For our message this evening, if you would, turn with me to Philippians, Philippians chapter one. As Pastor Bernard noted that we will be getting a new series, a series of messages from Philippians, so if you're not there already, if you would follow along as I read from Philippians chapter one. We'll just take a look at verses one and two tonight. Philippians chapter one, verses one and two. Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, join me now as we come to God and seek his help as we open up the letter to the Philippians. Our Heavenly Father, we bow before you this evening, and again, we cry out to you for your help. Lord, we confess our weakness, our need, our dependence upon you. We need you in every hour of our day, and how much more we need you at this time, as we come before you, opening your word, considering your truth, We pray, our Father, that you might help us to understand and to apply all that is given to us. We pray, Lord, that that which is said this evening might be not only to your glory, but to the help of all those who are here this night. And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Well, Philippians, Philippians, it's a letter that's written by Paul, a letter that he wrote while he was in prison. And although it's not clearly stated in Philippians, many believe that Paul is a prisoner in Rome. This is based in part from his reference in Philippians chapter one, verse 13, to the imperial guard. But also as well to his reference in Philippians chapter four, verse 22, where he extends greetings, greetings from those of Caesar's household. Well, while in prison, Paul receives a visitor. It's Epaphroditus. He was sent to Paul from the church at Philippi. He was sent to bring a gift, likely a financial gift to provide help to Paul to meet his needs. For in Philippians 4, verse 18, we see Paul references this gift, and he writes, I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. But in addition to his task of bringing this gift to Paul, it is very likely that Epaphroditus was there to also to get a firsthand report on the condition of Paul. To bring back to the church just to let them know how was Paul doing as he's confined there in prison. Perhaps also he was sent to give a report to Paul. How is the church doing? And maybe even to get counsel from Paul. Well, as Paul writes this letter to the church at Philippi, we cannot help but be struck by the theme of joy, which is present throughout this letter. We read of Paul's joy, joy in the church's participation with him in the work of spreading the gospel. as Paul thanks God for them in every prayer. He tells them in Philippians chapter one, verse four, that as he remembers them, as he remembers the church, the believers in Philippi, in his memory of them, as he's making prayers for them, those prayers are filled with joy. It's a joy that's not only because of this financial gift that he just received, but it is for their ongoing partnership with him in the gospel. His joy is because of their partnership in the gospel. It's gospel focused from the first day until now. But we also read of Paul's joy. It's a joy that he has due to the advance of the gospel. Despite Paul being in prison, in prison for Christ's sake, Paul sees that God is still at work, even in his imprisonment. Paul has this unique opportunity. While he is in prison, he has this opportunity to preach to the Imperial Guard. And for some, Paul's imprisonment also work to increase their boldness so that they might go out and boldly preach the gospel. But for others we read that they preached out of envy. And in response to this Paul writes in Philippians chapter 1 verse 18, What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. We read further of Paul's joy. It's a joy that he has as he's focusing in on Christ. While sitting in prison, uncertain of his future, Paul finds joy and courage in the thought of Christ. He writes, yes, I will rejoice for I know, for he knows, for Paul knows that Christ will be honored in his body, whether by his life or by his death. And then later he writes, as he considers his suffering and his possible death, in Philippians 2 he writes, Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Again and again, throughout this letter, we find Paul expressing his own joy. It's a joy that is focused on Jesus. And it's a joy that is focused on the spread of the gospel. But also in this letter we find that Paul then urges the church at Philippi to follow his example, to be joyful. In Philippians 2.18 he says, likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. He then goes on to even command the church to rejoice. Philippians 3 verse 1 he says, rejoice in the Lord. And again in Philippians 4 verse 4 he writes, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. It's a joy that's in the Lord, in knowing Christ and knowing the power of His resurrection. And Paul stresses to them that Christ should be the principal object of their joy. It's not their circumstances. It's not other people. It's not even themselves. It's only as the church remains focused on the Lord that they will be able to rejoice always, no matter what they may face. So this is a major theme that we see in this letter. It's a theme of joy. A joy that is in the Lord. But in addition to this theme of joy, Paul provides many encouragements and exhortations to the church and even to us. To those who might doubt their salvation, Paul reminds them that God will preserve them and will complete his work in them. And he writes in Philippians 1.6, and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. To those who are uncertain of their