Our purpose in life.  Do you believe God shapes that purpose?  Take a minute to reflect on how you would define your purpose in life.  Because you are in church today, you know that somewhere in your definition serving God needs to be included.  Because of the types of activities that consume most of your waking hours, you take that role and add “Christian” to its title to help satisfy that need to include God.

You may see your role as being a Christian mom whose purpose is to create a Christian home for your family.  You may see your role as being the Ephesians 5 Christian husband who sanctifies his wife and leads his family to be a Christian family.  You might see your purpose as being a Christian business owner or manager who leads the business in a God-honoring way.

This morning, let us examine our purpose in light of a progress report sent by Paul to the Philippian church.  We are going to read and examine Paul’s next to last thoughts, as he completes this letter.

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Our Father in heaven, we join the fellowship of believers that called Philippi home, in receiving these words through your Apostle Paul.  We pray that the message you sent specifically to them would be our message.  Holy Spirit, open our hearts and ears to receive what you have intended for us.  In Jesus’s name we pray.  Amen.

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Rejoice in what God is doing

Paul is excited for the spiritual growth he is witnessing in the Philippian believers as we see in the opening words of today’s text, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me.” (Phil 4:10).  God’s wisdom is infinite.  He has recorded His wisdom for us in His Word, which is like an incomprehensibly large diamond with thousands, even millions, of facets, each one reflecting a different portion of its light and beauty.  Often, when we come to study it, God enables us to focus on one of those facets as He leads us into all wisdom and understanding.

One of the many facets in Philippians is how truly strong and deep the bond of friendship, of Christian brotherhood, really is between Paul and the Philippians. Generally speaking, Paul’s other Epistles were written to address theological misunderstandings, heresies, and many times, gross misbehavior that stood in opposition to how a Christian should live.  In Philippians, we have none of that.  It is an affectionate letter between dear friends, a letter written to be an encouragement.  Paul’s love for them is evident throughout the letter.

Because this letter matches the form of the first century Roman-Palestine world, we can easily miss some important features or misunderstand others, such as the placement and wording of Paul’s thanks to the Philippians for their gift.  If we were writing a “thank you” letter, we would probably mention the gift very early in the letter.  We might end with other kind words about the giver but, the thanks comes first.  Then, we would probably go into other personal details about what is happening in our lives.  Paul does not write in this manner in that he waits until the end to give thanks, which, to us, does not sound like genuine thanks.  Most assuredly, Paul is truly thankful for the gift; however, he is most thankful to God for what He is doing in the lives of the Philippians.  His excitement, his gratitude, is driven by the sense of partnership he has with them.  They understand his mission and they understand how important it is to support his work (Phil 4:15).

As Paul is writing this letter, he is imprisoned, under house arrest and getting a job is not an option.  The Philippian church has been granted an opportunity to serve their dear brother, to provide for his needs, and they seize it, sending the gift with Epaphroditus.  Paul is thankful but, he is more thankful for the renewing of his partnership in the Gospel with the Philippian church.  In the gift, he sees the genuine desire to serve God and the cause of the Gospel.  For that, he rejoices and hopes their gift bears spiritual fruit in their lives (4:17).  Paul does not want others to sacrifice for him but, he does want to see others grow in their Christlikeness.  If being obedient to God when you feel led to give a gift, if putting the needs of the spreading of the Gospel outweigh your personal needs and you give sacrificially to support it, and if doing those things will make you more like Christ, praise God!  Do those things.  Similarly, if you are on the receiving end of one of those gifts, receive it gladly.  Do not rob somebody the opportunity to give and honor God if they have been led by the Spirit of God to do so.

Paul knows the situation of the believers in Philippi.  He knows the state of their finances. He knows the oppression and persecution they might face.  Also, Paul knows their genuine faith.  He sees God at work in their lives by their actions and he rejoices in what God is doing.

• As the Elders pray each Sunday morning for the congregation and for the services of the day, there is a longing to see God glorified in all that will be done here that day and to see each one of you grow in the Lord.  God is very much at work in this congregation.  As Elders, we need to significantly increase our acknowledgement and celebration with you, rejoicing publicly and privately at what God is doing in your lives.

