Overview of Philippians: Unity in Humility

Okay, so tonight we're gonna attempt to go over the whole book of Philippians in one night, and yeah, I know. Now I told you Philippians is one of my favorite books. And here's why. Because if you have a Christian t-shirt if you have a cup a mug.

What?

It is all right. So if you have a t-shirt a mug a hat or a license plate holder. You probably have one of one of the verses in Philippians on it, right? I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me all right he who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it most of the most famous verses you hear out of the Bible come from from Philippians so we're gonna attempt to go through it in one night.

The Theme of Philippians: Encouragement and Unity

Here we go. So what's the what's the theme in the occasion for the book? The the chief theme of Philippians is encouragement and unity. It's why I called it unity in humility. Paul wants to encourage the Philippians to live out their lives as citizens of a heavenly colony as Evidenced by a growing commitment to service to God and to one another.

The way of life that Paul encourages was manifest uniquely in Jesus Christ. It was also evident in the lives of Paul Timothy and after a path for Titus. Those are the examples that Paul is going to use later, so does anybody know when?

Philippians started. Like where in the Bible you would find the start of Philippians. After Ephesians. Yes even before that the book of Acts Acts chapter 16 right where Paul actually was delayed he was supposed to go To Bithynia and then the Spirit of the Lord stopped him and made him go down to he went down to Troas.

But then he had a vision of a man who came that says came down to Macedonia. And he was asking for help, and it was through the series of events seemingly random events that Paul ends up in Philippi in Macedonia.

And who does he meet in Philippi? He meets Lydia the woman clothed in purple. He meets the Philippian jailer. He was in jail right. And then a slave girl. So the Church of Philippi had a special significance for Paul since it was the first church He founded in Europe the first church in Europe.

And I'll show you a map of it in a in a little bit the first convert was Lydia a seller of purple goods. Which means she had money? Paul and Silas were imprisoned for exercising a demon from a fortune-telling slave girl.

God miraculously delivers them and the Phil and they proclaim the gospel to the Philippian jailer. And here's you know the famous What must I do to be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You and your whole household will be saved.

So Paul likely visited the Philippians a few times after his initial departure. And they maintained active support for his ministry. One of the things that we're going to learn is that Epaphroditus comes From Philippi all the way to Rome a 500 mile journey to bring a love offering to to Paul and this is one of the What what would seemingly be random events that landed Paul in a prison in Rome.

He says I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. So that it has become known throughout the whole Imperial Garden to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

And most of the brothers having been confident in the Lord by my imprisonment are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Paul obviously always centers on the sovereignty of God. He knows that he's there for a purpose.

God is the one who brought him to that place. The letter of rejoicing is written from prison to encourage the Philippian Christians to live single-minded Oneness close to Christ, so he's going to constantly be talking about unity throughout this whole epistle.

It's also known as a prison epistle because Paul wrote it from prison. The letter starts with a prayer and later describes and later Paul describes the gospel in a nutshell in chapter 3. It shows prior Paul's priority to honor his Savior and to promote the gospel while in prison.

Where he endures opposition from Christians and faces the prospect of death all of it. All of it points to Christ his true humility as the divine Son of God and again, we're going to get to that in chapter 3.

So Paul's writing from prison and he's writing a book to encourage Philippian the the church in Philippi, right? He's in prison. He needs encouragement. He's encouraged and strengthened by God and he's encouraging others.

So the letter is basically a thank-you letter for the church in Philippi bringing him money at Paphroditus brought it to him. It's not the usual way that Paul writes letters usually starts off with some kind of doctrine and in application and practice.

This letter is more relaxed and you hear his pastoral heart coming through. He truly cares deeply about these people. It's not like 1st Corinthians Colossians or Galatians. He offers no corrective on doctrine or behavior.

He's not saying are you doing this wrong? You got to do that. He's not correcting them in any way. In fact in this epistle, there's no mention of sin at all doesn't appear once and His letter starts off his letters.

