Phil. 1:1-5 “Fellowship in the Gospel”

We can go ahead and be seated now. I'm just gonna do some announcements for us here shortly,.

So then we'll continue on with our singing. So this week, for announcements, we continue today for our Adventure Club at 9 .30. There's some handouts on the table outside, out front in the foyer, that I'd really encourage you to take home a few and give to friends, family, anybody that might benefit from bringing their kids to Adventure Club.

It's a blessing to be doing that for the children here in Valley Baptist. Rick, how did today go for Adventure.

Club? It's good. It's our first review. Cool. So kids were earning their pins for memorizing.

Verses for the... Have you already seen in the short amount of time that we've done it,.

A growth in the children? I think so. Awesome. It's hard to gauge once a week, but they're excited to learn, and they are memorizing or remembering some of the key things that we learned in each lesson.

Yeah. So that's good. Good. That's good to hear. That's a.

Blessing to hear those kind of things. I feel like I've seen a little bit of growth even in them in these last few weeks, just discussing little things here and there with them as they're running around.

So it really is a blessing to see that take place. For prayer meeting and Bible study this week, again, we're moving things. I need to change the billboard out front because it is incorrect right now.

It's been incorrect for a little while now. But those letters to get off are a little bit more difficult, and to put the letters back on is a little difficult too. But we're setting our Bible study and prayer meeting to a set day throughout the week, which is Wednesday at 6 .30 is when we start prayer meeting.

Bible study follows after at 7. So if you would like to come and join us for prayer and Bible study, we'd really encourage you to do so. We've chosen those times a little bit later in the evening to help with people that are traveling from Twin, Jerome, anywhere, Buell, anywhere where they're traveling from to come back home.

Hopefully they can make it to the Bible study. Today we are doing nursery from ages zero to four downstairs. Please take your kids down to nursery after the songs and the catechism moment. Pick them up after church is finished.

If you would like to serve in the church or if you have any questions about the gospel, I would ask you to please come and talk to either myself, Chad, Zach isn't here today, they are traveling today, but reach out to those three individuals.

And another announcement that's not really on here, just something that I would love for the church to be praying about and thinking about is another person that you can come talk with as well. But Rick Emerson is feeling the call of wanting to become an elder.

He's feeling drawn in this way. And so we're starting this conversation of what that would look like, figuring out the process. Right now we're reading a book together called The Supremacy of God and Preaching by John Piper.

It's a book I've read before. It's a really, really wonderful book. I'd suggest anybody to read it. But it's very applicable for Rick and myself. But just be praying for Rick and considering what that looks like as those conversations continue to develop.

Another announcement is that we have the offering stand in the back of the sanctuary. That has recently changed. So please, that is where any sort of offering or tithe should go. This month, we had a men's breakfast which was a blessing to partake in and to do.

We are going to have a shared meal today after the service. So please stay even if you didn't bring anything. There's always a plenty of food and it's always delicious and wonderful. And I heard that there's jalapeno poppers here today.

I saw them so we're good. So it's going to be a good Lord's Day today, a good shared meal. So please join us afterwards for that. And then on that note, I believe that is all the announcements for today.

We're going to continue on in our worship to God. So please let us pray right now one more time before we do that. Lord God, I do just thank you for this local body here in Hagerman, God. I do just ask Lord that we honor you in what we do throughout the week.

But Lord, that especially today, we would be very deliberate and intentional about what we do, that it would be in such a way that we would want to honor you in thought, in deed, in action, and even singing praise to you, God.

So let us do that with a contrite heart, Lord, that just honors you, seeks after you, and lifts your name high as it is deserving. And we say this in your name, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Seriousness of Sin and the Need for Faith

Praise, praise to you. Good. Good, good. So we asked you a good question. We all said.

No. And we asked if who in here has ever broken the law of God? And everybody raised their hand. There wasn't a single one of us that didn't raise our hand that day, which was the right answer. It was a blessing to see everybody raise their hand, right?

