The sermon, 'Final Greetings and Grace' by Jason Dohm, focuses on concluding the study of Philippians, emphasizing its core messages. The sermon highlights the personal nature of Paul's greetings to the Philippian church and reflects on the significance of the term 'saints in Christ Jesus,' underscoring the identity of Christians as holy and set apart. Dohm outlines three major themes of the letter: joy in the Lord in all circumstances, partnership in the Gospel, and growth in Christlikeness. The sermon stresses that true joy is anchored in Christ, not circumstances, and encourages believers to actively participate in Gospel partnerships and strive for Christlikeness. Dohm reflects on Paul's network of Gospel-centered relationships and how the Gospel thrived even under the roof of Nero. The sermon concludes with an affirmation of God's unwavering grace and the promise that He will complete His work in believers.

Today we get to finish up another long passage of Scripture. We call it a book, but it's really a letter that was written to the Philippians and we're going to read all of Philippians. It's like we started and exhort us all to really focus. We're going to take focus to pay attention to a longer reading. Just a couple verses of exhortation here before we read.

Second Timothy three, 16 and 17. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. As we're reading this, think on how God has instructed us through this, how he's instructing you now through the reading of it, how he'll reprove us, correct us, and training us, and making us thoroughly complete. In 1st Timothy we're told to to give attention to the reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. In the book, the letter starts out, to all the saints in Christ Jesus.

So we're reading this. We weren't there 2, 000 years ago when it was read to the Philippian church, but God said this is his word. This is God speaking to us. Of everything that Jason will preach or anything that will be said the rest of the day, this is God's Word to us. This is the truth of His Word.

Let's delight in it. Let's give attention to it. May He instruct us through the reading of it. Philippians 1. Paul and Timothy, bond servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi with the overseers and deacons, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, making requests for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart and as much as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ.

And most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill. The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains. But the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then?

Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed. But with all boldness as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh this will mean fruit from my labor yet what I shall choose I cannot tell from hard press between the two having a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith. That you're rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel and not in any way terrified by your adversaries which is to them a proof of perdition but to you of salvation and that from God for to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me. Chapter 2. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.

But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know his proven character, that as a son of his father he served with me in the gospel. Therefore, I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.

But I trusted the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly. Yet I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need since he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick, for indeed he was sick almost unto death. But God had mercy on him and not only on him but on me also lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem, because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.

Chapter 3. Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation, for we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so circumcise the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, concerning the righteousness which is in the law blameless.

But what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, if by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing that I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us, as many as are mature, have this mind, and if anything, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.

Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind. Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern, for many walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. Chapter 4 Therefore my beloved and long for brethren my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the Gospel with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the Book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men.

The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do and the God of peace will be with you.

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again, though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content I Know how to be abased and I know how to abound Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry Both to abound and to suffer need I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only for even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed, I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever amen.

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus the brethren who are with me greet you all the saints greet you but especially those who are of Caesar's household the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen The title of the sermon This morning is final greetings and grace. If I counted correctly this morning, this is our 25th sermon in Philippians. I have to say it's a good way to spend half a year. Right at half a year, it's been so profitable. There are so many glorious truths in these four chapters.

It's quite condensed, isn't it? It's really dense with doctrine for sure. Today we'll finish with an exposition of the final three verses of the letter, and then I'll attempt at a very high level to summarize half a year's worth of preaching. Good luck with that, right? Let's pray and ask the Lord to help us.

God, I thank you for your tender care towards your people. That is On full display in Paul's letter to the Philippian Church, such tenderness just represents how you desire for your people to be cared for and instructed. And instructed. God, we get a glimpse into your great love for your people, your great patience, and how you Raise up men within your people to serve your people. It makes us so thankful for how faithfully you care for us.

Thank you God for our time spent in Philippians. I pray that many years from now, the truths that you've set before us will be found to still reside in our hearts, still be on our minds, still be affecting the way we speak and act, and live our lives. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. So let's begin by reading again chapter 4 verses 21 and 22. Here we have the final greetings.

