Philippians Overview

Introduction

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Book overviews

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Today we are in Philippians

Somethings to note:

This is a letter written by Paul to the Church at Philippi

They had a very close connection

There’s nothing stated that they are doing wrong

There’s nothing crazy happening that Paul is trying to correct

Paul was writing this letter to thank the Church for financially supporting him and for their partnership

So the letter is a thank you, and an encouragement

Paul wrote this letter from prison

And we see the true heart of Paul

Humility, deep love, sacrifice, joy, contentment, peace...

Philippians does not develop one singular idea from start to finish

It’s really hard to say that this letter is about one specific thing

Structure

While it’s hard to say that Philippians has one point—like joy, humility, etc…—there is a structure to the letter that helps us understand its emphasis

The key to understanding Philippians is in the poem we read in chapter 2 (which we will get to)

But basically, the point is for us to see our own lives as a lived expression of Jesus’s life

That we would meditate on the life and heart of Jesus and that our lives would follow the same

So with that in mind we’ll do a brief overview of the structure of the book and then after we’ll talk about it’s purpose and what it means for us

Greetings (1:1-11)

Very heartfelt greeting

Philippians 1:3–8 (CSB)

I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Filled with thanksgiving and encouragement

Their Present Concern—Paul’s Imprisonment; And his thoughts on it (1:12-26)

Paul opens with their present concern—He is in prison—How is he doing?

He tells them to not worry, and that his imprisonment has actually worked to advance the gospel

And then we get a snippet into the heart of Paul—How does he view his trials in such a way?

It’s because he is no longer living for himself

Philippians 1:21–25 (CSB)

For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,

Paul basically says, I know you must be worried that I am in a Roman prison, but don’t worry, God is working through this difficult time

The motto of Paul’s life:

Philippians 1:21 (CSB)

For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

We each have this formula

To live is ______ to die is __loss__

Paul says that he’d rather die—not because he’s depressed—but because it means he will live with Jesus—but that he should stay alive because as long as hes here he will be able to serve and benefit others

“Dying for Jesus is not the true sacrifice, it is staying alive to live for Jesus, in serving others”

Paul Urges Philippians to Participate in Jesus’s Example (1:27-2:4)

So after sharing his own heart, he encourages the Philippians to think of themselves in the same way

Suffering will come—but if we are living for Jesus—it won’t destroy us

Philippians 1:29–30 (CSB)

For it has been granted to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are engaged in the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.

‘We have the same struggle’

So he sets up his great poem with this thought:

Philippians 2:3–4 (CSB)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

How do we get through sufferings?—by not focusing on ourselves in self-pity

Humility is key to suffering well—to see that its bigger than just you

And that God can use even your sufferings to bring new and better things about

Great Poem of Chapter 2 (2:5-11)

So then Paul opens his great poem with these words:

Philippians 2:5 (CSB)

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,

It’s not just Paul saying—become like me—he’s saying, become like Jesus

And do you want to know Jesus’s mindset? This is what Paul says it is:

Philippians 2:6–11 (CSB)

6 who, existing in the form of God,

did not consider equality with God

as something to be exploited.

7 Instead he emptied himself

by assuming the form of a servant,

taking on the likeness of humanity.

And when he had come as a man,

8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient

to the point of death—

even to death on a cross.

9 For this reason God highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow—

in heaven and on earth

and under the earth—

11 and every tongue will confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

This poem retells the works of Jesus:

His Incarnation

His Life and Service

His Death

His Resurrection

His Exaltation

And Paul tells us to have this mindset

Don’t exploit your power or status over others

Empty yourself in order that you may serve others and put them first

Humble yourself to become obedient—even to the point of death and suffering

And if we live in this self-sacrificial way, God will raise us up and exalt us

But don’t trust in your own strength to bring glory to yourself

But be willing to suffer to bring glory to God

Two Tangible Examples of Christlike Character (2:19-30)

Paul continues the letter with two very tangible examples of this sort of living

Timothy and Epaphroditus

Timothy

Is like-minded and genuinely cares about others—not his own interests

He has proven character

Epaphroditus

He was the messenger who delivered this letter

He risked his life in service of the Philippians and Paul

So Paul says

Philippians 2:29–30 (CSB)

Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with great joy and hold people like him in honor, because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.

