The Heart of Christ for His Church - Philippians 1:1–11

This morning, we begin our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. For many of you, this is a familiar book. Some scholars have even called it Paul’s “friendship letter,” because unlike his letters to the Galatians or Corinthians, Paul isn’t writing to correct or rebuke. Instead, he writes to express his deep joy, gratitude, and encouragement in Christ.

What makes this especially striking is the setting. Paul penned this letter not from a comfortable study or from the road during his missionary journeys, but from prison. Even though he had some limited freedoms—he could receive visitors and write letters—he was still under guard. The Philippians had sent him a generous gift through their messenger, Epaphroditus, and this letter is, in part, Paul’s heartfelt response. (We’ll see more of that in chapter 4.) While there is some debate about where exactly Paul was imprisoned, the traditional view is that he was in Rome.

Those details aren’t just background—they shape how we read the whole letter. Most people in prison grow resentful, angry, and bitter with each passing day. Which is why it’s so shocking that Paul’s letter to the Philippians overflows with joy, encouragement, unity, and generosity – those are the sorts of themes you wouldn’t expect from someone behind bars. Which is exactly why Philippians is so powerful! It shows us that true joy isn’t rooted in circumstances, but in Christ Himself.

But in these first eleven verses Paul’s heart overflows with love for the church in Philippi. We see his love for the church in Philippi in three ways: first we see Paul’s heart for service, second, we see his thankful joy, and lastly we see his faithful prayer.

1. A heart of service for the church (vv. 1–2)

Not that long ago I heard a comedian make a joke about the obligatory desk, complete with a pen and a notepad that’s in basically every hotel room. Whenever you travel, the first thing normal people do is FaceTime, make a phone call, or shoot a text to the important people in our lives in order to let them know we’ve arrived safely. Who gets to their hotel and then sits down to compose a letter? 

The art of letter writing is really lost on us these days. Texting and emailing have replaced it. And because of that, customary elements of letter writing no longer exist. We rarely introduce ourselves anymore in communication, because everyone already knows who we are. We don’t typically begin a message by laying out our credentials, our family history, or our standing in society. We just get straight to the point: “Hey, are you coming tonight?” or “Did you see this video?”

But in Paul’s day, customary elements of letter writing could not be overlooked, especially if you had something meaningful to say. And one of the first things that you would want to do is establish your credibility.

The introduction or greeting of a letter was often the place where you would write about your professional background, education, and experience. You would need to establish your authority so that you would be heard by those on the receiving end of your letter. Letters carried weight, but only if the author proved himself credible. 

That’s certainly what we’d expect. Paul the Apostle to lay out his apostolic credentials and yet, that’s not how Paul began his letter to the Philippians. Paul doesn’t begin the letter by establishing his authority. Nowhere does Paul pull rank on the people at the church in Philippi.

He does the opposite, doesn’t he? Imagine for a second a five-star general in the Army presenting himself as a lowly private – because that’s essentially what Paul does in his introduction. Actually, lower than a private, because he tells the church in Philippi that he and Timothy are both doulos, which of course means servant or slave.

Funny enough, in seminary I had a professor who would always ask for a student volunteer to help him get various things out to the class and he’d always ask, “Who wants to be my doulos?”

In case you’re wondering how Timothy worked his way into the introduction, Timothy, like Paul, was very active in the founding of the church in Philippi. So Timothy had vested interest in the well-being of the church of Philippi. When Paul wrote to them, the Philippians would have warmly remembered Timothy’s face and his care for them. This wasn’t just an impersonal co-signature; it was two shepherds’ addressing a congregation they both loved.

But the fact that Paul referred to himself and Timothy as servants or slaves says so much about how he viewed himself. When Paul referred to himself as a servant, he’s not saying that he’s being forced to do anything against his will. Rather, what he means is that he is not his own. Both he and Timothy have been bought with a price and were deeply dependent on Jesus Christ. He totally belongs to Christ!

Hopefully you can see where I’m going with this: Paul had every right to flex his credentials and demand the Philippian church to listen up because he was an Apostle! He received his marching orders directly from Christ himself! He was important and everyone needed to take notice! But that wasn’t his approach at all. He humbled himself before them. He was nothing more than a servant of Christ Jesus.

Which is instructive for ministers, isn’t it? When you stand up in front of people and everyone sits there quietly, sort of like right now, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re important. People listen, they take notes, they nod their heads—it can feed your pride if you’re not careful.

And of course, I don’t want to downplay my calling or any other ministers’ for that matter. Being called to the ministry is a high calling. The Apostle Paul’s ministry was critical to the expansion of the Kingdom of Christ. He was doing incredibly important work. If the Lord had not worked in and through Paul we very well may not be here on this lovely evening at the American Legion. But the key that I think is really important for all of us to understand is that Paul’s apostolic authority never went to his head!

