Philippians 1:2

The book of Philippians, for a few minutes, chapter 1, reading at verse 1. Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons, grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ, from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, for you all making request with joy. Now down the chapter to verse 27.

Only let your conversation, be your conduct or your manner of life, is the thought of the word I believe. Be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs that ye stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel. And be not terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God.

For unto you it is given on the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now are here to be. Now I'll stop before going a little into the second chapter to think a little bit about the background of Philippi. You have to go back to the book of the Acts, chapter 16.

Paul and Silas and others are in what would be present-day Turkey, laboring in the gospel, and Paul gets the vision in the night to come over into Macedonia, which was a part of what is known as Greece. And so obeying that word, they find themselves eventually in the city of Philippi. There are a few women that gathered on the seashore, or by the riverbank rather, for prayer, and he used the opportunity to present the gospel to them.

And the first mention of a lady who responded, as most of you have read it, was Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened. A few days later, as moving around in the city, there's a damsel, an unnamed young woman who was under the slavery of fortune, is a fortune teller of the masters, making much gain, and she followed Paul and Silas around, and you know the story, no doubt. Finally he rebukes the demons out of her and she's delivered.

But of course the outcome was a changed life. They ended up, as the Acts 16 relates, Paul and Silas that find themselves in prison. Not because in upholding, as it were, the favor of the master, but they defended the truth of the gospel.

So, of course, an earthquake came, and one night, as they're singing in the midnight hour, prayer and singing, and suddenly the doors of the jail or the prison are open. The jailer who had went to sleep for that evening awakens and he assumes, as you've read it, the prisoners have fled. Paul relates that we're all here, and that man convicted of his sin and guilt and unbelief, who had beaten those men, Paul and Silas, and their backs were bleeding, their feet held fast in the stock.

He came in before them and fell down and cried out, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And of course the answer was, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Now later in that chapter it relates, it tells in a few verses or two, he took them into his own home and washed their backs as far as the stripes and so on. And then you read that there was very shortly the jailer and the family believed in God with all their hearts.

They responded to the gospel, they were baptized as the scripture relates. So there was no doubt the beginning of what we're reading now in the Philippian epistle. And study Bibles will relate that to Mac 16, which Luke is the writer until this time of the writing here of Paul now in Rome as a prisoner, probably 10-12 years.

And so we've read the opening remarks of a functioning assembly. Timothy is with them. He greets all the saints in Christ Jesus there, verse 1 of chapter 1, with the bishops and deacons.

So they're seeking to function for the Lord. And of course I would take it or suggest that the adversaries were the enemies that had been opposing the truth and seeking to give, as it were, hinders of work. So he's encouraged them where we read at the end of the chapter, and to not be terrified with your adversaries.

There was a lot of price to pay in those days, and we've been hearing even of some of our brethren as parents or grandparents paid a price after listening to the gospel and trusting Christ and obeying the Lord in baptism and coming into fellowship. Pardon personal reference, I was saved in the month of August 1950. And probably six, seven weeks later on a Sunday evening, one of the, I called him an older brother, but he was only, I was 18 about nearly, he was 60.

He says, you're saved Robert. Yes, and he asked me a little bit about it. What about baptism? I made this remark, I suppose I should think about it.

I remember Fred Lakin putting his hand in my shoulder, Robert, there's no supposing about it. The Lord commanded it. So we remember with joy when approaching the assembly about fellowship, I can mention a couple of names are long gone to glory.

One last question, why do you want to be in the fellowship? My answer was I could then break bread, take the Lord's supper. Well, they says in the response, that's well and good, but there's far more involved as we've been reminded today. But I want to come to the thoughts here as Paul is writing these believers many years, at least 10 or 12 years later.

And he wants to encourage them because, you know, the honor of the Lord Jesus and in view and the truth of God. So in thinking of the words of encouragement there and the conflict, we don't pay in our day and age so much as mentioned the price. But we do know that there were parents and grandparents and honoring the Lord and obeying his word, especially when it came to baptism and fellowship, the local assembly is a price.

1952, I shared in meetings that Mr. Oliver Smith and Paul Elliot got me involved in their independence where we lived in the farm, the parents and the brethren had me go around joining them, inviting people. And I met a lady that when she found out who my father was, she says he was his best worker in the church and he left us. And she was says, I'm not coming to hear you because I don't think he did right.

Well, dad always was thankful. He saw the truth of coming to honor the Lord Jesus. Now time is moving.

Come to chapter two. If you've read the book, he speaks often about the mind. So beginning at verse one, I there, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercies, these are all blessings that they could experience as the children of God, consolation and encouragement and fellowship and so on.

Reading on, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind. Now he seemed to have learned that there was some strife and contention and envy in the background. Chapter one relates, even some had a wrong attitude in preaching the gospel or as it were above others, but be as that may.

His desires are joy that they might be like minded. So that would come back to the truth of the scripture, the oneness of mind, having the same love and of one accord. And if you read the book of the Acts, I think it's mentioned at least four or five times in the earlier chapters of one accord.

They were recognizing God's truth, honoring Christ and enjoying that which God had given them. So reading on, let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things.

In other words, don't be self-centered, but every man also on the things of others, because others have their cares and responsibilities. It's like the late Clay Wright used to tell about a man that said, I'm interested in me and myself, my wife and my son, John, as far as he would go in life, but be as it may. But now I want to come to this lovely portion beginning at verse five.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Now that's going back to pre-creation days. He was equal with the father, as we understand.

