Introduction

Our passage today is Philippians, chapter 1. We are going to look at the first couple of verses specifically, but to set those verses in their context, we will read the entire chapter:

Philippians 1

It is interesting to think about how people go about writing letters. We all know that letters are written in various ways, depending upon how well we know the person, how close we are to them, what the purpose of the letter is, and things like that. The same thing is true in letters that we find recorded in the New Testament. As we all know, some twenty-one books in the New Testament are actually not books at all, but are really letters written to individuals or to groups. The tone of these letters varies with the relationship of the writer to the recipients and with the purpose for which these letters were written.

Brief Overview of the Chapter

The first chapter of the letter of Philippians which we just read together shows a warm, affectionate relationship between Paul and the Philippians. That is the reason we have read it in its entirety even though we are not going to look at it in its entirety. You can see, in reading through the chapter, if you are thinking as you read, that Paul is mentioning things to them that are well known to both of them. He is not instructing them in any particularly deep matters, although later on in the letter he gets into some things like that. He is simply writing about things that they had in common.

If we took the time to analyze this chapter in detail, we would find that the common denominator of all that Paul has to say–the various things that he mentions–is his love for the Lord Jesus Christ and encouraging the Philippians to have that same kind of love and trust for the Lord Jesus Christ.

We divide the chapter into three parts. First, in verses 1-11, there is a prayer recorded, a prayer which Paul prayed for the Philippians, some of the things that he is thankful for, some of the things that he is asking God to do in their lives. This section, which deals with Paul's prayer, has a prelude of a couple of verses before he actually gets into the prayer. The basic message of this first section is his prayer.

Then in verses 12-26, we have Paul's perspective of his life. In those verses, Paul is reassuring the Philippians that the fact that he is in prison is not something that should discourage them. He gives them his perspective on his life. From a human standpoint, he is in very dire straits; he is locked away in prison and has no way of knowing how long he may be there. He has not been able to see them for at least five years. It has probably been ten years since he actually founded the church and spent any time with them, and that would seem to be a very discouraging thing. But in those verses, Paul gives us his perspective of life. As we look at those verses in a week or two, we are going to see that he had a wonderful perspective of life in spite of his outward circumstances.

Then in verses 27-30, Paul makes a plea to the Philippians, based on his perspective of life and based on the things that he has been praying for them. He makes a specific plea to them, a certain way that he would have them respond to what he is asking God to do. This is an overview of the chapter.

Prelude to the Prayer

We want to begin to think now about Paul's prayer for the Philippians, and more specifically, we want to think particularly about the prelude to this prayer, the things that are included in the text before the prayer actually begins. When we come to verses like verses 1 and 2, we often read through them very quickly because they are the way most of these New Testament epistles begin:

Philippians 1

We just tend to read through those because we have seen it over and over again. For that reason, I want us to concentrate carefully on those verses because even though it is the way most of the epistles begin, they are verses that are full of truth. It is not just a standard formula; it is not just a matter of saying, “Dear Friend,” as we do when we begin all of our letters. Without apology, we will look carefully at the things that are recorded here.

First, I would like for us to think carefully about the servants that we find referred to in verse 1:

Philippians 1

As you know, this is a formula by which letters were begun, and it was a very good formula. In the Roman society, the practice was to write the name of the writer first. Notice how Paul refers to himself–“Paul, the servant of Jesus Christ.” That is very significant. Paul, at the time that he wrote those words, was an apostle of Jesus Christ, widely recognized as a direct, authoritative representative of Jesus Christ during that first century, a writer of Scripture and already being recognized as such, the founder of the church at Philippi as well as several other churches, a godly man nearing the end of his life, nearing the end of a worldwide ministry in terms of the known world at that time. Yet notice how he refers to himself–“Paul, the servant of Jesus Christ.” I believe that this little passing reference of address, this little passing description of himself, gives us one of the basic secrets of Paul's usefulness to the Lord.

