Link Up with Others - Philippians 1:1-11

We have just successfully completed the study of the reign of the Kings during the last years of history of the period that was just before the period known as the Dark Ages. I have learned anew to appreciate this phase of biblical history and hope you feel the same. There were some wonderful times of worship and prosperity while God fearing kings reigned; however, there were many more years of failure, strife, destruction and bondage brought about because of the people’s dedication to and worship of heathen idols; they broke the first commandment—they were disobedient.

The study closed with Jerusalem and the Holly temple destroyed and Judah in slavery. However, out of bondage came one last glimmer of hope that assured the people that a new and righteous King would be crowned to reign over them forever. About 600 years later Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was born in a manger in Bethlehem. He is the Promised Messiah! And through Him we all have hope. This has been a wonderful study, from which we all should have learned that God demands our obedience, and that the disobedient always pay a heavy price.

Our study from March through May will survey the gospels of Philippians, Colossians and Philemon, all written by the Apostle Paul, the most prolific writer of the New Testament. You must get to know Paul, who, by his own admission was “The greatest of all sinners”, and who had the most miraculous conversion of any other man while traveling on the road to Damascus. He suffered more for the cause of Christ than any other human being, and he grew stronger in his faith each day of his life after his conversion. You can learn more about Paul and Timothy; Paul in Acts 9; and Timothy in first Timothy, chapter 6. Please study God’s word and the men who preserved it for us.

The setting for our study today is in the church established by Paul while on his second missionary journey to the city of Philippi. Philippi was one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire, next to Rome in military and economic influence. The city was located in Antioch in Syria, and it was established and it grew under the leadership of Philip II, who was the father of Alexander, the Great. Philippi was established in about 360 BC.

Paul wrote this joyful letter to the Philippians while he was in prison in Rome in about 61 AD. Notice I used joyful to describe this letter and not happy. There is a difference. The word happiness evokes the seen on Christmas morning with your children unwrapping gifts; having dinner with the one you love most; or winning the big game. We make happiness a life long pursuit; we are always chasing this elusive dream; but success always depends upon our circumstances. When things are going well, we are happy; when we are loosing, ill, or gas prices go up—we become unhappy.

What happens when the party is over—when we are broke—when our girl/boy friend finds another; or our best friend dies? Then despair immediately replaces our happiness. In contrast, joy runs deeper and stronger—it is like having the assurance that Christ loves us and is always there no matter what the circumstance may be. Happiness depends on what happens but Joy always depends on Christ. Christ is love; and joy; and He wants us to be joyfully happy for the right reasons.

Paul established the Philippians’ Church and loved it; the Philippines appreciated what Paul meant to them and they supported him with their gifts to prove it. He wrote this letter to them to let them know his appreciation for their support and to encourage them in their continued obedience to God and their continuance in the faith. The concept of “joy” appears at least sixteen times in four chapters and culminates in his exhortation for them to “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” The key verse is 4:4. The Philippines needed Paul…and Paul needed them. People need people! We must just think about how dull life would be without friends.

Paul was at home in Antioch in Syria, and on his first missionary journey he visited towns close by like Philippi; later he visited towns further away. The members of the church there were mostly non Jewish. They were Gentiles and were not familiar with the Old Testament and that is the reason he did not quote from the OT when writing this letter to them. Transportation was slow; evangelist walked by land and used sail-boats by sea, and because of this he had to use letters to revisit his converts in his early churches to encourage and preach anew the gospel. He had friends like Timothy, Mark and Epaphras that delivered the letters for him. Just think about the extent his witness could have reached with just one radio or TV station! When I was young on the farm and in timber work I needed a tractor, chain saw and outboard motor—Paul needed a 4-wheeled drive Jeep, and a powerful radio station.

The overseers of the church he mentions in verse one were the bishops, pastors, and deacons and the saints were the members of the church. You can learn about the overseers and their duties in first Timothy 3: 1-7 and Titus 1: 5-9. You can find the qualifications and duties of deacons in first Timothy 3: 8-13. He mentioned the word joy the first time in verse 3, and it was because his converts had been faithful and were continuing to support him in preaching the gospel—which he intended to do until the day of Christ Jesus. When these people supported Paul, they were actually helping Christ’s cause. Theirs was a lasting service that would extend into infinity; a work that would live forever. We should be forever grateful to Paul because he recorded much [more than any other writer] of the New Testament for our benefit, as well as for his beloved Philippians.

Bar owners exploit their “happy hour” advertisement, and that means it will only last for an hour or two, and then the sorrow it brings sets in. Think about your life. Will you be remembered with “joy” by others? Do your acts of kindness lift others up when they are down or need a helping hand? Or do you just tell them a good “clean” joke and bring them happiness for a fleeting moment? We will account for every word we speak, every work we accomplish; the good and positive will bring joy and the lose and inappropriate words and deeds will bring woe! Are you pleasing God?

Paul rejoiced in his Phillippian partners who were helping him share the gospel message; they helped him by supporting him with prayers and financial support. By being an active and participating member of our church you are supporting the local pastor, and through the Cooperative Program you are in partnership with thousands of others that spread the gospel throughout the world [Verse 5]. Some think they can stay home, live a Christian life and don’t need the church. You can go solo if you want to live selfishly and don’t care for others, but the bible plainly teaches that God does not approve of selfishness in any man. Christ said that if we love him—we will feed his sheep! Help others.

Read verse 6. God’s work for man kind began on the cross—when Christ died to save us from sin. Our work began the day we accepted Christ as our Savior, and in order to please Him, it must continue until the day of Christ—which will either be at our death or His return, whichever comes first. This process [confession, repentance, praying, giving and working for others] is known as Christian growth and we receive our power to continue through the Holy Spirit which lives in and through us. Do you sometimes feel that your progress is too slow? I do. I think the devil is the reason, and we must put him behind us and remember that when God starts a good work in and/or through us—He completes it. It is sometimes hard to comprehend, but God has never failed—never made even one mistake, and He is not the cause for our mistakes; the Devil is our demon and he loves to exploit our sin nature. We must learn to shun every appearance of evil. If it looks bad, don’t touch it.

Through faith, trust, prayer and perseverance—even though discouraged at times, we will prevail because God will never forsake us; and will never give up on us. Never let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ and claiming his promises and provisions. He even feeds the birds in wintertime—do you think He cares less for us? Paul was in chains, in a Roman prison and was joyful, still preaching, doing God’s bidding, setting an example for us to follow. Study the life of Paul and compare it with your present life—you will be able to appreciate you’re present situation more—even if you are experiencing some difficult days.

Many of my best friends have passed over the threshold and I miss them and long to see members of their family to visit and reminisce about the good old days. You probably have had a similar experience. It is right for us to feel this way about them. Paul had such a longing to see his old friends at Philippi and he said it was right because he had them in his heart [verse 7].

You will notice that his prayers for them in verses 9 through 11 were that his people would continue in love for each other and have discernment, which means that they should be able to differentiate between right and wrong. They should continue until the day of Christ. The term ‘day of Christ’ refers to time when God will judge the world through Jesus Christ. Christ could return any moment—if he returns during your lifetime, what will you be doing? His return will occur in a moment—“in the twinkling of an eye” and you will have no time left to make any needed changes! Trust him now!