Grace OPC Sewickley PA

Sermon Series: Philippians

  • Paul’s Integrity, Christ’s Pattern

    Paul’s Integrity, Christ’s Pattern

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, June 20, 1993.

    About this sermon

    The church lacks strong men, and Paul’s integrity across the letter’s key passages corrects that lack. Vos foresaw the chaos the modern church now faces. Paul imitated Christ’s integrity to the end by giving himself for others, the pattern the whole letter traces.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning we begin our reading in Philippians chapter one verse eighteen. This is Philippians chapter one verse eighteen. Hear the word of God. But then, notwithstanding, Every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

    For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor, yet what I shall choose I know not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better, Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. Having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.”

    Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Then chapter three, beginning with verse eight, “‘Yea, doubtless I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.

    For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and to count them but dung, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death. if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

    Chapter 4, beginning at verse 10, I read, “…that I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last your care of me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content.” I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.

    Recently, a woman was overheard discussing the church, and her comment was rather surprising. For our day and age. She was distressed. And expressing her complaint. Because in her judgment. The church presently lacks strong men. Now, I think that we are prepared in our time for the criticism that the church lacks sensitive men. The church has even been called upon in various places, in various quarters, to cultivate within its men certain so-called feminine qualities. in order to counter a cultural tendency towards the dominance of men. It would seem that strong men are hardly the order of the day. Yet, how accurate and how perceptive this woman’s analysis.

    In fact, the church has been suffering for well over a decade because it lacks strong men. Even more, it has been suffering for well over a century because it lacks strong men. Now, of course, this woman in her interest was not concerned that the church development of a muscular type. She was not interested in a sort of ecclesiastical Marine Corps.

    Rather, her interest was in men of character. who could not be charged with a spineless mass. Even more than that, her interest was in men who had a doctrinal and theological depth to them, who knew the Bible and lived the Bible and took a stand for the truth of the What she was wishing for was men of Christian integrity.

    If I were to choose a single word to describe the Apostle Paul and his message as presented here in the book of Philippians, it would be this word integrity. The man had a message that exhaled integrity, but no less the man himself. Here was a man in the Apostle Paul of genuine Christian strength. That strength communicates to us repeatedly throughout the course of the letter. Note the prayer, the summary of prayer that Paul gives at the opening of the letter, the first chapter, verses three through eleven. Even this prayer testifies to the Apostle’s integrity. We have in the Apostle then A man who is genuine in his prayers, whose prayer life is consistent and consistent in that he calls others to pray in the manner in which he prays, he even preceding them in that prayer.

    Take another look at Philippians 4.6. that famous text towards the end of the epistle that speaks about prayer, calling upon the Philippian Christians to engage in prayer. You notice there how the Paul, how the apostle phrases that he called the Philippians to prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. But if you go back to the description of the apostle’s prayer in the opening chapter, verses three through eleven and read that prayer carefully, you will notice that here you have set before you Paul’s prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

    Paul has integrity. He is at work at the very things that he is enjoining upon others. He is not laying burden upon others that he is unwilling to shoulder himself. If he’s going to ask others to pray, He is a man of prayer. But further. The entirety of the apostles ministry can convey a superlative integrity. This man strives to be faithful to his calling. He agonizes at this task. so much so that he does not allow himself to be distracted by what would be obstacles to others. Others of less integrity. Less consistency. Note how it plays itself out in Paul’s present circumstance. He is in chains in a Roman jail.

    He is known there to the Roman Church, but there are those in the Roman Church that seek to add weight to his chains. Some, he says in the fifteenth verse of the first chapter, Some of these preachers in Rome, some of these from the Church of Rome, are preaching Christ out of envy and strife. They are preaching Christ, he goes on to say, out of selfish ambition in an attempt to aggravate him. As if the matter of the preaching of the gospel were a contest of some sort. He picked up in our reading this morning at verse eighteen.

    And the statement there with respect to the apostles rejoicing. Even though there are these folks in Rome who are seeking to add to his burden, he is rejoicing. In fact, he is rejoicing doubly. And again, I say, rejoice. You hear the echo of the later statement of the fall of the apostle coming out here. He rejoices, he even doubly rejoices that Christ is preached.

