The Church at Philippi
The Church at Philippi
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Preached by: Carolyn Sissom
:March 1995: The Lord spoke to me, “Carolyn I want a church like the one at Philippi.”
At that time, I read, studied and preached Philippians. It is time again to remind the world of the blessedness of The Church at Philippi and to accept Paul’s challenge. This church was almost perfect, yet Paul asked for even greater maturity. He observed for them that increased self-denial and deeper humility would earn them a greater weight of glory.
The obedience of Paul to the Macedonian vision (Acts. 16:9-12) provided not only a notable landmark in his ministry, but a turning point of apostolic history.
Departing from Roman Asia, and entering Macedonia with the gospel of Christ, he planted in Philippi the first church in that province. On two later occasions Paul revisited Philippi (Acts 20: 2, 6) and the letter itself bears witness to his happy bond with the Philippians Christians.
Philippi was strategically placed on the Egnatian Way, the great Roman road running some five hundred miles from the Adriatic Sea. The Lord used the famous Roman road for the messengers of the gospel. Philippi was named after Philip, father of Alexander the Great. The city was re-founded at 42 B.C. by Antony and Octavian (later the emperor Augustus) as a Roman colony.
The call: “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; And from there to Philippi, which is the chief city abiding certain days. And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was being made; and we sat down and spoke unto the women which resorted there.”
This down-by-the-riverside praying moved the Hands of God to bring in to their city a Move of God by Paul, the Great Mover and Shaker.
At Philippi, he suffered hard things, yet he always prayed with joy every time he remembered them. He was treated badly in Philippi by his enemies and false friends. He did not hold bitterness against his true friends in the church.
In the beginning, this church was very small, yet that did not discourage him. When the Lord speaks to you, it won’t matter what the nay-sayers have to say, discouragement holds no power over the spoken Word of the Lord. Acts 16:40 speaks of the brethren meeting at the home of Lydia.
The theme of Paul’s letter to the Philippians’ is the joy of Christian grace and experience in all of life and death. As ministers of the gospel we not only minister how to live, but we should be able to minister how to face death.
He mentions joy 14-times. In particular, he commends them in 1:25 for their joy in the Faith. We experienced this joy on Saturday as we attended the Celebration of the life of Sarah Temple Cardenas. The celebration was a tribute to the joy of her Faith and Courage. “And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith.”
The more faith we have, the more joy, and the more faith and joy, the more we are furthered in our Christian cause.
The key word is rejoicing. Christians are to rejoice in fellowship with one another with love abounding in knowledge and depth of insight, in afflictions of the gospel, in the ministry to the saints, in faithfulness of ministers, in the Lord in unity, and always in all things.
As a group of us were driving back from the Celebration yesterday, we were rejoicing in the fellowship with one another, the saints gathered at the Celebration,
And the joy of ministering to and with the saints. Here in simple form is the constitution of a local church. Saints refers to the whole body of Christians as the holy people of God set apart for Him in Christ. I believe we can say to Sarah’s family that the Celebration fulfilled all of the above.
In the letter, Paul lists 35 conditions of assurance for the church.
1:6: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Confident here is the Greek word peitho – translated 22 times as trust, 10 times as obey, 7 times as confidence, 9 times as assure, believe, agree, yield, and make one’s friend each time. This confidence is based on these 35-conditions of assurance.
1:7: “I know it is right for me to have this confidence in you because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partakers of my grace.”
Paul wrote this from his prison cell in Rome about 64 A.D. The church had sent him a gift of money designated to help spread the Gospel. This triggered an out-burst of affection. After ten years of their faithfulness, he is now certain that their Gospel vision will persist until the Day of Christ. He sensed that the Philippians’ grace of giving would abide until the Lord returned.
1: 9, 10, 11: “And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That you may approve things that are excellent; and you may be sincere and without offence until the day of christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
These fruits of righteousness depend on Faith. We are made righteous that we may become righteous. But this fruit is through Jesus Christ. In Him alone we are righteous, and by Him alone can the life be beautiful. All this is to the glory and praise of God.