This is especially striking when you consider Paul’s other letters. To the Galatians, who were in danger of abandoning the gospel, Paul comes out swinging with his apostolic authority. To the Corinthians, who were dividing the church and questioning him, Paul spends large chunks of time defending his apostleship. He could pull rank when he needed to—but with the Philippians, he chose instead to come alongside them as a fellow servant. Why? Because this was a congregation marked by love, partnership, and generosity. They didn’t need to be whipped into shape; they needed to be encouraged in humility and perseverance. They didn’t need a stick, they needed a carrot. 

Paul knew that he had authority, but he also knew that his authority didn’t make him any more of a Christian than anyone in the church. Which of course is an encouragement! Sometimes we’re tempted to believe that those in ministry are super-christian and everyone else is average, when that’s not the case at all. It’s level at the foot of the cross. 

If Paul was a servant of Jesus Christ, then you and I are too! But again, he doesn’t take his introduction in the direction you’d expect. He doesn’t say, you’re just like me. 

Because he calls the Philippian Christians “saints,” holy ones, set apart for God. It’s remarkable, isn’t it? Paul, the one with real spiritual authority, humbles himself as a slave of Christ, while he elevates ordinary believers, the layperson, as consecrated ones in the Lord. Which is exemplary of his humility.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that later in chapter 2, Paul said, “In humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3). None of this is an attempt in Paul’s mind to appear pious and holy, rather, it was a reflection of Christ’s work in him. In fact, Paul in a small way is mirroring Christ who, “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7).

So, Paul’s opening words in Philippians are not throwaway greetings. They reveal his heart of service for the church. They show us what true Christian leadership looks like—not domineering, not self-promoting, but humble, Christ-centered, and people-honoring. Even in his greeting—“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”—Paul directs attention away from himself and to the only source of unmerited grace and an all encompassing shalom peace – Jesus Christ. 

What’s clear is that Paul saw himself as a man, called by Christ to humbly serve His church. Paul recognized that at the most basic level he was called to a life of humble service for his Savior. 

That’s a powerful lesson for pastors, but also for all of us. Our world encourages you and I to constantly jockey for recognition, position, and status. We’re told to market ourselves, to establish our brand, to climb the ladder. That might be how the world works, but it’s not how the Kingdom of Christ works – he calls us to humble ourselves before him.

If you’re a servant of Jesus Christ, you should be prepared to do whatever he asks of you. Because that’s what servants do.

A heart of affection for the church (vv. 3–8)

But Paul’s service flowed out of a heart of love. One of the things that stands out in these opening verses is Paul’s affection for the Philippian church. Notice how he begins: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” Every time Paul thought of this church, gratitude welled up in him—not a vague sentiment, but thanksgiving anchored in the gospel of Christ. He rejoiced because their lives gave evidence of God’s work.

That’s what makes verse 6 so central: “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” What God begins, He finishes. Paul could look at this young Gentile church, lacking centuries of Old Testament training, and yet say with confidence: God Himself is at work in you, and He will not stop until His work is complete. 

Paul’s gratitude wasn’t simply for what the Philippians had done for him—though they had stood by him, supported his ministry, and suffered for the sake of Christ when others abandoned him. His thanksgiving ran deeper: he recognized that all of this was the fruit of God’s sovereign grace at work in them.

Michelangelo, the famous painter of the Sistine Chapel, and sculptor of David, has another, lesser known work called the “Prisoners.” It’s called Prisoners, because these four, life-size, marble statues are only half-way complete. You can see bodies and faces emerging from a marble block with a lot of carving and chipping left to be done. Many think that Michelangelo began them and then got pulled onto other projects leaving these statutes unfinished, which is why they’re called The Prisoners. It’s as if these unfinished statutes are trying to free themselves from the marble that has them trapped.

Michelangelo may have left a few unfinished projects, but God never starts something only to abandon it later, which hopefully is a massive encouragement for all of us this evening. If God is at work in you, He’s going to see it through. He’s going to finish what He started in you. That means our assurance, our confidence in the Lord doesn’t rest on our ability to hang on to God, but rather our assurance is in His faithfulness to hold on to us. We may falter, we may struggle, fall into sin and have seasons of wandering, but the God who began the good work of salvation will never abandon it unfinished. 

There’s deep assurance in knowing that God is going to finish what he started.

And that truth is the foundation of Paul’s affection. He wasn’t flattering the Philippians. He loved them because he saw Christ at work in them. Verse 7 captures this: “It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart.” And then in verse 8 he said that he, ““…yearn[s] for [them] with the affection of Christ Jesus.” This is no distant professionalism. Paul carried them in his very heart. Their joys were his joys; their struggles, his struggles. Even in prison, he was bound to them in love.