Normally this one starts off Paul and Timothy. Where he usually starts off Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ to establish his authority. To establish his position as an apostle, but here he's not doing that.

This is more of a friendly loving type of letter so Philippi Right. What what name does that sound like?

Who?

Philip hey good Philip, you know why? It's named after Philip of Macedon. Anybody know who Philip of Macedon was? He was Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great's father. Thank you. Good job. Excellent.

All right. He's old. Did you know. So now Philippi is a very Unique city, right? It's famous for one particular reason an event in 42 BC Mark Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius the assassins of Julius Caesar in a battle at Philippi.

Later 31 BC when Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra at Actium. He assumed the name Augustus and rebuilt the city of Philippi. Okay, so now he's Augustus. He rebuilt the city of Philippi. He placed retired soldiers there to ensure loyalty to Rome he gave them land for free.

It's a big deal and he established it as a military outpost. It was a very strategic city. And well, you'll see it on the map in a minute. Every you had to go through that particular region of the country in order to go east or west.

He also gave the the new colony the highest privilege obtainable by Roman provincial municipalities called the is Italicum which really means it was a law in the early Roman Empire that allowed the emperors to grant cities outside of Italy.

The legal fiction that they were on Italian soil. So you didn't need to be connected to Italy you could be anywhere you want if you had this proclamation. That was considered Italian soil and this meant that the city would be governed under Roman law rather than local law and it would have a greater degree of autonomy in their relations with the provincial governors all right, so it was a lot of Importance with that came a lot of privileges the soldiers also.

As it says here, they were exempt from poll tax and land tax so you have a bunch of retired soldiers soldiers who helped take the city over and Win it for Augustus who are now given land and and don't have to pay tax on it.

These are going to be guys who are going to defend that city to the end. They don't want to lose what they have and there are proud people. The retired Roman soldiers flock there like the villages in Florida, you know those place the villages right no land tax.

They were proud people boasting of their status think about it now. They're Roman citizens. And they have all the privileges that come along with Roman citizenship. And that's gonna play a big part in what we're gonna learn in a couple minutes.

They were a people of means they had money they had status. That area in Philippi they had a lot of Springs. Cold water hot water right like think Palm Springs. It's that kind of area plus there was nearby gold mines so they had No tax they had availability to gold.

It was a trade route for other People other people going through the area. So it was a very affluential type of City and they were given this status by Augustus which led to what? Emperor worship right Augustus was Lord.

Again that's gonna come into play. Okay, so I don't know if you can see this too. Well Over here is Israel Jerusalem. Okay, Paul's. This is happened on Paul's second journey. He goes all the way up here all the way around and all the way up.

There is Philippi. Okay, so that's Philippi up there and you see the trade route. You would go over this way all the way down that way to get to to Greece unless you were going by ship. Now that whole area see Macedonia.

It's that whole area right there. And what is it was in 146 BC that Rome took over that whole area? Defeated Greece and that became Roman territory. Okay. Down here. Well underneath there was Crete when we were going through Titus.

Joy Versus Happiness

Okay, so the text let's talk about Paul's vocabulary. He uses the word Christ 37 times he uses the word God 23 times. Jesus 21 times the Lord 15 times all in all in four chapters. He uses the name of God 96 times.

All right, that's 24 per chapter. It's a lot. He uses the word rejoice 23 times now. Most of the commentaries that I that I looked at and most of the videos I watch say that he mentioned it 16 times or 17 times.

Lagos based on the root word says it's 23. So I'm going with 23. There's not one quote from the Old Testament in the book. There's an allusion to one but that was it no mention of sin, like I said before and Interestingly, he links love to knowledge every time you you you hear though.

He uses the word love. It's some way linked to knowledge or discernment any idea why? Yes. Sure, yeah and and and love people think that's Tends to be more emotional more feelings driven and he wants to let them know.

