Untitled Sermon (17)

An introduction from a slave?

Mother’s Day intro.

Timothy the son of a believing woman.

Paul starts this letter in a way that we could potentially gloss over.

“Paul and Timothy, slaves (or servants) of Christ Jesus”

Why does Paul call himself a slave?

First of all, this slave would probably best be translated servant for us.

The word slave in our context obviously draws to mind images of the degrading, abusive, and destructive systems of slavery that have cropped up in history.

These forms of slavery have at their core the exploitation of human beings for the sole benefit of the owner.

But Jesus, and nearly every NT writer uses the word slave.

Why?

Scripture teaches that all of humanity is a slave to something. There are no completely autonomous humans.

We like to think we are.

Have you ever seen a video of a sovereign citizen getting pulled over?

We laugh at these videos because at our core we know that authority is built into the very fabric of the universe.

And Paul teaches us clearly in the book of Romans that not only is authority inherently part of the world, but we are under the authority of 1 of two things.

“I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul outlines the benefits.

Sin - Death

God - Life

You are either a slave to your sin, or a slave to righteousness.

“it's true that since the fall We've all been taught a false view of freedom And a rebellious mind recoils and is inclined to deny him And bind him with the ties of treason Either rebellion or righteousness Both lead to the inescapable mark of eternal life or death Bound to sin or bound to obey Either way we're both slaves, one kills, one saves”

This is why Paul and Timothy identify themselves as slaves to Christ.

Because without completely belonging to Christ, the only other option is completely belonging to sin.

If the language of slave is still jarring your sensibilities, that’s ok.

Jesus employs the language of duolos, but he breathes new life into the term.

John 15:15 LEB

15 No longer do I call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything that I have heard from my Father I have revealed to you.

This is significant.

This is New Exodus language.

Exodus 6:7 LEB

7 And I will take you as my people, and I will be your God, and you will know that I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from under the forced labor of Egypt.

Jesus, who is YHWH, is not interested in rescuing us so that we can simply be servants who do not know him,

He paves the way to make us his brothers and sisters. His friends.

So this is what Paul is communicating with this word “duolos”.

And it’s significant that Paul introduces himself in this way and not as an apostle.

Paul does have a habit of introducing himself that way in places.

In his letters to Timothy and Titus he introduces himself as an apostle, as he is appealing to his authority as he instructs them in ministry.

To the various churches he writes to, he almost always introduces himself as an apostle because he is going to be doing some correcting or instructing.

But in this letter, he’s not writing them because they have some sort of sin or heresy in the church that needs corrected.

He’s writing to them because he loves them.

And so that’s why he identifies himself as a simple of servant of Christ Jesus.

Just like them.

In these opening statements Paul does two things that we are going to focus on today.

1. He reminds them of their identity in Christ in several ways.

2. He prays for them.

Nick and I talked on the sermon podcast this week about how this passage does two things for us.

It stirs up in us a desire to be the kind of people that could a receive a letter like this.

A letter without rebuke or chastisement.

A letter of warmth and affection from an older Christian who has mentored us.

It also stirs up for us a desire to grow in our faith in such a way that we would pray for those we love and care for in this way.

So let’s focus on the first thing Paul is doing.

Identity:

For Paul, identity is huge.

In many ways you could make the claim that Paul spends all his time instructing churches basically on identity.

Who are they, and why.

Identity is a HUGE topic for our culture.

There are strong cultural streams that have shifted identity from something that is given, to something that is constructed based usually on one’s own views of the world.

Now of course we can do things that shape our identity, but the question is “who are you really?”

I encourage you to sit back and think for a second,

When you think “What is my identity”

what is first thing that comes to mind?

Man

Woman

American

Son

Daughter

Mother

Father

Husband

Wife

Maybe you think of your job:

I’m a doctor

a social worker

a realtor

a technician

I think you might legitimately be thinking

“I don’t know what the heck my identity is.”

If you’re unsure of your identity, or you’re not happy with what came to mind,

that’s ok.

This letter is for you.

The Philippians were in the same boat.

Nationalists who had overinflated the position of government authority in their lives to a position of worship.

Sexually depraved Roman culture struggling with sexual identity.

People who found to much identity in their work.

Remember Paul doesn’t opt to address their issues head on.

He washes them with the gospel.

So he addresses them this way.

“To the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi”

SAINTS

Not just dead people.

Holy ones

Pure ones

Consecrated ones.

They have this identity because they were baptized into Christ.

We learn this from chapter 6 of the book of Romans which says:

Romans 6:3–4 HCSB

3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life.

For Christians who are confused/unsure about identity in any way, today is an excellent day to re appropriate your own baptism.

Find ways to remind yourself of the truth that in your baptism you were baptized into Christ.

That your identity, over and above all other sub-identities that you could have, is the unshakeable truth that you are Christ’s and Christ is yours.

One practice that Christians have practiced a lot in the past but has fallen by the wayside in many evangelical churches is the practice of having water in a font by the entrance way to the church.

Saints entering the service would dip there hand in the water and either splash it on themselves, or perform the sign of the cross.

The purpose of this was really simple. Remind yourself of your baptism.

Maybe we will implement something similar some day.

But for now, what if you allowed the liturgy of your daily activities help you remember your baptism.

