Struggling Together

Intro

The Christian life is full of struggles. Some struggles are not unique to Christians: they happen to everyone. Struggles apparently are airborne contagions: if you are breathing, then you are either struggling now or will be in the near future.

Some struggles, though, come from our allegiance to Christ. Our willingness to follow Jesus will put us at odds with the unbelieving world, and that means we will struggle because of Jesus. A servant is not greater than his master, and “the world will hate you because it hated me.” We will face struggles in this thing that’s called Christianity.

But the beautiful truth of Christianity is that we struggle together. Paul was facing some struggles - imprisoned for his testimony for Christ, and in that church in Philippi - a church he founded - he found shoulders to help him carry the burden of the gospel throughout the Roman world. Stand with me as we read the introduction to Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

This is the Word of God, and if you will let it, it will change your life.

Philippians 1:1–11 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. 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.

Pray

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is perhaps his warmest letter. The sweet friendships that the Apostle and this church share saturate just about every word in this epistle.

We are fortunate with the founding of the Philippi church - Luke records in Acts 16 the story of the church’s founding. Paul, together with Luke, Silas, and Timothy, were trying to go preach the gospel in Asia and Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to go to those places. Then Paul found out why - a vision of a Macedonian man pleading for help directed the missionaries’ efforts toward northeastern Greece.

When they arrived, they went straight to the one of the major cities, Philippi. Founded in the early 300s BC and named after Phillip the Great, Philippi was a Roman colony largely inhabited by former military families.

It was in Philippi that a wealthy trader named Lydia converted to the faith and provided the house where the young church would meet. It was in Philippi that a slave girl who made her masters rich by fortune-telling was freed from the demon possession that controlled her life.

It was also in Philippi that those same owners got very mad at Paul and had him and Silas beaten and thrown into prison. It was at Philippi that, during a mid-night jailhouse praise session, the place was literally shaken, and a jailor who was about to die by suicide ended up hearing the gospel and believing to eternal life along with his whole household. All of that was in Philippi, and that’s just in one chapter!

With the history that they shared, you expect Paul and the Philippians to have a warm friendship. But there’s more to it than that. More than just a fellowship, Paul and the Philippians enjoyed true koinonia - partnership.

What really made this relationship so wonderful, what brought both sides so much joy, and what makes the letter to the Philippians so wonderful is the partnership within which this relationship flourishes. Koinonia is more than just fellowship - it involves working together with a common purpose. We talk about this in our church vision - when God adopts us into his family, we belong together with the common purpose of making disciples. Paul and the Philippians have that partnership that makes the struggles easier to endure. The secret: partnership in the gospel means that we struggle together.

In this introduction, Paul expresses his gratitude and prayer for the Philippian believers. As he does that, he talks about several ways that partnership eases the struggles of life. First:

Partnership Produces Joyful Gratitude

Philippians 1:3–5 ESV

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.

Paul isn’t just saying “every time I think of you I thank God for you.” He’s really saying, “every thought of all of you that I have brings me to a fulness of joy in all of my prayers.” How many people can you say bring you nothing but joy in every thought you have of them? How many can say that about you? Paul can say it about the Philippians. That’s how close - how marvelous - the partnership between this church and this Apostle really is. Their partnership is the cause of Paul’s joyful gratitude.

And it’s a partnership that so far has endured the test of time. This isn’t a passing partnership for a short season. Time and again Paul visited Philippi to build the body there. Time and again the Philippians raised funds and sent aid to help Paul and his dearest causes. From day one to today, that partnership has been influential for everyone involved. And that influence is what brings the joy that Paul expresses throughout this letter.

In fact, I would argue that if partnership is the theme of Philippians (and I believe it is), then joy is this letter’s tone.

By the way, the joy and gratitude that come from genuine koinonia make the burden easier to bear. When we have joy and are thankful to God to have companionship that is working alongside us, we know we don’t have to bear the burdens alone. Struggles don’t lighten, but the burden they lay on our shoulders is offset by those who lift it with us. Partnership produces joyful gratitude.

Partnership Produces Confident Expectancy

Philippians 1:6 ESV

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.

In light of the way that partnership with the Philippians has stood the test of time, Paul then shows confidence that it will continue to stand the test of time. This is an oft-quoted verse with a powerful meaning: when God starts it, he will complete it. Hey, that would make a good church sign, don’t you think?

