Philippians 1:1-10

Philippians 1:1-10

“I am His servant.”

First off, Paul’s identity is found in Christ. He calls himself a servant of Christ or “bondservant.” The word “servant” used here translates to “doulos” in the Greek. He cuts off any room for pride right off the bat. He starts off by purposefully stating that he does not belong to himself. He actually gave up his rights.

This identification can be linked to one of the very key verses of Philippians “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” His identity is Christ and where he stands with God is pure. Paul’s worship is also pure because he is not glorifying anyone else but Jesus Christ. It is the reason for defending the gospel---when something or someone else is worshipped other than Jesus. It throws off the church because they have chosen to not make Christ the center of their lives. Paul is defending where their identity lies (Phil 1:7, 1:16). He’s defending their foundation—the Gospel.

He loves the people of Philippi and he really misses them. The plural Greek word used in adelphoi (translated “brothers”) refers to siblings in a family. Basically they’ve been through something together and the church at Philippi has been with him through thick & thin. They’re not just standing back, they’re getting some scrapes & bruises too. (Phil 1:12, 14, 3:1, 13, 17, 4:1, 8, 21).

Their unity is in Christ so they are his family and he is encouraging them to press on and stand firm! (Phil 4:1) How deep is this tie with the church at Philippi?

The unity is eternal. They have the same inheritance (1 Cor 1:12).

“It is my prayer that your love may abound”

He is praying that God will fill them with the knowledge of Him so they can be filled with the fruit of righteousness…that…wait for it …..comes through Jesus Christ.

It all comes from Him. All goodness. All purity. All knowledge. Everything excellent and beautiful and undefiled. He wants their love for Christ to grow and grow and grow.

He is truly encouraging them that God is the one who is completing a work that He started. So before they get all prideful and think about relying on themselves, he knocks that out of the way too.

(Col 1:9, Col 3:10, Phil 1:6)

Pray that your love for God would abound…that He would refresh you with a love for Him that grows and grows….and keeps growing.

Philippians 1:6

“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.”

References to Phil 1:6-

Psalm 57:2

“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.”

1 Thes 5:23-24

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, he will surely do it.” (also a reference to Phil 1:9)

1 Cor 1:9-12

“And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

1 Cor 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Deut. 7: 9

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…”

Paul’s letter is full of joy and encouragement. His life was on the line, and he was in prison, yet it may be the most joyful of his letters. How crazy is that? His hope and joy wasn’t dependent on his circumstances.

This verse is about recognizing that genuine spiritual progress is rooted in what God has done, is doing, and will do. We have the confidence that the God who saved us will never let us go. God is changing people he’s giving us a new heart and putting a new spirit in us, removing a heart of stone, giving us His spirit and causing us to walk in his ways. He’s doing heart surgery now and planting His word in there. Only He can bring new life. We put no confidence in the flesh, or human abilities. (Phil. 3:4). He was Paul’s reward, his life, Christ was not a means to an end for him. Christ was his life. God will take care of you. He’ll make you grow. I’m not promising you that…He is. He’s faithful even when you’re not. Let his life fill you up--but if you want to do that you gotta let go of some other stuff.

Ask God what that stuff is. Ask Him to do some deep heart surgery. Haven’t you been wanting to really live? Ask Him for His life. Ask Him to tell and show you more of who He is…and all of a sudden love will start abounding like crazy.

We just dived in to Philippians 1:6…There’s more love where that came from.

Philippians Bible Study- Intro

The study of any book of the Bible reminds me of an adventure that surprises us and keeps unfolding as we dig in. The more we learn, the deeper we connect with what’s going on in the story. There’s so much that can be tapped into. When we don’t dig in to God, we dig in to other stuff that never really satisfies or anchor’s us like Jesus can. He’s the solid Rock. He’s our anchor in life that centers us when all the storms are raging. He is the one that keeps us so we won’t drift away…and he keeps us through His word.

(Hebrews 6:19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters into the inner place.”)

