Philippians: Paul arrives in Philippi

We need to start at the beginning. Do you know when the story of Philippians began? It, began one night on a hill called Calvary.

Philippians begins on Mount Calvary.

Matthew 27:45–51 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,

That was the defining day of the world. Did news of Jesus Christ death extend to Philippi, we don’t know but this event would change a community of people in this Roman town.

The Philippians hope and joy took root in the empty tomb.

Matthew 28:5–6 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

The death of Jesus Christ may have been the elaborate part of the story but it was the empty grave that changed the world for all of eternity. With His death, He paid the price for our sin, and with His resurrection He authenicated the will. He was the only person in history that wrote a will, paid for the inheritance, died and came back to make sure the lawyers did there job right. I hope that this is where your story began.

The church began and rapidly grew.

Acts 2:1–2 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Acts 2:37–42 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

The church just exploded. Like nothing to ever happen before it and nothing will ever happen like it again. God was on the move and He was going to do something big the world wasn’t even ready for what God would do. The church had it’s beginning. Your beginning and mine. We need to celebrate this moment. I don’t know why you come to church. I will tell you why I am here. I am here because I am a follower of Jesus Christ, I am a member of the church. I want to know about Philippians and the church there, it’s roots start here. All this caused a big commotion. It divided people like people are divided today. If you think that you are unique in having people not like you for being a Christian, you have no idea what it is like. I am grateful to be an American I can’t think of being anything else. I thank God for that. But I often think of Christian adversity. The church thrives when it is challenged. It quickly faced a big challenge.

Saul hated the church.

Acts 9:1–2 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

In our discussion here we need to look at the reality of who Paul was. He was an enemy to everything called the church. I believe that there are people out their opposed to the church. Politicians possibly, they hate the name of Jesus and would destroy anyone who would walk into a church. They should be careful, they may end up being like the apostle Paul.

We know the story of Saul being at the murder of Stephen making him the first martyr of the church. Saul was a bad guy and he wrote half the new testament. The next time you want to give up on praying for someone remember the apostle Paul. Think of the person that rubs you the wrong way with their anomosity to Christianity. I personally think of two outspoken athiests Richard Dawkins and Bill Nye. I pray for their souls. Could you imagine if they accepted Jesus Christ their life were changed. Think of what they could do for the gospel. How they could grow a church.

Saul was converted.

Acts 9:17–18 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

Saul became Paul we all have probably heard the story of Paul on the way to Damascus. How he was thrown to the ground with a blinding light Saul Saul why are persecuting me? It is hard to keep kicking against the goads. I believe that Jesus is goading a lot of people. I believe that he is goading people all the time. I say I pray for Bill Nye. I think of his conversations with Ken Ham, I pray that God is goading Him. Will he kick. Only time will tell. I pray for Richard Dawkins recently he left his board the one he created the FFRF Freedom from religion foundation. He is an athiest thru and thru

Dawkins has repeatedly spoken out against the rejection of traditional definitions of sex by LGBT activists and the idea that it is possible to change one's sex. In a 2023 appearance on "Piers Morgan Uncensored," Dawkins proclaimed, "As a biologist, there are two sexes and that's all there is to it."

It is my belief that in doing that he is acknowledging truth that is stated clearly in the Bible. In the beginning he created them male and female. I doubt he would agree with me on that point but I just keep praying that God will keep poking him.

Paul’s life changed completely.

Acts 9:20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

Do you know what Jesus came to do, The reason we have church on Sunday. It is the complete and full change of a sinner into a saint because Jesus is the Son of God. The church isn’t a social gathering. You can find that else where. The church is all about having an eternal relationship with Jesus and His other followers.

As a missionary, Paul loved the church.

Acts 15:36 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.”

Paul began his first missionary like a rocket and never looked back. He loved the church and went everywhere to preach the gospel and fell in love with the church he had once persecuted. He was an unshackled story. You know what I want, unshackled stories. I keep praying and keep trying. Fulfilling the global mandate of Jesus Christ go into all the world and preach the gospel.

