This is our first week in a series looking at the Epistle or letter to the church in Philippi also known as the book of Philippians.
And our focus today is on the passage Philippians 1:1-2, Philippians 1:1-2, where Paul greets the church in Philippi. And as we look at the passage this morning what I want to talk to you about is being held captive by Christ, being held captive by Christ, being captivated by the Good News, by the Gospel, being held captive by Christ.
Now it may seem like such a small passage to spend a whole sermon on, and believe me I get it. I mean Isn’t it just Paul’s greeting, just a cursory introduction before he gets into the real meat of what he has to say? Isn’t this just the first century equivalent of a form letter’s impersonal “To whom it may concern” or the fake familiarity of a “Dear valued customer” in some computer-generated mass mailings, sent by marketers who consider us “dear” and “valued” only because they want our dollars?
So why spend a whole sermon on just 2 verses? I mean don’t the openings of Paul’s letters sound alike. The basic components can be found in almost any piece of first-century Greek correspondence; they include:
- Author
- Recipients,
- And greeting – good wishes or a blessing
But, But it would be a mistake to dismiss Paul’s handling of this standard template as though it were the thoughtless product of a mechanical “mail-merge” function. As similar as they seem, each of Paul’s letter openings actually introduces key themes to be developed in the rest of the letter. And so here in his letter to the Philippians Paul begins with a preview of his agenda for writing, laying the groundwork on which he will build his pastoral counsel to his friends in Philippi starting with the Joy of being captivated for Christ.
So captivated for Christ, what do I mean by that and where in these two verses do we find the captivation?
Well, in many of Paul’s letters he often refers to himself as an apostle. But here, right here look at verse 1 where Pauls introduces himself, he says “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus…”
Now the word used here Servant in the Greek is “Doulos” translated as Bond Servant.
So “Paul and Timothy, Bond Servants of Christ Jesus…”
But of course, that leaves us with another question what is a Bond Servant?
Well, a Bond servant was a slave and not just any slave but one who entered into the relationship of master/slave voluntarily with the understanding that it’s a lifetime commitment, with no provision for release. That the slave was responsible for serving the Master, and the Master was responsible for taking care of the slave.
So “Paul and Timothy, voluntary slaves of Christ Jesus for life…”
That, that is a big deal.
In describing himself as a Bond servant Paul is declaring to the Philippians that God is so good, that he Paul permanently gave up his rights to his own interests and instead will do whatever God asks of him.
This bears repeating church. Paul viewed himself, and not just himself but Timothy also, and in fact all Christians as Bond Servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Bond Servants
Church, Bond servants
Slaves for Christ, voluntarily entered into, loyal and committed, putting the Masters will before our own.
Church…, slaves.
Not even a servant, but slaves …
A servant is hired to perform a specific task, he would have his own home, owned a few possessions and have been protected by certain rights. But this was not the case is not the case for a slave. A slave is the property of his master and his life exists to please his owner.
Do you see what’s happening here church?
Do you see what Paul is saying about himself, about believers, about disciples of Jesus, about Christians?
Paul is saying, He is, we are, slaves bought by Jesus to be his possession.
Now understandably you might balk at this, the word slave does carry a lot of negative connotations. You might say I don’t want to be a slave; I am free to do what I want, I am an individual, I have control over my life, I provide for myself, I am slave to no one.
But we are all slaves to something, or someone. We all worship something even when we don’t realise it, we still worship something. We might worship drugs, or sex, or money…, success, fame, power, pleasure, comfort, control, family, love, or even self-expression. We all worship at the feet of some God, real or not, we are slaves to something.
Romans 6:20-23 says20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
C.S Lewis put it this way “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased”
See one way or another we are a slave to something. But, to serve such a Master as Christ …
A master who died out of love for his “Bond-Servant,” a Master that is neither restrictive nor an imposition, a master that only has good plans for you, a master that offers eternal life. What a privilege and joy it is to serve Jesus. For it seems such a paradox to the world but it is only in such slavery that we are truly free, free from fear, free from anxiety, free from the worldly impulses, free from futility, and death. In accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, in becoming his slave, it is only then that we find true freedom.
And, to be sure no slave ever had a more benevolent Master than we do, he freely provides every grace we need to live abundantly, but still…, he is our Master.
What a humbling and humble beginning to a letter this is. What a joyous beginning this is…
And, this is the mindset that we are to have, the mind set of total devotion to Christ. Our understanding of the gospel, of the grace and mercy poured out to us can only bring us to be so humble and so joyous. And so, in choosing to serve the Lord,we have a high calling to a lowly place.
Now as we continue, remember, remember that Paul is using this greeting as a means to introduce key themes for the rest of the letter. So, what key theme has Paul introduced?
That of being captivated by Christ, living as a bond-servant for Jesus.
But he continues:
“To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons”
Here Paul is identifying all the believers as Saints in Christ Jesus. But what does the word Saint mean?
This isn’t a common term any more, and in a very general sense we have lost the true meaning of the word. And if you were to ask most people what a saint was, they would probably tell you it was a football player or perhaps supporter of the team. Perhaps if you asked the right person, they might say it was someone who lived a good life and then after their death performed a miracle.
But, none of these is what Paul is talking about here.
