Philippians' Raison D'tre

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Well, it's an exciting time for me as we come again to the Book of Philippians. We've just begun our study looking at this wonderful letter, the Apostle Paul to his beloved church in Philippi. Last week we had the opportunity to look at the first 2 verses and today, we're going to step back and look at really the purpose that lies behind this letter. And I think you'll be excited to see it unfold as the Apostle Paul helps us understand the purposes he had in mind.

Most of us received more mail in a week than a person living in Paul's time would have received in his entire lifetime. The sheer volume, I think, has jaded us to its value. In fact, I would say that true letter writing has become a lost art in our culture. In a day of cell phones and email, the careful and articulate letter is fast becoming a relic. When I lived in Los Angeles, our family would often go to the Huntington Library and Museum. On a number of occasions, the highlight of my visit, there, was reading either from their collection or from some traveling collection, letters. One of our trips there I came across several letters that were written by rank-and-file civil war soldiers. If you had the opportunity to see the Ken Burns series on the civil war on PBS, then you will remember how incredibly articulate and moving their letters home were. I came across this letter. Let me share a portion of it with you. This was Major Sullivan Ballou of the 2nd Regiment Rhode Island Volunteers. He was 32 years old. He wrote this letter on July 14th, 1861. He was awaiting orders that would take him to Manassas, where he and 27 of his men would die a week later in the Battle of Bull Run. He writes to his wife, Sarah: "My Very Dear Sarah, the indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days, perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write you again, I feel impelled to write lines that may fall into your eye when I shall be no more. I cannot describe to you my feelings on this calm summer night when 2000 men are sleeping around me, many of them enjoying the last, perhaps, before that of death. And I suspicious that death is creeping behind me with its fatal dart and communing with God, with my country, and with you. Sarah, my love for you is deathless. It seems to bind me to you with mighty cables that nothing but omnipotence could break. And yet my love of country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield. The memories of the blissful moments I've spent with you come creeping over me and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together and seen our sons grow up to honorable manhood around us. I have I know but few and small claims upon divine providence. But something whispers to me. Perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you. And when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield it will whisper your name. Sullivan".

That's more than a letter. That's a work of art. It's a piece of literature. In the right hands a letter can be a powerful tool. On those few occasions when you sat down to write a letter, there were always two factors that lay behind the letter that you wrote. The first was the specific circumstances that prompted you to write the letter and, secondly, the primary message that you wanted to get across. Usually, in most of our letters, those two are related - the circumstances that prompt the letter and the specific message we intend to communicate.

The letters of the New Testament are no different. Each one is prompted by some very specific circumstances and each one has a primary message that the author intends to get across. There may be several themes that weave their way through New Testament letters, but there is usually one overarching purpose, one overarching theme that the writer has in mind. Hidden within the text of Philippians are the reasons Paul wrote this epistle. There are several reasons that are specifically connected to his circumstances and to theirs. And there's also this primary spiritual objective of the book which is the reason it still ministers to us today as we pick it up and read its pages.

So, this morning I want us to look at Paul's temporal motives for writing and his timeless message for us. Let's look first at the temporal motives, the circumstances that lay behind Paul's writing. What prompted Paul to write this letter? What were the circumstances out of which this wonderful letter grew? What was the fire in which this golden epistle was refined? Well, we find those circumstances, those motives if you will for writing, on the pages of the Book of Philippians.

There are several underlying motivations that Paul had for writing his beloved church. The first one is to express his deep affection for the Philippians, to express his deep love for the people who he'd come to know in Philippi. Paul had first met the people of Philippi in Acts 16, as we saw last week, with the founding of the church. We don't know how long Paul, and Timothy, and Silas, and Luke stayed, although Luke did stay, we know that, for some time. But we don't know how long the other three stayed after that encounter with the Roman magistrates, after the earthquake, and the salvation of the Philippian jailer. It doesn't appear to be very long. But Paul did come back to Philippi on two, at least two, and perhaps three occasions. We find one of those visits in 1 Corinthians 16:5 - that's visit number one. The second visit, we think, is in 2 Corinthians 2:13. And then the third visit is in Acts 20:3 as he's on his way to Rome, to Jerusalem rather. Through those interactions, he had developed a deep affection for these people. As he had mingled with them, first when he was there to found the church, and then on those subsequent visits, he developed a deep affection for these people. Notice how he expresses it. Chapter 1:7 he says, "For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection [or the love] of Christ Jesus." With all of my bowels is literally what he says. You see this same expression of love and devotion to these people in chapter 4:1. He says, "Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown...my beloved." Paul loved these people. And when an opportunity arose to have a letter delivered to them, he seized that opportunity.