As we study God’s word it builds our foundation for knowing who God really is. As we know who God really is, we love Him more and our lives don’t look the same….We don’t want to sin, we want to love Him and obey His word because it’s in our heart. We come to the understanding that He has given us everything we need for this Christian walk and if we rely on His power and not our own ability, we have the ability not to sin.

(Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”)

We find out who God is by studying his word through His word. Why study the Word of God? Is it to be more religious or smart? Is it to prove something? No. It’s to know Him more, to be a strong woman that doesn’t waver in her faith like a wave tossed around by the sea. Its so we can live lives of victory rather than regret, sin, confusion, or fear. I don’t want to be a weak woman who’s all over the place and doubts like crazy.

I want to be strong in Christ.

(James 1:5-8 “ If any of you lacks wisdom, LET HIM ASK GOD, who gives generously to all without holding back, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind….he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.)

We have a whole lifetime to get to know him.

There’s no pressure, any desire you have right now was placed there by God Himself…because he has set his love upon you.

Reading the word of God is to affirm us in our faith. We need to be affirmed in what has already been established.

2 Timothy 3: 14-20

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

John 1: 1-4, 14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Philippians isn’t just Paul’s letter…It was inspired by God because it’s His Word.

PHILIPPIANS

KEY VERSE:

Philippians 1:21

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Observation:

Who:

Philippians is one of Paul’s most autobiographical letters. Writing to a church he founded and loved, Paul described his situation in prison (possibly home imprisonment where he may have been anticipating his own execution.) He warned his readers of potential theological dangers to the church.

(Wait, what’s Theology?- The study of the nature of God. The foundation of the church-- “Is it based on man and his ideas or the cross of Christ?”)

It was written to the Christians in the Roman colony of Philippi.

Where/When:

It was a letter written from Rome, and he sent it to the church in Philippi (or the Philippians). He wasn’t necessarily in prison, but he was under house arrest at this point, after being in prison in Caesarea. Paul was basically a rebel in hiding, and he knew he was probably going to die soon. But he was cool with it (Phil 1:21). Philippians was written in Rome at about 61-62 A.D. (After he was put in prison by Herod the Great in Caesarea in 60 A.D.) Obviously Paul had been through quite a bit at this point in his journey.)

Paul called himself a prisoner, yet we have no evidence to show that he was imprisoned in Ephesus. On the other hand, Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea (A.D. 58-60). Since Rome had not declared Christianity illegal at this time, Paul had committed no crime. He was imprisoned for Christ’s sake.

Philippi:

Philippi was the first city in present-day Europe where Paul established a church.

The first person that believed in Christ was Lydia, a seller of purple goods, and women continued to have a prominent role in the Philippian church (4:2). Philippi was the site of a key military victory by Augustus Caesar, and as a result it was declared a Roman colony.

What/Why:

Philippians is unified by its joyful, almost exuberant mood (the words for “joy” or “rejoice” occur more than a dozen times).

At the core of the letter lies a theology of the cross that unites and encourages Christian unity and joy.

The key theme of Philippians is ENCOURAGEMENT in their faith in Christ. Paul wants to encourage the Phillipians to live out their lives as citizens of a heaven, as shown by a growing commitment to service to God and to one another.

The letter is far more than a thank-you note, Timothy and Epaphroditus were mentioned because they were solid in their faith and exemplified the Christ-centered, gospel-focused life Paul wanted the Philippians to live.

Paul himself wanted to encourage the Philippians in their faith, and his imprisonment meant he could do that only through writing a letter. Even a house imprisonment could have been a source of great anguish.

Paul had more than one reason for writing this letter. For one thing, he wrote the letter to thank the church for their material help. The church had sent Epaphroditus to assist Paul while in prison.

Pauls purpose goes even further…

He is above all concerned that the Philippians continue to make progress in their faith (1:25). While there were no doubt conflicts within the church, can they just sit back & relax? Paul’s answer is “NO.” The world is too perilous, and the gospel too glorious, for them to be content with past achievements. They must follow Paul’s example and “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (3:14).

