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Grace and Peace in a World Gone Crazy - Lesson 1
Study through the letter to the Philippians

Lesson One: Introduction

Paul starts:

Php 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

-  Peace flows out of grace…

I. Historical Background

A. Philippi is named after the father of Alexander the Great and later became a Roman Colony
B.The main Roman Highway ran near Philippi - huge traffic - trade -
C. As a Roman Colony - Tremendous Benefits:
    - All citizens of Philippi were Roman  citizens
    - They paid no taxes
    - They could not be scourged or beaten
    -  They could not be arrested except under extreme circumstances
    -  Could appeal directly to Caesar if they were arrested
    -  Governed by their own laws and senate
    -  Considered a little Rome/ being in Philippi was considered as legally being in Rome

 

II. Paul's Purpose in Writing the Letter to the Philippians

A. Paul had planted a church there a few years before

      -  He wanted to encourage them to remember that Jesus was their source of  joy and peace

      -   It was not prosperity of Roman life
      -   The most important citizenship is heaven not Roman

Php 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

B. Paul was in prison in Rome and understood that Nero was only going to get worse.

- Nero was a murderous madman
-  Murdered wives because they complained to much
-   Murdered anyone he was suspicious of  (Would often send them notes to kill themselves and they would)
-   Philippians Written 60-62, by 64 AD a great fire would wipe out most of Rome

-   Nero would blame Christians and a great persecution would begin

1. Christians thrown to wild beasts in the coliseum
2. Thousands crucified
3. Used as human torches in Nero's gardens

PAUL WAS SAYING:
- Trust in Jesus
- The world is going to get a whole lot crazier
-  But through it all you can have peace

 

III. Verses 1-6

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

Servant/bond slave : One who owed a debt he could not pay
- Paul's attitude was not, "God owes me"
- It was, "I owe God"

Verse 2:
Php 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace flows out of Grace and it all comes from God

Verse 3-6:
Php 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you.  4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy  5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,  6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Every smile when you think of someone
- Memories come flooding back

 

IV. Paul Remembers the Beginning when He Established the Church in Philippi

Acts 16: tells us about it

A.  He remembers the call to Philippi

- The idea was to go to churches that he had already established to see how they were doing

- The Holy Spirit kept telling him no

- Then he had a vision

Ac 16:7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.  8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.  9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."  10 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.  11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.  12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

B.   He remembers the first convert in Phillipi

Ac 16:13 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.  14 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.15 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.

C.   He remembers young girl delivered  from demon

 Ac 16:16 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.  17 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."  18 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.

D. He remembers jail time

Ac 16:19 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.  20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar  21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.  23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Then Paul and Silas do a weird thing: They start to sing

Ac 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Paul sings: What a mighty God we serve…

WHAT DO YOU MEAN? YOU'RE IN STOCKS - BEATEN - IN PRISON

1. Paul believed the whole Grace & Peace thing
2. Paul wanted to be there
3. I know because he was Roman citizen

    (All he had to do was say so)

1. Paul sensed that God was in this

Pauls Roman citizenship could've got him released

Paul's heavenly citizenship put him in a dungeon

ONLY CAUSE IT PUT HIM RIGHT WHERE GOD WANTED HIM TO BE

Ac 16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.  26 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.

-Ask, is God involved in my trouble- am I not being punished, but positioned to serve

V.  Closing Points

A. Paul wanted them to remember that Jesus is sufficient in every situation

Dungeon - or the pinnacle of wealth and influence

Also, he wanted them to know…

- A day was coming when dark clouds will roll in - That Roman citizenship isn't going to mean much

Php 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

B.  He wanted them to remember the power of the Gospel message - keep working

1. Paul was changed
2. Timothy was changed
3. Lydia of thyatira
4. The little Demon possessed girl
5. The jailer and his family

 

Paul had written to the Roman Christians a few years before this time:

Ro 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

- He wanted them to keep preaching a believing that life giving message.