Sermons

God Will Enable Us to Obey

Philippians 1:1-8

 

This morning we begin a new sermon series on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. So if you need a Bible, please raise your hand and we will bring one to you. Paul’s letter to the Philippians begins on page 980 in the Bibles that we are passing out.

 

Here’s a map showing where Philippi is located. Paul first came to Philippi while he was on his second missionary journey. He started in Antioch at around 49 A.D., and first went through Cilicia where he strengthened existing churches (Acts 15:41).

 

Then he visited Derbe and Lystra , where he met Timothy, who joined Paul’s missionary band (Acts 16:3). Then they traveled through Phrygia to Mysia (Acts 16:7). They planned on going northeast into Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit did not let them. So they went to Troas where Paul had a vision in the night that a man from Macedonia was asking them to come and help them (Acts 16:9). So they decided this was God’s leading, and traveled into Macedonia where they came to Philippi at around the year 50 A.D. (Acts 16:12).

 

Usually Paul would find a Jewish synagogue where he could preach on the Sabbath. But there were no synagogues in Philippi. There was just an informal gathering of Jewish women by the river. So Paul shared the good news of Jesus Christ with them. And God opened the heart of one of them, named Lydia, so that she responded to the gospel. As a result she and all those in her household were baptized.

 

Then, while Paul and his team walked through the town, a slave girl started following them around. She was under the power of a demon who gave her the ability to tell the future, which made a lot of money for her slave masters. But Paul commanded the demon to leave her, and the demon left, along with her ability to tell the future. So her masters had Paul and Silas arrested, beaten with rods, and thrown into prison.

 

But that night God brought an earthquake which broke their chains and opened the prison doors. They chose not to escape, and the jailer was so moved that he asked them “what must I do to be saved?” And Paul said “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Then he repented of his sins, put his trust in Christ, and was baptized along with his household.

 

So the church was started with Lydia and her family, and the jailer and his family. Then Paul moved on to Thessalonica. We know that Paul visited Philippi once more, five years later, while on his third missionary journey (Acts 20:6). But we don’t have any details about that visit.

 

But Paul ended up being arrested in Jerusalem, and sent to Rome where he was put in chains and imprisoned. And while in prison, he was regularly visited by Timothy. And it was while Paul was imprisoned that he wrote this letter to the church at Philippi, at around the year 62 A.D., twelve years after he first met them.

 

So ­­what is Paul’s purpose in writing this letter? If you read through the whole letter at one time you will see that everything Paul says focuses on two main concerns – their lack of unity with each other, and their lack of boldness in evangelism.

 

Paul mentions both of these in the first command he gives, in 1:27-28 –

27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents…

 

So he calls them to be standing firm in one spirit and one mind, which is an appeal for them to come together in unity. And he calls them to strive side by side for the faith of the gospel, without being frightened by their opponents. Which is a call to be bold in evangelism. So these are the two themes that we will see throughout this letter – a call for unity, and a call for boldness.

 

So with that in mind let’s ask – how does Paul begin his letter? That is, what does he emphasize in his opening? Look at the first two verses --

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Paul has a standard way he opens all of his letters. But if you compare his openings, you can see three ways this one is different.

 

First, he puts himself and Timothy on the same level, by saying they are both servants of Christ. I think this is a hint of how he’s going to call them to put each other first and pursue love and unity together.

 

Second, he says this letter is to ALL the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi. It seems that there were some factions and divisions in the church at Philippi, and so it would have been powerful for them to hear Paul addressing all of them together as saints in Christ Jesus.

 

And third, he mentions the overseers [that is, elders] and deacons. That might be because he wants the overseers and deacons to take the lead in helping the Philippians overcome their divisions and love each other and grow in bold evangelism.

 

So that’s how Paul begins this letter. Then he explains how he thanks God for them. Paul usually does this at the beginning of his letters. But each of these thanksgiving sections is different, because each of them emphasizes truths that each particular church needs to hear

 

So what does Paul emphasize as he describes his thanksgiving to God for them?

 

First, he thanks God for how they had been advancing the gospel. You can see that in verses 3-5 –

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,

5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

 

Underline that phrase “partnership in the gospel.” That means that from the very beginning they told their neighbors about Christ, shared their testimonies with people in the marketplace, and sought to lead people to faith.

 

And notice that Paul thanks God that they had been doing this. Think about that. If you’ve been advancing the gospel, why would I turn to God and thank him? It’s because ultimately it was God who was putting this in your heart and moving you to do it. So this would be a powerful reminder to these believers that it’s God whose power enables them to obey.