So the question for today is, are all transgressions of the law equal to every sin that we commit against the law in here? What do you guys think? You think so? You think they're equally heinous, right?

You want to answer? God Almighty? Yep, God is almighty, huh? So let's read the answer here, okay? It says, some sins in themselves, by reason of various aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.

So the answer is quite interesting. It says that yes, some are more heinous, right? If somebody goes out and murders somebody, that's worse than just telling a lie, right? We can look at that, we can see that that's more heinous in that sense.

But we also see in scripture that it also teaches us that if we break a single law of the commandment, this is John chapter 2 verse 10, if we break a single letter of the law, it doesn't matter if it's the least or the greatest, we're actually guilty of them all.

So even in the most least heinous sense, in the least worst sense, we're actually guilty of the entire commandments of God. So it's important for us to look where we have faith in. Where do you guys put your faith?

In Jesus Christ. It's important that we put our faith in the one that is able to obey God's law. So can I pray with you guys right now? Let's pray, okay? Lord God, I do just want to echo what Lydia just said here.

God, we put our faith in you, and Lord God, I would ask that these children, through these opportunities throughout this week, throughout catechism moments, throughout times with their family, they would see and experience knowing who you are, Lord.

That they would have faith in you, the man of sorrows. Lord, I pray that as the parents are in this room, Lord, that they would exemplify this type of behavior to their children, that they would seek to honor you in the obedience of your commandments, Lord, but that ultimately they would see their transgression of the law upon the cross of Calvary where it is paid for fully.

Lord, I do just pray that these little children can have a good rest of the day today, that you would be with them, that you would look over them, and that your will would be done with each and every one of them.

Lord, we just say this in your name. Amen. Amen.

Fellowship in the Gospel and the Joy of Christian Communion

All right, high five. Good job. Good job. How's a good one? You guys have a good rest of the day? I'll see you here in a little bit. I'm doing something a little new that.

I've never done before, which is a little frightening, to be honest with you guys. So normally I typically record all my messages, my sermons, but when I take notes, I write it down in a notebook, and that's just how I've done it since I started.

But today I'm doing something very, very strange. I'm actually, I did notes on an electronic device, so if it's kind of funky, it might be because I'm getting used to things today. So I figured today would be a good day to start this, this new habit.

I have a new program to do this as we're starting a new book to be going through as a church. We're starting the book, The Letter to the Church of Philippi, the wonderful book that we have in here of Philippians.

This is a wonderful book to be going through as a church. I think the part that I would echo to you, the reason I think it's so wonderful to go through this book as a church is that we just got done, where?

From the book of Haggai. And we explored and talked a lot about that reasoning there in the book of Haggai, in Haggai chapter 2 verse 9, that the latter glory of this house will be greater than the former glory.

And in this place I will give you peace, says Yahweh, a host, in that Haggai 2 verse 9. Well, we're going to read here in Philippians, and we're going to experience, I hope, and we're going to see why it's greater glory to be in Christ than it is to ever be in a physical temple.

Far better it is to be in Christ than anything that is made with the man's hands. So before we read today's text, we're going to be in chapter 1, of course, verses 1 through 5 today. Let us pray, and then we'll go ahead and read this text.

Lord God, I do just thank you, Lord, for each one of these children that are in our church, Lord. I pray that this would be a place that would be a steward, a buttress of your word, of your gospel, minister of you, Lord.

And that these children that are in this community, in Hagerman, in Bliss, in Gooding, in all these surrounding areas, Lord, they would seek you, to know you, to understand you, to have peace through you, Lord.

And that by doing this, that we as parents, as loved ones, as family members, Lord, as neighbors, would seek this for them as well. And that they would come and be a part of this fellowship in these ways.

Lord God, I do want to pray today that through the reading of your word, us, your saints, Lord, saints that are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, that we would be edified, we would be renewed, that we would see grace and peace, Lord, and that we would have a remembrance of what was done in us when we were first born again.