There's a second underlying motivation or temporal motive behind Paul's writing and that is: to report on his own circumstances. Not only to express his love for them, but to report to them his own circumstances. You see, Paul's friends in Philippi had become terribly concerned about his condition. They knew he was in prison. That's why they sent Epaphroditus. And so, Paul sends word back to let them know about his circumstances. As he writes this epistle, he's obviously in prison. Four times in chapter 1 he tells us so. Notice in chapter 1:7 he says, "...both in my imprisonment..." The Greek word translated "imprisonment" is literally bonds, chains. He says, "I'm in chains". Verse 13, he makes the same point - in my chains or in my imprisonment. Verse 14: "...most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment [chains, because of my bonds]". And then again in verse 17: "[some] proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment [bonds or in my chains]." Paul was in prison.

Now, the issue of where Paul was in prison has killed a number of trees and emptied many a bottle of ink. And I'm not going to go into all the details about that this morning. But there are basically three views about where Paul was when he wrote this letter to Philippi. The first possibility is Ephesus. This theory is based on a passing comment Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 15:32 when he says he "wild beasts at [in] Ephesus". But there is no evidence, in the New Testament or anywhere else, that Paul was ever imprisoned in Ephesus. So, we discount that view. The second possibility is Caesarea. You remember that Paul was kept there for a period of about two years. You see that in Acts 24:27. Some suppose that that's where he wrote the letter to the Philippians. But the weight of the biblical evidence supports the third view and what is really the traditional view, and that is that Paul wrote Philippians from Rome during his first imprisonment there. You see, the first time Paul was in prison, AD 60 to 62, in Rome he was eventually released. And during that time we had a certain measure of freedom to communicate the gospel. It was during those years, AD 60 to 62, that he wrote what we commonly refer to as the Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

So, Paul was in Rome chained to a guard but with a certain amount of freedom to preach the gospel, as you see at the end of the Book of Acts. And he wanted the Philippians to know about his circumstances. Notice verse 12 of chapter 1: "Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel..." He wanted them to understand, that even though he was chained in a Roman prison, the gospel continued to advance and that he was actually thriving in that environment. And so, he wrote them this letter to bring them up to date on his condition.

Another temporal motive for writing Philippians, thirdly, was to report on Epaphroditus and send him home. You see, the Philippians had sent Epaphroditus, a great hero of the faith but you probably don't have a child named after him. He was one of their own there in Philippi and he was sent as their representative to assist the Apostle. Along with Epaphroditus they had sent a financial gift to support Paul in his ministry. Either en route or after he arrived in Rome, Epaphroditus became gravely ill; ill even to the point of dying, Paul tells us. Now he's recovered but there's a problem. Epaphroditus has heard that the Philippians know about his illness and he's concerned, probably for two reasons. One, he's concerned that they are going to worry too much about him. But secondly, he may be concerned that their thinking that, because he got sick and because he was indisposed, that he failed to complete the mission that he was given; that he had not effectively served Paul. And so, Paul wants the Philippians to know that, in fact, he had become a bondservant in the gospel. And so, he writes this letter. He wants the Philippians to know that, in fact, Epaphroditus had completed his mission. Notice chapter 2:25. He said, "But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, [notice how he refers to him] my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need." He wants to know that he was a valuable asset in the ministry of the gospel. He had completed the mission that he had been sent to do. He also wants them to know that he's fully recovered now. Notice verse 27: "For indeed he was sick to the point of death [just as you heard], but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not [lest I] have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that [in order that] when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you." And then in verse 29, he tells the Philippians that this man, Epaphroditus, is worthy of great honor, even a hero's welcome. Therefore, he says, "Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard..." Why? Verse 30: "...because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me." Paul wants them to know that Epaphroditus is worthy of their honor and respect and so he sends Epaphroditus home with this letter so that he's insured he gets the welcome he deserves.

