Philippians 1:1-6

Welcome to Hillandale. We're glad to have everyone here. Let me share a story to begin with recently a woman was driving in traffic much like the traffic that we sometimes have here in Lexington that kind of frustrate you when you're in a hurry and there was an honest gentleman driving in front of her and she was in a hurry and the light was yellow and so he stopped even though he might have pushed his way on through or she became Furious because she wanted him to push his way on through so that she can slip through that yellow light and be about her busy day. She became so angry that she laid on her horn. She wrote down her window. She gave him hand signals that I won't repeat you begin to orchestrate language that I won't repeat and suddenly standing beside her car looking at her with a very serious face with a police officer. He asked her to get out of the car to put her hands up. He arrested her put her in patrol car took her to the station booked her and put her in jail. A couple hours sitting in that cell he came and got her brought her to the booking desk and said I am so sorry for the misunderstanding. You see when I pulled up behind your vehicle. I saw the bumper sticker that said follow me to Sunday school and the XO symbol on the back of the car and the what would Jesus do sign in your window? And I assumed as I saw you giving this man hand signals and I heard the words that you were saying that this car was stolen. He said my mistake and then they gave her her personal items and let her go. What is the mark of a Christian? Is it some of those things on the back of our car that kind of say to others? I'm on my way to Sunday school that sort of thing. I want to talk about that in the series. I'm beginning this morning. We've been talking about the mark of the church and will do that some more throughout the year talking about the lordship of Christ in the authority of scripture, but I want to zoom in and talk about the mark of a Christian. What does it mean to be a Christian and I want to look at the book of Philippians this morning and again over the next several weeks. Listen to how phlippines begins here. Chapter 1 verse 1 it says Paul and Timothy Servants of Christ. Jesus to All God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Phillipi together with overseers and deacons Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you in all my prayers for all of you. I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus now to understand that passage best. I think we need to understand a little bit about the book of Philippians. And so just a little bit of History here. The book of Philippians is written to the church in Philippi. And you see on this map Paul was really over here in the area closer to Ephesus and above episodes at the beginning of the trip that he into Up and flip why he wanted to do work in there, but we'll explain later why he couldn't and how he ended up in Philippi in spreading the gospel. Now timeline Paul had gone on a missionary journey around 80 46 or 47 now the crucifixion of Christ and the birth of the church was around a D3300 Philippians is one of the earliest letters in the New Testament just a decade or more past the New Testament when Paul was doing these Journeys starting the churches and then eventually writing them letters to encourage them. So he visits flip eye on his second missionary journey around 8050 and all of these numbers some some Scholars would say it might have been as early as a t47 others might say it's as late as a t-55, but in general there there in that ballpark of what we're talking about here around 8050. He travels to flip eye on his third missionary journey around a T56. He's arrested around 80-57 Ends up in Rome and then around 80 between 55 and 62 rights to the Philippians this letter that we know in the New Testament as the letter to the Philippians that was written to the church in Philippi. I planted by Paul around 8:50 and it's written by Paul from prison around a D60. So there's a very personal relationship between Paul and the recipients of these let this letter because he planted the church you see that in some of the language when he introduces himself in many New Testament letters. He introduces himself as the Apostle Paul because he's playing on his authority. I am an apostle in this letter. He introduced himself as a servant and refers to the people as Saints. There's a great humility in this letter from Paul and I said humility born out of the love he has for those in Phillipi. He planted that church. He knows them well, and when you look throughout the whole letter u c a continual references Play some chips where they supported him on a regular basis and he felt very blessed and connected to them. And so there's this very casual personal kind of humble approach. Not the Apostle Paul to the Saint. You know, it's it's Paul. This is Paul. I'm riding you and and there's lots of news in Philippians and unless doctor and then some other letters. He's telling them about his circumstances and what's going on the way you and I might update friend. Here's what's happened since we last spoke. There's what's going on in my life and the extension of the Gospel. He writes it from prison. About another significant factor. He's been arrested for sharing the gospel. He's in prison in this day. The prison he's in is kind of like a waiting place in order to have the decision about is it going to be executed. Is it going to be in prison forever? And so he's changed or Roman guard? He's got lots of time on his hands. It's been about ten years since he planted this church and Phillipi. I think it makes sense that maybe he's reflective. He's got all this time on a chance until he writes some good friends who have always supported him in the work of the Lord and says to my to my friends in Philippine, here's my situation and here's what I pray for you and he wants to encourage them as a church Phillipi is a small but strategic City because of its location. It's kind of a Gateway between Asia and Europe Church of Philip II's the first European Church Plant by Paul. It's got a Roman military Outpost even even though it's small because of its history and its location. So that makes it very significant. And its own history that always been a sought-after city because of Gold and Silver Mines with your empty by this time, but it had a history of being a place that different nations wanted Greek recent concert at one point. It was named after Alexander the Great's father Philip II and so that name when he conquered it later wrong took over until it's got a Roman military Outpost in it so I can listen to Paul's words Paul and Timothy Servants of Christ. Jesus to All God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi together with overseers and deacons Steven. That's a little bit casual cuz he doesn't address leaders directly. He's like, this is Paul. He does Apostle Paul. He says, this is Paul. I'm just a servant of God. I'm writing to to all those Saints at Philippi and it's almost like an afterthought and the overseers in the servants those are leading to but it's really his heart to the people there. I thank God every time I remember you in all my prayers for you. I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel. The first day until now being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. That's what I want to focus on a little bit that last verse which is familiar to us, which is a beautiful encouraging verse because Paul says in addition to the greetings of Grace and peace to you. It's just me a servant of God riding to you the saints of God at Philippi. I want you to know I pray about you you're always on my heart and I want you know that I am confident that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. He will bring it to completion.