Lord, I do pray that the message today would be accurate to what you have here today. And we just lift these things up to you, knowing that you hear these things. And we just say this in the man of sorrow's name.

Amen. That really was a beautiful song, that last song that we got to sing there. That's that one we're going to have to do again, Rick, by the way. That was really good. Rick gave the thumbs up. That was beautiful.

So let us read verses 1 through 5 and let the people hear this text. It says here, Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons, grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. Lord God, I want to lift up another prayer to you today, Lord, that we would see this text and that we would see you in it, Lord, that we would be encouraged, that we would be remembering the joy it is to know who you are, Lord, and that we would look to others in this place of worship, this time of honor to you, Lord, that we would look to others and we would see a great fellowship that we have with one another in the gospel, Lord, that we would long for this, that we would seek for this, that we would want to honor and know you better through this, Lord.

God, I do thank you just for the grace and peace it is, that it is to know you, crucified Lord. And again, we say this in that man of sorrow's name, Jesus, the Christ, the Alpha and Omega. Amen. So to begin today's message, to begin the book of Philippians, we need to understand the context of where this is being written, why this is being written, what's going on in this letter.

Well, I just gave away a little bit of this. This is a letter that is sent from Paul to the Church of Philippi. It's a letter sent from Paul the Apostle to the Church of Philippi. This letter to the Church of Philippi shows something that's very, very unique for us when we read this, that we see in other letters from Paul, but it's very expressively seen for us here in this letter, is that Paul shows a large amount of love towards this church.

This is a church that he himself actually helped plant, and we might even read that here in a moment, but it emphasizes the love that Paul has for this church, and it shows to us the joy and happiness that Paul had towards this church, even, this is where it was being written from, even while Paul himself is in prison.

Paul is writing this letter to this church while he himself is suffering and is in torment. He's suffering, not, not, he isn't in any jail right now. This isn't like he's just at a correction facility and he's getting three courses of meals a day and that he's getting his two hours of exercise outside.

That's not the kind of prison that Paul is in right here. Paul is in a prison of Rome, which is known for the terribleness that they've inflicted upon their prisoners. So when we read in here about what Paul says to the church of Philippi, you have to remember that that's where it's being written from, and it's going to elevate what Paul says here when we remember where he's at, this place of darkness, torment, hardship, prison, not a beautiful, pretty place.

So where is this place of Philippi at? Where is this town at? What is this town? The town of Philippi is an important Roman colony in the providence of Macedonia, where the apostle Paul planted a church.

We've read about this in Acts chapter 16, verses 9 through 21. In fact, we would actually see the biblical account of Lydia, which I'm assuming that that's why Lydia was named Lydia. I'm assuming, that's only a guess there, of course.

Well, let's actually just read real quick about this planting of this church. Acts chapter 16, verse 9. Let's go ahead and read that here. Acts chapter 16, verse 9. And we'll read all the way to verse 21.

As I think this is important, the reason that we need to read this today is to understand the whole reason that we're reading about this church in Philippi is that it was planted. It was strategically planted in this place.

Acts chapter 16, verses 9 through 21. Verse.

9 says this,.

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him and saying, come over to Macedonia to help us. So Paul is experiencing this vision that Paul himself is supposed to go to this place.

Verse 10. And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the gospel to them. So settling or setting, selling from Tartarus, we ran a straight course to Samothrace and to the day and on the day following to Nepalese and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony.

And we were staying in the city for some days. And I want to pause there and just remind us and help us understand this, this church that's going to be planted in the city really has a strategic, wonderful means to it, that by going to this place, the gospel is able to be taken to far further lengths than it would have if he had not done this.

This is, this is a good thing that God has sovereignly placed and called Paul to, and Paul is obeying and going to this place to set this church up. So let us continue here in verse 13. It says,. And on the Sabbath day, we went outside the gate to a riverside where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer.

