IN
NOTHING SHALL WE BE ASHAMED
Philippians
1
We enter the time of Paul's second
missionary journey (AD 51) following a vision given to him from a man in
Macedonia.
In Acts 16 you can read about the cross-section of people Paul
preached to and that Jesus speaks to today. The wealthy, The middle class,
The poor, The industrious, The bound up, The oppressed.
Paul is showing the people of Philippi and you and I that God doesn’t leave
anyone out when it comes to drawing people to Himself. We've read in the
chapter why Paul had to leave Philippi then later pen this letter to the flock
rather than going to see them again in person.
Paul was bound in chains.
Persecution of the church was growing
rampant during this time in history just as it is once again taking a difficult
turn for the Christian today. Persecution is growing, and will be widespread
before long.
We just learned recently in the news of the many Christians who were killed; the churches that were burned down and people who love God openly are being increasingly persecuted for their stands. People are
turning away from moral and Christian standards which held us firm in the past.
Rebellion is taking over in schools; it is taking over in government; it is
taking over in our cities; and unfortunately it is taking over in many of the
churches where compromise and moderation is the emphasis -- where diversity
is the welcome character over the desire to be a serious standard bearing
Christian.
The church at Philippi also inherited
some of this persecution that went on then just as it as will increase in the
taking of the church in this day. What was so important was how the Philippian
Christians did not allow their persecution to hinder their joy in the Lord --
that joy that Christ had filled them with.
Another attribute of the Philippian
Christian was the bond of friendship they employed and encouraged. They worked
at this; Paul recognized it. He boasted of their willingness to hang on to
that which made them special.
When Paul pens this letter he did so from a jail cell. While he was there, he
shared with there the importance of
- Giving thanks
- Taking note of another servant in need of care, love, joy, and encouragement during a time of illness (in this case it was Epaphroditis)
- Preparing for the trials they would endure
- Encouraging them to keep that unity so necessary for the body of Christ to function properly
Were there any problems in the
Philippian church? Paul spends a short time
warning them of evil workers that would come and try to destroy What God was
doing.
We, too, need to think on
these things as we go further into the first chapter.
- Am I continuing to give thanks to God for HIM and for others?
- Am I continuing to give thanks for His blessings?
- Am I able to give thanks even for my trials
- Am I remembering to be there for those who have needs that arise doing what I can, even if it is simply a word of prayer or encouragement?
- And finally am I making sure to be aware and prepared for the evil workers that might come and find selfish ways to destroy what God is doing
We've already set the tone for Paul's
letter. The emphasis is on having Christian joy again,
Koinonia fellowship, letting go of SELF which speaks to personal surrender, and
Spiritual Maturity. Some of the marks of a true
Christian.
I.
The
Mark of a Christian
NKJV
Verses 3-7 I thank my God upon every remembrance of
you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the
first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath
begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ; Even as
it is meet for me to think this of you
all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and
in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my
grace.
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request
with joy
There’s something powerful about saying
the word “thank you” and meaning it. Almost every time Paul wrote a letter he
began with a word of thanks. Not only is the word thank you powerful. So is living
in the JOY of the Lord.
The Mark of a Christian
- That JOY shows through collective prayer (silently or vocally bringing each other to the throne of God by our interceding for those God places on our hearts)
- That willingness to share Jesus with others whenever we can, in whatever way we can.
- Our Faith in action. Does our walk show others we are blessed because we live in Faith?
Reflection: If our Christian walk does not make us happy and blessed, what is it doing for us?
We
can think of Moses, who after he had been on the mountain top with God came
down off that mountain, his face RADIANT.
It was impossible for him to hide the joy and blessing God had given Him
When we look in our mirrors do we see the radiance of the
Lord? If not, what do we see?
- Another mark of the Christian shows when we are unified in fellowship
PSALM 133:1
In order for God's joy to be evident in
our lives, how important it is to walk away from
- Strife when it threatens to embrace us
- Bitterness which can creep up on us when someone or something brings us emotional pain
- Jealousy which tears us apart because we refuse to be content with who we are
- Standoffishness which makes others think we don’t want to have them around
- Self Pity which is another SELF problems which comes at us when we least expect it, or open ourselves up to it
Joy is also evident when we can express
it even in the midst of Suffering (as Paul and the Philippian Christians did)
"Suffering gives us the opportunity to
demonstrate to God our loyalty to Him."
Our Lord Jesus took it as a privilege to suffer and die for us. What
better way to honor God. We all go through times of suffering
and personal pain. How important it is to pray through it.
Lord please give me joy in this
situation I'm in.
One way, as a commentator writes,
suffering can be described: Like lighting a torch from the fire that's on the
altar. By dipping that torch in water for cleansing and purifying. That torch
being your life and mine.
Romans 12:1-2 says it all
Reflection: Think of some ways YOU can show joy in
your life. Some ways YOU can express it both
quietly and openly.
In verse 6 Paul reminds us that God will finish what He
started in us. Sometimes our lives
get discouraged, but Paul shares how we can turn it all around. A crucial
reminder to us that from the day we took the Lord into our hearts it is from
then on HIM for it is HE not us who does the work from that first day until the
day He takes us home to be with Him.
Verse 6…Being confident of
this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ.
1. He
is doing the work.
2. He
starts it.
3. He
will finish it.
4. Will
we let Him?
The Lord will bring your life and mine into
maturity .Our hearts are continually changing and being strengthened to be
stronger and stronger for the Lord. As we stay firm in his word and in
fellowship with the rest of the body. As we get to know him more closely
through prayer.
