Scripture reading: Philippians 1:1-6.

Sermon text: Philippians 1:7-11.

Today, we begin a journey through St. Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers. St. Luke recorded the founding of the Philippian church in Acts 16. St. Paul went to Philippi on his second missionary journey. While there, Lydia became the first recorded Gentile believer in Europe. Unfortunately, St. Paul and Silas also suffered a beating and imprisonment while in the city. Their imprisonment led to the conversion of their jailer and his family to the faith.

Philippians is a unique letter in Paul’s writings because of the lack of controversy in the letter. Paul apparently had no major issues to address in the Philippian church. The Philippians had apparently sent a gift to Paul by Epaphroditus, who became ill on the trip (2:25-30). St. Paul wrote this letter c. A.D. 60 while under house arrest in Rome.

The Philippian letter continues to speak to the Church today. As we read this letter, we should experience the joy of St. Paul as he remembered the church that had cared enough about him to minister to him in his imprisonment.

St. Paul opened this letter with his typical opening statement. First, he told them the identity of the author; in this case, St. Paul included Timothy, his young protege, in his salutation.

St. Paul then included his typical blessing: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This blessing resemble the typical Greek opening to a letter (“grace”), but St. Paul transformed it with by adding, “peace.” St. Paul understood the necessity of grace in his life and in the lives of the believers to whom he wrote. While the grace of God means everything to us, knowing we have peace with God increases the joy we experience in our relationship with Him.

When St. Paul mentioned “peace,” he included the connotation of the Hebrew word for peace. “Peace” in the Hebrew language implied wellness and wholeness. Those who live in relationship with God through their confession of Christ as Lord of their lives experience the wholeness and healing of that relationship.

St. Paul then thanked God for the Philippian church for their “partnership in the gospel” even in his imprisonment. In Roman times, the state rarely provided for prisoners; this was left to the family of the prisoner. In St. Paul’s case, his support came from his spiritual family. The Philippian church had sent a  costly gift to St. Paul to provide for him  as he awaited his appeal to Nero.

St. Paul then stated a tremendous wish for the Philippians: “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

St. Paul had started this church on his missionary journey. He had presided at the conversion of its first believers. However, St. Paul understood that he had not begun anything in these people. He had taught them, but he had not brought them to life spiritually. When the Holy Spirit drew these people to God, He began to work. The Holy Spirit begins working in our lives at our conversions. However, He doesn’t stop working in this life. Salvation is not a moment in our lives; it is a process by which God calls us to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and then live within that allegiance. As the Holy Spirit works in us, He sanctifies us — sets us apart — for His work. This sanctification takes a lifetime, and it is not a process we can do without the work of the Holy Spirit.

St. Paul could feel this way about the Philippian believers because he had seen the evidence of grace in their lives. They had participated with him in his imprisonment by their sacrificial gift to him. They also participated in his “defense and confirmation of the gospel.” The Philippians’ gift made it possible for St. Paul to minister to others in Rome.

Although St. Paul continued his ministry even under house arrest, he still “yearned” for the Philippians “with the affection of Christ Jesus.” We all know affection; we experience it toward others and enjoy it when it is expressed toward us. However, when the Holy Spirit lives within us, He enhances this emotion. When we love people as Jesus loves them, we experience the joy of sacrificial, selfless love, the love Jesus demonstrated when He died on the cross for our sins.

This love demonstrates the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is one expression of the Holy Spirit’s work in us. However, the Holy Spirit also works in other ways as we grow as believers in Christ.

St. Paul prayed that the Philippians’ “love may abound more and more.” This phrase tells us much about the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. First, the word St. Paul used for “love” is the Greek word “agape.” This word refers to a godly love possible only by God and those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. Secondly, St. Paul used the verb “abound.” In the Greek, the verb he uses refers to an excess of something. St. Paul wanted the Philippians to possess an excess of godly love toward each other and toward unbelievers.

St. Paul also prayed that the Philippians’ love may abound “with knowledge and all discernment.” St. Paul wanted the Philippians to comprehend and then act on the love of God in their lives. As God’s love for us abounds in our lives, it must spread into our actions and thoughts toward others.

However, this requires discernment, and discernment requires wisdom. We must have wisdom to discern what God wants us to do when we minister to others. St. Paul said the same to the Philippians: “so that you may approve what is excellent.” St. Paul desired that the Philippians would settle only for the best in life. When we help others, we should do so according to God’s commands and His desires for their lives and ours.

How do we know what will fulfill God’s desires? St. Paul continued by encouraging the Philippians to “be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” St. Paul had already written to the Galatian church about the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The fruit of the Spirit — the results of His work in our lives — will bring glory to God’s name and lead others to praise Him for our presence in their lives.

Does this passage speak to us today? Actually (and I know this doesn’t surprise you), I believe this passage speaks volumes to the Church today.

First, we see St. Paul’s reliance on grace. St. Paul never forgot that he did not deserve God’s forgiveness for his sins and his wrongs against others. None of us deserves this grace. However, God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins with His death and to conquer death for us through His resurrection. Therefore, we can have peace with God in spite of our sinfulness when we confess Jesus as Lord, believing in His resurrection (cf. Romans 10:9-10).

We also see an important reality of that relationship with God. The relationship begins at our confession, but it continues to grow for the rest of our lives. When I first met my wife in college, we knew nothing about one another. We’ve now known each other nearly 24 years. In that time, we’ve come to know practically everything about each other. As our relationship has matured, it has deepened and strengthened.

For too many years, many in the Church have treated salvation as a one-time event rather than as a continual process. True salvation manifests itself in a deepening relationship with God through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit begins working within us at our conversion, but He continues to work until “the day of Jesus Christ,” the day when Jesus returns to earth to judge the universe (cf. Philippians 2).

This process includes concrete demonstrations of God’s presence in our lives. It includes the consistent demonstration of a godly love toward others. It includes a desire for godly wisdom to know how best to serve others. The Church has always held those it helps to a godly standard, knowing that merely helping the physical needs will never fill the true need of a person’s life: Peace with God, the Creator. The results of our love for others will always bring honor and glory to God.

Do you know God? If so, love others and serve them in His name to bring glory to Him. If you have never started a relationship with God, come to know the peace of a relationship that begins with your confession of Jesus as Lord. God has never left a Christian unfinished. He will continue to work in our lives to prepare us for a glorious eternity.