Partners of Grace

Good morning! If you have your Bible and I hope that you do, please turn with me to the book of Philippians! If you’re new, welcome to our church. This study in Philippians is going to be broken up into four smaller series and we are starting the first part today and my prayer is that at the end of this series that you are encouraged to be unified in Christ Jesus, that you will experience tremendous joy, and that you will be challenged in your walk with the Lord.

We are going to learn about being rooted in Christ Jesus, reproducing disciples, and renewing lives for God’s glory throughout this series.

Now, the sermon today is entitled Partners of Grace. You see for the Christian we are participants, partners, partakers in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s true that as we remain in Christ, we become firmly rooted in His ongoing work in the Church and around the world.

Before we dive into the book of Philippians we should really get to know the background and context of this writing. Firstly, we know that it was the Apostle Paul that wrote this book. Paul, along with Timothy wrote this book to the church at Philippi.

How Paul developed a relationship with the Philippians is very interesting. After the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 which took place around 48-50. After that Paul and Barnabas decided to go back to the different churches from their first missionary journey and check in but they had a dispute. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark but Paul didn’t since John Mark went back home during their first missionary journey.

Sometimes Christians disagree. I don’t think either brother here was right or wrong, but they did find themselves with different opinions. It’s tragic that they couldn’t work it out because disagreements, especially sharp ones can lead to unnecessary tension within a church. This is going to be an important theme in Philippians about unity and working out problems.

Well, Paul and Barnabas go their separate ways, as one of the greatest rock bands of all time, Journey, sang, “Here we stand, Worlds apart, hearts broken in two, two, two”

But even in the midst of that God continues to work and Paul receives the Macedonian call. And by God’s will and direction, Paul finds himself in the city of Philippi. Philippi was a Greek city that was founded by King Philip of Macedon in the 360 B.C.. It was the site of two major battles and was a retirement area for Roman soldiers. There were also a number of Thracians located in that area. So you have three different people groups in this one city: Greeks, Romans, and Thracians. What is significant is that there aren’t many Jews at all.

Paul’s strategy for planting churches was to go to Jewish synagogues, preach the Gospel from the Old Testament and reason with the Jews. In a place like this it didn’t really go over well because according to Jewish traditions, in order for there to be a Jewish synagogue there had to be at least 10 Jewish men in a city. So there weren’t even that many men. In fact, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke go down to the river to a place of prayer and it’s there that they share the Gospel with Lydia. Lydia receives the Gospel gladly and begins to sponsor Paul and the rest of the group while they stayed in Philippi.

Some time passes and a slave girl with a demon that was used for divination. It was their means of income. So this demon possessed girl (who was young… maybe even a young child) begins to harass Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke. After many days Paul casts a demon out of this little girl and as a result the owners of this slave don’t have a way to make money so they get all their pagan friends to cause a ruckus in the marketplace. They capture Paul and Silas and accuse them of things that they didn’t do, were beaten and thrown in prison.

Paul and Silas with open wounds and glad hearts sang songs to the praise of the glory of God in their cells. The inmates listened until a huge earthquake rocked the city and threw the prison doors open and shook loose the shackles and the jailer saw what happened and decided to end his life because that would have been better than what the Romans would do. But Paul cried out, “STOP! We’re all here!” The jailer was fearful, asked to be saved and he trusted in Jesus Christ.

It was a radical change! But Paul and Silas needed to go. It’s interesting because in Acts, Luke stops using the we/us words and changes to the they/them pronouns. Many people believe its because Paul left Luke to continue teaching and preaching until Acts 20 which takes place nearly 8 years later and then the we/us words pick back up.

But we learn that Paul is imprisoned shortly after his arrival back in Jerusalem and after a period of several years makes his way to Rome where this letter is composed around 62 AD. This letter is saturated with the Gospel and my prayer is that today, you would be saturated by the power and truth of the Gospel.

