“Serving with
Joy!”
Philippians
1:1,2; cf. Acts 16:7-40
Introduction: After our
long study of Mark, we begin a new series today in a shorter book, a letter,
sent by the Apostle Paul to the church in Philippi. Mark emphasized the Passion
of Christ, and called us to follow Jesus, whatever the cost, in the light of
who He is and what He did for us. We may not like the way things are going
around us. Our country is as politically divided as ever. Some of us may be
despondent over the options before us in the coming election (and the 4 months
of political ads we must yet endure!). Still, we’ll stay informed and prayerful
as we participate, knowing we are first and foremost citizens of heaven and children
of the King! In this letter Paul calls us to serve the Lord with joy! We
know that God is in control, and that Jesus is building His church. When we see
sin and evil in the world, we are reminded that this is why Jesus came… to save
sinners. Today we begin the letter to the Philippians, and we’ll be invited to
think more like Jesus, and so find joy in serving Him.
Commentator Gordon
Fee calls Philippians a letter of friendship. Unlike Galatians and Colossians,
written to respond to a false doctrine, or First Corinthians which addressed a
series of practical / pastoral concerns, the Philippians were largely walking
in obedience. They were by no means perfect. We will see Paul call out by name
a couple of ladies who were in conflict! Yes, no church is perfect, but we can and
should be growing and learning to think more like Jesus!
Paul was writing to what was likely the first
church planted in Europe. You can read the account of the beginning of the
second missionary journey in Acts 16 (see map). Paul and his companions were
traveling through Asia Minor, but God seemingly providentially closed the doors
for further ministry there (16:6-7). Then Paul had a vision of a man from
Macedonia, gesturing to him, and saying, “come on over and help us.”
Philippi is where Paul met Lydia with some
other women down by the river, and the Lord opened her heart to pay
attention to what was said by Paul (16:14). She was baptized and
extended hospitality to the missionary team. As Paul was heading to that place
of prayer down by the river, he encountered a slave girl who had a spirit of
divination and brought her owners much gain (16:16). Paul cast out
the demon, angering her owners, who had Paul arrested (16:19). The
missionaries were thrown in prison, but they would not allow that to dampen
their joy. They were singing in their cell, when suddenly the ground shook,
their chains fell off, and the prison doors opened. You know the story; the jailer comes to faith!
He asked the most important question of his life, “What must I do to be
saved?” Paul and Silas give perhaps the most unexpected answer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will
be saved…” (16:31). He and his household believed, and they were baptized.
Fast forward
twelve years or so, and Paul is writing to the church that grew out of those
experiences. Paul is a prisoner again, this time in Rome. It seems likely
that this is the imprisonment we read about at the end of the book of Acts. So,
Paul, a prisoner, uncertain about how things would end with this imprisonment, is
writing now to an established church, and encouraging them to find joy in
serving Jesus, by embracing the attitude of Jesus and serving one another.
Have you ever been encouraged by a prisoner? I have! I hope you will be as we
work through this letter over the next few months. For today, we’ll focus on
just the first couple of verses…
The BIG Idea: Trust in
Christ, and find joy in serving Him in His church. We’ll consider that from
four perspectives, beginning with the first two verses: 1) A Foundation for
Joy: An attitude of servanthood; 2) Find Joy in serving in light of our
position “in Christ”; 3) Find Joy in Servant Leadership; and 4) Find Joy in the
Truth: Holding forth sound doctrine.
I. A Foundation
for Joy: An
attitude of servanthood (1:1a).
And so, the letter
begins, introducing the senders, “Paul
and Timothy…” Paul was certainly the writer, with Timothy possibly serving
as his secretary. We’ll see Paul talking in the first person in several places,
and even referring to “sending Timothy” to the church. What we see here is the
humility of Paul. This is a letter
where Paul doesn’t call himself “an apostle of Jesus Christ” in the
opening. He simply identifies himself, along with Timothy, as the senders of
the letter. Timothy was known to the church (Acts 16:1, 13) and was soon to
travel to Philippi (2:19-22). Though
Paul is writing there is no need to claim his authority as an apostle – the
church knew and respected him. And by including Timothy in the greeting he is
affirming Timothy’s gifts and leadership. Humility is not a common
characteristic in leaders. I like the way Andrew Murray described it:
“Humility is
perfect quietness of heart… It is to
have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel
to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all
around and above is trouble. The humble
man is not one who thinks meanly of himself, he simply does not think of
himself at all…”
So, Paul, in his
greeting, does not identify himself as an apostle, but begins, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus…” Paul could
assume the Philippians recognized that authority, there was no need to assert
it, much less defend it. The word “servants”
is the plural form of the word “doulos” often translated “bond-servant”
or “slave.” It was used in the ancient
world to designate someone who was bound to another. Paul understood that he
belonged to Jesus, and that even as he served the churches to whom he
ministered, he served the Lord.
