Philippians 1:1-11
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Students we are starting a new series this week!
One I am extremely excited about — we are starting a series called “Joyful”
This series is us walking through the book of Philippians from 1:1 all the way to 4:23
We are going to hit every part and see what made Paul so joyful
I love going through books of the Bible — breaking down the text to come to a full understanding of what God is teaching us
There is something special about diving deep into God’s Word
So without further ado lets dive into Philippians
Setting the scene
Setting the scene
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.
The book starts out like any normal letter from Paul — he lays out who he is, who he is writing to, and then wishes them grace and peace from God
This is not anything crazy, nothing different from anything else
But I want you to notice something
Paul and Timothy call themselves “servants” of Christ Jesus
This is the Greek word δουλας it is oftentimes translated as servant, but a better translation is actually slave
This is significant because it shows us what Paul in his life is valuing
He isn’t valuing his status in the world, his money, his property, his possessions
He values the fact that he is a slave, or servant of Christ
This is important because Paul in this letter to the Philippians is writing in while being in prison
The prison he is in isn’t a soft cushy easy prison
It isn’t the kind of prison where you go in, get a college degree and a new workout regiment and come out almost better
This was the prison where Paul was chained to a guard 24/7, 365. 366 on a leap year
Yet as we are going to learn throughout this book, Paul is still joyful
Why?
Because he values himself as a slave of Christ
Nothing else can tell him what to feel because he belongs in Christ
In prison? Doesn’t matter I’m in Christ
Then listen to what Paul goes on to say:
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. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Paul spends the next 8 verses praising God for the people that partner with him in ministry and life
He is in prison, yet notice over and over again he is saying “I thank God” “prayer with joy” “affection”
Paul is praising God despite his circumstances because of his value in Christ, and then because of the people that are behind Paul
Challenge
Challenge
As I was studying this it challenged me
I was forced to ask the question about myself:
Would Paul thank God for me?
If Paul knew me would he thank God for me?
Paul says that while he’s in prison he is thanking God for these people
This made me ask myself the question — am I someone who is helping others?
In those verses above there are some key characteristics that I want to look at that show us how to be people that are beneficial to others — not just existing
There are characteristics that show us how to be co-laborers for Christ and not just someone who exists but doesn’t matter
Partner in the Gospel
Partner in the Gospel
The first thing I want you to notice about the people that Paul is thinking God constantly for is this:
Their partnership in the Gospel
they are partners in the Gospel message
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.
Paul says that he is thanking God continuously because they partner with him in the Gospel
They are partakers in the grace of Jesus and in the imprisonment he faces, and the defense and confirmation of the Gospel
What does that mean
THEY WERE STAGNANT IN THEIR FAITH
They believed in Jesus and then sold out for the Gospel
They were partakers — they were sharing the Gospel with everyone that would listen
They were going to the lost
Notice that they did this regardless of what would happen to them:
Imprisonment — some of them were sharing the gospel and getting thrown in jail
Grace of Jesus — some of them were sharing the gospel and God is blessing it
Defense and confirmation — some of them are sharing the Gospel and having to defend their faith (want to learn how, come to Student rGroup)
I was forced to wrestle with that question — am I a partner in the Gospel?
I would challenge you all, ask yourself this question: are you a partner in the Gospel?
Are you going and sharing Jesus with your friends?
Here’s a crazy stat for you:
NC has a total population of ~11 Million people
5.8 million of those people are lost!
That means 1 in every 2 people in the state of NC are — going to hell if they die
So are you a partner in mission of God?
Are you taking the Gospel to those who are lost?
Paul said he’s thanking God for the Philippians because they are going and sharing the Gospel regardless of the circumstances
Is that true of you?
Their love is abounding
Their love is abounding
The second thing that jumps out to me about Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving is this:
Their love is abounding
Notice what Paul says:
8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
He is praying that their love would abound more and more
This isn’t a prayer that they would have love for others
This is a prayer that their love would continue to abound
That means they are going out and loving their neighbors and friends
They are following the example that Jesus set when talking about the Good Samaritan
They are serving and loving the people they are around
Paul is thanking God for these people because they are showing love
Paul then is going and asking God that their love would continue to abound
That they would love more
What about us?
Is our love abounding for others?
Do we truly love our neighbors, friends, and family?
Are we seeking them like Jesus sought out the Lost and hurting
Do we follow the example of the Good Samaritan?
We must be people show love no matter what
That we would be described as having love that is abounding
Their fruit of righteousness
Their fruit of righteousness
The last thing that Paul is saying he gives thanks to God for them is because:
Their fruit of righteousness
They are producing the fruit of righteousness
Listen to what Paul finishes
10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
He is praying that they would continue to approve what is excellent and be filled with the fruit of righteousness
They are seeking to approve excellence, and being pure which is leading to the fruit of righteousness
Let that sink in
The people Paul is praying for is seeking to flee sin so to be pure, they are seeking to affirm what is excellent with everything
They are seeking to become more and more like Jesus in every single moment of their life
What about us?
Are we producing the fruit of righteousness?
Are we seeking to be pure? Flee sin? Affirm what is right regardless of the circumstances?
We must become people that are actively seeking to follow Christ, regardless of what that might mean
Conclusion
Conclusion
Students — Paul is in prison and is thanking God for the people in his life
Would you be one of those people?
Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
What does Paul's identification as a 'servant' or 'slave' of Christ signify about his understanding of value and purpose in life?
Why do you think Paul places such a strong emphasis on prayer and thanksgiving in relation to his friends in the faith?
What practical steps can you take this week to actively partner in the Gospel?
How can we assess whether our love for others is truly abounding and what steps can we take to enhance it?
How can you contribute to the 'fruit of righteousness' in your life and community?