Philippians 1:1–8 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. 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Our God in Heaven, we have grateful hearts today as we come together today. You have asked us to set aside one day in seven to devote wholly to You and so with our hearts filled with gladness we join together to worship You, delight in You, and listen to the Word.

We praise You for sending Jesus Christ to come and die for our sins. We thank You for His teachings and the examples that He set in humility, grace, unity, prayer, and love. We do not yet have the heart nor mind of Christ. We chase our own desires and are filled with pride, unforgiveness, division, prayerlessness, and indifference. Lord we confess that and ask, Lord, that You would give us a right heart and mind and a renewed attitude of love toward each other.

We pray Lord for many in our church that are in difficult seasons. For Brother Steve Bayless who lost his mom and will lay her to rest tomorrow, we pray for comfort for them. We ask for your grace to be on Steve and his whole family.

We want to remember Laura Reed who continues in her fight with ALS. We know you have a tremendous purpose in this and ask, Lord that You would show Your favor to the Reed family. Be with Byron as he faithfully ministers to his wife. We ask for abundant blessings on them.

We want to remember Judi Jewell as she fights cancer. We pray for her energy levels and ask that she would be encouraged during this season. She’s so sweet and kind and we ask for You to touch her and help her to get better.

We want to lift up the Felchle’s as well as Clem continues through his health challenges. We ask for You to help his body and give him a season of rest and health.

We also want to lift up to you Elaine Emry. She fell earlier this week and was taken to Columbia. We ask for a complete recovery for her and ask that she would be able to come home.

Greg Harrison- loss of dad in Texas

Lord we give You our attention today, and we ask for You to speak to us. Saturate our minds with Your truth. We ask that the truth would change our hearts and that our actions would follow. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Our passage begins with a bold declaration by Paul and Timothy. They identify themselves as servants of Christ Jesus. That word in the Greek doesn’t refer to a household helper but is the term for a slave. So Paul and Timothy begin by clearly identifying themselves in the humblest of terms. How do you identify yourself?

I don’t mean simply “I’m a Christian”, but do you consider yourself a slave of Christ Jesus? If you’re a slave to Christ, then your attitude ought to match Jesus’ who sole desire was to do the will of the Father.

Jesus taught us that we are to be like Him because He is our Master and a slave is not greater than their master.

Jesus said in John 13:14

John 13:14 ESV

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

Those who live for their own comfort may be surprised to find that many rewards in heaven go to the unnoticed and sacrificial servants who loved others for Christ’s sake.

Jesus taught us to be servant-minded about ourselves. Luke 18:14

Luke 18:14 ESV

14 … For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Do you have a right view of yourself? Jesus says that we are walking paradoxes. It’s not about our boasting, it’s about boasting solely in the Lord! Among Christians there is no other boasting.

Jesus taught us to deny ourselves Matthew 16:24

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

When is the last time you denied yourself? I mean, laying down your own desires for the Kingdom of God?

Jesus also taught us to know our actual poverty to the Lord and our need for God. Matthew 5:3

Matthew 5:3 ESV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I wonder if you truly know that you are a poor person apart from God. Many think themselves healthy, wealthy, and wise but the Bible says that you are dead, poor, and foolish apart from God.

But Paul discusses many other attitudes in the book of Philippians. He discusses the work of Christ in us in chapter 3 and how we are aware of our need to grow in Christ. We’re not there yet! But by grace we will arrive.

We learn that we have no boasting in our flesh based on anything that we do. Our boasting is in Jesus!

Philippians 2 points to the humility of Christ and how we are to have the mind of Jesus and be humble and think of others.

But all these things pour out of

Gospel-Centered Identity

Paul and Timothy continue in this by calling the believers “saints”. Now I don’t know about you, but sometimes that word “saint” makes me bristle a little bit. It sounds so holy and so set apart almost like a special category of people.

But guess what? That’s exactly what it means! You, Christian, have been called to be holy not based upon your performance and obedience but because it’s what you are and who you are. You are a saint in Christ.

