Overview of Philippians

A resume has three vital purposes:

1. It gives an overview of our history. What we’ve done and where we did it. 
2.  It defines our objectives. Where our lives are going and how we plan on getting there.
3. It provides our mission statement. A one-sentence summary of what drives us to do what we do.

Have you ever thought about the difference between a trophy and a resume?

Trophies tell what we did. How good we were, not how good we are now. It represents something we once accomplished. With a trophy, we have a record of achievement. We can document that at some moment in time, we were the best at something.  Though I remember being very good at things in the past, apparently, I was never the best because I have no trophies to prove otherwise. I do have a T-shirt that says I’m the Best Papa Ever, but I think that’s limited to the opinion of only 10 children, all of whom share the same last name.

More like the lady with a bumper-sticker that said: World’s Most Average Mom.

A resume tells of our skills and talents, how we’ve accumulated knowledge and abilities. Unless we’ve padded it, our resume should tell an employer what they can expect us to be able to do.

Trophies celebrate a moment of who we were. A resume indicates what we will be in the future.

In Philippians, Paul presents Jesus’ resume. Now, why did the people in Philippi need to know those things? Why do we need to know? Because who Jesus was, is who Jesus is, and who Jesus is, affects who we are.

Phil 2:6-11 Jesus: who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

You hear who Jesus was. Who He became. What was His role. What were the results He accomplished. But you also hear who He is: Jesus Christ is Lord.

1.      Jesus – was His given name, Yesous, the Greek version of the OT name Joshua or Yeshua. It means Jehovah saves or salvation is from Jehovah. When you read His story, you realize Jesus was the embodiment of the expression of that name. He was the means by which God accomplished salvation.

a.     Matt 1:21 Mary will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

b.     Act 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

c.     Jesus – is the name of the One who paid the price for our sins to make Salvation possible. Jesus was His saving name – Jesus our Savior.

      2.  Christ – was His revealed title. It came from the word in the original Greek, Christos, that
         means Messiah or anointed one. Included within that title is His mission as Deliverer. Christ
         wasn’t His name it was who He was.

a.     1Pet 1:18-21 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 

a.     Matt 16:16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." If you understand this, then you didn’t just figure it out. God revealed it to you.

b.     Christ – is the title of the One who has fulfilled all of God’s purposes and provides the deliverance necessary for a saved life. Christ was the delivering title of Jesus – Jesus our Messiah.

3.     Lord – was His bestowed title. The Greek word kurios means a master who is in the position of supremacy. Lord was the supreme name of God. No one exists higher than God. For Jesus to be Lord, He had to be God. Paul wrote: although He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped – held onto – therefore, to become man, He had to empty Himself of that by which the people would recognize Him as God.

a.     Isa 42:8  "I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another. If Jesus was just given the name Lord, He would have been competing with the Father as God. But since He was God, He had full right to the title Lord as well.

b.     Rev 4:11 Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." These words were directed to the One on the throne.

c.     Rev 5:12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." These words were about Jesus.

d.     Lord is the title of the One to whom we surrender ourselves for the life promised by that surrender. Lord is the authority title of Jesus – Jesus our Master.

Because He is the Lord, Jesus Christ, how should that affect my life?

Phil 3:8-9 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 

Gain – mercantile term for exchanging goods - one good for another. We receive the benefit of our Savior, Deliver and Master as we exchange our losses for the benefit of what He offers: our emptiness for His fullness, our struggles for His victory, our lostness for His direction, our misguided life for His control. The Christian life is an exchanged life.

How can I do that? By setting the objectives of my life from who He is. Objectives are statements that tell me where my life going and how I plan to get there. It tells what I expect from myself.  Here’s where I start: I will trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ. I will not doubt Him, not fear any outcome of whatever comes against me, neither will I allow my worries to make Him smaller than what I face. I will believe, I will trust, I will rely on Him to be everything I need, and I will relax in His arms, knowing He will accomplish whatever concerns me. Because who He is, is everything I could ever need Him to be. He is not just the Savior of the world, but He is my Savior. He is not just the Deliverer from all separates and oppresses, but He is my Deliverer. He is not just the Lord of all. He is my Lord. Who He is and what He’s done makes me who I am: I am a Child of God. On the wall of my heart is a plaque that says: Cary Smith, Child of God. Established Summer of 1969. That was a great day when all Jesus was became all I needed. But that’s only a memory. A precious moment from the past. But what about today? What am I expecting for this day and tomorrow? Phil 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

My objective: To press on. I want all Jesus is, to freely do in my life all He wants to do.

Phil 4:6-9 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 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, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 

My objective: To handle life appropriately. I want His thoughts, His words, His interests to fill my mind. I want all Jesus is, to guard my mind and heart, wrapping me securely in His peace.

Phil 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 

My objective: To do whatever it takes to honor Him in my life, by relying on what He provides in any and every circumstance. Because of who He is I can do whatever He wants me to do. 

Phil 4:18-19 But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 

My objective: To live a full and meaningful life because He provides everything I need. Through Him I am fully supplied for the abundant life He promised. And if ever I find an additional need, I know He will supply whatever it takes. 

Then there is the mission statement, what drives me to do what my objectives say I will do. 

Phil 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 

Paul must have been having a great day when he wrote that, full of joy and delighted in his surroundings, filled with sunshine and love. Actually, Paul wrote Philippians from a prison cell. Not the most conducive place to write a letter about the joy of who Jesus is and how that joy can spill over into my life. The more appropriate sounding letter would have been: Woe is me, look at my misery, look at how God has failed me.

But if our confidence is in the One who began that good work in us completing it, there’s no reason to moan and groan about circumstances. We just say: God’s not done yet.

Man went up to the dugout and asked a little boy if he was discouraged because the score was 36 to nothing. The little boy said, “Nah, it’s only the first inning and we haven’t even batted yet.”

If Satan’s running up the score against you, remember: The One who began a good work in you will complete it. Who is that One? The Lord, Jesus Christ. Our Savior, Deliverer, our Master. 

Circumstances don’t change who Jesus is!

Earlier this past century the great violinist, Paderewski was staying at a New York hotel while he played at Carnegie Hall. To keep himself sharp, he’d practice in his room a couple of hours each morning. On the third morning a lady stormed into the manager’s office and said, “Someone is killing cats in the room across from me. The sounds coming out of there are atrocious. You must stop it immediately or I will leave.”

The manager said, "But madam, that’s Paderewski!" The lady nearly fainted. "Paderewski! Oh, that’s different. Of course, he can play. I withdraw my complaint." From then on, the woman kept the door of her room wide open and entertained a party of friends there every morning just to listen to Paderewski practice.

What was the difference? The room? The hotel? The music? No! The only thing that changed was the woman’s attitude. Knowing who was at work changed everything.

We can live rejoicing because: knowing it is our Lord, Jesus Christ who is at work, completing the good work that’s He’s begun in us, changes everything. Remember: who Jesus was, is who He is, and who He is, affects who we are.

·       Is Jesus your Savior?

·       Is Jesus your Deliverer?

·       Is Jesus your Lord?

TAKEAWAYS:

1.      No one wants to submit their lives to someone they consider inferior to them.

2.     We typically believe we’re the best at deciding what’s best for us.

3.     If someone has a different opinion of what that best is, we often rebel and reject their input.

4.     Even when that person is the Lord, Jesus Christ, if we consider what He is doing in our lives isn’t the best, we will fight against Him.

5.     Fighting against our Savior, Deliverer and Master is not the best thing to do.