Sermon Tone Analysis

You may not remember this, but when we first started this series moving through the book of Philippians, I started with an illustration about the Royal Standard, which is the official flag of the Monarch of England.

This is a separate flag than the Union Jack flag that we associate with the UK.

According to the official website for the Royal Family,

“The Royal Standard represents the Sovereign and the United Kingdom.

The Royal Standard is flown when The Queen is in residence in one of the Royal Palaces, on The Queen's car on official journeys and on aircraft (when on the ground).

The Royal Standard is flown only when the Sovereign is present.

If the Union Jack is flying above Buckingham Palace instead of the Standard, The Queen is not in residence.

Unlike the Union flag, the Royal Standard is never flown at half mast, even after the death of a monarch, as there is always a Sovereign on the throne.”

There is a Scottish minister who once said that “Joy is the flag which is flown from the castle of the heart when the King is in residence there.”

As we have moved through this book of Philippians, we have seen that the relentless theme of the book is one of unparalleled joy!

Despite the reality that the Philippian church is suffering, despite the fact that Paul is in jail and does not know what will come, whether he will live or die, Paul remains joyful and desires that we do as well.

As we walk this earthly journey, until we see his face like we just sang about, we can live lives of joy even when the road is hard.

There is divine joy available for us in our earthly journey.

This is our last message from the book of Philippians.

What I hope to do through this sermon today is summarize where we have been what we have seen, and tie everything in together to give us that overview of this book which helps us learn how to navigate life in such a way that we walk with joy, even when times are difficult.

What we are going to see is that there are two primary stimulators of joy for Paul as he walks this difficult earthly life.

The first is through his blood-bought bonds with others, and the second is through his pursuit of knowing Christ.

Joy in Blood-Bought Bonds

a. Bonds Forged in Gospel Fire

Go with me back to chapter one of Philippians and see with me how Paul describes his relationship to the Philippians and how it causes him joy to be walking this earth with them.

They are partners in the Gospel.

They have become partakers with him both in his trials and in the defense of the Gospel.

As a result, Paul has a love for the Philippians that is unmatched.

This is a love that forged through mutual labor for the Gospel.

I remember growing up as a baseball fan watching the Cubs one summer and they were really doing poorly.

They were off to a bad start, they had some issues within the clubhouse, it just wasn’t looking great.

But there was a turning point in the season.

A player from another team appeared to intentionally hit several Cubs players with his pitch.

After some words were exchanged, the benches cleared and there was a small skirmish on the field.

We can look at moments like that as being rather negative, but it was that moment that was a turning point for that team.

All the sudden, this wasn’t just some ragtag group of misfits.

They became a team in that moment.

Now they knew that that guy has my back and I have his.

A greater bond was formed in the fight than could ever have been manufactured in another way.

Often times our military veterans experience a camaraderie that can only come from having served in the armed forces.

No one else knows what it's like and can empathize with you like someone who fought alongside you against a common enemy.

Brothers in arms, are brothers for life.

And such is what it is for God’s people.

Obviously, we aren’t fighting a physical war or going to battle with Rifles or Baseball bats.

But we are in a spiritual war.

And we do go to spiritual war against the forces of darkness, and when we engage in Gospel ministry alongside one another, when we labor in prayer for one another, there is a bond that is formed that is greater than anything else.

We may even have some secondary doctrinal differences, but when we labor for the same gospel, you’re my brother!

You’re my sister!

and I will go to war for you and with you.

That is the kind of bond that Paul has with the Philippians.

It’s not uncommon for some individuals within a church to feel like they aren’t developing the relationships they desire to develop from their church community.

Are you doing ministry together?

Are you praying for and with one another?

The deepest bonds are formed through Gospel ministry with one another.

That is why he speaks of them with such tender language

These are bonds forged in Gospel fire and thus they are precious.

And because these are precious bonds, Paul wants to see them preserved.

b.

Bonds Worth Preserving

The bond forged in Gospel fire are worth preserving.

How are they preserved?

They are preserved through fighting for unity.

At the end of chapter one Paul writes this

Philippians 1:27–28 (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.

Paul recognizes the fact that we are in a spiritual war, and we need our brothers and sisters, we can’t afford to let things that are of no real consequence come between us and prevent us from remaining in fellowship with each other.

Now, of course, this is qualified.

While we recognize that there are some doctrines that are primary and secondary, etc, and that we can give grace on secondary differences, we also recognize that there is but one true Gospel.

There are primary things that we are absolutely willing to fight for and divide over.

But if we are holding to those things, we can and we must fight for unity, even if there isn’t uniformity.

Our bonds are preserved through unity.

But such unity requires humility.

Preserved through humility.

Look at chapter two

If we are to have unity within the church, that is going to take humility.

If we always insist on our own way, if we are jockeying for position, if we are only concerned with what we want, what we think is best, and the direction we want things to go....we are acting from pride, and not out of deference to others.

We also see the command from Paul in chapter 4 to two individuals who apparently had a dispute of some kind

This is a little bit of a silly illustration, but on Friday night we were watching Star Wars the Clone Wars with our kids.

There was a Clone Squad in training for battle, but there were having trouble and never passed their tests because they were all jockeying for position and failing to work together to accomplish the task.

They had to learn to set their own pride aside and work together to accomplish the mission.

When we are of the same mind and working toward the same end, the furtherance of the Gospel of Christ for the glory of God, we are going to forge Gospel bonds, and those bonds are worth preserving.

They are worth preserving, and they are worth propagating.

c.

Bonds Worth Propagating

This means that we want to see similar bonds reproduced in others.

The Philippians had their lives changed by the Gospel of Christ.

They wanted the same to happen for others as well.

This is why they supported Paul, and a big reason why Paul was writing this letter: to thank them for their support.

They are partners in the Gospel.

The Philippians wanted others to hear the good news.

Paul wanted others to hear the good news.

So the Philippians supported Paul in his missionary journeys so that others might share in these same bonds forged in Gospel fire.

We spent time looking at the financial support that the Philippians gave to PAul for the purpose of a continual spread of the Gospel, so we won’t belabor the point here.

But when we experience the love of Christ, and when we discover the joy of being in a healthy church body, that is worth propagating, that is worth investing in seeing others be exposed to the Gospel so that they too may experience the same joy.

So there is joy in our blood-bought bonds that comes through the Gospel.

Bonds forged in Gospel fire, bonds worth preserving and propagating.

The other major thrust of the book is the joy of knowing Christ.

Joy in Knowing Christ

When we come to faith in Christ, we place our trust in Him for our salvation, but there are many promises that become ours as well, and we get to trust those promises.

Knowing Christ is the means through which our blood-bought bonds are formed, as only those who know Christ share in those bonds.

How does knowing Christ bring us joy?

a. Knowing He is at Work

In the opening of the letter, as Paul is still speaking about the Philippians and his thankfulness for them writes,

Paul takes joy and comfort knowing that God isn’t finished with us yet.

He started a good work when he opened our eyes to see the truth of the Gospel, and he is going to finish that work.