Through the Bible - Philippians

Educated answer or Father, just as that song was playing in the video that we saw, Your word is a light unto our feet. We thank You, Lord, that You have given us Your word and shown us the way. Just as You spoke with Your disciples there, and Thomas asked You, "Lord, we don't know the way," You said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me."

Lord, we thank You that You became flesh; the word became flesh and dwelt among us to show us the way home. I pray that as we study through this passage of Scripture before us tonight, You would continue to transform our lives. Continue to direct our paths as we lean upon You and trust in You. We thank You that You have given us abundantly Your word in this country, that we can have it easily accessible for us, and that we can sit under teaching. We pray that You, by Your Spirit, would teach us now. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, last week we started Paul's prison epistles. We looked at the letter to the church at Ephesus, and now we're in the letter to the church at Philippi. Next week, we'll look at Colossians, and then we'll keep going on through. You may remember that last week, as I was talking about these prison epistles written by Paul from Rome during that period of time from about A.D. 60 to 62, it is believed that this letter to the church at Philippi was the last of his prison epistles. He writes it to a church that was very near and dear to his heart because it was a church that he planted.

Before we actually look at the text from Philippians, we're going to look at the circumstances of this church becoming a church in Acts chapter 16. So, if you turn in your Bibles to Acts 16, I know I told you to turn to Philippians, but keep your finger in Philippians and turn to Acts 16. We'll pick up the story there as Paul was on his second missionary journey. You may remember that he has left now with Silas. He and Barnabas had gotten into some contention; Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them on their second missionary journey, but Paul didn't want anything to do with him at that point in his ministry and in his life. The contention was so strong that they parted ways. Paul took Silas and went out to take the word of God.

What he thought, into Asia Minor. But we'll pick it up in Acts chapter 16, verse 1. It says, "Then they came to Derbe and Lystra, and behold, there was a certain disciple there who was named Timothy, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, that believed, but his father was a Greek."

Here was this young man, Timothy. He was probably still a teenager when Paul came and found him in Derbe and Lystra. His mother was Jewish, but his father was a Greek. Paul decided to take this young man along with him. He was well reported of in verse 2 by the brethren that were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted him to go forth with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those quarters, for they knew that his father was a Greek.

As they went through the cities, they delivered the decrees to keep that were ordained by the apostles and the elders that were at Jerusalem. You remember there arose some sort of a problem among the church leaders in Jerusalem because Paul was preaching to the Gentiles. Some were a little bit concerned about this, so they had their council at Jerusalem. They all got together and came up with a letter that they wanted to send out to the churches in Galatia.

That’s where Paul was in Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium. These were the churches in the region of Galatia. Paul was bringing the letter that the leaders of the church in Jerusalem had sent out to the new Christian converts who were Gentiles. Paul went around and carried this letter to the different people there. As a result, the churches were established in the faith and increased in number daily, as noted in verse 5.

Now, if you take some time later on, not right now, but later on this evening, look at the maps in the back of your Bible and examine this second missionary journey of Paul. I believe that Paul was a pretty stubborn guy. He wanted to go a certain direction; he was trying to go towards the east to carry the word of God into Asia. Somehow, the Lord was keeping him from going there. We read that the Holy Spirit forbade them from going into Asia.

So, he was being pressed by God to move west. As he tried to go east, God was moving him west. He attempted to go into Bithynia, still trying to move towards the east, but God kept moving him west and pushing him along. The Spirit suffered them not. Then, passing by Mycenae, they came to Troas.

If you look at a map, you'll see that Troas kind of had Paul trapped. He had water on the west and Asia to the east. God had already made it clear that He was not letting Paul go into Asia. Here he was in Troas, unable to go any further west without getting on a boat. I think Paul probably spent a few days in Troas not wanting to go in that direction.