One of the things that is important for us to remember as we study the Word of God is the fact that the men who are recorded in Scripture and the men who are referred to and the men whose life stories are given in the Scriptures are no different than you and me. You say, “Wait just a minute! Some of the people in the Bible have done things that I would never be able to do.” It is true that the men who are described in the Word of God and the men who were used of God in writing the Scriptures were great men of faith, and they accomplished great things for God, but throughout the Scriptures it is made plain that there is not a superman among them. Paul had his failings just as you and I have ours. Peter had his. James had his. John had his. Every man that God used in the writing of the Scriptures and every man whose story is included in Scriptures has somewhere in the Scriptures some failure recorded about him, some lack of perfection. One of the reasons God has written the Scripture in the way He has is to encourage us that we can be men of God just as those who are found in the Scriptures.

The Attitude of a Servant

Even though Paul was just a man like you and me, even though we do not know much about his failings, he was a great man of God, greatly used of God. One of the reasons is the fact that he thought of himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. We cannot take the risk of de-emphasizing that, even though it is found in a passing reference at the beginning of one of many of his letters in the New Testament.

Think about that with me as we turn to Mark, chapter 10, where we find recorded some of the words of the Lord Jesus while He was on the earth. In Mark, chapter 10, we find Jesus speaking to the disciples, one of those times in which He was teaching them. He said, beginning with verse 35:

Mark 10

Think about the situation for just a minute. Isn't it a realistic situation? Can't you just see yourself, even though you may not want to admit it, in the shoes of James and John? One of the other Gospels tells us that their mother came along with them. Mrs. Zebedee just wanted something good for her boys, and she came along with them to make this request of Jesus. It seems very audacious, doesn't it? “Let us sit on Your right hand and on Your left when You come into Your kingdom.” My, what a tremendous thing to ask of Jesus. Jesus goes on to explain that that is not in His hands. It's probably no different than what you and I think of ourselves, is it? When we really stop and analyze it, if we just had the nerve and maybe if our mother was willing to go along with us, wouldn't we possibly ask Jesus this same kind of thing? “Lord, let me have a place of real glory; let me have a place of honor.” Certainly many of us have thought that way if not in those terms, at least in that basic idea. Jesus uses this as a teaching opportunity. He says in verse 44, summing it up:

Mark 10

See, one of the basic teaching points of Jesus' ministry was that, as someone has paraphrased in a later time, “the way up is down.” Over and over again Jesus taught this principle. There are some other references to this. When you have the time, look at Matthew, chapter 20, verse 28, and Matthew, chapter 23, verse 11. The same principle annunicated in other words, “He that would be the chiefest among you, let him be the servant of all.” Do you want to be greatly used of God? Do you want to be a real ministry to your fellow men? Then don't seek to be exalted over them. Don't seek to be famous among them. Simply seek to find a way to serve them. This is the principle.

The Mind of Christ

Jesus even specifies here in Mark, chapter 10, that this was His own attitude. Look at verse 45:

Mark 10

Jesus stated this again in the other passages that we have referred to–Matthew, chapter 20, verse 28, and Matthew, chapter 23, verse 11. Again and again Jesus said that not only is this the attitude that God can use, but He also said that this is the very attitude that He has as the Son of God.

When we get over to Philippians, chapter 2, we are going to see that Paul takes this very same truth about the Lord Jesus Christ and says:

Philippians 2

Paul was an effective man of God, I say, because he had the willingness to be thought of as a servant of Jesus Christ. Let's go back to Philippians, chapter 1. I should point out that we don't want to misunderstand; Paul didn't hesitate to use his apostolic authority when it was necessary. When you have the time, you might look at I Corinthians, chapter 5. The whole tone of the first Corinthian letter is the tone of one in authority straightening out a situation; but particularly in chapter 5, Paul writes to the Corinthians, and he says, “These things are not right. You are letting something go on in your church that should not be, and I speak to you with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ that it must be straightened out.” There is a difference, you see, between speaking with authority and “lording it over someone.” The Apostle Paul understood that difference. Even though he had authority from God, and even though he used that authority very effectively and people obeyed his authority, his basic underlying attitude was that of a servant. He did not let his place of authority and leadership get in the way of his attitude of a servant.

