Sermon Series: Philippians
Partners in the Gospel
I would like for today to be a survey of the book – a sort of “flyover” where we can see its landscape. This will be a good introduction for us before we begin to work our way through verse by verse next week.
[The apostle Paul is the writer of the letter to the Philippians.
61-62 A.D. written, almost 30 years after Christ ascended.
Paul was in prison at the time; disputed, perhaps in Rome under house arrest. Chained to a guard 24/7.
Written to the church at Philippi. Philippi was in Macedonia near modern day Greece. Roman colony, exempt from taxes, and was legally considered Roman soil, they were Roman citizens with all the privileges attached. Many retired military men would have been given plots of land in this area through political connections.
Paul founded the church there around 50 A.D. on his second missionary journey.
There are no rebukes to Philippi in this letter, these are mature/ maturing believers. Often called the Epistle of Joy because the word joy is used in this small letter 16 times in various ways.]
Why Philippians? Because Paul’s relationship with the Philippian believers gives a model for us here today at EFC to imitate. In chapter 1, verses 4 and 5, Paul says, “I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…” We find in the rest of these 4 little chapters what it means to be “Partners in the Gospel.” And that will be the title for our study through Philippians: “Partners in the Gospel.”
This word “partnership” found in verse 5 is important. It is the Greek word, “kononia”, and it can be used in a variety of ways, but they all relate to relationship. Paul uses the word 2 other times in the letter, and the NIV translates it as “fellowship” in those places. For instance, in 2:2, Paul says, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit…” Paul was speaking about their fellowship with God. Again in chapter 3 verse 10, Paul says regarding his kononia with Christ the Lord, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings…”
Kononia is the sharing of life together in our fellowship. It is a very close relationship with one another that is a sharing with one another. It is not superficial - it is like we are all woven together. What affects you deeply - deeply affects me. What needs you have, it is as if I have those needs too. My well-being is connected to your well-being. I cannot go untouched by the celebrations and sorrows, the successes and failures in your life because I find that the Spirit of God has knit us together so closely that we share all things. This is why Paul speaks so often of being of one mind, one spirit and one heart in his letters. We see this kononia, this being woven together in community throughout the letter.
· Paul says in 1:7, “all of you share in God’s grace with me.” Paul identified with them through the grace of God that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
· Later in 1:26 Paul says, “through my being with you again your joy in Jesus Christ will overflow on account of me.” Paul was a source of joy for the Philippians and they would be overflowing because of his anticipated return.
· In 2:18, Paul is talking about their obedience and service to God and each other and that he was possibly going to be martyred – he rejoiced in it because it was all considered an offering to God. But he says they should rejoice too, “I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.” Paul wants them to express their joy so that their joy may be imparted to him and thereby cause his joy to be greater. Do you see the inter-wovenness here? Do you see how he says his joy is dependant on theirs?
· We see more of this when Paul says in 2:19 that he is sending Timothy back to them so that he can “be cheered when [he] receives news about [the Philippians].”
· But joy is not all that we share. In 2:26 Paul says he is sending Epaphroditus back to the Philippians because – get this: Epaphroditus was sick and heard that the Philippians were distressed over his health and so he was distressed because he knew they were distressed. Epaphroditus was a helper who the Philippians sent to Paul to bring him financial gifts for his needs and to help Paul in any way he needed while he was imprisoned. Epaphroditus was a part of the Philippian church, he was a partner with them in the gospel, and his heart was so close to them that he was worried sick about them in their concern for him.
There is a deep connected affection and support with us when we are partnered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, there is more than that at stake. Our partnership in the gospel is for a higher purpose. When Jesus Christ prays in John 17 he gives us the higher reason why our unity is so important:
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Jesus prays for our unity when he says asks, “I pray…that all of them may be one.” And then he says why: “so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” The purpose of our unity with each other – the purpose of our partnership – is to testify and be a witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, that God sent His Son into the world to save the world through Him.
We see the gospel painted all over the partnership of the Philippians and Paul’s ministry:
· In 1:5 we see them “partnering in the gospel”
· 1:7, 16 we see them “defending and confirming the gospel”
· In 1:12 we see their goal was to be “advancing the gospel”
· In 1:27 they are commanded to be “living a life worthy of the gospel”
· In 2:22, they are to be “working together in and for the gospel”
· In 4:2, they continued to “contend for the cause of the gospel”
· In 4:15, they were always “making people acquainted with (or preaching) the gospel.”
Today, as we fly over Philippians, I want to identify 7 qualities in the relationship between Paul and the Philippians that we should be imitating here at EFC. And rather than seeing these as optional, I believe we, as Partners in the Gospel, should look at these as necessary virtues of our church family.
