This is God's Love | Philippians 1:1-11
1. love, truth and power will transform your life.
Philippi was the capital city (leading city) of Macedonia, with the majority population being lower-class, blue-collar workers with mostly peasant farmers, slaves and service providers (trades/ merchants). It was approx. 10,000-15,000 in population, 40% were Roman Citizens and 60% non-roman citizens who were Greek speakers. This meant they had a ton of Romans and Greeks and both cultures were mixing, this is called Hellenization or Hellenistic people. There was a small number of Jews, it was mostly Roman and Greek city, the city did not look at the Jews fondly. Philippi in Macedonia had numerous false gods including Artemis, fortune tellers, and a large imperial cult that worshiped the assassinated Julius Caesar
The situation with Paul and Timothy supporting this church in Phillipi is amazing. The Church in Philippi amid persecution. God is building His church, and we see the church expanding across the region. Paul writes to this church with a fervent love and thanksgiving.
“Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.”
--Philippians 1:1-5
Paul’s journey both with God and this church is amazing. Paul used to be Saul—the greatest enemy of early Christians.
a). Saul watched Stephen’s death in Acts 7. Saul witnessed the first martyr, the first Christian who was killed with Jesus’ gospel truth.
“When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!’ Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them!’ Having said this, he fell asleep.”
--Acts 7:58-60
b). Saul meets Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), becomes blind and has Ananias pray for him. He is healed and starts following Christ. Luke changes his name to Paul in Acts 13:9. Then on his second missionary journey he plants the church in Philippi; he then visits Philippi on his third missionary journey. This was the first church planted in Europe.
Paul’s custom was to go to the synagogue whenever he first arrived in a new city, but in Philippi, apparently, there was no synagogue, and he went to the river where he knew that Jews would be worshipping (Acts 16:11-5). There Paul met Lydia, a Gentile who became the first Christian convert in Europe: “One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized,
Lydia’s conversion was the first of three significant events associated with the beginning of the church in Philippi. The second was the exorcism of demons from a slave girl, which resulted in Paul and Silas being thrown into prison (Acts 16:16–24). The third important event was the conversion of the Philippian jailer and his family (Acts 16:25–40).
This church would grow even in persecution, even when surrounded by all these false gods, Artemis and Caesar and the fortune tellers. This church would remain unified in the gospel of Jesus Christ planted by one of God’s greatest former enemies. God took the greatest enemy of the church and changed His life to become the champion for His church—God transforms lives.
“The Gospel is open to all; the most respectable sinner has no more claim on it than the worst.”
--Martin Lloyd Jones
“From the time it was established, the church at Philippi was healthy, strong, and generous, becoming a model church that only experienced minor problems of disunity (Philippians 4:2–7). After the apostolic age, the early church father Ignatius traveled through Philippi, and Polycarp wrote a famous letter to the church there.”
--GotQuestions.org
- When we worship God, when we are doers of His word, loving each other will be easier. The Church will endure suffering through our love for Christ and each other.
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
--Philippians 1:6-8
“Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.’”
--John 13:33-35
“It is a glorious revelation of how life in fellowship with Christ triumphs over all adverse circumstances. The triumph, moreover, is not that of [enduring pain and hardship without showing one’s feeling or complaining]. It is rather the recognition of the fact that all apparently adverse conditions are made allies of the soul and ministers of victory, under the dominion of the Lord.”
--G. Campbell Morgan
Stoical: enduring pain and hardship without showing one's feelings or complaining.
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”
--James 1:21-22
- A loving Church will preserve God’s truth and preach a biblical Jesus; a loving church tells the truth in love.
“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
--Philippians 1:9-11
Paul is ending his greeting by reminding this church how to stay the course. How to abound in Christ’s love for one another and how to remain in full worship to Christ. How do we operate in Christ’s holiness? How do we do what Christ has called us to do? We worship Jesus, we teach the correct knowledge of His word and use strong, discernment to make sure we are in line with God’s word.
“That your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.” ἐπίγνωσις epígnōsis, ep-ig’-no-sis; recognition, i.e. (by implication) full discernment, acknowledgement:—(ac-)knowledge(-ing, - ment). Precise and correct knowledge of the divine.
Discernment: αἴσθησις aísthēsis, ah’-ee-sthay-sis; from perception, not only by the senses but by the intellect, i.e. (figuratively) discernment:—good judgement.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
--Matthew 5:13-16
How does Christ’s light shine through us? Paul makes it very clear where righteousness comes from…
“…in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
--Philippians 1:10-11
“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ…Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”
--Romans 12:3-5,9
“Where sin meets grace and darkness turns to light, we see what love can bear and be and do. And here our Saviour calls us to his side, His love is free, his arms are open wide.”
--Malcolm Guite