    Thus underscoring his chief concern, whatever is done to me, whatever men think of me, Christ is preached, and in that I will rejoice.” And how this sublime disposition is illustrated, as Paul tells these dear Philippian Christians that he is even willing to forego temporarily his place in glory. It’s far better for me to go and be with the Lord, but I am willing temporarily to forego if it would mean your progress and joy in the faith. The first chapter of the twenty-fifth verse.

    The rest of the letter, then, becomes proof concerning the lengths to which Paul is willing to go in order to achieve this end, namely, to present himself, as it were, an offering whereby these Philippian saints might then progress in their joy of the faith.

    There is an extraordinary energy in this man. There is a remarkable resilience in this man’s integrity. Not even the chains of a prison cell and retard that energy. That’s strange. Such energy. Such energy. Joined to such devotion. It’s hardly this associated from the apostles personal confession of faith. His integrity being like a radiant light. In a remarkable testimony which he gives to the church.

    Truly unmatched throughout Paul’s writings, we finding it there in the third chapter of this. Are you not yourself overcome by what the Apostle says with respect to his own profession? I tell everything along. I’m willing to suffer the loss of all things.

    I even consider them as rubbish in order that I might have his chief aim and ambition that which he grabbed hold of with respect to his profession. is to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, which is after the law, such righteous righteousness proving worthless in the end, but rather that righteousness, which is through the faith of Christ. He goes on that I might know twice the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his He presses on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. There is then here in this man, as we survey his integrity, an integrity that we observe in his prayer life and the entirety of his ministry. also now an integrity with regard to his personal confession and integrity with regard to orthodoxy, a doctrinal honesty that shines through the man.

    How is it possible for men presently to suggest that they can have a strength of character within the church with respect to the faith and deny the cardinal doctrines of the faith. Is there a correlation between what I have just described and the fact that a weakness with regard to men has overtaken the church in recent years and throughout the last century? By and large, men are deciding that orthodoxy and doctrinal integrity are not important.” Harvest Voss was a Princeton theologian, generally ignored by the academic world and also by the Church. He was probably the greatest reformed theologian of the century. Earlier in the century, Ross made the observation that if you surrender doctrinal orthodoxy, there will be a crisis of character that overtakes the church.

    To paraphrase the lessons that we’ve heard recently, theological midgets do not make moral giants. In particular. Theological midgets of the dishonest sort. Most certainly do not make more. There is an integrity then with regard to profession will you not consider that. to hold fast to the profession of your faith, to not let that go to insist upon a doctrinal honesty. Of course, the apostles objective, even here, with respect to his own profession. It’s not to set something before us that pertains to him and to him alone. as if his objective were the gaining of rave reviews from the religious presses. Paul was not in the habit of accepting awards. He would be satisfied with less admiration and more imitation. But even this imitation. Even this imitation has as its center.

    The Lord Jesus Christ. The honoring of Christ the Lord and not. For an actual fact is the Lord Jesus himself and his own personal integrity. that commands both Paul’s and the reader’s attention. Christ is the one in whom we observe the perfection of that integrity that now finds its reflex in the law that would find its reflex in all that would claim the apostle gospel and the Christ of that gospel. How we speak. How will we speak about the perfection of integrity that is found in Christ?

    He did not regard equality with God a thing to be dressed, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond servant and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. The integrity seen in Jesus has then to do with that peculiar strength that is associated with the offering of oneself for the sake of others in demonstration of the abandonment of love.

    The gift of oneself. The strength to do that. Understanding what is in the balance. Regardless of the cost. This is in fact what Paul cultivates and would have cultivated amongst the Philippians. This begins to be then the heartbeat of the epistle as a whole. The gift of one’s self. After Christ. And in him. Now such integrity. Such action.

    Is not the stuff of this world. It happens to be the stuff of another world. Such integrity, such character, is part and parcel of a transcendent heavenly world and realm. The very realm from which Jesus came, to which he has returned. The very realm of which we by grace have been made.

    Consider. The scope of integrity. The demand for character. Consider the energy exhibited in such integrity displayed in this official consider the source Christ and the heavenly realm. Also. Consider the extension of this. Take to heart the woman’s comment.

    With which we began this message. a cry of distress and even a prayer that God would give to his church, men of integrity, men of strength. But not only that, but God would give to his church people, male and female, give to his church people of strength, principled individuals. Yes, strong men, but devout and godly women. and even children raised within such an environment so that they too may grow to integrity.

