Grace and Peace to Philippi
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Establishing the tone of Paul's letter to the Philippians by studying his greeting.
Text: Phil. 1:1-2
Date: 08/06/2023, the Evening service.
Series: "Evenfall; Sunday Evening Worship" Part 3
Description:
In Paul's day, letter-writing was more than a skill-- it was an art. And as all other disciplines there were established forms and conventions that were followed in the writing of a letter like this Epistle to the Philippians. Therefore, every word of the letter was important-- even often-overlooked parts like the greeting. In this meditation we will focus entirely on Paul's greeting to the church at Philippi. By looking at both the words and the form of the greeting, we will realize that Paul is doing far more than just saying "hello". But rather, he is setting the tone for the rest of a letter that has often been called-- a love letter. Ultimately we will celebrate the fact that by extension, the church today (and therefore all of us!) is included in the blessing, when Paul pronounces grace and peace to Philippi.
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Phil. 1:1-2.
A. Context, Acts 16:40.
B. Paul's greeting to the Philippians.
1. Looking at the formal address.
a. The art of letter-writing.
b. The form of the letter.
i. The signature.
1) Signed at the beginning.
2) Including Timothy, Col 1:1, 2Cor 1:1, Philem 1:1, 1Th 1:1, 2Th 1:1.
3) No mention of apostleship, Rom 1:1, 1Cor 1:1, 2Cor 1:1, Gal 1:1, Eph 1:1, Col 1:1, 1Tim 1:1, 2Tim 1:1, Titus 1:1.
4) Conclusions
ii. The identification.
1) Simply a servant.
2) The meaning of "doulos".
a) A slave, 1Cor. 6:19-20, 7:23.
b) A bondservant.
iii. The Binding Tie.
iv. The addressees.
1) The overseers and deacons.
a) The overseers.
b) The deacons, James 3;1, Heb. 13:17.
2) The saints.
3) Saints who are "in Christ".
2. The salutation, vs. 2.
a. Grace to you.
b. Peace: the result of grace.
c. The source of grace and peace.
III. Conclusion
