This morning, I invite you to turn with me both to Philippians chapter 1 and to Acts chapter 16. It has been my desire for a little while now to study with you the book of Philippians. And this morning we begin that study. More specifically, it's an introductory sermon. It's a little bit different for me. I don't have a specific text, and I hope that doesn't scare you as it scares me. But the Lord willing, you will understand as we consider this sermon together. Philippians 1, verses 1 and 2, just to read those two verses. And the Lord willing, I hope to consider a sermon next week on that particular address. but to read them today and then to turn back to Acts chapter 16 where we find the account of the founding of the church in Philippi. Philippians 1, verses 1 and 2, as the Word of God says, 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. And I ask that you keep your finger there as we will refer to a number of verses in the book of Philippians. Then turning back to Acts chapter 16, beginning at verse 6 through verse 34. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, come over to Macedonia and help us. After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. From Troas, we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony, and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. If you consider me a believer in the Lord, she said, come and stay at my house. And she persuaded us. Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, These men are servants of the Most High God who are telling you the way to be saved. She kept this up for many days. Finally, Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the Spirit, In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her. At that moment, the Spirit left her. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, These men are Jews and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice. The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, Don't harm yourself. We are all here. The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They replied, Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. Then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them. He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God, he and his whole family. A beloved in Christ the Lord, we are about to begin a journey. And boys and girls, I'm not talking about taking a trip in a car or an airplane or hopping on a train or even getting on a ship. I'm not even talking about leaving Escondido. But the Lord willing, we will be journeying through Paul's letter to the Philippian church. Now when we go on a journey, when we go on a vacation, someplace where we've never been before, someplace that is unfamiliar to us, it's kind of like a treasure hunt. Because we really don't know what it is we will find there. We really don't know what it is we will experience. Paul found that in many places. I'm sure maybe had he known ahead of time what he would meet in some of these places, not Philippi necessarily, first of all. Philippi too because of being in prison. But maybe he would have been tempted not to go. But when you go to a place that you're unfamiliar with, it's kind of like a treasure hunt. But generally, we make preparations for the trip. We do a little research so that we can become familiar just a little bit with what we might experience. And the same is true a bit, at least when it comes to studying a book of the Bible. Now, although we're not going to leave Escondido, Paul does take us to an ancient time and an ancient place. And by the grace of God, we hope to mine the treasures of God's Word that were given to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Those whom we have never met. Those who were worlds and ages apart from us. those who may have found themselves in much different situations than we find ourselves in today. And may it be our prayer that we would also find that the Word of God is indeed the same yesterday, today, and forever, and has the very same meaning and encouragement for us today as it did for believers so long ago. And therefore, this morning, before we dig into this letter in particular, we do a little research. We do a little background work. And in that way, hoping that that will help us to understand Paul's original audience and their situation. And as well, to gain an overview of God's Word through Paul to this church. And that we might also begin to see how we might identify with this congregation in Philippi. And therefore, we begin this journey considering in a general fashion the providential background of this church, the praiseworthy character of this church, and then also the powerful instruction that Paul has for this church. First, then, the providential background of this church. We know that nothing happens by chance. We know that our God is a God of providence. Not only did He create the universe and all things therein, but He also governs all that He has made. Everything happens according to his direction, his plan. He planned for this church in Philippi. He prepared Philippi for this church. The city indeed was Philippi. It was named after Philip II of Macedon. He was the father of Alexander the Great. This took place around 359 B.C. And the location of Philippi was in the kingdom of Macedonia. and what we know as part of Europe. There was a colony there already, but Philip recognized the importance of the original colony that was there, and he set out to expand that colony, and again he changed the name to Philippi. But part of its importance was the fact that it lay on a major highway called the Via Ignatia, which was an old Roman highway about 500 plus miles long. It connected Rome with Asia Minor, and it was an important trade route. but this colony philip recognized was also important because in the