Partners in the Gospel

  

Philippians 1:1-11

(Presented at the Saturday evening contemporary service

at Penney Memorial Church, Penney Farms, Florida, February 8, 2025.)

¹ Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: ² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:1-11).

Introduction

Paul established the church in Philippi about 52 AD and wrote this letter to the church about a decade later, between 60 and 62 AD. Luke tells us in Acts chapter 16 that Timothy had been present at the founding of the church, and now, a decade later, we find Paul and Timothy together once more, this time in Rome, where Paul is under house arrest, and Timothy is assisting him. Even though confined, Paul was able to continue his writing, and he wrote four of the letters we recognized as part of the New Testament canon. They are the epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

The bond between Paul and the church at Philippi was remarkably close. This was the first church established in Europe, and its location is today an archaeological site in the region of East Macedonia in the northeastern part of Greece.

The tone of his letter to the Philippians is not like that of most of his letters. It contains no doctrinal discussions and no rebukes of evil, but is an outpouring of love and confidence in that church.

Paul begins this letter in vv. 1-2 with his standard greeting.

¹ Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: ² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Calling Christians at Philippi “…God’s holy people in Christ Jesus…,” from the NIV translation, highlights their identity as people set apart through union with Christ. Some other English versions use the phrase “…saints in Christ Jesus…”

Though “…overseers and deacons…” were the two orders of officers in New Testament churches (1 Timothy 3), this is the only letter in which Paul addresses them in his greeting. “Overseers” for you Greek scholars is the plural of “ἐπισκόπος” (episcopos) which also rendered in English as “elder” and “presbyter.” Elders, deacons, and deaconesses were officers in New Testament churches (1Ti 3:1-3), along with “shepherds,” also called “pastors.”

The book of Philippians is often called the “Paul’s Epistle of Joy.”

He expresses his joy and confidence in God and His continuing work, despite being imprisoned under house arrest in Rome. His objective is to instill in the Philippian Christians the kind of joy that transcends one’s circumstances. Through this epistle, the Holy Spirit wants to instill the same kind of joy in us also.

Despite Paul’s confinement, his heart is full of gratitude because of the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel.

His blessing of “…grace and peace…” in v. 2 is what we might call the essence of God’s will for how we should live: “grace” being our recognition of God’s unmerited favor and a “peace” on which we can rely, even in the midst of the ups and downs of life.

Many of you have had times when you have felt the peace of God to be extraordinarily strong. For me, there have been several times like that…notably in the multiple times I have found myself in a hospital operating room being prepped for surgery. In those times, I have felt unusually at peace, invariably praying the words of our Savior and Lord from the gospels “…not my will, but thine, be done…” (Luke 22:42).

Our Savior and Lord wishes that kind of peace and immense joy in Him to be part of each of our lives.

Exposition

Proposition: Now, turning to vv. 3-11, we find three key marks of a church that brings joy and peace.

1.   The first mark of a church that brings joy and peace is found in the Philippi church, a church that partners in the gospel (vv. 3-5)

³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…”

Paul first assures his readers that he thanks God for them, a pattern he follows in most of his letters to the churches.

He seems to have had an especially warm relationship with this church, that tone is obvious at the outset of the letter. By thanking God for them he stresses his personal devotion, the natural outflow from the heart of a deeply spiritual man to a people he loves and to whom he is devoted.

His prayer of thanksgiving for them was prompted by the joyous memory Paul had of his Philippian friends. He is grateful for the Philippians’ ongoing support of his ministry, which has extended from the establishment of the church until a decade later, citing their “…partnership in the gospel…”

He uses a common Koine Greek word translated “…partnership…” We are all familiar with it—κοινωνία (koinonia), meaning here “partnership” or “fellowship in the Spirit.” In this case, it means a deep fellowship of active participation, not just a passive association. As we will see later in this series in Philippians, the partnership between Paul and the church at Philippi involved financial support (Philippians 4:15-16), prayer (1:19), and even suffering for Christ (1:29-30).