Many writers agree
that when used in the NT of a believer’s relationship with Jesus Christ, doulos reflects willing,
determined, and devoted service. The Law provided that
“…if a
slave plainly says I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out
as a free man, then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him
to the door or the door post. And his
master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently…”
(Ex 21:5-6).
We serve Him by serving others, and like Paul, we can do it
joyfully. Charles Swindoll said, “You’ll know if you have the attitude of a
servant by how you react when someone treats you like one.” As recipients of grace, we have peace with God
and have been set apart from the world to joyfully serve Him in obedience to
His Word. That’s the Big Idea: *Trust Christ, and find joy in serving Him in
His church. Our attitude leads to…
II. Finding
joy in serving: …in
the light of our position “in Christ” (1:1b).
Paul turns to the
recipients of the letter, “…to all the saints…” Literally, “holy ones, those who are “set
apart.” “Saints” does not refer to a
class of special Christians who are more pious or reverent than most – rather
it is used by Paul to designate all the believers in a given place: For example,
the Corinthians are called “saints” (I Cor 1:2) yet are clearly immature in
many areas (I Cor 3:1-3). It is always in the plural, not referring to a
specific individual, but to “all the saints.” For those of us who come from
a tradition that viewed “sainthood” as something conferred by the church to a
special few, and only after their death, it takes some time to come to grips
with the idea that all who know Christ, all who have trusted Him as their
personal Savior are saints!
What sets us apart is
our position, “…in Christ Jesus…” (cf. Eph 2:4-6). The phrase “In Christ” describes our union
with Christ. It’s like the air that is in us, yet we are also in the air. You
are the air I breathe! Christ is in us, and we are in Him. We are
united with Christ, a member of his body, indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Practically, we are justified, declared righteous, because Jesus took our sin,
and his righteousness was reckoned to our account (cf. Phil 3:8,9). We are
holy, because He is holy and we are in Christ.
So, Paul writes “…to
the saints in Christ who are in
Philippi…” Acts 16 describes Paul’s early ministry in Philippi. There
he went down by the riverside and met some women who were seeking to know the
God of Israel, Lydia, a seller of purple, being the first convert. Perhaps the
jailer, who came to faith at the end of that same chapter was still among
them. We’ve been set apart from the
world and united with Christ.
Paul told the Romans,
“Even so consider yourselves to be dead to
sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:11). Then he said, “Therefore there is
now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1). That
is good news! As recipients of grace, we have
peace with God and have been set apart to joyfully serve Him! So, the Big Idea here is, Trust in Christ,
and find joy in serving Him in His church.
III. Finding
Joy in Servant Leadership: “…with the overseers
and deacons…” Paul is assuming here a biblical view of the church and church
leadership.
Paul is writing to
the saints in Philippi, with the “…overseers
and deacons…” The ESV translates the
first office as “overseers,” the NKJV uses “bishops.” How are we to understand
these offices? The word translated “overseer”
occurs five times in the NT, and it clearly it is synonymous with “elder” and “pastor/shepherd.”
Notice Paul’s use of “elder” and “overseer”
in His farewell in Acts 20, “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called
the elders of the church to come to him…” (Acts 20:17); and then in v.28, “Pay
careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers, to care for [“shepherd”] the
church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” So, we see the terms
“elders” and “overseers” describe the same group, and their work is
“shepherding” or “pastoring.” Likewise in Titus 1:5-9 we see the terms used in
parallel. Paul says to Titus,
5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what
remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed
you- 6 if anyone is above
reproach... 7 For an
overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach… 9 He must
hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give
instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Here the elders are also called
“overseers,” and they must hold firm to the word and give instruction. As we search the Bible, we see that…
1) Shepherds know
the sheep – Jesus, the Good Shepherd, said “I know my own, and my own know
me…” (Jn 10:14).
2) They also feed
the sheep. The Good Shepherd is indicting his under-shepherds, the leaders of
Israel in Ezekiel 34 when he says “…I will feed them in a good pasture… I
will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest…” (Ezek 34:14, 15). As God’s under-shepherds, elders are responsible
to oversee and share in the teaching ministry of the church.