future and may be even fearing death, Paul reminds them that death is gain. And it will bring them into the presence of Christ. And he writes in Philippians chapter 1 verse 21, For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain. And then in verse 23 he goes on and says, I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. to those who might be proud and unwilling to serve others. Paul tells them, look to the example of Christ, who humbled himself and became a servant. And in Philippians 2, verse 5 through 7, he says, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ, who though in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant. to those trusting in their own righteousness for salvation. Paul tells them to look to Christ and not to the law. In Philippians 3 verse 8 and 9 he says, Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I might gain Christ and be found in him. Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ. The righteousness from God that depends on faith. To those who may be discouraged and tempted to give up, Paul encourages them to press on, to persevere. And he writes in Philippians 3, verse 13 and 14, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And to those who may be anxious and desperately seeking peace in their lives, Paul tells them to bring their every care to the Lord in prayer. In Philippians 4 verse 6 and 7 he says, do not be anxious about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. And to those who might struggle with contentment, Paul tells them, look to Christ, who gives strength and help, as they learn to be content. And he writes in Philippians 4, verse 11 through 13, For I have learned, in whatever situation, I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. I realize these verses that we have just looked at, and many others in Philippians, are probably very dear to many of you here tonight. To many of us, we turn to them again and again throughout our Christian walk, and we find help, and we find encouragement. And as we will work our way through this letter to the Philippians, and we consider these well-known verses, I trust that you will not grow weary or tired of hearing them again. But as you hear them again, I pray that they will become even more precious to you. So as we undertake this study of Philippians, it's my desire and it's my hope that these words that were written by Paul in this letter to the church at Philippi will be a benefit to God's people, that it would encourage and help each of us as we strive to walk in obedience to Christ Jesus our Lord, and that it might increase our joy that we might even be able to rejoice in the Lord always. Well, with that introduction, we now begin our study of the book as we turn our attention to the opening of Paul's letter. And like most letters of Paul's day, this letter begins with three parts. First, there is the name of the writer. Secondly, there is the identity of the recipients. And third, there's a greeting. So that will form the outline for the remainder of our message tonight. We will look at the writer, the recipients, and the greeting. First, then the writer. In verse 1, we read Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. As he does so in his other letters to the churches, Paul begins his letter by identifying himself as the writer. Paul is the writer. But here in this letter, he also makes reference to Timothy. Paul and Timothy. So who's writing this? Is it Paul? Is it Paul and Timothy? Well, most people see this as that Paul is clearly the writer of this letter. For throughout his letter, it's written in the first person. Paul refers to himself. We read, I thank my God, I yearn for you, I want you to know, I will rejoice. And when Timothy is mentioned, it is by his name, or in the third person. I hope in the Lord to send Timothy to you soon, for I have no one like him. So Paul here is the writer, and Paul then includes Timothy here at the beginning, and he describes both himself and Timothy as servants. As many of us know that the Greek word doulos that is translated here in our text as servant can also be translated as slave. Although Paul is an apostle uniquely called by God to this high office with the right to use that title of apostle, in this letter he describes himself and Timothy with this lowly status that they are both slaves. To be a slave meant that they belonged to their master. Their focus of their lives was to please and to serve their master. And Paul then goes on to make clear who is his master. In verse 1 he says that they are slaves of Christ Jesus. Their master is Christ Jesus. They no longer serve themselves, but they are now servants of Christ Jesus, who is their Lord and their master. As slaves of Christ Jesus, they will obediently serve their master. As they go where they are directed by their master, to do the tasks that they are assigned by their master. We see several examples of Paul and Timothy obediently serving Christ Jesus in the founding of the church at Philippi. If you would, please turn with me to Acts chapter 16. And I would like to look at several of these examples as we go through this narrative of the founding of the church at Philippi. Acts chapter 16, after Paul has chosen Silas to join him, we read in Acts chapter 16 at the beginning, when they came to Lystra and Derbe, Paul met Timothy, described as a disciple who was well spoken of by the brothers. And it is here that Timothy joins Paul and the others as they went on their way through the cities. But then notice in Acts 16 that as they traveled, I would say as slaves of Christ Jesus, they were obedient to go where their master directed