Greetings from Paul to the Philippians

Introduction:

Central theme of Philippians:

How to live as a Christian in a non-Christian World.

Philippi was certainly “a non-Christian world”.

Remember the difference between scripture (God’s Word) and commentary (man’s words).

Much of the content in this lesson is from commentaries.

Philippians 1:1-2 NLT
Greetings from Paul
^1:1 This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons.
² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Compare this greeting to some of Paul’s other greetings.

• Paul’s greeting to the Philippians was similar to greetings from some of his other letters.

2 Corinthians 1 NLT
Greetings from Paul
¹ This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
I am writing to God’s church in Corinth and to all of his holy people throughout Greece.
² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Colossians 1 NLT
Greetings from Paul¹ 
This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
² We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.
May God our Father give you grace and peace.

1 Thessalonians 1 NLT
Greetings from Paul
¹ This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.
We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
May God give you grace and peace.

2 Thessalonians 1 NLT
Greetings from Paul
¹ This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy.
We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Philemon NLT
Greetings from Paul
¹ This letter is from Paul, a prisoner for preaching the Good News about Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
I am writing to Philemon, our beloved co-worker, ² and to our sister Apphia, and to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church that meets in your house.
³ May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Examine the scriptures:
Philippians 1:1-2 NLT
Greetings from Paul 

^1:1 This letter is from Paul and

Written by Paul

61 or 62 A.D.

• Philippians was a letter written by Paul to the Church in Philippi. 

Timothy,

Timothy was not a co-author of this letter.

Timothy was one of Paul’s most trusted co-workers and messengers.

Timothy was Paul’s beloved son in the faith.

1 Timothy 1:2 NLT
² I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith.

• Timothy had a special interest in the Philippian saints.

Philippians 2:20 NLT
²⁰ I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare.

Philippians 2:19 & 23 NLT
¹⁹ If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along.
²³ I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here.

Paul may have dictated this letter to Timothy.

slaves of Christ Jesus.

• Paul and Timothy considered themselves slaves of Christ Jesus.

Someone who belongs entirely to Christ, completely devoted to His service.

Someone with a spiritual union with Christ.

I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi

God’s holy people.  (Set apart).

The saints at Philippi were set apart for God.

Paul was writing to a church of believers.

Paul most likely wrote this letter to the Philippians during his first Roman imprisonment (A.D. 60-62). It is believed that Paul also wrote Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon, the other Prison Epistles during this same time period.

Paul’s visits to Philippi.

Paul visited Philippi on his second missionary journey about 50 A.D.  (49-52 A.D.)

From the beginning there was opposition to Paul’s preaching.

Paul stopped at Philippi two times during his third missionary journey.  (53-57 A.D.)

Paul’s letter was written to the Philippians after he had visited them.

Philippi

Philippi was a small but prosperous Roman colony in the providence of Macedonia.

• Philippians were citizens of Rome and the people enjoyed the special privileges this entailed.

Acts 16: ¹² From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.

The Via Egnatia, which was the main highway going from Rome to Asia ran through Philippi, and it brought much commerce and many travelers to Philippi.

The area was important for its gold mines.

The economy was bolstered by the fertility of the land.

Not enough Jews to permit the establishment of a synagogue (needed 10 Jewish men who were heads of households)

Paul does not quote the Old Testament in this letter.

The first church in Macedonia was established here.

Through his ministry there several people trusted Christ as their Savior.  Some of these were Lydia and her family and the Philippian jailer and his family.

Lydia and her family.

Acts 16:14-15
¹⁴ One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. ¹⁵ She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed. 

The Philippian jailer and his family.

Acts 16:16-34
Paul and Silas in Prison
¹⁶ One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. ¹⁷ …
¹⁸ This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
¹⁹ …
²² A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. ²³ They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. ²⁴ So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
²⁵ Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. ²⁶ Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! ²⁷ The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. ²⁸ But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
²⁹ The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” ³² And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. ³³ … Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. ³⁴ He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

Soon after Paul’s visit a local church was established in Phillipi.

• Lydia and her family and the Philippian jailer and his family were a part of this community of believers.

 who belong to Christ Jesus,

• This letter was written to Christians.

including the church leaders

Overseers, bishops, or elders were responsible for shepherding or pastoring the flock.

and deacons.

Deacons had special practical service responsibilities in the assembly.

Paul does not normally single out “church leaders and deacons” in his greetings.

This communicates the fact that the Philippian church was structured and had leaders and deacons.

² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Paul’s standard greeting.

Grace:

In Christianity, God’s grace and God’s mercy are often confused. Although they are similar expressions of God’s favor and love, they possess a clear distinction. When we experience God’s grace, we receive blessings from God that we do not deserve. When we experience God’s mercy, we are spared from punishment that we do deserve.

Grace can even be defined by the acronym God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.

Grace is undeserved blessing that comes from God’s kindness.

Grace expresses God’s steadfast love toward man.

 

Grace followed by peace.

Both grace and peace find their source in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Purpose:

-Tell the Philippians that Epaphroditus had served him well.  Epaphroditus had been sent by the Philippians to minister to Paul who was in prison.

-Tell the Philippians that Epaphroditus had recovered from a serious illness.

It is possible that Epaphroditus had carried this letter back to Philippi.

Philippians 2:25-27 NLT
Paul Commends Epaphroditus
²⁵ Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. ²⁶ I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. ²⁷ And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.

-Encourage the Philippians in their faith. Challenge them to stand firm in the face of persecution.

-Inform the Philippians of his circumstances in Rome, and assure them that he was still in good spirits,

-Thank the Philippians for their continued support.  The church helped Paul in different ways.

Philippians 4:15-18 NLT
¹⁵ As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. ¹⁶ Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. ¹⁷ I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.
¹⁸ At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus.

2 Corinthians 11:9 NLT
Speaking to the Church in Corinth
⁹ And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.

-Address some problems in the church

Warn the Philippians against false teachers (Judaizers)

Encourage the Philippians to live in humility, unity, and harmony with each other.

 

Philippians is personal and practical and joyful in its tone and teaching.