If you're Taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks. It's just one blank and it's greetings. Final greetings. Philippians chapter 4 verses 21 and 22. Follow along as I read.

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's household. Here we have greetings, but the Greek word that is rendered, greet, here in English, according to Strong's is most literally, enfold in the arms. Embrace.

So a bear hug might be a little strong, But it's closer than, you know, tell everybody hi. We should be thinking more along the lines of bear hug than say hi. It really means to enfold in the arms and to embrace. So This is what Paul has in mind. The embrace of the Brethren is what he is wanting to pass along.

Look back to the very first verse of the book. I want to fold together the book ends, the very beginning of the letter and the very end of the letter. Here was chapter 1 verse 1, Paul and Timothy, bond servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who were in Philippi with the overseers and deacons. So we have almost exactly the same phrase used at the very beginning and at the very end. At the very beginning it's to all the saints in Christ Jesus.

At the end it's greet every saint in Christ Jesus. A saint is literally a holy one. That's literally what it means to be a saint, is to be a holy one. One who is set apart to be the Lord's. Now, find me Christians who aren't set apart to be the Lord's, find them.

And the point is, there aren't any. If you're a Christian, that's what it means. It means God has placed His hand upon you and said, You're mine. I bought you lock, stock and barrel. Your body is mine, your spirit is mine, your life is mine, your money is mine, your time is mine.

You are mine. You are set apart to be mine and to live for my glory. That's what it means to be a Christian. Not to be a super Christian, but to be a normal Christian like me and you. It's to be the Lord's.

And it's to be a holy one, one set apart, consecrated to God. That's what we are. And lest we get puffed up, Paul makes it so clear that our identity is in Christ Jesus that does this. In other words, what makes you one consecrated to the Lord? What makes you a holy one?

It's not you figuring it out. It's not you setting yourself apart. You are a saint in Christ Jesus. He is very carefully modifying the word saint or holy one with that phrase both times. You are a saint in Christ Jesus.

It is your identity being brought into Christ and Him making peace between you, you sinner, and a holy God that makes you a holy one, that makes you a saint. So this really helps us not to be puffed up by our sainthood status. Not to think too much of ourselves, but to think much of Christ, who has brought us into Himself, and this gives us the peace that makes us one who is consecrated to God. There is one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ. So if you're a saint, praise the Lord, but you're a saint in Christ Jesus and only in Christ Jesus.

In chapter 1 verse 1, it's 2, All the saints, by the way, in this first verse of the letter, Paul allocates to himself and to Timothy the title of slave, and then he gives you and me the title of saint. This is just wonderful and beautiful. He thinks of himself as just a slave, a servant in Jesus Christ, but a servant of the Lord's people in Jesus Christ. And then he gives us sort of the exalted title. So that's how it begins, to all the saints.

But here Paul greets every saint. In other words, at the beginning of the letter he is addressing the collective, all the saints. He is addressing all the saints together, but here at the very end he is addressing saints individually, Every saint. The focus this time is not on the collective, but on the individual. And I think the sense of it here is that every saint is precious.

Every saint is to be greeted. No saint is to be left out. Yes, the Church of Christ is precious to Christ. He shed His own blood for the Church of Christ. But in that, We don't want in any way the truth to get lost.

Every single saint individually is precious to God. If you weren't precious to God, you wouldn't be part of a collective at all. And I think this sense is given to us here at the end. Next, the brethren who are with Paul greet the Philippians. This is at least Timothy and Epaphroditus, who are spoken of explicitly by name in chapter 2.

My understanding all along, and I think this agrees with the overwhelming number of commentators, is that Epaphroditus is actually being sent home with letter in hand. So Paul is writing this, Timothy is there, right? It's said that the letter is from Paul and Timothy. So Timothy is definitely there. And Epaphroditus is there.