No, the the love abounds in with knowledge and discernment when it comes from the scriptures when you're learning God's Word. Yes. All right, so we're gonna go through the difference between happiness and joy.

This is a big theme not just with Paul but throughout the whole scripture, right? So happiness depends on what's happening. It's circumstantial. Your circumstances dictate whether you're happy or not.

It's conditional. Right because if your circumstances are bad, well, you're not going to be in a good mood if they're good. Oh, I'm in a better mood. They're temporal and fleeting right happiness doesn't last.

Long it's fleeting. It's elusive. It's shallow. It's uncertain because if it depends on what's happening and you don't know what's happening tomorrow. Well, then you may not be happy or you might be happy.

You don't know. It's worldly. It's bottom-up. Okay, if things down here are going right? Well, then I'm happy and it's outside in so happiness is Depends on what's happening outside of you to affect your heart.

Big difference between happiness and joy. Joy depends on spiritual realities. Not worldly realities. It's Relational. Our joy is the joy of the Lord. When you're in union with him and you have a relationship with him and you see things through his eyes.

You understand everything has a purpose. That's why Paul can be so Joyful in the midst of a prison he understands that he's been placed there for the defense of the gospel. Right. Joy is a gift. It's supernatural.

What's one of the fruits of the Spirit love joy right there. It's a supernatural gift. It's transcendent. It's above us. It's always available. When you call upon the name of the Lord, he's there and it's a much deeper thing than happiness.

It's lasting it endures. It's spiritual. It's top-down again. It's one of the fruits of the Spirit and it's something half that happens inside of us that affects the things on the outside. When you're joyful on the inside, you're gonna help other people to be joyful again.

This is Paul's whole thing. He's writing from prison and his here's the difference between me and Paul like he's writing telling everybody to be rejoicing. I'd be writing a letter to all you guys here say listen anybody know somebody on seal team six.

Like how am I getting out get me out of here? Not Paul. He's like I'm here for the gospel. Rejoice, don't worry again. I say to you rejoice. Since joy is of the Lord. It's something the world cannot give us if you're going to be moping and whining.

Please don't tell anyone you're a Christian. Steve Lawson, that's a quote from him, right? Think about what I pray for the in the The prayer and on Sunday morning in your presence there is fullness of joy.

When the Lord is present, right we can be joyful no matter what the circumstances are around us. This was part of Jesus's priestly prayer. But now I'm coming to you and these things I speak in the world that they may have joy fulfilled in themselves.

My joy fulfilled in themselves. Right again. Joy is relational. Yes, John.

I just want to say for me I immediately thought of James when he says Consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter various trials. So the joy is like you said it's God.

Yeah, happiness is you're looking at things from a worldly perspective. Joy. You're looking at things from a heavenly spiritual perspective God's perspective. Okay.

Good.

Fellowship, Prayer, and Confidence in God's Work

All right. So let's start getting actually into the to the first chapter. So being in Christ and a part of the Christian fellowship Which is a means of grace is a source of joy when things become difficult.

Here Paul a prisoner in Rome is rejoicing because of the fellowship he has in the gospel right how many times when you when you we come to fellowship after worship and You're not feeling good and all sudden you start here and somebody Give a testimony about how God worked in their life or so and so we prayed for so-and-so and the prayer was answered and all of a sudden your burden seems Insignificant right and you recognize God is in control.

He's working in everyone's life yes, so so I'm not maybe getting an answer to the prayer that I'm praying right now, but It's coming right and God's in control. He has a reason for all of these things three phases that are gonna Summarize Paul's attitude toward the church.

They were on his mind in verse 160 says I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. They were in his heart verse 7. I hold you in my heart for you are all partakers with me of grace and Last they were in his prayers verses 9 through 11.

It is my prayer that you'll love me about more and more with knowledge and discernment. Right knowledge. Why again? Why knowledge because Paul's writing this from us a heavenly perspective. I'm in prison right and especially writing to the church in Philippi.