Something
to consider:
How can we know him well in heaven
if we don’t spend time talking to him
today?
We see in Verse
7 how Paul’s love for the church greatly abounded. It didn’t matter that
he was in chains and fetters. He wanted
to encourage the Philippians that they too were receiving the grace of God in
their lives just as he was there in prison.
It’s the same with you and me.
Whether our lives are going along easy or hard we can get through it
since God’s grace is being perfected within us.
II.
Approving
what is excellent
Verses 8-11
For God is my record, how
greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray,
that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That
ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without
offence till the day of Christ; Being
filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the
glory and praise of God..
Loving with the love of Christ is so
much better than trying to conjure up our own love that will eventually grow
stale. Paul was loving these people with
the love of Jesus.
Do we love one
another with the love of Jesus?
In verses 9-10 we see how Paul is desirous
that the Philippians and YOU and I would and will grow not only in love for God
and one another, but also in spiritual knowledge and discernment so that we can
make wise decisions in our walks and not be brought to confusion.
In Verse 11 He speaks here of our living holy lives unto God. Our making that choice to be set apart for
Him. We are not under a rule of dos and don’ts but God directs each one of us
individually on how to live before him day by day.
III.
Ambassadors
even while in chains
Verses 12-14
But I would ye should understand, brethren,
that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the
furtherance of the gospel; So that my
bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other palaces; And
many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more
bold to speak the word without fear.
The
reason Paul was in prison because of his
faith in Christ. He wasn’t afraid to stand for what he believed and in Rome
you couldn’t even use the name of Christ. The other prisoners, some of whom
were brothers in the Lord, knew what he was there for; they watched him as he
was strapped in bonds…to see how he would respond.
Ephesians
6:20 speaks to how we too can be ambassadors for Christ even if we become in
Chains. While a person was in chains in prison back then it meant he was bound
by the wrist to the wrist of the soldier who was his guard. In other words,
there was no escape.
Even
while Paul was bound to his soldier guard it didn’t stop him for being a
witness for Christ. It didn’t stop him from preaching the gospel. Even being
bound up, Paul didn’t lose his courage to speak the truth of Christ. I love
that.
What
does the word say to us Romans 8:35
Who
will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36Just as it is
written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE
CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."…
People watch us as well in this day, to see if we will have
courage as Christians, and not be afraid to stand for our beliefs even to the
point of longsuffering. Are you and I
also more than conquerors?
Reflection: How does this verse minister to you
personally?
IV.
The Heart of Paul
Verses 15-18
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. What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in
pretense, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and
will rejoice.
The
heart of Paul DOES show greatly in these verses.
- One preaches Christ with envy and strife
- Another preaches Christ by Goodwill
- One preaches Christ in a partisan way, not pure
- Another preaches Christ with love
We
know how Paul preached Christ. We need to consider how we preach Christ
too. I would rather speak about the Lord
with goodwill in my heart and with love than in any other way.
At
the same time Paul also says here if Christ is proclaimed we can only rejoice
as he did that the Lord is proclaimed at all. As long as people hear about the
Lord there is reason to REJOICE.
How do you share Christ?
18. What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or
in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.
It's
awesome to me how Paul used his time of imprisonment as not a deterrent to
preach but as an incentive and opportunity.
So
what should be on our minds today? What is the wrong way to share the Good News?
We need only think of Jonah was called to go
to Ninevah and did whatever he could to get out of it, even to the point of
getting swallowed by a fish!
V Staying Eager
Verses 19 and 20
For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through
your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope
that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now
also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
With
prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit, Paul was able to stay eager with
expectation. He was not shamed into silence. He spoke boldly, his desire to
glorify Christ.
Even
as we see and read about Paul while in bonds, and reading about his eagerness
and refusal to quit, we also see how he gained support and prayer from his
Philippian friends.
Such
excellent scriptures that encourage us to the importance of doing the same, for
just as Paul, we too need the prayers of our friends.
VI Our beginning, our end, our
fruit
Verses 21-26
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean
fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having
a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more
needful for you. And being confident of
this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress
and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus
Christ by my coming to you again.
While
Paul was in prison, he had to wait for his trial to end. He didn’t know if he
would live or die. He made it his goal to have Jesus Christ as his strength,
his inspiration, and his reward no matter what happened.
"Death for Paul was both a reunion as well as a union" W Barclay
VII
The Way we Live
Verses 27-30
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of
Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am 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 not in any way terrified by your adversaries,
which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from
God. For to you it has been granted on
behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
No
matter what happens to any of us, our faith, and our profession of Christ must
show by the way we live. We need to ask ourselves, does it? I need to ask
myself, does it.
Between
Paul and the Philippian Christians he just wanted to see them stand fast, be
one in Christ, stay calm and be filled with joy as they make the right
choices. As he says to them in the end,
for you and me the battle is on -- in other words
(For
to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him,
but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me
and now hear is in me.
Don't Give Up
For You To Think About
How
can you show God and others you are not afraid to be bold in your witness
for Him?
If your Christian walk does not make you happy and blessed what
is it doing for you?
Once again, no matter what happens to
any of us, our faith, and our profession of Christ must show by the way we
live. Between Paul and the Philippian Christians his encouragement to them was
to stand fast, be one in Christ, stay calm and be filled with joy and be
careful to make the right choices.
NEVER GIVE UP.
