Philippians 1:1-11.  Be sure to read the “Intro to Philippians”, it will give you background that will help you understand the book.  The book of Philippians is a letter from a real person to a real group, the believers in Philippi.  If I read your texts or email or even heard a conversation you were having with someone It probably wouldn’t make sense unless I knew some background.  The “Intro” also references a couple of other pages in the “Did You Know” section that can be helpful too.

In today’s reading we start with a typical part of a letter in those days, the greeting.  In the greeting the author identifies himself and also who he is writing to.  In this case it is Paul and he is writing to the “saints” who are in Philippi.  Saints are not a special class of believers but include everyone who has trusted their lives and eternities to Jesus.  The New Testament was written in Greek, the language of the day.  The Greek word for “saint” is “hagios” and it has the idea of being set aside or dedicated.  It comes from a word that means “terrible thing”.  The idea is a thing that isdestined to be destroyed.  In that day and time if someone offered something to a god it was usually burned with fire or killed or both.  So the ideas began to merge together a dedicate thing would be destroyed and the word for destroyed came to mean dedicated or devoted.  These people in Philipppi were dedicated to Jesus.  It is interesting that Paul especially points out the “overseers and deacons”.  When Paul started churches he would help the group choose leaders.  These leaders were the overseers (in Greek the word used means to “watch over”) and the deacons ( in Greek the word means “servant”).  It’s kind of curious that Paul singles them out.  Later in the book Paul deals with two members of the group who are having a dispute, maybe the “overseers” had become a little two laid bacck so Paul especially wants them to listen as he “looks after” the matter.  If you read the “Intro” you would know that this church had been especially helpful in the ministry that Paul had been doing, in fact they had just sent him a gift to help with his bills.  The problem is that their messenger, who had traveled t least 800 miles to get to Paul, had become sick and had needed to stay with Paul for some time.  Some scholars think the church intended for the guy to stay with Paul and help him in Rome.  Paul was sending this letter back to Philippi in the hands of that same messenger.  Their “servant” was coming back.  For some this may have seemed like a defeat and been discouraging, maybe that is why Paul especially wants the “servant” to listen.  The  last part of the greeting contains Paul’s sort of wish for the group, he wants them to have “grace” (a thing that gives pleasure or joy, like a gift) and “peace” from God.  I think that that “wish” certainly fits the situation.

In verses 3-4 we see that the thing that has brought “joy” into Paul’s life is them, and he sees them as a sort of gift from God, that is why he thanks God for them.  He is especially thankful for the part they have played in the “gospel”.  That word means “good news”.  In the New Testament the specific “good news” (or gospel) is the facts about who Jesus is (literally “Yahweh with us”) and what he has done (made things right between us and God).  In verse 6 Paul says he is sure God will finish what he has started in each of their lives.  If you read through Amos with us you might also think that Paul is hinting at a forever future as part of what God is doing in these people lives.  The “day of Christ Jesus” is probably the same in Paul’s mind as “the day of the LORD” in the Old Testament.  That is a time when God will finally deal with all evil in the world and set up a forever kingdom filled with those who have believed in Jesus.  The fact that Paul mentions God “finishing” what he has started in their lives might hint that these believes where starting to get a little tired and discouraged.

Part of their discouragement might have been Epaphroditus’ illness (he was the messenger they sent to Paul) or it may have been Paul’s personal situation (remember he had been under arrest for 3-4 years at this point).  In verse 7 Paul links his imprisonment together with living for God and sharing the “good news” with people.  He also links them with what he has been doing by thanking them for helping him.  He tells them that this is something that should give them “joy”.  His life, although filled with trials, is a gift from God and in a sense a gift to them too.  In verse 8 we see that Paul cares very much for them.  It almost sounds like he misses them, which I’m sure he did, but what is really in his heart is a desire for them to stay close to Jesus.

In verses 9-11 Paul hints at another possible problem, false teachers.  He Wants them to keep on serving God with their lives, like they have been doing, but he wants hem to have “real knowledge” and “discernment”.  Discernment is “good judgment”.  He wants them to make sure about what they believe; that fits with “real knowledge” as opposed to false knowledge.  He wants them to live according to the truth so that their lives will “prove what’s true and best”.  He also wants their lives to measure up.  The word sincere in Greek is a compound word “Heilikrines”.  It comes from “helios” the Greek word for “sun” and “krino” the Greek word for “select or choose”.  He wants their live to ones that God would pick even in bright sunlight.  Again he mentions that he wants this to go on and on and on, until the “day of Jesus.  Paul wants them to have no regrets in the end.  Later in his life Paul will be in prison again, this time waiting execution.  In a letter to Timothy, his faithful friend, former traveling companion (as in verse 1 here) and now pastor in Ephesus, he says, “I have fought the fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith”.  That is what Paul wants for his friends here in Philippi.  Verse 11 tells us how and why any of this is possible; our lives are right with God (righteous) because of Jesus.  Not only are we declared right because of Jesus but we have the opportunity to live right each day.  No wonder God is honored; He has given us a great gift of forgiveness for all we do wrong and help to do better.  That really is good news.

God help me do better each day.  Let me not get discouraged by my own circumstances or those of others.  Let me be a faithful servant.  Help me look after my won life and the life of those around me.  Thank you for the forgiveness that Jesus made possible.  Help me live and share the good news each day.