We read in verse 9, "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night, and there stood a man of Macedonia. And he prayed to him, saying, 'Come over into Macedonia and help us.'" Paul had this vision, this dream of the Macedonian call, with a man of Macedonia saying, "Come and help us." After he had seen the vision, immediately, we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

At this point in the book of Acts, the point of view changes. It would appear that the author of the book of Acts, whom we believe to be Luke, is now traveling with Paul. Paul picked him up in Troas, and after having this vision of a Macedonian saying, "Come over here and help us," they journeyed on.

Who was with them? We believe that Luke and Timothy were there because Paul had just picked up Timothy at Lystra and Derbe in Iconium. So, at the very least, we have Luke, Timothy, Paul, and Silas traveling west into Macedonia. This is the first time that the gospel moves into Europe. They began to move on into the west, and they set sail from Troas.

In verse 11, they came with a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which was a chief city, part of Macedonia, and a colony. They were in that city for several days.

As was Paul's typical practice, when they arrived in Philippi, he went looking for a synagogue. It was always Paul's first step when entering a new city to preach to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. God's gospel had gone first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. On the Sabbath day, Paul searched for a synagogue in Philippi but did not find one. So, they went out of the city to the river, where prayer was customarily made.

And they sat down and spoke to the women who were there. In a city, if there were ten Jewish males, they would have to come together and pool their money to build a synagogue. Since there was no synagogue in Philippi, it indicates that there were very few, if any, Jewish men there. If there was no synagogue, where would the Jews meet? By the river. This practice began during the time when the children of Israel were in captivity in Babylon. They would go by the river to gather and worship the Lord on the Sabbath day.

Here, since there was no synagogue, the Jewish people in that region, or God-fearers, gathered at the riverside just outside of Philippi. It is important to note that the women who gathered there were not Jewish; they were God-fearers. They were interested in the God of the Old Testament, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Paul came and preached to them, and there was a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart, and she attended to the things spoken of by Paul. She was baptized along with her household, and she besought them, saying, "If you have judged me faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there." She constrained them.

So, Paul and his companions—Timothy, Silas, and Luke—gathered in the household of Lydia. Lydia was a woman of some wealth, and she was a seller of purple. The city of Philippi was quite wealthy, located near many gold mines in the region of Macedonia. It was also considered a little Rome, a colony of Rome, situated on the Ignatian Way, one of the main Roman roads leading to Rome. This city had great wealth, and Lydia, who became a believer, took care of Paul and his companions' needs as they preached the gospel there.

However, they were not there long before an uproar arose, which was often the case with the Apostle Paul. When you follow his ministry in the book of Acts, you see that he would enter cities where either a great revival would occur, and people would turn to the Lord, or there would be an uproar, and they would want to kill him. As Paul was preaching the gospel, trouble began to brew.

It would appear that Paul went into the marketplace, where he worked as a tent maker. While he was there, he had the opportunity to preach the gospel. In Philippi, he encountered a woman who was possessed with a spirit of divination, as mentioned in verse 16. She was a slave and brought her masters much gain because she could foretell fortunes. This woman followed Paul, proclaiming, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, which show unto us the way of salvation."

This situation bothered Paul. We read in verse 18 that she did this for many days, but Paul, being grieved by it, turned to her and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ, come out of her." The spirit came out of her that very hour. Although the woman was speaking the truth, Paul was not pleased. Why was that? It likely had to do with the fact that she was not the best witness to have. She had a seedy background and poor character, and the people who sought her out for spiritual advice were not receiving guidance from the Spirit of God. Therefore, she was not a good endorsement of Paul's ministry.

After Paul commanded the spirit to leave her, her masters were not happy because they had made a lot of money from her abilities, and now they could no longer profit. This led to Paul getting into trouble, and he and Silas were brought before the magistrates of the city. Without any hint of a trial or questioning, they were beaten and thrown into prison.

However, consider what Paul's vision was back at the beginning of Acts chapter 16. He had a dream in which he saw a Macedonian man saying, "Come help us." Up to this point, he had only met Lydia and her household; he had not yet encountered that Macedonian man. There were Paul and Silas, bound in the heart of the prison in the middle of the night, worshiping the Lord. As they sang praises to God, an earthquake occurred. The stocks that bound them were broken, and the doors of the prison opened.