He's almost died, but he's recovered from the sickness. And now the letter is written. And Epaphroditus will go and carry the letter to his home church, the Philippian church. So it's at least them. If there's anyone else there, they're not named.

In any event, it is striking to me, looking at both Philippians, but even across all of Paul's 13 letters, how tied to others Paul is. We should come away. There are brethren with him. You know, when you look across the 13 letters, there's always brethren with him. This is not unusual at all in any way.

This is very usual. This is the norm. Paul's not a loner in any way. If we have Any thought of the evangelist Paul with his walking stick, walking alone from place to place and preaching the Gospel? We didn't get it from the New Testament.

You might have imagined that, but it's not really a sanctified imagination that comes out of the pages of Scripture at all. There is a vast array of names in Acts and in Paul's letters. A vast, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Epaphroditus from Philippians, and on and on and on. I should have gone and counted up the names. I haven't done that, but it would be a lot of names.

There's a vast array of names. Here's what we learn. Paul has a great big web of Gospel centered relationships. Paul is a networker. He has a great big web of Gospel centered relationships.

Meaning, they are not loose connections at all, and they are not aimless connections at all. They are pointed in a direction, and that is the advancement of the Gospel. I think Paul is a model for us in that sense. Meaning, we should have a great big web of Gospel centered relationships. Why don't we?

Let's expand our network and work together for the Gospel more broadly than we ever have. We should have a vast array of names of people that we are working with to advance the Gospel in our church, in our city, in our nation, and across the world. I think we are developing that. I am encouraged by that. In verse 22, there is a greeting from all the saints.

And this is presumably from the church at Rome. Paul is thought to have written Romans around 55 or 56 AD. And Now he's writing Philippians maybe five or six years later in 62 AD, something like that. These are rough numbers, but that's about the sequence. Romans almost certainly written first around 55 AD and now it's 61 or 62 AD, maybe six years later.

But Romans, we think about it as sort of an abbreviated systematic theology, but Romans is a letter, it's just a letter. From Paul to a church. So Paul has had contact with the Roman church and now he is in Rome. Listen to how the book of Acts ends. This is the last two verses of the book of Acts.

Acts chapter 28 verses 30 and 31. This is Paul in prison at Rome. Listen to this. Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house. So He's in prison, but he's under house arrest.

He's renting his own house. And received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no one forbidding him. So almost certainly Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians during this period described at the very end of the book of Acts, where Paul is under house arrest, but he has tremendous liberty. He is a prisoner, but he has tremendous liberty to continue ministering to anyone from the church in Rome who wants to come and hear about Jesus can come and he will entertain you there. He is at liberty to do it.

Undoubtedly Paul had a very robust ministry while he was imprisoned in Rome. This extends even into Caesar's household. You want evidence that the Gospel seeps into every crack. The Gospel sort of penetrates into everywhere. Here we have the Gospel coming even under the roof of Caesar.

So that especially, chiefly, greetings are being sent from those of Caesar's household. Yes, an emperor's household would include family members, but certainly not be isolated to family members. There would be servants of every kind. There would probably even be government officials that were part of the household. We don't have any more detail.

But we do have this from Philippians chapter 1 verses 12 and 13. Remember this, Philippians 1, 12 and 13. But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel. In other words, going to the jail has been good for the spread of the Gospel. Going to jail hasn't slowed down the Gospel and Paul's propagating of it at all.

Verse 13, So that it is become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ. So we already had an indication that the Gospel was seeping into every crack in Rome. And it's the Dallas Guard, it is Caesar's household. Nero reigned from 54 to 68 AD. Nero of making Christians into torches, fame or infamy, reigned from 54 to 68 AD.

Here's what that means. No matter which scholar you put in charge of dating Philippians, it was within the reign of Nero. So some dated a little earlier and some dated a little later in time. But no credible scholar that I'm aware of dates outside of the 54-68 AD date range. Meaning that Caesar's household is Nero's household.

