Looking for Paul's Secrets to Joy

Pastor Rich Knight

Central Congregational Church

July 2, 2017
Philippians 1

We’re studying Paul’s Letter to the Philippians this month. Paul's Letter to the Philippians is often called, "The Epistle of Joy." This short letter uses the words "joy" and "rejoice" more than any other book in the Bible, 16 times. This is rather remarkable considering Paul wrote this letter while in prison (for preaching the Gospel). I don’t know about you, but if I were stuck in a First Century prison, I think I’d get a little whiny! - even cranky! I’d write “The Letter of, ‘Boy that Guy Needs an Attitude Adjustment!’”

It's in the Letters section of the New Testament. There are three major sections in the New Testament - Gospels, Acts, Letters (to 1st Century churches and/or their leaders). Paul is writing to a church he founded on his second missionary journey.

A 2^nd Century Bishop named Polycarp was well aware of Paul's letters to the Philippians. He once wrote to them, "when he (Paul) was absent, he wrote letters to you."

Let’s begin.

The Letter to the Philippians

1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishop and deacons:

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul uses the common letter-writing structure of his day. Today when we write letters we start off with who we're writing to, "Dear Mom." And we end our letters by signing our own names. In ancient times it was different and easier. One first identified one's self and then who you were writing to. Have you ever received a letter and had to skip to the end to see who it was from? Long ago they didn't have to! It was settled early on. Paul & Timothy are writing to the Philippian Christians.

Paul composed the letter and most likely dictated it to Timothy. Notice in Vs. 3 the pronoun is “I.”

The Blessing

Paul always began his letters with a blessing. –even Galatians, and he was furious with them when he wrote his letter.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Starting with a blessing was also common in ancient letter writing. Paul raised it to a theological art form.  It was Paul's desire to be a blessing to them. Here's a good, short prayer to start the day with: Loving God, make me a blessing today. Make me a blessing for someone today. Amen.

Well, as we study this letter this month, I want us to look for Paul’s secrets to Joy! How does he do? How does he write such a joyful letter from prison? Let’s look at chapter 1 or some clues.

1. He doesn’t focus on himself.

He doesn’t dwell on himself and he doesn’t puff himself up. Paul’s not driven by ego or status or getting ahead or getting one up on everyone else. He calls himself a “servant.” He calls the Philippians, “saints.” That a heavy dose of humility, isn’t it? Humility is one of the pathways to joy & contentment. Being selfish and self-absorbed doesn’t lead to joy. Humility does.

2. Paul Cultivates Gratitude.

Phil. 1:3-11

³ I thank my God every time I remember you, ⁴ constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, ⁵ because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷ It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸ For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight ¹⁰ to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, ¹¹ having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Do you hear how grateful Paul is? Paul has great affection for the Philippians! And he sits in prison and reminds himself how blessed he is to know them, and how beautiful God is working in their lives.

I have a friend named Bill who has this same kind of gratitude. Bill has more bazaar health issues than anyone I know right now.  3 things that are incredibly rare and awful. He’s in his early 50s and spends almost half of every year in the hospital.

He has explained to me many times and I’m still not sure what he has, but it greatly impacts his life. But what I do see so clearly is that Bill has a grateful heart.

“How ya doing, Bill?”

“God has blessed me so much, Rich.”

He exudes grateful joy.

“I’m the richest poor man you’ve ever met,” Bill often says.

He’s rich in faith, family and friends. And somehow he never forgets that. Like Paul he cultivates an attitude of gratitude.

Let’s keep going in Ch. 1.

Phil. 1:12-18

¹² I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; ¹⁴ and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear. ¹⁵ Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. ¹⁶ These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense of the gospel; ¹⁷ the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.

3. Reframing

Have you ever heard of the concept of reframing?  It's where you try to look at a situation from different angels, hopefully finding a more helpful & positive way to look at it. Paul does it twice in this passage.

A. First he looks at his imprisonment and sees that it's been an encouragement to others to be bold in their faith. God has brought something good out of Paul's unfortunate situation.

B. Paul then reframes the circumstance of people preaching the Gospel for selfish gain. His reframing? At least Christ is being preached!

Here’s a vivid illustration of a situation where reframing should have happened. In Pennsylvania I was friends with a pastor named Larry and his wife, Wendy.   True Story. One day when Wendy was 8 months pregnant she was walking into church, carrying her two year old son, a diaper bag and a tote bag with her Sunday School lesson in it. We men could never pull this off, especially day in and day out.  We’d be like, “Hey, little help here!”

Wendy passed by a church member on the way into church. She said Hi but didn’t stop to talk. She later found out that the church member was offended that Wendy didn’t stop to talk. But of course she was carrying 2yr old, diaper bag, tote bag, and she’s 8 mos pregnant. Now here’s where reframing comes in. The parishioner could have looked at those same facts and said, “Of course Wendy doesn’t have time to chat. What was I thinking?” Instead she framed it, “Wendy doesn’t like me.”

Reframing. Maybe this is part of Paul's secret to joy and contentment?

4. One last secret to joy that we see in Ch. 1 is Paul’s incredible faith.

He never forgets who he belongs to. He never forgets who his life is united to.

Vss. 21-24: For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴ but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 

Paul’s life is united with Christ’s life. So what is there to fear? “If God is for us, who can be against us.” He knows Who he is – a servant of Christ, a Child of God. He know Whose he is – he belongs to Christ.

I’d like to close with “Who Am I?”  by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a brilliant German theologian, was martyred by the Nazis for his participation in a plot against the life of Adolf Hitler. In the prison camps Bonhoeffer became a chaplain to other prisoners. As you'll read below he wrestled with peoples' impressions of him versus what he was often feeling inside. He resolved the identity question in a very faith-filled, God-centered way.

Who am I? They often tell me
 I stepped from my cell's confinement
 Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
 Like a squire from his country-house.
 Who am I? They often tell me
 I used to speak to my wardens
 Freely and friendly and clearly,
 As though it were mine to command.
 Who am I? They also tell me
 I bore the days of misfortune
 Equally, smilingly, proudly,
 Like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
 Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
 Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
 Struggling for breath, as though hands were
 compressing my throat,
 Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
 Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
 Tossing in expectation of great events,
 Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
 Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
 Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
 Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
 Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
 And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
 Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
 Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
 Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
 Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!

- D. Bonhoeffer
 March 4, 1946

The Apostle Paul and Dietrich Bonhoeffer - two prisoners from two different eras, but both men never forgot who they belonged to. They belonged to God. And that made all the difference.