Please turn to Matthew 16, Matthew 16 as we read verses 21 to 27, and then turning over to Philippians chapter 1, our text being verses 1 and 2 of the first chapter of Philippians. Last week we began to consider together an introduction on the book of Philippians, considering a little bit the background of Philippi and the church that was begun there, looking also a little bit at the things that Paul has to praise this church for, and also pointing out how they still, for all that he had for which to praise them, they still needed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we one and all do each and every day of our lives, until we are hastened on from grace to glory. As we read together from Matthew 16, verses 21 to 27, this comes right after Peter's confession of Jesus Christ and how Christ talks about building His church and the gates of Hades not overcoming it. Beginning at verse 21, as we hear now the Word of God, from that time on, Jesus began to explain to His disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. Never, Lord, he said, this shall never happen to you. Jesus turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men. Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? for the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what He has done. Our text, Philippians 1, verses 1 and 2. Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved in Christ the Lord, the opening greeting of the letter often, we know, sets the tone of that letter. It sets the stage for what is going to come next in that letter. For example, if you receive a letter and it is addressed to whom it may concern, or Dear Sir, or Dear Ma'am, you know from the very beginning that no doubt the tone of that letter, whatever kind of letter it might be, it might be a business letter, it might be a warning of some sort, but you know that the tone is going to be cold, it's going to be impersonal, it might even be harsh, and it might be threatening. And therefore, that kind of a letter you read from the very beginning, you read it cautiously, and there certainly is no sort of emotional attachment with that letter. But on the other hand, if you receive a letter that is addressed to my dearest so-and-so, like the letters I used to send my wife when we were dating, and we were separated for a summer by many miles, I wanted her to know from the very beginning, from the address, I wanted her to know my love for her, how much I missed her, how much I longed to be with her. I wanted her to know that from the very beginning, when you receive a letter that is addressed in that way, then you know from the very beginning the tone is going to be soft, It's going to be warm. It's going to convey love and is proof of a genuine relationship. Well, Paul's address, his greeting here, does the same thing. It sets the stage. It sets the tone of the letter. It may not seem like a whole lot to us at first, but it's worthy of our consideration. Now, we might say, if we want to speak of a theme of the entire letter of Philippians, we could say very simply that the theme of Philippians is joy in Christ. And that joy is the result of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And we know that Paul himself was an example of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That joy is the result of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Who we are as Christians and what we have and what we enjoy as God's children is all because of Jesus Christ and Him alone. And Paul makes that clear from the very beginning of this letter with the very first words. He makes it clear that Jesus Christ is the tie that binds us together with Christ Himself and He is the tie that binds our hearts together in Christian love. Now, of course, Paul writes in the style of his day that was common in his day. Not like our style. We simply, dear so-and-so, and we go on maybe with a short little greeting in the body of the letter, but as you see here, first they listed the greeter, the ones writing the letter, the one writing the letter. And then very clearly portrayed the greeted, those to whom the letter was being sent, and then a beautiful greeting in this case, and then they went on with the body of the letter. Paul writes in the style of his day, but as one commentator says, he Christianizes it. he Christianizes it. And by doing so, he sets the Philippian believers at ease from the very beginning with the comfort of who they are and of what they have been given in Christ Jesus. He comforts them as he points to the genuine relationship that they have with Jesus Christ. And therefore, Paul begins his letter with a Christian greeting to the Philippian Christians. it's a greeting by christ's humble servants it's a greeting to christ's chosen saints and it's a greeting with christ's generous blessing and therefore in the first place it's a greeting by christ's humble servants paul and timothy servants of christ jesus now that may seem a little strange to us because paul clearly is writing this letter he refers to himself i me throughout the letter so why does he include timothy it may be a variety of reasons it may very well be that that paul dictated and timothy wrote down what paul wanted to say but we for sure we do know that timothy was with paul and silas when this church was begun some 12 years before we know that timothy had visited on at least one occasion maybe twice the philippian church and we know that paul was getting ready to send him back for another visit, another checkup of the Philippian believers. Timothy was dear to the Philippian congregation. The congregation was dear to Timothy. But Paul identifies himself and Timothy as servants. Some translations