them. Look with me at verse six. They are forbidden to speak the word in Asia, so they obeyed. And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia. In verse seven we read, when they had come up to Mycenae, they attempted to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of God did not allow them. So they obeyed and passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. But then, then in verse 9 and 10, we read that they are called to go to Macedonia. In verse 9 we read, and a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man in Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, come over to Macedonia and help us. And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately, He sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. So they obeyed immediately, and they went to Macedonia. There was no hesitation. There were no questions. They obeyed as slaves of Christ Jesus. but also we see that they were obedient to serve their master by doing the task they were assigned. They were not just going there to do whatever they desired or whatever they thought was good. They were doing a task. That task is given to us in verse 10, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Their task, that they were assigned by their master, their calling by God, is to preach the gospel. To preach the gospel to the people in Macedonia. Paul and his companions traveled into Macedonia, and they made their way to Philippi, a leading city of the district of Macedonia. And having arrived at the destination defined by their master, they begin to faithfully serve their master by doing the task that they were assigned. We read after some days on the Sabbath, we find now that they go out and they preach the gospel. They first sought out the Jews. Apparently there were fewer than ten Jewish men in Philippi, because there was no synagogue there. So they went outside the gate to the riverside, seeking a place of prayer. And it is there, alongside the river, where some were meeting for prayer, that they share the gospel. And as they share the gospel, we read of the conversion of Lydia. In verse 14 we read, one who heard us was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And I want us to note that although it is Paul who is the one who is speaking, he is the one doing the preaching of the gospel. Yet as a slave is fully dependent upon his master for everything, Paul is fully dependent on his master, Christ Jesus, the Lord, to use the words that he speaks, to bless the gospel message that he preaches. For it is the Lord, the Lord is the one that opens her heart so that she would be saved. This task of preaching the gospel is the work that they continued to do while they were there in Philippi and as they regularly went to the place of prayer. Recall the words used by that slave girl who followed Paul and his companions as they walked through the city, as they were going to the place of prayer. We read of it in Acts 16, verses 16 through 18. As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation. And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the Spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out of her that very hour. Although her words were prompted by a spirit of divination that was in the slave girl, yet those words were accurate. Paul and his companions, they were servants of the Most High God. They were servants of Christ Jesus, the Lord. And they were proclaiming the way of salvation. They were preaching the gospel. And Paul continued to proclaim the way of salvation, even after he was beaten and thrown into prison for casting out that spirit of divination from the slave girl. While in prison, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, we read of a great earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison and the doors were open. Then in Acts 16.27, we read of the jailer who was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners had escaped. But Paul stops him by crying out, do no harm to yourself for we are all here. Then the Philippian jailer, trembling with fear, asks Paul and Silas in verse 30, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And in response to the jailer's question, Paul proclaims the name of Jesus, the way of salvation. And he says to him, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. And God, his master, Blessed is his word. The Philippian jailer believed the words of Paul and was saved. Paul and Timothy, they obeyed their master to go where they were directed. They went to Macedonia, to the city of Philippi, to do the task that they were assigned, to preach the gospel. They were obedient slaves whose faithful service to Christ Jesus was blessed by their master and the church at Philippi was founded. Perhaps Paul is even thinking back to those early days when he first came to Philippi as he identifies himself and Timothy as slaves of Christ Jesus when he opens this letter to the Philippians. So we have considered the writer, Paul, who describes himself and Timothy as servants, slaves of Christ Jesus. But now turning back to Philippians chapter 1, let us now take a look at who are the recipients of this letter. In Philippians 1, 1 we read, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons. The recipients are described in three broad ways. First, the saints in Christ Jesus. Secondly, those who are at Philippi. And then thirdly, with the overseers and deacons. Paul describes the recipients as saints in Christ Jesus. And there are two things I'd like us to consider and note in this phrase, saints in Christ Jesus. First, by using the word saints, Paul's reminding the church that they