Lesson 1
The Joyful Letter
Philippians 1:1-2
I was horrified this past Monday when I turned on the T.V. to watch the news and saw for the first time the images of Allied pilots taken prisoner by Iraq. Their faces bloodied, bruised, and swollen, there was fear in their eyes and some nervous defiance in their broken voices. It made my heart to hurt, as I thought about their woeful fate and worried families. Being a prisoner of war to a monstrous enemy would be, I supposed, one of the worst situations one could be in.
Today, I want to introduce you to another prisoner and a message he sent to some people he loved from prison. The prisoner is Paul, the people he loved, the church at Philippi, the correspondence, the Epistle of Philippians. Our text is 1:1-2. (Read).
Why did the Holy Spirit place his inspiration upon the writing of this letter? Who are these people to whom this letter is written? What was going on in Paul's life as he wrote these words? What was his purpose in writing the letter? Today, I want to answer these questions as I introduce you to Philippians, a joyful letter.
I. The People To Whom This Was Written
"all the saints at Philippi with the bishops and deacons"
A. The City - Philippi.
Philippi was a Roman province in Macedonia. This was one of the first places where Paul went after receiving the "Macedonian call" (see Acts 16:6-9, 12-15, 16 and following) These verses introduce Paul's original ministry in Philippi. It appears that Lydia and her family were the first converts and seems that the church at Philippi began meeting in their home. A jailor and his family were part of the beginnings of this church. Paul's difficulties and problems became the means by which the work of the Lord was done in Philippi. It is believed to be about 10 years later that Paul penned this letter to the Philippians.
B. The Church.
It is clear from the opening of this letter that a church has been established in Philippi. There are "saints", "bishops" and 'deacons".
(· Review - this letter was written to an assembly of saved people, specifically the leadership, in Philippi where Paul had seen a church born during great duress. · )
II. The Purpose For Which This Was Written
Often, our study of the scriptures with such a microscopic look prevents us from seeing the big picture, like the main themes in a book or letter. If I were to sit down and write you a letter, I might say a lot of little things, but there would be some main themes and purposes for my letter. It is no different with a New Testament letter. As the Holy Spirit inspires the words and ideas of this letter into Paul, He has a purpose. We can identify some of the themes. In this letter we see Paul explaining some of his present circumstances to his friends at Philippi who are concerned about his welfare. He expresses his gratitude for the help they have been to him both in sending him a person (Ephaphroditus) and their generous financial support. His letter encourages hem in their Christian life. This letter does not rebuke or challenge the people like other letters of Paul (I Corinthians, Galatians). It is much more tender and personal. Apparently, this church did not have the deep problems which existed in some of the those other churches. But there are still some important issues which the Holy Spirit wanted to speak to them about and to us.
The main subject of this letter is "the joy of the Lord". Notice how often Paul speaks about joy (5x) (1:4,25; 2:2, 29; 4:1) and rejoicing (11x) (1:18,18; 2:17,18; 2:28; 3:1; 4:4,10).
I believe that joy is a subject which needs to be dealt with today. The truth is, there is not a lot of genuine joy in many Christians' lives. We tend to be quite negative. Any gladness seems to be very temporary and short-lived. If I were to survey you and ask how many of you have consistent Joy in your life, I suspect that there would be few. If, however, I were to ask how many of you battled frequent depression and negative feelings, almost all of you would have to say "yes". We live in a depressed, sad world. Counselors, couches, and pastors' offices are filled with woeful, worried people. Where is our joy? Do you want joy in your life? Do you want genuine and continual joy no matter what happens? Philippians is just what the doctor ordered for you! god wants us to have joy! (see John 15:11; I John 1:4).
There is another key word in this epistle. It is the word "mind" (1:27; 2:2,3,5; 3:15,16,19; 4:2,7) and "think" (1:7; 3:4; 4:8). The wrong things on our mind will rob us of joy. Conversely, right thinking will lead to joy. A Christian is able to have "joy in the Lord" by having the right mind and thoughts. That is what the Holy Spirit directed Paul to write to these Philippians. Paul understood what Nehemiah had said, "The joy of the Lord is my strength".
III. The Person From Whom This Was Written.
"Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ"
The amazing thing about this letter is that the author, Paul is modeling the theme of this letter he writes. Paul has the right mind, thus Paul has joy in the Lord. But when you consider the life of Paul, it was a life full of great difficulty, hardship, pain, and pressure. Paul had had difficulty when he first arrived at Philippi. Harassed by a demon-possessed woman, arrested, beaten and put stocks in the deepest dungeon.
Paul's life was characterized by pain. Look at II Corinthians 11:23-28. What a list of troubles in life! Look at 12:7-10. All Christians experience pain. It seems to me that the more you minister the more pain you must endure. The worst pain is that which come from circumstances, people, possessions and pressure. This study has caused me to be reminded of some of the "joy-robbers" which I have faced. Hassles and headaches of a minor degree but enough to steal my joy. Heartbreaks of a major degree. The greatest pain for me, and I suspect for Paul and for you, is the kind that comes from relationships which are severed. I can handle a tornado or even a car wreck better than I can handle my integrity being questioned, and my church being ripped up.
Personal Examples: Accusations - called another church a "cult"; dishonest on my income taxes; merchandising the church's ministry; heretic; that I wouldn't come to this church unless I was guaranteed a certain salary.
These things said about me are insignificant compared to the pain in Paul's ministry (see II Corinthians 6:10). Others also typically have joy amid trials (I Thessalonians 1:6; James 1:2; I Peter 1:6). Even as he writes this letter he is in a Roman prison (1:13; 4:22)! Yet in spite of problems (ch.1), people (ch.2), (ch.3) possessions, and pressure (ch.4), Paul was still able to have joy in the Lord because he kept his mind single (1), submissive (2), spiritual (3), and secure (4).
How is joy and a right mind possible? Look at verse 2, the salutation. It is only possible to have a joyful mind when we have experienced grace and peace.
Grace is what saves us (Ephesians 2:8) but grace is also what sustains us in trials (II Corinthians 12:7-10). In Christ, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1) but we are also able to the peace of God (Philippians 4:7).