The same thing is true of Jesus. Here we have just read in Mark, chapter 10, Jesus referring to Himself as the Son of man coming not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Yet we read over in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 21, that Jesus went into the temple, made a whip, and drove the moneychangers out of the temple. That didn't sound very much like gentle Jesus, meek and mild, did it–little milky toast guy who just let everyone push Him around, came to minister? You see, Jesus wasn't talking about letting people push you around. He was talking about taking whatever position of responsibility God may have entrusted to you, but even in that position of responsibility, doing it with the attitude of one who has come to meet the needs of others.

The Secret of Rejoicing

That servitude on Paul's part had led him to prison in Rome at this particular point in his life, and yet the theme of this epistle, as we are going to see, is that of joyfulness and rejoicing in the Lord. I think this is very significant. If we are not getting ahead of ourselves too much, let me point out here that the theme of this epistle is recognized by all Bible scholars who have studied this well as joy and rejoicing, yet Paul was in prison. How could he rejoice when he was in prison? I think we have here at least one of the answers to that question. He was a servant of Jesus Christ, and it was that servitude that had led him into prison. Paul could rejoice in that because he was not there because of any wrong that he had done; he was there because of obedience to his master.

If you are thinking with me, draw this application. When one is where he is in life because he is being obedient to his master, when you are in a situation in your life because you are simply seeking to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in everything you do, then you can rejoice in whatever situation you find yourself because God has led you there. It may be a time of difficulty; it may be a time of sickness; it may be a time of financial hardship. But if you are there because you have been seeking to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in the events that led you to that place, then you can rejoice because your gracious Master has led you to that place, and you are there serving Him just as you would be serving Him just as if you were in some very successful, happy situation. Paul was not bothered by being in prison. He could rejoice about being in prison, in fact, because he was the servant of Jesus Christ. If we as Christians could only learn the lessons of serving the Lord Jesus Christ humbly and quietly day by day, step by step, seeking to do that thing which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ, I think we would be able to find that secret of rejoicing in all the circumstances of life as well.

The Equality of Servants

Notice also in verse 1 that Paul includes Timothy in his greeting. Notice the way he refers to Timothy. Incidentally, if you have ever wondered what the full name of those of us who have the name “Timothy” is, here it is–Timotheus. That is just the Greek form of our English word “Timothy.” Notice that Paul expresses the very same things and only the same things about Timothy that he expresses about himself. He adds nothing to his own title that he does not add to Timothy's title. The facts of history tell us that there was a great distinction between Paul and Timothy. Paul was the senior member of the party. Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ. Timothy was not. Timothy was a great man of God. Timothy, in his later years, became a great teacher of the Word of God. He was a great representative of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Apostle Paul, but he was not an apostle in the sense that Paul was. There were many distinctions between Timothy and Paul, and probably everyone in that day knew those distinctions. I'm sure that Paul knew those distinctions and Timothy knew those distinctions, but notice what Paul said:

Philippians 1

He drew no distinction between the two of them. That is another indication of Paul's attitude. Obviously Paul was willing to tell Timothy what had to be done. Paul gave Timothy orders and instructions. He didn't hesitate to use Timothy for his own benefit because God had brought Timothy along to be a servant of Paul from a human standpoint. Yet Paul's basic underlying attitude toward Timothy–I think this is implied toward all other believers–is: we are brothers, we are fellowservants, we are equal in God's sight.

Again, I want to suggest to you and to remind all of us that this is another very important aspect of a man who is usable to God. Paul was to later write, “I exhort that none of you think more highly of himself than he ought to think.” If there is a basic problem in the church today, I think this is at least one of the basic problems, the fact that we tend to think a little more of ourselves than we do of other believers. We tend to think that we are making a little more spiritual progress than someone else. We are a little better. We should be able to have a few more privileges. We have a little better grasp of things. God should honor us a little more. And here one of the greatest believers of all times, even though he didn't hesitate to make use of Timothy's gifts, he didn't hesitate to accept help and ministry from Timothy, but his basic evaluation of Timothy spiritually was that they were equals. Humanly, they were not equals, but spiritually, they were together servants of Jesus Christ. These are some suggestions about Paul's usefulness to the Savior and things that we would do well to emulate in our Christian life.