I have a friend who has a habit of using his daily shower to remind himself of his baptism.

When that water hits his face in the morning he intentionally brings to mind all the truths of what it means to be washed and made new by Christ, and to be buried with him in death, and raised with him in life.

For those who have not been baptized, today is the day that I invite you to receive a new identity in Christ.

The people at Pentecost who hear the good news that Christ has defeated the powers and is reigning as king of the world ask:

“What must we do?

Acts 2:38 HCSB

38 “Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Partners in the gospel:

The other identity statement Paul makes about this church is he calls them partners in the gospel.

“I’m always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Paul starts a lot of his letters this way, by telling the churches he’s writing to that he always prays for them or always thanks God for them.

This is not Paul using hyperbole.

What we learn from Paul’s life is that he operates in a way where if he’s opening his mouth to speak to God, he is praying for and praising God for the people he loves.

All the time.

How would this feel for the Philippian church?

How would this feel for you?

To receive a letter from an elderly Christian who has walked with you.

“I always pray for you Table church”

I always pray with joy for you in my every prayer _____

I always thank God for you _____

“He who started a good work”

Paul then immediately reminds them that part of this new identity they’ve received is the glorious truth that God is not finished with you yet.

“He who started a good work in you”

Who’s He?

Holy Spirit

Primary actor in this act of the grand drama.

Boy do we all need to hear this.

The Kingdom of God is inbreaking into the world.

All of creation is being salted by the reality of Christ’s inauguration as king.

But we’re waiting aren’t we?

We get tired.

We’re waiting for the day when the sad things become untrue.

When the things we have done to others that harm them,

and the things that others have done to us all become less than memory.

They actually become untrue as our Lord Christ makes all things new.

This earth? New

The Heavens? New

Our bodies? New

Our loved ones we’ve lost? Gloriously new.

Partners in grace:

Paul reminds them that they are also his partners not only in the gospel, but also of grace.

“In my imprisonment, and in the defense and establishment of the gospel.”

How is being in prison a good thing?

How is that grace?

“It were a ludicrous thing in the view of the world to reckon a prison to be a benefit from God, but if we estimate the matter aright, it is no common honour that God confers upon us, when we suffer persecution for the sake of his truth. For it was not in vain that it was said, (Matt. 5:11,) Blessed shall ye be, when men shall afflict and harass you with all kinds of reproaches for my name’s sake.” - John Calvin

One of the things we’re going to find out from this letter is that Paul is even while he’s under house arrest, interacting with people who work in Caesar’s household.

And they’re getting converted.

Paul is under arrest by the Romans, waiting to make his appeal to the emperor (Nero btw).

Imagine the complete devastation to his ministry if Paul saw suffering as being punished by God?

“Hey Nero I know I told you that Christ is Lord but he must not be because he let me go to jail and get beaten up like a thousand times so nevermind.”

That’s not what Paul does.

His joy in the midst of trial is actually confirmation of his gospel.

And his ability to have joy IS grace.

He reminds his beloved Philippians of this.

And I will remind you of this.

If you are in Christ, your suffering is not God punishing you.

It is his grace to you that you could share in Christ’s sufferings with him.

Emphasis on WITH.

The very last thing Jesus said before his ascension into heaven was

LOOK. (imperative)

I am with you all the days until the end of the age.

Jesus does not pick and choose which days he wants to be your Lord.

He does not pick and choose which days to be your elder brother.

Spirit does not pick which days he wants to be your comforter.

Jesus is your Lord every day.

Jesus is our elder brother every day.

Spirit is our comforter, our confidant, our intercessor, our guide EVERY DAY.

Prayer:

Let’s look at the second thing Paul does with this intro. He prays.

Luke 6:45 HCSB

45 A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

From the overflowing of the heart the mouth speaks.

Amen.

You can fake a lot of stuff.

You can’t fake your tongue.

James, the brother of Jesus writes this following after Jesus’ pattern

James 3:7–12 HCSB

7 Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it. 10 Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. 11 Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.

Paul is getting old by the time he writes this letter.

We’ve all seen young men who can’t control their tongues.

It’s worse when you see an old man who can’t either.

I have heard lifetimes worth of bitterness spill out of the lips of elderly men and women who should have been softened by Christ and His Spirit.

People who said they were Christians.

Paul was no such man.

Paul is for us, an example of what decades of submission to Christ looks like.

Sweetness.

Joy.

FRUIT.

And that is what he prays for in his friends at Philippi.

Philippians 1:9–11 HCSB

9 And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, 10 so that you can approve the things that are superior and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

I think oftentimes we feel like we don’t know how to pray.

We get kinda embarrassed around people who feel comfortable praying in public, who use big words.

That’s why I like written prayers.

Sometimes we have no words.

The prayers of other saints carry us along.

There could be no better practice than praying the literal word of God over ourselves and our neighbors.

Don’t know how to pray?

Pray this right out of Philippians.

Paul is literally building the church through these words.

1 cor Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

These words had to have been like sending strong cords of reinforcing iron through the very foundation of the church in Philippi.

And why not for us too?

If we could attain only to this prayer, we would be a blessed church.

For the righteousness that is being prayed for is the righteousness of Christ.

The Identity is in Christ

and the

fruit is through Christ.