So he says follow the way of Jesus

Here are other people who are tangible examples of this

Paul’s Own Example (3:1-21)

And then in Chapter 3, Paul points to himself as an example

He shares how he has given up everything to serve Jesus and suffer with him

He states the prestige of his past

And then says

Philippians 3:7–8 (CSB)

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ

And again we get a glimpse into the heart of Paul

He clearly states his purpose and goal in life—not success, fame, happiness, peace...

Philippians 3:10–11 (CSB)

My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

And how he has not quite reached his goal—there is still more work to be done

Philippians 3:12–15 (CSB)

Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.

And he says, this is my heart—follow me as I follow Jesus

Philippians 3:17 (CSB)

Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.

Paul Challenges the Philippians to live out Jesus’s Story (4:1-9)

And finally we have Paul challenging the Philippians to live this out

There are two women leaders in conflict—and Paul tells them to address it

And he acknowledges that suffering and persecution are real

But tells them to not live by fear but to rejoice and to vent their emotions and needs to God who will give them peace

Philippians 4:6–7 (CSB)

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Closing Thanks (4:10-23)

And Paul closes again in thanksgiving for their gift and support

And here we get a famous line in Philippians

Philippians 4:13 (CSB)

I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul states that he is so very thankful for the gift but realizes that it was not necessary

That he has learned the secret of contentment

That his contentment is not reliant on his circumstances

And he ends, glorifying God and blessing the Philippian Church

Major Themes

So I know this was a quick overview, but there are a few points that I want us to think about and discuss in our times in small groups

How We Live Out The Story Of Jesus

I think one of the primary purposes in Paul writing this was to show that the life of a follower of Jesus—should reflect the life of Jesus

And that means humility, it means suffering, it means putting others first in service

That we need to view our own lives as a reenactment of the life of Jesus

That through humility, suffering, and service, God will raise us up and exalt us

That we no longer live for ourselves but for others

We Need Examples of Christlike Character

It’s not just about mediating on the life of Jesus

It’s about looking around at the examples we have all around us

We need role models

Like Paul was

We need peers to look up to

Like Epaphroditus was

In humility we should see the service of other people (and instead of being jealous or envious) we should strive to follow their example

Whether thats a pastor, teacher, or parent

Whether its a sibling, another student, a story you hear about online

I find this also in biographies of great and faithful Christians

We often need help imagining what the character of Christ would look like in our contexts

Like I think of MLK (someone I look up to)

He makes the distant stories of Jesus a lived reality

How are we to face injustice and violence TODAY, not just in a Jewish-Roman context

Does this make sense?

We need examples of Christlikeness in our lives

How Do We Find Contentment in Difficult Times?

Another theme of this we see as Paul opens up his heart

Paul is a man that’s life is not going well by most people’s standards

Yet in his actions and speech, he is completely content and at peace with everything that is happening

How is this so?

Throughout this letter we get glimpses

Paul is not living for himself

Paul is not rooting his happiness in his circumstance

His eyes and his life are completely fixed on God

This is the fruit of one of Jesus’s teachings in action

Matthew 6:31–34 (CSB)

So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Paul finds contentment because he is trusting in God’s provision despite suffering

Knowing Jesus is deeply personal and transformative

You see throughout this letter that being a Christian is far more than just holding a belief

We read this earlier, but this is Paul’s goal in life:

Philippians 3:10–11 (CSB)

My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

Can we all pause to ask ourselves, if we are completely honest, what is our goal in life?

To be successful?

To have a happy family?

To be honored and respected?

To make an impact on this world?

To do great things for God?

I think we often find ourselves distracted, and we need to refocus our vision in life

Can we agree with Paul?

Can we make our life’s goal to:

Know Jesus

The Fellowship of his Sufferings

The Power of His Resurrection

If we can truly set our eyes on this goal, nothing (not even the deepest sufferings) can take away our hope

So with this being said, we’ll have some time to discuss these things further in small groups

Questions

ICEBREAKER:

Name somebody that you have never met (alive or dead), that is a role model to you? What about them do you admire?

Who is someone who has recently demonstrated Christlike behavior in your life?

How might you follow after their example?

What circumstances do you find your contentment in?

(Ex. If I just had this/If this would happen then everything would be okay.)

How might we find contentment in the midst of hardships and difficulties?

If you are honest, what are some goals in your life?

Do you find it difficult to put those goals aside and trust that God will work? Why?

Prayer