7.1.42 Connections 9.10.2023 Philippians 1.1-11
Completing the Work God Began • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Entice: Theology can be communicated by the simplest terms.
Some words seem
unrelated to the contents of the gospel,
empty of theological meaning,
or
even inappropriate
when considering things of central importance. We expect important matters to be complicated. Often the opposite is the case and
simplicity is profound.
simplicity is profound.
Sharing is such a term.
Sharing is such a term.
We learned it as kindergartners.
It is simplicity itself.
Yet much of what Paul will teach us in his epistle to the Philippians is predicated on that seemly simple concept.
Engage: Paul founded the Church in Philippi when looking for a place to pray. Lydia shared her home with his team and housed the Church. He was imprisoned and abused, and the Philippian jailor learned firsthand what it meant to share in the hardship of the gospel. They contributed to his financial needs, and they shared prayer and ministry.
Expand: Philippi was a unique city. Historically Greek, it had been reestablished as a Roman colony. A little bit of Roman soil in rural Macedonia. The people of Philippi knew about citizenship, what it meant to be a part of something grand. The ancestors of the Roman populace had been soldiers settled there after two phases of the Roman civil wars in the first century B.C. The Philippians were descended from men who knew about
shared hardship,
shared hardship,
sacrifice,
sacrifice,
and
camaraderie.
camaraderie.
It is impossible to tell how much Paul drew upon those common experiences to shape his message to the Philippians, yet we know that his vision for Christian growth involved shared responsibility, commonality of purpose, and mutual affection. That is what it will take for God to complete in us the good work He has begun.
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.
Excite: This little letter bursts at the seams with detailed theology.
This little letter is filled with signals of intimate respect.
This little epistle is designed to prompt us to grow into Christian maturity.
Explore:
God completes His work in us through relationships with other believers.
God completes His work in us through relationships with other believers.
Expand: Paul begins by reminding us of what we share.
Body of Sermon: He begins by reminding us of our
1 Shared Grace
1 Shared Grace
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.
We all share in God’s grace for…
1.1 Mutual Ministry.
1.1 Mutual Ministry.
Paul mentions himself and Timothy as servants of grace, and greets the whole body of believers along with those designated as leaders and servants.
Paul tells us that we share this grace for ministry because of our
1.2 Empowering gospel.
1.2 Empowering gospel.
Grace and peace are the results of being in a redeemed relationship with Jesus Christ. Each of us. All of us. Apostle and helper. Saint in the Pew, Elder on the platform, Deacon at his duties. We all share grace that empowers our life of ministry.
Next Paul discusses
2 Shared Service
2 Shared Service
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.
Paul reminds us of three dimensions of this shared service. First there is
2.1 Prayer. 3,4
2.1 Prayer. 3,4
When we pray for one another, we should be animated by joy in the process of remembering.
Next, Paul describes service as
2.2 Partnership. 5
2.2 Partnership. 5
Specifically, intentional partnership in the gospel.
In verse 6 Paul discloses God’s
2.3 Purpose. 6
2.3 Purpose. 6
Which also serves as Paul’s reason for writing this sparkling missive.
God’s work is not finished, but it is getting done…in each of us as all of us serve together in the Grace God provides.
Finally, Paul reminds us that we draw from a
3 Shared Supply
3 Shared Supply
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.
Each of us needs to know that we are
3.1 Supplied for the difficulties of Ministry. 7-8
3.1 Supplied for the difficulties of Ministry. 7-8
3.1.1 partakers=We, like Paul are not alone!
3.1.2 affection=Love in Christ for one another.
3.2 Supplied for growth 10-11
3.2 Supplied for growth 10-11
3.2.1 Determining what is most important.
knowledge & discernment
for the purpose of
Understanding the central matters of life, faith, and the Gospel
3.2.2 Bearing fruit to God’s glory
Shut Down
It will never be easy to be a Christian surrounded by Empire. It was never intended to be that way. Like that little Church in Philippi, we are surrounded by Empire, we feel it’s reach all around us, we know the grip of its lingering hold on our fallen world.
Like Paul we must focus-together-on growth that matters. Learning what is important. Contending and defending the Gospel. Bringing glory to God by fruitful living. Telling the story of the risen Christ.
Like sharing, growing together is simplicity itself. Let’s not make it more complicated than it is.