CHOOSE JOY: An Overview of Philippians

(Notes from the PowerPoint Presentation)

Philippians – Paul’s Joy Letter

• It is a very personal, maybe his most personal, letter. The tone of the letter suggests that the Church at Philippi could be Paul’s favorite congregation.
  • Philippians 4:1 – Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
• The Church at Philippi was founded in response to a supernatural vision from God (Acts 16:8-10) and it marked the expansion of the gospel to the European continent. This is important for several reasons:
  • As for natural resource, Philippi was know for its gold ore.
  • Economically, the city was located on the Eqnation Way (the Roman trade route from East to West) and was only 11 miles for a port to the Aegean Sea.
  • From a military perspective, Philippi served as a key defense against northern invasion.
  • Because the city was a Roman colony populated by retired or exiled soldiers, Philippians were considered full Roman citizens and enjoyed the following benefits:
    • They spoke Latin.
    • They did not pay taxes (poll, land, etc.).
    • They had the right to buy and sell property.
    • They had the full protection of the Roman legal system.
    • And even though Rome was 700 miles away, their government and way of life was set up to mirror that of the capitol city – so much so Philippi was called “Little Rome”.
  • Philippi, and the other 3 districts of Macedonia, gave women more social freedom and economic opportunity than anywhere else in the Roman Empire. This is why:
    • Lydia from Thyatira headquartered her business in Philippi (Acts 16:14)
    • Paul would acknowledge that Eudoia and Syntyche were “women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel” (Philippians 4:1-3).
      • This indicates that these women were possibly a part of the Acts 16 prayer meeting and had assisted Paul in the founding of the church.
• The church was founded during Paul’s second missionary journey. 5 years later, Paul would visit them a second (and possibly a third) time during his third missionary journey (Acts 19:21; 20:1-3, 6; 2 Corinthians 1:16)
• Another 5 years has passed, and Paul is in prison. Scholars debate on whether Paul is imprisoned in Ephesus, Caesarea, or Rome. All the evidence points to his Roman imprisonment (Acts 28:30, 31).
• Four letters (epistles) were written during this period, and all four bare witness to Paul’s imprisonment:
  • Colossians 4:18 – “Remember my imprisonment.”
  • Philemon 10 – “Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment.”
  • Ephesians 6:20 – “for which I am an ambassador in chains.”
  • Philippians 1:12-20 – “my circumstances”; “my imprisonment.”
• Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians were written around the same time early in Paul’s imprisonment, and they were sent to their varied destinations in A.D. 61 by Tychicus and Onesimus (Colossians 4:7-9).
• It took some times for the letter to the Philippians to be penned and posted. Consider the length of time it would have taken to travel the 700 miles between the two cities (Rome and Philippi) at least 5 times:
  • The news travels from Rome to Philippi to  communicate that Paul has been imprisoned.
  • The Philippian church sends Epaphroditus to Rome to deliver their financial gift and to offer any assistance he could considering Luke and Aristarchus have both left Paul in Rome (Acts 27:2).
  • Epaphroditus becomes terribly sick will in Rome, and news is sent back to Philippi to inform his family and the church.
  • The Philippians send correspondence back to Rome inquiring about Epaphroditus’ health and the progress of Paul’s case, which becomes the occasion for the letter.
  • Now, in A.D. 62 (10 years after the founding of the Church at Philippi), Paul sends Epaphroditus home with this letter.
• Paul’s letter to the Philippians was designed to accomplish several things:
  • This letter was to express Paul’s appreciation for the church’s financial support (Philippians 1:3-11; 2:19-30; 4:10-20).
  • This letter was to provide an update of Paul’s circumstance:
    • The Gospel was still being preached (Philippians 1:12-20).
    • He was gaining an audience with the soldiers and the servants of Caesar’s household (Philippians 1:13; 4:22).
    • He was expecting a decision on his case in the very near future (Philippians 2:23-24).
  • This letter was to warn against false teachers (Philippians 3:2, 18-19).
  • This letter was to encourage the Philippians to practice the spiritual grace of joy even in the midst of internal and/or external struggles (Philippians 2:18; 3:1; 4:4).
• Like the other prison epistles, Philippians focuses on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Philippians is 4 chapters and 104 verses. The name of Jesus or one of His titles appears 51 times in those 104 verses.
  • One of the most important Christological passages in all of Scripture is found in Philippians 2:6-11.
    • It is the most doctrinal section of the book highlighting the incarnation, humiliation, and exaltation of Jesus Christ.
    • But in context, this early Christian hymn was not written for doctrinal content, but to provide an example for all believers to imitate (Philippians 2:1-5).
• This is why the doctrinal key verse is Philippians 2:5 – “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (KJV).
• The key word of Philippians is joy. The term joy, in either noun or verb form, is used over 16 times.
  • The Greek word is chairō. The theological sense of the word is:
    • Joy is a gift from God to those who believe the gospel produced by the Holy Ghost experienced most fully as believers receive and obey God’s Word, deepened through trials, and made complete when we set our hopes on the glories of heaven.
  • This is illustrated in Paul’s own joy:
    • Philippians 1:18 – “in this I rejoice.”
    • Philippians 2:2 – “make my joy complete.”
    • Philippians 4:1 – “my joy and crown.”
  • When we acknowledge that the goal of Philippians is practical Christianity  more than it is doctrine or theology, we see a secondary theme and key verse:
    • Theme: The Believer’s Joy in Spite of Adverse Circumstances.
    • Key Verse: Philippians 4:4 – “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice.”
  • This is important because while Paul was imprisoned in Rome, the church at Philippi was facing difficult times as well:
    • Although the church excelled in the spiritual gift of generosity (Philippians 4:10-18), the Philippians were poor people (2 Corinthians 8:1-2 – “their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.”).
    • They were facing persecution (Philippians 1:28-30).
    • They were in danger of, if not already, experiencing dissension amongst the membership (Philippians 2:1-4; 4:1-3).
  • So to encourage them, Paul uses images like the athlete, the soldier, or even the commercial worker to illustrate the tension of the Christian life, and he uses these images to exhort believers to:
    • Pursue unity through humility (Philippians 2:1-18), and
    • Progress in their Christian maturity (Philippians 3:1-4:20).
• 5 Points of Application
  • The city of Philippi was called “Little Rome,” a reflection of what Rome was like. The church should, likewise, reflect the Kingdom of God in the earth.
    • The church should be a “kingdom colony.”
  • The Philippian church was committed to partnering together for the advancement of the gospel, in spite of their poverty or the opposition they faced. They were an “ALL IN” church.
    •  The people were involved.
    • The people invested.
  • Like all churches, the Church at Philippi had its issues, but their attention was always redirected to what was most important (Christ, His gospel, their spiritual maturity, the advancement of the Kingdom), and that rallied them together in unity. Our priorities has to be more important than our preferences.
    • We unify around our priorities, but we differ on our preferences.
  • The book opens with Paul praying for the people. The book ends with Paul encouraging the people to pray for themselves. This points to making progress on the journey of spiritual maturity.
  • The overall message – YOU MUST FIGHT FOR YOUR JOY!
    • We dishonor Christ when we serve Him without joy.
    • Choose Joy!