When the prison guard woke up and saw this, he was about to kill himself. He knew that if he lost any of the prisoners, the punishment would be capital punishment.

And so Paul says, "Hey, don't harm yourself. We're all still here." The guy comes down in the heart of the prison and sees that all those prisoners are still there, including Paul and Silas. He's so blown away by it that he asks, "What must I do to be saved?" This witness of Paul, the worship that Paul and Silas were giving, and the witness that he saw were enough to cause this man to ask what he must do to be saved. Paul replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and your whole household will be saved."

Now, why didn't he tell the man to repent? What do you think? He was already saying, "What must I do to be saved?" He had confessed that he needed to change his course and direction. So Paul said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and your whole household will be saved."

Immediately after that, the next day, the magistrates of the city said, "We want Paul and his group to leave." They sent messengers to tell him, "Hey, get out of the city." Paul responded, "Hey, I'm a Roman citizen. You can't treat me like this. Tell those magistrates to come down here themselves and talk to me." As we discussed a few weeks ago on a Sunday morning, Paul used his Roman citizenship for the furtherance of the gospel. He knew how to use the privileged status he had as a Roman citizen to advance the gospel.

This is something I see as an American citizen. We have a privileged status. Our passport has some power behind it. I would say, if you have an opportunity, go to China and carry Bibles into the country because you have a passport and a privileged status as an American that allows you to get through the border there. That's just a little thought; we can talk about that another day.

Anyway, that was the whole situation with Paul planting this church in Philippi. Paul was only in the city for about a month. There's no indication that he spent very much time there, and yet that church grew to be one of the strongest churches in the first century. One of the reasons I believe this is because Paul invested in this church, preached the gospel there, and was a solid Bible teacher.

Another reason is that as you read through the Book of Acts, there's a lot of good evidence that he left someone there when he departed. There is good evidence to support that he left Luke there to pastor that church. I think Luke was a good pastor because when you read through the Book of Acts and the letter to the church at Philippi, you see that this church didn't have any major problems. This church was a giving church; they focused on helping those in need financially in Jerusalem and providing support to Paul and his ministry.

I believe Luke was a pretty good pastor as he stayed there and tended to this flock, this small church in the city of Philippi. And that's kind of the context.

Paul writes a letter to the church at Philippi, a letter of encouragement. This is one of the few letters he wrote; Paul authored 13 letters in the New Testament, and most of them contain some form of exhortation or theological instruction. However, this letter is different. It is filled with joy and has been called the epistle of joy. The word "joy" appears five times in the book of Philippians, while "rejoice" is mentioned 13 times. It truly is the book of joy and rejoicing.

In our children's ministry, we explain joy by breaking it down into three words: Jesus, others, and you. This theme is evident throughout the letter to the church of Philippi, which consists of only four chapters. Paul emphasizes the importance of fixing your eyes on the Lord first, then on others, and finally on yourself. He provides examples of individuals in this passage to illustrate those we should emulate in our lives. In Philippians chapter three, at the end of the chapter, he instructs the church to note those who walk as he and his companions do, encouraging them to follow that example.

Some have suggested that the church at Philippi did not have any problems, which is why Paul wrote a letter of joy and rejoicing. However, I believe they did have a problem, though it was not doctrinal or theological. Instead, it was a practical issue. They had good doctrine and were strong in orthodoxy, but they struggled with orthopraxy. The problem in the church at Philippi involved a couple of ladies. In Philippians chapter four, Paul addresses this directly in verse two, where he beseeches Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. This is one of the few exhortations in the entire letter. When you consider the letter in context, from Philippians one through four, an overwhelming theme emerges: be of the same mind.

