Philippians 1:1-5
Notes
Transcript
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.
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Intro:
16 different times, in the book of Philippians, you will find the word “joy”, or “rejoice”..
It’s a reoccurring encouragement, given to a group of believers in very pagan city.. from an afflicted and persecuted teacher, sitting in prison.
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Rejoice… don’t give yourself to sadness.
Be joyful… not sorrowful...
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The church in Philippi could have been given over to sadness and sorrow..
Why?
Because they, as Christian believers… were not accepted in the city they lived in..
They did not fit in.
They were frowned upon in their culture..
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They could have mourned… they could have cried out… they could have protested and declared… -Woe is us!
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The man who wrote this letter, could have also been given over to sadness and sorrow..
Why?
Because he was in prison.
Because of his faith, he had been beaten, stoned, rejected and arrested… time and time again.
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His health was bad and he was not free to do as he wished..
He too, could have said:
Woe is me!
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But you’re not going to find any “woe is me” anywhere in this letter..
instead, you are going to find.. thanksgiving.. and rejoicing..
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The circumstances of the teacher… and the circumstances of the believers… apparently, isn’t a factor in terms of the thanksgiving and the rejoicing..
Circumstances appear to be... irrelevant.
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Paul isn’t bemoaning his lack of entitlement… the people in Philippi are also, not bemoaning the disapproval they experience…
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One of the things we see, over and over again in the Bible… is that the reason for thanksgiving... is so much greater than the circumstantial.
The reasons for joy, by far extend the shallow state of temporary discomfort..
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Thanksgiving and joy… are both, rooted in an understanding, and a vision.. of things which are much greater than the “circumstances of now”.
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I get the privilege of teaching believers in some pretty… underprivileged parts of the world.
Many years ago, I taught in Nepal a few times. The reoccurring conference I taught at in Katmandu was in a large concrete building.
The temperature was usually in the 90’s.
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In the classes.. the seating.. was the floor.
I would have anywhere from 60-80 students.. depending on the day..
And they sat there, taking notes, and being very attentive, for a very long time.
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We had a lot of material to cover, in very short amount of time..
I didn’t give them very many breaks, and the breaks they did receive…
Were usually only for 5 minutes.
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Did they complain?
No. They were eager to learn how to study and interpret their Bibles.
Most of them were back early, seated on the concrete floor, before the break’s end.. and when the class was over, they weren’t ready for it to be over… questions and discussions usually went on for quite some time.
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I’ve had many teaching situations like this… in Nepal, in Sudan, in India and in Mexico… - the circumstances were never comfortable… one time, a cobra came into the classroom while I was teaching…
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Often times… when it was 95 degrees, and I was teaching all day… I wanted to say, “Woe is me.”
But not these students…these were men who faced persecution.. many had been beaten more than once.. some had lost family members… some had their church buildings destroyed.. many of them were hated, there was great prejudice against them…
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They could have said, “Woe is me.”
But they didn’t…
But they were working hard, and they were smiling.. they were eager to learn.
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I return with a corrected perspective on thanksgiving and joy, but, it doesn’t take too long before I’m saying “Woe is Me.” about some petty circumstance.
Why?
Because we are Americans… and Americans think differently about circumstances… we are entitled. We want to be affirmed. We want to be coddled. We want to be agreed with. We want to be taken care of.
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You know what we want.... we want favorable circumstances. And if we don’t get them, what are we going to do? Well, we only have to listen to the news for a few minutes now a days, to see what free privileged Americans are willing to do… if things don’t go their way.
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later on in this letter… chapter 4 verse 4… Paul is going to say something that is revolutionary to those who are demanding a favorable circumstance…
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4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
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Notice, it doesn’t say, “Rejoice in the Lord, only, when things are in your favor.”
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I confess. I’m easily hindered. I’m a sucker for circumstance..
And I wish it weren’t so..
I am praying.. hoping.. expecting..
That this study through Philippians.. will help me..
For in this letter, which is abounding with the call to thanksgiving and joy… ..
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we find… a persecuted and imprisoned teacher… and an outcast and rejected church.
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Joy.. by definition… is a state of contentment and satisfaction.. that is unmoved by circumstance..
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Thanksgiving.. an attitude of faith… recognizing the good.. that God has already done for us.. and will continue to do.. in spite of our current, temporary circumstance.
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It requires a lot of faith… to rejoice in hardship and to give thanks in loss…
But Paul teaches us something profound about faith…
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
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God is faithful to His Word. His Word, is something, that will bolster our faith… we can bind our faith to it… we can nourish and strengthen our faith… simply by knowing and experiencing… the Word.
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It was actually… the Word spoken by God, in a vision, that originally led Paul to Philippi..
In his vision, he saw a man who said, “come over here, to Macedonia”
Paul responded.
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When he arrived, he didn’t find a synagogue..
