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The letter to the Philippians is a theological thank you note, in which Paul helps the church to see a greater vision for the suffering that Christians are called to undergo in this life. The crux of the letter centers around the reality of the church’s call to unity and partnership in the gospel, and it is in this partnership that we are characterized as the people of God.
Today we look at the final few verses to see how Paul thanks the church for their partnership. His words weave for us a picture of a family that cares for one another and supports each other through the difficulties found in the Christian calling to a life poised against the world’s standards, a new life in Christ.
Observations & Conclusions:
- The Family of God carries one another’s burdens
- The Family of God doesn’t wait to be impressed
- The Family of God gives repeatedly to needs
- The Family of God looks for the benefit of others
- The Family of God serves one another as serving God
- The Family of God places trust in God
- The Family of God seeks the glory of God
- The Family of God reaches out
Application:
- Who is someone in the church who is in need?
- There is no sitting on the sidelines!
- If you belong to the Family of God – find someone who is in need and share in their burdens.
Galatians 6:2
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Ruth 1:16-17
“But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
James 2:14-17
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
1 John 3:17-18
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
James 2:8-9
“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.”
Matthew 25:34-40
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Matthew 6:31-33
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Luke 6:38
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Philippians 1:9-11
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”