Philippians 1:1-11 ¡V ¡§A Powerful Prayer¡¨
By James Galbraith
September 10, 2006
First Baptist Church, Port Alberni.
Text
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God¡¦s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God¡¦s grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the
affection of Christ Jesus.
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ¡Xto the glory and praise of God.
Introduction
When I knew that you had accepted me as your pastor,
I thought about what portion of God¡¦s word we should open together first.
I like to work through a Biblical book,
so that we get a full idea of what the writer was trying to say,
rather than just sound bites from scattered sources.
And I like to find texts that address issues the church is working through today.
It didn¡¦t take me long to fall back onto this letter to the Philippian church. It is a letter full of joy, and yet also full of many heartfelt lessons for the modern church.
Since we are going to be working through the book, we need to take a good look at who these people were.
Background
Philippi was a very important city in the Roman empire.
It was a city with a proud history -
a decisive battle in the formation of the Roman Empire had been fought there 42BC. The Romans factions were divided amongst the old guard Republicans and the younger, more aggressive Imperialists. The Imperialists emerged victorious, and the leaders went on to change history by expanding the Roman empire.
a rich trade in Gold and agriculture -
gold deposits nearby made the city rich and prosperous, it¡¦s location on a vast fertile plain made for bountiful farming. It¡¦s prosperity gave it a place on the most important road of the Roman empire, the Ignitian way.
and a citizenship comprised of Greek and Roman citizens and retired Roman soldiers.
It was considered a ¡§roman Military colony¡¨, which gave it special status in the Empire, and the leader of the Empire, Augustus, had settled it with soldiers who had fulfilled their duty to the army. They were given land and cash to retire on, and they remained fiercely loyal to the Empire they had served for do long.
So, Philippi is a city 100% loyal to the empire and 100% intolerant of those who were not. The Christian church, with its loyalty to Christ and it¡¦s unwillingness to worship the Emperor, stood in harm¡¦s way from it¡¦s very onset.
Just imagine trying to be a church in a city where almost everyone was opposed to the church and regarded it with suspicion and mistrust!
As the Christians developed a reputation for allowing slaves equal status with citizens and for not worshipping the Roman emperor as citizens and subjects of Rome were required to do, they would have been treated with increasing contempt by their neighbours.
Vs. 1-2
This introduction sets the tone for the rest of the letter.
The word ¡§servant¡¨ stands out.
In the thirteen letters that Paul wrote in the NT, this is the only one where he first identifies himself only as a servant.
Nine times he uses the word ¡§apostle¡¨ as a title. He does this when he feels a need to assert his role as a leader - like in the letters to the Corinthians or the Galatians. Twice he goes with no title at all, and 1x he calls himself as a ¡§prisoner¡¨.
To go with the title ¡§servant¡¨ alone indicates that he does not feel a need to assert his authority with these people - they know him, trust him and are ready to take him seriously. He can be a Servant of Christ without having to indicate his position within the church or anywhere else.
¡§Christ Jesus¡¨ is also a very important term to Paul.
Out of 90 times in the Bible that it occurs, Paul uses it 88. It shows how important Jesus is to Paul. He is not just a name to follow. Christ was not Jesus¡¦ last name - if you were to look Jesus up in a first century phone book you would look for Jesus, son of Joseph of Nazareth.
Christ is the Greek word for who Jesus was - the Messiah or Saviour of the World. Every time Paul says Christ Jesus he is striving to remind his readers of who Jesus was - the one who saved them from their sin and set them free.
So in the first sentence Paul has affirmed his relationship to his readers and to his messiah. In the next sentence he addresses his readers.
¡§Saints¡¨ is a maligned term these days.
It¡¦s okay to call a football team the Saint¡¦s, it¡¦s okay to call your dog ¡§Saint¡¨, and it¡¦s even recognized as a term of respect for certain notable (and dead) religious figures. But call the person sitting beside you a saint and you¡¦ll probably get in trouble.
It¡¦s supposed to be a designation for all of God¡¦s children as ¡§those who are holy¡¨ or ¡§set apart¡¨. It¡¦s a reminder that the Philippian church is meant to be set apart from the world it is in. Their suffering at the hands of those opposed to them is not to discourage them - it is a sign that they are making an impact.
Mentioning ¡§overseers and deacons¡¨
shows that there was some structure in this church - they may not have had a strict hierarchy but they were certain people recognized as leaders and others recognized for their positions of service.