And sitting down, we began speaking to the woman who had assembled and a woman named Lydia from the city of threats array. I cannot pronounce it. A seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God was listening, whose heart the Lord opened to pay attention to the things spoken by Paul.

Is this a sovereignly appointed place right now for Lydia? Absolutely. Is this a sovereignly appointed place to have Paul be here? Absolutely. Now it says here in verse 15, and when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us saying, if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.

And she prevailed upon us. Now it happened that while we are going to the place of prairie servant girl, having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her master's much profit by fortunate, fortunate telling following after Paul and us.

And she kept crying out saying, these men are slaves of the most high God who are proclaiming to you the ways of salvation. She continued to do this for many days, but being greatly annoyed, Paul turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to leave her.

And it left her at that very moment. But when her master saw that their hope of profit had left, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them out into the marketplace before the authorities. And when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, these men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews and are proclaiming customs that are not lawful for us to accept or to observe being Romans.

Now we're going to pause here and understand that this confusion that has been brought about in this city is the whole point that this whole church has now been planted here in this church. It results in a planting of a church, wonderfulness, a proclaiming, a bold proclaiming of the gospel has a huge amount of domino effect to it.

We cannot think that just even, even when we, when we go out and we boldly proclaim the gospel to somebody, we don't know what the end results are going to be. That might bring about their salvation. It might bring about not only their salvation, but their family's salvation.

It might not only do that, but it might lead to things that we have no clue where these things are going at the time. And so we need to have boldness when we talk about the gospel with individuals. That's not something that we should ever ignore or look over.

But what we see here in this, this letter to the Philippians that we have here in chapter one of Philippians is the domino effect, the result of this boldness of preaching by Paul there in Macedonia. And so when we go back to chapter one, verse one, we understand that this area being Roman is, is going to be largely Gentile.

It's, it's not one that has a lot of Jewish people in it. There are going to be Jewish people there, but it's mostly predominantly Gentile. And to help expand this context even more for us, we can look historically at this city and see that it was filled with cults of every kind in that day.

Egyptian gods were being worshiped. Roman deities were being followed. This is a place of false religions of idolatry. Now, immediately, I hope that you can take some sense of familiarity in that sense, right?

We worship the one and only mighty Yahweh, the God of most high. We worship him. Do we live in a town that has a lot of cults in it? Yeah, we do. We're surrounded by this idolatry. Even those that are proclaiming not a religious affiliation, they are still worshiping themselves in their own works.

They're still very similar to this town of Philippi that we're reading about right now, that we're understanding and learning about. And so again, Paul is writing this letter to the saints of Philippi, those that follow Christ, and he's doing so in prison after even going to this town and being imprisoned the first time he went there.

So this is the second time Paul is being imprisoned here that he's writing about, the first time he was actually imprisoned in this place. And so this is quite a remarkable text that we're reading about.

So, Philippians chapter 1, verse 1, it says, Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, servants of Christ Jesus, is how your translations might read. Paul. Who is Paul? That's the very first question that we need to talk about.

Who is Paul? If we are a new Christian and we never read this text before, that's a good question. Who is Paul? Paul is responsible for a large amount of writings that we have in the New Testament. Paul, you can't understand Paul unless you first understand Saul.

And in fact, in this book of Philippians, we're going to understand a little bit more about Saul in chapter 3, that he was born a Jewish person. He was a Jew of the Jews, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, circumcised on the eighth day that he had more to boast about than any other Jew of that day.

He saw himself as a Pharisee of the Pharisees, is even how Philippians 3 would put it. And we read about Saul in Acts chapter 9, 7 chapters, I think is how you would do that math, prior to Acts chapter 16, where he gets imprisoned in this place of Macedonia.

In Acts chapter 9, we see that while Paul is persecuting the church, going about trying to murder Christians, imprison Christians. And let me say that again, murder and imprison Christians. Where is Paul at now?