    To the praise and the glory. Our father. It may not be. Those. Who turn the preaching of the gospel into a contest. That distract us. We may be distracted Lord. By even more mundane matters. In that development of character in that quest for integrity. It may well be that the pleasures of this world, and even the affluence that we enjoy in this nation, prove to be stumbling blocks to us. But, O God, may we with the Apostle in the Spirit of Christ be willing to suffer the loss of all things in order that we might know our Savior and be found in him. Keep us, Lord, today unto the great day, when this one who has in himself the perfection of integrity greets us, welcoming us into the eternal home prepared for us. Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • The Substance of a Benediction

    The Substance of a Benediction

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, June 6, 1993.

    About this sermon

    Numbers 6’s priestly benediction shows that God gives authority to bless a congregation to its pastors alone. Paul’s closing benediction to the Philippians works on the same terms. The ‘grace’ Paul communicates there has real substance, far beyond conventional politeness.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning we begin our scripture reading in the Book of Numbers, Chapter 6, verse 22. Listen to the word of God. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. and they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

    But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

    Notwithstanding, ye have done well that ye did communicate with my affliction. Now, ye Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel When I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity, not because I desire a gift, but I desire the fruit that may aboundeth your count. But I have all and abound I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.

    My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. The dead in which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you chiefly, they that are of Caesar’s household. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. It’s been a number of years now, but I remember the event quite clearly.

    The General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church had convened, as was the custom, with its opening worship service. And at that service, the retiring moderator of the previous assembly delivered the message. Now, I say he delivered the message deliberately, because what he delivered was not a sermon, not in the proper sense of the word, nor could it be a sermon because The man who delivered it was not a minister of the word of God, but rather a ruling elder. Now, this particular ruling elder was not going to let this occasion pass by without making his point, without grinding his ax. without calling attention to what he considered the inequities of the Presbyterian system that had been handed down from generation to generation over the course of 400 years. So when it came time for the benediction, this elder stood in the pulpit and, to the shock of many, raised his hands and pronounced the benediction.

    Now, you may think that this is a small matter, that this little incident is hardly worth notice, but there were some who were present that day who were very much disturbed by that action. Why? Why were there those, including myself, who were distressed by that action? Because we considered what this ruling elder did to be a direct assault upon the biblical and Presbyterian view of the ministerial office. The biblical and Presbyterian view is traceable, at least to the Calvinist Reformation, for its articulation.

    It finds expression in the 17th century work of the Westminster Assembly. The Westminster Assembly, as you know, was convened in London in 1643. It was that assembly that was responsible for the confession of faith, which we embrace, and also for the catechisms that are ours.

    We use these documents to this day. But that assembly also produced a number of other documents. And even though those documents are not in use today, they provide the foundation for the order and practices of historic Presbyterianism. One of those documents is the form of church government. And in speaking about the duty of ministers of the word, this is what that document has to say.

    The pastor is to bless the people from God. And then the form of church government cites the passage we first read this morning, Numbers chapter 6, verses 23 through 26. The document goes on to say, compared, that is, this Numbers 6 passage with Revelation 1, 4 and 5, substance of which you have at the head of your bulletin this morning, the document goes on to say where the same blessings and persons from whom they come are expressly mentioned. Isaiah 66, 21 as well, where under the names of priests and Levites to be continued under the gospel are meant evangelical pastors who therefore are to bless the people. While not having the document in front of you, all of that may be a little bit difficult to follow. But two things should be evident to us from this quote.

    First of all, our Presbyterian forebears took very seriously the matter of the blessing of God’s people, and they saw a line of continuity. for that blessing running from Old Testament Israel to the New Testament Church. Secondly, our Presbyterian forebears were convinced that the serious matter of the blessing for the people of God resided in and was sanctified by that authority of the office of the ministry of the Word as that office as that office was first of all evident in the Old Testament priesthood, and then subsequently in the New Testament pastorate. It is not without reason, then, that as the office of the ministry of the has suffered within Presbyterianism from the rise of liberal and evangelical egalitarianism in the last two centuries, so also has the matter of the biblical blessing and its significance for the people of God.