Partners in the Gospel
I would like for today to be a survey of the book – a sort of “flyover” where we can see its landscape. This will be a good introduction for us before we begin to work our way through verse by verse next week.
[The apostle Paul is the writer of the letter to the Philippians.
61-62 A.D. written, almost 30 years after Christ ascended.
Paul was in prison at the time; disputed, perhaps in Rome under house arrest. Chained to a guard 24/7.
Written to the church at Philippi. Philippi was in Macedonia near modern day Greece. Roman colony, exempt from taxes, and was legally considered Roman soil, they were Roman citizens with all the privileges attached. Many retired military men would have been given plots of land in this area through political connections.
Paul founded the church there around 50 A.D. on his second missionary journey.
There are no rebukes to Philippi in this letter, these are mature/ maturing believers. Often called the Epistle of Joy because the word joy is used in this small letter 16 times in various ways.]
Why Philippians? Because Paul’s relationship with the Philippian believers gives a model for us here today at EFC to imitate. In chapter 1, verses 4 and 5, Paul says, “I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…” We find in the rest of these 4 little chapters what it means to be “Partners in the Gospel.” And that will be the title for our study through Philippians: “Partners in the Gospel.”
This word “partnership” found in verse 5 is important. It is the Greek word, “kononia”, and it can be used in a variety of ways, but they all relate to relationship. Paul uses the word 2 other times in the letter, and the NIV translates it as “fellowship” in those places. For instance, in 2:2, Paul says, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit…” Paul was speaking about their fellowship with God. Again in chapter 3 verse 10, Paul says regarding his kononia with Christ the Lord, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings…”
Kononia is the sharing of life together in our fellowship. It is a very close relationship with one another that is a sharing with one another. It is not superficial - it is like we are all woven together. What affects you deeply - deeply affects me. What needs you have, it is as if I have those needs too. My well-being is connected to your well-being. I cannot go untouched by the celebrations and sorrows, the successes and failures in your life because I find that the Spirit of God has knit us together so closely that we share all things. This is why Paul speaks so often of being of one mind, one spirit and one heart in his letters. We see this kononia, this being woven together in community throughout the letter.
· Paul says in 1:7, “all of you share in God’s grace with me.” Paul identified with them through the grace of God that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
· Later in 1:26 Paul says, “through my being with you again your joy in Jesus Christ will overflow on account of me.” Paul was a source of joy for the Philippians and they would be overflowing because of his anticipated return.
· In 2:18, Paul is talking about their obedience and service to God and each other and that he was possibly going to be martyred – he rejoiced in it because it was all considered an offering to God. But he says they should rejoice too, “I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.” Paul wants them to express their joy so that their joy may be imparted to him and thereby cause his joy to be greater. Do you see the inter-wovenness here? Do you see how he says his joy is dependant on theirs?
· We see more of this when Paul says in 2:19 that he is sending Timothy back to them so that he can “be cheered when [he] receives news about [the Philippians].”
· But joy is not all that we share. In 2:26 Paul says he is sending Epaphroditus back to the Philippians because – get this: Epaphroditus was sick and heard that the Philippians were distressed over his health and so he was distressed because he knew they were distressed. Epaphroditus was a helper who the Philippians sent to Paul to bring him financial gifts for his needs and to help Paul in any way he needed while he was imprisoned. Epaphroditus was a part of the Philippian church, he was a partner with them in the gospel, and his heart was so close to them that he was worried sick about them in their concern for him.
There is a deep connected affection and support with us when we are partnered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, there is more than that at stake. Our partnership in the gospel is for a higher purpose. When Jesus Christ prays in John 17 he gives us the higher reason why our unity is so important:
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Jesus prays for our unity when he says asks, “I pray…that all of them may be one.” And then he says why: “so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” The purpose of our unity with each other – the purpose of our partnership – is to testify and be a witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, that God sent His Son into the world to save the world through Him.
We see the gospel painted all over the partnership of the Philippians and Paul’s ministry:
· In 1:5 we see them “partnering in the gospel”
· 1:7, 16 we see them “defending and confirming the gospel”
· In 1:12 we see their goal was to be “advancing the gospel”
· In 1:27 they are commanded to be “living a life worthy of the gospel”
· In 2:22, they are to be “working together in and for the gospel”
· In 4:2, they continued to “contend for the cause of the gospel”
· In 4:15, they were always “making people acquainted with (or preaching) the gospel.”
Today, as we fly over Philippians, I want to identify 7 qualities in the relationship between Paul and the Philippians that we should be imitating here at EFC. And rather than seeing these as optional, I believe we, as Partners in the Gospel, should look at these as necessary virtues of our church family.
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