Philippians Teaching Series

This unusual letter is a joy and a blessing.

What makes Philippians so Unusual?

  • Philippians is highly unusual because it is so personal.
  • Not a highly organized theological structure but instead an insight into Paul’s heart and deep feelings,
    and an insight into Christ’s emotions towards us.
  • Wow, Amazing!

 

Play Audio:

Video cover image by Todd Bolen bibleplaces.com

  • New series on Philippians (Reading Plan handout)

Goal

  • To have both an overview
      and an “inner view”
  • A “bird’s eye” view and
      a “heart’s eye” view”
    of the letter to the Philippians

1. Background to Philippians—big picture and context

  • Many people have heard of Alexander the Great
  • His father, Philip II actually began the conquest
    • Ruled a tiny kingdom
    1. Updated his army with the latest technology (long spears)
    2. Captured a nearby city, called “The Little Fountains”
    3. Renamed it to Philippi, after himself (otherwise this book would have been called Paul’s epistle to...)
    • Reason: gold mines – Grow army + bribes
      “No fortress is impregnable if you can lead a donkey laden with gold up to it’s walls”
    • Managed to extract a stupendous amount of gold —it went before his army and “smoothed the way”
  • Two centuries later
    • Gold mines exhausted and the city now a small settlement
    • 42 years before Christ, an important event: Julius Caesar murdered by Brutus
    • Brutus & Cassius X Antony & Octavius
      • Antony: nice retirement spot
      • began to grow with Roman ex-soldiers

Philippi theater

Philippi theater

Image source: Todd Bolen

  • 11 years later
    • Antony X Octavius Antony lost, and Cleopatra suicide
    • Octavius => Augustus Caesar
    • Antony’s friends either die, or to leave Rome and go to Philippi
      • caused a second great influx of people
  • The City
    • Mostly Roman citizens
    • A miniature Rome with all the extremes
      • Lydia – purple

Philippians 1

  1. From Paul and Timothy,
        bondservants of Christ Jesus,
    to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,
        with the overseers and deacons.
  2. Grace and peace to you
        from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
  • Usually you would put all your important titles after the “from”
    • But Paul says “I’m a servant of Jesus”
  • To: “Saints” literally “Holy ones”, but there is a big misunderstanding about the word “Holy”
    • It does not mean “Pure”, but dedicated and committed (which can make us want to sin less)
    • God is holy —which does not mean he never sins, but that he is totally committed to us and dedicated to what he has promised us!
  • Grace and Peace is a lovely expression
    • Jews: “Shalom”, Gentiles: “Charis” —multicultural greeting
  • Not exactly sure of the date, but here is the backstory:

Church at Philippi

  • Founded on Paul’s 2nd missionary journey (Act 16)
  • Lydia one of first converts
  • Paul & Silas imprisoned
  • After he left for Thessalonica, sent a gift
  • Later when in Athens & Corinth, they sent him more gifts
  • Visited them twice on 3rd missionary journey (contributed to famine in Jerusalem)
  • —This letter was written—
  • 4th journey (after Acts) and he likely visited for the last time
  • 50 yrs later—historical evidence the church was standing firm!
    • letter from Polycarp, praising them for their love and faithfulness
  • So what was this event?
  • One day, when Paul was probably in a Roman prison, he had a visitor: Epaphroditus
    • Leader in the church at Philippi
    • Came to bring a generous gift and a report from the church
    • had travelled 1300km! (no cars, rail or even bicycles)
    • After arriving, he fell ill, and recovered
  • Paul wrote this letter and sent it back with Epaphroditus

2. What is unusual about this letter

What makes Philippians so Unusual?

  1. Background to Philippians—big picture and context
  2. What is unusual about this letter
  3. What can we learn from this?
  • Unlike any other letter in the New Testament
    • Philemon is the only letter in any way similar, and that is extremely short
    • Not a highly organized theological structure (but does contain some)
  • Highly unusual because it is so personal
    • Very emotional
  • Why has he written it?
    • Because he loves them so much and misses them!
    • You get an insight into Paul’s heart
    • His is willing to expose it

Philippians 1

  1. I thank my God every time I remember you.
  2. I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you
  3. because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
  4. For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
  • At first this seems like a series of thoughts in no particular order,
    but we’ll see there is a beautiful structure to it.
  • v.3&4 are past and future
  • v.5&6 are past and future

Philippians 1

  1. I thank my God every time I remember you. [past]
  2. I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you [future]
  3. because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. [past]
  4. For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. [future]
  • And v.5 continues v.3 , nd v.6 continues v.4
  • Is v.6 a legitimate prayer—could I say this of us here at Newlife ?
    • Jesus will say “well done!”