are set apart. Negatively speaking, they're set apart from their old self, their old life, this world of sin, this world of darkness in which they once lived. But positively, they are set apart onto a new life, seeking to live a life obedient to Christ, devoted to Christ. They now belong to Christ. They have been brought into the kingdom of light. But secondly, as Paul uses these words, he uses, in Christ Jesus. And with these words, I believe he is reminding them of their new identity, of one of being with Christ. united with Christ. They have a personal relationship with Christ. They are connected to Christ in his death, having died with him, died to sin, died to self, but also in his resurrection, raised with him to newness of life, being a new creation in Christ Jesus. Paul then goes on to describe the recipients of this letter as those who are at Philippi. The readers of this letter live in Philippi. So what do we know about Philippi? Well, Philippi, we're told, is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, which we now know as modern-day Greece. But we are told that Philippi was a Roman colony. It was governed by Roman law. And even though it was geographically in Greece, it had a closer connection with Rome, so much so that it was called Little Rome. Many of the people that lived in Philippi sought to be like the Romans. That was their desire. Their lifestyle reflected Roman customs. The predominant language was, we're told, Latin. Their architecture, their clothing, they were all patterned after that of Rome. And although the saints in Christ Jesus lived in Philippi, yet they are set apart. They were different from the other people that lived in Philippi. For example, I imagine that their language was different. And what they spoke of, they spoke of spiritual matters. They focused on the things of God and not the things of this world. And as they spoke, they spoke words that were seasoned with salt and not words that were proud and boastful or even filthy. I imagine that their clothing was different and how they dressed. I imagine that they dressed modestly, not seeking to draw attention to their clothing that may have been costly or perhaps even provocative. I imagine that their lifestyle was different. living a life of service to others, living in humble obedience to Christ Jesus their Lord, not living a life that's focused on themselves or gaining wealth or prestige. They were noticeably different than their fellow Philippians. They might almost seem to be aliens, aliens to those who were their neighbors, not citizens of Philippi, for their citizenship is in heaven with Christ. Well then thirdly, we note that those who receive this letter are described as those who are with the overseers and deacons. Looking again at Philippians 1.1, Paul writes this, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons. His letter is written to all, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, to all of God's people who are at Philippi. But then Paul adds this, with the overseers and deacons. And I have to admit, I really struggled to try to understand why did Paul make special reference and mention of the overseers and deacons here in this letter? For he does not do that in any of his other letters. Some believe Paul mentions them because as the leaders of the church that they likely were the ones that took the initiative in gathering and sending the gifts to Paul as ongoing partners with Paul in his gospel ministry. Some believe that Paul may have mentioned them to endorse their authority as they will be the ones that will need to carry out the specific counsel and exhortations that are contained in this letter. Or perhaps, As Paul is writing to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, he presumes that they are with the overseers and deacons, that they are with those who are the church officers, those who are the leaders of the church. And therefore, he presumes that they're part of the local church and that they're not isolated or individual Christians living in Philippi. And there may be other reasons, and I must confess that I've really not settled in on what I truly believe Paul is referencing here by this statement. But he does mention that they are with the overseers and deacons. It is a letter written to all, all of God's people. So those are the recipients. Now the greeting. In verse two, we read of the greeting, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a short statement. It's easy to pass over as we're reading through this letter. Grace and peace, two words that are common greetings. Grace was a common greeting for the Greek. Peace was a common greeting for the Jews. But I believe that this statement provides more for us than just two words of a traditional greeting. It may be that Paul is telling his readers in this opening greeting that in writing this letter, his desire is to convey to them a message of grace and peace. Therefore, this greeting serves as somewhat of a concise statement of the key message that will be contained in his letter. In much the same way as a thesis statement serves to condense the argument of the thesis into one or two sentences at the beginning of the thesis paper. So we look first at grace, grace to you. As we know, grace is God's unmerited favor to undeserving sinners, by which God, in his mercy, exerts his holy influence upon souls to turn them to Christ, so that undeserving sinners will come to faith in Christ Jesus and be saved. In writing grace to you, Paul may just be simply seeking to remind his readers of this very important truth for all Christians. It's by God's grace that we are saved. But