The bottom line is, Paul loved the church in Philippi. He had a genuine affection for them. He thought about them, he cared about them.

But the Philippians were more than just friends, they were partners in gospel ministry. They were actively engaged in the “defense and confirmation of the gospel.” 

Their willingness to defend and find their confidence in the gospel made them great allies in ministry. The bottom line is that Paul loved the church.

 Which, admittedly, isn’t always easy. After all, the church is made up of sinners, and sinners… well they sin! 

I don’t need to create a long list of grievances against the church, because we’ve all experienced them! We all have stories where things haven’t gone wrong in Christ’s Church. And it’s easy to become bitter and jaded. It’s easy to look out at the church with disappointment and frustration rather than delight. 

But Paul reminds us that our love for the church cannot be rooted merely in how she treats us, or in whether she meets our expectations. Our love must be rooted in Christ’s love for His bride. 

I often have to remind myself and others that the church wasn’t created by a group of individuals who wanted to create an oppressive institution. The church was created by Jesus Christ himself. It was Jesus who first said, “I will build my church!” The church was Jesus’ idea. 

And so, when Paul says he yearns for them “with the affection of Christ Jesus,” he is pointing us beyond human patience and into divine grace. Christ loved us while we were still sinners, even enemies of God (Romans 5:8). If that’s true, then how can we withhold love from those for whom Christ died?

This is why bitterness and cynicism about the church must never have the final word in our hearts. The local church, with all its flaws, is still the place where Christ ministers to his people, sanctifying them, ultimately preparing them for glory. So, if you love Christ, you must love the church. Paul shows us that true Christian affection isn’t shallow sentimentality. It is the deep, costly, Christ-shaped love that commits itself to God’s people even when it hurts.

A heart of prayer for the church (vv. 9–11)

But this isn’t a grit it and bear it. This isn’t just a Christ loves the church therefore, you need to grit it and bear it. There is something that not only you can do, but that you should… pray for the church. That’s what Paul did. He prayed for the church. 

Of course, he mentioned the fact that he prayed for them in verses 3-4, but he shared the content of his prayer in verses 9-11: “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Paul’s prayer is packed and we could spend a lot of time dissecting every element of it. He prayed that their love would abound, that they would gain knowledge and discernment, that they would approve what is excellent, pure, and blameless, and that they would be filled with the fruit of righteousness. Again, each of those things could be studied in detail but I don’t want us to miss the overall point of his prayer: Paul was praying for the Philippians’ spiritual growth. He wanted their love for Christ to deepen and their lives to be increasingly marked by His holiness.

Have you ever noticed how prayer meetings can devolve into what feels like a sick bay report? This person has a bunion, that person has a skin rash—if you’re not careful you might end up learning something about someone you never wanted to know! And of course, we should pray for the sick and hurting. But if our prayers stop there, we miss something vital. It’s easy to pray for surface-level concerns, yet harder—and far more necessary—to pray for matters of the heart. It’s easier to pray for a scheduled wart removal than it is to pray for humility, repentance, or boldness in evangelism.

The church in Philippi wasn’t perfect. We’ll soon read about two women, Euodia and Syntyche, who were locked in conflict. Their dispute threatened the unity of the whole church. Often, the things that pose the greatest threat to the church may appear to be financial, personality conflicts, or circumstantial but the truth is that almost always, there is some sort of spiritual issue that lies at the heart of the matter.

Paul of course understood this, which is why he made it a point to pray for the church in Philippi’s spiritual well-being. Because as you grow in love, knowledge and discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, really puts things into perspective. It makes the things of the world seem more trivial and small.

And that’s really what I think we see in these first eleven verses—Paul’s heart for the church. He truly loved the church in Philippi and wanted to see them flourish. These were broken, Gentile sinners who loved the Apostle Paul, and Paul loved them in return.

But of course, he didn’t want them to miss the point: they were such good partners in ministry because they were so committed to the gospel. Your commitment to serving the church, your love for the church, and your prayers for the church should always be rooted and grounded in the gospel.

And this is where Paul directs our eyes away from himself and back to Christ. The reason Paul could love the Philippians so deeply was because Christ first loved him. The reason the Philippians could partner so faithfully was because Christ had united them together in His grace. At the center of all their affection, encouragement, and partnership stood the cross of Jesus Christ. Without the gospel, all our service is just activity. But with the gospel, our service becomes worship; our love becomes a reflection of His love; our prayers become participation in Christ’s own intercession for His people.

So brothers and sisters, let your love for the church be shaped not by convenience or preference, but by the self-giving love of Jesus. Let your partnership in ministry be grounded not in personality or programs, but in the finished work of the cross. And let your prayers rise up, not merely for health and comfort, but for holiness, fruitfulness, and endurance in Christ. For the same Savior who began a good work in you will be faithful to bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 

Amen. Let’s pray together.