Let me be clear: holiness is not the root of your salvation—it’s the fruit. You are not made right with God because you do good works; you do good works because you’ve been made right with God

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Titus 3:5–8 ESV

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

Grace leads to fruit, but the fruit never earns the grace.

Sometimes we call heroes St. Paul or St. Peter or St Mary, but we have St. Bea, St. Steve, St. Zach. They’re saints not because a church elevates them to that status but because they are made holy by Christ. Christian, that’s part of your identity! That’s why Paul addresses his letters to the saints at nearly all the churches he writes to.

But why are we saints? Why are we holy? It’s only because of God’s grace! It’s because of our salvation which we received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. This is who you are Christian. This is your identity. How do you identify yourself? Don’t settle for what the world tells you and don’t settle for what I tell you, but only rest in what God tells you and God calls you holy, set apart by His grace for His glory.

We see here the two offices of the church: overseers and deacons. Overseers are tasked with overseeing the flock of God. That word in the Greek is episkopos which is synonymous with an elder. The other office is a diakonos or deacon which means a servant that is eager to serve. It carries with it the idea of someone kicking up dust in their hurry to serve.

But notice, that’s who the Lord has provided and prescribed for leadership in the church and yet the gifts of peace and grace from the Lord God through Jesus Christ. Is peace lacking? Do you feel grace is diminished in your life? Let me ask, how is your relationship with the Lord?

I’ve found it true in my own life that when peace like a river is more of a flood of turmoil, when grace has disappeared and is replaced by impediments, it’s because I’ve neglected my relationship with the Lord. The answer is not, “Do better!” the answer is repentance and belief. “God, I’ve neglect my relationship with You. Can you please forgive me? Can you help me to have the right heart and outlook? I don’t want to be apart from your grace and peace. Can you guide me back to life in You?” that’s the right answer and it’s centered on our Gospel Identity.

But let’s move on because we’ve seen a Gospel-Shaped Identity but now I want you to look at

Gospel-Shaped Gratitude

Paul says “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you…”

What makes Paul overflow with joy and thanksgiving for the Philippians? Why is it that this letter is so positive and full of joy? It’s because of their support of Gospel work and specifically of Paul’s ministry. It was their support that Paul is referencing here. Paul makes that clear in

Philippians 4:15–16 ESV

15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.

Paul’s gratitude flows from their partnership in the Gospel “from the first day until now.” That first day clearly brings to mind Lydia in Acts becoming a supporter of Paul’s ministry. But Paul doesn’t use the phrase “supporter” but the Greek word here is koinonia which means fellowship.

You see, with fellowship in ministry it’s much more than being a supporter.

Imagine a missionary is in a rowboat, crossing a stormy sea toward an unreached island. A supporter is like someone standing on the shore, cheering them on and tossing supplies when they can. It’s helpful, generous, and appreciated.

But someone in fellowship is like being in the boat, straining with their strength, rowing with them, soaked by the same waves, risking the same dangers, and celebrating the same victories.

Supporters say, “We believe in what you’re doing.” Fellowship partners say, “We are doing this together.”

The Philippians didn’t just support Paul—they suffered with him, sent people to help him, and shared in the mission as if it were their own. Being a partner in Gospel work isn’t simply financially supporting ministries, missionaries, pastors, etc. Sometimes due to life situations that’s the best you can do, and I get that. But being a partner is about being sacrificial in our time, talent, and treasures. It’s about enduring through the hard times.

Supporters are important. Fellowship partners are essential. And those fellowship partners lead to God being thanked with tremendous joy, as Paul says “always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,”

Thirdly note the

Gospel-Driven Confidence

Paul says “I am sure of this…” that’s confidence isn’t it? No shadow of doubt exists there. “Are you sure, Paul?” Absolutely! What is Paul sure of? That the Lord that began a good work will complete the good work.