mountains surrounding this colony these mountains were filled with gold mines that themselves were filled with gold and much gold was brought out of these mines over a period of time and the plains around philippi as well were fertile fertile plains and therefore this this colony this city then was was located in a place of a great source of revenue for a time and a situation of economic stability. Now, in 146, around 146 B.C., the kingdom of Macedonia became a political district of Rome. And then later on, following an historic battle in 42 B.C., Philippi became a Roman colony. And as far as the makeup of Philippi, By the citizens, the citizens both by Philip II and because of particular battles that took place, the one in 42 and another one around 39 or 38, because of that, at least on three different occasions, people were transplanted into Philippi. They were brought in to live in Philippi. Yet these citizens were predominantly Roman citizens. And they were proud of their Roman citizenship. They enjoyed all the rights and privileges of their Roman citizenship. They didn't want to do anything, such as the owners of the slave girl, they didn't want to do anything to damage or hurt their Roman citizenship. But Philippi was the first European city to which Paul came, and through whom God providentially established a church, and he did so through what we know as the Macedonian call. We read about that in Acts chapter 16. Now this was on what we know as Paul's second missionary journey. And we know, of course, from reading Acts chapter 16 that Paul had other plans. He had tried to preach the gospel in Asia, in Bithynia, in Mysia, but we read that the Holy Spirit wouldn't allow him to. The Holy Spirit stopped him from preaching the gospel in Asia. He wouldn't even allow him to enter Bithynia because God had other plans for Paul. He had plans for Paul to enter a new field. Again, what we know as Europe. We read about this in verses 9 and 10 through the vision. During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, come over to Macedonia and help us. After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Now, Luke makes it clear that Paul understood that God had shut the door to Asia and that God was opening the door in this new place. And Paul does not hesitate to go. And really, his first stop then is Philippi. Here in this major city for travel and for trade, a church begins. Here in this place from which the Gospel could spread easily and to which newcomers would be attracted because of the economic prosperity to be gained, and as well then, they would be exposed to the Gospel. And it's here in this place that this church enjoyed a humble beginning. Now, in Acts 16, we're not given a whole lot of information, but three examples are selected with regard to Paul's work there. with regard to the work of the Holy Spirit and the power of Christianity in Philippi. Lydia, the seller of purple. The slave girl, the fortune teller. Which, of course, led to the episode with the jailer. But all we're given there in Acts chapter 16 is that the nucleus of the church at her very beginning was Lydia and the jailer and their households. It started small. And this church was predominantly a Gentile church. Now, you might be sitting here thinking so far, this is all fine and good, this is great, but what does this have to do with us? What does this have to do with us? Well, to me, it seems like Philippi was a place much like our little corner of the world here in the San Diego area. Oh, not as large, I realize that. But in that, it was a place of opportunity. because of its economic advantages. It was a place with so many transplants. Many of you, many of your parents and relatives were transplanted here in this place where a church was begun. But even more than that, in Philippi, we see in Acts 16, we see the power of God to overcome unbelief in a pagan society. And we see that especially with a Philippian jailer, which of course was dangerous because of emperor worship, which we'll talk more about in a moment. But we see the power of God to overcome unbelief in a pagan society. And therefore, beloved, we are not to think that that is impossible today. So often we do think that, don't we? Oh, so-and-so is so bad, there's absolutely no way their heart can be changed. And maybe you've seen that with an acquaintance. Someone who was pagan beyond your wild imagination. Wicked to the core. Took every opportunity that he or she had to blaspheme the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and then because of some situation that God used in their life, the Lord brought them to Himself and gave them a change of heart. And we doubt it. We still want to doubt it. But we are not to think that it is impossible today. we are not to be surprised when it happens. I think back some years ago to that serial killer, Ted Bundy, who apparently had come to confess Christ before his execution. And I remember hearing a discussion, an interview with Dr. Dobson at Ted Bundy. And there are some back then and maybe some still today who said there's no way. There's no way that he truly was a believer. He was just too bad. He only said that he believed in order to gain sympathy and maybe to get out of execution. From what I remember, he wasn't trying to get out of execution. Beloved, we are not to think it is impossible today for God's power to overcome unbelief in a pagan society. We are not to be surprised when it happens. Instead, we are called, like Paul, to faithfully preach the Word of God and testify through our lips and through our lives of the saving work of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. And then to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to transform hearts and lives. But still, you might say, well, that's all fine and