Fourthly, Paul also wanted to thank the Philippians for their financial gifts, to thank the Philippians for their financial gift. And he does this beautifully and warmly in chapter 4 which we will get to...and I started to say weeks, I probably should say months to be more honest. But as he sends Epaphroditus home, Paul uses that opportunity to express his gratitude to this very generous church. This church has been generous with Paul from the very beginning. Notice chapter 1:5. He says, "your participation [you participated or you fellowshipped] in the gospel from the first day until now" - that means more than their financial support as we'll see next week but it includes their financial support. From the very beginning, they had been generous with Paul. You remember in Acts 16 that the very day Lydia came to faith in Christ, she opened up her home and said she wanted the four missionaries to stay with her. Also, as soon as he left Philippi, this Philippian church began to support him. Notice chapter 4:15: "You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left [departed from] Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone..." We know as well, verse 16 of chapter 4, that when he was in Thessalonica, the Philippians had sent him a gift. And 2 Corinthians 11:9 tells us that when he was at Corinth, they sent him a gift. So, it was their practice to support the Apostle Paul. And he wanted to express his gratitude for that support through the years as well as their gifts that came with Epaphroditus. He wanted to express his gratitude for their faithful support of him and his ministry.

A fifth motive that Paul had in writing us epistle was to confront the problems in the church, to confront the problems in the church in Philippi. Now it seems clear that when Epaphroditus arrived in Rome with the gift, he also brought news that there was an outbreak of several problems in the Philippian church, two specifically. And Paul wants to address those problems in this letter. The first is false teaching. As was true in most churches of that time and frankly is often true in churches today, false teachers had begun to make their way into the church and were taking away the faith of some or undermining the faith of some. He really begins to address this in chapter 3. There were two groups, apparently, of false teachers, on two different extremes. We meet the first group in Philippians 3:1. He says finally I'm going to write the same things again. It's no trouble for me, and it is a safeguard for you. Verse 2: "Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision..." Apparently Judaizers, that is those who said not only did you have to have faith in Christ to be saved but you also had to have a legalistic keeping of the Old Testament law to be saved, had begun to make inroads into the church and Paul is very concerned about that and seeks to address it. But on the other extreme, you get to verse 17, you meet another group of false teachers. These were libertines. These were people who professed Christ but ignored God's moral law and pursued the fulfillment of their own fleshly appetites. Notice verse 19. He says, "whose [their] end is destruction, whose [their] god is their [belly or their] appetite, and whose [their] glory is in their shame, who [they] set their minds on earthly things." In other words, in Philippi, there were enemies of the cross on both extremes that were about to descend on the church and Paul wants to prepare them. He wants to equip them to battle this false teaching. So, there was a problem in the Philippian church of false teaching.

But there's a second problem that he wants to confront in this letter. Not only the problem of false teaching but he also needs to confront the problem of disunity, disunity. Paul was grateful for the Philippians. As one writer said, "Well, he would ask for nothing better than to have his work judged by the record of this one church." But through Epaphroditus, Paul became aware that all was not well in the church. There were problems that were...had begun to arise. The fellowship was fractured not by doctrinal but by personal differences. And those differences grew out of selfishness and empty conceit. Those differences grew out of the fact that people were regarding themselves as more important than others, that they were looking out merely for their own interests and not for the interests of others. You see this theme showing its head throughout the epistle. Let me show you a couple of those in Philippians 1:27. He admonishes them: "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will [may] hear of you that you are standing firm [watch this] in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel..." He comes back to this theme in chapter 2:1: "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete [how?] by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose..." How do you do that, Paul? "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind [let each of you] regard one another as more important than yourselves [himself]; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves [you] which was also in Christ Jesus. There was a problem of disunity and Paul is admonishing them to be united.

