Joyful Identity - Talk 1 (Midwinter)

Introduction/Scripture

Philippians 1:1–11 NIV

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 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. 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. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Pray.

Hook:

There are certain people that you can learn joy from. Some that have a special credibility. I have been trying to work on joy. Cynicism can be a stronghold of mine. Cynicism is a poision. So i have been practicing joy as much as possible. My kids teach me a lot about joy. So the other day I decided to play monopoly junior with my oldest son. A dangerous decision because perhaps the only person that needs to win more in this world…is him. I was losing, bad. He was so full of joy. God told me to calm down look at his joy. But then I thought to myself….I cant learn anything from him. Everything is going his way.

The book of Philippians is a book of Joy, but written from a credible source.

Joy is an adopted attitude that anchors oneself into the story of God and trust’s God’s presence no matter the circumstance.

The book of Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Philippi, one of the first Christian communities established in Europe. Paul wrote this letter while imprisoned, likely in Rome, around A.D. 60-62. Despite his circumstances, Philippians is often called the "letter of joy" because of its emphasis on rejoicing in the Lord regardless of trials.

The church in Philippi had a special place in Paul’s heart. It was founded during his second missionary journey (Acts 16), and the believers there had been faithful partners in his ministry. In this letter, Paul expresses his deep gratitude for their support and encourages them to live lives worthy of the gospel, shaped by humility, unity, and the example of Christ.

A key theme of Philippians is the call to find our true identity in Christ. Paul presents Jesus as the ultimate model of humility and self-giving love (Philippians 2:5-11), urging believers to align their lives with His story. The letter also speaks of perseverance, pressing forward in faith, and the peace that comes from knowing Christ.

1. A Community Formed by Grace (Philippians 1:1-2)

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

Paul begins by identifying himself and Timothy as servants of Christ. Notice that he doesn’t emphasize his authority but rather his identity in Christ. He then addresses the Philippians as saints—holy ones—not because they are morally perfect, but because they are set apart by God’s grace.

This is our first glimpse into what it means to live in the story of Christ:

We are not isolated individuals trying to prove our worth. We are a community formed by grace, bound together in Christ.

Before anything else, Paul reminds the Philippians that their primary identity is not in their achievements, struggles, or circumstances, but in their shared life in Christ.

Watching basketball last night. Aggies get the win. Afterwards Wade Taylor is interviewed and he begins with I would like to give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I always kind of roll my eyes…cynicism, i told you.

But he is marking is identity.

2. A Fellowship in the Gospel (Philippians 1:3-8)

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now..." (vv. 3-5)

Paul’s joy flows from his deep gratitude for the Philippians. Why? Because they have been partners in the gospel—not just supporters of Paul’s ministry, but active participants in the work of Christ.

The word for "partnership" here is koinonia—a deep, shared fellowship. This isn’t just about working together; it’s about a shared life, a common mission, a mutual commitment to living out the gospel.

A joyful life is not found in individual success but in shared mission.The Philippian church was shaped by generosity, service, and unity—evidence that they were living into the story of Christ. Paul is confident that God, who began this good work in them, will carry it on to completion (v. 6).

He who began a good work in yall will carry it on to completion.

Application: We live in a world that values independence, but the gospel calls us to interdependence. We need one another. The church is not a gathering of isolated individuals but a people called together in Christ’s mission.

3. A Love that Grows in Christlikeness (Philippians 1:9-11)

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight..." (v. 9)

Paul’s great prayer for the Philippians is not that they would be comfortable or successful, but that they would grow in love—a love that is shaped by wisdom, discernment, and righteousness.

Preach about love….

Loved People Love

Some of you cannot love God because you do not feel loved by God.

Serving with students years ago, I realized quickly there was this obstacle that would come up as we were sharing the gospel with some. Worshiping God the Father, language about God as a loving father was difficult to grasp for those that had experienced pretty broken homes. At first, I thought that was actually an easier jump… “in all the ways that your dad might have fallen short, God never does.”

But think about it. If someone leaves an abusive relationship.... a lot of times, even if they are with someone that is the exact opposite, they project that behavior on anyone else around them. Their trust is broken. And if they are fully loved, they dont receive it.

I dont know where you are today. but the first step in having profound love of God and profound love of people is believing you are loved in the first place....

Jesus:

• feeling too sinful, too far from God or ashamed of your life story? See Jesus meet the woman at the well...

• Wrestling with pride, innoculated with a lifetime in the church but too prideful to get to this submission place? Jesus meets the righteous Nicodemus in the middle of the night.

• unworthy? Jesus calls a bunch of working class no bodies to build the kingdom.

• feel like you have nothing to give? Jesus says let the children come to me

Our love is not self-originating. As we experience God’s love for us, we have an overflow of love for God and for others.

Love is a gift

I am convinced of this, love deficiency is at the root of fear, insecurity, cynicism,

God’s Unconditional and Everlasting Love

Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jeremiah 31:3 – “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’”

Lamentations 3:22-23 – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

God’s Love Demonstrated Through Christ

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 John 4:9-10 – “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

God’s Love as Our Strength and Security

Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Ephesians 3:17-19 – “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Psalm 136:26 – “Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”

God’s Love Calls Us to Love Others

1 John 4:16 – “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

1 John 4:19 – “We love because he first loved us.”

John 15:9-10 – “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

These verses reveal the depth, faithfulness, and power of God's love for us, a love that transforms our lives and calls us to love others in return.

You are loved. Love is dynamic. Let me ask you this, is it fair to Lauren to think that I had experienced the fullness of her love for me on day one of being married? God’s love is full and perfected but it is also dynamic and we are finite.

I pray you would abound in the depth of this love. You have to do it in community. But he who began a good work….will complete it.