This is one of the most infamously wicked men ever to live. Yet the Gospel is thriving under his roof. Too bad, wicked man. That's how it is with the Gospel. In fact, sometimes the harder you try to keep it out, the more successful it is.

I think history proves that out. The blood of the martyrs has been the seed of the Church always. This is really a microcosm of the power of the Gospel. The Gospel flourishing under Caesar's roof, under Nero's roof, is a microcosm of the power of the Gospel. What's a microcosm?

It's just something in miniature. Microcosm literally means little world. It's a little world that sort of shows you the power of the Gospel to penetrate anywhere and everywhere. Here's the overwhelming point of all the greetings from Paul, and from the people who are with him, and from all the saints who are there, even those, or especially those of Caesar's household. The overwhelming point of all the greetings is this.

We are one. We are one. The ones across the world are my brethren? Well, you have one father. What else would you call them?

There's really only one thing to call them. Brothers and sisters, we have one father, and it makes us close even though we may not have met each other yet. We are one, though we're scattered across every geography. We are one. Now verse 23, the last verse of the letter.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Amen meaning so be it. Let the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May it be that the grace of Christ would be with every single one of you.

If you get a letter of Paul based on the New Testament data points, 13 letters, and they all begin with grace, So 1 through 13, and that's all we have, they all begin with grace, and they all end with grace. 1 through 13, they all end with grace. So it's 100%. And that's a pretty good sample size. The point is this.

If you get a letter from Paul, this is what you're going to get. This is how Paul begins his letters, and This is how Paul ends his letters. From the sermon on the first two verses of the letters, I had this sentence in my applications. If you are in Christ, meaning speaking to Christians, Understand the overwhelmingly smiling disposition of God. Say it again.

It's another opportunity to say it. If you don't get that we can't hear this too much, then you're missing the point of 13 letters, all beginning the same way, all ending the same way. It means that we can't get enough of this. It means that Paul knew it. It means that we can't afford to think, oh that again, yes, that again.

The repetition in the New Testament means that we need it. We need it again, and again, and again. I should say it again 13 times. We need it. If you are in Christ, understand the overwhelmingly smiling disposition of God.

Is this how you think of your Father? If not, correct yourself. If not, don't try to get Paul to adjust to you. You adjust to Paul. If God is your Father, He is overwhelmingly smiling upon you.

This is why we have started reading a Bible benediction at the close. In number six, we see God commanding Aaron and his sons and the priests to pronounce a blessing of grace and peace over the Lord. And then you see this 13 for 13 beginning this way, ending this way in the New Testament. God wants blessing. He wants grace pronounced over His people.

He is smiling over His people. As those who have repented and believed, we're talking about saving faith here, Grace comes to us through Jesus Christ and that does not ebb and flow. I'm going to say this again, trying to pound home what Paul is trying to pound home at the beginning and the ending of his 13 letters. As those who have repented and believed, grace comes to us through Jesus Christ and it doesn't ebb and flow. Ebb and flow is tide language.

The tide comes in, the tide goes out. The tide comes in, the tide goes out. The tide comes in, the tide goes out. That is not the grace of Jesus towards His people. The tide flows and flows and flows and flows and flows and flows and flows.

There is no ebbing with the grace of God with His people. This isn't a picture where God is pleased with our sins, I'm not saying that. This isn't a picture that excludes the discipline of God towards His people. Please don't be uncomfortable with what I'm saying. You understand that when God disciplines His people, it's grace.

Hatred would be leaving you to yourself, to wander off into the weeds and harm yourself. That would be the hatred of God. The grace of God is when He sees us being stubborn and disobedient, He reaches into that and like a loving Father who is giving the gift of discipline to his children. That's what he does. The grace of God that comes to us through Jesus Christ does not ebb and flow.

It flows and flows. Now I'm going to try to summarize Philippians. Do you remember the background? Do you remember that Philippi is named after Philip of Macedon from the 350's BC? Now it's Philippi, the city named after Philip, in the region of Macedonia.

