Confidence, Certainty, and Cheer
When Paul the apostle arrived in the city of Philippi to begin his ministry in Europe, he received very bad treatment. The entire city seemed to turn against him. He was arrested, seems to have been tried by the citizens of the town, was delivered into the hands of a jailer, beaten within an inch of his life, and put into the very darkest part of the dungeon.
The treatment that Paul received at the hands of the people of Philippi may give the impression that there could be no strong ties of friendship between Paul and the people there. But the facts are that the church in Philippi became closer to the apostle Paul than any other. He enjoyed a more intimate relationship with that body of believers than with any other of the visible churches he established. There were strong ties of love and fellowship. It is beautiful to behold, and it is worthy of our emulation. They loved him, and he loved them.
Paul went to Philippi on his second missionary journey. It was the proper place to begin in Europe. The city of Philippi had been named for King Philip of Macedonia. It was primarily a Greek city, then the great Augustus Caesar of Rome made it a Roman colony. (In this epistle, Paul says several things that are not understood unless you recognize that Philippi was a Roman colony.) Therefore, in the city of Philippi there were Romans, Greeks, Jews, and Asians -- it was a cosmopolitan colony. For that reason, it was a good place to test the gospel in Europe.
Socially, the city of Philippi drew a higher type of person to the church. In other places, there were many slaves, but there seemed to be more freedom in Philippi. The upper strata of society was reached with the gospel, and, apparently, many were won from all the different races. When Paul came to the city, a very remarkable businesswoman named Lydia was his first convert. And then the Philippian jailer -- a brutal and cruel Roman politician -- came to know the living Christ.
There were, of course, other members of this Philippian church whose stories we do not know. They were a people very close to the apostle Paul. They followed him in his journeys and ministered to him time and time again. But when Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, they lost sight of him for two years. They did not know where he was. Finally, they heard that he was in Rome in prison. The hearts of these people went out to him, and immediately they sent their pastor, Epaphroditus, with a gift for the apostle Paul. They also sent a word of comfort and sympathy, expressing their love and affection for him.
So Paul wrote a thank-you note, which is the Epistle to the Philippians that we have today. In this epistle, there is no doctrine to declare. There is no error to correct, no conduct to rebuke. There is no problem to solve, no difficulty to handle. Paul just writes about Christian living at the highest level.
When Epaphroditus arrived with the gift and letter from the Philippian church, I think Paul asked him, "How are things getting along among the believers there?" He may have asked about each individual, for he seems to have known many of them by name. Epaphroditus probably said something like, "Things are coming along nicely, and God is blessing. But we have one little problem -- two women in the church aren't speaking to each other." That was not a major problem, but it was there, and Paul dealt with it.
There was friction between two women in the church -- Euodia and Syntyche. Paul mentioned it near the end of his letter: "I beseech Euodia, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord" (Philippians 4:2). I've often wondered what the background was to this. I've always suspected that Euodia was president of the missionary society and Syntyche was president of the choir. (I have a friend in the ministry who says that when the devil was cast out of heaven, he fell into the choir loft!) What may have happened was that both Euodia and Syntyche had arranged to use the church parlor on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00. The conflict was not noticed until both groups arrived at the same time. One wasn't willing to give way to the other, and it caused a problem for a little while. I think it got straightened out all right, but Euodia and Syntyche didn't work in harmony after that. The relationship was strained.
An old Scotch elder once got up to read the fourth chapter of Philippians -- he was not what you would call a trained man, and his pronunciation was rather faulty. When he reached this verse, he read, "I beseech Odious and Soontouchy that they be of the same mind." Although the pronunciation was bad, his interpretation was unusually good because, frankly, when you bring together Ms. Odious and Ms. Soontouchy you are going to have trouble -- I don't care who they are. Apparently, that is what happened in the church at Philippi. Paul mentioned it briefly, but he moved on with warm words regarding his personal relationships, feelings, and close ties.
Paul's affection for these folk at Philippi is evident all through his letter. I want to notice how he began:
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God, our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:2)
That was his accustomed introduction, and you will find it in all his epistles. Grace comes first, and peace always follows. One is the cause, and the other is the effect. "Grace" was the great word of the Roman world. It is the Greek word charis, a word of introduction and greeting. You could have heard it all over the ancient Roman world. Two men would meet, and they'd say, "Charis," to greet each other. The Hebrew word of greeting was shalom, "peace."
Paul brought these two words together, and someone has said that he Christianized them. I wouldn't say that, but I do think that Paul gave them a new meaning, and they'll never be the same again. Grace speaks of that declaration of God's love for us, and the result of the reception of the love of God is to know the peace of God. But grace always comes first.
Paul continued:
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. (Philippians 1:3)
Actually, the meaning is even stronger -- "I thank my God for all the remembrances of you." This is wonderful. Every now and then, some kind brother will include this verse in a letter to me. I always feel as if today it's stereotyped, something we like to say. But when Paul said it to believers at Philippi, he meant it. Isn't it wonderful to be among a people like these believers were? Paul said, in effect, "Any time, anywhere in the Roman Empire, when Philippi comes to mind, I do not think of that jail. I think of you believers who are there, and I thank God for you." What a wonderful thing that is!
He wasn't through, for he then said:
Always in every prayer [literally, every petition, for it's very direct here] of mine for you all making request [supplication or petition] with joy. (Philippians 1:4)
These people were on the prayer list of the apostle Paul. He said something else here -- I must call attention to it.
Even as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart.... (Philippians 1:7)
Isn't that lovely? Paul said, "I carry the church in Philippi in my heart." The other day a man showed me his wife's picture in his watch. She's dead now, but I am sure he still carries her picture because he carries her in his heart. Paul did not have a watch, but he said, "I carry you in my heart." Lovely, personal relationship, is it not?
He was still not through. Notice that he said:
For God is my witness, how greatly I long after you all in the tender mercies of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:8)
The King James Version uses the word "bowels" instead of "tender mercies." Now, don't be afraid of that term "bowels." It is considered crude today, but it's not that at all. Even psychologists say that motivation and the feeling of affection takes place down in that area.
In other words, Paul said -- and what a beautiful thing it is -- "I long after you all in deep affection, the heart affection, of Christ. Just as Christ longs for you, I long for you." Someone has said that Paul had the heart of Christ, and that is exactly what God wants us to have today. Such a relationship is the beauty and the wonder and the glory of this epistle.
Confidence
In the introduction to his letter, Paul talked about three things: confidence, certainty, and cheer.
Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
The first word, "being," is causative and is better translated as "since" -- "Since I am confident of this very thing." Confidence is something that comes to a person who has trusted Christ and become His child. "Being confident [or, since I am confident] of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (emphasis added).