seeing that God is writing this letter to the church, to those who have already experienced God's saving grace in their lives, I believe there may be an additional aspect of God's grace that he is speaking of. I believe that it may be a request or a desire in Paul's heart that his readers, the church, enter into a fuller experience of God's grace in their Christian life. If we look at one of the definitions of this, the Greek word that's translated as grace, it speaks of this additional aspect of God's grace. that in God's merciful kindness, he also exerts his holy influence upon the souls of his people to keep, to strengthen, to increase within them their faith, their knowledge, their affection, and the exercise of their Christian virtues. Piper puts it much more simply. He calls it power for living. He says grace is the power or influence of God to provide real practical help to his people as they live their lives. And as we will go through our study of this letter, we will see that this church needs God's grace. For God's people in Philippi will need God's grace to be able to rejoice always. For God's people in Philippi will need God's grace to press on. For God's people in Philippi will need God's grace to be humble. For God's people in Philippi will need God's grace to be content. For God's people in Philippi will need God's grace to overcome worry and anxiety. Now we look at the second word in his greeting, peace. It's not peace with God. As Christians, they already have peace with God. For when they are saved, they are no longer at enmity with God. They have been reconciled to God and have peace with Him. What most people believe he is writing here is the peace of God. It's a peace within their souls, no matter what their circumstances might be. It's a peace that guards and protects their hearts and their minds. It's a peace that settles and calms their fearful thoughts. It's a peace in knowing that God, God will complete His work in them. It's a peace in knowing that their souls have been saved and that one day, one day they will be with their Lord and Savior. grace and peace, the source of which is from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. As one man writes, there is no grace apart from God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. Neither is there any peace within the heart outside of knowing God through Jesus Christ. It's from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ that we find an ever-flowing fountain of grace and peace. It's a fountain that comes streaming into every believer's life in fullest measure. It is, in essence, all-sufficient grace and all-sustaining peace. And it floods into each of our lives. Grace and peace will be the key to helping God's people to have joy and find contentment as they press on, faithfully living their lives, seeking to serve and to obey Christ Jesus, their Lord and their Master. Well, what then can we learn from this very brief opening, Well, there's three things I think we can learn and apply to ourselves. First then, as God's people, we are servants. We are slaves of Christ Jesus. In this letter to the Philippians, Paul describes himself as a servant or a slave of Christ Jesus. But so too are all the saints, all who are in Christ Jesus. We are all servants. We are all slaves of Christ Jesus. For we were bought with a price. We were bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. So Jesus is our Lord. He is our master. We no longer serve ourselves, but we live for him. We seek to serve him and to please him and to obey his commands. So we are servants of Christ Jesus. But then secondly, we can remember that although we are set apart in Christ, we must still live in this world. When we are saved, Christ didn't take us out of this world. He left us here in this world of sin. One of the reasons we have been left here in this world is that we are to be a testimony to him. We need to live and to speak the gospel to the lost. And therefore, although we are set apart, we cannot isolate ourselves from those who are not Christians. We need wisdom to know how to be in the world, but not become part of the world. How to be godly witnesses to a sin-cursed world, to shine as lights in a world of darkness. But then finally, we learn that we need God's grace and peace as we live the Christian life. Only God can provide the grace and peace we need. Therefore, each and every day, we must look to God and pray. Pray for greater measures of God's grace, grace that will give us strength and help to live in a manner that is pleasing to God. And pray, pray that God would give us peace, a peace that calms our hearts and minds, even in the midst of trials and the storms of life, as we keep our focus on Christ, our Savior and our Lord. Well, may God even give us help to live as servants, slaves of Christ Jesus, those who are saints in Christ Jesus, who live in the world, but are not part of the world. who continuously look to God and Christ as the source of grace and peace that we need as we live our lives. Join me now as we close our time in prayer. Heavenly Father, we bow and we confess that how thankful we are that you bought us, you chose us, you took us out of this world of sin. that we have been saved by the blood of Christ, and that we can now look to our Savior, our Master, and our Lord, and we pray that you would give us grace and help to be obedient to our Lord and our Savior. We pray that you would help us each and every day, and we pray not only for the grace we need to live, but also peace, peace in our hearts. We pray, Lord, that you would help each of us. And we ask this in Christ's name. Amen.