A SIX-PART SERMON SERIES ON PAUL’S EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS
#1: THE GOD WHO CLOSES AND OPENS DOORS
INTRODUCTION
A. Paul wrote four epistles from prison: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.
B. In this lesson, we will explore Paul’s second missionary journey that led him to Philippi.
C. We will examine the text of the epistle in the succeeding five sermons.
I. JOURNEYING WITH PAUL TO PHILIPPI
A. We, along with Timothy, join him in Derbe (Acts 16:1-5).
B. Paul and company were forbidden to go into Asia (Acts 16:6-8).
C. God opened a door to Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10)
D. The troop set sail and came to Philippi, a Roman colony and leading city of Macedonia (Acts 16:11-12).
II. ONE DOOR HAD CLOSED, ANOTHER WAS OPENED, SOULS WERE SAVED, AND THE CHURCH AT PHILIPPI WAS BORN
A. The first conversion was of a traveling businesswoman named Lydia (Acts 16:13-15).
B. A demon-possessed woman who was testifying that the men were servants of the Most High God (Acts 16:16-21).
C. We have no information as to whether she was converted, but when Paul cast the demon out of her, the city was aroused, and an iron door slammed shut. Hoping to silence the gospel, Paul’s imprisonment led to another conversion (Acts 16:16-24).
III. THE BODY WAS LOCKED UP, BUT THE SPIRIT WAS FREE
A. Paul and Silas sang, and God heard them (Acts 16:25-27).
B. To his surprise, they were all there (Acts 16:28-30).
C. The answer to the question was contextual: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and all your household” (v.31).
1. The jailer had not heard the gospel, which is a prerequisite for believing (Rom 10:13-14).
2. Back to the text (Acts 16:32-34).
IV. THE FINAL SCENE
A. Paul exercises his rights as a Roman citizen (Acts 16:35-40).
B. Paul’s final act: encouraging others (Acts 16:38-40)
V. THE SAGA CONTINUES
A. Paul and company left Philippi around 50 AD.
B. Paul visited Philippi on his third missionary journey.
C. By 62 AD, Paul was in Rome, having gone there at Caesar’s expense and under his protection (Acts 28:30-31).
D. It was from prison that Paul wrote his epistle to the Philippians, and with this background, we can better understand the letter.
CONCLUSION
A. Has a door closed for you?
B. Is God opening one for you?
#2: THE EPISTLE OF JOY
INTRODUCTION
A. Last week, we travelled with Paul on his second missionary journey, which led to the establishment of the church at Philippi. Over a decade has passed since then. Paul has made a third missionary journey, been arrested in Jerusalem, and sailed to Rome under the protection of Caesar to whom he had appealed. There is great irony in the words of King Agrippa, spoken to Festus: “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
B. Depending on the translation, the word “joy” is used as many as eight times in Philippians. The word is not found in Chapter Three, but it opens with the words “Rejoice in the Lord.” Rejoice is used five times in the letter.
C. But the joy was not that of blue skies and rainbows, for Paul was in prison. I’m reminded of the poem “The Optimist,” which appeared in “The Rotarian” in 1940:
"Life handed him a lemon,
As Life sometimes will do.
His friends looked on in pity,
Assuming he was through.
They came upon him later,
Reclining in the shade
In calm contentment, drinking
A glass of lemonade."
D. Although Paul was not in stocks as he had been at Philippi, he was guarded around the clock by soldiers of the praetorian guard (Acts 28:30-31).
I. PAUL’S PERSPECTIVE
A. His imprisonment, rather than silencing Paul’s voice, had “turned out for the greater progress of the gospel” (Phil 1:12-14).
B. Paul even rejoiced that some were preaching Christ from ulterior motives (Phil 1:16-18).
C. God overrules:
1. When we cannot see any reason for optimism, we need to remember that man rules, but God overrules.
2. The New Living Translation renders Daniel 2:20-22 as follows:
“Praise the name of God forever and ever,
for he has all wisdom and power.
He controls the course of world events;
he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the scholars.
He reveals deep and mysterious things
and knows what lies hidden in darkness,
though he is surrounded by light.”
II. PAUL’S PRAYER
A. His prayer for them was based on his unshakable faith in God (Phil 1:3-6).
B. He prayed that they would be filled with a knowledge-infused love (Phil 1:9-11).
1. Love must be grounded in knowledge (2 Tim 2:15; 2 Pet 3:16).
2. Love is known by its fruits (John 15:12; 1 John 4:20-21).
3. True love glorifies God (Matt 5:16; 2 Cor 9:13-15).
III. PAUL’S EXHORTATION TO STAND FIRM
A. We are—or should be—locked in combat with all evil (Eph 6:12).
B. If we do not stand together, we are in danger of falling together (Phil 1:27-28; 1 Cor 1:10).
CONCLUSION
A. Don’t be a victim of circumstances (Phil 1:12; Gen 50:20).
B. Paul saw his imprisonment as an opportunity: The best thing that could happen and did happen was the spread of the gospel.
C. The bottom line: To live was Christ; to die was gain.
D. Remember: We do not know what tomorrow holds, but we do know who controls tomorrow.
#3: DON’T BE A SPIRITUAL COACH POTATO
INTRODUCTION
A. Paul calls us to work out our salvation as God works in us (Phil 2:12-13)
B. God initiates and assures salvation (Phil 1:6; Eph 2:8-10).
C. Our daily workout routine is a work of faith, a labor of love, and a persevering hope (1 Thess 1:3).
I. OUR WORK OF FAITH
A. Some works are proscribed (Gal 2:15-17).
B. Some works are prescribed (Col 1:10; Jam 2:18).
C. Works of faith are not intrinsically meritorious:
1. By faith, Noah built an ark, but boatbuilding is not a work of faith for me and you (Heb 11:7).
2. By faith, Abraham immigrated, but immigrating is not a work of faith for you and me (Heb 11:8)
3. By faith, Abraham raised his knife to commit filicide, but offering our children as human sacrifices is not an act of faith for us (Heb 11:17-19).