say slaves. Now, there are some scholars, theological scholars, that don't like the word slaves because of the connotation that you and I might have because of the slavery that we think about, and therefore they like the word servants better. But the word servants can also not fully describe what this is all about. But we do know that the Greek word was a term that was common in the Greco-Roman world. And the idea was of one who was owned by, who was purchased by, who was clearly the property of, and was then also subservient to, had to serve the master of the household. That's the word that Paul is using here. In this case, the master's will and the master's interests were the only thing that counted. And the master's will and the master's interests were to be the servant's or the slave's interests and will. Nothing else. The slave or servant really didn't have his own identity. He didn't have his own thinking as it were. It didn't matter. And the servant or the slave was completely dependent on the Master and he was bound to the Master until death. Now there's nothing flattering about being this kind of a servant. Yet that's the word Paul uses. He says we are servants, slaves in this way of Christ. For Paul and Timothy, there was no greater joy than to be this kind of servant because as Christ's humble servants, they belonged to Christ. And that wasn't a bad thing. They understood exactly what that meant. They belonged to Christ. Now, this is, for Paul at least, contrary to appearance. Paul was a prisoner in Rome. Paul was awaiting the decision of his appeal to Caesar. He was possibly on death row. He didn't know what the outcome would be. It seems that the decision was going to be forthcoming fairly soon. but he didn't know what it would be. We know that in this case he was eventually set free for a time and later on he was in prison again and that led to his death. But he makes it clear in chapter 1 that he was in chains. He was under some sort of a house arrest. He was able to receive visitors and he was able to minister in some way. But he was not free. He was bound. He was a prisoner. Everything seemed to be against him. Yet, He was filled with joy because of His true Master. The Master of heaven and earth. He was a servant of Christ. Boys and girls, you may remember that Christ means anointed of God. It's the word that, in the Old Testament, the word for Messiah. In other words, God Himself. From the very beginning, Paul focuses the spotlight, as it were, upon his heavenly master who was also the master of the earth rather than focusing that light on Rome which considered itself to be the master of the earth. His master was none other than Jesus. Christ Jesus by whom Paul was purchased. Beloved, the very title Christ Jesus that Paul uses here points to God's salvation. And the name Jesus, we know what that name means. It points to His substitutionary atonement. Jesus gave His life for Paul. Jesus took the wages of Paul's sin. Jesus paid for Paul with Christ's own precious and valuable blood. Jesus rescued Paul from bondage to Satan. Jesus made Paul and Timothy His own possession. And this is talking about a permanent relationship. Paul and Timothy had an everlasting bond. They were bond servants bound to Christ Jesus. Paul was completely dependent upon Christ Jesus, the one to whom Paul owed his undivided attention. He belonged to Christ, and therefore he was also bound to Christ's service. Now here again, it appeared that he was bound to Rome with chains. But Paul would tell you and me, don't let these chains deceive you because my real chains are chains of joy and comfort because He was bound to the One who saved him. And we might think, wow, that's quite a thing to say, quite a thing to be able to confess. He was a prisoner, yet he had joy as he was bound to Christ. And it would be good to contrast the world's idea of slavery with the truth of spiritual slavery. And the world's idea of slavery is something more in the order of, of, let's say, the Israelites in slavery to Egypt. Or the kind of slavery that we are used to studying in our history books over the last couple of hundred years, slavery in the South. And the world's idea of slavery includes involuntary service. It includes forced subjection. It includes harsh treatment and hard labor and punishment and no reward. It includes a tyrant of a master. But true spiritual slavery to Jesus Christ is not burdensome. He says, my yoke is easy. My burden is light. To be a slave of Christ Jesus is to be a servant of righteousness, as Paul says in Romans 6. And Paul himself was a demonstration of one who ministered to and for his Lord. And he did so with a heart that was filled with gladness. He did so with a new spirit. He did so in the enjoyment of perfect freedom. He was free from the curse and the wages of sin. He was free to strive to please his master with thankful obedience. You see, beloved, unlike the world's idea of slavery, Paul knew that his master was gentle and kind and protecting. And he knew that his master's will and his master's interest was what was best for his servants. Paul knew that his master would indeed one day reward him with an eternal inheritance and therefore he was able to serve with a heart filled with love and goodwill toward God and man. The truth of spiritual slavery, beloved, is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ by promoting His saving love. That saving love by which we are bound to our God and Father. That saving love to which we must desire to be bound. And the truth of spiritual slavery also includes serving God's people. You see, as Christ's servant, what Paul had to say was worth hearing. Paul was identified with Christ Jesus. He clearly demonstrated the joy of union with Christ and the joy of being employed in Christ's service. Now for the world, being a servant or a slave is nothing short of humiliating. It is embarrassing. And therefore this morning, you and I need to ask, are we embarrassed of Jesus Christ? Think about that for a moment. Are you embarrassed of Jesus Christ? Are you embarrassed to tell someone you're a Christian? Are you embarrassed when someone sees you drive into the church parking lot on Sunday morning? Boys and girls and young people, are you embarrassed when others know that you go to a Christian school? Are you embarrassed to bow your head in a restaurant and give thanks for the food you are about to receive in public? Are we embarrassed in any way of Christ Jesus? Or are we honored to be bound to Him and His service? See, beloved, how can we not serve Him after all that He has done for us? When we come to understand that by the grace of God through faith, how can we not serve Him with joy and gladness? Paul was a servant in the service of Christ, and he knew that his service then was for the Philippian Christians. What he had to say was truly the Word of Christ in whom these believers had a particular identity. In the second place, his greeting is to Christ's chosen saints, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons. And that greeting, you see, or that designation is not unique only to the Philippian church. If you look at all of Paul's epistles to the various churches, he begins most of them the same way, either to the saints or to those who have been called or those who are holy or those who are set apart. Something of that nature. But saints is a wonderful identification. It is an awesome title. And it is so because it has absolutely nothing to do with us. And it has everything to do with Christ. We earn titles through various levels of education in this life. But this particular title, this identification, is earned only by Jesus Christ for us. Christ's chosen saints are separated by Christ. They are saints in Christ Jesus. The very same designation that Paul uses with regard to servants. Saints in Christ Jesus. Saints in connection with Christ Jesus. Saints because of Christ Jesus. See, beloved, saints are holy ones. Saints are separated ones. But the separation is not determined by man. You see, the Roman Catholic Church had it wrong and still has it wrong. They study the lives of those who have died and they apply certain tests and certain requirements. Then after a certain amount of time, once they've gathered their information, then the church decides whether this individual should be called a saint or not. But it's all based on what man does. And we know that many have that idea of a saint being a good person. A saint does all kinds of good things and nice things for others. Sometimes we even joke here that so-and-so must be a saint because she puts up with her husband. And the truth is, husbands, we could say that about all of our wives, right? Because they put up with us. But the truth of spiritual saints, as we know, is that it's not about what we do. It's in spite of us. It's in spite of what we have done. But when man determines whether one ought to be called a saint or not, that divides Christians. It makes saints a special class among Christians. But with Paul, there's no division. There's no distinction. He says to all the saints. And then I think he reinforces that when he adds, together with the overseers and deacons, those whom some would consider to be more saintly than others. He says, no, there's no elite group. He reminds the congregation of her leaders. Those whom God has chosen and placed over this congregation who are to be respected, but in Christ. They all share the same identity. Mature believers with less mature believers. More active believers with less active. Young believers with old believers. Wealthy believers with poor believers. One and all the same. Being a saint is not determined by man. It's not earned by man. You and I can't and we don't make ourselves saints. It's not by our decision. It's not by our design. And that's a good thing, beloved. Because we would only prove just how unsaintly we are. But Christ's chosen saints are determined by God because of God's gracious election. We are saints because of what God has done for us through Christ Jesus. Saints are not sinless people. Saints are not near-perfect people. The saints are sinners whom God has called out of the world, separated from the world, set apart from the world. We know that when God takes hold of something and puts it apart for His own purpose, it becomes holy, maybe not inherently holy. For example, think of the temple in the Old Testament. The furnishings, the dishes, the curtains, the priestly garments, the priests themselves, Israel herself, set apart as God's holy people for a special purpose. The saints are not some exceptional Christian. All saints are sinners, but not all sinners are saints. Saints are those whom God has chosen to redeem by the blood of Jesus Christ. Saints are those to whom God has chosen to give the gift of new life and faith and a knowledge of His saving grace. Saints are those whom God calls out of darkness, the darkness of sin, and brings into the light of His truth, And gives the status as chosen people, as a holy nation, as His own special people. Saints are those whom God saves. Beloved, you want to see a saint? A real-life saint? Then if you truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, when you get home, look in a mirror and you will see a saint. But at the same time then, praise God for His mercy in calling you to Himself. Christ's chosen saints are separated by