But he did find a place down by the river where folks gathered to pray.
Paul preached the gospel, and his first convert was a woman named Lydia..
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As Paul and his partner Silas continued to preach the gospel.. they were followed by a demon possessed woman who cried out..
“these men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation”
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Since she was demon possessed, it’s easy to conclude, that this was not a supportive proclamation,
But rather, a distractive and possibly sarcastic harangue.
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After several days of this, Paul was really getting annoyed..
So he spoke directly to the demon..
And commanded it to come out.
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Well, she was a slave girl whose possession was used by her masters as a means of profit.
With the demon gone… so went her ability..
she could not make her master money..
So this person became upset with Paul, laid false charges on he and Silas..
They were beaten.. and then placed in prison..
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that night, there was a great miracle. This was probably the miracle that hit a home run for the gospel in Philippi.
They had been hearing this guy preach all week..
Then, he displayed the power to deliver a woman of demon possession.
Then, at night, there was another miracle..
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As they were there, in pain from their beatings..
They began to sing songs of praise..
This in itself was a miracle, for only the Holy Spirit could give a human such insight and joy.. in such a dire place..
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Then, the place was shaken.. the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were loosed..
This happened at another time and place for the Apostle Peter, and he left the prison..
But Paul and Silas… they stayed..
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Both men were given their reasons by the H.S.
But Paul’s reasons.. were evangelistic..
The biggest miracle in the jail.. wasn’t so much the doors and the chains.
But.. it was the fact that all the prisoners who were there… remained.
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Paul obviously was given compassion, by the H.S. for that jailer..
And somehow, he must have communicated that compassion to the other prisoners..
For as the jailer was about to dispatch his own life..
Paul cried out.. we are all here..
And that jailer, and his whole family.. gave their lives to the Lord..
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I imagine, at that point.. the church grew quite rapidly in Philippi…
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Lydia… her family… the jailer… his family… and I’m sure, many others were moved by the preaching and by the miracles…
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And a church sprung up quickly… and they immediately, and faithfully, stood behind Paul with their support, as he continued to minister in other places..
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This letter opens with thanks and remembrance for these folks..
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He gives thanks for them… He prays for them, with joy… - He recognizes their partnership in the gospel… from day one… till the present.
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The Apostle Paul had an incredible burden for the churches that he planted..
Burdens are an interesting thing..
There are, two kinds of burdens..
There’s the kind that we pick up.. - that we ‘take on’
And then, there’s the kind that the Lord, lays upon us..
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The kinds of burdens that we pick up.. are not always that profitable.. - In fact, self attained burdens, are almost always wearisome… or just plain bad.
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For some of us, it’s very easy to over-commit..
To take on more than we can handle..
To involve ourselves in things.. for the wrong reasons..
And these kind of burdens wear on us..
For we take them on.. w/no consideration of what we are capable of carrying..
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But when the Lord lays a burden on us..
He knows what we are able to do..
He knows.. what gifts are evident in our lives..
And we know.. that He is not going to lay anything on us.. that is beyond our ability..
For if He gives the burden.. you can count on it.. He will also give the strength..
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Notice the strong words that Paul uses in vs. 3..
“all my remembrance”
in “every” prayer
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Paul’s not holding anything back..
He’s way into.. the church of Philippi..
These believers.. are on his mind, and in his heart.. constantly..
And I don’t think it’s too hard to assume, that this is how Paul felt about all his church plants..
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And when Paul had conversation with the Lord..
Guess who he wanted to talk about???
Those, who were laid upon his heart.. as a burden from the Lord..
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The whole idea of “burden’s from God” interest me..
Leading me to consider a few questions..
First off: What is a burden?
Secondly: How is a burden manifest in our lives?..
Thirdly: What kind of people, will God lay burdens on??
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So.. question 1: what is a burden???
In it’s simplest sense, a burden is something that you carry..
It’s a weight.. it can be something that wears on you..
You know it’s there, and it’s not always easy to deal with..
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One of the most interesting things we see when we go to places like Nepal or India, is the way they transport goods..
We’ve seen men walking down the street with refrigerators on their backs..
We’ve seen large steel I-beams being transported between two bicycles..
We’ve seen rickshaws (basically, 3 wheeled bikes).. transporting furniture..
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Some of these things.. are incredible burdens..
But when God lays a burden on us..
It’s nothing like a refrigerator, or an I Beam, or furniture..
Instead of it being some physical heavy object..
It’s usually..
.. situational, people related.. concerning God’s work.. in a specific way.. or maybe even to a specific people..
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Several of the prophets had a burden..
Isaiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zechariah and Malachi.
God gave them a burden.. in the form of a message..
A message that they needed to speak.. to a certain group of people..
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Whether it be a message that you need to speak..
Or a concern that you need to carry..
