did God begin to allow him to do this amazing work?? In his thirties. Guys…take heart. The path you’re on right now…the way that you’re headed…it’s entirely possible and probable that it’s all just the setup for what God is going to do in your life. Because God uses real people.

God uses real people.

I mean, that’s how it was in my life...

My testimony of becoming a worship and college pastor.

So that’s Paul…and a little bit about his life. But what about Timothy? Here’s what we know.

Timothy was a third-generation Christian. Jewish mother, greek Father. He’s going about his life…being faithful to God…we don’t know exactly what he was doing…but we do know is that out of no-where....God radically intervened in his life.

Timothy is just living it up in Lystra…and Paul comes to Lystra…and all of the sudden Timothy is swept away on this missionary journey to help and support one of the greatest missionaries the world has ever known.

He goes from the life he had…to aiding this missionary, being discipled by him, and then eventually leading the Church in Ephesus.

He’s not some historical, mythical, magical figure. He was a real person. A young man who was just striving after God…and God used that quality in his life to build his Kingdom.

So God uses real people…but that’s not the only thing we see about the context of Philippians. It’s not just that Paul and Timothy were real people…and God uses real people. What we are also reminded of in this context is that.

God uses discipleship.

All that God did through the relationship of Paul and Timothy, was because they entered into a friendship built upon discipleship. Timothy was Paul’s disciple. But at the same time…Paul considered him not only a son in the faith, but also a “brother” and a “co-equal in the Lord’s work” (1 Cor 16:10, 1 Thess 3:2)

God uses discipleship, and so as a point of application…I want you to not only desire discipleship…but commit to it. And be prepared for it.

Now, some pastors will tell you that you always need to have a Paul and Timothy in your life. You should be evaluating who’s my Paul, and who’s my Timothy. To that I would say…that’s not always true.

Paul didn’t always have a Paul in his life. And he didn’t always have a Timothy in his life. Timothy didn’t always have a Paul in his life.

But…what they did have…was the willingness, the desire, and the commitment to seek these relationships out…and TO BE PREPARED FOR THIS DISCIPLESHIP.

Here’s why I’m saying this…I started mentioning that some need a Paul in their life…some need a Timothy…and almost all of you started freaking out…because you’re just seeing what you don’t have in your life.

“well…I don’t have a Paul right now…what am I doing wrong? Or what’s wrong with those around me?…well…I don’t have a Timothy right now…what am I doing wrong?”

You’re seeing what is currently not there…but I want you to look at it another way. I’d rather you look at it not as what is not there....but what are you prepared for…and what are you commited to.

Meaning, are you living a life that would allow for a Paul to come into your life? Are you living a life that would allow you to take a Timothy under your wing?

Now…you guys are in an absolutely beautiful…and rare moment of your life. Because both options lay so clearly before you.

This ministry allows for you to have both in your life. And you’re at a stage of your life that will easily allow for both to happen often. That’s not true in other stages of life…that’s not as true in high school youth group…because opportunities to be a Paul are few. That’s not true when you begin having a career and kids…because time is limited and you have to fight immensely for it...

But your opportunities right now are amazing..

Leaders, C-Groups, Ministry Opportunities...

So your opportunities are amazing right now…and we know that God uses discipleship…so what do you need to do? Seek it. Take it seriously…but above all…do it. participate in it.

Always be a timothy, willing to learn and be discipled. But always be looking for a way to be a Paul…to take someone under your wing, disciple them, encourage them, bring them alongside you as you walk with Christ. Don’t waste the opportunity.

If you’re a timothy, take maturity seriously to become a Paul. If you’re a Paul, make sure to have a Timothy. And you know what…evaluate this every day? Look for opportunities every day? Because God will use the opportunities you take to grow in your commitment to discipleship. just like he did here with Paul and Timothy.

So…a lot of application to be drawn from a little context in the first part of verse one. But that’s not our only point of context..look back at the second half of verse 1.

Here’s our second point.

They wrote to real saints. (v. 1b)

What I mean is…this letter isn’t just written in general to people who live in Phillipi. It’s written to a church there, to saints there, who had elders, and deacons…and most importantly…a church that Paul knew…and a church that Paul planted.

Acts 16:11–15 ESV

11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

These aren’t unknown people to Paul…they are people whom Paul loves and cares about. They are people who had issues of trust and joy, people who needed to be encouraged to live in a manner worthy of the gospel…people who needed to be reminded to have humility....people who had concerns and fears for their friend who was in Prison...

Maybe you can relate to these people. Maybe you at times struggle with joy, trust, encouragement…living in a manner worthy of the gospel…maybe you struggle with pride, or fear of harm or fear of failure.

If that’s you…let this context be a great point of encouragement for you. Because this book was written for real saints…it was written for you. Because it applies to real saints who had these struggles, it applies to all saints who have these struggles. Because it was written for those who would claim Christ…it is written for all those that claim Christ.

So, Paul and Timothy were real people…writing to real people with real struggles...

They had a sincere prayer. (v. 2)

You know, almost every single letter from the Apostle Paul starts with a greeting like the one we see here. Some would say that it’s just a greeting…it’s just a common courtesy…it’s just what should be said and how it should be said back in that day....and to that I say…yeah. Maybe.

But to that I would also say…this is the inspired word of God. No word is wasted. God doesn’t use useless words…he doesn’t give us useless content.

And to that I would also say…that Paul and Timothy sincerely desire grace and peace to the Philippians. And we know this…because this letter helps them achieve just that. This letter, that we are about to read together…encourages and teaches the Philippians how to grow in their understanding of grace…and how to give grace to one another.

This letter also serves to bring the Philippians peace of mind, and to seek peace with others. Paul is in Prison as he writes this…they are uneasy about that…they don’t have peace…and writes to give it to them. They are also at odds with each other in some ways…Paul encourages peace among them.

Paul and Timothy pray grace and peace over them because they need it. And that’s the context of this letter…this is who is writing it…this is who they are writing to…and this is the foundation that they begin their writing.

Here’s how I want us to respond…I want us to pray…for grace, and peace.