Citizens: A Study On Philippians (Part 4)
July 5, 2020Citizens: A letter to the Philippians
(Part 4)
- We are in part 4 of our series on the letter to the Philippians
- If you missed last week… please go back and listen
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nqbF6l8z2M
- I believe in our day/age it is crucial to the cause of Jesus
- We talked about how Paul starts this letter… Grace and Peace
- My challenge to myself and all of us
- Paul starts all 13 letters by speaking grace and peace
- If it is that important… we should start our convos w/ the same
We left of last week in verse two (moving right along)
Phil. 1:3-6
[PRAY]
Story
It is amazing to have people in your life that care enough to pray 4 you
- I know many of you pray for me and my family
- I can’t thank you enough for those prayers
- B/C those prayers are an act of pure love
- And I think we find Paul as someone who does the same thing
- He says right out of the gate
- “Every time I think about you… I pray for you
Phil. 1:4
Now how can Paul say that… that he prays with JOY
- Because where is Paul while writing this – He’s in PRISON!!!
- And not an American prison – beds… gym… tv reruns from 80’s
- This is a ROMAN PRISON… no food… water… clothes
- Left to rot and die alone in the dark
- And Paul says: I always pray with Joy
- JOY?!?! That would be the last word on my lips
- Yet Paul is telling them how much joy their lives bring to him
- I have a hard time w/ how can Paul say that… so lets keep reading
Phil 1:5-6
Backstory
Paul is a Jewish rabbi… meaning his world view is Jewish 2 the core
- He is born and grows up in a city called Tarsis (Turkey)
- Tarsis has THE TOP university in the entire Roman Empire
- So Paul grows up around philosophers and professors
- And from a young age it is very obvious that Paul is very intelligent
- Paul is given opportunity of a lifetime to go down to Jerusalem
- Study under the most famous Rabbi of the day called Gamalial
- Meaning Paul knows the Old Testament better than anyone
- Paul would have memorized entire Old Testament (imagine)
- B/C of that Paul’s writings echo back to Genesis… Exodus…
- Paul is amazing at bringing to life the OT through Jesus
The way Paul writes – there are layers, play on words, illusions, hints
- Meaning its about “THIS” what’s on the surface
- But it’s also about “THAT”… what is underneath
- Which is why we are always asking “what is he really saying”
- So if u take that understanding – Aim it back at our text
Phil 1:6
- On the surface: God’s not done… at work in ur life… its not over
- But what is Paul saying UNDER the surface
If u were a 1st century Jew – 3 WORDS would pop off page at you
- BEGAN – GOOD – COMPLETION
- So lets turn back in time to the book of Genesis
Gen. 1:1
- The story begins with a CREATOR GOD WHO BEGAN a good work
Gen 1:10
Gen 1:12
Gen. 1:18
Gen 1:25
Gen. 1:31
Gen. 2:1 (sums it all up)
- Now back to Philippians… plug all that into Paul’s line in verse 6
- He who BEGAN (Think Gen 1:1 – In the beginning)
- A GOOD work (God calling all he had made “Good”)
- Carried on to completion (the heavens & earth are completed)
- What is Paul saying… he is saying that exact same creator God
- Who spoke the universe into being is at work in you
The life-giving, awe inspiring, over powering, creative bursting energy that made the universe, breathes life in ur lungs / pulsates thru ur veins
- Here is a picture of the adromina galaxy – Macbook desktop [PIC]
- How amazing it that… and who made it… God
- Where is God (at work)
- He’s at work in you
- Here is a picture of our own beautiful Sedona [PIC]
- The God who made those red rocks
- He is at work in me and you
- Let that sink in your mind… the God who made all of this
- He is at work in this church / in this city / in human history
- Paul says: He is alive… at work and will carry it on to completion
Paul sees creative evidence of God in ur past & future
Past – “ur partnership in the Gospel from the 1st day”
Remember how Paul starts the church a decade before this
- A jailer/slave/business woman
- Paul: He sees fingerprints of God all over their lives and story
- And he uses this word PARTNERSHIP – famous greek word Koininia
- Really means: Active participation or shared responsibility
- It was a business term for a BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP
- If u started a business w/ someone & put money together
- It was called Koininia (business partnership)
- Paul says we are in business together (the gospel)
- When I was about to die in prison all alone
- You gave me food/clothes/money
- Really means: Active participation or shared responsibility
Paul sees that as evidence not just of “nice” people
- But of the creator God at work IN and THRU the people
- The line “he who began a good work IN you”
- Can be translated “he who began a good work THRU you
- Paul can look back at the last 10 years relationship w/ church
- And he can see over and over God’s work shows up
- Look back at the last year of YOUR life
- In the moment… life can be very confusing
- But when I look back I see clearly how God was working
Tag: Paul sees the past as evidence that our creator is not far away
Future – Paul sees evidence of creator in the future
Phil 1:6
That phrase is also super loaded
- All over the OT they talk about “The Day of the Lord”
- It’s also called judgment day… which sounds super scary
- In Hebrew – Judgment day means to put the world to right
- And although it is intense… it’s also GOOD NEWS!
