Introduction to Philippians
February 11, 2001
Introduction to Philippians
One of the most special moments for me in Central Asia took place when a 20 year old man named Ahemd, came to me with tears in his eyes. His father had just beaten him b/c of his faith in Jesus… and not only that, but passing through the bazaar, a man started shouting at him that he was a kofir… the equivalent to being a traitor to Islam. I read Mat. 5 with him, “blessed are those who are persecuted for His name’s sake”, and we both began to rejoice together. To a fair degree, Dilovar learned the secret to experiencing joy in spite of circumstances.
This is one of the great themes of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. He writes this book while a prisoner in Rome, chained to a guard 24 hours a day, never sure whether this would be his last day or not. He had no dream team defend him… Cochrin, F. Lee Bailey, and Shapiro were nowhere to be found. You would think that Paul’s letter would be sorrowful & burdened. Not only because he was in prison, but because many of the believers in Rome had deserted him as well. After all he did to build and bless the church in Rome, many pastors became envious of him and tried to persuade their congregations keep their distance. It’s these pastors that Paul is writing about in Phil 1 when he says that some are preaching from envy and strife. It’s one thing to get attacked or hurt by strangers, but doesn’t it hurt a lot more when the attack comes from other Christians? Though Paul may have had every right to complain or feel sorry for himself… his life was somehow full of joy. In fact, he uses the word for joy and thanksgiving nineteen times in just these four chapters. It shouldn’t be any surprise that through the ages this letter, or epistle, has come to be known as the epistle of joy.
It always amazed me that Paul sums up all he is experiencing in the words, “my circumstances”. If I were in prison, what would I write about? What would the tone of the letter be? Something to the effect of “get me out of here!” Rather than speak of his discomfort, loneliness, the dirty conditions, all of which he felt as deeply as any person would, Paul spoke about the very thing that truly consumed him. That is Jesus. In fact, He mentions Jesus 18 times in chapter 1 alone! In chapter 4 of Philippians, Paul writes, “for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” In the next verse he says, “for I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
But why was Paul experiencing joy at a time and in a place like that? Why do so few us here in America have it? What is the key that enables Paul to experience joy in the midst of the worst of circumstances? Paul had filled his mind with Christ. That may sound a bit strange at first but Paul so occupied his thoughts with the reality of who Jesus that his circumstances, however difficult, didn’t break his spirit. So over the next seven years as we delve into the book of Philippians, or few weeks, if I can condense things, we’ll see this theme of “filling our minds with Christ” repeat itself. In chapter one we’ll discuss the single mind; chapter 2, the submitted mind; 3, the spiritual mind; and 4, the settled mind.
But rather than moving into that now, I want to focus in on the writer of Philippians. I don’t know if we can ever fully understand a letter without understanding a little of who the writer is and what compelled him to write to them in the first place.
Introduction to Paul
1. Stephen death
a. Paul was about 32 years old
2. Paul had been & continued persecuting the ch.
a. he “began to destroy the church” by “going from house to house”, literally dragging both men and women” through the streets of Jerusalem to prison.
b. He “put many of the saints in prison and when they were sentenced, he “cast his vote against them” A.8
c. Those who were scattered preached wherever they went
3. Early history… born in SE Turkey in Tarsus
a. B/c an apprentice
b. Roman citizen and son of Orthodox Jew… trained in the law
c. Sent as teen by dad to study in Jer to be a rabbi under Gamaliel(22:3)
d. At 18 returned to Tarsus and b/c a rabbi. Probably got married.
4. Went to Jerusalem… 14 years later
a. Not sure why but b/c very upset when he saw fellow Jews converting
b. Set in motion Paul’s rampage against the church
c. A.26 says, “In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.”
d. Damascus was one of those cities.
5. Something happened on his way to Damascus
a. written about 3x
b. Why do you persecute me? Who are you Lord? I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. What shall I do Lord?
c. BLIND for 3 days
d. Made it to Damascus (with companions) and met Ananias.
e. Ananias didn’t have to trust Paul… only God.
f. God told Ananias that Paul was called to the Gentiles
6. Joy and Sadness. Realization of what he did to Stephen.
a. He heard God’s voice… as Moses did!
b. “for I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, b/c I persecuted the church of God.” Cor.
c. Began sharing what had happened to him… Jesus is the Son of God.
7. Arabia… possibly near Mt. Sinai
a. not law but grace
b. wrestled with himself to make peace with his past
c. all the scripture he learned came to life.
d. Three years in Arabia, 3 years for apostles, seminary 3 years.