Verse seven, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Now in those verses, what a tremendous wealth of statement is related as to the person of Christ coming into this world.

Isaiah speaks of the perfect servant to do the father's will. And that of course takes us right into chapter 53, which God used even in my life to bring me to Christ. But we think of the Savior, though so high and lofty, leaving the ivory palaces, moving here as a perfect servant for his God, and then found in fashion as a man.

It's his coming into these days of flesh, as we know, and it's the world that would lead him to the place called Calvary. When you read these words, he humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. What an accomplished work that has brought you and I saved by the grace of God, delivered us from hell and ruin and despair, brought us, as we read in the Ephesians, accepted before God and the beloved, in whom we have redemption, even the forgiveness of sins.

But I'm reading on verse 9, wherefore God also has highly exalted him, given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. Men and women are going to bow to the person of Christ, either in lifetime and receive him as Savior and rejoice on it while they're bowing in heaven, as we know, the saints here on earth for every child of God here and elsewhere. And I would suggest that under the earth is the thought of the sinner leaving the world without salvation, of course.

He'll appear at the great white throne and bow to whom that Christ indeed was the Savior, the only one. And so he says, verse 11, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It's interesting in these epistles, whether it's the Philippians or other portions, how often the mind and the reader is turned to the person who paid the price for our redemption and the promise of the one who's soon to come.

So now verse 12, wherefore, my beloved, as you've always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Now he mentioned in chapter one that it was God that worketh in them, that it brought them to Christ. Now he's reminding them, as he's going to show that there's been a little undercurrent in the assembly, this is something to work out, taking care of the problem.

I met a man some years back way down in Baldwin City, Kansas, and of course he was stressing you had to work for salvation. And he referred to this verse here, he says, how did you read that verse? It says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. You're not working to be saved, it's a problem here.

It's not the salvation of the soul. It's a deliverance from strife and murmurings, as the portion goes on, and even the two women that are mentioned in chapter four. But the thought that I was thinking about that he says, it's God which worketh in you to do both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

So we look back in our own experiences and today, God has worked in your life and mine, has brought us to Christ. We're waiting for the Lord's return, the promise is sure, the prospect could be at any moment. But on the other hand, here we are, and he says, it's God that worketh in you to both to his will and do his good to his own pleasure.

Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may be blameless and harmless. Now that's not sinlessness. I remember they say Mr. Lakin in Waterloo, there was two young men in their 20s came to a Sunday night meeting.

And at the close of the meeting, by the bookstand, they were talking about some things that are making a little bit of a discussion about tonight. I just don't know all the really sensitive discussion, but Mr. Lakin, he took the glass of water that had been up at the podium, had been placed in the bookstand and he thought, he says, what would you say if I took this glass of water and threw it in your face? Because they were trying to produce a sinless perfection statement. And both those men blushed.

They knew that they would likely respond with a rather different thought. So the thought here is writing, we live in this world. We've been reminded and acknowledged there's no perfection now.

But nevertheless, when it comes to the truth of the scriptures and to bow to it, to be blameless and to be harmless, what's the purpose? We without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. So much in this world is contrary to what God demands or gives us to understand. And perverseness is occupying what the last expression of verse 15, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.

Darkness abounds on every hand as you and I understand. But I love verse 16, holding forth the word of life that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Paul's laying there in a Roman prison.

He's writing, occupying his time. God gave him to write these epistles. But he's thinking back there way years before the saints of Philippi.

And he's thinking, you're still seeking to hold forth the word of life. That's the gospel. And we always have joy when we hear a blessing or even a seed sown.

Mr. Elliott and I was at Blue River here some years ago, and we learned five years later that a man had gotten saved. And while he was here, never heard about it. Well, he's in heaven now, I'm sure, as a reality.

But nevertheless, it's God's work. But just reading on now, because Paul is looking forward to that day. He says, if I be offered upon the sacrifice, verse 17, the service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all.

In other words, the work goes on. Workmen are removed, older ones passed, but the work goes on until the day of Christ will come. And that is verse, as we have said, my rejoice in the day of Christ.

He's looking forward to the judgment seat, no doubt. That's not the great white throne. It's the day of reward for the believer.

Our lives will be gone into, as we've been reminded in these meetings today. So he says in verse 18, for the same cause also do you joy and rejoice with me. The word rejoice is found, I believe, about a dozen times in the book.

So Christians on the way to heaven ought to be happy. At least we need to show that. We'll have our cares, we'll have our difficulties, but nevertheless, we're waiting something that we wait.

He reminds and makes mention now, not only of himself, this chapter, after relating so highly of the Savior, speaks in verse 19, but I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state. Now he understood their standing for every true child of God, their standing in Christ, that's positional. But he wants Timothy to find out how they're doing, your state.

Are you enjoying what you have? And then at the close of the chapter, he mentions a man, verse 25, he had brought a little word to Paul in the prison in Rome, an interest showing on the behalf of the saints at Philippi. And the lovely things that he says in verse 25 about this brother, he says, my brother and companion in labor and fellow labor companion in labor and fellow soldier that your messenger and he that ministered to my wants for he longed after you all and was full of heaviness because he had heard that that he had heard that he had been sick. So it shows the interest that the apostle had not only as to his future path of service, but for these dear saints, as we consider the men that are mentioned in this lovely chapter and yet long gone to the glory, we think of our position here, 2017.

No doubt there'll be a gospel meeting tonight, but if the Lord be not come, we trust there'll be dear ones brought to Christ. And for the encouragement of seeking to honor him, it's our privilege and joy may be your exercises well for his name's sake.