14th.February.2010 (Sun) V’Day
Philippians: Paul's Joy in Christ
A Missionary Prayer Letter
(1) The Philippians sent Paul at least four gifts to support his ministry (II Cor. 8:3-4; II Cor. 11:8-9; Phil. 4:10-14, 15-16). Paul is overjoyed with the encouragement and remembrance of their love for him and his love for them. Philippi was Paul’s pride and joy. Arms of friendship extended between Paul and the believers at Philippi that didn’t exist in the other churches. None of his other letters has such abundant expressions of tender personal dedication and benevolence as this letter. The letter is filled with expressions of gratitude and thankfulness for their expression of love and faithfulness which he has received on several occasions. Therefore, he can share from his heart his personal convictions and his internal conflicts about the future. It is filled with joy, peace and thanksgiving. The words "joy," "rejoicing," "rejoice" is repeated 16 times in these short 104 verses.
(2) It was written from prison in the city of Rome (1:7, 13; 4:22). Paul refers to his imprisonment in 1:7, 13, 14; 2:17. According to Acts he was a prisoner at Philippi (16:23, Jerusalem (21:33ff), Caesarea (23:25) and Rome (28:16, 30, 31). Paul was in prison two years while at Caesarea, however no final decision in his case was ever expected there. He was in prison at Rome for two years, pending his appeal to Caesar.
If Lightfoot is correct, and his arguments are very solid, the letter was probably written before Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon, about a year after he arrive in Rome, between 62 and 63 A. D. as recorded in Acts 28:30. If the imprisonment of Paul began between the years 58-60, and ended before the burning of Rome in A. D. 64, logically the epistle would have been written during the time between this period.
3:12-14 Press On Towards It:
(1) You will find a number of Christians today who claim to have attained sinless perfection. "I haven't sinned since 1978," they claim. Well, they certainly have - they just lied to you!
Remember that John wrote,
1John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
There is no way to be sinless while we are in these mortal bodies.
Remember, Rom. 14:23 ...whatever is not from faith is sin.
Paul on the verge of his death still claims that he wasn't there yet. He knew he was far from perfect. But he kept pressing on, kept persevering in the Christian walk.
(2) Saying-Well begun is half done, but according to Paul, reaching the goal, pressing and striving forward to reach the goal is much more important. Illustration: I can run long distance…Marathon race, maybe we start very well and we are in the first front till the first 15 kms, but in marathon race we have to run 26 kms. So, they never give away the prize to someone who leads very well in half of the race, but the prize will be gone to the people who reached their destinations, goals well.
He uses the descriptive language of someone striving forward, pressing on, and reaching out. You can picture a hiker trying to make it to the peak of a mountain. A runner trying to make it to the end of a marathon. A swimmer trying to cross the English channel. An Olympic cyclist trying to win the race. Whatever illustration you keep in your mind, the words hold true: Rick Warren’s devotional book ‘Purpose Driven Life’ always touch me, we are all created for a special reason and everyone has to have a goals, a purpose in our processes of ministry.
(3) Forget what lies behind. There is no bigger defeat than to dwell on what you have already past, how many miles you've already gone, how many steps you've already taken. Paul says that he was forgetting what lay behind and kept reaching forward.
This is how to avoid a trap in our Christianity. I have met a lot of people that say, "Oh yeah, I gave my life to Jesus back in the 60's. I was filled with the Spirit in 1974. I used to do street evangelism. But where are you doing now? You see, the past doesn't matter - it's already past. Are you growing in Christ now? Are you ministering now? Are you praying now? You can't rest on your laurels. What matters is where you're at in the Lord today.
The old saying goes, "Winners never quit, and quitters never win." Don't talk about what you did last year, ask yourself, "What am I doing this year?" Don't rest on the growth you experienced in the '90's. Ask yourself, "How much am I growing now?" Remember, Phil. 1:6 ...He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. God wants you to keep growing, to keep serving Him.
3:15-16 Attitudes
Well, if Paul hadn't yet become perfect, but wrote, "as many as are perfect," then what is he talking about? This is a different form of the word "perfect." Whereas before, Paul was talking about being perfectly completed, this time he is talking about being perfectly in the right place.
“When a baby boy is born, they weigh him, measure him, and take all his vital signs. If everything is as it should be, they say, "Congratulations, your child is perfect!" But ten years later, if your sons weighs 9 pounds, is bald, weak, and crying, something is terribly wrong. He was perfect for his age, for the state he was in. But that is not a completed perfection, it is a growing perfection. So before, Paul said, "I'm not there yet - I'm far from being perfectly completed." But then he was able to turn around and say, "Some of you are in a perfect place in your walk, in your growth. You're just where you should be today."
The people who are in that place should have the attitude of pressing on to the next step, to keep growing in God. A desire for continual growth is what Paul speak about here.
The Lord will not let you stagnate in your spiritual life without prompting.
When Adam fell into sin, the Lord entered the garden and asked him,
Gen. 3:9 ...“Where are you?” When Elijah ran away in fear and was hiding out in a cave, the Lord came to him and said,
1Kgs. 19:9 ...“What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Jesus asked His disciples, Luke 6:46 “...why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?"
Maybe the Lord has seen your attitude this evening - no desire to grow up into spiritual maturity, completely content with where you are. The Lord challenge us today - "Where are you? What are you doing here? Why do you call Me Lord if you won't do what I say?"
3:17-19 The Good And Bad Examples
We have talked in the past about the necessity of imitating the faith of people who are like Jesus. The writer of Hebrews said,
Hebr. 13:7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
Today, we see these people in the form of those who are selling "cheap grace." Those who say, "Since I'm saved by grace, I can do what I want. All things are lawful for me." Paul's doctrine says right here that their end is destruction. They have fooled themselves. Christ died to forgive sin, not to give us a license to commit it.
How can you know if you're deceiving yourself? How can you make sure that you're not an enemy of the cross of Christ? Look at the descriptions Paul uses: Their God is their appetite. Do you live your life to serve your appetites for money, power, or sex? Do you follow after whatever you desire, no matter whether it's right or wrong?
He also says that their glory is their shame.
Finally, he says that their minds are set on earthly things. Where is your focus? Are you consumed with the things of this world? The cares and desires of this life? God doesn't want you to waste your precious life obsessing about the matters and pleasures of this life - it's so temporary. Is money your focus? Is it sports? Is it success? If your mind is set on this earth, you're in a bad place as a Christian, because this isn't supposed to be your permanent residence.
It is the enemies of the cross who have their minds set on earthly things. We must remember that we are not of this earth. The writer of Hebrews lists great people that had great faith in God, and then says that they...
Hebr. 11:13-14 ...confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. This world is not our home. We are aliens, strangers, pilgrims, and sojourners in it. We are people passing through. People who are traveling don't pack heavy. They don't get weighed down. They only bring what they need, and they accomplish their purpose.
We are too weighed down, too over-burdened. Many of us have forgotten our purpose for being here. It is to grow in Christ and lead people to Him. It is not to find fame and fortune.
3:20-21 Heavenly Citizenship
Our citizenship is in heaven, not here.
Col. 1:13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth to take us to heaven.
When you are waiting at the airport, how much thought do you give to making yourself comfortable for the long-term? Do you look around for the ideal place to set up a tent? Do you attempt to establish long-term residency? Of course not - it's simply a stop-over, a place you are temporarily in, but you're headed home. Most of us need this new perspective in relation to this earth.
Jesus Christ is coming soon, to bring us home. Are you watching and waiting?
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