Paul¡¦s greeting after this is the same as every other letter he has written. ¡§Grace and peace to you...¡¨. That may seem like just a interesting footnote at first, but as I checked it out I entered what might be called ¡§a teachable moment¡¨.
Each of the thirteen letters Paul wrote is very different.
Romans reads like a theology paper, while Galatians is an aggressive, down right abrasive attack on falsehood. Philemon is a personal plea for a wayward slave, while I and II Timothy are ¡§How-to ¡§ manuals for a new Pastor.
In each of these circumstances, and many others, Paul always sought ¡§Grace and Peace¡¨ for the readers. Whether he was pleased with them or upset, whether he knew them well or was a relative stranger - he desired that they may know God and be at peace with them. It was what drove him - it was his calling.
And he knew where grace and peace come from - God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. His words were not the polite niceties of a social mailing - they were the words of his heart. His foundation was not himself, was not his friends or even the church he laboured so hard to build - it was his Father and his Saviour.
SO in these two short verses we see Paul talking to these people in Philippi as a servant leader who wants to lead them toward the grace and peace of God.
The next sentence is one of my favourite in the Bible:
Vs. 3-6
3 I thank my God every time I remember you.
Imagine the love and joy here! Paul is able to declare that he is thankful for these people every time he thinks about them.
DO we have anyone like this in our lives? Someone to whom we could write to with honesty and tell them that every time they come to mind we are thank God for them?
Maybe our spouses are that person, or our children, or parents, or our extended family, or our church family, or friends that have become dear to us over the years.
Please note here that continually giving thanks for someone does not mean that we ignore their faults.
I am not talking about painting our loved ones with whitewash, idolizing them or looking at them with rose-coloured glasses.
When Paul goes on to address some important issues in this church,
he clearly and with love takes them to task for mistakes they are making.
They are not perfect, and he doesn¡¦t soft-pedal his treatment of their faults.
Yet even with this, he starts his thoughts by showing them he loves them by giving thanks for them.
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
These words explain why he is so thankful.
It boils down to the relationship they share as Christian brothers and sisters.
Paul was at this church from the very beginning, hence the ¡§first day until now¡¨ we see in verse 5.
He came to Philippi to share the gospel,
and since they didn¡¦t have a synagogue to speak in,
Paul ended up speaking about Jesus with a group of Jewish women by the river.
Listen to this from Acts 16:
3 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul¡¦s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. ¡§If you consider me a believer in the Lord,¡¨ she said, ¡§come and stay at my house.¡¨ And she persuaded us.
So not only is the Philippian church the first church to begin in what we now consider Europe, it is also the first church to explicitly begin with a group of faithful women as the core.
This makes me wonder why so many have made such a big fuss about women in ministry.
It¡¦s quite obvious in the New Testament that women and men are at the heart of the early church, and that they are working together to help others learn more about Jesus and his love.
Paul goes on to expand upon why the Philippians are so important to him.
Vs. 7-8
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God¡¦s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
The Apostle Paul felt the need to justify his personal words - they were so emotionally-charged that he wanted them to make sure that he was not just trying to woo them or charm them - he really meant them.
The Philippian church in his heart - he¡¦s locked up in house arrest facing a trial which could lead to execution, and he¡¦s praying for them and writing them thank you letters!
He saw then as his partners in ministry - even though they are hundreds of miles away they still have the special bond of the gospel that holds them together.
I can say to you all that you are in my heart. That is fairly self-explanatory.
You have been so welcoming of Lori and I and the boys ¡V we are really blessed to be a new part of this church family.
We also share in God¡¦s grace together. What does that mean?
It means that God is amongst us, as individuals and also as a church.
God wants great things to happen in this church (and every other church which strives to love him and serve him).
It is his presence amongst us, which gives us power to be his church,
right here in our own community!
Paul affirmed this grace even though he was far away from the Philippians at the time. SO do I. Part of the grace of God amongst is how our union as a church family thrives even when we are physically separated.
One thing I told my church in PR is this: this church doesn¡¦t let go of you - it cares for you and thinks about you and prays on your behalf and wonders how you are doing - it¡¦s a beautiful, powerful thing and I want to affirm it amongst you all today.
As I come to know you all, I am sure that this will show to be true of you as well!
And where will the source of this love and care come from?
It all comes from the Grace of God, his presence and his power,
being the source of all that is good about our church and any church.
We don¡¦t generate these things on our own strength,
they come from our desire to be a people bonded together by God.
The grace that we share together is what keeps us together.