Paul discipled Timothy.

Acts 16:1–3 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.

Do you want to know the mission that God gave us, to make disciples. I can tell you the young men I have have discipled am discipling and have tried to disciple. Can you tell me the people you are discipling? There are some Fathers in this room, are you actively discipling him. Working on him becoming the man God wants him to be. Talk about the LORD lead them in doing right.

Paul and Timothy became an effective team.

Acts 16:4–5 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

This is important to the story of the book of Philippians and we need to understand this part of the story.

Paul wanted to go to Asia, but deferred to the Holy Spirit.

Acts 16:6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.

This is what Paul wanted to do but instead he listed to the Holy Spirit instead. That’s the way we have to be living life follow the Holy Spirit always. This church will fall apart unless we lean hard into the Holy Spirit. Every day surrender to His will. (The scariest thing I ever heard. shocked me was when someone told me that as a preacher I beat the teaching of the Holy Spirit to death. That is in my opinion straight up blasphemy.)

The Holy Spirit told Paul to go to Macedonia.

Acts 16:7–9 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

Without these verses we don’t have the book of Philippians The Holy Spirit knows what is best for your life. I don’t know what’s the best for your life. I can tell you I have had people do some “worldly foolish” moves but I think that they were following the leading of the Holy Spirit. That was the best thing that they could do meanwhile I have watched people make “wise” decisions ignoring the call of the Holy Spirit. I believe that they made a mistake.

Paul obeyed God, immediately.

Acts 16:10 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.

Paul’s first stop in Macedonia was Philippi!

Acts 16:11–12 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.

I like to picture what Paul did when he got to Philippi I believe that there were a couple of days before he began his ministery. I don’t just say that. Verse 13 says that he didn’t begin his ministry until the Sabbath so maybe he took a couple of days to learn about the city.

In 356 BC the city was named after King Philip II, the father of the father of Alexander the Great.

Philippi is located in the northern part of modern day Greece, near the coast of the Aegean Sea.

This would explain why Paul got off the boat and found the city.

This city led to the spread of the gospel into Europe.

So if you are of a Christian European decent your families Christian heritage comes from this event. But you need to understand that the gospel is for the world. Is it just for European White men. We pray that the gospel will make it’s way into the muslim community into the thriving hindu community in India. U have a big prayer request for the Hindus in India. Let me tell you something to wake you up. Each year there is a religious gathering of Hindu’s in India in Maha Kumb the world’s largest gathering a hindu It is a pilgrimage like the muslims pilgrimage to Mecca. Do you realize that each year 2 million Muslims take their pilgrimage to Mecca 400 million people took their journey to Maha Kumb this year. That is 200 times the muslim’s Hajj and more than the population of the United States. Pray that God will call people to India and the Muslim world. The need is great. That is what God wants us to do.

Philippi was taken by Rome in 168 BC.

It was a military outpost for Rome.

Philippi had little Jewish influence and may not have had a Synagogue.

Acts 16:13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.

This was a military town. Probably had a lot of pagan influence little Jewish morals and it was probably a military presence. Those of you in the military you understand. There are noble courageous boys becoming men, but there is a lot of trouble to be found in the military. I am sure that when Paul came into Philippi it would be a difficult mission, but one worth the battle. Because a converted military man is a great assest to the church. Just look at men like the Marine Charles Swindoll.

We have Philippians because a man followed God’s commands.

Matthew 28:19–20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

There is a verse that everyone loves. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It is like every other kid in Christian school’s life verse. I don’t like the way it is usaully used I can score 100 points in a basketball game because I prayed before the game. Uh huh? no. It also isn’t the disney motto that you can do anything if you believe in your self, No we will learn what it means and you want to know in order to understand what it means you have to understand this story. I believe the world is different today the world is forever changed because Paul’s life testimony of what happened in Philippi changed the world