good, but so what for us? What big deal does this church in Philippi have for us today here in Escondido, California, 2007? Well, as Dr. Bergsma helped me to see, And I love this point. This was the first church in Europe. This was the first church that God providentially established in Europe, a place from where most of our family roots come, and more importantly, a place from where our Reformation roots come. In other words, God had us in mind, you and me. He had us in mind already long ago, we know further than this, but as Philippi, laying in the path of the spread of the gospel that would eventually come to us. And therefore we are to be thankful for the Philippian church which God established in preparation for us. And we are to be thankful for this church, especially as we notice in the second place, the praiseworthy character of this church. Now, Paul's letter here, it is believed, was written around 61 A.D., about 12 years after he first set foot in Philippi. And so therefore, after 12 years, as we read this letter, we see that he has much for which to praise them, much for which to commend them. This little nucleus had grown. And after 12 years, much to celebrate with them. Not like some of his other letters, for example, to the church in Corinth or Galatia that were filled with warnings for particular sins or compromises. But he praises this church. And I'm speaking generally now what Paul is leading through this book. They were a faithful congregation. They were a believing congregation, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. In chapter 1, beginning in verse 3, he says, I thank my God every time I remember you in all my prayers for all of you. I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now. They had not ceased to be partners with Paul and the apostles. They were brothers and sisters of Paul in Christ Jesus. And because they were a believing congregation, they enjoyed progress and joy in the faith as he says in chapter 1, verse 25. They grew in their faith. Their faith was demonstrated through obedience, as he says in chapter 2, verse 12, as you have always obeyed. They were obedient to the Word of God, to the Lord Jesus Christ. And their faith in Christ Jesus was also demonstrated as they were a prayerful congregation. In chapter 1, verse 19, Paul speaks of the church's prayers on his behalf. This was a congregation that understood their dependence upon God. They understood that God uses means in the lives of His people. And that includes the prayers of believers. They understood that prayer is the blessed lifeline that God has given, not to the whole world in general, but to believers in particular. And He promises to hear the prayers of those who look to Him in faith. They understood that prayer was indispensable for the church and for believers and that the church and believers cannot and will not do without prayer. But not only were they faithful and prayerful, but they were thoughtful, they were generous. In chapter 2, verse 25, Paul says, But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger whom you sent to take care of my needs. And then in chapter 4, verses 15 and 16, Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you only. For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. They were interested, it appears, in missions, the work of ministry. And they were selfless in that way, considering the needs of others, especially Paul. And Paul wanted them to understand that as they helped him with his physical needs, that they were also therefore supporting the work of the ministry of Jesus Christ. But along with being faithful and prayerful and thoughtful, this was a congregation, beloved, that was resistant to opposition. They were engaged in the battle, in the good fight. They faced opposition. Chapter 1, beginning in verse 27. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved, and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had and now hear that I still have. And he says in chapter 3, verses 2 and 3, Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh, for it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus and who put no confidence in the flesh. They faced opposition. And it's clear that they suffered for that opposition. But the source of that opposition is a little bit more difficult to determine. It came from outside. It was external opposition. And it's very possible that there is a warning here from Paul to beware of the Judaizers, those who would make Gentile Christians conform to certain Old Testament Jewish customs and rituals such as circumcision. As well as other legalistic tendencies. Jesus Christ is okay as far as He goes, but you must still conform to this and to this and to this. It's not clear whether those Judaizers were already there in Philippi attacking the congregation. It may be that Paul was warning them because of Judaizers in other congregations that he was dealing with. But that may very well be the reason that Paul emphasizes the necessity of Christ's righteousness. But it is agreed that this external opposition included that they faced persecution from. And they felt the pressures of the false teachings and the practices of the pagan society that surrounded them, namely emperor worship. Philippi owed her existence as a Roman colony to the special favor of the Roman emperor. And the citizens were to have a special devotion for the emperor. They considered Him to be a Lord, to be a Savior, to be God. They worshipped Him. They paid Him homage. And therefore, no doubt, Paul's numerous references to Jesus Christ emphasizing that He is the Lord. He is the Savior. Their opposition was external. But I also want to take the opportunity as we consider these praises is to point out the one blemish that Paul seems to point out in this