Christ and also separated unto Christ for His service. You see, Paul and Timothy call themselves servants, but they were also saints. They were saints not because they were servants, but they were servants because they were saints. It is the duty of every Christian to live a separated life. New life in Christ with faith is evidence of being a saint. Paul identifies these saints in Philippi. Philippi could have also been called Little Rome. It's a place where the emperor was worshipped. It was a place where the emperor was Lord. But Paul pulls out, as it were, he identifies these saints in Philippi, these Christians who were separate from all the other citizens because these believe in Jesus Christ. Their allegiance was to Jesus Christ, not to the emperor. Saints are not determined by the kind of life that is lived. But the kind of life that is lived flows from being a saint. And that means, beloved, that being a saint also includes self-separation. God's separation, first of all. but also self-separation. You see, God has separated me, so I must separate myself. Faith, true faith, responds to the work of Jesus Christ by less joining the world and by more separation from the world. God has separated me for salvation. He has separated me from a life contrary to the life of the old man. And therefore, with faith, I must consciously and with joy separate from the old man of sin and separate from the behavior and the practices and the conduct of the old man of sin. And I must be dedicated to God's service. I must be interested in the things of God. I want to pause at this point, too, and ask you, are you interested in the things of God? I mean, really, truly. Do you talk about what God has done for you with your spouse, with your children, with your friends, young people? Do you talk about your love for the Lord, your struggles in the faith? When you're together with another couple, friends of yours, do you encourage one another in the faith? Are you interested in the things of God? or is your conversation simply about this life and worldly things? You see, beloved, we are to constantly ask, how does this or that that I would like to do or that I am doing, how does it glorify God? How does it point others to Him? Or does this or that compromise my Christian integrity? And this is what we are to ask of ourselves in all of our life, in every single area of life. Not one part is separated from our faith. And this is not difficult to do. It's not difficult when we remember that we are saints because Christ gave His all for us. When we don't remember that, then it's very difficult. But when we remember that Christ gave His all for us, then it's not difficult to constantly examine our hearts and lives. And therefore, saints are also separated for Christ, that is, for the benefit of others. saints are to be a testimony to Him. Now sadly, the world often is not interested in what we have to say, first of all. The world is not really interested in our preaching. It's not interested in our doctrine. And that doesn't mean that we simply shove our doctrine under the mat. Instead, the world watches us and they are to watch and see us live our doctrine. And when the world sees in you and me a life that is triumphant over the old man of sin by the grace of God, when they see a personality that is clearly victorious, filled with joy, no matter what our lot in life, then the world can't help but to begin to pay attention because it is so different from them. You see, the believers love for one another and the believers' joy in the service to Jesus Christ in all of life impacts the world. Many scoff, but some, by the grace of God, respond. Beloved, being a saint is all about being centered on the Lord Jesus Christ. Saints are saved sinners. Each and every one who deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him. You see, without Christ, as we know, there is no salvation. And to put it very straightforward and bluntly, If Jesus Christ is not essential to your life, then you are not a Christian. You are not a saint. And you can gain all that this world has to give you, but you will lose your soul. If Jesus Christ is not the absolute core and center of your being, then your life is not a life of Christianity. But if with humble confidence you call yourself a saint, only because of what Jesus Christ has done and because of who He is and what He has done, then may it be, by the grace of God, that we would not, as believers and as a church, that we would not look like we are bound to the world, but that the world would clearly see that we are joyfully bound to Christ Jesus. And then also, like the Christians in Philippi, Paul's greeting comes to you and me in the third place with Christ's generous blessing. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, what a generous blessing. And notice its triune author. The origin of this blessing is God our Father, the One from whom all blessings flow, the One who loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son. The accomplishment of the blessing is alone by Jesus Christ, who has merited every blessing for us. Whatever blessing you can think of, Christ has merited it for you by His death and resurrection. And the application of this blessing, though Paul doesn't say it specifically, he knew was the Holy Spirit, the one promised by Jesus Christ, who was to be the other helper, the other comforter. The one alone, as Paul says to the Corinthian church, by whom we say Jesus is Lord. And notice the undeserved content of this glorious blessing. Very simply, grace and peace. Now these are words just like this whole greeting. We read over this so quickly, so flippantly. We read over these words and we maybe