Philippians

SERIES INTRODUCTION What’s up Woodside Students!?!?!?! It’s so good to see you all tonight and it’s going to be a great night because we are beginning a brand new series going through the book of Philippians. I love that we are going through this book during this season as we gear up for retreats because our retreats bring much joy to our lives as we experience community and fun while learning and growing in Christ! The cool thing is the book of Philippians explains to us how we can experience the joy of knowing Christ in our lives. It's my absolute favorite book in all of Scripture and I pray as we go through this series that you will experience the joy of growing in your relationship with Jesus too!

INTRODUCTION What is it that comes to your mind when you think of joy? For some of you out there, maybe it’s winning the Super Smash brothers tournament here at student ministry, or opening up the gift you wanted for your birthday, or winning the state championship for your sports team, or when that person your interested in texts you back. There are many things that we might think about when it comes to what brings us joy but I’m willing to bet that none of us thought about being a servant as something that brings us joy.

Why is that? Think about this with me – one of the best things we do here in student ministry is Hope Week where we spend a week of our summer serving people all over Detroit. We have an absolute blast spending time with each other while serving people. You know this if you have been with us to Hope Week before and if you haven’t you should totally join us this year! Yet, as much joy as it is to serve during these types of weeks, it seems like we often forget about this soon after coming home.

TENSION It’s human nature to think about ourselves first rather than others especially when it comes to things that bring us joy. Yet, as really throughout this entire series we are called to live for more than just ourselves. But tonight we’ll see how living for than ourselves brings joy. We will see that we should:

Live as servants of Christ!

It may not always feel like this is something that will bring joy but it does! So let’s open God’s word to Philippians 1:1-11 and look at three implications or assumptions for our lives that come with being servants of Christ.

TRUTH As we open this book, there is no better place to start than the first couple of verses, which lay the foundation for this book. These verses say:

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.

If you’re following along in your Bible, you’ll notice there’s a heading above these verses that “Greeting.” This is because this book is actually a letter written to Philippian church. Often times, when it comes to these greetings from the letters in Scripture, it’s easy to simply skip over them, but they actually help introduce important themes that will be addressed throughout the letter. That is true of this greeting in Philippians, which helps us to see:

Servants of Christ live out the gospel.

Maybe as we come to this point, you’re wondering where do we see the gospel in these verses? Let me tell you, it’s there but we will have to do some digging to see it. In verse 2, Paul says to the Philippian church: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. There are two very important words that explain the beauty of the gospel, which are grace and peace.

Yet, we often throw around these words without providing definitions that help us understand why they relate to the gospel. This does us somewhat of a disservice because understanding these words helps us see and experience the gospel in our lives. So let’s give a quick definition for grace and peace that will help us as we come to this passage today. (1) Grace is when good things are given to us that we don’t deserve and (2) peace is when relationships experience wholeness and harmony as they interact with one another.

In the gospel, grace and peace are on full display. The Father graciously sent Jesus to pay the price for our sin by dying on the cross. Instead of leaving us to die in our sin, God gave us an incredible gift that we don’t deserve, which is salvation that is found in Christ. But God also brought us into a peaceful relationship with Him. Prior to Christ’s death, sin cut us off from a direct relationship with God. Now, through faith in Jesus this relationship has been brought back to place of wholeness and harmony. We have peace with God!

When we see the incredible gifts that God has provided us with through Jesus it should grow our desire to be servants of Christ. That’s actually one of the first things we see in verse one as Paul describes himself and Timothy as servants of Christ. And I think Paul wishing grace and peace upon the Philippian church in the name of the Father and Son before saying anything else to them demonstrates the examples of  humility and service we see in Christ.

Why? Well, it is commonly believed that at this point, Paul was under house arrest in Rome. His circumstances weren’t great but he doesn’t complain about them and instead pronounces the blessings of the gospel on the Philippian church. The blessings he has experienced in his life.