Saint is the word that Paul most commonly uses to address believers in the early church. It finds its origin in the same Greek word as Holy, Hallowed, and Sanctification and in this context, it means “Holy One.” And this refers to someone who is set apart from the ways of the world, set apart unto God, someone being transformed in the likeness of Jesus.
Do you see the connection, do you see what Paul is doing here church?
Paul is saying that to be a Saint, to be a Holy one means that by the operation of Grace, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, sanctifying us, working in us, transforming us,we no longer live a life pursing the things of the world, that we become captivated by Christ, pursuing moral purity, pursuing God, we become His Bond-servants.
In joy and thanksgiving, we pursue Christ.
We no longer desire to live as we once did, we no longer have desires like the world around us, the Holy Spirit continues to remake us and shape us in the image of Christ. So that we stand out, so that we live an entirely different lifestyle, not apart from the world, but in it for all to see. It means that in our thankfulness and desire to please the one who saved us by Grace, empowered by His Holy Spirit, everything about us is different, the way we do family, the way we do business, the way we order our day, even the way we have conversations, is different.
We become Captivated by Christ,
We become his bond-servant, and in doing so, by His power, we become like Him.
Now notice “To all the Holy Ones, To all the Bond-servants in Christ Jesus…”
What is Paul doing? He is making sure the Philippians know, that we know. That this is all in Jesus, that all believers for all time are unified with Jesus in His death and resurrection. He is stressing that the only way to be a Holy One, the only way to be a Bond-servant, the only way to be saved is in Christ Jesus.
Before conversion we belonged to the world and its Idols and anti-God agenda. But Christ has bought us at a price, paid in full in His blood, He takes us captive delivering us from the kingdom of darkness and bringing us into vital union and communion with Christ Jesus and each other, given a new standing in His grace.
We are made citizens of the Kingdom of God.
The fullness of His all-sufficient life is flowing into our lives, we have received all that He deserves, all that Christ is and possesses belongs to us.
So, Paul begins his letter by reminding us that we have the privilege of being captive to and in Christ Jesus. He is introducing the theme of sanctification of becoming Holy in Christ, like Christ.
Paul is introducing the themes of living as a Bond-servant captivated by Christ & becoming Holy like Christ. In other words, Paul is saying that by the power of the Holy Spirit, those held captive by Jesus, those saved by God, will become more and more like Christ, transformed in His image, humbly serving God and community with grace and peace.
But Paul is not finished…
Verse 2
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
He could desire nothing greater for the church then that they would enjoy “grace” and “peace.”
This was a common way of greeting others upon entering a house in the 1st century but Paul makes this distinctively Christian by making it from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In other words, “All Grace and All Peace come from the entire Godhead.”
When Paul asks here for Grace, he is not asking for saving grace. He has already stated that they are saints in Christ Jesus, they are already reconciled to God through Christs death and resurrection. So, Grace to you is a request that they enter into a fuller experience of Grace in their Christian lives.
In other words, to better embrace, understand, think through and live out the Gospel and the resultant joy and thankfulness that drives and motivates a Christian, in a manner that honours God in every area of their life.
Basically, by the power of the Spirit be sanctified, grow in holiness, become captivated by Christ and live as a Bond-servant of God.
But even more Paul asks that the peace from God be with them. What does that mean Peace from God?
We have already confirmed that the Philippians, that believers are at peace with God as Jesus bore our punishment. That though we were enemies before, at conversion all believers enter into a state of peace with God.
So what peace is Paul talking about?
Paul is talking about a subjective peace… Notice how he words it?
“Peace from God rather than peace with God”
He means the personal experience of supernatural peace within our souls that only God can give. This is the quiet calm within our spirit in the midst of life’s raging storms, in the midst of difficulties, when we are under financial stress, relational chaos, when we have health concerns, when everything appears to be going wrong. This is the serenity that comes from knowing that God is in control of all circumstances and causes all things to work together for our good so that we might become more and more like Jesus.
Now, very important here is the order…
There is no peace until first there is grace.
This is why Paul mentions grace first. Where ever there is grace peace follows, the grace of God in a life prepares the way for the peace of God to flood a heart. Grace is the root and peace is the fruit. Grace is the cause and peace is the result. Where ever you see grace, you will find peace.
And here is the beauty of the gospel, the beauty of Jesus, here is the reason to be captivated by Christ, here is the reason for joy for thankfulness, the reason to be sanctified, to be a bond-servant.
It is only through and from God that we are set free of the idols of the world, that we are set free from fear, anxiety, from futility, from death. It is only in Jesus that we are made holy, that we are transformed in His image and that we find joy, that we find grace and peace.
In these 2 short verses Paul is introducing us to the themes of the letter:
That we should humbly and joyfully become Bond-servants of Christ, growing in Holiness and grace and receiving His peace.
But let me ask you…
Are you a bond-servant of Christ, are you captivated by Him, or do you serve someone else?
Be honest with yourself, who is your God?
Who do you serve? Who do you worship? Do you pursue the things of this world or the things of God?
Is the Holy Spirit moving in your life? Are you being transformed and made more like Christ? Are you growing in Holiness?
Do you know the joy, peace, and freedom of being a bond-servant of Christ?
Have you chosen Jesus?
Church this is not some mere intellectual exercise… In your heart of hearts can you say that Jesus is your Lord and Saviour? Can you see that you have been set apart from the world, that you are growing over time in the likeness of Christ? Do you know the supernatural peace of God that is beyond reason?
Have you been Captivated by Christ?