Meet the Philippians

Introduction

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve departed from our series studies and looked at single topics that were of particular interest to us and we kept finding over and over one book of the Bible containing many of the answers to so many situations that we face in life. So much so, that I’ve actually made a verb out of this book of the Bible. Some of you have known me to tell you or text you, Just “Philippify it”. Now of course by that I’m telling you not to worry about your situation, but to instead leave it to God according to the model we have in Philippians 4:6 which says:

Philippians 4:6–7 TLV

Do not be anxious about anything—but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.

But what we’ve been finding is that there are so many other passages from Philippians that fit so much of what we go through daily that we would be remiss if we were to ignore looking at this book in the Bible as a whole, rather than one small bit at a time as we have been; which is not to say that’s wrong – rather that to consume Philippians in this manner is akin to sampling the fares of a world famous chef one tiny morsel at a time, rather than to sit down and eat a full meal. It’s like walking through Costco eating the samples. They taste good, but you don’t really know how good until you make the whole thing at home.

Of all the letters written by the Apostle Paul, Philippians is by far the most personal and heartwarming. It has been called by some, the “window into Paul’s soul.” Paul sets the tone of the epistle over and over with this one small but extremely powerful word – Joy!

So much so that others know this epistle as the Apostle’s “Hymn of Joy”. Whatever you want to call it, it seems like Paul deposited some of his most effective and cherished secrets to Christian living into this one epistle. The question I have is, “why them”? Well to understand this, we need to look at two things:

Paul’s circumstance when he wrote it, and

What we know of Paul’s relationship to the Philippians from scripture.

The Philippians

Philippi was considered a principal city in the Roman empire. Most new fashions in Rome came out of Philippi – It was the Paris of its day. “Now ladies and gentlemen, the hottest new togas straight from Philippi here comes Eunice sporting the very latest from the Aphrodite collection by Epaphroditus, all the most stylish ladies will be seen in this this summer don’t be left out.”

Because of this, they faced some of the same challenges and trials that many modern cities do. Keeping up with the latest fashions and maintaining one’s status. Long hours were worked to ensure that maximum profit was generated. Commerce was king. Being seen at the right place with the right people wearing the right thing was the way to achieve status. These are the people to whom Paul and Timothy came to bring the Gospel, these are the people to whom Paul is now writing.

Philippi is the first place in Europe where the gospel was preached. The story of the founding of the church at Philippi let’s take a look at its founding together as recounted by Dr. Luke shall we?

Acts 16:11–40 TLV

So we put out to sea from Troas and made a straight course for Samothrace, the next day on to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi—which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia as well as a Roman colony. We stayed in this city for several days. On Yom Shabbat, we went outside the gate to the river, where we expected a place of prayer to be. We sat down and began speaking with the women who had gathered. A woman named Lydia—a seller of purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, a God-fearer—was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. When she was immersed, along with her household, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she insisted. It so happened that as we were going to prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination, who was bringing her masters much profit from her fortune-telling. Following after Paul and us, she kept shouting, saying, “These men are servants of El Elyon, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” She kept doing this for many days. But Paul was irritated and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Messiah Yeshua to come out of her!” And it came out of her that very moment. But when her masters saw that the hope of profit was gone, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. And when they brought them to the chief authorities, they said, “These men are throwing our city into an uproar! Being Jewish, they advocate customs which are not permitted for us to accept or practice, being Romans.” Then the crowd joined in the attack on them. So the chief authorities ripped their clothes off them and commanded them to be beaten with rods. After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to guard them securely. Having received this charge, he threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a great earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors were unlocked, and everyone’s chains came loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!” The jailer called for lights and rushed in; and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. After he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Put your trust in the Lord Yeshua and you will be saved—you and your household!” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with everyone in his household. He took them that very hour and washed their wounds, and at once he was immersed—he and all his household. The jailer brought them to his house and set food before them, and he was overjoyed that he with his entire household had put their trust in God. When day came, the chief authorities sent their police officers, saying, “Release those men.” But the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief authorities have sent orders to release you. So come out now, and go in shalom.” But Paul said to the officers, “They have beaten us publicly without a trial—men who are Roman citizens—and have thrown us into prison. And now they are sending us away secretly? No! Let them come themselves and lead us out!” The police officers reported these words to the chief authorities. They became afraid when they heard they were Romans, so they came and apologized to them. After they escorted them out, they kept begging them to leave the city. When Paul and Silas went out of the prison, they visited Lydia’s house. And when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed.

As we begin to study this very short epistle, it might be helpful to see the VALUE this book has for us, especially in light of today’s society. There’s an article that just came out that says young adults, between 18 and 33-years-old, are more stressed than any other generation. Pollsters reported that this age group, more than any other, had a health care provider who told them they have depression or an anxiety disorder.

Peace of Mind

Peace of mind is something many people are looking for today. To find it, many are swallowing tons of tranquilizers, DRUGS (both prescription and illegal drugs), and tranquilizing BOOKS (e.g., best-sellers promising secrets to having peace of mind. I even heard an ad about some new credit-card sized machine that you plug a set of headphones into that is supposed to de-stress you. I don’t know what it plays, whether it’s some kind of white noise or if it is some kind of rah rah motivational talk that tries to cheer you up. I’m not sure and frankly I don’t care because such products often do more harm than good for many. They fail to provide LASTING PEACE in the face of life’s often harsh realities because they fail to deal with the the PROBLEM OF SIN, the true underlying cause of much anxiety. This fails because sin moves us away from God and by ignoring our sinfulness, they do not provide PEACE WITH GOD, the only true basis for lasting peace of mind.

The sad thing is that those who trust in tranquilizers — whether books or pills – are trying to ESCAPE rather than face reality.

Philippians and the Search for Peace of Mind

This letter was written by a man who found true peace of mind. Even though he was imprisoned at the time! Even though he might soon be a martyr!

Paul had the joy that comes from peace of mind, and wanted to share it with others! As we study Philippians we are going to find that Paul lays out three principles for the people of his day all three principles speak of Joy and Peace. I want us to keep these in mind as we do our study, and I will revisit them at the beginning of each teaching until we’ve gone through the entire book, with the hope being that at the end we will have glimpsed at the heart of God, through Paul, to grant you His joy and His peace no matter what the circumstance.

Paul reveals the nature of true peace and joy!

Philippians 4:4–7 TLV

Rejoice in the Lord always—again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything—but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua.

True joy can only be found in the Lord, and the shalom that He gives is the shalom that surpasses all understanding. After He gives it, we are not left alone, He garrisons that peace like a fortress.

Paul reveals a man who provides an example of what produces joy and peace.

We shall see in the first chapter His love for his brethren and his devotion to his Lord. Later on in chapter 3 we will witness him striving for perfection and even get a look at his concern for the enemies of the cross!

Paul reveals Messiah, who is the ultimate source of peace.

He lays out the mindset of this Lord who provides peace and joy as well as the exaltation of Him who gives this peace and joy.

So, my introduction to the series has concluded, are you excited yet about the series itself? Then let’s take a look at the first part.