This morning, I am beginning a new sermon series through the New Testament book known as Philippians, which I am calling “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” a line which Paul writes in chapter 1, verse 21 of this letter. Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison, most likely in Rome, sometime between 60-64 AD, to a church in Philippi that he had started about 10-15 years earlier, which you can read about in Acts 16. And if you’re interested, you can listen to the sermon I preached on Acts 16 on July 31st of last year.
The approach to this series is going to be to read shorter sections and to dive deep, to suck the marrow out of every passage, so to speak, to truly consider what it means to not just be hearers of the word but doers as well. Because we believe that these words are not only Paul’s words, but are God’s words as the Holy Spirit inspired Paul. Trust me, even if you have read or studied this book before or even if you’ve memorized it, there is always something new that God wants to teach you, and His desire is that you would not just know this book but know and love and trust and obey Him more fully.
This morning we are going to read the two introductory verses. I encourage you to always have a Bible with you, as well as something to write with and something to write on.
Philippians 1:1-2 - Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s pray.
How do you describe yourself? If a stranger were to say to you, “Tell me about yourself,” where would you begin? Maybe you would talk about your family – I’m married with three children, or I live with my parents and siblings. Maybe you would talk about what you do for work – I’m an accountant, or I’m a teacher. Maybe you would talk about where you live or where you’ve come from – I’ve lived in Wethersfield for 15 years, or I grew up in New York. Maybe you would talk about your personality – I’m an easygoing guy, I’m an adventurous woman. Or maybe you would talk about your hobbies – I love to cook, I love to ride my bike. What is your fundamental identity, the first thing that you would say when asked who you are?