Where he was busted out of prison. Right the the angel miraculously busted them out of prison broke and there was like an earthquake so now that the church in Philippi like You're in jail over there. Like this isn't supposed to happen.

The angel busted you out in Philippi. What there's no angels in Rome. He's like no I'm here for a reason and Wherever we are no matter what we're thinking you are there placed there by God for a reason.

Philippians 1 6 and I am sure of this he encourages them that he who began of working you will bring it to completion at the Day of Jesus Christ. Again a verse that we would use in the perseverance of the Saints, right?

God is going to carry you the whole way through. Paul who also wrote Romans 8 28 knows he's there for the gospel. I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.

So that has become throughout the whole Imperial Guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. Now the Imperial Guard those are the soldiers who were assigned to Augustus the the king in that area.

So these just weren't regular guards. These were guards that were assigned to to the king now. I heard it Said that he was handcuffed to each of the soldiers for six hours at a time. And that gave him opportunity to witness to people and I just questioned myself.

How do they know that? Like how do you know it was six hours? Did they have you know sophisticated handcuffs? Obviously he was in prison. They had some kind of change, but I don't know if it was six hour intervals.

It doesn't matter. He was there witnessing to all the to the guards. And here's where he says. For me to live is Christ and to die is game. Right. Can we say that? With the with and meet it in our hearts to live as Christ and to die as game.

Right. I'm hard-pressed between the two my desires to depart and be with Christ. But that's far better to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith.

So again here Paul is thinking about others he's not thinking about himself. He's I know this would be better for me, but I'm here for you. So when you come to church on Sunday, are you do you come with the attitude?

What am I gonna get? Are you a consumer or are you coming to church saying? Hey, how can I bless somebody? What am I gonna how am I gonna help someone? Philippians 1 27 and 8 only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel.

So that whether I come and see you or I'm absent I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind right again unity striving side-by-side for the faith of the gospel and I put this verse up for a specific reason it says and not frightened in anything by your opponents.

This is a clear sign to them of their destruction but of you. Your salvation and that from God. Right. We're living in a real difficult time right now.

So.

Are you frightened by your opponents? Are you frightened about what the culture is gonna bring on you? He says don't be frightened by your own. Don't be frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a sign to them of their destruction.

But of your salvation. When you're rooted and grounded in Christ, you're here for him to live his Christ and to die his game and look. We're getting into a situation like it's not hypothetical anymore.

Look at this in Israel. Netanyahu's coalition of lawmakers are now introducing a bill that would make it illegal to talk about Jesus in Person online by print or a mail. They're proposing prison time up to two years for anyone caught doing so.

And I didn't believe it. So I looked it up online and I found several news articles that said this is this is being proposed. You talk about Jesus. They'll put you in prison. Send somebody an email. They'll put you in prison.

However, we have the joy of the Lord. Do not be frightened. It's a sign of their destruction not yours.

Okay.

Christ's Humility and Exaltation in Philippians 2

Chapter two. Okay, this is going to be characterized by Paul. Look out work out and pour out Philippians 2 3 do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility. Count others more significant than yourselves.

Let each of you look not only to his own interest but also to the interest of others. Paul is the least Self-centered guy. I know he's always looking for the to help the other person. Right and as a church family here we're a unit were to be unified to have the same mind save same love all be in one accord and Looking out for each other's interest.

Pastor Chris did a thing on gaining biblical wisdom. And what was one of the the tenants right to think more highly of others. Than yourself to give yourself over to other people to help them to sew into them.

That's gold silver precious jewels that's sewing into the soul of the person and that's what's going to get to heaven not real. Gold silver precious jewels. All right, so he's stressing unity service and humility.

Philippians 2 this is a good one. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he was in the form of God. Did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself.

That's the word kenosis by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form. He humbled himself. Becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross this is Christ's humiliation and You.