The reason Paul can say that is because he founded he planted the church at Philippi. He can very much talk about the good work that God began and all of them there because he was their God use him to begin that good work. You look at acts 16 verses 6 through 40 and it's the record of the planting of the church by Paul. Now if you've got your Bible open and if you like to take notes in your Bible, what are the most valuable things you could do is write acts 16 beside Philippians 1 besides ever because acts 16 verses 6 through 40 is the history. It is the planting of the church. I love the fact that one of the one of the convictions of our particular theology as a church is that you you interpret scripture through scripture whenever you have the opportunity whenever you can when you're looking in a passage in your Discerning what it means you do want to ask yourself. Are there other passages in Scripture that will shed light on this passage and Philippians 1 is one of the golden examples, but Is one of the best ways to understand what Paul is saying when he says I'm confident of this he who began a good work in you is going to complete it. He's going to bring it to completion when the best way to understand that is to go to ask 16th and read what the flip is in Paul have in common what they share and Sophie Acts chapter 16 verses 6 through 40 is the record of the planting of the church by Paul and I'm not going to read that whole chapter to you this morning. When I think that can be a little bit of your homework City. If you want to study Philippians chapter 1 the first 6 vs also read Acts chapter 16 verses 6 through 40 and you'll get so much richness doubt it, but I want to talk about what happens at the planting of the church because I believe everything that Paul and the Philippians knew that they shared together shaped what he meant when he said to them, I believe he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. I believe acts 16 shed light on that verse hear some of the things that happened in Acts chapter. Paul has a vision and he says as result of this Vision, I know that God is leading me. To Philippine to Macedonia that continent flip by is in to preach the Gospel Mission trip. He wanted to go to Asia and he kept trying and every door kept being closed over and over and over he couldn't get to where he wanted to go. So one night while I was sleeping or one night a man came to him in a vision and said you need to come to Macedonia and preach the gospel to us. We need your help. And God said this or Paul said this is God leading us and so they changed their plans their directions and they started this journey to flip I to Macedonia and the things that I'm going to share about everything that happened just shows you that it was clearly God's hand that God was leading him. Now. Let me ask you this question. Have you ever had one set of plans all laid out and you thought these are good plans. God would have me do this. They were Godly things that you're planning on doing. This is what God is going to have me do and then it seemed like nothing worked out every door was shot in your life. I need to go to this Christian College. I'm trying to do this thing. That's a good thing but every door seemed to be shot and then something else kind of fell in your lap. It kind of opened up and suddenly Rockwell. Okay, and you're doing this other thing and later you look back in hindsight and you say aww. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord that you replace what I thought were good plans which may have been good plan. But you replace them with your plans with ended up being great compared to my good if ever had that happen in your life. You had one thing that you thought was this is clearly is a good and right thing. I should be doing next instead like God just kind of swapped it all up. That's what happens to Paul and that's a lesson for us. But sometimes we have it all figured out but we need to have ears to hear God pointing Us in the right direction. The first convert off of the church is a woman which is a little unusual in Jewish culture, but it wouldn't have been unusual in Roman or Greek culture of that day. And she's highlighted Paul goes to the river because he can't find a synagogue probably cuz there wasn't enough Jewish men to a staff. Synagogue in that city until the women gathered by the river to pray and Paul goes there and preaches the gospel and Lydia who's actually from the area of Asia that Paul had originally wanted to go to but she's there and flip out. She's very wealthy and works and dies and she hears the gospel and is converted the first convert and she insist Paul while you're here in my home so that you can keep preaching the gospel keep planting and growing The church here now while he's there there's this slave girl that follows him around the whole time and she's a fortune-teller. We're told and end that fortune-telling is a result of a demon possession in her but one thing she does what you sometimes see in the Gospel of Jesus. She follows them around and constantly says these men are Servants of the most high God they're going to tell us how to be saved and then amazing that just in the presence of Paul & The Gospel being shared that this evil spirit is kind of compelled to tell the As soon as they get Nero, that guy is from God from the one true God the most high he's going to tell us how to get safe what says in the scripture that Paul it starts to bug him cuz she follows him around just constantly this guy this guy's until finally one point he turned around and he goes evil spirit be gone and cast the spirit out of the slave girl and she is saved from that position but her owners for making good money off her ability to be a fortune teller did not like that at all not one bit. And so they go to the authorities and say these guys are Jewish and they're saying things that are against our tradition is wrong and they're causing trouble and said they work up such a frenzy but what else happens in this chapter is Paul and Silas are stripped. beaten and in prison