Imprisoned as a Christian. Paul seeking these things in Acts chapter 9 has this miraculous experience where he is on this road and gets blinded, essentially is what happens. And he sees the Lord. And when he then goes into this city, Ananias is what it says.

So in Acts chapter 19, verse 17 through 20, I'll read this here for us. So Ananias departed and entered the house. And after laying hands on him, brother Saul, Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy spirit.

And immediately there from his eyes, something like scales, something like scales, and he regained his sight. So there fell from his eyes, something like scale, something that was blinding him. And he regained his sight and he got up and was baptized and he took food and was strengthened.

Now for several days, he was with the disciples who were at Damascus. And immediately he began to proclaim Jesus. Now, if you were hearing this text in verse 20, it doesn't say he just proclaims Jesus.

It says that he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues saying he is the son of God. Remarkable that this place previously where he was going to rally people to go kill Christians, he is now there proclaiming Jesus as the son of God, the Christians that he was seeking to kill, to imprison.

He now is numbered with that is truly, truly remarkable. That is who Paul is. After this, he receives his name, Paul. Who is Timothy? That's the next question that we see here in verse one. Who is Timothy?

Timothy, his mother, Timothy's mother was a Jewish descent woman. His father was a Greek. Now by Jewish tradition, that would make Timothy a Jew. Um, we would see that later on and, uh, Paul chooses Timothy to accompany him in many, many mission trips because, uh, he, he found the company of Timothy to be that of a good thing, one of honor.

And we actually get two books of our new Testament Bible from the letters that Paul wrote to Timothy, the young pastor and overseer that Paul is giving exhortation and advice to this young Timothy. So this letter is being written by Paul and Timothy is being written to whom, who is, who is it that they are writing this to?

They are writing this to the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi with the overseers and deacons. And I want to pause before we make mention of this and take note here in verse one, slaves of Christ Jesus, servants of Jesus Christ.

Where is Paul's and Timothy's identity? Now their identity is being servants of the most high. That is how they introduce themselves. They're saying, I am Paul, the slave of Christ Jesus. Now when we consider that in the importance of where Paul and Timothy used to be, Saul and Timothy used to be, they used to be slaves of what sin they were identified with their own works of their own hands.

They were identified as a being. I, I am a descent of Abraham. I am circumcised on the eighth day as Paul would say, that is his identity prior to being converted in Jesus Christ. But now he's saying, I am a slave of Jesus Christ.

I am bound to him. I am led by him. He is my master. I am to do what he says and I can do no other for he has given me a command and I will follow him through and through for I am his servant. This is a remarkable way of introducing oneself, especially in a letter.

Now again, slave of Christ Jesus who is in where again, he is imprisoned. He's in prison. Whereas Christ Jesus led this man to, to jail. That is where Christ Jesus has led this man to be this again. We have to remember this.

Now, who are these saints in Christ Jesus? Who are these saints? This is a visible church in Philippi. These are the ones that have proclaimed to have faith in Jesus. These are ones that have been obedient to the law or to the command of God to be baptized.

They have no doubt are taken in the Lord's table as this is an established church. Now pay attention to another thing that it says here. It says with overseers and deacons. This should confirm to us as a church and help us to avoid a folly that many fall into today is the church of Christ.

One of organization, one of following after what God has told us to and be established and set up as absolutely, absolutely. It consists of overseers and deacons. This, this, this is not a home group, rogue Bible study that has gone out because they didn't like their church.

So many Christians today say, well, I don't like the church. I don't like to be underneath somebody. I don't want to have the word of God read every day and I don't on Sundays and I don't like to go and be around these other hypocrites, right?

That's what you hear every single day. Guess what? We are hypocrites. We're sinners by nature. We, we fall short of that expectation because no church is perfect brothers and sisters. But the issue of this is, is that many Christians want to have a, a, a saying and saying something like, since the church is full of evil people, I'm going to go over here as a solo Christian.

