Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

And in

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:

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.

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.

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:

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:

The work of a Pastor and an elder is indicated clearly in

Of course, there is obligation from the congregation which also highlights the awesome responsibility of the pastor :

Deacons, you don’t get away with this either!

You also have a job description in:

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.