YouTube video sermon

Philippians 1:1-2

This morning we embark upon a wonderful new spiritual experience as the Lord speaks to us through Paul’s letter to the Philippians. I trust that you have your Bible with you and that you will open it to the first chapter. And this morning, I desire to introduce to you this marvelous, marvelous epistle. Let me read verses 1 and 2, just as a starting point, as we endeavor to introduce Paul’s letter.

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Father, we do bless and thank You that we have a Bible to read. Bring Your Word to bear upon our hearts and minds, we pray. Stir us up that we might see our need of You and become more obedient followers of You Son, Jesus Christ. Encourage the disheartened. Pick up the fallen. Grant confidence to the wavering. And without any sense of selfishness, we do pray that You would make Mountain Hill Community Church a thankful, prayerful, joyful, partner in the gospel, not so that people would have occasion to commend us, but in order that we might have an occasion to commend Christ. For we offer this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

As we look together at these opening verses of Philippians 1, you might also want to put your finger in Acts 16, because it is in Acts 16 where Luke gives us the record of the arrival of this small band of messengers, this motley crew of four miscreants, at least that is how Luke describes them in Acts 17:6 “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,” (NIV).

Who are these individuals? Well, there is Silas and Timothy and Luke and, of course, Paul. Twenty years have elapsed now since the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth – just twenty years – the same way that you and I know twenty years: long enough to have a little one, bring them through the early stages of childhood, bring them through the process of education, send them off to university, and find out that they are now adults and twenty years have gone by.

And in these intervening twenty years, God was working out His plan of redemption. Jesus had said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself,” (John 12:32, paraphrase) and the apostles had gone out confidently and obediently to the command of Christ, and they had gone everywhere telling others of the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. And here, on this Sabbath morning, in a very quiet, unassuming, unprovocative fashion, this little missionary team – a converted Jew and his cronies – walk into Philippi.

Now, Philippi was obviously a real place. I say that, not as an insult, but because I want to remind you that when we read the Bible, we are reading history and we are reading geography and we are reading science. And while the Bible is not primarily a history book or a geography book or a science book, nevertheless, it does contain history and geography and science and poetry and mystery and most importantly truth – after all, the Bible’s author is, Himself, truth. This reminder will frame and form our understanding of the world; it will give us a perspective on social studies quite like nothing else.

Philippi was founded in the middle of the 4th century BC. While the Old Testament prophets were still writing, Philippi was being founded. The city had some distinctives. First, since the time of the Phoenicians, it had tremendous gold and silver mines. And just like the California gold rush, when gold and silver were discovered in those hills, Philippi became a boom town. And people rushed to the area before there was even a city there. And due to the tremendous discovery of gold and silver, the place became a commercial center in the ancient world – a great trade center.

Second, its location is exceedingly strategic. It sits at the top of the Aegean Sea, right where Asia Minor meets Europe, right where East meets West, and all the major roads, including Rome’s mighty Ignatian Way, ran right through the city. It was a strategic site in Europe, a strategic site to build a city. The city itself was built by Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. And the reason he built it was to command the pass – to command the road. One of the most decisive battles in history was fought there much later; it was at Philippi that Antony defeated Brutus and Cassius, and thereby decided the whole future of the Roman Empire – very strategic city.

Finally, it was a Roman colony. And to be a Roman colony was the very height of dignity for a town. Roman colonies had military significance. They were a part of the Roman settlement in order to create the Pax Romana, or the Peace of Rome. The way Rome founded Philippi was the way they founded most other cities. They would find a city that was strategic to them. It was already a Greek city, but they wanted it to be a Roman colony, so they would take about 300 soldiers, veteran soldiers near retirement, pack them and their family up, and have them go settle right in the middle of that city, and begin to govern that city and turn it into a Roman colony. And that’s what happened; some veteran Roman soldiers came with their families, perhaps some others as well, and settled there with Roman culture, Roman lifestyle.

The people in a Roman colony enjoyed three things. First, they enjoyed what the Latin language called libertas, which means self-government. They were not governed by Rome. They were governed by themselves. The Roman government gave them that privilege, having sort of ordained their government by settling with soldiers. Secondly, they enjoyed what the Latin language calls immunitas, or immunity. That meant they were never to be taxed by Rome. So, they were free from taxation, and they were free from the government of Rome (sounds nice, ehh?). Thirdly, they enjoyed ius italicum, the rights of Roman citizenry. They had all the rights of anyone who lived in Rome.

