April 11, 2010
Dr. Ron Sumners
Philippians # 1
Philippians 1: 1-2
Servants, Saints, and
Salutations
Fred Johnson, a businessman from
Clarity in communication is vital if we are ever to achieve
the desired results. Knowing what to say and how to say it is crucial if we
want to be heard. But just as important, we need to know to whom we are sending
the message. This morning we are going to begin looking at an ancient letter
from Paul to the believers in
Paul opens with typical formality, but expresses wonderful
truths well directed to his intended recipients. Often, these introductions are
quickly passed over, but in them we see the power of God to transform lives in
a few simple words.
Philippians 1:1-2 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.”
Servants of Christ: Paul and Timothy
Paul’s linage was anything but servile. Born in the southern
region of modern-day Turkey, Paul’s Jewish heritage was combined with a
profound understanding of Hellenistic (Greek) culture. He lays out his
credentials in 3:4-6: “If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put
confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the
people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to
the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic
righteousness, faultless.” This is a man of influence and learning. He was
trained by Gamaliel, the greatest rabbinical teacher of them all; he became a
persecutor of the early believers, but now he is the one persecuted.
But Paul is not alone; with him is his friend and pupil,
Timothy. Paul mentioned Timothy at the top of this letter perhaps because he
was well respected by the church in Philippi. We first meet Timothy in Acts 16
shortly before Paul and his companions go to Philippi. Timothy was the product
of a mixed marriage; a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Timothy came to Paul
with good recommendations from the believers in that region. Paul later wrote
two letters to this young man who became like a son to him. Paul expresses his
love for Timothy later in this letter. Philippians 2:19-22 says, “I hope in
the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I
receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine
interest in your welfare, for everyone looks out for his own interests, not
those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as
a son with his father he has served me in the work of the gospel.”
Servants? What should shock us is Paul’s
description of their role; servants. The word here is doulas, better
translated “slave”. While this was used in a positive sense of someone who
served God as a prophet, the word is associated with the lowest of ancient
society. While describing himself as a slave, notice what is lacking in this
introduction. He does not call himself an Apostle. He included this title in
other letters, i.e. Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; and Colossians 1:1.
We wouldn’t expect a great Apostle, one so well-educated and
important to the early church to refer to himself as nothing more than a slave.
We think it should read: “Saint Paul to the lowly Philippians, rather than
slave Paul to the saintly Philippians.” This reversal is an important theme in
the letter. Paul focuses on the lowly service more than the privileged position,
so he reminds his readers of their position in Christ as saints and his
position before them as servant.
But there is another reason for this designation. It is not
just metaphorical. He is a slave since as he writes this letter; Paul is in
jail, in Roman custody. “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has
happened to me has already served to advance the Gospel. As a result, it has
become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am
in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord
have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and
fearlessly.” (Philippians 1:12-14)
This incarceration most likely coincides with the house
arrest while in Rome as Luke describes in Acts 28:17-20. So, while a servant,
notice what he calls his recipients: Saints in Christ!
If Paul, the great apostle, is a slave in chains, what about
the recipients of the letter; the Philippians?
Philippi was an important city in a strategic location. It was situated on the shore of the Aegean
Sea in ancient Macedonia (modern Greece). Philippi today is nothing more than
an assortment of ruins. This city had its origins 400 years before Paul’s time
when Phillip of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great, defeated this
region and named the city after himself. Later it became a Roman colony,
settled by retired military soldiers and officers, which by AD 60, and made up
most of the population.
Paul speaks well of this church in his writings. They came to
his aid on several occasions. But this designation as “saints” is not because
of how they responded to him, but because of their position in Christ which
gave them this identity.
To call someone a saint in our day usually conjures up ideas
of Mother Theresa or a plaster image in a cathedral. Their faces betray a dour
piety and above their heads is a halo. A saint is a “Super Christian,” to most
people. But scripture knows no such status! We might say, “My grandmother is a
saint.” We mean that she was a very good, person.
Being a saint is not based on the character or performance of
the individual, but it is placed on the person by the God who calls them to be
His. In Exodus 19:6, God calls Israel holy because He, the Holy God who brought
them into a covenant relationship is holy!
The designation of saints is applied to all believers. In 1
Corinthians, Paul addresses the letter to those who are sanctified (holy or
saintly). They are called to be holy. As you read Corinthians you quickly
realize that many of those folk would not be candidates for sainthood. They
fell into factions, were guilty of incest, and were a bunch of immoral people.
But their status before God was not based on their righteousness, but on what
Christ had done. By His death they were set apart. They did not become holy
through their actions; God made them holy, God conferred sainthood on them!
Being a saint has nothing to do with your behavior. It has everything to do
with God’s offer of salvation.