Be humble. Esteem others above yourselves. I believe that Paul was encouraging this church in the way that they practice and live. As I look at our church and many Calvary chapels specifically, I see a lot of good doctrine and teaching. Not just in Calvary chapels, but in many evangelical churches, there is great doctrine and a solid understanding of theology. Yet, their practice can be a little off.

Paul was writing to a church that had great doctrine and a great pastor. However, he had received news of a problem involving Judea and Syntyche. I have heard before that Syntyche was a lady who had a problem there. Paul urged them to be of the same mind. He entreats them to be of the same mind and then addresses the rest of the church, saying, "I entreat you also, true yoke fellow, help those women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also and with other fellow laborers whose names are in the book of life."

Paul encourages them to come alongside one another and support each other, but he emphasizes the importance of being of the same mind. He provides several examples of those we ought to pattern our lives after. The first example is found in chapter 2, a passage you know well because we have discussed it several times before. In verse 5 of chapter 2, Paul says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."

Jesus is the supreme example we are to follow. We will look at His example in just a moment. After using Jesus as an example of how we ought to live by humbling ourselves and esteeming others above ourselves, Paul then uses Timothy. In verse 19, he says, "But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly to you, that I also may be of good comfort when I know your state."

Notice what he says about Timothy in verse 20: "For I have no man like-minded who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Jesus Christ." Paul continues, "But you know the proof of him, that as a son with his father, he has served with me in the gospel. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it shall go with me."

Paul uses Timothy as an example for this church, highlighting that everyone else seeks their own interests. This was the problem with the two women in the church, and perhaps within the church, there were those who were seeking their own desires. They were not being humble and were not esteeming others above themselves.

He says, "But Jesus," that's the way He lived. We'll look at His example again in a moment. Then there is Timothy; that's the way he lived. Everybody else just looked out for their own selves, but here Timothy was one who looked out for others.

After that example, we see the example of a man who came from the church of Philippi, and his name was Epaphroditus. We read of him in verse 25. Paul said, "I'm going to send Timothy to you, but before I send Timothy to you, I want to send Epaphroditus." In Chapter 2, verse 25, it says, "Yet I supposed it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother and companion in labor, a fellow soldier, but your messenger and he that ministered to my wants. For he longed after you all and was full of heaviness because you heard that he had been sick. For indeed, he was sick near unto death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but also upon me, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I send him therefore the more carefully that when you see him again, you may rejoice and that I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and hold such in high regard."

Paul uses Jesus as an example of how we ought to walk for this church at Philippi, which had some problems. He also uses Timothy, who was like a son with his father, someone who didn't look out for his own needs but looked out for the needs of others. Then there is this man, Epaphroditus, who risked his own life to bring Paul a gift and to take care of Paul's needs.

Lastly, Paul uses himself as an example. I love the fact that Paul uses himself, but he does so last. He wasn't focused on how great he was, and the way he uses himself as an example is very interesting. We'll look at that in just a moment as well.

But I want to consider Jesus, our supreme example, in Chapter 2. In Chapter 2, verse 5, it says, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not think it robbery to be equal with God, but He made Himself of no reputation."

The first thing we want to note about Jesus and the example that He gave for you and me is that we may have great doctrine and we may understand all mysteries, as Paul says.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 13, we learn that if we have not love, we have become a sounding brass and a clanging cymbal. You can know everything about the Scriptures; you can understand all the mysteries of prophecy and the spiritual realm as it relates to tongues. However, if you don't know how to live your life in a loving way, the way that Jesus revealed, then it amounts to nothing on the day of Christ Jesus.

Jesus is our supreme example. Notice that Jesus is God. He did not think it robbery to be equal with God; He is equal with God the Father. He is God, and it is not something to be grasped or held on to. Our sinful, fleshly nature tries to hold on to what we have, but here we have in Jesus the example of one who is willing to give it all up. He made Himself of no reputation.