This is a key verse for the book of Philippians and it’s a key verse for you as well. It holds a promise for Christians that God is not going to give up on you just because you stumble or struggle. God’s work is not going to be thwarted by you and your failures or shortcomings. The same God that can take Abraham and still make a mighty nation from him despite his failures is the same God that is at work in you.

Yet there’s also a correction here for the Philippians. It’s almost like Paul is saying that while He is thankful for their fellowship in his ministry, that ultimately it was God. And we know this, don’t we? It was the Holy Spirit that did not allow them to preach the Gospel in Asia. It was the Spirit of Jesus that didn’t allow them to go to Bithynia to preach. But it was the Lord that sent a vision which we call the Macedonian Call to go to Philippi and preach there.

Gospel work is the work of the Lord and so there is this tension between our believers accountability for what we do and our need to rely on the Lord. It’s a growing work isn’t it? This should be a proof and a comfort to all of us that it is God that is still at work in each one of us personally and even corporately as a local church body that God is the One that works in us and God never leaves His work unfinished.

Paul wrote what is called, The Golden Chain of Redemption.

Romans 8:29–30 ESV

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

This Golden Chain is forged by the Lord God alone. If we call it a Golden Chain, then it’s God’s Chain and it hangs on His belt. God doesn’t get His people to justification and leave us be. He works on us and in us and we can be sure of that. God is the author of our salvation, bearer of our faith, and closer of our sanctification.

Just as Paul had complete confidence that the Lord would complete the work, we too can have full confidence that God will complete the work in us.

You might feel discouraged by your own weakness in overcoming sin. You might be pessimistic about slow growth in the church. But it is God that finishes what He’s fashioned. He completes what He creates. He achieves what He arranges. And we can have full confidence in this truth because Christian, you are His. And this completion will not happen until that day of Christ Jesus.

You see, Christian. Heaven is not the final chapter—it’s glorious, but it’s the waiting room for the final resurrection. One day, Jesus will return, and we will receive new bodies and live forever in the new heavens and new earth. That’s the day of Christ Jesus that Paul references here.

But let’s look at our final point

Gospel-Fueled Affection

Listen to what Paul says to the Philippians, “I hold you in my heart… I yearn for you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” Paul loves them deeply not simply because of their history, but because they are partners

Paul loves them deeply — not just as a teacher, but as a partaker in grace. That word partaker is the same word as partner we saw but with a prefix at the beginning which means “co” as in along. So it literally means a co-partner. Someone that shares in something— namely imprisonment and defense of the Gospel.

Suffering has a way of unifying people in a way many do not understand. But suffering for Christ leads to a vigorous affection for one another.

Think about the letters written during World War I. Back home, supporters would write to soldiers—send money, care packages, and encouraging words. But the men in the trenches who bled, wept, and fought side-by-side shared something deeper. They were brothers forged by hardship. Their bond was not theoretical—it was earned through suffering and loyalty.

That’s what Paul had with the Philippians. They weren’t just spectators—they stood with him in his imprisonment, helped defend and confirm the gospel, and shared in the struggle. That’s why he says in verse 8, “I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” His love for them wasn’t sentimental—it was battle-tested.

A church that is built on Gospel partnership produces deep, genuine love. Not surface-level relationships but it happens intentionally and it happens through the Gospel. It happens when we prioritize the Lord and Gospel ministry.

Head: God wants you to know that your identity is secure in Christ—you're a saint by grace.

Remember, Christian, you are not working for God’s approval—you’re working from it. You have been set apart, not because of your good works, but because of His unmerited favor on you.

Heart: God wants you to believe that God is joyfully at work in you and others.

Even when you feel weak or stuck, God is not finished with you. He began the work of grace in you and He will complete it, because your salvation rests not on your strength but on His unchanging purpose.

Hand: God wants you to commit to more than support—strive for Gospel partnership with others.

True gospel fellowship isn’t just writing a check or saying a prayer—it’s locking arms in ministry, suffering, and mission. Don’t stand on the shore—get in the boat and row with your brothers and sisters.