AN ANCIENT LETTER
PHIL. 1:1-2
10/06/94
I think that most of us today take the postal system here in American for granted. I am sure that Bob being a postal worker would agree with me. All we have to do is but a little piece of paper, with the number 29 on it, lick the back, stick it on an envelope and but it in a box on our street. And most of time our letter will reach it destination, whether it is down the road or across the county. Of course some of us have to take a ride down to the Post Office to mail a letter, but when you think about it, we have it pretty easy.
In ancient times it was a little more complicated. First you had to have the equipment to write a letter. Next, since there was no official postal system, you had to find someone who was going to were ever it was you wanted your letter to go. Many times you would have to trust complete strangers to deliver your mail. Back then you could not simply write the house number, as that was a couple thousand years in the future, but you had to give the person specific direction to the house you wanted deliver it to. Also in most cases it would cost you much more then the equivalent of 29 cents to mail a letter. So things have gotten a lot better as far as mailing things go. So I want every one to thank Bob on the way out for the job that he does.
Today we are going to be looking a ancient letter. For today we will begin a study into the book of Philippians, we will be looking at this letter for the next several weeks. And as we look at this letter, this book of the New Testament, I want to realize that within this book we find the secret to true happiness in life. For in this book of the Bible we find a man who has revealed the secret to true happiness of life. And it is a happinesses that we shall see transcends out circumstances. It is happiness that we can have no matter where we are in live. This letter, or book as it is now called also reveals the source of that happiness, and that source is none other then Jesus Christ.
I wish to begin this series by way of an introduction into this book of Phillippians. Please turn with me to the first two verses in chapter one. They read simply;
"Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
As we look at these two verse there are 3 things I want us to examine, First, the author of letter. Second, the people who the letter is addressed to. Third, the circumstances to the writer and receivers of the letter.
Let’s begin with the author. Well it is pretty obvious as to is writing the letter. Paul & Timothy. While it is our custom in letter writing to end our letters with our name it was the custom in ancient times to begin their letters with who they were from. When you think about there method makes more sense. If we do not know who a letter is from right off we usually look to the end first to see who wrote it anyway.
Now we need to understand that just because Timothy is mentioned at this point, does not mean that he is the co-author of the letter. It seems as though Paul is the author, as through out the letter he speaks in personal terms. He states in verse 3, "I thank God", in verse 12, "I want you to know" verse 23 "I am hard pressed". If they were co-authors of the letter Paul certainly would have used the term "we" or "us".
Just as when I write letters to people I will often but on the end Love Darleen and Steve. Even though Darleen did not write the letter with me, people would know that she shares the same thoughts which I express through my letter. I think this is true of the example found in this letter.
This introduction shows that this is a personnel letter. If you look at Paul’s letters in the New Testament, he usually begins them buy stating he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. Yet here he finds now need to do so. These people were very close to Paul, Paul calls them his "joy and crown" in chapter 4. A little later we will see why Paul was very close to the people at Philippi.
So rather then use the term apostle, Paul give himself and Timothy another title, he states that they are Servants of Jesus Christ. Paul humbly admits that both he Timothy are servants of Jesus Christ.
In studying this verse I found that this word does not so much denote a servant but a slave. Paul was a slave to Jesus Christ. Here the greatest teacher in the church aside from Jesus Christ, states that he is nothing more then a slave for Christ.
Now we don’t like that word slave. When we think of slave we usually think of black people in chains, being whipped in submission by their masters. Yet just like Paul we all need to humbly admit that we are slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to humbly admit the Jesus Christ is our Master. And as our master we need to be obedient in all He commands us to do. And as slaves to Christ we need to recognize Him as our only master, for a slave cannot have two masters.
I think a lot of our problems stem for the fact that we do not want to be slave to any one, whether it be God or man. We want our so-called freedom. But the only freedom we have apart from Christ is freedom to sin. Either way you look at it you are slave to something. A slave to sin, which makes you believe that you free, or a slave to Christ in which you really are free. I would suggest you look at Romans chapter 6 which were Paul gives a great discourse being a slave of righteousness rather then a slave of sin.
Christ does not whip us into submissions, He loves us into submission. We can either obey Him and find joy and happiness, as Paul did. Or we can run from our master, and find misery. He gives us the choice.
As with any slave we need to realize that we were have been purchased, 1 Cor. tells us
"For you were bought at a price;" As is slaves Christ has paid for us, he has paid for us with His very blood. He has paid for us, because he loves us. And we need to get rid of that idea that being a slave to God is oppressive, but realize that it is the best thing that could ever happen to us.
So we along with Paul and Timothy are servants or slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The second thing I would like to look at is the people addressed in this letter, and that would be those Christians at Philippi. Now Philippi was located about 10 miles from the coast of the A-gee-an sea. In what is now Greece. It is no longer a city, all that remains today are ruins.
In Paul’s day however it was a very important city. Luke writes about Philippi in Acts 16:12
"and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony."
Philippi was the foremost city in that part of the Roman empire. Luke states that it was a colony, which means it’s people were Roman citizens, which carried with many privileges. Philippi was also the first church founded in Europe. It was founded by Paul on his second missionary journey. I would suggest you read Acts chapter 16 when you have the opportunity, there you can the founding of the church to which Paul addresses this letter.
Paul address this letter to "all the saints" at Philippi" He addresses it to the whole church.
Many people in our society have the wrong idea of the term saint. We think of saints as being an especially holy person. Well in a sense that is true, in the that all people who have out there trust in the Lord Jesus as their personal saviour are a Holy people. Not by their own merit but by the merit of Jesus Christ.
