A Personal Letter

In Philippians chapter 1, Paul addresses his letter to all the saints in Philippi.

That means to all the believers who have burned their bridges behind them and there is no longer an attachment to the world system and now living as citizens of the kingdom of God's amazing reality as believers in Jesus Christ. Those who are born-again or sings in God's kingdom. Welcome to the Tuesday edition of Renewing Your Mind. This week we are featuring the latest series from regular teaching fellow, Dr. Steven Lawson. It is an exposition of Paul's letter to the church at Philippi and today were going to learn about the grace and peace that is made available to God, since I don't take your Bible and turn with me to the book of Philippians Philippians chapter 1 and working to begin our verse by verse journey through this extraordinary book and were barely to be able to put our towing the water and in this session, I would begin by reading the first two verses, Paul and Timothy, bond servants 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 is always an exciting thing to receive a letter from someone whom you admire greatly. I think I still have every letter RC scroll ever sent to me and I can tell if RC signed it, or if Vesta signed it, but those are cherished possessions to me because RC meant so much to me.

I have almost every letter that John MacArthur is ever sent me because he means so much to me as a spiritual leader and mentor.

I have a letter that the Billy Graham sent to me and I framed it years ago and we just see it there, hanging on the wall.

It was so dear to my heart and probably the most exciting letter ever received was from Jamesburg. Every boy's.

I had invited him when I was a young preacher in my early 30s to come preach in my tiny little church and I could not believe the day that my secretary and two other pastors came walking into my study holding this letter. This envelope up and shaking it and saying it's here and I looked at it and there's the 10th Presbyterian Church and I was scared to open it because I thought maybe he would decline and I read this letter and he said that he would come.

I can't tell you how elated I was to have this letter with his signature on all imagine as exciting as that is.

Imagine being the Philippians, and receiving a personal letter from none other than the apostle Paul himself. This letter would have been brought from Paul who was in Rome all 800 miles by Mande McCaffrey died us to the church and the church would've all gathered around and one of the leaders in the church would've stood up with this letter and read the letter to the church and you can just imagine their faces of excitement as the apostle Paul is actually calling them by name. The church in Philippi and what he has to say to them, as he expresses his deep love and affection for them. They must of been in a stand that he remembers us he he he knows all about us.

So as we look at this letter. Think of this is a very personal letter that this letter didn't go out to whosoever that this letter had their name written on it and it was a special correspondence for them to listen to these first two verses as we just can begin to work away and into this letter. I have several headings and I want to know. First, the servants, the servants, but Paul begins by identifying himself as the author of this book. Paul is here. John MacArthur site of stop right there with her one word into this letter in typical fashion. In this day. The author of a letter would put his name first we have the total opposite.

We would put our name last.

Which makes no sense whatsoever when someone calls me on the phone I want to chitchat. I have no idea who I'm talking to. I want to know who you are before we have this conversation and that's what Paul is doing here as was the custom of the day his Hebrew name was Saul, his Greek name is Paul and of course we know all about Paul and he knew he was the apostle to the Gentiles. He was the author of 13 letters in the New Testament, inspired letters, and he was arguably the greatest Christian who ever lived to the dispute that he was a missionary, a trailblazer, a church planter, a preacher, a pastor and itinerant evangelist theologian par Exelon's teacher. Paul was a towering figure in the first century church and just think about Paul.

He's the last person we would expect because River he was a persecutor of the church and here he is now writing this letter of joy to the church. He was born a Roman citizen in Tarsus.

He was raised as a Pharisee maybe was a Hebrew of Hebrews highly skilled in Jewish law and tradition. He was trained at the feet of Gamaliel and possessed a genius mind and a resolute will and he was converted on the Damascus road and immediately he began to preach Jesus and the Jewish synagogues as the Messiah. He was persecuted by the Jews. He was alone in the Arabian desert, where he was personally discipled by Jesus Christ himself, returned to Damascus for three years went to Jerusalem returned to Tarsus where he was summoned by Barnabas to come help with the work in Antioch and he goes to Antioch and his prowess as a teacher and a preacher was so obvious that he becomes the chief speaker and Barnabas becomes more of a backup supporter in the spirit of God while he was there at Antioch set him apart to the work of being a missionary on his first missionary journey went through this, the region of Galatia, and on his second missionary journey. He comes to Philippi and is the founding pastor of this church. He continues that second missionary journey because our third missionary journey during which he returns to Philippi, probably twice. He then travels to Jerusalem where he was arrested and tried before the Sanhedrin and before two Roman governors and he appeals to the Roman authorities in Rome so he is sent to Rome, and that is where he is as he is riding this letter what life what a ministry. Nothing compares with the life that is given to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an adventure every day to be on the cutting edge of ministry wherever it is the Lord has placed us and Paul had that in fullest measure and we we see here that he also has Timothy with him. He was a supporter of Paula's son in the face a travel assistant a cherished companion, and it will be to Timothy that Paul write to inspired letters first and second Timothy and please note how he identifies himself or themselves bond servants of Christ Jesus. He identifies the Philippians as saints but very humbly refers to himself as bond servants are probably aware, that's just really a bad translation into the English Bible is the Greek word to loss the means slave.

