There were these two couples who had been friends for several years, and they were spending the evening together playing cards. While they were taking a break from their card game, the wives went were in the kitchen, while the men stayed in lounge room. One man said with amazement to the other, "Joe, you played a great game of cards tonight. I usually have to remind you what cards have been played, but tonight I didn't have to. How come?"

 Joe said, "I went to memory school."

 His friend said, "Really? What's the name of the school?"

 Joe thought for a minute and said, "Let me see. Umm...uh...what do you call that flower that's red, with thorns on the stem?"

 His friend said, "A rose."

Joe said, "Yeah, that's right-a rose."

Then he turned toward the kitchen and said, "Hey Rose! What was the name of that memory school I went to?"

Some of us have pretty poor memories, especially for names - I'm one of them. So, if I happen to call you by the wrong name from time to time, please be patient with me. Just say, "Scott, that's not my name. My name is…"

Speaking of memories, they are incredible things. There are experiences of life, of people, of places, of sights that we all store up in our minds. Some memories are not the best, and they help us to be cautious if we come across similar circumstances again. Just a week and a half ago, Joshua, our youngest child, decided to swing on a plastic towel rack, you can imagine what happened - he and the towel rack ended on the ground. I am hoping his memory of swinging on towel racks stops him doing it again.

 There are also many positive memories that we have. When we remember these, or something triggers a memory of them, it brings to our hearts a sense of joy and happiness.

 I sense that this is the case for Paul as he sat down to write this letter to the Philippian Church. There must have been some incredible memories as he reflected on his relationship with these people.

 Ten years before writing this letter to them, Paul was in their midst founding the church. Ten years ago he was tossed into prison even though he had committed no crime. Ten years ago he had seen God at work bringing together a small group of young Christians in this unique region of the Roman Empire. And now, ten years later he is writing to them a letter of encouragement, with its major theme being remaining in the joy of the Lord, no matter what the circumstances around you.

 Paul must have written this letter with a sense of anticipation, and the Philippian church must have received with a sense of expectation to read the words of this friend and co-worker.

 The contexts of these first 11 verses are that of joy, expectation and encouragement. So let's have a look at these.

 1. A MESSAGE OF BLESSING FROM A SERVANT (vv 1, 2)

Instead of Paul introducing himself and Timothy as hotshot pastors or super-leaders, or "Paul and Timothy, men you must respect", he writes "Paul and Timothy, servants".

 Paul didn't act like some kind of awe-inspiring person whom you had to revere - he treated himself as a servant. And it is his modeling here that leaders and indeed all Christians need to take on board.

 Now, when Paul speaks of being a servant he isn't referring to some household helper, or as the term we use today of a public servant. This term servant actually means slave. In this way, Paul is expressing genuine submission and humility to Christ.

 What Paul is inferring here is that he is conscripted into service for Christ, therefore, he is no longer in service to sin. Have a look at what he says in Romans and Galatians.

 Romans 6:16-18, 22-23

When we think of being slaves what is it that we think of?

• we think of no freedom
• restrictions

 But when we come to Christ freedom is given. We are freed from the bondage and limitations that sin brings. When Paul speaks of being a slave to Christ he is referring to that which stands against the selfish desires of this world which lead us away from God. Obedience to Christ leads us to a fulfilled life - a life that our Lord always meant us to live.

 This leads to the next thing Paul says, "to the saints".

 If we were to travel through Europe, we would see a lot of stone saints in and around huge cathedrals. Many churches have plaster or marble icons of these saints whose lives have become famous through the long history of the church.

 Paul isn't referring to these saints, but is referring to every day ordinary people - in other words he is referring to you and me.

 The word saint means "set apart for God's special purpose." You and me have been set apart for God's special purpose. Because of His love expressed through Jesus Christ, God has called us to Himself. But as Paul writes in James faith is demonstrated through obedience and service. God has a purpose for us all - He has given us all gifts and abilities that are to be used as we serve one another and the community around us. He doesn’t want us to merely sit back and say, "I have my ticket to Heaven, so I'll now wait until the train comes to take me there." If we are living our lives out this way we are being disobedient to God and are being a burden to our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Be involved, discover God's purpose for you, and live that out.

1. Blessing Given

Next Paul blesses the Philippians by saying, "grace and peace".

 Grace is something we don't deserve, but it comes to us anyway. Peace is something that happens within us which is not in any way affected by our external circumstances. What a wonderful promise and prayer. I guess Paul is saying, know God's grace and love for you, and may you know that in your innermost being which brings peace.

 In its earliest form, peace meant "to bind together" and with this came the idea of being bound so closely together with something or someone that harmony resulted.

 This harmony was certainly part of Paul's relationship with the Philippians, which brought joyful memories for Paul. These joyful memories were based upon the partnership that he had shared with them over the years.

2. JOYFUL MEMORIES SHARED (vv 3 - 8)

So how was Paul a partner with the Philippians, and how are we partners together as a church?

1. Partners in Grace

We all have one thing in common, that is we are partners and recipients of God's incredible love , grace and mercy, demonstrated through His Son Jesus Christ.

 Previously, I talked about memories and how Paul had such a longing to see the Christians at Philippi. But his love and affection for them wasn't based merely on past experiences, but also on the unity that comes when believers draw together upon Christ’s love. All Christians are part of God’s family and therefore share equally in the transforming power of his love. Do you feel a deep love for fellow Christians, friends and strangers alike? Let Christ’s love motivate you to love other Christians and to express that love in your actions toward them.