Which is a horrible fate you would think God opened this door. He led me to Macedonia. He led me to flip by this is an answer to prayer. I'm preaching the gospel. Lydia has converted the slap cast out a demon for the slave girl. And here's what happens. That's the way we would think of it. We're why is it why are things better for me? But the way Paul and Silas think of it, you know, what they do weather in prison, they sing hymns. They're Shackled around their ankles are in the center of the prison because they're considered such a threat and yet they sing hymns and praises to God during this whole time and all the other prisoners were told our listings at these guys who were just stripped and beaten and thrown into prison and yet they're praising God in the midst of this. They're thanking God. They're praising God if else know what happens in this prison, There's an earthquake. It shakes the very foundation of the prison so that all the doors fly open and guess what the warden does. He gets ready to kill himself because he knows what happens to a Roman. We've got Lydia who's from Asia who's located here in Phillipi. We've got the slave girl who were told his Greek and now we've got a Roman official. And he says, you know what? I just have two in my life because that's exactly what's going to happen to me when they find out all the prisoners are gone. I will be it'll be much worse than me ending my own life until he's ready to commit suicide were told in Acts 16th. When Paul says wait, wait, wait instead of leaving the prison instead of embracing the freedom. Thank you Lord. The doors are open. I'd like to not set in this damp stinky cell with my ankles cuffed anymore instead. I'm just going to run for Freedom Paul does not in my opinion. This is yet another miracle In this passage because Paul chooses to stay in prison and he says to the warden to this Roman prison official no, no, no don't kill yourself. We're still here. We're still here now. Guess what? The reaction is of the warden at that time the official Roman official. He's so move by their singing and they're praising. He's so moved by Paul being concerned for his life that he would stay in prison that he believes the gospel and he says what must I do. To be saved which I think is potentially an Evangelistic opportunity when you call that an Evangelistic opportunity because of that witness of Paul's on faithfulness to God and trusting God suddenly that that's soldier that Roman official is saying what must I do to be saved and so like Lydia him and his entire household converts and is saved and begins to follow price. Here's the lesson of this the Believers in flip. I began following Jesus Through witnessing and experiencing God's Amazing Grace and Power. So when Paul rides to them, he's riding to them as someone who has shared all of this with them someone who was there at the very beginning of the church someone who planted the church and someone who knows just like they did here's how it started. God led me in a vision to come to this city Lydia converted and kind of founded the church in some ways in terms of opening your own and say staying stay here and keep witnessing keep converting the slave girl the cast The Demon out maybe all of them are still right there in the church during this letter read aloud. They can nudge each other. That's you. We we we know this truth. We share this truth together. They know about the earthquake. They know about the prison they know about the guard that converted what a story that must have been in the city this Roman Outpost that has nothing to do with Jews and these men that come in that state or causing trouble while just were promised baby. We're in charge. We are the power strip them beat them put him in prison. We won't have any of that stuff upsetting people in the streets and suddenly the prison official says I'm following them now. I believe in what they teach I believe and what they preach that had to be a story in and of itself and the beginning of this church that grew grew well enough to support Paul at least twice. He makes references in the book of Philippians that he thanks them for sending him money sending him support and sending him workers on all of his missionary Journeys. And so they became a healthy church and they share this beginning this witness of God's power and his grace and that Drew them to follow him. so you see all that adds great meaning to pause words when he writes them. I am confident that the one who began a good work in you will be faithful to bring that work to completion. He's going to keep working even up to the day of Christ. I am confident of that to see how they could resonate with what he saying. I mean, here's your homework. Here's how to apply this. I think make a record of how God has worked in your life so far.