Knowing that God has begun the work, we can be confident that he will continue the work until the day of Christ, in which the work will be fully completed. There’s no question. That makes the burden of struggles easier, too, because we know we can count on God to do his part. The struggle is temporary, but God’s work is permanent. Partnership with others who are in it for the long haul reminds us of God’s faithfulness and enables us to endure a little longer, knowing that he will finish his work in us. Partnership produces confident expectancy. Third:

Partnership Produces Shared Grace

Philippians 1:7 ESV

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 is able to honestly say that the Philippians “are all partakers with me of grace.” When we are partners together, we share a grace that makes our unity stronger and helps us endure through our struggles better.

Notice the different ways that they partake in that shared grace. In imprisonment, they share a grace of freedom in Christ that no shackles can hold back. Imprisonment for Christ’s sake is an honor, not a shame. In bad situations where we are mistreated, maligned, abused, locked-up, or locked-out, our partnership enables us to bear one another’s burdens and experience God’s amazing grace.

But even in good things, partnership produces a shared grace. As we defend and confirm the gospel, God is at work within us - all of us - to build us up into his spotless bride. We share the grace of testimony, the grace that allows us to recognize our faults and our Savior’s goodness. We see grace as we share grace with each other, and as we proclaim that same grace to others. Partnering together helps us share the grace of God as we face struggles and successes. Fourth:

Partnership Produces Abounding Love

Philippians 1:8–9 ESV

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,

In verse 7, Paul says he holds the Philippians in his heart. Verses 8-9 expound on that. He says “I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” This is a love that has grown out of partnership.

The same thing happens in marriage. You might love them when you get married, but the more you partner together, the more you two become one, the more love abounds. The same thing happens within the church: as we partner together to share the gospel and make disciples, our love for one another will grow and grow. And that’s exactly what Paul prays to happen with the Philippians.

This is also a good place to note the use of the plural “you all.” He uses the “y’all” form of you 51 times in this book. Only once does he use the singular you. Partnership cannot be done alone - and neither can love. Both require us working together. Partnership produces abounding love. Fifth:

Partnership Produces Tested Excellence

Philippians 1:10 ESV

10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,

When we partner together, we make better decisions. The idea of a jury is that one person can make a mistake, but for 12 people to all agree that someone is guilty makes the mistake so much more unlikely. When we work together, we sharpen one another like iron sharpening iron. So our partnership provides a means of testing and proving things.

Partnership also encourages excellence. When we work together, we help each other get better. My wife and I have very different skills and talents. But when you put us together, we make a great team! Even if it’s on-the-job, having two people working together can often make a better result than one working alone. Things can get done faster and better when we partner together. Partnership produces an excellence that is tried and true. Sixth:

Partnership Produces Eternal Purity

Philippians 1:10–11 ESV

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.

Look at the pattern. Paul prays that their love will abound, with knowledge and discernment, so that they test and prove what is most superior, and by doing so they would be pure for all eternity. That’s the process of sanctification! As we grow in our faith, becoming more and more like Christ, we find our own sinfulness being cleansed and our hearts being purified until the day that God finishes that good work he began in us. We call this process between salvation and our eventual perfection in glory “sanctification.”

And Paul links that, though this prayer, back to partnership. Koinonia is one of God’s means for producing purity in us. That means that the person who says, “I don’t need to go to church to be holy” is dead wrong. We need each other. God has ordained that in the body of Christ we Christians would be built up for his purpose. Our partnership helps us grow in purity and bear the fruits in keeping with righteousness that God expects of us - that God demands of us. Partnership produces eternal purity. Lastly:

Partnership Produces Divine Praise

Philippians 1:11 ESV

11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Everything that God does through us he does for his glory. So everything we do has that same purpose. As we partner together, we point the world toward God and call our fellow men to his praise and adoration.

No matter the struggles that we find ourselves facing, we see in all things God’s hand working in us for his glory. And often, the way we see that hand of God is through our partnership with each other. Church, we belong together. Struggles and all. So let’s partner together for the sake of the gospel, and let’s struggle together.

Pray

We’re going to sing a verse of a hymn. If God is moving in your heart, whether it is to know Christ personally or to partner with Crestview and become a member, I’ll be here at the front. You come while we sing.