ES/PHIL/02 Philippians 1:1–2
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1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We covered the introduction last week to Philippians and the recording is available if you want to hear it is on the website.
This greeting is the only one other than the personal letter to Philemon that excludes the fact that Paul is an Apostle but instead concentrates on saying that both Paul and Timothy are bondservants of Jesus. A bondservant is a slave. What is a slave? A slave is one who is owned by someone else. A slave is one whose whole living and purpose is controlled by their master. There are no choices.
Think about how important obedience, humility, and submission are in the life of a slave or a servant.
A slave is not able to choose from a variety of different ways to live. Everything is decided by the master. Paul and Timothy are saying that they no longer have the choice about how they live, what they do, or even to ask why. It is obedience in the here and now.
The reason that we are all slaves of Jesus is because there was a transaction made for us on the cross. We have been paid for with blood. Not just any blood but the blood of our Saviour; our Redeemer; our God – Divine blood which is more valuable than all the gold and platinum and silver and other precious metals and gems put together.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
And in
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
You are intensively valuable to God.
This leaves no room for shallow Christianity, this leaves no room for the consuming things of this world and no room for anything other than complete dedication working for God and His Kingdom. But Jesus is no slave driver whipping us into order, even so He is going to reward us for those things that are done for Him. We will simply declare that we have only done our duty.
The reason why Paul starts the letter this way is to set an example to the Philippians. If the great apostle Paul is humble enough to be a slave then what right have we to exclude ourselves from such a label? He includes Timothy with this designation as a co-worker, not just as co-author of this letter. What about us? Aren’t we also included?
But my friends it is so easy for us to say ‘yeah, we’ll be servants and slaves of Jesus Christ’ and in our hearts I’m sure it is true but then we don’t follow through because it is quite inconvenient when we are in the real world. Come tomorrow we will probably forget how we should be and maybe we don’t even know what it is we should do. Then we have been given the answer for this is not the only time a bondservant is mentioned in this letter. It is also mentioned in:
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Even Jesus became a slave. This is so far removed from what Jesus actually is as King of kings and Lord of lords and President of presidents and Prime Minister of prime ministers who is glorious and high and lifted up. Yet Jesus made Himself of no reputation though He has the name above all names. Our reputation we are keen to defend but Jesus did not, He could have destroyed His attackers, His crucifiers, His mockers but Jesus did not. His love for us kept us from dying in our sins. Now it is our love for Him who has loved us even when we were still His enemies that bows the knee, heart, soul and all to become His slave following Him. Our reputation should be the least of our concerns.
But let us not deceive ourselves we are slaves whether we like it or not. But it is to whom our loyalty lies which matters.
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
Either we are slaves to God or slaves to the evil one. I know what I’d rather be. As Joshua said
Johsua 24:14b “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Of course I could end the sermon right there but there is so much more that we can take from these two verses.
This letter is addressed to the saints. Saints, of course, have this modern connotation that only an elite group of people who are dead are called saints, just the very special few, such as those who have been martyred or have performed miracles whether dead or alive. This started with the Catholic Church in the 10th Century and up to today they have named about 10,000 of them. This is not to say that there are no outstanding Christians in every age that have done amazing things in God’s power. There are many Christians who have been examples of how to live and of how to die. And such men and women of God should be held in remembrance.
But the word ‘saints’ simply denotes all Christians everywhere in every age. The Greek means: Holy Ones. Remember again that this is addressed to all the Christians. All Christians are Holy Ones. Get it? This means that we are also Holy Ones. That’s right, even we. Our lives may not reveal that we are Holy Ones but we are because we have been made right by God…and that is the only reason…no one can claim to be holy or to be sinless though we should be on the road towards holiness, otherwise known as ‘sanctification’ in the Bible.
This is made even clearer by the fact that it is addressed to those who are ‘in Jesus Christ’. If you are not in you are out and therefore cannot be part of the fellowship and unity in God. This goes against the grain of teaching in the world that wants us all to be inclusive. I’ve even heard so-called Christians speak in this way and do not want us to exclude anyone. But, sorry folks, let us be absolutely clear. Jesus Himself made the distinction. If we are not for Him we are against Him. There is the Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God. There is a narrow way and a wide way. We are either condemned or not condemned simply on the basis of faith in Him. We can only be saints if we are in Jesus Christ. There is no other way in. Jesus said He is the way, the truth, the life. No one can come any other way. We have to be in or we are out. God wants to be inclusive but it is on His terms not ours. Either Jesus is our Lord and Saviour and we are in, or something else is in His place and therefore we are not in but out.
Now that we know that we are Holy Ones perhaps we might just start to live as if we are. But saints here means more than even this. To be a saint in name means that we are dedicated to God. That is, we are reserved for God and His service which is what it means to be a disciple. What right have we to be called saints if we are not what we should be? We are to be holy, to be separated to God and what He wants us to be and do. We are to walk worthy of Him.
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
We have the right to be called saints because we belong to God. Now let us be those whom the world could even call saints:
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
As I said last week we do not know how many were in the Church ten years after his first visit. Bishops, says some translations, and Deacons, as I said before, are really elders or overseers and deacons. So what does an overseer do? Well he watches over, directs, cares, and is accountable for an assembly of God’s people.
So a bishop is really an elder who is really an overseer and there are a few verses relating to this and what you should expect from a Pastor and, to be honest, I worry about these things. We actually read this verse this morning too:
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
The work of a Pastor and an elder is indicated clearly in
1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
Of course, there is obligation from the congregation which also highlights the awesome responsibility of the pastor :
17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Deacons, you don’t get away with this either! You also have a job description in:
8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
This is similar to an elder though they deal more with the practical side of things. But even so let us not forget Stephen, the first martyr, who was one of the first deacons. What did he do? He waited on tables. But what else did he do? He was strong in the Word and the Holy Spirit. Deacons are those who serve and assist. But also has the meaning of messenger. It is thought that Deacons assisted Elders in caring for the needs of the Church. Let me say that with the AGM fast approaching that anyone who recognises those in the fellowship who should be appointed should start to make it known and find out if there is willingness on their part.
Paul addressed his letter first to the saints then to the elders and deacons. Of course the elders and deacons were also saints but it is important to note that he was writing to the people of God as well as the leadership. The leadership are not more important than the rest of His people but are on an equal par before God. The difference, mainly, is in calling and responsibility as we have already seen.
Paul ends his introduction with a usual type of greeting. We know, though, that he, and God who inspired Him used every word carefully. So let us look at this greeting that is usually missed as we read zooming past it.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace. The word χαρις in Greek means God’s free favour or underserved favour. This is in contrast to mercy which is not getting what we deserve in the sense of punishment. Grace can also be translated as kindness.
We’ve looked at peace before in our studies on the fruit of the Spirit. The word in Greek is ειρηνη. Which is where we get the name Irene and Irena. Peace here means both peace in there the here and now in our worldly life and also in spiritual welfare and health. It is the absence of conflict but also moral harmony. The only way it can be achieved is in the reconciliation achieved in the cross of Jesus. It gives inner assurance.
Both grace and peace are gifts from God. Grace and peace can only be given by God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And as quickly as that Paul gets on with the rest of the letter upon such a simple foundation in such few words but with great depth of meaning as we are going to find throughout the rest of Philippians. So let me finish with:
1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.