The first thing we see in Jesus is His lowering Himself to a place of no reputation. The second thing we read about Jesus, in His perfect example for us, is that He took upon Himself the form of a servant—a bond servant, a slave. This is a servant who has chosen to be a slave. We learn about a bond servant in Exodus chapter 21, where Moses gives us the law for slaves or servants. If you were going to have a servant or a slave, you could hold that person for seven years, and then you were to let them go free.

However, if that servant decided, "I love my master and I want to continue to serve my master," they could become a servant by choice, a bond servant. They would take that person to the elders, to the leaders of the city, and that person would declare with their own voice, "I want to continue serving my master." They would then take that person's ear, put it to a doorpost, and use an awl to pierce their ear, putting a golden earring in their ear as a sign that they were a bond servant—a servant by choice.

Here, Jesus made Himself a servant by choice. Notice in the very first verse of this letter, Paul says, "Paul and Timothy, bond servants of Jesus Christ." They too had chosen to be servants, slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ. They followed in the example of our Lord, who made Himself of no reputation, became a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. Being found in fashion as a man, what did He do? He humbled Himself. If He wasn't already in the lowest position, He, being God, became a man and made Himself...

Of no reputation, that's humbling. But then he became a servant, a bondservant, which is even more humbling. It says that he humbled himself even further. This is making yourself, by choice, the lowest you possibly could make yourself. We think of Jesus' words constantly in the Gospels as his disciples would come to him and ask, "Who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus would always bring them back to what? Servanthood. He would remind them to make themselves of no reputation and to be lowly.

So, Jesus made himself of no reputation, he became a servant, and then thirdly, he humbled himself. These are the first three things we see about our Lord that serve as an example to us. The fourth is given at the end of verse 8: he became obedient. He became obedient unto death, the death of the cross. Not only did he make himself of no reputation, but he became a slave, a servant by choice. He further humbled himself and then obeyed—obeyed everything that God the Father had told him to do. He even obeyed the natural laws of physics, the natural laws that he himself had ordained.

We see that this is one who, if ever he could break the rules, he never did. Jesus is our supreme example, and we should notice the result of this. Remember what James tells us, as we will see in several weeks when we get to that letter: if we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, then he will lift us up. Here, Jesus made himself of no reputation, he became a servant, he humbled himself, and he became obedient.

Wherefore, in verse 9, God also has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow—of things in heaven, of things on earth, and things under the earth. Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father.

You see, Jesus is our example in humbling himself and then being exalted by the Father. Jesus' disciples asked him, "Who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" The answer to that is simple: Jesus. Jesus is going to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. We read that God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name. Jesus will be the highly exalted one, and we praise the Father for that. We are all thankful for that.

But then, of course, you would have the question, "Who's going to be next in line?" The early twelve were constantly questioning about who would be next in line. Jesus would consistently say to them, "Well, the one who's the least here..."

Will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. We sometimes look at someone who was maybe the greatest messenger, the last prophet. Remember, John the Baptist was the last prophet of the Old Testament? Yet, Jesus said in the Gospels that among men born of women, there has not arisen one greater than John the Baptist. But I tell you the truth, he will be the least in the kingdom of heaven.

God's economy is different from the way our economy works. If you want to be great in the kingdom of heaven, He says to become a servant. Therefore, God is the one who exalts. Remember, Jesus told the story in the Gospels: when you go to a feast, don't seat yourself at the head of the table, lest the servant or the head of the house has to come to you and say that seat was for somebody else. You need to go down to the bottom. He says to take the lowest seat, and then the master of ceremonies will come to you and highly exalt you. He will bring you up and say, "Hey, you're seated in the wrong place. Come up here. You're supposed to be seated in this seat up here."

The Lord tells us that you and I are to live in such a fashion, but He also exemplified such a life for us. He is the supreme example of how we are to live and practice this life as Christians. He illustrated it for us in John chapter 13. You remember Jesus gathered with His disciples there in John chapter 13 to partake of the Last Supper, which we just remembered tonight as we partook of communion.