1:12, 13, and 14: Brethren it is important that you understand that the things which happened to me has advanced the gospel. So that in my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
The guards were chained to Paul. Each day, one of Nero’s elite bodyguards had the experience of being harnessed to this right wing extremist and exposed to the Gospel. The prison became a pulpit. Word spread like wildfire. After three years, the natural rotation of Nero’s soldiers carried the story all over the empire. Paul’s boldness in bonds so thrilled the Roman Christians, many were challenged to declare Christ more openly.
1: 15, 16, 17: “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: the one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel.”
It is a grievous thing for the Body of Christ to be in competition with one another to try to get the upper hand or to out do one another. I was weary when I came to Texas with the competition amongst women. I asked the Lord, “what about the men preachers?” He replied, “They are worse.” Many have asked me why I don’t preach at the annual church conference. This is the reason. I don’t want to sow any seed of competition. Our guests are brought in to deliver the message the Lord has given to them for this body. LWC listens to me preach all the time.
I do not hold back when I am preaching from the pulpit entrusted to me by the Lord. In this pasture, there is no one to compete with me. I certainly do not compete with any of the Saints. I pray there is no spirit of competition in this fellowship. Please do not compete with me or with one another. The Bishops and Deacons exist for the Saints, not the saints for them. It is well. Paul was in prison preaching the gospel. No one wanted to compete with him for that pulpit. As a result he was able to preach unhindered by those preaching the gospel for the wrong motives. He was set for the defense of the gospel.
1:18: “what then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”
1:19, 10, 21: For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
This was written at a time, humanly speaking, when the outcome of the apostle’s trial was suspenseful and uncertain. He had lived in the shadow of execution (death row) for 3 years, but now the Philippians’ gift appeared as evidence that God had further work for him. However, should death be his lot, he wanted to die joyously exhibiting the Savior’s indwelling power! To glorify Jesus in a radiant, triumphant death, would add the final jewel to Paul’s treasure laid up in Christ. For Paul death has no fear, but only gladness. On the other hand their joy, their good, lies in his remaining for their help. His joy or their joy? This is the issue and to state it is to know the answer. He will remain.
1:22, 23, 24, 25, and
26: “
But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor; yet what I shall
choose I know not. For I am in a strait between the two, having a desire
to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to
abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I
know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy
of faith. That your
rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you
again.”
Their gift brought Paul overwhelming joy. He rejoiced that their gospel vision had not dimmed. Now he would return that joy by coming to them so that they might behold the answer to their prayers in person. His first deliverance from the Philippian jail 10-years before gave this church a supernatural beginning. His second deliverance was now to bring them a supernatural bond in the faith.
1:27, 28: “Only let your conversation be as it becomes the gospel of christ; that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel: and in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.”
Fearlessness: this is not to be confused with dying grace which comes in the final moments of life, but fearless determination to press the claims of Christ in the face of opposition. It is a strength that does not come overnight, but rather through purposing to be a more vigorous witness for Jesus today that we were yesterday. After 10-years, he expected the Philippians to display such fearlessness. Having been so intimately involved with Paul in the cause of Christ. To retreat now in the face of any anti-christ spirit was unthinkable and should be for us as well.
1: 29 and 30: for unto you it is given in the behalf of christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”
The Philippian church seems to have been relatively free of enemies, particularly the Judaizers. But that freedom is about to end as Paul’s enemies can be expected to follow him from Rome. Also the persecutions under Nero (A.D.64) would be under way. Satan could not be expected to ignore this “good work” indefinitely. Thus Paul prepares them for vicious opposition.
Sunday evening, July 5, 2009, I plan to continue with Chapter Two of Philippians.
Next Sunday morning, we will celebrate our Christian Heritage as a nation.
Tonight we will have Rev.’s Michael and Jill Obrien with an awesome message and ministry.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. Text from Lovett’s Lights on Philippians and F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary, H. C. Hewlett.