I'm going to do a Bible study, a home Bible study, and it's going to be this home church. Is that why Paul who's Paul is writing this letter to, he's writing a letter to an established planted church that he himself helped organize.

And how is it organized with overseers and deacons following the exhortation of what scripture is set up for us. This is important for us to realize now is having a Bible study at home, a bad thing. Absolutely not.

But is forsaking the assembly of God so that you can have your home Bible study a bad thing? Absolutely. Absolutely. This is sent to overseers and deacons who are overseers. Overseers are elders, leaders in the church pastors in the church.

That is what overseers are. Overseers are those who watch over directs cares and teaches and is guess what? Accountable for the assembly of God. This is something that is put upon a man according to scripture and it is men according to scripture and it's something to weigh upon their soul as they will be judged harshly for how they lead their local bodies.

Hebrews chapter 13 verse 17 says this, obey your leaders and submit to them for they obey your overseers or leaders and submit to them for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.

I'm preaching to myself right now because this is terrifying. This is terrifying. Give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief for this would be unprofitable for you. This should be a joyful thing.

What are deacons then? How are deacons different than overseers deacons here? We see Paul in the organization of the church also has set up and established what deacons are. Deacons are very similar to that of overseers, but instead of a position of, of leading and teaching the spiritual truths of God, the deacon is set up as the means of serving the physical needs of the church.

Overseers are more responsible and more looking to the teachings where deacons are more responsible and looking over the widows. Those that are in need of physical help in the church. That's not me telling you to call Chad or Zach up when you need your lawn mode, but if you have, if you're going through something where you need physical help, I would hope you reach out to Chad and Zach as those are our deacons in the church.

This is an honorable, good position to have. This is a good thing. We would read about what deacons are in first Timothy chapter two, verses eight through 13. This is where we'd also get what our overseers just in the prior text, but chat verse two, it says, grace to you and peace from God, our father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the second time that we get in a, in a short place, in a short proximity to each other. Christ Jesus, Christ Jesus in verse one, Jesus Christ in verse two. What do you think is going to be a major theme in this entire book?

Jesus Christ as all the prowls writings are, but that's going to be a major thing that we keep on seeing is Jesus Christ, Lord Christ Jesus grace to you and peace from God, our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a common way in Paul's day to welcome the fellow Christian grace to you. This is something that we would when we commonly say God bless, that would have been a common saying back in that day. Grace to you.

Grace to you. Grace to you. I kind of want to bring that back. Maybe we'll see that today after shared meal. We'll be saying grace to you as we shake each other's hands and give each other hugs. Goodbye.

Grace to you and peace from our God and father and from our Lord Jesus Christ is important to remember in here that Paul, when he's writing this letter is reminding the people about their salvation. He's reminding them that there's peace alone in God, that, that it is by grace that we have been saved alone, not by any works of our hands.

And so he's writing it to them, this church by the grace and peace. Verse three, Paul gives his thanks. Verse three, it says, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.

Paul is sitting back and thinking about these people that he's met and the great joy that it is to have fellowship with them. And he's saying, I thank my God because of the remembrance, because I can't physically visit you church.

I can't see you because why, where is he at? He's in prison. I thank God for bringing the remembrance of who you are, the fellowship that we have. I thank God for that. Remarkable again, when we understand and realize that this is being written while in prison, how often do we go through sufferings and hardships and are quick, rather very, very quick to not thank God in the midst of them, not after them, not before them, but in the very midst of the terribleness that even in today that we might be going through.

Do you thank God in those ways? Do you thank God for this? Now, this is even more implicitly seen here in verse four, always offering prayer with sadness, with heartbreak, with joy, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all.

Think about this church. You are in prison. You are beaten. You have blood on your very hands. You probably haven't eaten in a little while. Are you in a joyful mood? I get in discomfort when I don't have my morning coffee.