I'll never forget the story John MacArthur once told me about his early days at Grace Church. There was a group of people who became dissatisfied with the decision that the elders had made, and they actually staged a sit-in on the patio, refusing to move until John and some of the elders came to meet with them. Well, John did come, and he opened the meeting by reading 1 Corinthians 3:1-3: "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?" It's a pretty poignant way to deal with disunity in the church. But that's the bottom line. When there's disunity in the church, it stems from a fleshly jealousy, ambition, selfishness in the hearts of those involved. You see the same message in chapter 3 of James. Turn there for a moment, James 3:13. James says, "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic." Wow! "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing." And then he goes on to talk about the wisdom that comes down from heaven which is completely different than that earthly wisdom. Notice what he says at the beginning of chapter 4: "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?" Where do they come from? "Is not the source your pleasures [literally, your cravings, your lusts] that wage war in your members? You lust [crave] and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel." He's saying it's out of the heart desiring something it doesn't have - that's where strife, that's where disunity, that's where fighting comes from. Paul is concerned about this kind of fleshly division among the members of the church in Philippi. And as he writes, Paul gives them and us the great corrective to that kind of immature self-seeking. His solution is bound up in a series of commands that I've already read for you in Philippians 2, and the amazing illustration and example of our own Lord Jesus Christ who, for the sake of others, gave up every personal right and became the servant of all. Paul wants to confront the problems that are in the church.

The next temporal motive that Paul had in writing this letter was to prepare them for suffering, to prepare his beloved church for persecution. The fact is persecution had already begun in Philippi. Notice chapter 1:28. He says, "[I want you] in no way [to be] alarmed by your opponents - which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God." Where did this persecution come from? Well, the reason for their persecution, for their opponents, is alluded to in verse 30 of chapter 1. Let's go back to verse 29. He says, "For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me." Now if we take Paul's words literally, then he's saying this: the Philippians are suffering at the hands of the pagan Romans that make up their city. In other words, their suffering is directly connected to the Roman character of their city. You remember last time, we discovered that many Roman veterans settled in Philippi and these retired soldiers were very committed to their emperor. By this time in history, the primary titles for the Roman Emperor were "Lord" and "Savior". And the cult of emperor worship, where the Emperor was honored in a way approaching deity, was strongest in the eastern areas of the empire which is where Philippi is located. In his commentary, Gordon Fee describes what it would be like to live in that situation. Listen to his words: In a city like Philippi, this would have meant that every public event - the assembly, public performances in the theater, etc. - and much else within its boundaries, would have taken place in the context of giving honor to the emperor with the acknowledgement that, in this case, Nero was Lord and Savior." Imagine beginning every public event with that acknowledgement that Nero was Lord and Savior. He says, "...which is precisely the place where believers in Christ could no longer join in as citizens of Roman in Philippi. Their allegiance was to another Kurios, Jesus Christ, before whom every knee would someday bow and every tongue confess including the citizens of Philippi, who were causing their suffering, and the Emperor himself."

That also explains, by the way, the high number of references in Philippians to Christ and the fact that He alone is worthy of title, Kurios or Lord. We see that in Philippians 2. When we get there, we'll discover that in more detail. That's against the backdrop of what was going on in Philippi. Those are the circumstances from which the Philippian church would read that, even though Paul was imprisoned in Rome, even though he was suffering persecution, the gospel in its advance was not hindered. The gospel continued to flourish and through his imprisonment, even though he was chained to a Roman guard, the Praetorian Guard, the Emperor's own special troops, were coming to faith in Christ. You see that in chapter 1:13. And not only that, there were now believers in Caesar's own household. You see that in chapter 4:22. Paul wants to prepare them for suffering by showing them that, even in the midst of persecution, the gospel continues to advance. It cannot be stopped. Christ had said, "I will build my church." And he continues to do it even in the midst of suffering.