Philippians 1

  1. For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me.
  2. For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
  • v.7 “I have you in my heart” —we will see this all the way through
    • “I just love you so much”, “you are so precious to me”
  • v.8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
    • Paul tells us that his affection towards them is actually Jesus’

Philippians 1

  1. And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight
  2. so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ,
  3. filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
  • v.10 —a very interesting phrase!
    • I don’t want to have to tell you what to do all the time
    • I want you to have such an insight that you know what to do!
    • What a great prayer to pray for each other!

3. What can we learn from this?

What makes Philippians so Unusual?

  1. Background to Philippians—big picture and context
  2. What is unusual about this letter
  3. What can we learn from this?
  • These then are our verses for today
  • His passion for Christ. 62 times ( +Father 26, +Spirit 3)
    • He loves Jesus so much he just can’t shut up about him
    • He was trying to kill Christians, but Jesus appeared to him
  • You have almost certainly not have had such an intense meeting with Jesus
    • But we should all want the same passion that Paul has.
      Pray that he will be as real to you as he was to Paul!
  • More important than teaching a set of principles for living,
    is to have a sense of Jesus in your heart
  • Pursue Jesus in your heart
  • There are two different positions we can take as we read Philippians
    • We can read it from Paul’s perspective—expressing these emotions
    • or the Philippians perspective—receiving this love
  • I have been so struck by the intimate language of love
    • They are in his heart!
  • But how are we to take this in? —if Paul had planted Newlife, and wrote this letter to us, we could bask in the love.
    • but he didn’t!!
  • Here is my main point: Paul is constantly saying “It’s not me, it’s Jesus”
    • Welcome pack: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
    • A typical verse from Phil when Paul is talking about his connection with Jesus
  • What comes out is not so much “I love you so much, you are in my heart”
    • But “you are in Christ’s heart!”
    • Ah, that is how I am supposed to read it—Christ’s love for us
      • Paul is just a carrier of this love.
  • We are going to read some of the verses now, and feel Jesus, speaking to us
    • Back to v.7

Expressions of love – Phil 1

  1. For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God’s grace together with me.
  2. For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
  • v.7 Right now, Jesus has you in his heart (we know this is true from other places
  • v.8 He longs for you!

Expressions of love – Phil 2&3

  1. Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be encouraged by hearing news about you.
  2. I am all the more eager to send him (Epaphroditus), so that when you see him again you can rejoice and I can be free from anxiety.
  3. Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
  • v.19 If you love someone you want to hear news!
    • Jesus longs for good things to happen to us
  • v.28 Not anxiety in a bad way, but he is so eager to bless them with this letter, that he can’t rest till they get it
    • In the same way, Jesus so wants us to receive the blessings he has for us!
  • It’s not that he “technically” knows that he redeemed us (oh yes, she’s one of them)
    • But he knows us by name, and is so eager and almost anxious, that we should receive his love.
  • v.1 It’s not “you bothered me by sending Epaphroditus, and now I’ve got to go to the trouble to write back!”
    It’s the same with Jesus
    We’re not bothering him with our prayers, he just loves the connection with us!

Expressions of love – Phil 4

  1. So then, my brothers and sisters, dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!
  2. I have great joy in the Lord because now at length you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.)
  • v.1 We are also Jesus’ joy, (“for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross”)
    • “I let Jesus down all the time, what I mess I am! How can he have joy in me?
    • He does!
    • He has crowns for us!
  • v.10 This should be our motivation for doing good things
    • not out of guilt, but from the joy it brings him, even small things
  • Uses himself as an example
    • Boldness
    • Love & selflessness
    • Purity
    • Seeking Christ rather than external law
    • Growth & maturity
  • Another major challenge is our depth of relationships with one another.
    • (not time to get into this today)
  • Read these as the words of Jesus:
    (But if you don’t know him as your Saviour…)

Philippians 1

  1. I thank my God every time I remember you.
  2. I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you
  3. For it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart...
  4. For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Last updated on 26 Oct 2025
Published on 26 Oct 2025