- Paul believed a day is coming that will conclude our reality
- Start a new reality where Jesus comes back to Earth
- Rights every wrong / destroys evil, injustice & even DEATH
- Ushers in a new reign of peace and harmony and righteousness
- Bible says the “GLORY” of God will cover the earth
- As the waters cover the sea
- In that day we will live in a world made new
What Paul does – Talks about this day… but swaps out Lord for Jesus
- Because to Paul – Jesus is Yahweh in flesh & blood
- To Paul the “Day of the Lord” was Initiated in the resurrection
- And that kingdom is here and now in “BITS AND PIECES”
- But it isn’t all the way here yet – it is coming in entirety
- Paul says… yes this is EVIDENCE right there
- When I looked back I see the fingerprints of God all over
- When I look forward I see the fingerprints of God all over
Because to Paul: Human history is always going somewhere
- And it isn’t random – Its on track to detonate at that “DAY”
- What a crazy thought… with the news where it is today
- Truth is that all of this is going somewhere
- There is a narrative arc to human history as a whole
- And Paul sees this as evidence
- Our creator is by no means done… he is working everywhere
- And creation is bursting at the seams for redemption
Now because Paul believes all that (past & future)
Phil. 1:4
If he didn’t believe God was still at work – He could never say that
- The guy in the physical has a really terrible life
- His churches all over are being attacked… friends killed
- But b/c he believes GOD IS NOT DONE… he can pray w/ JOY
2 thoughts on that line on JOY
1 – Lets talk about PRAYER for a few minutes – Why do we pray
- We pray because God started a good work… but its not done yet
- B/C there is a gap between: What is – What could be… Think of…
- Marriage: Gap b/w what it is (its great) and could be…
- Kids: Gap b/w what kids are (amazing) and could be…
- Church: Gap b/w what Jesus Church is and could be…
- B/C there is a gap between: What is – What could be… Think of…
- And prayer closes the gap… prayer pulls it all into one
- The danger talking on prayer (we all think: I should pray more)
- Problem is I think for many – reason prayer is area of weakness
- Its not because we are lazy
- Its not because you are bad
- I think its because our concept of prayer is off
- And we have misconceptions on prayer
ONE: We don’t believe that prayer can actually change anything
- Idea that many believe (teach) what’s gonna is gonna happen
- That mindset comes from Greek philosophy – Western theology
- In the secular world its called: FATE
- In the religious world its called: Sovereignty of God
- And don’t get me wrong: I believe God is sovereign (rules/reigns)
- But this idea that its already all be set in stone & has happened
- That is not found in the NT writings
- And it leads to: It’s gonna happen anyway so what does it matter
- Looking at Paul: His writings show that Jesus rules & reigns
- Paul doesn’t think… it’s gonna happen regardless of what I do
- Paul is a Jewish rabbi who prayers 3 times a day
- He actually believes that when he stops and prayers
- The creator of the cosmos stops and listens
- And when that prayer generated by the Spirit of God
- Lines up with what God is doing
- God steps in – responds – makes it happen
- That’s what Paul believes… and I need to believe
TWO: I actually believe that I CAN change things
- And there is some truth in that… I’m partnering with God/Spirit
- But if we think… I can change my kids/spouse/boyfriend/boss
- If I say the right things to my boss
- If I get my kids into the right environment
- If I make things easy enough for my wife
- But if we think… I can change my kids/spouse/boyfriend/boss
- And when it falls apart… and then u circle back & say: Ok lets pray
- I don’t know about you… I pray when I’m desperate/crisis
- We want to pray b/c something is really wrong
- When we are completely out of options
- But what if we started with prayer?!
- The VERY FIRST THING Paul says is “I am praying for you”
- I tend 2 end w/ prayer… meeting/convo/sermon
- It’s sorta like our wrap up
- What if we started with prayer…
- When we have to have a hard conversation…
- When we engage in differing points of view
- When we have been hurt or wronged…
- The VERY FIRST THING Paul says is “I am praying for you”
- I don’t know about you… I pray when I’m desperate/crisis
Do you think it would change things???
- This coming week… where is there a GAP in your life
- Where is there space b/w what is and what could be
- THIS WEEK… START WITH PRAYER
- And don’t do it just because you should (although that’s true)
- But do it because the creator of the universe stops and listens
- And then moves in response
2 – Lets talk about Joy
How do u get Joy in prison… let go… divorce… pandemic… kid hates God
- B/C Paul is able to say that he always prays with JOY
- And he goes on to use the word Joy 16 times in 4 chapters
- Joy is a theme… melody throughout all of this letter
- And we will learn over all our studies – All kinds of stuff about JOY
- How to live with Joy
Here is one: If you want to live with joy… BELIEVE
- Believe that God started a good work… and its not over yet
- And even believe that “the best is yet to come”
- Because with Jesus… the best is always yet to come
- Believe that – because Paul does… either that or he’s crazy
- In chapter 4 – 2 members of the church can’t stand each other
- There are whispers of a church split
- Paul isn’t worried… they are just works in progress
- God isn’t done with either of them
- In ch 3 – Talks of these legalists that hate grace/love works
- Paul isn’t worried… I know the Philippians
- God is at work in you… story is still being written
- And I am confident in what God’s up to… he started it
- In chapter 4 – 2 members of the church can’t stand each other
Paul is the ultimate optimist (diff b/w idealism and optimism)
- Idealism is when you are obsessed with perfection
- And its setup 4 failure b/c life is not ideal… never good enough
- Your marriage isn’t perfect
- Your job isn’t perfect
- Your church isn’t perfect (God’s at work.. but not ideal)
- Why idealism always leads to depression
- Because you will keep getting disappointed
- And its setup 4 failure b/c life is not ideal… never good enough
- Contrast that with optimism… or HOPE
- Hope is honesty about life – it’s hard but the tomb is empty
- And because Jesus is alive… anything is possible
Author: Im not an optimist or pessimist… Jesus Christ is risen from dead
- I have to constantly remind myself of that… we live in a story
- And that story isn’t over yet… I’ve read the ending… its good
- Jesus back with his kingdom – no more bad stuff – I’m there
- So maybe there are parts of my story that are pretty dark
- But what makes a story good… conflict
- You learn that in elementary school (protagonist/antagonist)
- You are not at the end… you are a work in progress
- Your life… body… progress… understanding… its all in front of u
- Get your eyes up on the horizon – Look to Jesus and his future