So those are the temporal motives that lay behind the Apostle's purpose for writing this wonderful letter. But beneath those temporal motives lies, secondly, the timeless message, the timeless message. You see, every biblical passage has one primary message. That's also true of every biblical book. In other words, every book has a raison d'etre. That's the title of my message this morning. It's a French expression. Raison means reason. De is for. Etre means to be. Reason for being. Every book in Scripture has one reason for being, one primary justification for its existence. The purpose, or raison d'etre, of some of the books of Scripture is clearly spelled out. For example, the Apostle John loves to tell us exactly why he's writing. Listen to John 20:30: "Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that [in order that. "Here's why I wrote you", he says, that] you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may [might] have life in His name." He does the same thing in his first epistle. 1 John 5:13 he says, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that [in order that] you may know that you have eternal life." Other authors often tell us explicitly their purpose as well. Paul does this on occasion. For example, in his first letter to Timothy, in chapter 3:15 he says, "...I am delayed, [so] I write [to you] so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth." I love it when they tell us exactly why they're writing.

But the reason for the existence of other books isn't so clearly spelled out and it has to be deduced from its contents, for example, the Book of Psalms. The purpose of Psalms is not clearly spelled out on the pages of the Psalms. Instead, you have to look at the whole. You have to look at the content of Psalms to come up with that singular purpose for which it was written. Essentially, the Book of Psalms is a divinely revealed pattern, or excuse me, divinely and revealed record and pattern of man expressing himself to God. You want to know how you should express your heart to God? You want to know how you should let your heart open up before the Lord? You come to the pages of Psalms and you see a man, after God's own heart, open up his heart and he shows you what his interaction with God was like. It's a pattern for us to follow; how to express ourselves to God. The Book of Genesis: the purpose there isn't spelled out either, but as you look at the contents of the book, you discover that it's a book of beginnings - the beginning of the world, the beginning of the Jewish nation. Sometimes, the best way to determine the purpose of a book is to examine its vocabulary, to look at the words that occur most frequently, and to look at those words that occur only in that book, that are special to that author and that book. Philippians is one of those books, that by looking at the key concepts and terms that are in it, we can discern the author's original intention, that one timeless message, that overarching truth that governs the book.

So, what I want us to do briefly, in the time that remains, is look at those key concepts and terms in the Book of Philippians and then, when we've looked at each of them, at the end, I'll try to tie it all together with the specific purpose Paul wrote this book. Let's look at the key terms. The first one is joy, joy. This is the theme that is most often offered for the book. The Greek words for joy, in both their verbal and noun forms, occurs 16 times in the 104 verses of Philippians. That's the highest occurrence, percentage wise, in the New Testament. Paul wants the people to have joy. You notice, for example, the noun form of joy in chapter 1:4: "always offering prayer with joy". Notice verse 25: "[I'm] Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith..." Chapter 2:2: "make my joy complete..." Chapter 2:29: "[Therefore] Receive him then in the Lord with all joy..." Chapter 4:1: "Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown..." The verb form occurs often as well, as a command. We're commanded to rejoice. We'll see that in a moment. Now the word joy is easy enough to translate but it's more difficult to understand what Paul intends by it. Whatever it means, it is unaffected by external, temporal issues. Neither physical pain nor chains, nor even the possibility of violent death can diminish Paul's joy. Notice chapter 1:18. He says, "What then?", after he's described his circumstances and that some are preaching Christ even to make his situation worse. He says, "What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice." Notice chapter 2:17. He says, "But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith..." That's a beautiful expression that we'll examine when we get there. Paul is saying essentially this: even if I am offered in death, because of my ministry to you and my ministry of the gospel, he says I still rejoice. I rejoice and I share my joy with you all. You see the example of a man whose life is filled with joy and his exhortations to us to rejoice in the Lord don't proceed for some ivory tower of peace and security. On the contrary, the writer is Paul, the prisoner, who's awaiting news which might lead to his violent execution. Karl Barth, whom I rarely quote favorably, said "Joy is a defiant 'Nevertheless!'"; a defiant, nevertheless. My circumstances may be in shambles. Nevertheless, I rejoice. It's a settled state of mind that Paul commands of us. Notice in chapter 2:18. He says, "You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way..." Chapter 3:1: "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." Chapter 4:4: "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!"

