Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

It's good to be with you again - and see that everyone survived the rain

I had the boys building in the back yard but it's hard to find Gopher wood here

What do you think of when you think of the word fellowship?

Biblical fellowship is not a cup of coffee after the service or a dinner after a Bible study.

It's not hanging out together and catching a movie

Biblical fellowship is about striving together for a common purpose

James Montgomery Boice said:

It meant a sharing in something, participating in something greater than the people involved and more lasting than the activity of any given moment.

When the Bible uses the word, it means being caught up into a communion created by God.

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring

In Paul's and the Philippians case, their purpose is the Gospel.

Philippi is a very diverse church - female merchants, a Roman jailer, Clement and possibly even the girl that Paul frees from the influence of a demon in Acts 16

Tonight we will look at three characteristics of the Gospel Fellowship

Thanksgiving

Confidence

Affection

If you recall last week we briefly sketched out the circumstances that led to Paul's arrival in and founding of a church in Philippi

visited in a dream by a man from Macedonia imploring him to come over Acts 16:9

Found women at a place of prayer by the river and Lydia becomes the first convert in Europe

Paul is arrested and the events with the jailer

Paul is now in prison in Rome and is writing this letter to his dear friends in Philippi

We said that the primary message of this letter is the practical implications of the Gospel - characterized by joy which drives humility which drives unity.

Paul demonstrates his humility in the introduction by referring to himself as a slave and the Philippian believers as saints

We in reality are both slaves and saints

Grace and Peace - Paul goes on in verse 2 to distill the Gospel down to 2 primary elements.

If there were a way to describe the Gospel in 2 words this would be it

This week and next we're going to look at the great prayer that Paul opens this book with.

This is a normal practice for Paul - to open a letter with thanksgiving.

In 11 of 13 letters he does so.

Let's read Phil 1:1-8 together to get some context and then we'll launch into the study.

Prayer

Thanksgiving

Notice the intense personal nature of this prayer right from the beginning: I thank my God

Paul has a close personal relationship with God that transcends his current conditions

If anyone had reason to be angry with God for his position it would be Paul

After his conversion he had done everything required of him and yet he was in prison "for the Gospel".

No one would have blamed him for shaking his fist and getting a little angry with God

Yet Paul highlights his relationship to the Savior every opportunity he gets

There are four key characteristics of Paul's prayer for the Philippians - personal, consistency, unconditional, and joyous

Personal - all my remembrance of you....

Paul had a deep personal connection to this church

Throughout the book he calls the church brothers

Expressing his gratitude in this way shows that this prayer is not a community prayer for the church at Philippi, but his own—one that reveals his personal state of mind toward the Christians there, which is that of complete thankfulness for each one of them

This level of personal interaction can only come from experiencing real life together - not just the momentary interactions during the meet and greet at church but the late nights worrying about whether or not your kids are coming home, the births and deaths that accompany life, the successes of getting jobs or the pain of losing them.

Of course this level of intimacy is built over time, but it is still something that should be sought in the church.

But this is the messy parts of life - are you willing to get down with people and live their messy lives with them?

Consistency - always in every prayer

Paul is a proponent of constant prayer

Paul says that every time he prays he remembers the Philippians - how often during your prayers do you lift up the needs of others?

Unconditional - for you all

Paul makes no distinctions among the Christians of Philippi.

He says that he lifts all of them up

Five times in these 8 verses Paul mentions "all" with respect to the Philippians

Recognizing that unity was an issue in this church Paul draws no distinction in how or who he remembers in his prayers.

No one Christian holds a higher status in Paul's heart but he prays for all of them

Joyous - this was not burdensome for Paul but an activity of joy

This is the first of 16 mentions of the word or characteristic of joy in this epistle.

Joy is a defining mark of the Christian life

Joy should be a characteristic of our prayer life.

It should not be burdensome to lift our brothers and sisters in prayer.

There exists between the apostle and his beloved congregation mutual understanding and affection that prompt each to plead that God will meet the particular needs of the other

This begs the question as to why is Paul so diligent in his prayer life for the Philippians.

One of the reasons he is writing this epistle is to correct them regarding their humility and lack of unity.

How can he say that he remembers each of them with joy.

One thing that we teach in my class is building a positive communication bridge before offering correction.

On some level that speaks to what Paul is doing here - but he is doing so much more.

He does not always do this.

He doesn't spend time building a bridge here and there is no prayer of thanksgiving for the Galatian church.

But here he is not just softening the blow of his correction for them.

He is thankful for their partnership in the Gospel

The Greek word for partnership is koinonia - and it is often translated fellowship.

But the depth of this word is much more suited to the translation of partnership

It speaks to the deep participation of the Philippians in the Gospel with Paul.

Not only did the Philippians support Paul financially

If you can't go down into the well, at least hold the rope

The Philippians we holding the rope for Paul

The occasion of this epistle was the arrival of Ephaphroditus in Rome to deliver a gift from the Philippians and Paul sending him back to the church

Also their active participation from the very beginning

Lydia opened her home

The jailer took Paul and Silas into his home and washed their wounds

the core verse of the epistle, Paul is calling them to a defense and a demonstration of the Gospel

This whole section speaks to a depth of fellowship that is rarely seen in the church today.

Our lives are so busy and we are so spread out.

And we haven't faced the type of afflictions that Paul and the Philippians faced.

The military community in Japan is the closest illustration I could think of - Bekah and Kathryn

Summary - how do you view your fellowship with other members of the church?

Not just Calvary Chapel La Mesa but the church as a whole.

Do you pray?

When you do is it to remember your brothers and sisters with joy? Are you partnering with the church for the furtherance of the Gospel?

How could you get involved?

How would this affect your fellowship with your brothers and sisters?

Confidence

This entire section is really one long sentence in Greek - starting in verse three and continuing through verse 8.

Places two items in mind regarding this verse:

Paul's primary thought is not the spiritual growth of the individual - but the completion of the work of the Gospel

- a good work,” finds its explanation in the fact that the Philippians were partners with Paul in the gospel (v 5) and shared their resources with him to make the proclamation of the gospel possible.

This “sharing in the gospel” is the good work referred to here.

Paul is expressing his confidence that the partnership that they have entered in to on behalf of the Gospel will be brought to completion by God at the day of Christ.

A secondary aspect of this is the personal spiritual growth of the individuals -