The city rulers were called praetors; we translate that word magistrates. And the police were called lictors, and they were the ones who took care of law breakers. They imitated the Roman style of life. They imitated the Roman culture in every sense. William Barclay says, “These colonies had one great characteristic: wherever they were, they were little fragments of Rome, and their pride in their Roman citizenship was their dominating characteristic. The Roman language was spoken. Roman dress was worn. Roman customs were observed. Their magistrates had Roman titles, and carried out the same ceremonies as were carried out in Rome itself. Wherever they were, these colonies were stubbornly and unalterably Roman. They would never have dreamt of becoming assimilated to the people amidst whom they were set. They were parts of Rome, miniature cities of Rome, and they never forgot it.” They were proud to be Roman citizens.

Now, in spite of all of that, that is not why it was famous. That didn’t permanently put this city on the map. Yes, it was a prestigious place; its official Roman name was Colonia Julia August Philippensis; it’s a pretty big name for a little place. Much honored, but that is not why it is well remembered. Some cities are well remembered because they were honored cities. Paul Rees wrote, “For continuity across the centuries, such is Rome’s distinction. For architectural glory and lavish elegance, such was Babylon’s bid for immortality. For cultural brilliance, such was Athens’s claim upon the world’s remembrance. For a distinctive quality in its citizens, such is the persistent fame of Sparta. For an extraordinary tradition of religious faith and devotion, such is the deathless repute in which Jerusalem is held. But in ancient Macedonia, not far from the western shoreline of the Aegean Sea, once stood a city that lives on in human memory for none of those reasons.”

So why does it live on? Because the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, went to that city and proclaimed the gospel and people came to faith in Jesus and created a little church, and that little church supported Paul, and partnered with Paul, and loved Paul. And when he was in a Roman prison, his memories of that little congregation came to his mind and he wrote this little letter and immortalized the city. That’s it.

Just stop and consider how many “life verses” are found in this little four-chapter book:

“And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6).

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21).

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (2:12-13)

“[My goal is] that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead… Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (3:10-11, 13-14).

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (3:20).

“[D]o not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:6-7).

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (4:13).

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (4:19).

And I didn’t even mention the amazing Christ hymn in chapter 2:6-11. Many Christians have built their lives on these rock-solid verses from Philippians, and rightly so, all because Paul and his rag-tag bunch was courageous enough to share the gospel there. That’s how it was born. It was born in joy. Is it any wonder that Paul wants to write back to them and say, “Now, look, we started in joy, and I just want you to know we still have to maintain that joy, and I thank God for you, and I’m writing to you because I want you to know my heart and my joy.”

Well, that’s the introduction. Did you enjoy that? (Good.) Some of you are saying, “I thought that was the whole sermon. If he said it was the whole sermon, then I’d answer yes. But if it’s just the introduction, I’m not so sure.” Let’s begin by just looking at the first two verses. We’re not going to dig deeply and profoundly into the text. It’s such a simple text. But I would like to give you three things to notice: the servants, the saints, and the salutation. The servants and the saints are in verse 1, and the salutation is in verse 2.

Servants Of Christ

The first word is “servants.” In the Greek text it’s douloi. It’s a word that means “bond-servant” or more forcefully “slave.” It refers to someone that has no ownership rights of their own. Ironically, it’s used with the highest degree of dignity in the New Testament – namely, of believers who willingly live under Christ’s authority.

“Paul and Timothy, who are you? Tell me about yourself.”

“We’re servants of Christ Jesus.”

In other words, no long autobiographical introduction; no trumpeting of his creditable past or his peculiarities in the present; just simply, “Hey, it’s Paul and Timothy, the servants of Christ Jesus.”

This is characteristic of Paul; and it is characteristic of all who are truly laid hold of by God through the movement of the Holy Spirit. When Paul writes to the Corinthians – with their squabbling about this group liking Apollos and this group preferring Peter, and another person liking the preaching of Paul – he says, “Listen, listen, please! What, after all, is Apollos? What, after all, is Paul?” (1 Corinthians 3:5, paraphrased). He doesn’t ask who; he asks what. See, we’re preoccupied with who: “Who’s coming, and who’ll be there, and who is he?” Paul says, “What am I? I’m a servant.”

And when he’s writing his second letter to the Corinthians he says, “We do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for [Christ’s] sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5, NIV). The servant of God is a servant of the people of God. Or, to quote the late Scottish minister, Derek Prime, “It is the pastor’s responsibility always to remind his congregation of this: I will always be your servant, but you will never be my master.”