It is not as it translated slave because of the cultural stigma of slavery in the English-speaking world, but let me just tell you this is not a bondservant as a slave and there's a world of difference between being a bondservant being a slave, a bond servants heart is beginning the day he can come back tomorrow if he wants his got his own life, his own house, his own family he he's a hireling but a slave is someone who's been bought with a price. He now is the purchased property of the master and he spends his time living in the master's house and he gives his entire life to serve the master has no life outside of serving his master, whatever he needs his master will provide for him and he is to live his life in dutiful obedience to his master slave again has been bought at a great price. That's how Paul sees himself. That's how you and I must see ourselves we are slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ. We just tell you no slave ever had a better master than what we have that he bought us at the price of his own shed blood. He redeemed us at the cross, so we no longer belong to ourselves that we belong to Christ in her whole life now is given to serve our master, the Lord Jesus Christ and we are under his Lordship and we serve at his bidding. We go where he sends us. We do what he requires of us and our greatest pleasure is found in pleasing him. That's what it is to be a slave. We would weed we wouldn't no longer do we live our own agenda. No longer do we live to do what I want to do when I want to do it how I want to do it. We now live every moment of every day to serve our master Jesus Christ. So this is quite a quiet beginning to this book. Those are the servants Paul and Timothy, bond servants of the Lord Jesus Christ slaves the second on to note the saints goes on to say in verse one to all the saints in Christ Jesus, who are in Philippi. Every true believer in Jesus Christ is a saint. The word St. simply means a set apart 11 who's been made holy enters with a negative and a positive to this being set apart with been set apart from something and set apart unto something we have been set apart from this evil world system. We no longer a part of the world we live in the world were just not of the world and we have been set apart from Satan's kingdom of darkness. We been set apart from living a life that was self consumed a life in pursuit of the pleasures of sin, we been set apart from the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life we been set apart unto God and unto the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what it means to be a saint. There's been a dramatic break from our past and now a decisive beginning of a whole new life as new creatures in Christ Jesus, so he writes this to all the saints that that means to all the believers who have burned their bridges behind them and there is no longer an attachment to the world system and now living as citizens of the kingdom of God. You notice he says the saints. He identifies them spiritually, as in Christ, he identifies them geographically, as in Philippi, and so this is a way that Paul often describes believers and saints as being in Christ, we are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are in communion with Christ now. These saints are in Philippi now Philippi was a very important city in eastern Macedonia which is in today Northeastern Greece was strategically placed on one of the most important highways that ran through Asia minor and it was a Roman colony and the citizens of Philippi had the same legal statuses.

Those who live in the cities and in Italy and in the Roman empire, so they had special privileges and the Roman culture was very present there in Philippi, so much so that was called little Rome. It had Roman architecture that they dressed in Roman style of dress even spoke Latin as did many in In re Rome. Along with speaking Greek and so Paul on his second missionary journey, came to Philippi. Paul had only so much time so we went to the major cities in that part of the world to strike a blow for the kingdom of God he can reach a major city, it will send a ripple effect to the entire region is why Paul want to go to Rome to preach the gospel, which would be the nerve center for the entire Roman Empire, so he comes to Philippi on his second missionary journey and there he preaches the gospel and you know the story churches spontaneously supernaturally suddenly planted as under the preaching of the gospel souls were saved. Lydia Philippian jailer.

Both are households others. In fact, a riot even broke out in town over Paul's preaching and so the church in Philippi had become very special to the Paul and he he had a very endearing relationship with them and so is he writes this letter.

Fond memories are he carries in his mind regarding them now slips third at the shepherds.