For Paul, joy is more than a mood or an emotion. Joy is an understanding. It's a knowledge that can accept, with submission, events that bring delight to me or events that bring disaster to me because joy allows me to focus, instead, on the one behind any particular event and that is the sovereign God who orders them. He stands above all of the events in our lives and ultimately has control over them. And when I know that, when I'm confident of that, then I can rejoice. Ultimately, while we are commanded to rejoice and we must work at showing joy, if it is a part of our lives, it's not because of us. It's because we have been dependent on the Spirit who produces joy. Galatians 5 says that joy is part of the fruit the Spirit produces. It's an evidence of the Spirit in our lives that we can show that kind of joy in the midst of trouble. Think of it. The great Apostle, this brilliant mind in a dirty Roman prison, deserted by most of his friends and almost forgotten, and yet he writes with joy, rejoicing in the riches that belong to all believers in Christ.

How could he rejoice in that situation? How can we rejoice in the middle of our own troubles? It's all a manner of what we choose to think about. Paul was absolutely consumed with Christ and with the gospel. And so, he had no time to think about his problems. You see, the mind can't think about two things at the same time. You cannot be thinking about the pain in your large toe and a hot fudge sundae at the same time. Can't happen. And even so, you can't be thinking about your problems and about Jesus Christ at the same time. You see, Paul didn't focus on his circumstances. He focused on Christ. Therefore, as long as Christ was preached, and as long as Christ was praised, Paul could be filled with joy regardless of his circumstances. That's why this epistle exudes joy. So, the first key concept in this book is joy. It weaves its way throughout the book.

A second one is unity, unity. The need for unity among the church is obviously a great concern to Paul. And I'm not going to take the time to look at this again. We just looked at it under the heading of the disunity, the problems that were in the church. But he's consumed with getting them to be united, striding together, for one purpose. Unity flows throughout this book and he stresses the need for it in this church, this Philippian church.

A third common term or concept that occurs in the book is the concept of right thinking, right thinking. Philippians has a lot to say about how we think. Now Paul confronts how we think because as a man thinks in his heart so is he. Or as the comment saying goes, "You're not what you think you are but what you think you are." So, Paul addresses this crucial issue of our attitudes, how we think about life, the attitudes we have for the events that occur. In the flow of this letter, 17 times Paul refers to how we think using three different Greek words. Let me show you just a couple of examples. Notice chapter 2:2. He says, "make my joy complete by being of the same mind..." - by basically thinking alike, he's saying. Verse 3: "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves." In other words, "Think this way", is what he's saying. It's another one of our words for thinking rightly. Verse 5: "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus..." Chapter 3:15: "Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you..." And then, the most familiar one is chapter 4:8 and I'm just giving you a sampling. Chapter 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, [let your mind] dwell on these things." Literally, "think about this" is what he says in the original language. Think about this. You see, Paul wants us to think like Christians and he's very concerned that the Philippian believers think rightly.

The fourth key concept or term in the book is gospel, the gospel. You see, one of the most important words in Philippians is the word gospel. Almost 8% of its verses contain this word. That's the highest in the New Testament. Just to put it in comparison: Romans, which is about the gospel, only 2% of its verses mention or use the word gospel, whereas 8% in the Book of Philippians. You don't have to read much from the pen of the Apostle Paul to conclude that the gospel is the singular passion of his life. And it's that passion that is the glue that holds this letter together. It's important that you know, too, that for Paul the gospel isn't some merely cold recitation of the facts about Christ. For him, the gospel is about Christ and Christ's work. It's centered on Christ. In fact, that's so much true that Paul uses the word "Christ" and uses the words "Christ" and "gospel" almost interchangeably. Let me show you this. It's interesting as you read. Look at Philippians chapter 1:12. He says, "Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel..." He's talking about the gospel. Verse 13: "so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ..." He goes from gospel to Christ. Verse 15: "Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ..." - and the implication is, I'm doing the same. I'm preaching Christ. So, my message is the gospel, my message is Christ. Verse 16: "the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel" - my message is the gospel, he says. My message is Christ. Verse 18 he said, in the end, I don't really care. The bottom line is I'm glad Christ is proclaimed. So, for him, the gospel is Christ and Christ is the gospel. His life is consumed with both.

