Prayer And Thanksgiving Series

Paul’s Thanks and Prayer for Philippi

Philippians 1:3-11

Online Sermon:

http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

“An older couple had trouble remembering common, day-to-day things. They both decided that they would write down requests the other had, and so try to avoid forgetting. One evening the wife asked if the husband would like anything. He replied, “Yes. I’d like a large ice- cream sundae with chocolate ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry on top.”

The wife started off for the kitchen and the husband shouted after her, “Aren’t you going to write it down?” “Don’t be silly,” she hollered back, “I’m going to fix it right now. I won’t forget.” She was gone for quite some time. When she finally returned, she set down in front of him a large plate of hash browns, eggs, bacon, and a glass of orange juice. He took a look and said “I knew you should have written it down! You forgot the toast!”1

From a dreary prison shackled to soldiers in Rome Paul waits for his likely execution at the hands of Emperor Nero. As he sits there his mind takes a journey “across Italy and the Adriatic to Macedonia and over the Via Egnatia to the Roman colony of Philippi.” Though memory can be a fickle beast that often swims in an ocean of forgetfulness or worst yet a fictious world of the imaginary, Paul was determined to write to his “joy and crown” (4:1) a personal letter filled with wisdom that only comes from discerning and addressing the truth concerning both the holy victories and sinful pitfalls that the Philippians were currently experiencing. Like most ancient letters and all his epistles except Galatians, 1 Timothy, and Titus, Paul began his letter with thanksgiving. The opening of his letter was “no stereotyped formula,” though but one with praise and adoration towards God whose light found its way to an unlikely place that was often called “miniature Rome!” Paul thanked God that despite the societal pressure to worship the emperor and a corpus of Roman gods, despite disunity inside the church and opposition from the “dogs, evil doers, and mutilators of the flesh” (3:2); miraculously some people in Philippi became born again masterpieces of God’s grace and as such citizens of heaven (3:20)! It was not that “every single memory of them was good” but that despite their failings Paul had the utmost confidence that if they made their requests to God with prayer, petition, and thanksgiving the Lord would continue to “guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (4:4-7)! It was not just Lydia his first convert or her family or the jailer and his family who were the reasons for his thanking God; it was due to his remembering all the saints (1:1) in Christ Jesus in Philippi that this aging apostle in his dreary prison felt friendship, warmth, and unspeakable joy! In the opening part of his letter Paul told the church of Philippi of his prayers of joy, confidence in the completion of their good work, longing to see them with the affection of Christ, and concluded with a heartfelt, wisdom filled prayer of blessings for his friends and co-workers in Christ Jesus.

Reflection. When you as one of the Lord’s saints’ sins and fall short of His glory are you remembering rightly that while the sin is detestable to God you are still created in His image and being born again you are truly one amazing miracle? When is the last time you thanked God for another saint and have you told them how precious and loved he/she is in the sight of their Creator?

Remembering With Joy in Partnership

When Paul prayed for all the saints of Philippi he did so with unspeakable joy. Despite being shackled to a Roman guard in a dreary prison in Rome, Paul was not depressed and feeling sorry for himself like most of us would but instead in remembering the “goodness and grace of God” towards the Philippians such thoughts “evoked thanksgiving and prayer and joy in his soul!” This would be the first of fourteen times that Paul used the word “joy” making it one of his major themes. Joy is “quiet, confident inner attitude that is not dependent on life’s circumstances” but is found purely in basking in the grace, love, and mercy of our Lord.Because Paul was reflecting on the “well-being of the Philippians whom God entrusted in his care (2:2, 27–29; 4:1)” his joy overflowed and he gave much encouragement to a church experiencing many difficulties. Ancient Rome with all its “games, sexual pleasures, lavish parties, theatre, and more;” could not compare to Paul’s joy in the Philippians that was a thousand times better!” One of the primary reasons that Paul remembered the Philippians with joy is due to “their partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now” (1:5). “The word “participation” (koinonia) for Paul is a word denoting intimate fellowship” which involves “mutual interests and sharing” of a common