letter. And we say there's a blemish because of Paul's admonition in chapter 2, verses 1 through 4, to be like-minded and look to the interests of others. And in chapter 2, verse 14, he says, do everything without complaining and arguing. And in chapter 4, verse 2, in particular, he says, I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. It appears that they were not agreeing. It appears that there was complaining and arguing. It appears that they were not looking to the interests of others around them in their own congregation. It appears there was some sort of internal rivalry going on. That there was selfish ambition. Well, they were selfless when it came to helping Paul, but in their own congregation, there was selfish ambition as one commentator calls it, posturing, seeking position that was going on. And although at this time it had not yet led to terrible division, it had led to complaining and arguing. And Paul's warning is that if it remains unchecked, it could lead to division. And it most certainly does jeopardize their Christian witness to the world. and beloved we know that to be true when we bicker when we argue and fight as brothers and sisters in Christ when we refuse to talk to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ when we treat our pagan neighbors better than we treat each other the world notices that it sends a contradictory message to the world and they say if that's what it means to be a Christian I don't want any part of it It jeopardizes the Christian's witness to the world. And when the church struggles with internal strife, it hurts her ability to withstand and fight against the attacks that come from the outside. And that's how Satan likes to work. He works to weaken the church from inside out so that often we don't even see the attacks from outside coming. But for all that this church had going for it, and it had a lot, Because of this one blemish that Paul mentions, this church was in constant need. It proved she was in constant need of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. And this included the ongoing challenge and the ongoing encouragement and the ongoing admonition and the ongoing warning of the Word of God. Paul praises the Philippian church because of her faith, because of her devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, but He also encourages her in the faith because she had not yet arrived. Her members were not yet perfect. She was not yet a part of that church triumphant in glory. She continued to struggle with sin and selfishness in this life. And sadly, often, that is demonstrated against those to whom we are the closest. this church was still prone to wander. And beloved, that is true of the visible church on this earth and all faithful congregations even today. If our former pastor, Pastor Kaminga, were to write this church a letter to the Escondido United Reformed Church, I believe that in good conscience he could praise this congregation for many things. I believe he could praise this congregation for being a faithful congregation, for being a prayerful congregation, for being a thoughtful and a generous congregation, for being a congregation that desires to stand up for the truth and to resist opposition. But could he also admonish us as a congregation and maybe even some of us individually? Could He admonish us for bitterness at times? For laziness in our walk with the Lord? Could He admonish us for compromising what we say we believe according to our lifestyles? Could He admonish some of us for envy and for hatred at times? Could He admonish us for apathy or for going through the motions, being hypocrites? Could He admonish us for neglect? Neglect of each other in so many other ways. Could He admonish us for having, at times, our priorities twisted? And sadly, the answer is yes. Because these things can be found here. And I'm not pointing to anything in particular. These things can be found in the most faithful of congregations. At times, each one of us is guilty of all of these things in our hearts. And at times, sadly, these things do come up and become observed and known. You see, beloved, we too have not yet arrived. We too continue to live in the midst of a world of sin and shame and difficulty and suffering and temptation and compromise. Satan continues to attack us and he will continue to attack us to compromise what we believe, to water down how we live according to the Word of God. He will continue to do so until Jesus Christ comes again and puts all of his enemies under his feet and takes his church home to him in glory. And that's why we too, even today in the year 2007, just as the Philippian church, We need, lastly, the powerful instruction that Paul had for this church. We need Paul's lessons that he gives to this church. And I want to consider a few of them briefly, broadly speaking, because we're going to consider all these things as we journey through this book. But these powerful instructions include instructions of the center of life. Paul clearly teaches in this book, the center of life is Christ Jesus. We have life only in Him. He says, for to me, to live is Christ. He is the one and only on whom we truly depend. Not the emperor, not the president, not our government, not our boss, but Christ Jesus. And that means that true righteousness, beloved, matters to God. And the true righteousness that matters to God is the righteousness of Christ. And that's why Paul can say that his desire was to have a righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ. And those who are in Him, those who have been blessed, clothed with His righteousness, then are called to imitate Him, to imitate His humility, Paul says. Being willing to give up of themselves, to deprive themselves, as Christ deprived Himself of the glory of heaven for a time. To deprive ourselves for others. And that doesn't mean that we only give something up when we know that we're going to get something better in return. But to deprive of ourselves, to be without, that others might have. That's proof of being in Christ. Paul's powerful instruction also includes instruction of true peace in this letter. And that's our most important need. To have peace with God. that peace alone makes us able to withstand any difficulty or trouble in this world and life. It's not like the peace that the world seeks after, peace through tolerance of all ways of thinking and all ways of doing with no regard to God's Word. It's not the kind of peace that many try to achieve by escaping through drugs or tranquilizers, or the peace that many try to come by through self-help books and self-help techniques and gurus. But only peace with God through Jesus Christ. William Hendrickson in his commentary on Philippians gives three reasons for studying Philippians. The first is because it reveals the secret of true happiness and contentment. The second because it reveals the man who found it, namely Paul. And third and most important, it reveals the Christ who secured it. Paul's powerful instruction also includes instruction of faithful endurance. Enduring in the faith and how it's accomplished. In chapter 2, verse 12, he says, Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Endure! And then he goes on to say how it's possible, For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. You see, the Apostle Paul's desire for the believers in Philippi as well as all believers, his desire for you and me was growth in personal commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and growth in holiness. And it was his goal to remind the Philippian church what it is we believe, why we believe it, our doctrine, and then also what difference it makes in life. Oh, beloved, we are a blessed community and congregation of believers. There's no doubt about that. We can identify in so many ways, I believe, with the Philippian congregation. And therefore, over the weeks and months ahead as we journey through this Paul's letter to the Philippian church, may we, by God's grace, be able to mine the treasures of God's Word for us. You see, we too, for all that we enjoy by the blessing of God, each and every one of us, we need the Gospel. We need the Gospel. We are not above it. We need to be reminded over and over and over again of what it is we have in Christ Jesus and because of what He did. We need to be encouraged time and time again to stand firm in the faith and be encouraged for growth in personal commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and holiness of life. We need to be told because of the sin-filled world we live in and the attacks we face and the assaults we face, sometimes even unconsciously, we need to be told in the midst of strife and trouble to rejoice, to be content, to pray. Because we truly have a reason to. And beloved, we are to never tire of each other. May we never become tired of each other. May we never become tired of gathering together as brothers and sisters in Christ, as God's people for worship and for fellowship. May we never tire of sharing with each other and encouraging one another, of seeking the good of each other, of crying with each other, of rejoicing with each other. We are to remember that the church is larger than just us as believers, as families, even as a congregation here in Escondido. We are a part of a larger family. A universal family, huh? Whose citizenship is in heaven. Now those who do not have this life in Christ, those who reject Him, don't want to hear these truths that we need to hear, that we want to hear. They hate these truths. They don't want to be encouraged. They don't want to be warned. They don't want to be admonished. These are those who do not have true peace with God. They have no hope. Because the only hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone as the Lord and as the Savior gives you and me hope because He alone brings us peace with God and contentment with our lot in life. And that's for you. That's for me. If you have not yet turned to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, what are you waiting for? Because there is no life apart from Jesus Christ. And there is only life, glorious and triumphant, in Him. And it's guaranteed. And for those who are in Christ Jesus, who are clothed with His righteousness, they desire to hear the truths of God's Word. They desire to be encouraged. And they also desire to be warned and admonished when need be. They desire that the Holy Spirit keep them on that narrow way. Well, beloved, the journey is just beginning and therefore may we rejoice each step and each verse of the way as we recognize that what the Lord says to the Philippian church through Paul He says to you and He says to me and what He says is good it's necessary and it's right because it is for our salvation. Let's pray together. Father, sometimes we must confess that we feel so distant from the believers that we read about in the Bible. Which in a sense isn't so hard to imagine because sometimes we feel so distant from believers in our own community and other congregations around us. even in our own church. But indeed, oh Lord, your church is a family. And what you have said to your church so many years ago is still right and true and it is still for us today. And we thank you for your word. We thank you for the privilege and opportunity you give to us to study your word, to hear it preached. And we pray, Father, that You will use this indeed to encourage us, to warn us, to admonish us, to challenge us, indeed to cause us to grow in faith, in hope, and in love. We praise Your most holy name. In Jesus' name alone we pray. Amen.