D. A work of faith has three characteristics:
1. Trust (Psa 9:10-11)
2. Obedience (Rom 1:5)
3. Perseverance (Rom 2:2-8).
II. OUR LABOR OF LOVE
A. Some are like children whining, “Do I have to?”
B. Our work may be on behalf of others, but the reward comes from God (Col 3:23).
C. Love is in our Spiritual DNA (1 John 4:19-21, 5:1-3).
III. OUR PERSEVERANCE OF HOPE
A. True hope is grounded in Christ (Rom 15:1-6).
B. Paul gathers all these together in one long sentence in Colossians (1:9-12).
CONCLUSION
A. See these scissors. Which blade is cutting this piece of paper?
B. Take the scissors apart, and they will not cut.
C. God is one blade of the scissors; we are the other. God works in as we work out.
D. God will not work in us if we are spiritual couch potatoes.
#4 SALVATION IS A JOURNEY TO GLORY
INTRODUCTION
A. Many have travelled the road before us, and many will follow it after we have gone on to be with Jesus (Heb 11:32-40).
B. For all, the journey starts with justification (Rom 5:1-5).
I. THE JOURNEY BEGINS
A. Lydia and her household were baptized (Acts 16:15).
B. The jailer and his household were baptized (Acts 16:33).
C. Baptism is God’s work, not ours in us (Col 2:12; Rom 6:3-7).
1. We are as passive when buried in baptism as we will be when we are buried in the ground.
2. Our work begins when we are raised to walk in newness of life.
II. THE JOURNEY CONTINUES
A. We work out as God works in (Phil 2:12-13).
B. The road map we follow (Phil 2:1-11).
III. OUR DESTINATION
A. Christlikeness (1 John 3:1-3).
B. We have a foretaste (Rom 8:16-23; 1 Cor 15:42-44).
CONCLUSION
A. The road to glory with God, Christ, and the redeemed of all ages is fraught with dangers, but God has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you” (Heb 13:5).
B. Many hymns reflect our journey to eternity: “Lead Me Gently Home, Father” is one of my favorites.
#5: BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE!
INTRODUCTION
A. I said in closing last week that the road to glory was fraught with dangers.
B. Paul emphasizes this in Philippians 3:2: “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision (Phil 3: 18-19; Gal 2:3-5; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Eph 5:6-14).
C. These passages should sufficiently identify those of whom we must beware.
D. We now turn our attention to the identifying marks of true Christians.
I. THEY WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT
A. When a Samaritan woman questioned Jesus about where the proper place of worship was, he replied, in essence, “In the heart” (John 4:15-24).
B. Paul identified the true circumcision (Phil 3:3-6; Rom 2:27-29).
II. THEY PUT NO CONFIDENCE IN THE FLESH
A. Paul had been “a Jew’s Jew,” but he turned his back on his prior hopes and achievements (Phil 3:7-11).
B. Race, nationality, education, political affiliation, wealth, and anything in which we may trust are rubbish—or, as the KJV says, “dung.”
III. THEY PRESS ON TO GLORY
A. We have seen that the journey begins when we are baptized into Christ but let us remember that we are raised to walk in newness of life, not lounge by the baptismal pool (Phil 3:12-21).
B. The race is an endurance race, not a sprint (Heb 10:35-39).
CONCLUSION
A. Beware, but know who you are (1 John 4:4-5)
B. Jesus’ words of encouragement to the church in Smyrna, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life,” are for all his people (Rev 3:8-11).
#6: BEWARE, BUT DON’T BE AFRAID
INTRODUCTION
A. The author of Hebrews says, “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
B. Paul begins to bring the letter to a close, and he does it on a positive note (Phil 4:4-9)
C. The key to joy and peace is found in the words “in the Lord,” which Paul used in every chapter and a total of 10 times.
D. Living “in the Lord” requires three things.
I. WE MUST PRAY RIGHT
A. If we don’t pray, we cheat ourselves (Phil 4:6; Jam 4:3).
B. But Paul told the church at Rome that we do not know how to pray as we should (Rom 8:26).
C. He is not saying that we should not pray, but that we should embrace the Holy Spirit as our prayer partner (Eph 6:18).
II. WE MUST THINK RIGHT
A. Someone said, “We are not what we think we are, but what we think, we are.”
B. Solomon would concur (Prov 23:7).
B. Paul calls us to focus (Phil 4:8)
III. WE MUST LIVE RIGHT
A. If we don’t pray right and think right, we will not live right.
B. Living right means living as God’s children (Rom 8:12-15; 1 John 3:1-10).
C. Let it never be said of us that the family name is blasphemed because of us (Rom 2:23-24)
CONCLUSION
A. Whenever I read the words “The Lord is my helper,” I’m reminded of what I call “The Bumper Sticker Debate.”
1. The first bumper sticker says, “GOD IS MY COPILOT.”
2. The second bumper sticker says, “IF GOD IS YOUR COPILOT, YOU ARE IN THE WRONG SEAT.”
B. Over 50 years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Colonel Robert Scott, the author of the book, “God Is My Copilot.”
Col. Scott was flying a single-engine, single-seat fighter during World War II. He was hit several times. In and out of consciousness, he still managed to land his plane. Scot was not trying to demote God but recognizing the fact that he needed divine help. Some, ignorant of these facts, were the ones who strayed from the truth. We aren’t passengers snoozing or munching sandwiches on our flight to heaven. We are at the controls of our life, but we need not—no, we dare not fly without God as our copilot.