Philip of Macedon was Alexander the Great's father. This is a very historically rich geography. About 40 years before Jesus was born, Philippi became a Roman colony with all of the special privileges. In the introductory sermon, I quoted Peter O'Brien of the New International Greek Testament commentary. He said this, Philippi itself was modeled on the mother city, Rome.

It was laid out in similar patterns, the style and architecture were copied extensively, and the coins produced in the city bore Roman inscriptions. The Latin language was used, and its citizens wore Roman dress. Philippi is Little Rome. The Gospel came to Philippi in Acts 16, that's where it's recorded. It was probably 49 or 50 BC.

Now this letter is being written back to the Philippians in, let's say, 61 or 62 BC. Meaning, more than a decade ago, Paul and his companions came to Philippi. They preached the Gospel. There were converts. Lydia was a convert.

The Philippian jailer was a convert. Their households were. Lydia's households and the Philippian jailer's households were converted. Now, more than a decade later, there is still this very tender, close relationship that has been nurtured across the decade. If you are of European descent, you should rejoice to read Acts 16 and see the Gospel coming to Europe for the very first time.

This is really how you got the Gospel. This was the entry point to the Gospel coming to your address. The immediate occasion for the letter is the sending back of Epaphroditus, who the Philippians had sent to be an encouragement and to bear financial support to Paul and his imprisonment. It should be noted that this is among the most tender, rebuke-free letters of the 13 that Paul writes. It might be the tenderest, and it's really absent of rebuke.

In chapter 4, He exhorts Iodia and Syntyche to be like-minded. There is obviously conflict there, but really, when you look even at that passage, Paul speaks very tender-heartedly to them and actually commends both of them as his fellow laborers in the Gospel there. So it's hardly a rebuke. It's a very tender letter. At the very beginning, I said that there were three great themes in the letter.

I stick by that. We've preached through the letter, we've been in it half a year, I stick by the three great themes. I want to set those before you again. As I look through the letter and I look at the three great themes, I know there's a lot in the letter that the three great themes don't collect up. My job isn't to try to re-preach 24 other sermons.

You can be thankful for that. This is a summary. And I do believe that these are the three great themes. Number one, joy in the Lord in every circumstance. Joy in the Lord in every circumstance is right around the corner.

It permeates the whole letter. The words joy and rejoice are all over the letter, but the key phrase is, �In the Lord.� In other words, this isn�t turn your frown upside down, some sort of trite phrase. Have a happier disposition. That is not what Paul is talking about in either way. It is anchored, this joy, this rejoicing is anchored to Jesus Christ.

It is not just a matter of having a happier disposition. Paul is in prison, but it's so easy to lose sight of that when you read Philippians. This is not the letter of a man who is in jail. This is a happy man's letter who is exhorting other men to be happy. Other brethren, other brothers and sisters to be happy.

Paul says, I have suffered the loss of all things. Chapter 3, our memory text for the quarter. I suffered the loss of all things. Chapter 3, our memory text for the quarter. I've suffered the loss of all things.

And how did he do that? Happily? He happily suffered the loss of all things. How can you do that? Well, because he gained Christ.

Because what he gained overwhelmed anything he might have lost to gain it. And he finds himself satisfied in Christ, so it really doesn't matter to him that much that he is in prison. You get that from this letter. You get the sense of that from this letter. Paul is not worked up about being in prison.

His satisfaction is in Christ. He has already lost everything, and he is happy with the exchange. So he can exhort you to be happy without sounding silly in doing it. When everything is going well and you are addressing someone in hardship, you are like, oh, rejoice in the Lord, brother. Your ring is so hollow, isn't it?

But this is not Paul. He might have been chained between two soldiers as he wrote this letter. That would have been customary. Probably was. There is no sense of that.

Paul is the freest prisoner you ever met. He is the freest prisoner you ever met. Why is that? Because he is in Christ. He is satisfied in Christ.