Paul’s favorite expression (in Christ), simply refers to the
fact that we are incorporated into Christ. To be in Christ is to possess every
aspect of salvation; everything necessary to our eternal welfare has been
secured for us by the action of Christ and is stored up in Christ for us to
share.
With these saints there are two groups: overseers and
deacons. Paul reminds these leaders that they do not have a place of privilege;
but a place of service.
“Overseer” comes from the Greek “episcopos,” from
which we get the word “Episcopalian.” This does not mean that the church in
Philippi was ruled by upper class whites with a penchant for country clubs and
great investment portfolios. Rather “Episcopalian” refers to the form of church
government which looks to overseers, more commonly called “bishops” to run the
church.
Oversight is what they did. “Episcopos,” comes from the verb
that means “to visit”; it implies the care or “looking after” someone. In the ancient world, the title was given to
judges, and temple officials who watched over the people to guide them.
The term is synonymous with elder or presbyters. In Acts
20:28, as Paul is making his way back to Jerusalem, he stops off at Ephesus and
gathers the leaders of the church; the elders. Finally “shepherd” from which we
get our word “pastor,” likewise points to the work of care and nurture the
leader in the church is to have over his people.
At Meadow Brook Baptist Church we have multiple servants,
which consist of professional ministers and church members. While my time and
energy is given to teaching, visiting and preaching the Word of God, Lyn Stike,
James Culbreth, David Eanes, Ed Cleveland, Clyde Dutton, Andrew Morgan, Kelly
Young and Lori Holmes are all given the job of overseeing various aspects of
the church’s ministry. We have deacons who are assigned families that they are
to serve and look after.
Deacon is a transliteration of diakonos. The term
originally referred to someone whose job it was to serve others. It’s origins
in the church go back to Acts 6 when the first seven deacons were chosen.
The qualifications for overseers and deacons are delineated
in 1Timothy 1:3. Their job is to see that the physical needs of the members are
met as well as looking for opportunities to serve those outside the church
also.
All these leaders first see themselves as a part of the body,
not people dropped in from outside, or from above, it involves patiently
waiting for the Holy Spirit to grant unity to the church in making and
executing plans. It involves willingness to be overruled, to jettison role-playing
and status seeking, to be ready to cast a single vote with everyone else. It
involves putting the welfare of the body of Christ before all personal
advantage, success or reputation and it involves sacrifice for the Lord and the
Gospel. It is the leadership of those who are content to stand among the saints
as those who serve. These leaders are those who will call themselves slaves of
Christ Jesus.
The world measures a man’s greatness by the number who serve
him. Heaven’s yardstick measures a man by the numbers who are served by him!
Salutations from Christ
How can there be saints that serve? Verse reads like a
standardized greeting, such as we may use on any form letter. But Paul takes
the form used at that time and changes it to reflect the change that comes
because of the Gospel.
In ancient Greek letters the writer would first identify
himself and the recipients of the letter, then he would say Chairein, which
means “rejoice,” but in a letter – “Greetings!” Paul altered Chairein to
read charis or “grace.” The slight change of letters denotes a
significant theological shift.
This simple word summarizes Paul’s understanding of Christ’s
work for us in salvation. It is God’s gift of grace that makes salvation
possible and is the source of the saint’s strength to serve!
Philip Yancey in his book “What’s So Amazing About Grace?”
says, “Christians have spent enormous energy over the years debating and
decreeing truth; every church defends its particular version, but what about
grace? How rare to find a church competing to ‘outgrace’ its rivals. Grace is
Christianity’s best gift to the world, a spiritual nova in our midst exerting a
force stronger than vengeance, stronger than racism, stronger than hate. Sadly,
to a world desperate for this grace, the church sometimes presents one more
form of ungrace.”
Paul not only takes the Greek introduction and alters it, he
adds to it the Hebrew by-product of grace; peace. Peace was generally
understood as the absence of war. It still means much the same to us. Paul is
talking about a sense of well-being, satisfaction and contentment. Peace is the
inner tranquility and assurance that God gives believers that keeps them
spiritually confident and content even in the midst of turmoil.
If we all look at our personal histories, being called a
saint can be mighty intimidating. We know ourselves well enough to realize that
sainthood does not describe our nature! But like the church in Philippi, Paul
did not mistakenly send this letter. We are the recipients as well. We are saints.
Yet we must always remind ourselves that our status as saints is not because of
ourselves, but despite ourselves! We are saints in Christ; we are holy because
He who called us is holy. Learning the lesson of our holiness because of God’s
grace is one of the first important steps in the Christian life.
As we are saints by the grace of God, we can then begin to
serve others. Knowing that our standard before the Father is secure because of
the work of the Son, we then have the freedom to call ourselves “slaves of
Jesus Christ.”
The strength we need for this task is found in our
relationship with Jesus Christ. The grace God offers us comes to us through the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God’s peace is realized. Christ became a servant so
we might become saints!