Untitled Sermon (2)
Phillippians • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 8 viewsNotes
Transcript
Background to Philippians
Background to Philippians
Philippi is a large city and a colony of Rome. It is named after Phillip of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s father. It is an important city and everyone there is considered a Roman citizen.
It is also a very secular city, and there is likely no synagogue or presence of the Jewish people there.
Paul and Timothy are writing to the Church in Philippi.
They helped plant the church in Acts 16 after a vision from God told them to go there and they met Lydia outside the gates of the city. This is also one of the church plants that Paul got to spend a lot of time with, but their time in Philippi didn’t always go very smoothly.
In Philippi, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, stripped naked and beaten with rods. Then they were transferred to the high-security section of the prison until an earthquake from God freed them. This was when the Paul and Silas preached the gospel to the jailer who was going to kill himself, and he believed and was saved.
Two missionary journeys later, Paul is currently in house arrest in Rome and this is likely one of the last letters that Paul is going to write before he is martyred.
This letter is partly a thank you, because the Philippian church has sent Paul a gift while in prison and they have consistently supported Paul in his missionary work both financially and through prayer.
Gospel fellowship seeks to spur one another on to good works
Gospel Fellowship
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
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. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Gospel Fellowship is founded upon the gospel
So… What exactly is the gospel? What is this fellowship founded upon?
It is what drove Paul to the Philippians in the first place. It is what turned Paul’s life around and motivated him to go on these missionary journeys.
It is what motivated Paul to go out to that riverside and find Lydia and the others who were praying
It is this:
The good news that Jesus Christ is God and came to Earth in taking on human flesh, lived a perfect life and then died a sinner’s death so that sinners could reap the benefits of having lived a perfect life. It is that Jesus has reconciled sinners to God and has opened up heaven for the lost and the rebellious, that we might repent and turn to God.
The gospel is the ultimate display of God’s love for us and it is the single most important thing in the entire world.
It is the foundation of life on which everything else is built for every single believer.
It is because it occupies the central part of every believer that is also serves as the foundation for Christian fellowship
Because of the gospel, we have true fellowship
What do I mean by the foundation? I mean that it holds our fellowship up. Just as a believer cannot stand in faith unless he stands on the gospel, so our fellowship cannot stand unless it is centered on the gospel.
Center our fellowship on anything else, and it will fall. Center it on sports, it will fall. Center it on a hobby, it will fall. Center it on politics, it will fall. The gospel is what makes our fellowship possible.
But… what is fellowship?
We get a glimpse of fellowship in Acts 2:42-47
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
It is more than just a book club, it is more than just sharing a few common interests.
It is a doing of life together, a commitment to the wellbeing of the group over the individual.
It is sacrificing personal comfort and pleasure to see the fellow Christian lifted up and cared for.
It is forfeiting personal property and freedom for the benefit of the other.
It is eating meals with one another with glad and generous hearts
It is praising God and glorifying him because each and every person knows exactly how good he is and how much he deserves our praises.
Maybe you think that this type of fellowship doesn’t exist anymore, or it isn’t possible in your situation. But I can assure you that it does exist, and it is possible in your situation! I can say this confidently because it is not based on the friendliness of people, but on the goodness of God and his gospel.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Transition: This is the fellowship that Paul has with the Philippians, and this is the fellowship that causes Paul to spur this church on to good works.
Spurs One Another On To Good Works
How does Paul spur on the Philippian Church to good works? Three ways:
In Prayer
As we learned last week, we cannot bear fruit unless we are abiding in Jesus. We find ourselves abiding in Jesus as we pray to him. Many people view prayer as a bending of God’s will to meet our own desires, but it is actually quite the opposite
Illustration: Stanley Jones wrote “If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.”
Prayer that we all may be filled with the love and affection of Christ Phil 1:9
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
APPLICATION: Who are you praying for? Are you asking that God may fill you and those that you love with the love of Christ, that we may abound with fruit as we follow God?
In Encouragement
Paul spurs the Philippians on to good works by reminding them of God’s faithfulness
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.
In reminding them of Christ’s faithfulness and goodness in saving and preserving us, he is reminding them of their motivation to go and love others.
APPLICATION: Who are you encouraging? In your attempt at fellowship, do you speak more about video games, relationships and movies, or do you remind one another of the good foundation of our salvation?
In Partnership
Prayer and Encouragement are essential to our fellowship, but it can’t stop there. We also need to be willing to join hands and jump into the trenches of ministry together.
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.
Remember what Paul endured while he was in Philippi, and since then: He has been beaten, imprisoned, mocked, villianized and cast away; but the Philippians have been with him through it all.
APPLICATION: Who are you partnering with? When you look at your relationships, who is the person that you are willing to thrown down with and get to work? Who are you willing to stick by no matter what life throws at you for the sake of the gospel? Who are you willing to endure the punishment of the world with?
Jesus has brought us into an eternal fellowship, and that fellowship will spur each other on to good works. Are you entering that fellowship, or are you ignoring it to chase your own passions? And if you are in that fellowship, are you actively seeking to encourage the others to good works?
It is time that we re-prioritize our lives, and walk hand in hand as we spur each other on to do gospel work.