8. Return to Damascus… attempt to kill him.
9. Went to Jerusalem… it was time to meet Peter & James
a. everyone terrified of him
b. barnabas believed and embraced Paul (don’t we all need someone like this to stand for us?). Barnabas b/c Paul’s tutor… ministered in Antioch.
c. How would you have received Paul? Could you have forgiven him?
d. failed attempt to kill him
e. More than rejection, Paul must have felt extremely disappointed that they didn’t receive his message.
10. Return to Tarsus… 6-8 years
a. parents, relatives, fellow rabbis—whole comm—were in for the shock of…
b. Father’s anger… reputation, wasted money, deep disappointment.
c. Loss of inheritance
d. Rejection of wife??
e. These past 12 years were all training for his ministry to the Gentiles
11. At the age of 45, Paul begins his missionary journeys that take him through parts of the middle east, Turkey, & Europe
a. Not Asia but Europe? Why?
b. 80-100 million believers in China… 20,000 coming to Christ/day
c. One place he really did want to preach… Rome… 2 million people!
Paul & the Philippians
So, at 62 years of age, having just spent the last two years in prison in Caesarea, (Acts 21-28) Paul appeals, as was his right as a Roman citizen, to Caesar. What must be strange to some is that King Agrippa (who ruled this region) had already concluded that Paul was innocent and, according to Acts 26:32, would likely have been set free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar.
While in prison, Paul’s guard arranged for Paul to be moved to a small, rented room… though he would still be chained to the guard and strictly confined, while awaiting his sentence. It was during this imprisonment that Paul wrote Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Perhaps none of his letters is as intimate and personal, however, as his letter to the Philippians. Its amazing though, because when he first traveled to Philippi, planting the first church ever in Europe, Paul was illegally beaten and was placed in the stocks and publicly humiliated. Yet the memories he carries is of the prison guard who gave his life to Jesus… of the new church, which brought him such joy.
So, Paul writes to his friends there… letting them know how he’s doing, thanking them for how they have blessed him (esp for sending Epaphroditus), while also encouraging them to put an end to some of the pettiness in the church that was causing some division. The problem seems to be that different people in the church were positioning themselves as leaders in the church. Basically, one person would try to one-up another, putting them down with the goal of gaining greater authority for themselves.
He also wrote them, expressing his pride over the fact that they too had fared well under strong persecution. Persecution in Philippi was particularly strong in large part b/c Philippi owes its very existence as a Roman colony to the first Roman emperor and history shows that they have always expressed special devotion for the emperor, who at the time of Paul’s writing, was called, “lord and savior”. Emperor Nero would share that title with no one… especially a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth.
Most scholars agree, based on Paul’s letters to Timothy, that after two years he eventually found freedom from his captivity in Rome and traveled through Greece, no doubt stopping in Philippi, and Turkey. One way or another, Paul was taken prisoner again and brought to Rome. This time, he wasn’t under house arrest, but rather he sat in a cold and dirty cell. This time he was all alone. At the same time, Emperor Nero had began a ruthless campaign to destroy Christianity. Thus the Christians in Rome were either in hiding or were killed. This must have been so painful to Paul, knowing that the church was experiencing such persecution.
His very last letter prior to his execution was 2 Timothy. In it he writes to Timothy, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day… and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” At 67 years of age, Paul was take outside the city and was beheaded… all alone, but hand in hand with Jesus.
Lessons
So what can we learn from the way Paul lived his life?
1. That through Christ we can be transformed. In Acts 8 we read about Paul going from house to house, dragging believers off to prison. In Acts 20, we read about him preaching the message of peace from house to house. No matter where we come from, Jesus can make us new.
2. That we can come to peace with our past. It was never easy for Paul to deal with what he had done to so many Jewish believers. He knew Jesus had forgiven him, but how could he forget about the pain he caused to others. While the memory was always real in his mind, Paul was able to accept in his heart the forgiveness he understood in his mind.
3. That Jesus’ love really can heal our wounded spirits from the rejection we may have experienced in our lives. Paul was utterly rejected by his family, the entire Jewish community in Tarsus, and possibly his own wife. He never really had a home to go back to. Paul faced abandonment and rejection… that no counseling in itself could have healed. But in Jesus, those empty places were filled with God’s love.
4. That while there is suffering in this world, we can still experience God’s love, peace, and joy. You see, Paul didn’t live to simply enjoy the circumstances of life… he lived everyday to live in deeper intimacy with the Father than he had the day before. He lived to this message, the Gospel of Grace, spread throughout the world.
5. That we too can impact our world through the proclamation and demonstration of the Kingdom of God through signs and wonders.