  

2. Partners in Work of the Gospel

As I have previously suggested, Christians do not only share in the common gift God has given us because of His love - we also share a common task - all of us.

 Paul uses two words to express the work of Christians for the sake of the gospel. He speaks of the defence and the confirmation of the gospel. In other words, the Christian has to be ready to be a defender of the faith and give reason for the hope that we hold. This is confirmed as we live out in our own lives the truth that comes from Christ. Not only do we model Christ's love and life, but also we reach out to others in His love and life. Additionally, we build each other up in our relationship with Him and each other.

 

3. Partners in Suffering for Gospel

Because we are bound together with Christ's love, we are also bound together through each others experiences - especially when those experiences are negative and are a result of suffering for the gospel.

 A young person may be a Christian, but their parents are antagonistic toward Christianity; a friend may be being treated harshly at school or in the work place because they are a Christian; a missionary may be undergoing hardship in a culture which is hardened to the gospel of Christ; a Christian may have been imprisoned in another country for telling others about the love of Jesus Christ. Whoever the person is, we share with them and are partners with them, because we are all a part of God's family. If we are suffering for Christ in whatever circumstance we have the comfort of knowing we are not there on our own.

 More importantly, we are comforted in knowing that Christ comforts us. In Matthew 5:10 Jesus said to the disciples, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."

  

4. Partners with Christ

In verse 8 Paul has a pretty vivid description. The term Paul uses here for affection actually means 'bowels'. It was believed in the first century that the intestines, stomach, liver, and even the lungs, held the most tender parts of human emotions. In effect, Paul is saying, "As I share with you my feelings, I open up my whole inner being to you and tell you that the level of my affection is deep and tender."

 In other words, the love that Paul feels for these Christian friends of his is nothing other than the love of Christ Himself. Writing on this passage, a theologian named J.B.Lighfoot said, "The believer has no yearnings apart from his Lord; his pulse beats with the pulse of Christ; his heart throbs with the heart of Christ."

 The beautiful picture here is that when we are truly one with Jesus, his love goes through us to each other who He loves and for who He died. The Christian is a partner in the love of Christ.

3. PAUL'S PASTORAL PRAYER (vv 9 - 11)

Paul affirms and encourages this group of Christians by letting them know he is praying for them, and informs them what he is praying about.

 Have you ever had that kind of experience? Where someone who comes up to you out of the blue lets you know they are praying for?

 A few years ago someone said to me they were praying daily for my Dad, who is not a Christian. They had met him back in 1985, and that was the only time they had met him, never the less, over more than ten years they had dedicated themselves to praying for my Dad's salvation on a daily basis.

 I believe Paul persevered in the same way in prayer for this church. Likewise, we need to persevere in prayer for each other. I want to make a commitment to you all that I will pray for each of you individually at least once per week. So, if there are specific matters for prayer, please phone me and let me know what these are so that my prayers can be more targeted to specific needs. Let me also encourage you to systematically pray for each other, pray for your community, pray for the leaders in this church so that we build each other up in prayer. On Sunday nights we meet for prayer, worship and reflection on Scripture from 6.30, so come along.

 So what was the context of Paul's prayer.

 It was Paul's prayer for these people that their love would grow greater every day (verses 9 and 10). That love, which was not merely a sentimental thing, was to grow in knowledge and in a sensitive perception so that they would be more and more able to distinguish between right and wrong. Love is always the way to knowledge. 'If we love any subject, we want to learn more about it; if we love any person, we want to learn more about him or her; if we love Jesus, we will want to learn more about him and about his truth.

 William Barclay wrote, "Love is always sensitive to the mind and the heart of the one it loves. If it blindly and blunderingly hurts the feelings of the one it claims to love, it is not love at all. If we really love Jesus, we will be sensitive to his will and his desires; the more we love him; the more we will instinctively shrink from what is evil and desire what is right."

 Finally, Paul sets down the Christian aim. This is to live such a life that the glory and the praise are given to God. Christian goodness is not meant to win credit for a man himself; it is meant to win praise for God. The Christian knows, and witnesses, that he is what he is, not by his own unaided efforts, but only by the grace of God.

 Paul’s prayer, then, for the Philippians was that they would be unified in love. Their love was to result in greater knowledge of Christ and deeper insight (moral discernment). Their love was not based on feelings but on what Christ had done for them.

 Paul is praying that the Philippian church will find these things overflowing in their lives: Love and discernment resulting in wisdom, resulting in character, which will result in the praise of God.

 Paul's memories, his confidence, his longing and his prayer for the Philippians are beautiful to survey. The heart of these statements and the reason for their beauty and the attractiveness of their relationship is the fact that they (Paul and the Philippians) were committed together to participate in the gospel. Spectators do not know anything of this kind of a relationship.

 What is described here in these opening verses of Philippians is an excitement about life, something that is worth living for, something that exceeds anything the world knows about.

I ask you to consider your life. Are you missing something? Are you participating in the gospel, as the Philippians did, or are you merely a spectator?

 As you grow in Christ’s love, your heart and mind must grow together. The question is, is your love and insight growing?

By Scott Douglas, Burdekin Baptist Church, 1^st November 1998