So the Apostle Paul has let the folks know that he is thankful for them, and that they can do great things together.
He has also let them know that God¡¦s grace is what holds them together, even though they are very far apart at the time he write these words.
I too believe that it is God¡¦s grace which ultimately holds us together,
and I¡¦m thankful to be saying it right here, right now,
instead of from a prison cell hundreds of miles away like Paul had to!
He concludes this expression of his love with a prayer - a prayer that defies comparison as an expression of a genuine, heart-felt desire that the people he was writing to would enjoy the very best blessing that God had to share with them.
Vs. 9-11
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ¡Xto the glory and praise of God.
In closing his introduction Paul shares with us a model of a prayer for fellow Christians which is bursting with fullness and vitality. I can only hope that we can pray for each other with the power and wisdom Paul prays with here.
Each of the clauses here is worthy of a sermon on it¡¦s own, but I know that you all have lunches to get to, so I¡¦ll keep it brief ƒº
¡§Love may abound more and more¡¨
- a deep seated love based on Christ¡¦s love for us
- growing and growing, not stagnant or reactionary
- Love that grows is love that is shared
¡§in knowledge and depth of insight¡¨
- a love based not on fluff or sentiment, but rooted in wisdom and discretion
- love that sees needs and areas that may not be healthy
- a love that can say ¡§yes¡¨ and ¡§no¡¨
- ¡¥ yes to what is good and helpful, no to harmful and short sighted
¡§so that you may be able to discern what is best¡¨
- God¡¦s love is based in his perfect knowledge and we should seek to emulate that
- let God¡¦s word to us shape our love for others
¡§ may be pure and blameless¡¨
- there are standards in love, there are rules God that God demands we acknowledge
- this is something that God¡¦s forgiveness brings ¡V
if we¡¦re not pure and blameless (and who is),
we¡¦re made that way by the love of Christ in forgiving our sins
- with that forgiveness in place,
we seek to maintain it through following him
¡§until the day of Christ¡¨
- God¡¦s love keeps his promise in view; that he will return to us and make all things right
He means here an actual day and not just a sense of well-being or a state of existence
On that day will be God¡¦s ultimate fulfillment of his promises to those who love him and follow him, and also his final judgment on those who chose to reject him.
This gives his people hope that he will come through for them,
even when what is going on right now seems so overwhelmingly against them
¡§filled with the fruit of righteousness¡¨
- fruit is what comes out of our lives, just as healthy trees produce fruit, healthy Christians do too, even when we¡¦re knocked around, beaten and left for dead (apples trees in Kelowna)
¡§that comes through Jesus Christ¡¨
- the fruit produce in our lives is Jesus working through us,
not Jesus taking our good deeds and rubber stamping them
- Jesus first, before we act, not after, as an afterthought
¡§to the glory and praise of God¡¨
- all this works to honour and recognize, with gratitude and obedience, our Father God in Heaven
- even Jesus, as God¡¦s son and God himself, serves him, and so should we!
SO in this prayer he asks that:
their love may grow,
that it may be a thoughtful and complete love,
that helps them to do the right thing and live the right way,
so that they may be fruitful and productive members of the God¡¦s family until the day he returns,
all so that God may be given the honour that he is due.
Is this the way we pray for those we love, and that we are thankful for?
It¡¦s a wonderful model for prayer that shows not just affection, but real concern and care for those who are being prayed for.
To wrap this up today,
We are a people who are getting to know each other!
You have invited me to be your servant leader as a pastor, and I seek to lead you toward the grace and peace of God.
I will need all the help you have ready to give, and more, since God calls us to draw on his strength and not merely our own.
I am thankful to be here! You are a very welcoming church, and Lori and I and the boys are starting to feel right at home.
Our partnership here isn¡¦t based on how much we like each other, though;
it¡¦s based on the gospel that has brought us together.
It is the simple message a Saviour who loves us enough to give his life for our sin, and powerful enough to defeat death and rise from the dead.
It is a message we care called to work together to share,
and a love that we are called upon to share with those God brings into our path.
And finally, may we all be praying for each other as we have seen today!
May we pray that each other has a growing, thriving love,
Rooted in God¡¦s love for us and brimming with discernment and power.
May we pray the best for each other, being mindful that God is near and his promises are certain ¡V Jesus will return in righteousness, justice and mercy.
And may we strive to bring out the best in each other, so that God may be served and his church may grow through each and every one of us!
Benediction
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ¡Xto the glory and praise of God.
