Sunday Praise & Worship 10:00
Christian Education - 10:00 - Casual Dress - Loving Childcare
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Sermon Notes for Philippians 1:20-27 Key verse: Philippians 1:27 “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.” Today we begin a new series and the second part in our theme for the year of “Working Together with One Heart.” In the fall, we examined the working aspect of that theme, looking at prayer, our community core values, and evangelism as aspects of living together that require our commitment to work at our relationship with God and others. Now, we begin the together aspect of that theme, exploring Scripture, sacrifice, and multiplying (our Spiritual Gifts) and how these practices draw us together in relationship with each other and with God. In the first of these series, Scripture, we’ll discover together how God continues to reveal the Divine self to us through these ancient texts. We’ll also learn several ways to read the Bible which will strengthen our ability to hear God’s word for ourselves and more importantly to live out God’s word for us. Paul emphasized the importance of living out our relationship with God in his letter to the Philippians. In fact, we read in our passage today that Paul found his purpose in life by bringing honor to Christ, whether he lived or died. For Paul, this statement reflected not a theoretical choice but the reality of his life. Paul wrote this letter from his prison cell in Rome as he awaited a capital trial for following Jesus Christ. He wrote to the community that he began in Philippi in around 50 C.E., to reassure them of his own situation and to encourage them to find the joy of their faith even in the midst of trials. Although the residents in Philippi enjoyed the great privilege of being a Roman colony, which resulted in citizenship, special legal status and no taxes, they also experienced persecution because of their faith. Their citizenship status would have presented a challenge to Paul when he founded the community there, because he would have had to argue against emperor worship as competing with worshiping Jesus. However, in our key verse today, he used their status as citizens of Rome to help them understand their privileges and responsibilities as citizens of heaven. This reminder of their dual citizenship would also have served to encourage them during persecution, for as citizens of heaven they could certainly trust God more than the emperor of Rome. Paul wrote that he trusted that his life would bring honor to God, whether he lived or died, demonstrating his trust in God no matter what the situation in his life. Although he stated that part of him would rather die (maybe because he was weary of the fight in prison and was ready to go home to Jesus), he also would rather live since that would help the Philippian Christians. Above all, he desired to honor God and to serve others and placed this desire even above his own needs. Paul could risk living for God and others above himself because he trusted God and because he had experienced the joy of living in community and helping others grow and experience joy in their faith. As a parent of this community, he longed to know that they (his spiritual children) were loving and supporting each other, standing together with one spirit and one purpose. He encouraged this unity not in response to some crisis, but in the knowledge of how easy it is for communities to fight against each other. He reminded them that their fight was not with each other, but that they were to stand together to fight for the Good News. This Good News, or Scripture, then serves to draw us closer together, as we encourage each other in community to grow in our knowledge and love of God and neighbor. Scripture presents the Good News that God longs to have a relationship with us through Jesus Christ. Therefore, we cannot separate our reading of Scripture from our relationship with God. In fact, Scripture only becomes God’s word through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as it engages our everyday lives. The Bible does not function as a law book, but rather as the law written on our hearts in relationship, revealing God’s love in an intimate and present encounter. (See Jeremiah 31:31-33.) God, then, invites us to see the stories of Scripture come alive in our own lives, as we journey together in faith.
Questions for Reflection 1—What impact would thinking of yourself as a “citizen of heaven” have on your life? How would that assurance affect the choices you make? How would it affect your relationship with God? How would it impact your relationship with others? 2—How does your life bring honor to God? How does our corporate life as a faith community bring honor to God? How can you participate in Skyline more authentically and thus experience the joy of community? 3—What role does Scripture play in your life? Do you see it more as a rule book or a love letter? How can you interact with the Bible in such a way as to enhance your relationship with God and with others? 4—How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today?
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