Every Christian is a saint. We may think well I can’t be a saint because I’m not a good person. Well none of us our good people, but we are called saints because we have been redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been made Holy through his sacrifice, we are being sanctified by His Holy Spirit. Saints are simply those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ and have been set apart by Him for His work.
So now we have the author, of this letter who is Paul. We have those to whom the letter is addressed, to all the saints all Philippi. all those in that place who have put their faith in Christ. Now let us turn our attention to the circumstances of the writer and the receivers.
It is plain from the text that Paul is writing this from his prison cell. He speaks of being in "chains" in different verse in this letter. While some have argued about were Paul was in jail it appears as though he was in jail in Rome. While he talks of the possibility of death, he apparently believes that he will eventually be released.
Yet even in these circumstances Paul is working for the Lord. He had been locked up, placed in chains yet it did not stop him from performing the task the Lord had given him.
Being in prison did no stop Paul from writing. In fact four books of the New Testament are written by Paul while he is in prison the first time, Eph., Phil, Col., and Philemon. And one book written, 2 Tim. while Paul was in prison for the second time.
If you read Phil. apart from where he mentions that he is in chains, you would never think that these word were written by a man in prison. In chapter 4 verse 4 Paul states,
"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!’ Does that some like a man who is in prison, facing possible death. Even in the worst circumstance Paul found reason to rejoice in the Lord. And to share that joy!
Being in prison could not stop Paul from praying. While in prison Paul prays for the needs of those church he has founded, as well as the church he was familiar with. If you look in all the letters which Paul write from prison, he assures all his readers that he is praying for them. They had locked Paul up but they could stop him using the greatest weapon of the Christian and that is prayer.
The fact that Paul was in jail could not stop him from his purpose. And that was to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. To win souls for the Lord. Paul tell his readers that fact that he was arrested and thrown in jail spread the gospel. In verse 12 Paul tell us;
"But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,"
Paul was not going to let jail prevent from the mission given to us by the Lord Jesus to make disciples of all nations. While in jail Paul preached to any who would listen. Apparently from what we read in chapter 4 verse 22 there were those within the household of Caesar who came to know the Lord as Saviour. Paul stated the whole Palace guard knew that he was in jail because of his preaching on Christ. Paul refused to let jail prevent him from preaching the gospel.
We also see that jail did not prevent Paul from encouraging others. As we go through this letter we see how Paul seeks to encourage the people at Philippi. He did not let his circumstances get in the way of encouraging others. HE lifted them up, telling them of the joys in the Lord. Joys which are not found in circumstances by in our standing before the Lord.
What I found troubling as I study this passage was that most of us are so unlike Paul in the way. We not only let our circumstance dictated our relationship with the Lord but with others.
How often to we neglect prayer because of our circumstances. How often to we look for reason not to pray. Well I don’t time, well I don’t feel like it, I’m to discouraged to pray. If anyone had a reason to give up hope and prayer it was Paul. Yet he did not let his circumstance dictate his prayers life. We need to rise above our circumstance whatever they may be, good or bad, and pray the way Paul prayed, without ceasing and for all things.
Now many time do we let circumstances stand in the way of our witness for Christ. We come up with a 100 and one reasons as to why we can’t share the gospel with someone. I don’t mean just walking up to strangers with tract in hand, but time when God gives us opportunities to present the gospel yet, yet we unlike find some think in our circumstances that we us as an excuse why we better not. I thin the truth of the matter, as sad as it may sound, many of us just don’t know how to present the gospel.
And how often do we let our circumstance prevent us for encouraging one another. To be honest with you all I don’t see much encouragement going on at all. I think we get rapped up in our own problems and we just forget all about those around us. Again I ask you to look at the example given to us by Paul. I think if that were us we would be writing about how bad the food was, how the chains are too tight, no blanket at night. Yet Paul word are filled with encouragement. Even when he speaks of his own death, he writes of the joyous prospect of being with the Lord. Let us encourage one another and not let our own circumstances get in the way of lifting someone else up.
The last item I would like you to take a look at is the circumstances of those who are receiving this letter by Paul. Paul tells of there circumstances in verse 29 when he writes;
"For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,"
These people were being persecuted for their believe in Jesus Christ. They were suffering for the believe in the resurrected Lord. Yet as we shall see in few weeks their concern was not for themselves, but their concern was for Paul. They did not write Paul crying about how they were suffering, but instead sent Paul a gift. They put their concern for Paul ahead of themselves.
Again we have an example how the Lord wants us to be. We shouldn’t get so wrapped up in our own problems that we ignore the problems of others. They were following the example of Paul in not letting their own circumstance get in the way of ministering to other. And this is an example we all need to follow.
So inclosing a just want to challenge you to follow the example of Paul and the people of Philippi. Don’t allow circumstances to get in the way of the joy which can be found in the Lord. Paul certainly didn’t, yet his circumstances were much worst then anyone in this room. yet to him there was plenty of reason to rejoice in the Lord.
Don’t let your circumstance get in the way of prayer. We all are busy people, yet we never to busy for prayer, and we really cannot afford no to pray. Let us Paul as an example of how and how often we should pray.
We should not allow our circumstances get in the way of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for opportunities, witness to those who are open, invite them to church, witness to the Lord by your action just as Paul did.
And finally don’t allow your circumstances to get in the way of you being an encouragement to other. Encourage one another as we see Paul and the Phillippian people doing here. Left one another up in the Lord, ministering to one another. And when we begin to practice these things as Paul did we will begin to find the joy in the Lord that Paul found. We will begin to see the secret Paul found, the secret to true happiness to life.
SHALL WE PRAY
