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(upbeat music) - Hello, I'm Pastor Tom Holliday. I want to welcome you to our
study, beginning today of the Book of Philippians. The Book of Philippians is a
book that's all about the release of joy in our lives.

It's a personal book. While a book like Romans might have a sweeping historical
impact, bringing on the Reformation, Philippians has a powerful personal impact.
It changes daily life.

And many, many people that I talk to would say that their life verse, the most
important verse in their life comes from Philippians. And Philippians includes
verses like, "He who began a good work in you will complete it. "Be anxious for
nothing, but pray about everything.

"I press on toward the goal for the prize "of the upward call of God and Christ
Jesus. "Rejoice in the Lord always. " Again, I say rejoice for to me to live as
Christ and to die as gain.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. As you see again and
again and again, there are verses in Philippians that impact our daily heart,
our daily life. But it's also a book that has tremendous theological impact.

Chapter two of Philippians, the chapter about the person of Christ, the center
of our faith, is the chapter about the kenosis, the emptying of Christ, so that
he could give us all that we have in all of our lives ever desired through his
person in our lives. At the center of all this, it's a message of joy. And so
today as we start our look together at this chapter, I'd like to just sort of
introduce you to the chapter and where we're headed.

And then tomorrow we'll begin to take a look at the particular verses. It's a
message of joy and who doesn't need that? Philippians is a message of joy from a
joyous messenger.

The apostle Paul who wrote the book of Philippians was a man who was filled with
joy. Thankfulness and joy in all of life, whatever is happening in life, is one
of the major themes that the Holy Spirit inspired in his life and in his
writings. And that's perhaps no better exemplified than in Paul's first visit to
the Philippians.

He's writing back to a group of people that he had visited in Acts chapter 16.
In his first visit to the Philippians, we'll talk about some of the people that
he met in a moment, but as a result of that visit, he was thrown into prison.
And you might remember the story from the Bible, he and Silas's friend ended up
singing in that prison.

There they are in the worst of circumstances and they're singing. He's a joyous
messenger and he had a joyous message. He has a joyous message for us today.

Rejoice or joy, those words are used 15 times in this book. Paul talks about
rejoicing or being filled with joy in our prayers for others or in the way that
Christ is preached, in our faith, in our unity with one another, in our
relationships with one another. He talks about rejoicing in the Lord.

He talks about joy in the results of ministry. He talks about giving each other
a joyful welcome. He talks about joy, even in suffering.

It's a joyous message and it is written first and foremost to a people who need
joy. It was first written to Philippi and those people needed joy. Now, Philippi
is an interesting city in the Roman Empire.

Philippi was a rich city. There were gold mines just outside the city. They had
just about been mined out by Paul's day, but their presence had brought much
riches to this community of Philippi.

They were rich, but joy isn't found in possessions. And Paul wrote to remind
them of that. Philippi was also a strategic city.

The city had been founded by Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. That's
why it was called Philippi. He placed this city in a strategic place, a major
pass in the mountains between Europe and Asia.

And so that city was therefore at a very important place in that part of the
world. It was strategic. It was in the right place.

But Paul writes to remind them that joy isn't found in a place. And Philippi was
also a Roman city. The city was what was called in that day an official Roman
colony.

It was a little piece of Roman culture outside of Rome. And Acts 16, 21, if you
want to study a little bit of Paul's first visit to Philippi, shows their pride
in being Roman. Well, they were Roman, but joy isn't found in prestige or power.

It's not found in possessions. It's not found in a place. And Paul wrote to
remind them of where we really find joy.

So how about you? Where do you find joy? Have you been trying lately to find joy
in things you can buy or in a place you can live or in some prestige that you
could attach yourself to?

Paul writes to tell them and to tell me, to tell you that good news, that joy is
found in Christ. This letter speaks of the real foundation of joy as opposed to
all the different places we tend to look for joy. In Philippians 4, 19, Paul
says, "Joy is found in the one who supplies, not in the riches that he might
give.

" Philippians 2, 9, and 10, Paul says, "Joy is found in a person and not in a
place, in the lordship of Jesus and not in your circumstances. " And in
Philippians 3, 20, Paul says, "Joy is found in a heavenly relationship, not in a
Roman relationship or in any center of prestige or power that you're looking for
today. " These Philippians that Paul was writing to were real people who needed
real joy, just like you and I.

