We Are In Christ Jesus
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” That is how Paul greeted the church in Philippi. God’s Word through his greeting announces that we have grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. But how can we have grace and peace in these troubled and confusing times? I believe we are all aware that we are living in a world that is full of tensions, conflicts, injustices, hatred, fear, and anxiety; a world filled with lies where truth no longer exists or is no longer valued; a world dominated by evil, darkness, and immorality. As American believers, we are experiencing an increasing opposition to our Christian faith. Of course, it does not come close to the horrible persecutions our brothers and sisters are experiencing in other parts of the world.
Peace seems to be a rare commodity these days. And grace seems to have disappeared. Even Christian brothers and sisters, who have experienced grace, are at each other’s throats and do not live out grace. In this world and in these times, what should our attitude be as followers of Jesus? How should we live, behave, conduct ourselves? Where and how can we find this grace and peace?
Rejoice in the Lord always. That is Paul’s message in his letter to the Philippians. We are in Christ Jesus. Therefore, we must follow His example. Whatever happens, we must live lives worthy of the gospel of Christ. Paul challenges us to mutual love, peace, solidarity, and unity; to look out for the interests of Jesus Christ and others above our own self-centered concerns. We do this by rejoicing in the Lord always and in all circumstances. When we rejoice in the Lord we focus on God and what He is doing, and not on the circumstances around us. When we rejoice in the Lord we focus on Jesus Christ and not on ourselves. And we can rejoice in the Lord always because we are in Christ Jesus. When we remain focused on Him, abide in Him, and live Christ-centered lives, we cannot help but to rejoice in the Lord always. This is the title and theme for our new sermon series, Rejoice in the Lord Always! We will be going through Philippians. But first, let us learn a bit more about Philippi and the church there. I thought it would be more interesting for us to watch the following video than for me to explain the cultural and historical background of Paul’s letter.
1st church in Europe — Acts 16 — SHOW VIDEO
So let’s look at Paul’s opening. Many times we read these verses quickly and so miss the powerful message in Paul’s greetings. He begins his letter with a bang that explodes with the full force of the gospel. In these two verses, he sets the tone, lays the foundations, and presents the key themes of his whole letter. The focus and center are Christ. We are in Christ Jesus. Therefore, we are slaves of Christ Jesus. We are God’s holy people. We have grace and peace from God the Father.
1. We Are in Christ Jesus — We Are Slaves of Christ Jesus
“Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.” — It is unfortunate that many English versions soften the radical, powerful meaning of the Greek word for slave by translating it as a servant. They don’t have the same meaning and even in Greek, there are two different words for slave and servant. Slaves belong to their owner. They live, work and serve in complete dependence on and subordination to their master, in obedience and submission to their lord.
Because we are in Christ we are slaves of Christ Jesus. We belong to Him. He bought us dearly with his life, death, and blood. He has a total claim upon our lives. He is our Lord. We are slaves either to the evil one, to the world and sin, or we are slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 6:16-20 — “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. … Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness.”
Slave to righteousness — Christ is our righteousness. He made us righteous. And now we live in obedience to Him. As slaves of Christ, we have the same mind and attitude as Jesus as we will see in chapter 2. We are the slaves of the One who became a slave for our sake. We have turned away from our idols and now in Christ Jesus, we serve, as slaves, the living and true God. We now consider his will and his kingdom purposes above our own interests.
Only as slaves to God in Christ Jesus can we have true, real freedom. In Christ Jesus, we have been set free from evil, sin, and the things of this world that enslave us. As we live the new life in Christ, we experience true joy, and so we can rejoice in the Lord always, regardless of our circumstances.
2. We All Are God’s Holy People in Christ Jesus
“To all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.” — The Greek for holy ones refers to those who have been set apart, separated from the world, and belong to God. They are holy because He is holy. We are God’s holy people because we are in Christ Jesus. He bought us with his sacrifice. He made us righteous and holy. In Christ, we are now God’s treasured possession. We are holy and are called to live holy lives because our God is holy. We are kingdom citizens and Paul calls us to live lives worthy of our citizenship in heaven.
Throughout the New Testament, this term is used to indicate God’s holy people. Paul says, to all the holy ones. He uses the inclusive “all of you” many times in this letter. Everyone who is in Christ Jesus belongs to God, is his child, and a kingdom citizen. No one is excluded. No one is more holy or better than the others. In Christ Jesus, we are all one and we are all equal before God, we all are part of God’s people. And like Jesus, all of us should be humble, do nothing out of selfish ambition, and look out for the interests of others. In that all, Paul includes the church leaders. He reinforces the unity of God’s people which he talks more about later in his letter. We all are God’s holy people in Christ Jesus and nothing can change that or take that away from us. Therefore, we rejoice in the Lord always.
3. We Have Grace and Peace from God Our Father in Christ Jesus
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” — We have grace and peace from God our Father in Christ Jesus. Grace and peace are important themes in this letter. These are the gifts from God our Father made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is God’s free gift of salvation to us achieved in Christ Jesus. “… all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Ro 3:24) “… through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Ro 5:2).
Peace is that wonderful relationship of harmony and security we have with God. This peace was made possible by Jesus. Through his sacrifice, we have been reconciled with God, with ourselves, and with one another. We now live secure in the new life and hope we have in Christ Jesus. We have peace because we know who we are, to whom we belong, who we live for, and where we are going. All because we are in Christ Jesus.
I want to close with the words from The Heidelberg Catechism, one of the Christian Church’s great statements of faith. It begins with this question, “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” And it gives this wonderful answer:
“That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me, that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; yes, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and make me heartily willing and ready henceforth to live unto Him.”
We are in Christ Jesus. We are his slaves. We are God’s holy people. We have grace and peace. Therefore, we can face suffering with joy, and we will rejoice in the Lord always!