He can write letters to other suffering, persecuted Christians and say, rejoice in the Lord. Come dip from this well. I haven't hit the bottom yet. We see here Paul finding his sufficiency in Christ and declaring the insufficiency of everything else. Remember him?

Here's my resume. A Hebrew of the Hebrews. Of the tribe of Benjamin. A Pharisee. He's a pharisee, the son of a pharisee.

We saw that in Acts. His credentials are impeccable, way better than yours. Then he crumples them up and throws them into the trash can as insufficient, so that you know what to do with your resume. Paul crumples his up and throws it in the trash can. Yours should be right behind it and as fast as you can get it there.

And he said, oh no, I can only trust in Christ. And he's trusted in Christ, and so We'll run to Christ with Paul. Joy in the Lord in every circumstance. The second great theme of the letter is partnership in the Gospel. It's everywhere in this letter.

Acts chapter 16, Paul brings the Gospel to Philippi. Then in the book of Acts, we see multiple times Paul going back through Macedonia, encouraging the brethren in Macedonia. When we think Macedonia, we should think Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Those were the Macedonian churches that he planted there. When he's going through Macedonia to encourage the believers, you can believe he is stopping at Philippi.

And now he's writing a letter, 12 or 13 years later, that the Philippians are still his pen pals. They are still partnering in the gospel. He mentions their financial support that started when he was in Thessalonica. Well, chronologically in Acts it was Philippi then immediately to Thessalonica. Immediately they are sending multiple times.

He says once and again, you sent to supply my necessities in Thessalonica. And then he said, when I left Macedonia, no one participated in giving and receiving except you Philippians. And now, 13 years later, or 12 years later, they are sending an encourager, and money with the encourager. Again, this is a very tender partnership in the Gospel. It is a two-way partnership in the Gospel.

It is not just a spiritual father ministering to his spiritual children. It is that, but it is not just that. The Philippians are engaged in the partnership. The Philippians are fanning into flame this fellowship in advancing the Gospel. The concept of equal yoking, which is the flip side of the command, do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.

This is 2 Corinthians 6 verse 14. Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers. The other side of that is, do be equally yoked together with believers. That's the other side of it. This applies far beyond marriage.

In fact, when you go to 2 Corinthians chapter 6, it doesn't apply that to marriage. It's certainly appropriate to apply it in marriage. I'm just saying the application in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, where it actually appears, is not specific and isolated to marriage. The whole point with yoking, it's an agricultural term, where you join animals together to do more than you could do with the animals separately. It's profit increase.

This applies to the Gospel. We can do, the Lord's people can do more, getting in the yoke together and equal yoking, all pulling in the same direction, we can get way more done for the Kingdom of Heaven than we can separately. If you and I spend our lives just going off, I just put my head down, I do the things, and we're not going to collaborate on anything. You do your thing, I'll do my thing. We won't get nearly as much done as if we yoke together, labor together, support one another in a hundred different ways to advance the Gospel.

This is what's been happening between Paul and the Philippians for 12 or 13 years. Number three, the third big theme of Philippians, growth in Christlikeness. In various ways throughout the letter, Paul is exhorting them to become more like the Lord Jesus Christ. This gives us the one mind. That's another thing we see repeatedly in the letter.

Think the same way, be like-minded, have one mind. This is how this happens. As we're all growing to the one target, Jesus is the target, not each other. Jesus Christ is the target. As we come from these different backgrounds, these different lives that we are leading, all growing towards the one target.

This is how we grow in like-mindedness. In chapter 1 verse 27 we read this, only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel. That really begins maybe the largest section of the whole letter. It's a section on conduct, lives, behavior patterns, that are worthy of this glorious gospel. How do we fashion lives that deserve to be associated with a glorious gospel where sinners go free?