 

Then second, he says he is certain that God will complete the good work he has started in them. You can see that in verse 6 –

6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

 

Notice again how Paul emphasizes that God is the one whose power changes them. They did not begin the good work in them. Their hearts were hard and rebellious against Christ. But in great mercy and compassion God began the good work in them, by subduing their rebellious wills, and giving them new hearts that repented of their sin and trusted Christ.

 

And because they trusted Christ, they were joined to Jesus and his work on the cross of paying for their sins. So they were forgiven, justified, freed from sin’s power, and adopted into God’s family where they are loved and cared for by God. And who began this good work in them? Not them, but God.

 

But Paul is not just saying that God began the good work in them. Paul is saying that God would bring his work in them to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.

 

In other words, if you see that you are trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Treasure –that means God has begun a good work in you.

 

But God never begins the work of salvation without completing it. And so, if God has begun a good work in you, then you can be sure that he will keep you growing in obedience, he won’t let you fall away from the faith, and he will certainly bring you to heaven.

 

Imagine you’re in the wilderness of sin, and miles away are the mountain peaks of heaven. And between you and heaven you see swamps of temptation, quicksand pits of trials, and deserts of difficulties. You could easily think you’ll never make it to heaven. But if that’s what you’re thinking, then you’re not seeing the whole picture. God has pulled up beside you in the Humvee of salvation. And he changed your heart so you wanted to get in. And he says this Humvee of salvation has the power to take you through the swamps of temptation, through the quicksand pits of trials, and through the deserts of difficulties.

 

Now, if you are not trusting Christ as Lord, Savior, and Treasure -- then you are not in the Humvee of salvation. So – look to Jesus right now – and trust him! If you do, then you will know you are in the Humvee of salvation which will take you all the way to heaven.

 

But this wonderful promise is only true for those who have been saved. And Paul wants to strengthen their confidence even more, and so in verses 7-8 he tells them that he is sure they have been saved, because he feels Christ-centered affection for them. You can see that in verses 7-8 –

7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

 

Think about it like this. When God begins a new work in you he gives you a new nature which loves partaking of God’s grace. So think of what happens when you, as someone who loves partaking of God’s grace– meet someone else who loves partaking of God’s grace. When you meet this person you will feel a powerful heart connection to them – because there will be a special Christ-centered affection between you.

 

That’s what Paul means in verse seven when he says “I hold you in my heart,” and at the end of verse 8 he says “I yearn for you with all the affection of Christ Jesus.”

 

And that’s why Paul is sure that God has started his good work of salvation in them.

 

So in verses 3-8 Paul’s main point is to assure them because they are saved, they can know that God will keep enabling them to obey. And that’s something we need to know as well. Because you are trusting Jesus Christ right now, you can be sure that God will keep enabling you to obey all the way to heaven.

 

This does not mean we are passive. You can think that if it’s God who enables you to obey, then you shouldn’t do anything. But that’s not how the Bible talks.

 

Paul calls us to fight the fight of faith against sin. But when we do fight the fight of faith, it is ultimately God who moved us to do that. And as we fight, using prayer, and the word of God, we will feel God’s power changing our hearts, motivating our obedience, and crushing the power of sin.

 

And that’s what Paul means when he says that God himself will enable us to obey.

 

Now why is this truth so important? Why was it so important for them to understand that God himself is the one who enables us to obey? I think one reason is because Paul was going to call them to do things that would have felt impossible. And we need to hear this, too.

 

Think about it. In this letter Paul says –

• Overcome your differences and love each other.

• Keep sharing the gospel with your friends and neighbors no matter the suffering.

• Count each other as more significant than yourselves.

• Rejoice in the Lord always.

• Do not be anxious about anything.

• Be content in Christ, no matter what the circumstances.

 

All of these can feel impossible. And they are, for us. But understand – God is the one who enables us to obey. If we will turn to Jesus Christ, and trust him to change us, and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit, and meditate on strategic Scriptures – he will enable us to obey.

• We will be able to overcome our differences and love each other.

• We will be able to keep sharing the gospel with our friends and neighbors no matter the suffering.

• We will be able to count each other as more significant than ourselves.

• We will be able to rejoice in the Lord always.

• We will be able to be content in Christ no matter what the circumstances.

 

Why? Because God will enable us to obey.