3) Shepherds lead
the sheep – the Good Shepherd is our model. The Psalmist says “He leads me
beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of
righteousness for His name’s sake” (Ps 23:2b-3). So too elders are leaders.
That implies the sheep are willing to follow!
4) Shepherds protect
the sheep – Paul told the elders in Ephesus in Acts 20: “Be on guard for
yourselves and for all the flock… after my departure savage wolves will
come in among you, not sparing the flock…” (20:28-29). Defending against false
teachers, those who would come in and bring division is critical. That is a lot
of responsibility!
Paul writes to the
saints, with the elders “…and deacons…”
In I Timothy 3 Paul lists similar spiritual qualifications for overseers
(3:1-7) and deacons (8-11), with an emphasis on “service”. Acts 6:1-6, when seven men filled with the
Holy Spirit were appointed to oversee the distribution of food to the Greek
speaking widows, probably points to the start of the office of deacon. So, deacons were leaders, spiritually
qualified, aiding the elders by sharing in the ministry, initially in terms of
the physical needs of the church body. In Acts we see that Philip and Stephen
were among the first deacons, and soon they are out preaching and evangelizing!
Those who are called serve not grudgingly, but joyfully. *Trust in Christ, and
find joy in serving Him in His church.
IV. Finding
Joy in the Truth: Hold
forth Sound Doctrine (1:2).
Paul uses a greeting
that is uniquely Christian, in verse 2, a variation of the common greetings in
use in the Greek world, and among the Jews, “…grace to you and peace…”
Implicit in those words is the Good News of the Grace of God, and the
promise of Peace with God for all who believe. Because it varies from
the typical greeting of the day, it would catch the attention of the original
readers and invite them to think about what Paul was implying. Paul takes what was a similar sounding word
used in greetings of his day, and makes it into a greeting that is a prayer,
reflecting his view of sound doctrine:
“Grace to
you…” Grace, God’s unmerited favor. Grace is getting blessing that
we do not deserve. Justice is getting what we do deserve. Mercy
is not getting what we do deserve. We are saved by grace. But in the Bible,
grace is not only an objective description of the nature of our salvation, but
it describes God working in us, empowering us and transforming us. Paul
prays elsewhere for his readers to “grow in the grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” It seems to me that practically this
relates to the idea of being filled with the Spirit, and walking in the Spirit.
And so, we work out our own salvation
with fear and trembling, for God is at work in us, both to will and to work for
His good pleasure… (cf. Phil 2:12,13). It is interesting that Paul begins and
ends this letter with a reference to God’s grace (see 4:23). One pastor said Paul gives us ten words that
tell us all we need to know about grace in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us,
who can be against us?” G.R.A.C.E.
Aren’t you glad for that?
Grace to you, “…and
peace…” Shalom, “peace,” was a familiar greeting used by Jews like Paul.
There seems to be significance in the order of the words Paul uses, Grace is
what is given to God’s people, peace is what results. Gordon Fee said, “The
sum total of God’s activity toward his human creatures is found in the word ‘grace.’” God has given himself to his people
bountifully and mercifully in Christ. Nothing
is deserved, nothing can be achieved. The sum total of those benefits as
they are experienced by the recipients of God’s grace is “peace,” both now, and
to come” [See Rom 5:1].
Finally, we see the
Source of this blessing: “…from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…”
Paul is bringing greetings, and speaking blessing, from God. As we study
this letter, may we receive it as God’s Word to us!
What is God saying to me in this passage? The world we live in is
chaotic, even here in the United States, even more so for so many of our brothers
and sisters around the world. *Trust in Christ, and find joy in serving Him in
His church.
What would he have me to do in response to his Word? Have you ever been
encouraged by a prisoner? I have! I hope you will be as we work through
this letter!
1) We see the humility of
Paul as this letter begins. Later he’ll say that Jesus himself took the form of
a servant. How do we serve Christ? By obeying Him. We can show kindness in the
name of Jesus for our neighbors. Each of us has gifts that can edify others in
the church. Let’s determine to follow Jesus’ example of servanthood.
2) When you start to feel
discouraged, think about who you are and whose you are: a saint,
in Christ! His grace should move our hearts to worship!
3) Paul was a prisoner,
but wrote with joy, encouraging the Philippians. In Jesus we have peace with
God (Rom 5:1), in Him we can have the peace of God… Later in this letter
Paul will say “be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the
peace of God, that passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus”! AMEN
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