hear them in our worship service so quickly, so flippantly, so meaningless in such a meaningless fashion. Grace and peace. Grace. that unmerited favor by God earned by Jesus Christ at Calvary for an enemy, for a sinner, for many, with no strings attached that is given freely to you and me. And beloved, this grace comes from the very heart of God and this grace of God includes the sum total of God's activity toward His people. The whole package of salvation from His grace in election all the way to His grace and glorification and everything in between, all of the gifts of God's favor, all that He has given, all that He continues to give you and me in this life. God has given of Himself bountifully, mercifully, and generously in Christ and all of His grace poured out upon you and me can then be summed up in one word and that word is peace. This peace flows from God's grace. God's peace points to the condition when God is our friend because we have been reconciled to Him and all is well with us. And we know that subjectively that feeling of peace includes rest and satisfaction and happiness in the Lord. It includes being conscious of being reconciled with God. Yet, very quickly, we need to remember that our feelings may come and go. We may not always feel like we are at peace with God. But for those who truly believe, the true condition of peace with God is constant. And notice it's confident certainty. This is a statement, this is a declaration by Paul. It's not just a wish. Grace, may grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a declaration. It is a statement of fact. It is something real and true. It's not just hopeful thinking. God truly imparts to His saints His grace and peace as He dwells in the midst of His congregation. And His grace and peace is abiding. It is generous. You may remember the Aaronic blessing, the blessing that God gave to Aaron and his sons to give to Israel in number 6. Boys and girls, you know it. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace. And right after that, the Lord says, So they will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them. He didn't say maybe. It was a fact. And Jesus says in Luke 10, verses 5 and 6, When you enter a house, first say, Peace to this house. If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him. If not, it will return to you. Brothers and sisters, what this means is that the greeting that we receive at the beginning of our worship service through God's servant and the benediction blessing that we are given as we leave this place is not just a hope. It's not just a wish for you and me. But it is the very blessing of God and it is certain for His believers. Because of Jesus Christ, we are always in God's grace. God's grace is always sufficient for us and we are continually at peace with God. It doesn't mean that we never doubt this peace. It doesn't mean that we never question it. It doesn't mean that we always feel like God is being gracious to us. It doesn't depend on us. It doesn't mean that we never do anything to demonstrate that we don't deserve His grace. We often do things to demonstrate that. But the fact is, God's grace and peace is always real, it is always true, it is always given to God's people. God's people cannot be without His grace and peace. Beloved, Paul's Christian greeting to the Philippian church demonstrates just how otherworldly the church is. Our citizenship is in heaven. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ is God Himself and He calls us to His glorious servants as saints. but apart from him we can only live and work you can only live and work for yourself that's a dead end it's hopeless because you and I can only lose our souls apart from him we can only live and work in bondage to sin and Satan which is absolutely terrible because Satan doesn't care about you or me at all but our Lord Jesus Christ does but for those who humble themselves in the sight of the Lord through repentance and faith those who take up their cross and follow Him they are bound to His saving love and they can find no greater joy than to serve Him beloved Paul's comforting greeting is just as much for us today as it was for the Philippian church so long ago and that means that just as the gospel power of Jesus Christ transformed Paul's life from being a Christian hater and destroyer to being a Christian maker and preserver. All who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have comfort in Christ's transforming power. And it comes with this guarantee that whatever our circumstances or condition, whatever Satan and his followers may do to us, our joy is complete. And, beloved, it can and it will abide forever. It shall never be taken away because we are chosen saints of God who have been given His grace and peace. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we do praise Your name for such a blessed truth. We do confess that often throughout this life and even many times in the day we may wonder where you are or what you are doing or why you don't seem to be coming to our aid as quickly and as often as we would like. And we might be tempted to question your grace and your peace being upon us. that we praise You, Father, that it doesn't depend on how we feel or what we do. But You have called us to be Your people, Your saints in Christ Jesus. And indeed, You have not only poured out Your grace and peace upon us, but it continues to be with us each and every moment of our lives. And we pray too, Lord, that You would continue to direct us throughout this life by the power of Your Holy Spirit as we enjoy Your grace and Your mercy and Your peace. We praise Your name, O Lord. In Jesus' name alone we pray these things. Amen.