Philippians 1:1-11
Point | The key to our attitude to our situation, the world, and those around us is to walk in an intimate relationship with Jesus!
Introduction:
- Each epistle has its particular tone or “flavor.” Some are more corrective (see Galatians and 1 Corinthians), while others tend to be more instructive and theological (see Romans and Ephesians). This is because each letter was written to deal with a particular issue or need of its audience, and these were different from audience to audience. Collectively, they add up to cover the full range of what the Church of God needs through every spiritual season. But as we come to the epistle to the Philippians, one can’t help but pick up on the tone being notably personable and encouraging. In other words, Philippians has a very friendly feel.
Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter? He wasn't lying on a beach. He was essentially in a dungeon chained to a Roman soldier at all times, with his body torn up and his back covered in scars from being whipped and beaten with a rod.
This is a man who, by this time, had been shipwrecked, robbed, betrayed, mocked, hated, beaten, and even stoned to (almost) death by the Jews.He had every right to be miserable, angry, depressed, hopeless, resentful, and so many other things.
Because of Jesus, instead of feeling sorry for himself and letting his present situation consume his every thought, Paul was able to recognize God’s love, grace, and mercy at work in his own life and through the Philippians.
Sometimes, when something bad happens, all we can do is talk and think about it to the point we are consumed by the negativity.
Paul shows us another way; one surrendered to Jesus and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Instead of focusing on all the negative, Paul thanks the Philippians for their love, faithfulness, generosity, and for sharing the gospel with him. And he also tells them he is constantly praying for them and thanking God for them.
The best days of your life with Jesus are always ahead of you. No matter what happens Christ is with you.
POINT | You will experience the peace of God when you are transformed by the grace of God.
In the NT, the terms grace and peace appear together so often they have been referred to as the Siamese twins of the NT.
Grace always comes before peace.
Grace (charis): This word was used both in greetings and departures. The word means joy or favor; a leaning toward sharing benefit. In the New Testament, it's used to describe the Lord's favor, which He freely extended to give Himself away to people because He is disposed to bless and be near them.
Gods grace is our source of peace as it brings us into harmony with God.
Peace (shalom): A term used to this day, which means peace, a state of harmony and restoration.
And as you receive, grow in, and are changed by the grace of God, you can experience that true peace, the peace that surpasses understanding, the peace that comes from the freedom from sin and death that Christ Jesus died to give us, according to the will of God and for the glory of God.
POINT | Be patient and trust in the faithfulness of God as he works his desire in you.
I believe one of the reasons this scripture hits home for us is because we all know the struggle of the meanwhile, or the waiting. Whether it’s waiting on some news you might need before moving forward with something, waiting on a check to hit your bank account, waiting for your kids to finally sleep through the night, or waiting on Jesus to come back, we all know the waiting so well!
He will be faithful and complete the work he started.
Life might not be happening the way you expected.
Circumstances might not be what you envisioned when you pictured your life years ago, but trust Him in the process.
He is working, even when you don’t see Him or feel Him.
Your call is to abide in Him and leave the results in His hands.
The word “work” we see in this scripture is translated from the original Greek word, “ergos,” meaning “an action that carries out, to complete an inner desire,” also known as purpose.
What I love about this word ergos is it makes the waiting less about the “job” being done and more about the joy in the process as we engage our purpose.
POINT | Your perspective determines your direction.
In verses 9-11, Paul prays for the Philippians to have perspective - perspective of what really matters. So that they are able to live the lives that God has called them to live.
Lives that are pure and blameless, described in the Amplified Bible as “lives that lead others away from sin.”
Your perspective determines the direction that you go.
In this passage, Paul makes a transition in his letter to the Philippian Church. He moves from his introduction and declaration of his love for the Philippians to expressing specific prayers for them.
Paul prays the Philippian’s love would grow. Paul is praying, specifically, for an increase in the supernatural “agape” type of love. This love is unconditional and comes to us directly from God, Himself. Paul puts this at the head of his prayer list, which reminds us that in the Christian life, nothing is more important than love. Love makes everything else fall into its proper place. And if we’re going to do anything well, we need to love well!
Paul then prays the Philippian’s knowledge would grow. As strong as the Philippians were in their understanding of the Lord and faith, there was still room to grow; The Christian is always a student. There’s always something new for us to learn about our eternal and infinite God. Ours is a lifestyle of discovery, and as we discover more and more about the Lord, we grow closer to Him
Next, Paul prays the Philippian’s discernment would grow. This prayer has a logical progression because discernment is the practical application of spiritual knowledge. It’s taking spiritual information and truth and then putting it to use in real-world scenarios of life. This is why some have a lot of knowledge, yet their lives are in shambles. They have the data but lack the discernment on how to use it to their advantage; discernment allows us to approve of what was right and live and right in the eyes of God.
Lastly, Paul prays the Philippian’s fruitfulness would grow. The fruit he’s referring to is the Christ-like character that comes from being connected to Him. Paul is praying that they would grow more like Jesus, which results in our main mission here on the earth which is to glorify God! Today and every day we can pray that we have the right perspective on our relationships, our purpose, our current season of life, the things we fear, how we spend our time, how we spend our money and how to live the life God is calling us to.