Ask yourself. How can I how can I increase my Faith Hill ever? Ask that question you ever say Lord? I wish I had more Faith Lord. I wish I could trust you more. How do I grow my faith? Here is how to grow your faith. Here is a way to grow your faith pause growing the faith of those in flip. I by reminding them pay the one who began a good work in you remember all those things that we shared remember how the church began to remember that the one who began a good work in you I am confident of this. He will be faithful to bring it to completion. I think it if we apply that version we think about the context of Acts 16:1 way, we can build up our own faith. We can preach to ourselves. I know that I know that some of you wish that I could just be with you 24/7 all week long. Don't you don't you just say but I just wish Robbie could walk beside me all day long and I can just preach in your ear all week. Long time to hear some music. That's right. That's good. I need to do that. But then 7 days is a long time till the next Sunday, you know, Thursday afternoon you find yourself. I forgot all about what I was going to do. So how about preaching to yourself this week? Will you do that preach to yourself? And here's how you do it make a record how God is working in your life so far. I'm sure it's take the time one day this week to bullet point. How did you come to know Christ? Were you born into a family of faithful mom and dad who brought you to church? That's the work of God in your life. I imagine the children of Lydia and that prison guard both grew up in the church. Some of them but they're born after this conversion could say I never knew a day that we didn't follow God that we didn't follow Jesus. I was raised in the church likely and they might say I was in the church from 9 months before I was born everyday of my life. I was in the church and that's a wonderful and good think that maybe one of your bullet points that God you were born into a family that raised you to know and love God. Or maybe when you think about your own history there maybe drama in your history where you know, I was walking the wrong path and I was hurting my life and I was hurting life of others and somebody like Paul came into my life and preach the gospel. that was the beginning of me following him or maybe you got too close to a church and you kept witnessing other people getting their marriage is straightened out or or dealing with their own temper or anger learning to be gracious and loving you know, sometimes we we constantly look at ourselves by what we haven't yet accomplished instead of stopping for a moment every now and then and saying well, where am I based on 20 years ago?

Take the time to make a record of what God has done in your life. It may be through relationships. There may be people that you're friends with that. You would have never been friends with we're not for the gospel. I'm sure Paul would say that over and over and over traditionally a normal Jewish rabbi, like him would have kept his distance from a lot of people that he became close friends with because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you're on forgiving sin on your own answered prayer your new life. The impact God has allowed you to have on others. All of that is a testimony of the power of God in your life. Have you impacted somebody else? I'm sure you have I'm sure there are lots of people who support the people in this room and say that person helped me come to know the Lord that person's example encourage me to be a good wife or a good daughter or good employee that person bail me out when I was between a rock and a hard place. Has worked in your life. Many here maybe for decades and we just kind of move on and console said well, I'm not here but take a moment to pause and look back and say Where am I based on where I started? Where has God been faithful my life think about all the answered prayer that you've likely experience is sometimes we just forget about it. We thank the Lord and then we move on but take some time this week to sit down and bullet point. 5 10 20 30 things that our record of God's power in your life the way he's worked in your life up to this point so far and that will build your faith that will build your confidence and got the primary Mark of Our Lives is not bumper stickers or anything like that on our car the primary mark on our lives as Christians is confidence in God just like Paul models here. I am confident that the one who began a good work in you will be faithful to bring that work to completion.

this week take the time to think about the ways in which God has been faithful in your life so far and let that encourage you for the way he's going to work in your life right now and in the coming days and months is faithfulness. I'm going to buy the worship team to come forward. Here's the verse again from the Amplified version. I love the way they word it Paul says and I am convinced and sure of this very thing that he speaking of God who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ right up until the time of his return developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to the full completion in you let spray

Father we pause and we reflect. And we give you praise. We know that you have worked in our lives. Maybe for some of us it's been a year or so since we since we came to know you and saw the way you're working in our life maybe for others. It's been 5 years or 10 or 30 or 40. But we all have in common father is we have seen the way you at work in our life to answer prayers. To bring us in contact with the gospel message and you through family or friends or church to rescue us from ourselves to shower us with your grace and bring us forgiveness the father. We remember that and we praise you. For saving us Lord and for walking with us Faithfully day after day week after week month after month year after year. We celebrate your faithfulness. And father met that renewing of our mind by remembering your good work in Our Lives May that build up our confidence in you that whatever we're facing today. Your present in our lives and you can answer those concerns in those prayers and you will be faithful to us today the way you have been in the past and you'll be faithful to us tomorrow the way you have been in the past and in today. The father remind us of that truth. May your spirit Quicken are mine to remember the things we need to remember about your faithfulness May at Pierce our heart to pause and give you thanks this day. I we grow in confidence and you and confidence in your goodness and confidence in your greatness made that confidence and you keep us from feeling like we have to control our life that we're on our own. Somehow we have to run through that yellow light our day is going to get out of hand. But instead they have a piece. And a confidence in you knowing is Paul said that the one who began this work both in this church Hillandale and in our lives as individual Christians, he who began this work will be faithful to bring it to completion to continue to work in our lives in our hearts.

in Jesus name amen