DAY #291: Philippians 1:1-30

Paul had arrived in Rome around a.d. 59 and had spent two years under house arrest. The letter to the Philippians was probably written toward the end of Paul’s imprisonment there, in a.d. 61.

Every time Paul thought about the Philippians, he gave thanks to God for them. The Philippian church had brought Paul much joy and little pain. Some of the churches had developed severe problems, and Paul’s letters had focused on dealing with the problems. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, while mentioning some concerns and giving some advice, could be considered a beautiful thank-you note for their unwavering commitment to Christ.

These believers held a special place in Paul’s heart. As Paul sat imprisoned in Rome, he knew that the Philippians suffered as well because of their deep concern and love for him. Paul knew that the church was constantly praying on his behalf, and he on theirs.

Paul prayed that the Philippians would be pure. The Philippians’ transformation should be so thorough that the resulting purity could pass the toughest scrutiny—the light of God’s judgment.

Paul also prayed that they would be blameless. The Greek word also means “not causing others to stumble.” Believers ought to be blameless with God and with people.

Finally, Paul prayed that the believers would be filled with the fruit of their salvation—that “fruit” being all of the character traits flowing from a right relationship with God.

To those who don’t believe in God, life on earth is all there is, and so it is natural for them to strive for this world’s values—money, popularity, power, pleasure, and prestige. For Paul, however, living was for Christ—Paul’s life focus was to develop eternal values and to tell others about Christ, who alone could help them see life from an eternal perspective.

With that attitude, dying would not be a tragedy but, instead, a realization of Paul’s hope and expectation. To live would continue Paul’s ministry of spreading the gospel; to die would be even better because Paul’s martyrdom would glorify Christ and bring him face to face with the Savior.

While Paul felt confident that God still had work for him on earth, he did not know for sure the outcome of his trial. So he urged the Philippians that whether he would return to them or whether he would be martyred, they would live in a manner worthy of the Good News. Paul called them citizens of heaven, and said they should live that way.

Being a believer is indeed a high calling. To live worthy of the Good News does not mean that one must live perfectly before being accepted into God’s family—for such a life is impossible outside of the Holy Spirit’s help. Instead, believers ought to live differently because of the grace they have received. When we believe, we become God’s children, heirs of his promises, and members of Christ’s body. And this privilege was bought at a price—the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Believers ought to reflect humility, gentleness, patience, understanding, peacefulness, strength, endurance, and gratitude to God in every aspect of their lives on earth.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Divorce, kids gone wild, unemployment, some personal moral failure – doesn’t life just kick the joy right out of you sometimes? Aren’t there times when you feel like, “I’d like to feel some joy? I’d like to have the confidence that God will take care of me, but there’s this doctor bill, this broken relationship, this thing or that thing and I can’t ever seem to turn the corner”

In Philippians Paul is saying, “Do you want to live a life of joy? Here’s how. Are you missing out on joy in your life as a believer? Here’s why.” Here’s the answers that you and I need.

So we’re on the same page, let me share with you Webster’s definition of Joy. The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or by good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.

Now, there are some truths in that definition. It’s a definition that goes along a lot with what the Bible says joy is. There is an emotion that goes along with joy. We’ve all felt it. And joy does come in our lives when we have the prospect of possessing what we desire. No doubt about it.

But I would submit this to you today – even when you possess that which you desire, joy runs out so many times. Joy seems so fleeting. What's the answer? Folks, the secret to joy is changing your desires, recognizing a new desire for God's things to come into our lives. Let me share with you now what God’s perspective on joy is.

Joy is God using our imperfect circumstances to work His perfect will into our lives. Me knowing that, seeing that, recognizing that – that’s what overwhelms my life with joy.

Psalm 19:8 says, “The precepts of the Lord are right. They give joy to the heart. And the commands of the Lord are radiant. They give light to the eyes.” You know what that verse is saying? God's principles – found in the Bible - result in joy.

I was sitting in a worship service like this 25+ years ago – I was kind of bummed about life. Sharon and I were young, married just a few years. Finances were tight, we were both working full time, both going to college full time, both working in the ministry full time. Sharon was playing college on the college tennis team and I was coaching high school football. we were tired & worn out.

To be honest, I was a little disillusioned by life. I was wondering where God was and in this worship service I heard our pastor give his own personal definition of Joy – Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last. It was like the light bulb went off in my head. God was saying to me - " Pedlowe, get your focus of your stress and off your busy schedule and off your lack of finances and get your focus on Me and get your focus on others. When you do that, watch how I flood your life with joy."

Let me ask you, as you read a book like Philippians, it’s filled with so much joy where do you think Paul was when he wrote this book of the Bible? Maybe he was on some beach back in Hawaii or something. Wouldn’t that be great just to be setting there on the beach watching the waves? But he wasn’t there.

Or maybe he was up in the mountains somewhere. He’s just sort of hanging out up in the mountains watching what God has made. Wouldn’t it be great to have this incredible view as you were thinking about what God has made? Maybe he was out on the golf course. Maybe the real expressions of joy came in when he made a hole in one. Maybe that’s where that verse came from.

It wasn’t a beach that he wrote from. It wasn’t the mountains that he wrote from and it wasn’t a golf course that he wrote from. Paul wrote this book, the most amazing book about joy, from a prison in Rome. He was behind prison bars. In the history of the Bible and also in the early church reveals to us that it was a lonely time in his life when many people abandoned him. How does that feel? When many people came up against him even at this difficult time in his life.

The prison’s back then were horrible, terrible places. They looked like caves. And from this circumstance the Holy Spirit uses the Apostle Paul to write a book about genuine joy. He’s got the right to say something about it. Joy in spite of and even through the circumstances in our lives.

He starts the letter with a talk about how to find joy in any relationship. Philippians 1. You might be thinking of that one relationship in your life that constantly steals joy. How do you find joy there? God through Paul has a message for us - a very simple message.

BE THANKFUL FOR THE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE.

Paul writes and says “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

If you go read in the book of Acts you can read about the first day in Philippi when the church started. So we know some of the people that Paul was thanking God for. Paul was thanking God for a jailer who almost took his life. Remember the story. Paul was in the prison and he prayed and God set Paul free and the jailer thought “I’m going to be killed. I may as well kill myself.” And Paul stopped him. He and all his household were saved and baptized. Paul said, “I thank God for that jailer.” He was the guy who imprisoned me but he came to Christ.

You know also that Paul was thanking God for a woman who was possessed by a demon, who early in the church at Philippi was saved and God released her from that possession.

You know also that Paul was thanking God for a woman by the name of Lydia, a businesswoman. She used her house to start the church at Philippi. Paul thought back about the people that God had used in that church and thought, “I want to thank God for those people and what they’ve done.”

When was the last time you thanked God for another person? When was the last time you had a conscious thought, “I really thank God for that person.”? That’s one of the secrets to joy. If you start leaving that out of your life, the joy is gone. One of the real secrets to magnifying joy for me and for you both is thanking God for other people. And yet that’s tough to do. Sometimes we get so focused in on ourselves.

1 Thessalonians 3:9 (NIV) says, “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” Would you pause for a moment this morning and thank God for some of the people in your life today?