As they gathered together in that upper room, there was near the door a basin of water and the implements for the servant to wash the feet of those coming to the meal. However, every single one of those twelve disciples stepped over it when they came in. They walked past it, found their seats at the table, and sat down. None of them took up the water and the towel to wash the feet of the disciples, except Jesus. As the meal had already begun, He got up, laid aside His outer garment, girt Himself with a towel, and began to wash His disciples' feet.

The head of the meal, the one who was the honored guest there, laid aside His garment and became a servant. He humbled Himself and took the position of the lowest servant of all because it was the job of the lowest servant to wash the feet. Every single one of those disciples that was there that night wouldn't do it. They wanted to be great in the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus told them that to become great, you've got to be the lowest, but none of them would do it. They all walked by, and Jesus did.

And so he illustrates just what we see took place outside of time and space in the heavenly realm. We get to peek into it here in Philippians chapter 2, but Jesus illustrates it for us in John chapter 13, and he is our perfect example.

However, we are constantly trying to look for something to boast in. We are always searching for something that we can stand upon to make ourselves great. Our society is built upon advancing oneself, looking out for number one. And who is number one? That’s you or me. If you are thinking about it, it’s yourself. We are always looking out for number one. You are the master of your own destiny, the captain of your own ship. You have to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.

We have all these different sayings in our society about how we must make ourselves great, like "I did it my way" or whatever it is. We are always looking for something to boast in. Jesus wasn’t like that. Even though he is God, he did not consider it something to be grasped. He didn’t try to hang on to it.

Look at this: Paul the Apostle, in Philippians chapter 3, verse 4, addresses this issue. We are always tempted, even though we are believers and have been born again by the Spirit of God, to trust in or boast in our flesh. Paul says that if you think you have something to boast in, something to trust in within yourselves, he has more than you. That doesn’t sound very lowly, meek, and humble, does it?

In fact, in the next several verses, Paul's line of thinking is almost absurd. But I believe he presents it in such an absurd way to get our attention. If you think you have something to trust in, I have more so. Why? Verse 5 states: "Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching righteousness, which is in the law, blameless."

This is Paul's resume. These are the things that could be attached to his name. In our day, people attach Ph.D., M.Div., or whatever it is to the end of their names. They attach all kinds of letters and say, "Look who I am, look what I've done." People go around showing others their accomplishments, plastering them on their walls.

Or maybe a long list of the things that they've done in their resume. Here, Paul gives his list of credentials. He says, "If you think you've got something to trust in, I've got more than you." Why? Because he was circumcised on the eighth day. What does that mean? It means that from birth, Paul followed the law. Now, it wasn't of his own choosing. Thankfully, he had godly parents who were willing to lead him in the way when he himself couldn't lead himself. From birth, he fulfilled the law, circumcised on the right day.

Not only that, he was from the stock of Israel. He was circumcised on the right day and from the right family. He knew his heritage and could trace his lineage all the way back to Benjamin. Benjamin was the last son of Jacob, the son of my right hand. Paul says, "I know what family I'm from. I know what tribe I'm from in Israel. I am a Hebrew of the Hebrews." This means he could trace his lineage back thousands of years to Benjamin, with no breaking off or Gentiles added into that mix. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews.

Did you know that Jesus couldn't even say that? As you look through the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, there are Gentiles in his family tree, but not in Paul's. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. Furthermore, concerning the law, he was a Pharisee. He was among the leading ruling class in Jerusalem, the spiritual elite that everybody would look at and think, "Man, if only I could be like one of the Pharisees."

Of course, we know that Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5, verse 20, "Except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven." This probably freaked his disciples out because they sure thought that the Pharisees had it going on as it related to righteousness. But here, Paul says, "Touching the law, I was a Pharisee."

Not only that, he was a zealous Pharisee. He wasn't just a "go-to-the-synagogue-on-the-Sabbath" kind of Pharisee. He was a "get-letters-from-the-chief-priest-and-go-to-Damascus-to-persecute-Christians" kind of Pharisee. This was the cream of the crop sort of Pharisee. Concerning zeal, he persecuted the church. Touching righteousness, which is in the law, he was blameless. He says, basically, "If you were to take me to court and use the law of God to try and convict me, you'd find no evidence that I'd ever broken it." According to the law, he was blameless.