I can't think of a greater example of humility than this. This is God.

Overall.

Taking on flesh and becoming a man. Now, there's been no small amount of ink and controversy over what kenosis is. Unfortunately, there's some people who say when when Jesus emptied himself. He emptied himself of his divinity.

He was no longer God. You have people in the in the word of faith movement that say he he Wasn't God at that point and all the miracles he did was he did them as a man? And the reason they say that is because they want to do the miracles that Jesus did well.

If Jesus did them just as a man and we're like Jesus that we can do them. No, yes. Exactly so you have Jesus who who was God. He's in the form of God takes on the form of a man. And I was trying to think of how to illustrate this.

What exactly did Jesus give up? Right because he really didn't lose anything. What he did was gain a human body and the limitations of being a human being. So he had status as God and then became a servant.

To die on the cross and the only illustration that came to mind was Pastor Jensen. You're gonna like this right Pastor Jensen. How many speeding tickets have you had in your life? None why. Pastor Jensen has a badge a sergeant's badge.

Okay.

So my illustration would be this if Pastor Jensen just happened to be speeding some some for some crazy reason right trying to get the Church on time and was pulled over and didn't show the policeman his badge.

That would be laying aside His his privileges.

Okay.

And being like one of us and getting the ticket or trying to talk your way out of it and still getting the ticket. So it wasn't that Jesus lost divinity. He did not lose divinity. He just didn't use it to get what he needed.

Okay, so he was truly God truly man. And this is part of the Chalcedonian Creed. This is very important. Jesus is truly God truly man one person with two natures. It's known as the hypostatic Union and you can ask theologians or any person on earth.

That's a mystery. Okay, the scripture says it like the Trinity Scripture teaches it. It's a mystery. Nobody can point to something on earth. That's gonna Duplicate that the Chalcedonian Creed says Jesus is two natures without confusion without change.

But without division and without separation. Try to wrap your head around that it's difficult right but that's the truth. He's truly God truly man laid aside his divine prerogatives okay becomes a man and Dies on a cross he was the form of God and it becomes a form of man greatest act of humility we ever could see.

Okay, let's move on Chapter 2 still. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that the name of Jesus every knee Should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God.

The Father this is Christ's exaltation. Okay, he became a man he died on the cross. But then he rose again on the third day is seated at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus's resurrection is the Father's amen to Jesus's it is finished.

Okay, this also teaches us we get we got to go to the cross before the crown before we get the crown. Right we need to die to ourselves. We need to humble ourselves. We need to be humble servants and model what our Savior did.

You can't think of a better example of humility than Jesus? He was the top. You know the highest you could be and then being given sin the sins of other people the lowest you can be. I Think of James it says blessed is the man who remains steadfast on the trial for when he stood the test He will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

We're in a testing phase right now, right? This is how do we die to ourselves and live for others and help others along? For the beings to 13 therefore. Therefore work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for his God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Do all things without grumbling and disputing right this? Jesus who was God became a man died in your place. Places the Holy Spirit inside of you now. It's up to us to work out what God has put in. Okay, so we have to die to our flesh, which is a difficult process.

We're all in process okay, and imitate our Savior and Do that without grumbling or disputing without complaining. I catch myself all the time I said, you know if I was an Israelite in the desert God would be really mad at me because I'd be grumbling and it's like do you realize if all you had was eternal life?

You have everything you could ever want in Christ. Right, especially us. I mean we live in America. We live on Long Island. We're surrounded by such wonderful beautiful things and Some other places in the world are not like this.

You know, they're being persecuted, you know all different kinds of things. We are a blessed people. Let's not whine and complain and say that we're Christians because we're gonna bring reproach on the name of Christ.

So then Paul gives us examples right he says Paul's fruitful in his labor and flesh and then he was poured out like a drink.

Offering.