Set Apart for God's Use

We have also mentioned in verse 1 the saints:

Philippians 1

Here is another word that is important for us to think carefully about. Even though it is a familiar word, I am sure, to many of you who have studied the Word here over the years, it is something that bears repetition for you. It is also important for us to think carefully about what a saint really is.

The word “saint” is a translation of the Greek word hagios , which means “set apart.” It was a word that was used in classical Greek and in non-Biblical Greek, even in the koine Greek, the Greek that was used for the writing of personal letters to each other, the writing of grocery lists, the everyday language of the street. Before the word hagios was placed in the New Testament, it just meant something that was reserved. If you were going to go from Philippi over to Corinth and you knew that it was more than a one-day chariot drive, you would perhaps send a carrier pigeon ahead to some intermediate point to make reservations for a room in which to spend the night. That room would be hagios –set apart for your use. We do the same thing with a little more ease with a telephone call to the Holiday Inn. To be set apart is to be reserved. That is basically what it meant. Then it was placed into the New Testament to refer to believers in Jesus Christ. That is very significant.

You see, God is interested in what our lives are used for. God is interested in the way our lives are invested, so much so that He took a word that had a specific meaning. He didn't coin a new word to describe believers. He took a word that already had a well-known and specific meaning, and He applied that to believers. He said, “You believers are reserved for My use.” Paul wrote to all the “reserved ones” in Philippi. Out of that society, out of that activity, in the city of Philippi, there is a group of people who are reserved for God's use, set apart for His use. That is technically, theologically known as the doctrine of sanctification. The New Testament usage of the word “saint” is not at all what the organized church, particularly the Catholic church, have come to think of the word “saint” as some especially holy person, perhaps someone who has done some particularly miraculous-type deeds and lived a holy life and has been voted on and set apart and canonized. No, the New Testament use of the word “saint” is one that is applied to believers in general, and it is one who is reserved for God's use.

There was imperfection in Philippi. When we get over to chapter 4, we will see Paul saying, “I beseech Euodias and Syntyche that they be of the same mind, one toward another.” There are other implications. Not only was there a lack of unity between Euodias and Syntyche, whoever they were, but there were other problems implied there too. You see, these people didn't have to be perfect before Paul could call them “saints.” They simply had to be believers in Jesus Christ. They were set apart to be used by the Lord Jesus Christ. The same thing should be said of you and me. We are now, this minute, saints. We are in God's sight set apart for His use.

The Practical Aspect of Sanctification

I would like for us to think for a few moments now about the doctrine of sanctification from the standpoint of practicality. What we are talking about when we say that a believer is set apart for God's use is positional sanctification. Theologically we would refer to this as “positional sanctification.” We won't take the time to go into all the details of it now, because many of you are familiar with passages which teach this, but again and again the Scripture makes plain that we are now saints, having believed in Jesus Christ as saints. We are at this time reserved for God's use. That is our position in Jesus Christ. Positionally, we are saints.

Notice carefully that God expects our practice to live up to our position so that not only do we have positional sanctification taught in the Word of God, but we also have the practical aspect of sanctification taught as well. Our position in Christ is something that Jesus Christ Himself took care of. When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, our position is that of saints, of being set apart; but our practice is something that evidently, based on the way the words of the New Testament are worded, we have something to say about. God has set us apart, but over and over again He enjoins us in the Scripture to be set apart for His use. So it is important for us to recognize both positional sanctification and practical sanctification.

There are numerous references which refer to holiness. Do you recognize that the various areas of life which God has placed us in are areas of holiness? Romans, chapter 1, says that the Scripture with which we deal is holy. In I Thessalonians, chapter 27, in Hebrews, chapter 3, verse 1, believers are referred to as holy brethren. In I Peter, chapter 2, verse 5, we are told that we are part of a holy priesthood. In Revelation, chapter 21, verse 10, Heaven is referred to as the holy city, New Jerusalem. See, holiness is something that God has interwoven into our present life and into our future expectations. The very Scripture which we are studying now, God says is holy Scripture. God refers to Himself again and again as holy. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are always referred to as holy. These are things with which we have to do on a regular basis. We cannot get around the fact that God has said both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, “Be ye holy for I am holy.”