Blameless. So if you think you've got something to boast in, Paul says, "I've got way more than you." But what did he do with that? In verse 7, he states that the things that were gained to him, he counted as loss. For who? For Christ. Paul, following the example of Jesus, made himself of no reputation. He counts all those things as loss.

Yea, doubtless, he counts all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, his Lord, for whom he has suffered the loss of all things, and does count them as dung. Why? That he may gain Christ. You see, what Paul essentially says in verse 8 is that Christ is more valuable; He is more of a treasure than anything in this world. Therefore, Paul would willingly lay down everything, even his own will, even his desire to be right. Whatever it is, he will lay it down for the cause of Christ.

He counts all things but rubbish that he may win Christ and be found in Him, not having his own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. He says all that other stuff, all his credentials—circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, according to the law, a Pharisee, blameless—are nothing. He does not want to try and stand up before God in his own righteousness.

Why? Well, Isaiah 64 tells us in verse 6 that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags. It won't stand up on the day of Christ Jesus. It won't matter on that day if you were more right than the next guy. It won't matter if you did everything the way you were supposed to do it. If you haven't received Christ Jesus as Lord and counted all those things as dung, as rubbish, then it won't matter.

So he says all he wants is to be found in Him, not having his own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is by faith, that which is from God by faith, that he may know Him. He will give up everything so that he can know Him. Jesus tells us in John chapter 17, as He prays to the Father in verse 3, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Paul says he wants to know God, that he may know Him in the power of His resurrection. How many of you want to know God in the power?

Of His resurrection? I think everybody wants to know God in the power of His resurrection. But God also wants us to know Him more intimately than that. He wants us to go more deeply than just the power of His resurrection. Paul says that I may know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable unto His death. You see, that's more difficult than knowing God and the power of His resurrection. Everybody wants to know the powerful, resurrecting power of God in their own lives, and God desires to work that power in and through us.

As we walk with Him, God wants us to get to know Him in the fellowship of His suffering. This church at Philippi understood Paul in the fellowship of Christ's suffering. They had seen Paul beaten for the name of Christ and the witness of Christ. They had seen his back probably torn open after he had received the beating there in their own city. So he says, I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection of the dead.

Not as though I have already attained, either were I already perfected, but I follow after that I may apprehend that for which I am also apprehended of Christ. Now, highlight that verse or put an exclamation point next to verse 12. He says, I haven't already attained. I'm not already there. I don't know about you, but I look at the Apostle Paul when I think about him, and I think, that's a Christian. That's the kind of guy that I would want to be, like the Apostle Paul.

But notice the view that he had of himself. I'm not there yet. I haven't attained. This was a man who was still teachable even as he neared the end of his life, even after he had been a great witness and missionary of God for many, many years. He says, hey, I haven't attained yet. I'm not there. Neither have I been perfected. But I press on. I follow after. Why? So that I may lay hold of the very thing that Christ Jesus has laid hold of me for. That I may apprehend that for which I am apprehended of Christ.

You see, God, Jesus, saved you and saved me for a purpose. He desires that we would lay hold of that purpose. And that was Paul's desire. He said, I want to lay hold of the very thing that Christ laid hold of me for. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do.

Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Then notice what he says in verse 15: "Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect, or as many as be mature, have the same mind." Remember what he said back in chapter 2, verse 5: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Let us, as many as are mature, have this mind. But if in anything you think otherwise, God shall reveal even this to you. He said, if you're not there yet, if you haven't figured this out yet, don't worry. God will reveal it to you. But let us be of the same mind.

Nevertheless, whereunto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule and let us mind the same things. Again, he keeps going back to that same theme: having the mind of Christ. He had given the example of Jesus, the example of Timothy, the example of Epaphroditus, and now he gives his own example.