Acts chapter 16, Paul's first visit to the Philippians, centers around three
people, a woman by the name of Lydia, a slave girl, and a jailer. It's the story
of how they interacted with the good news that Paul brought. Lydia was a Jewish
woman, a rich woman.

She dealt in purple fabric. She had a business and she heard the good news of
joy. There was a slave girl, a poor woman, who heard the good news of joy also.

And then because of telling this good news, Paul and his friend Silas got thrown
into prison and a jailer heard the good news of joy. And they all responded. The
interesting thing is whatever the situation, whoever the person was, joy was the
result.

Lydia was a rich woman. She was on the top of society. The slave girl was a poor
woman.

She was on the bottom of society. The jailer was in the middle class. And they
all responded to the good news of joy that could come into their lives.

God has some good news for your life. He's got some joy for your life. How in
the world we can paint Christianity in such somber tones sometimes.

It just escapes me. You just pick up a Bible and you start to read. You look at
the Bible, it's filled with amazing stories.

There are the stories of angels and shepherds, of people walking around leaping
and praising God. And right in the middle of all of this is the most joyful
event in all of human history, the resurrection of Christ. Christians are to be
people of joy.

We look at life and say, this is great because of the greatness of God. And yet
sometimes, sometimes I meet people who say they're believers in Christ, but they
sort of approach life with a, yeah, I'm a Christian kind of attitude. I mean,
with a frown on their face, they say, Jesus is the joy of my life.

There's no genuine joy. Now I'll admit, we all face difficult circumstances. And
sometimes, would you agree that sometimes life kicks the joy right out of you?

It does. So how do you find joy in the midst of a real life? Would you say that
your life is filled with joy?

Not just a moment here or a moment there, but colored by joy, filled with joy.
Too many of us endure life and never discover how to enjoy life. And God created
us to be joyful people.

Paul was certainly qualified, certified to write about joy in any circumstance.
Where's Paul when he's writing this great letter about joy? And where would you
like to be if you were going to write a letter about joyful circumstances?

Maybe on the beach somewhere, watching the waves come in. That'd be a great
place to write about joy. Or maybe up in the mountains, listening to the winds
swishing through the trees.

A wonderful place to write about joy. Or maybe for some of you, it would be the
golf course. And he just made a hole in one.

Well, I want to let you know, Paul didn't write, rejoice in the Lord always
because he made a hole in one. He wasn't on a beach somewhere. He wasn't in the
mountains.

And he certainly wasn't on a golf course. Paul wrote this letter from a prison.
From a prison in Rome.

Paul wrote this letter during a very difficult time in his life when many people
had abandoned him, disappointed him. Now, the prisons in our day are terrible
places, but the prisons in that day were horrible places. Dark, smelly, moldy
caves.

And from right there, Paul wrote a book about genuine joy. That convinces me
that joy can be a part of any life. Joy can be a part of my life.

This is a letter about people. It's about me and about you and how to find joy
in any relationship. But to begin with, we have to remind ourselves of the one
relationship that can seal our joy or steal our joy.

My joy is sealed by my relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Paul says,
that's where it starts. That's where the message begins.

And so as we even begin our look at this letter, my first question would be, do
you have a relationship with Jesus? Have you started to understand his letter by
saying, I want to get to know you? Getting to know the Bible is not some
theological pursuit, not some curiosity.

Getting to know the Bible is getting to know a person. Jesus Christ, the one who
loves you more than anyone. Maybe you need to begin by committing yourself to
him to find his joy.

You need to find joy in all circumstances. You want to find joy in fellowship
with other people. It begins with a relationship with God.

So begin there. Say, Jesus Christ, I want a relationship with you. I need your
forgiveness in my life for the wrong things I've done.

I need your leadership in my life to do the right things you've made me to do.
Start there. Pray that prayer.

Then pray that he'll use this book, Philippians, to increase joy in your life.
How will I be different? How will you be different for this study together of
God's word?

Let's pray together. Jesus Christ, if I don't know you yet, I invite you to
pray. I want to get to know you now.

And I begin by committing my heart and life to you. I invite you in. I don't
even understand all that that means, but I want to get to know you.

I know I need forgiveness for the wrong things I've done. And I know I need your
daily leadership in life, so I ask for it. And Jesus Christ, I ask that you
would help me to understand the kind of joy that you want to give into every
life.

Help me to see in a new and fresh way what only you can do. I pray this in your
name. Amen.

Tomorrow, join us as we look at Philippians. We're going to be looking together at
verses one to six.