1. Living the Reality of the Christian Life Philippians 1:1-2 Theme: Christians are to live the reality of the Christian life. 19/12/09 (pm) © Bill Parker 2009

2. Paul wrote in a particular 1st century context but the Word has universal application transcending time, cf. 2 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 4:12. Philippians is particularly appropriate for the present time.

3. We live in days when the Church is marginalised and ignored. We live in postmodern times: a ‘me’ culture where absolute truth is rejected.

4. Christians must live to show the utter futility of anything else but Christianity. Paul’s letter to the Philippians tells us how.

5. The Roman Colony of Philippi was named after Philip of Macedon, in 360 BC; became a Roman colony in 42 BC; was Rome in miniature (Alec Motyer).

6. The Christian Church at Philippi Paul was guided to plant a church there, cf. Acts 16:6-12. Three conversions formed the nucleus of this first European church:

7. 1.Lydia 2.the slave girl (who possibly converted after her deliverance) 3.the jailer

8. The Letter to the Church at Philippi About 62 AD Paul was in prison in Rome. His letter to the Philippian Church: was a response to their gift; was sent to encourage the church; addressed issues Epaphroditus brought to Paul’s attention.

9. The theme of the letter? Living the reality of the Christian life. The Apostle shows us this means four things:

10. 1.Cultivating a progressively deeper walk with Jesus Christ. This is foundational – the other three points flow from it and are built upon it.

11. Paul mentions Jesus approximately 56 times in the letter (of 104 verses). His mind was full of Christ. He is a model for us.

12. To be filled with Christ is the secret of real Christian living. (James Montgomery Boice)

13. 2.Learning contentment and living in joy regardless of life- circumstances. Paul was alone in prison and facing possible execution … …yet he was rejoicing in the Lord!

14. He had learned contentment in every situation, cf. 4:11-12. He is an example to Christians today! Joy and contentment are by- products of living close to Jesus.

15. Living the reality of Christian life, particularly in times of adversity, will demonstrate the fallacy and falsity of all other religions. This nothing less than a demonstration of the power associated with Christ-likeness.

16. 3.Guarding Unity in Christ. There was disunity in the Philippian church, cf. 4:2. Disunity is produced by narcissism (self-centeredness).

17. Unity must be guarded and kept. Living close to Jesus and obeying 2:3-4 is the scalpel to remove narcissism.

18. 4.Guarding the Truth of the Gospel. Heresy threatened the Philippian fellowship, cf. 3:2. Paul encouraged them to stand firm in the truth of the Gospel.

19. We must fight to guard the truth of Gospel in this relativistic age that argues all religions lead to the same god or to no god.

20. Conclusion—Our Society Needs Us! Lord Kitchener’s Your Country Needs You! is famous. Today’s society needs Christians living the reality of the Christian life. With the Spirit’s enabling we can live such a life.