In verse 17, he says, "Brethren, be followers together of me and note those who so walk as you have us for an example." Who's the example? Well, he just gave four examples. This is the way that you're to walk. Why? Because this church had a practice problem; they weren't walking the way that God desired them to walk.

So what ought we to do if we have the same problem, which oftentimes we do? Notice what it says in verse 12 of chapter 2: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Essentially, Paul says, get it done.

If the letter ended there, we'd all go away with fear and trembling. But it doesn't. Notice what he says in verse 13: "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure." You see, my God desires to work in you and work in me to accomplish his good pleasure, to do what is pleasing to him. He works in us first to will, first to give us the desire to do it. That's one of the first indications that a person is born again: they have a new desire, a desire to obey God.

But God doesn't stop there. He gives us the desire, and he also gives us the power to do it. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do.

His good pleasure. How does God work in us to accomplish His good pleasure? Well, He has given us His Holy Spirit. Jesus, as we will look at tomorrow on Sunday morning in Acts chapter 1, said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me." Notice He said you are going to be witnesses unto Him. He wants to see it in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part. By His Spirit, He gives us the power.

We read in the Old Testament in Zechariah, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord." So many times, we try to do it in our own strength. Throughout this whole book, Paul is saying we need to have a different mindset. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ." Have the same mind as Timothy, the same mindset as Epaphroditus, and the same mindset as the Apostle Paul. If in anything you are other-minded, God will reveal even this to you. But be of the same mind.

Then notice what he says in chapter 4, verse 4: "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice." I believe that this mindset begins in the place of rejoicing in the Lord, worshiping Him, and praising Him. "Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice." Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. The peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep or guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Then notice what he says in verse 8: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things." Meditate on these things. Set your mind upon these things.

You see, much of what you and I do, many of the actions we perform, begin first as a thought. It has been said that a thought breeds an action, an action breeds a habit, a habit breeds a character, and a character breeds a destiny. Our actions first begin as thoughts. So Paul says, "Set your mind upon things that are true and honest and just and pure and lovely and of good report and virtuous and praiseworthy." Think upon these things.

Meditate upon these things. As you begin to meditate upon them, set your mind on things above, as we will see in Colossians next week. Your practice will begin to move in the right direction as well.

Paul, writing to a church that largely had good doctrine, understood all mysteries, and had a great pastor, noted that their practice was off. He said, "Hey, I've got four examples for you to follow. Go and exhort and encourage these two ladies in the church to be of the same mind and to humble themselves." But he also reminded the church as a whole that their minds needed to change and their focus needed to be a little different.

He urged them to note those who walk as they have us as an example. For many walk, of whom I have told you in times past, and now I tell you weeping that they are enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their God is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. They mind earthly things.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus, who will change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things unto Himself.

Paul said to look around and note those who walk in a good fashion, who are good examples. Why? Because there are many who are bad examples. There are a lot of people who walk with their minds on earthly things, focused on the things of this world, and that is not the way we are to be.

The book of Philippians is all about practice. If you want to have joy, it lays out for you and me that it starts with us first humbling ourselves and exalting others above ourselves. Jesus is supreme, and we should place others above ourselves. There, you will find joy and rejoicing. But it all starts with a mindset and focusing on the things that chapter 4 reveals.

Amen? Let's stand and pray. Father, I do thank You for this letter, this work. I pray that You would stir in us, Lord.

A desire to look to You and to be focused on the things of this earth, Lord. Give us a hunger and a thirst after righteousness, a hunger and a thirst after Your Word, that we couldn't be satisfied by anything other than time spent with You at Your feet.

Lord, I do pray that You would help us to be like You, who humble ourselves, make ourselves servants of no reputation, and are obedient to Your Word. We can't do it in our own strength; if it were left to us, we would walk from here in fear and trembling. But, Lord, we know that You work in us to will and to do Your good pleasure. I pray that You would work in me to be pleasing to You.

For I ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you.