Untitled Sermon (4)

NA28 - 27Μόνον ἀξίως τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολιτεύεσθε, ἵνα εἴτε ἐλθὼν καὶ ἰδὼν ὑμᾶς εἴτε ἀπὼν ἀκούω τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν, ὅτι στήκετε ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι, μιᾷ ψυχῇ συναθλοῦντες τῇ πίστει τοῦ εὐαγγελίου

28καὶ μὴ πτυρόμενοι ἐν μηδενὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀντικειμένων, ἥτις ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς ἔνδειξις ἀπωλείας, ὑμῶν δὲ σωτηρίας, καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ θεοῦ·

29ὅτι ὑμῖν ἐχαρίσθη τὸ ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ, οὐ μόνον τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεύειν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πάσχειν,

30τὸν αὐτὸν ἀγῶνα ἔχοντες, οἷον εἴδετε ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ νῦν ἀκούετε ἐν ἐμοί.

ESV - 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Introduction

The letter to the Philippians was written by the apostle Paul to the church in Philippi (1:1) whilst he was imprisoned for preaching the gospel (1:13). Paul writes to the church for a number of practical reasons. Paul writes to tell that he hopes to come to them again (1:25, 27), to thank them for helping him (4:10, 14) and to tell them that he hopes to send Timothy to them soon (2:19). However Paul also writes for pastoral reasons as he seeks to encourage them in their suffering, as well as to exhort them to unity. It seems that the church was under opposition (1:28) and that they were going through similar trials as Paul was (1:30). Sadly, it was in the midst of this that the Church seemed to be suffering from disunity which is why on numerous occasions in the letter Paul exhorts them to be united with one another (1:27, 2:2, 4:2). This was so important in Paul’s mind that after he informs the church about his current situation (1:12-18), his resolve to live for Jesus alone (1:19-24) and his plans to come to them again (1:25-26), he begins an exhortation with the words ‘Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel’ (1:27).

Outline

Paul’s desire for the Philippian church (1:27a)

2. Paul’s expansion on his desire (1:27b - 28a)

a) That they would be united (1:27b - 27c)

b) That they would strive for the gospel (1:27c)

c) That they would be strong in the face of opposition (1:28a)

3. Paul’s encouragement to the church in the face of opposition (1:28b-30)

a) Opposition is a sign of their opponents destruction (1:28b)

b) Opposition is a sign of their salvation (1:28c)

c) Suffering like faith is a gracious gift from God (1:29)

d) Suffering is not unique to them (1:30)

Main Idea

Paul is writing from prison to the suffering church in Philippi and whether he comes to them or not he desires that they will be united with one another as they strive for the gospel, standing strong in the face of opposition.

Exegesis of the Text

- Paul’s Desire for the Philippian Church (1:27a)

Paul begins this section with the word Μόνον meaning only, to highlight that his desire is this one thing no matter what his circumstances are. Silva also takes this view by translating the beginning of the verse as ‘regardless of my circumstances’.