Philippians Series

December 11, 2021

Philippi was a Greek city founded in 350 BC. In 86 BC, it became a Roman colony. Although a relatively small city, Philippi had 2 significant advantages: it was a major seaport and it was located on a major trade route.

In about 52 AD Paul came to Philippi and a church was established there.

As we know, by 62 AD, Paul was imprisoned in Rome and it is from his prison cell that he wrote to the believers in Philippi. The tone of the letter is decidedly different from the other letters Paul had written. He does not spend time defending himself nor does he deal with some major theological crisis. It is a letter full of joy and tenderness.

My Favorite Thing About PHILIPPIANS is ----- Paul’s emphasis on Joy / Rejoicing.

Remember that Paul was not on a beach somewhere sipping a drink with an umbrella in it when he wrote this letter, he was a prisoner. His circumstances were unpleasant, his enemies were trying to undermine his work and his death could occur at any moment and yet, he chose joy.

Joy is a biblical concept, but we have come to see joy as the absence of sadness or hardship - tying it directly to external circumstances. But notice these verses:

• 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 - And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

• Hebrews 12:2 - Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

• James 1:2-4 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Certainly, in Paul’s experience, joy was not found in the absence of pain and suffering, but in spite of it. Who can forget all that he had endured:

• 2 Corinthians 6:4-10 - but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see -- we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

• 2 Corinthians 11:21b-12:10 - What anyone else dares to boast about -- I also dare to boast about. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? 30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus the governor had the city guarded in order to arrest me. 33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands. …. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.