Or a mission.. or a work that you desire to see fulfilled..
Whatever it might be..
It will weigh on you..
It will be obvious..
And it will be put there, by God..
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The next question.. is “How will a burden be manifest in people’s lives?”
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I think we can easily find the answer to this in the verses we just read from Philippians..
Paul’s burden for this church.. manifest itself in his life..
By driving him.. to pray..
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In our lives.. when we have problems, we usually look for others around us to help us with those problems..
We have an issue that we know.. we can’t handle on our own..
So we go to our friends.. we go to our companions.. we go to those whom we love..
And we ask for them to help.. lighten our load..
The ultimate load lightener.. isn’t some rich uncle or the friend with the pick up truck..
The ultimate one, who wants to help us w/our burdens..
Is the one who first gave the burdens to us..
God..
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It was God who put it in our hearts to care greatly about a certain thing..
He recognized the need..
He cares about it and is involved in it..
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By giving us a burden.. He is, in a way, inviting us, to participate.. in His work..
So we pray.. asking for Him to work.. asking for His will to be done.. asking for obstacles to be removed.. asking for the ideas.. the provision.. the supernatural intervention..
He wants us to pray.. He wants us to care..
..so that we can sympathize with His heart..
And, we can witness.. and experience the moving of His hand..
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Paul’s burden for the church in Philippi manifest itself in prayer..
But not only that, it manifest itself in encouragement.. in teaching.. in corrections.. and in thanksgiving..
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The third question to consider, in reference to burdens.. is “What kind of people does God lay burdens upon?”
honestly, I think God will lay burdens on all kinds of believers..
The difference becomes most obvious..
..when we consider those who will do something about it.. and those who won’t
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God laid a burden on Jonah. If it wasn’t for that 3 days in the belly of the whale..
He wasn’t even going to consider obedience..
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Jonah would have tossed his burden like a lit stick of dynamite if God had not intervened in such a convincing way..
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God wants to place compassion in our hearts..
But sometimes, we are just too apathetic.
God wants to engage our hearts.. to see a work come to pass..
But sometimes.. we are just too disinterested..
God wants to motivate us and drive us to be a people who pray.. earnestly and consistently..
But sometimes.. we are just unwilling to pray..
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The burden is there..
but we.. are sometimes unwilling to carry it..
because it’s inconvenient..
.. it gets in the way…
It requires too much time and too much energy..
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28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
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Here’s the cool thing about a burden..
God is not going to give us something.. that is not already His..
A burden from God, is not transferred to us… it is merely, shared with us.
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Burden’s connect us with God. They unite us with His purpose… They teach us, His heart.
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If God has placed a burden upon you.. you can rest assured..
That it is first, His burden..
He is concerned.. He is engaged.. He is desiring to see a work be done..
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We might feel as if.. a burden from the Lord will bring exhaustion and weariness into our lives..
That it will pull us away from other activities that are more valuable to us..
That we will burn out and grow weary.. if we commit ourselves to some service in the Lord..
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But here, in Matt 11.. Jesus is telling us.. if we want to find rest for our souls..
Then we should take His yoke upon us..
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Essentially.. we should team up with Christ..
For, it’s in His work, in His labor, in His burden..
We find rest..
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Maybe not.. a rest that is physical..
But a greater rest..
A rest, that is unto our souls..
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I’m not 100% certain what that means…
but I think it pertains.. to contentment.. fulfillment and over-all joy..
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This is what we seek..
And Jesus has told us.. we can have it..
Simply by receiving the burden He has to give..
And committing to the work..
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We will pick up with vs. 6 next week… but real quick… I think this verse is claimed by man, apart from the context of the passage.
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He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ…
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This verse is telling us something unique… the “good work” has already been defined… it was the Philippian’s partnership in the Gospel.
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It was a work they did, but it was also a work that God did in them.
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Word ‘work’ here, speaks of a product. God has produced a product in you… a good product… literally, a moral product..
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And God wants to complete that moral product in you…
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So, if God’s work in us, is the work we do… or the burden we walk in… then we need to be those… who continue doing the work.
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Remember last week… the full armor… did not have anything to cover your back. God has not called us to retreat..
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He wants us, to press on, into the work… and if we do… as we’ll see next week… in vs. 7… we will share in one another’s grace.. and as we do… in vs. 9… our love will abound with knowledge and discernment…
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If we press on into the work… we we will… vs. 10… be able to approve what is excellent, and be pure and blameless..
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These are some of the benefits… of sharing a burden with God. These are the promises… that outshine the petty worth of circumstance.
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If you live for circumstance… and you demand to be affirmed, approved, coddled, and comforted… - then you’re going to be disappointed..
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But if you live, to share a burden with God… as long as your are willing to continue… God is willing, to bring His work in you, to completion… with the perks of vs. 7, 9, and 10-12 along the way
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Close.