The term “partnership” or “fellowship” expresses a two-sided relationship. It includes our participation in the life God wants for us (1Co 1:9; 1Jn 1:3), the sharing of a common faith as a group of believers, and also the existence of a brotherly relationship among believers (2Co 8:4; Gal 2:9; 1Jn 1:7). Evidently, this was the case between Paul and the Philippian church. Their partnership with Paul included financial support and their prayers for him and his ministry. Paul was filled with joy over their ongoing love for God, love for him, and for love for each other.

Paul recognized that the kind of fellowship or partnership between him and the Philippian Christians was not just a friendship, but a deep devotion that results in praying for, loving, and caring for each other.

Some Questions:

• How well are we actively partnering in the gospel?
• How are we doing in loving others as Jesus loves us? 
• How are we doing in praying for each other? ...praying for others here at Penney Retirement Community? …praying for the host of lost souls around us?
• How are we doing serving each other as each has needs?
• Do we visit the sick? …the folks who may feel forgotten?
• How are we doing in being kind and tenderhearted?
• How are we doing encouraging and comforting each other?
• How well are we doing building each other up?
• How well are we doing forgiving each other?
• Are we holding each other accountable in love and not merely judging?
• Do we share our excitement in the Lord with each other? …with others, including the lost?

2.     The second mark of a church that brings joy and peace is that the Philippian Christians were believers who shared with Paul in the grace of God (vv. 6-8)

⁶ …being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. ⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Paul first expresses confidence in God’s faithfulness— “…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…” (v. 6). The “…good work…” is a reference to their salvation and sanctification. Their faith in God produced their transformed lives by His work of regeneration and justification. Paul rejoiced in the Philippians’ generous gifts and the evidence of their spiritual growth. However, his confidence did not rest ultimately on them but on God, who would preserve them and was enabling them in their faith and their fellowship.

Paul continues, writing that God would carry His work in them on to completion “…until the day of Christ Jesus.,” a phrase that he uses six times in his epistles (1Corinthians 1:8; 5:5; 2Corinthians 1:14; Philippians 1:6, 10; 2:16). This expression is eschatological, a synonym of the “…day of the Lord…” in both the New and Old Testaments (1Thessalonians 5:2 and Amos 5:18-20), referring to the time when Christ returns, salvation will be finally completed, everyone's works will be examined, and believers will be rewarded.

An important thought we get from v. 7 is Paul’s deep affection for the Philippians, when he writes “I have you in my heart…” and in v. 8: “…how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”  In a sense they had become partners in his imprisonment and his current suffering, so close was the relationship and their love and care for him, and his love and desire to be with them.

Application: When we contemplate Paul’s statement that “…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…,” we know that our Lord is by grace shaping us into the image of Christ, and He won’t stop until the work is finished.

So, the question we must ask ourselves is:

How well am I trusting God to continue working in my life, to smooth those rough edges, and to make me more like Jesus?...a lessen I confess I have had to learn more than a few times in my Christian walk is that we rest in God’s faithfulness and not in our own ability to “fix” ourselves or “fix” others.

3.     And the third mark of a church that brings joy and peace is that we find in Philippi a church that grew in love and discernment (vv. 9-11)

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Paul prays for love to abound at the Philippian church. But not just every day, run-of-the-mill love. His prayer is for an ever-increasing love characterized by “…knowledge…” and “…depth of insight…,” also translated “discernment.” This love is not merely emotional but is informed by a deep understanding of God’s will.

Perhaps we could add to the meaning and call it moral depth of insight, because the phrase in v. 10 “…to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ…” suggests the ability to know and pursue what is truly morally right and pleasing to God. And he adds purity and blamelessness: Paul’s prayer points to our being ready “…for the day of Christ…” There is that bit of eschatology again—to strive to be pure and blameless for that future time when we will stand with other believers before our Savior and Lord.

And both now and in that future day, it is God’s will that we be “…filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ…” (v. 11), meaning the ethical and spiritual transformation that results from being united with Christ. Such “…fruit of righteousness…” not only glorifies God, but also enables His person and work to be seen in the ways we think, talk, and live.

Application

A healthy believer and a healthy church stand for truth in love, avoiding both harsh legalism and careless tolerance.

So my parting question is this:

As individuals, and as a body of believers, are we growing so increasingly we strive to meet our Lord’s standard: to be “…pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ…”?

Amen.