• For the congregation, do likewise, looking for what God is doing and rejoicing in it.  What opportunities has God put before you?  Do you see a need or are you waiting to be asked to be part of something?  Look for the opportunity that God is preparing for you and step into it.  How are you celebrating with your fellow believer’s incremental victories over anxiety, depression, fear of man, selfishness, or other sins?  Do you see growth?  Are you rejoicing at what God is doing and are you rejoicing with that person?

In regards to hardship in our lives, we know God’s Word tells us to count it all joy when we experience trials and tribulations (James 1:2).  We know that Jesus told us to expect hatred from the world.  Paul mentions the guarantee of suffering in this letter.  Our gaze, our attention needs to be on the glory of God, revealed in His grace for us in the moment of suffering.  The time of struggle does not come randomly, causing God to scramble to send out the “emergency grace and peace” kit.  God holds that off until such a time as we are ready and until such time as it matches His perfect plan.

No matter what your current struggle or hardship may be, rejoice in God’s perfect plan because He is doing something in that plan.  His grace has timed it perfectly for you at this moment.  Your sorrow for the loss of a loved one, whether long ago or recent.  Your memory of a troubled past or traumatic event.  Your current financial or health status.  God is doing something in that.  This is why James tells us to count it all joy.  It is difficult to see and accept yet, you are not alone in that difficulty.  Rejoice in what God is doing!

Paul rejoices in what God is doing because…

Glorifying God is all that matters

Paul opens the letter with an update on his status, part of the reason for the letter and an affirmation of the friend-to-friend nature of his writing.  Paul makes no complaint, rather he rejoices and tells them, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” (1:12)  While we do not know the full impact of Paul’s ministry to the imperial guard in charge of his care, because Scripture does not tell us, we do know from observing verse 13 that the entire imperial guard knew Paul was imprisoned for Christ.

Paul goes on to tell the Philippians that the widespread understanding of his imprisonment for the Gospel of Christ had emboldened many of the brothers in Rome to be more “confident in the Lord” and “are much more bold to speak the word”, to be more vocal in their faith.  Paul’s suffering meant something.  It had great value.  As Christians, we know suffering is to be expected.  We know and appreciate (after the fact!) what we learn during our suffering and how God shapes us to become more like Christ, both during and after.  Like Paul, we want our suffering to mean something to someone else; so, with seemingly pure and righteous motives, we tell others.  The caution is in what we communicate: with a rejoicing heart, glorify God in what He did, not what you learned!  The positive impact on our lives is a collateral blessing.

Also, Paul’s focus on the glory of God enabled him to rejoice in the intentional efforts of those who sought to do him harm, those preaching Christ out of jealousy and envy, those with a desire to make his plight more harsh or harmful and to joyfully respond that, “whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed” (1:18).

By another example, Paul communicates to the Philippians (and to us!) that even our future outlook should be to glorify God above all else.  Paul is nearing completion of 30 years of ministry proclaiming the glory of God in the Gospel of Christ.  Paul knew that deliverance waited for him at the end of his imprisonment and he was ready for deliverance whether by life or death.  “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (1:21).  He was ready to be with the Lord.  Regardless of the outcome, he would praise and glorify God.  Paul continued to see God at work, so he rejoiced.

What was this powerful message that gripped Paul so strongly that nothing else mattered to him?  As we read through Acts 6-9, we see the zealous Saul, later Paul, witness both the stoning of Stephen and the glory of God present in his appearance and in his witness (his actions).  Though Saul would continue to persecute the church a while longer, there is little doubt the glory of God revealed to in the stoning of Stephen never left his mind.

Just a short while later, Saul had his own personal encounter with the glory of God (Acts 9:3-7), confronted by the voice of the ascended Lord Jesus, the Messiah. This is what grabbed Paul’s heart: the glory of God, revealed to him so that he understood the depth of his own depravity and sin, so grave that he would never have been able to perfectly keep the law he so desperately tried to fulfill and enforce.  When confronted with the incomprehensible glory of God and offered the grace of Jesus’s substitutionary sacrifice, nothing else mattered!