That brings us naturally to the final key term that Paul uses in Philippians and it is the word Christ. That title of our Lord occurs 17 times in the first chapter alone, 36 times in the book. That's far and away the highest percentage in the New Testament. As we've already noted, Paul's life was centered on Jesus Christ and His gospel.

So, those are the key terms: joy, unity, right thinking, the gospel, and Christ. All of those concepts dominate this brief letter. But what is the singular theme and purpose of the epistle? When you put all of those together, what is the timeless message? What is the raison d'etre? It is a course in basic spirituality 101. It's the primary purpose, or I should say, its primary purpose is to teach us how to think like Christians, or to train us in the basic attitudes of a Christian, or as D.A. Carson described the purpose of Philippians: it is simply basics for believers.

We will study these foundational Christian attitudes as we go through this great epistle. But as we wrap up our study this morning, let me summarize how Paul says a Christian thinks. Let's put it in a package. Here's basically what Paul is saying. You should have a mindset consumed with Christ and the gospel, the good news about Christ. In other words, Christ is everything. Think about Him. Let your mind dwell on Him. Let Him be your model of how to think about everything else in your world and dwell on all those good and noble things that Christ is doing in the world. In other words, absolutely be consumed with Jesus Christ and with the good news about Him. And Paul says if we're all focused on Christ and the priority of His gospel, or in the words of Christ, if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, if that happens, then we will all be unified. You see, our petty differences in the light of that, to borrow the words of the song, will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. If we're all consumed with the gospel and with Jesus Christ, then those things that divide us become less important and what unites us becomes the driving force, and we're united around Christ and the good news of the gospel. And we will also, if we are committed to Christ, if we're focusing on Christ and the gospel, we will all be filled with joy. No matter our circumstances, with Paul, we can be in prison and still be filled with joy because what we're living for can't be affected by an earthly prison. It can't be affected by earthly circumstances. So, if Christ and the gospel is what matters to us, our joy can't be touched by earthly circumstances.

For thousands of years before Copernicus, Ptolemy and his disciples taught that our entire solar system revolves around the earth. Now the Ptolemaic system was beneficial. It could accurately predict sunrise and sunset. It could even, to some degree, chart the movement of the heavens. But it was terribly flawed and, as a result, it provided a warped perspective of the earth's role in the universe. The Ptolemaic system undermined scientific progress for many, many years. And eventually it began to collapse under the weight of its own false premise. Then Copernicus came along, and he said you got it all wrong. The sun is the center of the solar system. Well, we live in a spiritual solar system. And it has laws as fixed as that of our physical solar system. And it revolves around Jesus Christ. But sadly, many in our world have their calculations all wrong. They think that the center of the universe revolves around them. They make tragic decisions based on this terribly flawed premise. But if you're a Christian, your eyes have been opened. You understand that Christ and Christ alone is the center of everything, that your world revolves around him. May God help us to live that way with Christ at the center of our universe. Perhaps you're here this morning - maybe you're visiting with us, maybe you're a regular member of this church and a faithful attender here. And if you're honest with yourself, you have to say that you sit at the center of your universe, that you still suffer from a flawed perspective about your place in the universe. May God help you today to repent and to embrace Christ and to make Him the center of everything, that you would embrace him as Lord and Savior, even as the Philippians had to in the face of persecution. Because once the center is established, everything else will begin to fall into its proper place. May we live as Paul lived: for Christ and for His gospel.

Let's pray together.

Father, we thank You for the clarity with which Your word speaks to us. Lord we pray that You would help us to live as Paul lived, to have a single focus, a single passion: Christ and the gospel. Lord help us, because of that, to be united together and that know the joy that he knew, even in the middle of a Roman prison. Lord I pray for those who might be with us this morning who still live on the throne of their own lives, who still are the center of their universe. Lord help them to see the idolatry of that, to fall on their knees this morning before Jesus Christ, and embrace Him as Lord and Savior; that He would become the center of their lives. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen!