Sermon Tone Analysis

/Introduction:/

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poorer and less fortunate people can be.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, ‘How did you enjoy our trip to the country?

‘

‘It was great, Dad’ he replied.

‘Did you see how poor and less fortunate people can be?

‘ the father asked.

‘Oh Yes’ said the son.

‘So what did you learn from our trip?

‘ asked the father.

The son answered . . .

‘I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lights in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.’

With this the boy’s father was speechless and then his son added, ‘ Thanks Dad for showing me how poor and less fortunate we are.’

Sometimes, it’s all about perspective.

Please turn with me to Philippians 1 as we examine Paul’s joy filled perspective of life and ministry.

Sometimes we look at our leaders and see someone great, someone to be held on a pedestal.

And sometimes our leaders think they are great and they hold themselves high, but Jesus said, “11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.

12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” [[Bible:Matt 23:11-12]].

Sometimes we look at the ministry of other Christians and we see how we would do it better, but Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” [[Bible:John 14:12]].

Perspective: a way of regarding situations, facts, etc, and judging their relative importance

Yesterday, I was texting my brothers as we reminisced over some of our childhood memories.

Most of the conversation had to do with who made the messes, who pushed who into the irrigation ditch, and something to do with machetes and one of the neighborhood boys running from our house for fear of his life.

Somewhere in the conversation, one of us reminded the others of a proverb:

"One side of the story is always right, until you hear the other side of the story."

Sometimes our perspective on life does not regard the situation and the facts according to their real importance.

Sometimes our perspective on life and ministry needs to be altered.

In chapter 1 of Philippians, Paul presents a perspective on life that ought to give us pause and cause us to reflect on our own perspectives …

1. perspectives on service,

2. perspectives on community,

3. perspectives on evangelism, and

4. perspectives on suffering.

Today, I would like for us to examine the first two verses of Philippians 1 and look at Paul’s “perspective on service.”

Now for any of us who have read Paul’s letters, it is tempting to just pass over his introduction because they so often sound the same.

They are standard greetings, but like all of Scripture, these verses are inspired by God and are profitable for God’s people.

So read with me the introduction to his letter in [[Bible:Phil 1:1-2]].

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/Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, /

/To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: /

/Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ./

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Having a biblical perspective means that we judge the importance of situations and facts.

I would like you to notice four situations and facts that Paul draws our attention to in his introduction.

!

I.

The Importance of Servant-hood

First note “The importance of servant-hood.”

Philippians is introduced by its author, the apostle Paul.

As many of you know, Paul was used by our Lord in advancing the cause of Christ probably more than any other individual except our Lord himself.

He was converted on the road to Damascus, studied the Scriptures, taught the Scriptures, and travelled throughout the Middle East and Europe to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.

He was responsible for the message of the gospel spreading into Europe and is largely responsible for that message eventually making its way to you and I.

But look at how Paul describes himself here.

He calls himself a servant of Christ Jesus.

He doesn’t draw attention to his title, though the Philippians loved the apostle dearly.

He doesn’t boast about his works, though they were plentiful.

He just reminds them of the one who is truly important.

The word ‘servant’ is the word that was commonly used and translated as ‘slave.’

Gerald Hawthorne remarks in his commentary:

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There was no autonomy for the slave.

His own will was totally subject to the will of another, so that he was a person with “no right of personal choice” (R. Rengstorf, /TDNT/ 2:261).

The service he provided was not voluntary but forced.

He was totally in bondage to the claims of his master.

He had no rights and no freedoms (Hawthorne, /Philippians/, 5).

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Paul recognizes, though he was freed from sin and though the One who bought him did so with his precious blood in love and grace—Paul recognizes that he owes everything to Jesus.

I’m afraid that our way of regarding service and ministry sometimes is very skewed.

We see ministry as being about us, about what others think, about how we look.

We prepare and serve not so that we can give Jesus our best, but so that our leaders and our friends will think more highly of us.

Paul says that’s not what it’s about.

We’re slaves, totally subject to the claims of our Master.

Our rights have been surrendered.

Our freedoms have been surrendered.

We are in good and gentle hands of a Master who tenderly shepherds us, but let us never think that we are our own.

So in this letter in which Paul addresses ministry and our partnership in the gospel, he first reminds us of the importance of servant-hood.

Paul first met the Philippians on his third missionary journey.

He was travelling west through Asia Minor and on his way he met a young man named Timothy.

Timothy had a Jewish mother who was a believer and a Gentile father.

He was spoken of highly by those in his hometown of Lystra and nearby Iconium.

And Paul wanted to take him along as he ministered to the churches on his missionary journey.

So Timothy followed Paul, was trained by him, eventually became a pastor and served the churches that Paul had planted.

Timothy would play an important role in the church of Philippi.

It was during Paul’s imprisonment (most likely in Rome) from which he wrote this letter that Timothy was there with him and together they sent this letter.

Now it is common for Paul to mention others in his letters, but he usually introduces himself as “Paul, a servant, /and/ Timothy … /and/ Silvanus … /and/ Sosthenes.”

He words Philippians a little bit different than the other letters.

He includes Timothy in the statement that they are servants … slaves, together.

This is important because Paul is going to address the partnership that we have together in the gospel and by stating that both Paul and Timothy are servants, he is emphasizing that ministry is something we are in together.

It is not about any one individual.

We all serve Jesus Christ and it is about him.

!

II.

The Importance of Saints

But also regard “The importance of saints.”

Paul addresses his letter “to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi.”

The common perception of the word ‘saint’ is that it only refers to the most holy, the most important, the most prominent of Christianity.

Some churches teach that to be awarded sainthood, you must first perform two miracles, you have to be dead, and you have to have lived an exemplary life or have died a martyr’s death.

But that is not what the Bible teaches.

The word ‘saint’ comes from the same word from which we get ‘sanctification,’ ‘holy’ and ‘to set apart.’ Quite literally, if you are a Christian then God has already declared you a saint.

You are declared holy.

You are set apart by God.