Peter sums it up pretty well in II Peter, chapter 3. Notice verses 11 and 12:

II Peter 3

Seeing then that all these things around us, this physical part of our universe, is going to be destroyed, the conclusion to which God would have us come is that our daily activities, our conversation, our manner of life should be a conversation of holiness. You see, God expects us, from the practical standpoint, to be set apart, to be reserved for His use. God doesn't beat around the bush about that. He makes it very plain. II Peter, chapter 3, verse 11, is a summary of a number of other passages.

A Life That Honors the Lord

We can go back to Philippians and see this in our first chapter. Paul says basically the same thing in Philippians, chapter 1, verse 27, that Peter said in II Peter, chapter 3, verse 11. Notice:

Philippians 1

Notice what he says in verse 27, “Only let your conversation [your manner of life] be as it becometh the gospel of Christ.” How does it become the Gospel of Christ? What is worthy of the Gospel of Christ? A life that is reserved for Christ's lordship, a life that is reserved for the Holy Spirit's leadership. That is what is worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Be ye holy for I am holy. You are saints at Philippi; you are saints in Abilene. You are reserved for God's use. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel.

Paul, back in the book of Acts, chapter 27, verse 23, was in a shipwreck. The people on the ship with him were very concerned about their situation. At daybreak Paul stood up and got their attention and said, “Don't be concerned because during the night the Angel of the Lord appeared to me and assured me that not one life would be lost.” It is interesting the way Paul described that Angel. He described Him as “the Angel of the Lord whose I am and whom I serve.” One of my childhood memories is of my mother time after time after time as I would leave home and go somewhere in my car saying, “Tim, remember whose you are and whom you serve.” That, since she is gone, is a precious memory. Her concern, not that I would honor the family, but that I would honor the Lord. “Remember whose you are and whom you serve.”

At this time, I think that is the message that God would have us have from this first verse of the first chapter of Philippians. This letter is addressed to set apart ones. We haven't gotten very far in the text, but I have deliberately concentrated on these introductory thoughts because it is basic to an understanding of the thinking of the Apostle Paul, and it is basic to an understanding of the things he is going to share with the Philippians. Remember, we said again and again that this is a heart-to-heart letter. This is a letter from Paul's heart to the heart of his beloved friends. If you and I are going to get anything out of this, we are going to have to recognize that it is addressed to people who are set apart for God's use. It is addressed to people who are willing to set themselves apart for that reservation which God has made.

Conclusion

A few minutes ago we used the illustration of having a reservation in a motel. Probably all of us have been through that experience. Probably most of us, if not all of us, have also had the experience of not keeping the reservation. That is possible in the Christian life also. God has made a reservation on your life. That reservation may not be used, but it won't be because God didn't get there on time or because God didn't want to use the reservation. It is because God, in His sovereignty and in His wisdom, has allowed you and me the right to let Him keep that reservation or not let Him keep it. This letter is addressed to those who are set apart. Our position is that; our practice should be that, too. “God, whose I am and whom I serve.” The man who spoke those words is the man who wants to inform the Philippians and us of the things that can make us useful to Him in a practical way. God help us to learn those things as we look at this letter in the weeks that lie ahead.

Prayer

Father, we thank you that You have given us the privilege of being set apart for Your use. You have given us the privilege, our Father, not only of being reserved for Your use, but the privilege of being reserved for being Your servants. We pray that You would impress upon each of us the importance of being servants of Jesus Christ, that we would be able to say with Paul that we are Yours and we serve You and we are set apart for Your use, knowing that this is the only path to joy and peace and satisfaction in life. We know, Father, that Christ came to give us life and to give it to us more abundantly. We pray that you will cause us to joyfully claim that abundant life that You give. For it is in His name that we pray. Amen.

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