As a final, and more compelling example the glory of God in the cause of the Gospel, truly is (almost incomprehensibly!) found in Christ: we see that Christ Jesus was obedient to the glory that was already His (Phil 2:5-8).  Can we really understand what these words from Scripture communicate?  Yet, here it is, written plainly for us to see and read.  It is here for the glory of God to be revealed to us so that we can be overcome by that glory!  Are you overcome by this glory?

If we are able to emphatically conclude “yes”, then that should lead us to…

Live a life worthy of the Gospel

How are we to live in such a way?  When Paul wrote this letter, he had at least four objectives: thank his dear friends for their concern and gift for him; encourage them; give them an update on his status; and, perhaps, most importantly, exhort (encourage!) them to “Only let (their) manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ,...” (Phil 1:27).  God the Son, in the person of Jesus, gave the ultimate sacrifice.  He took the form of a servant, humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, “even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8).  Paul tells them (and he tells us!) to have the same attitude, the same mind, the same obedience as that of Christ in their (in our!) daily living.  As we observe the text found in Philippians 1:27-4:10, Paul provides over twenty instructions, practical directions, as to what that looks like, how that obedience is demonstrated.

Paul rejoiced in the truth and beauty of this perfect manifestation of what it means to glorify God above all else.  He rejoiced in how his dear Philippi brothers and sisters exemplified this in their ever-growing faithfulness to the Lord.  Paul’s thankfulness showed the depth of his esteem for their gift to him, “a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God” (Phil 4:18).

As we continue our journey through Romans, we are approaching Paul’s important appeal to his readers, “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (12:1).  In Philippians, as in Romans, Paul is using imagery from the Old Testament to help us understand how our very lives can become worship when we glorify in God above all else.  As we observe in the first seven chapters of Leviticus and later in Isaiah, the sacrifices of the people of Israel were unacceptable because they offered an inferior heart with an inferior motive that did not seek to glorify God.  In contrast, Paul declares the gift given by the Philippians was both a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice to God and His glory because of their hearts.

Today, if God Almighty had a message for Southside Church and used Paul to write us a letter, what would it say?  We feel confident there would be rejoicing because of what God is doing in our midst; but, would our lives (our hearts!) be described as fragrant offerings and acceptable sacrifices pleasing to our God?  As we consider these questions, we must remember to thank Him for His grace.  When we properly acknowledge the grace at work in our lives, our salvation, our continued sanctification, the timing of our trials and tribulations, God’s glory cannot help but be seen.  God’s glory reveals our sin and should cause us to tremble and fear (Phil 2:12).  Also, God’s glory is beautiful and deserves our praise and our rejoicing.

Today, can you say, “to live is Christ and to die is gain”? What drives your every decision, action and purpose in life?  Are you rejoicing in what God has done and has the glory of the Gospel grabbed your heart and affections to the point of realization that nothing else matters?

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God in heaven, we come before You and desire to give you glory.  Forgive even our inadequate efforts to do so despite our earnest desires.  Holy Spirit, change our hearts, change our minds, change our affections that we might honor You above all else, that we might live lives worthy of Your sacrifice, Lord Jesus.  Reveal the dark corners of our hearts we pretend are not there so we can hide our sin and selfishness.  Reveal those dark corners we have not seen and let Your light shine into the darkness.  Cleanse and remove that selfishness and sin that competes for Your glory.  In your name, Lord Jesus, we pray.  Amen.

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Selah

• As you think about your present trials (sufferings) in this life, how (or where) do you see God shaping your purpose and molding your heart into Christlikeness?
• What has been your response to those sufferings God has allowed in your life?  Does it include a heart that rejoices?
• Despite your sufferings, is there tangible evidence of true brotherly love for your fellow believers, demonstrated in a heart that rejoices with what God is doing in their lives?
• Is your heart in such a condition that God would call it “a fragrant offering and acceptable sacrifice”?