Timothy says I have no one like him genuinely concerned about the The others welfare. Philippians 2 20 says he will be. Timothy would be genuinely concerned for your welfare. A Praphroditus he's a fellow worker a fellow soldier and.

Then Jesus obviously God became man laid aside his divine prerogatives and then he ends up. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me. Rejoice, no matter what your circumstances in our. Rejoice in Christ if the Holy Spirit lives inside of you you have eternal life wherever you are.

You're there for a reason. Okay, bring Christ into the situation. Okay, chapter 3. Finally, my brother's rejoicing the Lord and then he goes on for two more chapters, right? He's a Baptist preacher. Finally I'm gonna wrap it up now and then he keeps he keeps writing.

The Righteousness That Comes Through Faith in Christ

Okay rejoicing counting reaching weeping and looking. Watch out for those dogs the evils doers those confident in the flesh. Who is he talking about there? I'm sorry. The Judaizers right the Israelites who was still trying to keep the law now.

I would love to go into this but we don't have that much time. So if you look up those those verses it talks about the Israel of God, you know. We are the circumcision not the Israelites the synagogue of Satan those who continue to reject Their Messiah and think that they can keep the law in order to gain God's favor and be at peace with God.

Three seven. Through eleven, but whatever gain I had this is Paul who was a Hebrew of Hebrew of Pharisee, right? According to the law faultless. He was ever. He was like the top Jew. He says whatever I had in his in as far as those things go those works.

I count that as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus as my Lord. What's the definition of eternal life? John 17 17 this is eternal life that they may know you the one true God and Jesus Christ whom you sent if you know.

God.

Everything else should be considered loss. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them. Rubbish. Now if I was to translate rubbish into English, they might throw me out of here, so I'll just say it's waste.

Okay.

In order that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law. But that which comes through faith in Christ the righteousness from God that depends on faith.

So many people today are denying justification by faith. You have Roman Catholics Eastern Orthodox all these different kinds of groups that say no if justification sanctification and glorification are all one thing and They're not those are separate things.

Justification sanctification glorification are different things. They are all salvation and they are part of the process. But they are different things. When you're justified you're declared innocent before God by faith.

Just like the thief on the cross. And anytime I start to talk to people about this like wall You're going to the exception that thief on the cross. I said the thief on the cross is not the exception. He's the rule.

He's the rule.

You mean to tell me the crucifixion of Christ? Which was everything the Old Testament was pointing us towards in that scene when we see Jesus on the cross and the thief on the Cross were repents and he says today you'll be with me in paradise.

That's the exception. That's what everything pointed to. He's the rule you're saved by faith. By grace through faith not of yourself. It's the gift of God. You're declared righteous before God innocent.

Gospel is the only place where you get the the verdict before the trial.

Okay.

So it's not a righteousness that comes from the Lord. But that which comes through faith in Christ the righteousness from God that depends on faith. And then he says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and may share in his sufferings.

Share in his sufferings. Becoming like him in his death and that by any means possible. I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Any know anyone know of a nice little controversy that's going around right now that this verse might apply to.

That I did three lessons on Hyper-predatorism he says by any means possible. I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Hyper-predatorists say oh, no, we're resurrected already. That's not what Paul thought.

If he was resurrected already. Born again. What is he awaiting the resurrection from the dead for? This is a physical resurrection from the dead. We're going to go through another verse in a second Philippians 3 16 brothers join me in.

Join in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us again unity and humility. Focus on. Focus on Christ now all too often and I think we have a tendency to do this.

We focus on the on people who are doing things wrong. Oh, look at this guy. He's doing it wrong. Look at that guy. He's doing it wrong. Look at those guys. They're doing it wrong. Fix your eyes on Christ fix your eyes on the guy who's who did it, right?

Fix your eyes on people who are mentors to you who are walking with the Lord. Okay, yes, we can we can talk about the people who are doing things wrong don't focus on them. Our goal is to fix our eyes on Jesus.