"Holy
Life in Waiting for the Day of Christ"
Ev: Philippians 1: 3 – 11 Ep:
Psalms 24 : 1 – 10
A. Background
Philippians is one part of Paul's letters.
This letter was written to all the saints, bishops, and deacons in Philippi.
The relationship between Paul and the Philippian church was very close, because
the Philippian church was the first church that the apostle Paul founded in
Europe. This letter was written by the apostle Paul with the aim of thanking
Paul for the gifts sent by the Philippians to Paul while he was in Rome. It is
difficult to determine the problems that occurred in the Philippian
congregation, so experts conclude Paul's purpose in writing this letter was to
thank the Philippians.
The Philippians congregatio grew and
developed through the missionary service that the apostle Paul did with Silas,
where Timothy participated with them (Acts 16:1-5,13-18). The first convert
there was a woman named Lydia, a seller of purple cloth. They were invited to
stay at his house (v. 15). Paul also cast out a spirit of divination from a
female servant (vv. 16-18). The ministry then became difficult when the masters
of the maid realized that they were losing their income through the spirit of
divination. They arrested the apostles Paul and Silas and dragged them to the
market place to face the authorities (v. 19). Long story short, the apostles Paul
and Silas were thrown into prison after their clothes were torn apart and their
bodies were beaten many times (vv. 22-23). But the rulers did not realize that
it was in this prison that the power of God would be manifested! Through a
miraculous event in prison, the jailer and his family repented and got
themselves baptized (vv. 30-33). After the apostle Paul returned to Lydia's
home, they continued their missionary journey to the city of Thessalonica. This
is the forerunner of the Philippian church. After a long time the apostle Paul
did not hear from them, now he remembered them back in prison, and the apostle
Paul was grateful for them. In the midst of his struggles in prison, he was
grateful because the seeds of the Gospel that had been sown grew in the hearts
of the Philippians.
In
general, people will find it difficult to be grateful when the situation
becomes uncertain, even the opposite of what was planned. But that doesn't
apply to the apostle Paul. He still lived an attitude of gratitude to the Lord
God, even when he was in prison (Philippians 1:12-14). To the Philippians, the
apostle Paul wrote how grateful he was to God even though the punishment that
befell him limited his freedom in preaching the Gospel of Christ.
B. Explanation
1)
Verse 3 is an expression of Paul's
gratitude to the Philippians for their cooperation in the ministry of the
Apostle Paul. When we have achieved success or are successful in everything we
don't forget people who always support us in our struggles, as did the Apostle
Paul. So the apostle Paul wrote this section so that we will always remember
those who are meritorious in our every thanksgiving and prayer. Message:
"remember the people who are always with you in your struggle, and don't
focus on the people who are always waiting for you at the finish line".
Praying is one of our ways to express our gratitude to God. The thanksgiving
that we raise can be in the form of thanksgiving for our brothers and sisters
in the faith.
2)
Paragraph 4 ; Paul said that he always
prayed for the Philippians with joy. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:23)
and refers to the experience of "fullness of life" because the
presence of the Spirit in it does not depend on circumstances. It has a lot to
do with a deep sense of self-righteousness and peace which is continuously
based on personal knowledge of God's presence and His sovereignty over all
people and events. It was in this experience of joy that Paul prayed for the
church.
3)
Verse 5-6 ; the apostle Paul was truly
grateful for the ministry of preaching the gospel which was supported by the
Philippians. So that in that ministry there is a good work done by the apostle
Paul and the congregation. This support pleased Paul. The notion of good works
is broader than simply pointing to the development of the gospel. It refers to
God's saving activity in their hearts and its expression in their lives. Their
participation in spreading the gospel is only an outward manifestation related
to the fact that from within their faith is the creative work of God. Because
the Philippians had given themselves to the ministry of the gospel, it was
clear to Paul that God had started, was carrying out, and would complete his
good work in them. Paul said that God would perfect his good work in them until
the day of Jesus Christ. Therefore Paul tells the Philippians who are facing
problems within them (4:2-3) and problems from outside (1:26-31), by
strengthening them with the truth about the certainty of their salvation.
Salvation, the perfection that God initiated in them, will be completed on the
day of Christ Jesus, which is the second coming of Christ.
4)
Verses 7 – 8: the apostle Paul really
thought of the Philippians by the joy of the spirit of participation in the
spread of the Gospel and the future of the church's salvation. The
congregation's loyalty to Paul was very valuable to Paul and considered them
co-workers and ministries in preaching the Gospel. The sincerity of Paul's
expression of feelings by including God as a witness in that ministry work. The
apostle Paul's faith held firm hope for the Philippians in Christ Jesus, how
much he longed to meet the congregation.
5)
Verse 9: the expression of a prayer that
Paul uttered was "may your love abound more and more in true knowledge and
all kinds of understanding". The love that already exists in believers is
not something stagnant. Love can and must grow, grow and increase. But Paul
also stressed, love must be equipped with true knowledge and all kinds of
understanding. Loving in Paul's understanding is not just a matter of feeling,
but must be followed by understanding wisdom. Not only matters of the heart,
but matters of logic. Loving abundantly but not followed by knowledge and
understanding can make that love miss the target, not apply it properly.
Perhaps it can be compared to acts of love or acts of diakonia. If we want to
provide assistance, we must conduct a field survey. What is needed, what is
lacking. So that our diakonia is right on target and effective.
6)
Verses 10-11; The Apostle Paul wanted
the life of the Philippians to be marked by the fruits of righteousness for
glory and praise to God. It is a goal worth pursuing! With love followed by
knowledge and understanding, the aim is for the congregation to be able to
distinguish between good and right, then choose what is good. So that when
Jesus Christ comes the second time, the congregation will be holy and
unblemished. Chaste and blameless is a very high standard. Paul added that he
was also 'full of the fruit of righteousness that was accomplished by Jesus
Christ'. The truth we work out is the work of Christ. It is not the result of
human effort. All to glorify and praise God.
C. Application
1)
Loving others must be shown by praying
for them. We cannot claim to love without ever praying. That is why our prayer
is so important. Let's embrace loved ones in our prayers. There is a wise
saying that says Love is a verb. Love is a verb. Not enough only talkk, but
must be proven by deeds. Do that love as proof of our faith in Christ. Let's
develop the habit of sharing, giving to others especially those who are lacking
and those in need. If there is an act of love, the church's social deacon, it
is very good if it is done together with the congregation.
2)
Love accompanied by understanding wisdom
will enable a person to make good and right decisions. So that our lives become
a life that pleases Christ. This is what every individual needs to maintain
while we wait for Christ's second coming. Living holy in our waiting for
Christ's Day is very important without our holiness and holiness we are useless
and mortal. Achieve immortality in Christ Jesus. Amen.