I actually had the privilege of going to Rome last year with Woodside. While I didn’t see the prison that Paul was in when he wrote this letter to the Philippians, I did see a prison that Paul found himself in right before he died. It was humbling to see the terrible circumstances he endured. And even after spending time in the prison that I saw, Paul wrote of the hope we have in suffering for Christ.

Paul spent much time in prison in his life and yet he never wavers from the hope that is found in the gospel. The hope we have in receiving the grace that leads to peace because of what Jesus has done. This hope has freed us from our sins and lead us to desire extending this great hope to others by demonstrating to them the grace and peace we have received from God. That’s what Paul does for the Philippian church. It’s what we can do for others today. We don’t have to go to Hope Week to experience this, but can experience this daily in our lives.

We need to think through how do we speak and act toward others? Does it point them to the grace and peace that can be experienced in Christ? Or are we trying to use people for our selfish gain? It’s not that the sports, the video games, the love interests we have are bad desires but how can we leverage our interests and circumstances to point the people we have placed in our lives to the hope and joy found in Jesus? Maybe its caring for these people by showing them how you care for them in hard circumstances. Or maybe it's praying for them daily, or even sharing the hope of the gospel with them. There are even more ways we can live out the gospel but it’s what we’re called to do as servants of Christ.

Yet this isn’t the only thing we learn about being servants of Christ from this passage. The next thing we see is that:

Servants of Christ partner with one another.

Yes, we have a high calling to live out the gospel, but we’re not alone in this. God has brought us into community with other believers who can help us as we seek to share the good news of God’s grace and peace available in Christ with the world around us.

Philippians 1:3-7 says: 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.

Paul’s heart for the Philippian church continues in these verses. In verses 3-4 we see that Paul remembers them in every prayer of his with joy. Why? He says its because of how they have partnered with him in the gospel. This gospel support of Paul from the Philippian church is one that has gone on for some time.

See when we partner with other Christians in sharing the gospel it functions as an encouragement for them, but it also is a way we can grow in our faith. Paul continues in verse 6 by saying: 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. What Paul is trying to communicate here is that as that the partnership and encouragement he has received from the Philippians is evidence of growth in their lives.

However, he doesn’t just say this so that they pat themselves on the back and think that this growth is all because of them. Their partnership is evidence of God’s work in their lives. But it’s important to remember He is the one that is working in their lives and He’ll continue to work until Jesus returns! This is great news that God is changing us from the people who used to be dead in sin to people who live for the glory of God.

When God works in people’s lives to encourage others in the gospel, this is something worth celebrating. As Paul says in verse 7, it’s right for him to feel the joy he does for the Philippians because they have been partakers with him in his imprisonment and confirmation of the gospel. This church has been partakers of the gospel with him through thick and thin.

That word “partakers” may be one we’re unfamiliar with, but its once again talking about partnership. I’m sure you all have done group projects before. Think about those with me for a second. When those go well it’s because everyone is pulling their weight and doing everything they can for the sustained benefit of the group so that everyone can get a good grade. But what about when they don’t go well? In that case, everyone in the group takes the hit and receives the bad grade together (Note to preachers: may be a good place for a personal illustration). This is the idea Paul wants us to see when talking about what it looks like to be partakers together for the gospel.

Living in community is certainly an encouragement and something we need in our lives, but it’s also how God grows us. Sometimes that means coming alongside someone who isn’t able to hold up their own weight because they need us to help them. Sometimes it means allowing others to do the same for us.

But it always means we need to be real with others about the struggles, temptations, and joys of life.  Are you struggling in some sin but afraid of what will happen if you let someone in? Or do you put up walls because you’re scared of how people will view you if they knew you were a Christian? Or are you afraid you’ll just inconvenience someone? Don’t let this stop you from being known because once fellow Christians know what is going on in your life, it allows them to come alongside you and help you in the various struggles life throws your way and you’ll be able to do the same for them. That’s why we have small groups here in student ministry – so that you have a place to be real and authentic about these things that are happening in your life.

On top of this, your relationship will grow and as you both step out in faith I think you will see that it will become easier to share your faith and even the gospel together. Because sharing the gospel is something all of us are called to do and we don’t have to do it alone. We can and should partner with one another in seeing the gospel advance in this world. The beauty and joy of being servants of Christ is that we are not alone but partner with one another in spreading of the gospel!