Well, Paul spends almost two chapters of this four chapter letter developing that thought. The centerpiece of it is, become like Christ. He says a lot of specific things, but the pinnacle of these two chapters of conduct worthy of the gospel is, Be come like Jesus. Look at Jesus, look at what he says, Talk more like that. Look at what he does.

Do more like that. Look at how he prays. Pray more like that. Is there a better passage for Christlikeness than chapter 2, verses 5 through 11? Verses 5 through 11.

It was just, hey Christian, have the same mind as Christ, who didn't grasp his rights and glories in heaven and stay there, which he had every right to do, but he forsook them and he humbled himself and he became a bond servant for you. And now Christians, having been loved in that way, humble yourselves in the same way. And in the same way that Christ has been exalted, this is how we're exalted also. Our exaltation follows the pattern of His. I'll make three applications.

I'll just line them up with the three great things. Number one, more than ever, anchor your joy to Jesus Christ. More than ever, more than ever before. Anchor your joy to Jesus Christ. Maybe if you've been in Christ for a long time and you have a clear memory of your early years in the faith.

It's like the highs were so high, but the lows were so low. God wants to even that out. Not by reducing the highs. I think we have a right to those. We have a right to be very happy in Christ.

We really do. But when our joy is anchored to Christ instead of the things that are going on around us, we get off the roller coaster. Anybody want off the roller coaster? I want to anchor my joy to Jesus so that even when the circumstances are tough, hard, difficult. This is what I love about the scripture.

It deals with life as it is. The New Testament isn't running away from hardship being real. Not at all. The New Testament faces straight on that you might die an untimely death. Paul stared it in the face in this letter to the Philippians.

Hardship isn't ignored and treated as if We shouldn't be concerned about it. Yet, in the middle of that, our joy can flourish if it's anchored to Jesus Christ. In fact, sometimes our joy can be accentuated in hardships because of the satisfaction that we find, even in spite of circumstances. Number two, be a more vigorous partner in the Gospel than ever before. Jump in the oak, Christians.

Think longer and harder about how you can collaborate to advance the Gospel. Be a more vigorous partner in the Gospel than ever before. We cannot afford to be American in the sense that we're rugged individualists when it comes to advancing the Gospel. Because you get less done that way. God has not called us to rugged individualism.

He's called us to be part of a body where you have arms and legs and ears and eyes working together to do more than any one part could do by itself. Number three. Make a lifetime aim to grow and grow and grow and grow and grow and grow in Christliness. This is a lifetime aim. I think when we get to the finish line, meaning we're expiring, we're dying, We're going to view ourselves as unprofitable servants.

We're going to see all the goodness that God has given to us and be astonished that we haven't done more with it. But our aim between now and then is to grow in Christ-likeness. It is not something to be arrived at, it is something to be pursued every day that God gives you breath. And to know that this is true, chapter 1 verse 6, we'll end right here in chapter 1 verse 6, in a letter full of precious verses. This one might be the most precious.

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Has anyone ever been frustrated with the pace of sanctification? Does Anyone know anything of frustration with your sanctification? If you haven't, wake up and pay attention. You're being sanctified way too slow.

Let me encourage you with that. But here's the truth for those who are in Christ Jesus. If you are really in Christ, He is never letting you go. Even though it is slow, you will make progress because He is faithful. Not because you are faithful, but because He is faithful.

And He said when He starts things, He brings them to completion. I think I have been in the Lord more than 30 years now. It is three decades in the Lord. I am often discouraged at the pace of sanctification, but I hold on to this verse with all my life. We should be encouraged by this, knowing that it is not my faithfulness.

It is God's faithfulness that is going to give us progress in growing in Christ-likeness. Father, we thank you. You've been so good to us, so kind to us. You continue to teach us through your Word. I thank you for this great, enduring promise to your people that when you lay your hand upon us to make us holy ones, to make us saints, to set us apart for your use and for your glory.

That nothing can sideline us permanently, but that you will see to it that we make it to the end. That you will finish every work you've started. We praise you for this in Jesus' name. Amen.