A Warm Greeting - Philippians 1:1-2

Do you ever try to multitask? You have a ton to accomplish, so you try to do two or more things at once. It feels productive, but some neuroscientists argue that actually, it’s not. They observed that multitasking often involves doing two tasks that require the same part of the brain, and after various studies, they found that one part of the human brain can’t truly perform two tasks at once. It must switch from one to another. 

For instance, you could try to pound out an email to one person while talking on the phone to another. But if you were job hunting, would you feel comfortable crafting an email to one potential employer while interviewing over the phone with another? Probably not. Instead, you would focus on one, complete it, and then focus on the other. Neuroscience seems to indicate that this is the best approach. Do one thing well, then move on to the next.

However, the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches believers that we must do a certain kind of multitasking. We must hold two beliefs at once - two beliefs that simultaneously affect how we think and live. Simply put, the gospel teaches me that, if I am in Christ, then, number one, every person in this room is better than me. And yet, number two, no one in this room is better than me. It sounds contradictory, but it’s not. 

It only appears paradoxical because the good news of what Jesus has accomplished for his people is so contrary to how we naturally think and live. We naturally fall headfirst into either one of these two categories: We either wallow in low self-esteem and self pity, or we proudly look down on others.

But through His finished work, Jesus saves his people from both pitfalls. He modeled for us during his earthly ministry a pattern of humility that we must follow. He revealed the severity of our sin and the wonder of God’s grace toward those who believe. 

But also he atoned for sins, paying our penalty and securing our adoption into the family of God. Followers of Jesus are no longer God’s enemies; we are his children. Could you see yourself as the lowest person in the room, while at the same time, seeing yourself as so highly exalted that no one is above you?

A true disciple of Jesus must hold both beliefs and live in light of them. It is essential not only for how we approach God in relationship, but also how we approach each other. How we see ourselves affects how we approach everyone else.

So how should we approach each other and God? In these opening words of Philippians, we see the answers. You can find them listed for you on page 6 in the WG. We must come to each other with the humility of lowly servants, and we must come to our God with the confidence of beloved sons.

Since we’re starting the exposition of a new book of Scripture, (and by “exposition” I mean a verse-by-verse explanation of the book’s meaning and what it means for each of us), some background information is very important. 

This is a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in the ancient city of Philippi. The city was renamed Philippi when it was conquered by Phillip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. The city was located in northern Greece, and some of its ruins remain to this day. It was located on the main road connecting the city of Rome to the eastern region of the Roman Empire, and so the location of Philippi was key in the spread of the gospel. Many people passed through.

In AD 51, (so less than 20 years after the resurrection of Jesus) Paul left the Middle East and travelled northwest toward what was called Asia Minor, what is now Turkey, taking the gospel to present-day Europe. Paul traveled with Silas and Luke, with Timothy eventually joining, and at Philippi, Paul planted his first Christian church in Europe.

Now, what was the purpose of his letter? Well, there was a series of events that led to it. Scholars have pieced together the events, looking not only at the book of Philippians, but also the NT books of Acts and 2 Corinthians. You can see it all for yourself in the Bible. After planting the Philippian church, the authorities of the city eventually ran Paul out of town, so he left Luke in charge. As Paul moved west preaching and planting more churches, the Philippian church sent financial support to him more than once and encouraged him.

At a later time, Paul was raising financial support among the Gentile churches to help the struggling churches in Judea, which were predominantly Jewish. “Gentile” was the term for those who were not ethnically Jewish. Paul was doing this, in part, as an effort to bring unity among the churches, because some former Jews were trying to make Gentiles follow the old Jewish customs that were no longer required under the New Covenant. All believers, Jew and Gentile, are saved by grace, not works of the OT law. All are brothers and sisters in Jesus. Paul wanted to show that as he reached Gentiles, he wasn’t turning his back on the Jewish churches and they were all one church.

Now the Philippian church was not wealthy; in fact, they were struggling. Paul was not asking them to support the effort, but the Philippians still wanted to do so. And when, Paul was thrown in prison for preaching the gospel, again the Philippians encouraged him during that time, although by that time they couldn’t send any more financial gifts. Now, Paul was eventually sent to the city of Rome to appear before the emperor, and even as they had their own financial troubles, the Philippians still managed to put together a financial gift for him. 

Once their gift reached Paul in his prison cell, carried to him by a Philippian church member named Epaphroditus, Paul learned that they wanted him to send Timothy to shepherd them because there was false teaching continuing to swirl around the Philippians as some Jewish believers continued to promote the obsolete Jewish laws. But almost every ally Paul had in Rome, other than Timothy, had deserted him, and he didn’t want to send Timothy away.

So he writes this letter and sends it back with Epaphroditus. Paul knew the Philippians would be disappointed that Epaphroditus had returned without Timothy. This letter, then, functioned to explain things to the church, to comfort and encourage them, but also, to correct and convict them of sin, and spur them on to walk by faith and grow in grace.

There are two different kinds of letters that we write or messages that we send. I think of letters I received from my mother when I was away from home as a young adult, and letters from my now-wife when we were apart before we got engaged. One kind is for remaining connected, saying hello, showing love in general. Another kind has some backstory and circumstances, to accomplish one or more things. This kind has layers of meaning. There is very much a backstory with the letter to Philippi and multiple things that Paul means to communicate and explain. Having a sense of these things helps us see why Paul approaches the church as he does.

Now, he begins with a humble reference to himself and Timothy, verse 1, Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.” The word translated as “servants” could also be translated “slaves.” Also called a bondservant. When we hear “slave” we think of “chattel slavery,” the horrific abduction of people in large groups, who were robbed of all rights against their will. That kind of slavery is not in view. But it does mean the complete surrender of rights, coming under the absolute lordship of another. Throughout Paul’s ministry, he refers to himself and his coworkers as “bondservants” either of Christ, God, or fellow believers. 

For instance, in 1 Cor 9, Paul states, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant (or slave) to all, that I might win more of them.” Same word. How could he be a slave to all? Well, by way of the lordship of Jesus, Paul is bound to humble himself before others. Paul says that he has willingly surrendered his rights in order to reach those apart from Christ. 

Paul says something similar in 2 Cor. 4, “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants (or slaves) for Jesus' sake.” Where would Paul get this idea that submitting to Christ would make him the servant of all? Well, from the Lord Jesus himself. In the coming weeks, we will look at Philippians 2, where Paul says that Jesus humbled himself through his incarnation; he “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” The form of a slave. 

We must come to each other with the humility of lowly servants, first and foremost, because this is how our Savior and Lord has come to us. Notice that though Paul is an apostle - very esteemed and highly honored to be chosen by God for his role in the advancement of the kingdom of King Jesus - he greets the Philippians warmly by referring to himself as a slave of Christ, fully surrendered for God’s glory and the joy of both himself and, notice the rest of verse 1, “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.” 

“Saint” has taken on a strange meaning historically, with people being “sainted.” You hear of so-and-so, patron saint of this or that. But the Scriptures are clear that all who are born again are saints, from the greatest to the least. It means “set apart by God,” “made holy by God.” “Holy” means “set apart from the sinful world.” Followers of Jesus are set apart through union with Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Spirit we are able to further set ourselves apart from sin.

All of God’s people are made holy by him. He treasures his people. To harm or disrespect them is to harm or disrespect the Lord who bought them by his precious blood. And so we should approach each other as lowly servants. This is true in all relationships. Husband to wife; wife to husband. Brother to brother, sister to sister. Friend to friend. Pastor to pastor; pastor to church member, and vise versa. Neighbor to neighbor. Each other’s servant in Christ our Lord.

J.I. Packer writes this: “What work does Christ set his servants to do? The way that they serve him, he tells them, is by becoming the slaves of their fellow-servants and being willing to do literally anything, however costly, irksome, and undignified, in order to help them. This is what love means, as he himself showed at the Last Supper when he played the slave’s part and washed the disciples’ feet.”

Do you think, “According to the gospel, I am a lowly servant.” Do you humble yourself before others, in your home or anywhere else? You know, sometimes this means keeping our mouths closed, other times it means saying hard things to each other. Paul serves the church in this letter by encouraging them at points, and by correcting them at others, but he does it all in love. 

Are you willing to lay down your life for others? Are you willing to shoot one another straight, in obedience to the Lord? Not in vengeance or for spite, but gently, in love? There is not enough of this among believers, coming to one another with the humility of lowly servants.

But just as we must come to each other as the lowest person in the room, we also must hold our heads high as those esteemed by the triune God himself. Why? Because believers stand before God as beloved sons. God’s grace and peace belong to his people. Notice verse 2, Paul greets the Philippian church by adding, [2] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God’s grace is his undeserved favor bestowed on his people because of his own kindness. You get a sense here also of why humility is appropriate for God’s people. All are undeserving of God’s love and mercy. None have earned his blessings. You didn’t find Jesus; Jesus found you. Granted, from your perspective, it may appear that you found him, but that is because he drew you to himself in love and power.

The Holy Spirit is humble in this way. That’s probably why folks try to take some credit for their salvation. But make no mistake, we are naturally dead in sins. Dead people don’t muster the strength to rise. They must be raised.Ephesians 2 says, “God raised us up with Christ.” All glory to God for it.

What an honor and privilege, that God would choose to do so for those he would save. How could we be boastful? But even though pride is not appropriate, confidence is. Those who are born again may approach God with the confidence of beloved sons. Both men and women. 

But why sons? Well, the NT Scriptures explain that Jesus Christ is the firstborn, in other words, the principal heir to the inheritance of God the Father. Those who are saved are “in” Christ; therefore, receiving all the privileges of the firstborn as well. 

This is why, in Galatians 3, Paul writes, “in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Not that genders are not important or distinct according to God’s plan, but regarding salvation and adoption into the family of God, men and women, boys and girls, are equally loved and esteemed by God. 

There is an old story of a missionary who told of a young believer who came to him very troubled. The new follower of Jesus said, “No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I'm losing my salvation.” The missionary said, "Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my son is my heir. You are Jesus Christ's heir because it is for you that He died.”

If you are in Christ, do you see yourself this way before God? You should. It should give you great comfort and peace. It should make you confident before the Lord. Do you see your fellow believers this way? See, this is why Paul humbled himself like he did. He was serving the King’s children. And yet he was himself a child of the King! Again, it seems like a paradox, but it is not.

I said earlier that scientists argue that your brain can’t perform two tasks at once. But your brain can believe these two things at once: that you are a lowly servant and you a beloved son. How do we know both can be true? Because Jesus was both at once. The original Beloved Son became the original humble servant. Like everything else required to please God, Jesus has already gone before you and done this, too, in your place. 

Jesus embodied these two beliefs - these two truths - about the people of faith. And in doing so, he proved himself a worthy Savior. The grace from God and peace with God that Paul desired for the Philippians is the same that we desire and desperately need today. We need to know that God is not angry with us; that he is for us and not against us. We need to know that we can start again. 

See, what God does is similar to what we’ve done today by gathering in this building. He comes in and makes his home within us. Not because we were worthy; not because we began to change ourselves. God makes his home within us because he has plans to clean us up and renovate us. He knows what we can be. He knows who we are in Christ. God makes his home within us because God is love.

But we must do two things at once: repent and believe. As always, I say this not just to you who are not yet Christians; I say it to everyone. Repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will produce two things in you that he possesses himself: the beautiful humility of a servant and the deep assurance of a child who is treasured by the Father.

Let’s bow in prayer.