He goes on in verse one and he he says, including the overseers and deacons and this gives us some idea of church government in the first century. These overseers were the elders will notice is plural. There is a plurality of overseers over this one church in in Philippi. The word overseer speaks to their management of ministry. The word elder speaks of their own maturity that they are to be those who are advanced in their walk with the Lord. So overseer and Elder are all the same, and they are to shepherd the flock and so that speaks of their ministry. So those three titles overseer Elder Pastor all speak of one and the same person here. The emphasis is upon being and overseer of ministry meaning a superintendent of the affairs of the church and they oversaw the church's doctrine. They oversaw the churches ministries they oversaw the churches finances and they oversaw the churches direction.

That's what elders do they oversee the work of the church that doesn't belong to the congregation that belongs to the spiritual leaders of the church and so no church will ever be any stronger than his spiritual leadership.

No church will rise any higher and its effectiveness than the spiritually minded overseers who set the agenda and model godliness in the life of the church and nothing will hold a charge back more than having unqualified overseers giving leadership, and then he adds, and deacons, and so this intentional mention of deacons shows how important their ministry is as well. Now they do not oversee in a managerial way they really come alongside the elders and take care of what we would say more physical matters and duties in the church.

They really the word the Akhenaton's means that like a table waiter or an attendant and what would be like a restaurant for us lately serve the the needs of the saints in the church and sometimes it deals with those who are elderly.

Sometimes it deals with those who are going through difficult time and needing practical needs and so this church in Philippi is already set up and functioning as a church is to be led. The last thing I want you to notice a salutation that's in verse two and Paul now issues. This common greeting as he does in almost all of his epistles. He says Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This dual greeting is a request for them that they would know a greater measure of God's grace and a deeper measure of God's peace in their lives. When he says, grace to you. He is not talking about saving grace there already saved by the mere fact in the previous verse he called them saints that already set apart unto the Lord Jesus Christ. They are in union with Christ. So what does he mean here and he says, grace to you and peace will grace refers to divine enablement.

Grace refers to God-given ability and strength, empowering to live the Christian life refers to sanctifying grace to be more like Christ. It refers to serving grace to serve Christ he refers to strengthening grace to endure for Christ all the way down the dying grace to go be with Christ. I mean every step of the Christian life is live by grace and by grace alone, enabling grace, energizing, empowering, grace, equipping grace. The apostle Paul would say in first Corinthians 15, nine and 10. I am what I am by the grace of God and you are what you are, by the grace of God the grace that God supplies moment by moment Jesus said in John 15 verse five.

Apart from me you can do nothing, nothing of any eternal lasting significance, but Paul will go on to sign this letter I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

And so when pulses, grace to you. It is his pastoral heart asking on their behalf that God would pour out greater grace in their life.

None of us have arrived and we all need more grace to live the Christian life and his grace is all sufficient.

There is nothing to which God will ever call you to do, but that his grace is able to enable you to fulfill that task. In this so important that this entire book ends in Philippians 4 23 x 6 by Paul saying the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. So these are the bookends around the whole book of Philippians, grace to you and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit and everything in between is to be presumed that it is all by grace now.

He also says and peace and peace here refers not to what we call objective piece which is peace with God that is Artie taken place in the act of justification, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans five verse one. This is subjective peace. This is the peace of heart.

This is the calmness in the stillness of heart in the midst of the storms of life that only God himself can give any says all this grace and all this peace comes notice that the universe two from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ and want to say again all grace and all peace comes exclusively from the father and the son. This world will never give you any piece in this world will never give you any grace.

It comes from another world. It comes from the throne of God above and peace when he says, from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This does stress number one the deity of Christ that this comes from both the father and the son is speaks to their co-equality within the Trinity. And it also speaks of the sufficiency of their grace and peace that comes from both persons of the Trinity E it's almost like grace and peace are like oceans of God supply and they are mediated to us from the father through the son, and it just comes pouring into our lives. So this is what you and I need experience in our Christian lives is grace and peace.

We need a greater grace as we face life's challenges and we need a greater peace.

As we go through adversity in his supply far exceeds whatever name you and I will ever have is Dr. Steven Lawson covering just two verses from Paul's letter to the Philippians would lead you George's today for Renewing Your Mind as we continue Dr. Lawson series rejoice in the Lord and 24 messages.

Dr. Lawson covers every verse in Paul's letter of joy would like to send you this six DVD set, just give a donation over getting about to leave your ministries when you call us at 800-435-4343. You can also go online to make a request at Renewing Your Mind.Ward certainly one of the keys to rejoicing in the Lord is remembering that he who began a good work in us to bring it to completion is not a superficial work that lays on the outside of a person's life is down in the depths of the soul is down in the interior of a person's spirit. That's where God does his work in us and he says he will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus, I hope you'll join us tomorrow for you and your mind