And that distinction is vital. It’s because of the absence of that distinction that you find autocratic tyranny on the part of some who fulfill the role of pastor. It reminds me of Jesus’ words to His disciples, “But Jesus called them to Him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28, ESV). But it’s also because of a failure to make this distinction that you find congregations who constantly manipulate and squeeze and constrain their pastors with their opinions and positions, so that some pastors are afraid to say certain things because of their people.

One of the best stories of humility and service is that of a man who arrived in 1953 at the Chicago railroad station to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He stepped off the train, a tall man with bushy hair and a big moustache. As the cameras flashed and city officials approached with hands outstretched to meet him, he thanked them politely.

Then he asked to be excused for a minute. He walked through the crowd to the side of an elderly black woman struggling with two large suitcases. He picked them up, smiled, and escorted her to the bus, helped her get on, and wished her a safe journey. Then Albert Schweitzer turned to the crowd and apologized for keeping them waiting. It is reported that one of the members of the reception committee told a reporter, “That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking.”

That’s Paul, that’s Timothy, that’s the situation, the servants.

Saints In Christ

What about the saints? Who are they? Verse 1 says, “To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.” That wonderful word has been so fogged up by our sort of cultural understanding of it that we’ve really lost sight of what a saint is.

I heard about a pastor who was asked by a man in the community to do his brother’s funeral. Neither of the men had been churchgoers or showed any religious inclinations. The man offered to give $25,000.00 to the church if the preacher would call his brother a saint at the funeral. The brother had been a real sinner in the community and everybody knew it. A friend of the pastor asked, “You are not going to do it, are you?”

The pastor said that he was going to do it because the church needed the money. The word got out that the preacher had sold out to the family for money and the church was filled for the funeral. The pastor stood up and this is what he said, “The man we are burying here today was a liar, a cheat, and a drunk; however, next to his brother who is sitting here today, he was a saint!”

The fact of the matter is the word “saint” is a designation used in Scripture for all those who have new life in Christ; all Christians are saints. Acts 9:13 says, “Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man (talking about Saul or Paul) how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem.’” It’s synonymous with Christian. It’s synonymous with believer. There’s a saying among old Baptist pastors that I grew up hearing that said, “There’s only two kinds of people in the world, the saints and the aint’s,” and you’re one or the other. Now, the word “saint” means separated, unique, different, set apart. Basically, the word could be translated “holy.” Not dead martyrs, not canonized people, not super-pious people, just all believers.

Now, how do you define a saint? The saints “in Christ Jesus” – we are made holy by Christ’s salvation. We have been made righteous. We have been given the life of God. We are made separate, unique, and different from the rest of the world. We are saints in Christ Jesus. That’s a phrase that Paul absolutely adores. You never met a Buddhist who said, “I’m in Buddha.” He may worship Buddha, but he’s not in Buddha. You never met a Muslim who said, “I am in Mohammed.” You never met a Christian Scientist who said, “I’m in Mary Baker Eddy.” You never met a Mormon who said, “I’m in Joseph Smith – I’m in Brigham Young.” They may follow the teachings of some leader, but we alone are in Christ, fused together, with the same common life. That’s why we’re set apart. We were buried with Him by His death, and we have risen in Him to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Our life is His life. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). And we’re all tied together in one life, the life of Christ.

Salutation Owing To Christ

That brings us to the salutation and we don’t need to say much about it. Do you see it? “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s just a greeting. Grace, (Greek is charis,) peace, (Greek is eirene,) the Hebrew shalom – “I wish you grace, I wish you peace.” Notice that grace comes first. That’s important because you’ll never know peace unless you know grace. Grace is the gift of God; peace is the result. Because of grace, we have peace. The source of grace is God the Father, the source of peace is the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul used it in Romans 1:7, he gave it in 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Colossians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:1, Philemon 1:2 and 3. Is it any wonder that he used it so much – the gospel that he was sent to proclaim is the same one that we should proclaim: GRACE.

Paul knew about it. We’re going to read his biography when we get to chapter 3. Timothy experienced it through his mother’s teaching and life. The Philippians believed it when Paul, and Timothy, and Silas, and Luke came to visit with them and explained God’s plan of salvation in Christ. What about you? What’s your story? Are you in Christ? Is Jesus your King? It’s simply trusting that Jesus Christ lived the life we couldn’t live and then died the death we should have died. Confess your sin and receive God’s grace and experience the peace of Christ. You can do that now. Lydia heard and believed. The demon-possessed girl in Philippi heard and believed. The jailor and his family saw it, experienced it, heard it, and believed it. Will you?