Paul explains what spiritual progress will look like. Christian maturity does not come through special mystical insights only available to the few. The supreme model for progress in faith is Jesus himself, and the centerpiece of Philippians is the amazing “hymn of Christ” in 2:5-11. Jesus willingly let go of the privileges of divine glory to take up the form of a servant, and he even embraced the ultimate humiliation of the cross, in order to liberate the world from sin.

Those who follow Christ have the hope that God will also free them from blame, guilt, and doubt and they can rejoice! They can also be confident that God will not leave them alone to make their way through the world as best they can. They progress spiritually by knowing that it is God who works in them.

Let not your hearts be troubled

John 16

33I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

Colossians 3:15

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

John 14:27

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

Ephesians 2:17

"And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near."

There’s a huge battle in my heart, but I know I can just give in and let go of the fight. I can let the peace of Christ rule, not let my heart be troubled or afraid, and I can take heart because He already conquered it all. Or I can let myself be consumed with fear. Pick one. End of story.

Hold Fast to Christ your strength and peace.

Rest.

Longing for God

John 6:48-51 "I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

John 15:5,9-11 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing...“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that MY JOY may be in YOU and that your joy may be COMPLETE.

Isaiah 55:2-3
"Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love.

John 7:38
"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"
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Evelyn Underhill once explained that there are three great longings of the human soul:
1. A longing for a place to belong
2. A longing to be loved
3. A longing to be clean

These cravings lead people to join everything from sports teams to churches. They motivate many women to watch chick flicks and to dream about their knight in shining armor. They incite individuals to give alms, make pilgrimages to holy places, to confess their sins, and to do good deeds.

Ultimately, what we long for is Christ, and we will only know satisfaction and contentment when we know Him.

Only in Him do we find true acceptance and membership in His family.
Only in Him do we find One who loves us unconditionally.
Only in Him do we find forgiveness of sins.

He satisfies our hunger. He fulfills our longing.

"For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things." (He fills us with Himself) Psalm 107:9.

Are you seeking your satisfaction in Him? Whether you are longing for a significant other, more money, etc. It won't bring you joy or contentment.
It is a poor substitute for Christ. Furthermore, if you are looking to things or people instead of Christ, you will be consumed with your pursuit of them because you will always have to obtain something more in order to finally be content.
It's a fruitless endeavor because you will never attain satisfaction apart from Christ.

What do you spend your time thinking about? What directs your life? What do you long for and in who/what are you seeking to fulfill that craving? Are you living for the temporal or for the eternal? Who is your life centered on--God or yourself?
My heart is to not just bring light to a need, but to point you to the all-satisfying Christ.

Only Christ is a solid Rock, a sure foundation. Seek Him instead of things or people. He is what you need.

Even if you are trusting in Christ, it is so easy to be distracted and to satiate ourselves with a diet that is sub-par.

Your body was meant to live on water and food, and your soul was meant to live on God.
Our emotions swing on things that don't matter.

The question is, How do I change my tastes?
Jesus alone can transform our tastes. There is a similar question people asked Jesus in
John 6: 28, "What must we do to be doing the works of God?" (What works can we work?) This is superficial, external, and a seemingly endless effort to change. It misses the whole point.

In these verses, Jesus' message is,
"Come to me, let me fill you from the inside out, trust in me, get to know me through my word--I AM the word, don't go back to imitation fruitless endeavors, don't settle for anything but the real thing, run to me. I'm offering you infinite joy. I'm drawing you to myself. You didn't come to me but I came to you. The pleasures you love are fleeting, they won't last and they never have TRULY satisfied you. Get to know me.
What are you seeking __________?"


(Jesus alone can fulfill our desires, You come to God to get GOD, you trust in God so you can HAVE God.)

(The key to growth, change, & finding satisfaction in Christ is to stay connected to Him.)