And when we do life together we come to find that there’s another important outcome of being servants of Christ who do life together by sharing the gospel. We also see:

################################Slide################################# Servants of Christ pray for one another.

Remember, the partnering with other Christians in sharing the gospel with the world is the evidence of God’s work in our lives. And we should pray for one another as God’s work is being done in our lives.

Philippians 1:8-11 says: ################################Slide################################# 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.

Paul wants the Philippians to know how much he loves them. He calls God as his witness for how he has loved them with the affection of Christ. In verse 9 and following, we see this is because of how Paul has been praying for this church.

His prayer includes 3 specific things that he is praying for this church in the final 3 verses of this passage. He prays (1) that their love would abound and continue to grow (v.9). He also prays (2) that this love would be combined with knowledge and discernment so that they would do what is right to be ready when Jesus returns (v.9-10). And finally he prays (3) that their lives would produce the fruit of righteousness meaning that they are growing in their faith as evidenced by God’s work in their lives.

Essentially, Paul is praying for God to continually be at work in their lives as they grow spiritually. My guess would be spiritual growth isn’t something we typically pray for. Think about what typically happens when we pray. We pray for things that make our lives better. We pray that we would win our games, that we would get the video game system we want for our birthdays, or that our parents would finally cave and get us that phone. Even in more serious instances, we pray that people would like us, that we would get the grades we want or get into our dream schools, for safety in travel, or for our bodies to be healed.

It's not that it’s always bad to pray these kinds of prayers. God cares about the things that are on our hearts, the things we are going through, and the anxieties that we worry about. Yet, if all we’re doing is praying for these things, we’re missing out on an important aspect of prayer, which is asking God to grow us and others in Him. In fact, we may even fail to see when God moves in our lives and the joy this brings if we don’t pray for spiritual growth.

We should ask God to grow us in love for others. Love for brothers and sisters who annoy us, love friends who manipulated us, and love for those who continually point us to Jesus too. We should pray that God would remove the sin in our lives like lust, greed, pride, etc. and replace it with knowing Him more. In fact, we shouldn’t just pray these prayers over ourselves but we should pray these things over others too just as Paul does in these verses. We should pray that would grow us and others spiritually because He is the one who is at work in our lives. He will give us the strength to proclaim the gospel to others. As servants of Christ we should pray for one another.

We can take away from all of this that we should:

################################Slide################################# Live as servants of Christ!

Our first thoughts of joy may not always include the idea of service, but when we live as servants of Christ, we will experience the incredible joy that comes from knowing Him as Savior.

This is because we encounter the beauty of the gospel that is lived out in our lives. We experience the joy of partnering with other Christians in community and gospel proclamation. And we see the benefit of God working in our lives and the lives of others as we pray for spiritual growth.

The joy that comes from living as a servant of Christ is different from other joy we experience in this world. But its also a joy that lasts longer because it finds its satisfaction in Jesus.

APPLICATION Maybe you find yourself wondering where do I go from here?

Maybe you haven’t been leveraging the groups you find yourself in on a daily basis to point people to the good news of the gospel in word and deed. Remind yourself of what Jesus has done for you, pray for Him to use you in these groups, and step out in faith by sharing your faith.

Or maybe you feel like you need to grow in partnering with others in proclaiming the gospel. Those of you here who go to the same school or live in the same neighborhood you have a unique opportunity to partner with one another to see the gospel advance in these places God has put you. You don’t have to do this alone.

Perhaps you find yourself always praying the same things for your own well being in life. Consider changing up your rhythms for prayer by praying for God to grow you and other Christians you know spiritually. Maybe it’s even a combination of all of these things that needs to happen in your life.

LANDING

Living as servants of Christ isn’t easy, but it does bring immense joy that can only be found in Christ. It is a joy that overcomes the circumstances that we go through and I hope you experience this joy by living as a servant of Christ.

Let’s pray.