    We are no longer impressed with the weightiness of a benediction. There is reason, then, as to why some at that assembly which I mentioned earlier were distressed about the event that took place during that assembly. The Apostles’ benediction. that appear regularly at the conclusion of his letters are particular expressions of the biblical blessing. We have before us this morning a very brief but cogent blessing here at the end of Philippians. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Now consider the comprehensiveness of this blessing, short as it is, brief as it is.

    The Apostle here, in these few words, will make a statement that compresses the fulfillment of his office and also opens up, reveals his heart to those to whom he extends this blessing. As these matters are brought together, the fulfillment of his ministry, the revelation of his heart, he will summarize his ministry he will state summarily his message. Think, first of all, of the fulfillment of the Apostles’ ministry and office. And by way of extension, consider as well the parallel that exists between that apostolic ministry and the ministry of the Word that is abroad in the Church today. Paul is an apostolic ambassador of the King, and in that office he is showing the way with respect to all those ministers of the Word that will come after him. He, as apostolic ambassador, has as his purpose the declaration of the mighty works and the eternal purpose of the One who has commissioned him. Paul is specifically the ambassador of the risen Christ, whose grace he is commissioned to extend now to Christ’s people by Christ’s Word.

    The benediction which he pronounces, the blessing which he articulates, is a concentrated form of the communication of Christ’s intended blessing residing in his Word. We speak about the means of grace. We have the means of grace. in part set before us this morning at the table. But God’s means of grace are also found in His Word, and the benediction, you see, is a concentrated form of the communication of Christ’s intended blessing residing in that Word.

    Christ, then, in the blessing, in the benediction, is active. He is active to extend his grace to us, his people. But he does so through his ordained servants, whose task is to make plain to all of God’s children the Lord’s pleasure. And what is the Lord’s pleasure? To bless his own. But this, the Lord’s pleasure, has become in the benediction the Apostles’ prayer.

    Thus the benediction serves as a declaration and a conduit of the Lord’s grace, but also as a prayer by the Lord’s ambassador that now opens up the ambassador’s heart. Just as the Lord extends His grace, So the ministerial servant of the Word agrees with the Lord in his design and places himself in his prayer, in his life, by the taking of the benediction upon his lips, in the position of doing everything that he can that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ would have its full effect upon the people of God now. Ministers, then, who take up the benediction pronounced upon God’s people, and do so with sincerity and honesty, are the ministers that we covet for Christ’s Church.

    However, there is one more thing that we need to say this morning before we close. You must not miss out on the content of the benediction. The substance of it. Listen to the words. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. At the center of the benediction is this word grace. But what is this grace that is spoken of here? It has specific content and substance to it. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in view here, consistent with the teachings of Paul elsewhere, and even of Christ himself, is the wealth, the treasure, the goodness, the riches of the Lord’s domain.

    This grace is the inexplicable, the inexhaustible, the undeserved glory that belongs to the kingdom of heaven, which is already now being communicated, already now being given to the children of God. To be sure, it comes invisibly. It is accessible only by faith. Thus, the grace is composed of those invisible blessings, those riches, that wealth, that goodness, that treasure, that is specifically now communicated to us in our spirit. to our spirits, that we in our spirits might fully delight in God.

    And what a delight and privilege it is for me to express to you in the benediction week God’s love for you. I am truly humbled by such a duty. But what an awesome and terrifying responsibility to be called to declare to you, in the benediction, the incomparable riches of Christ. And may you, in the receiving of the benediction, be wonderfully and fully benefited. Let’s pray. Our Father in Heaven, some of us need to learn how to go to church. Some of us don’t know how to behave. Some of us have never learned how to pay attention. Some of us manifest our disinterest.

    O Lord, chasten us, will you not? Convert us. Cause us, Lord, to see in you our delight and our full reward. Lord, may we not prove to be foolish, so empty, even ridiculous in the day of your appearing. And to that end, even now, Lord, train us in the matter of worship, that whether it be the matter of the benediction or other aspects of this service of worship, we would have our full attention. Do forgive us, Lord, if in fact now we are pricked in our consciences and cry out to you for your mercy. We pray it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Paul’s Emotional Farewells

    Paul’s Emotional Farewells

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, May 23, 1993.

    About this sermon

    Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 is full of tears and affection, and he closes Philippians the same way, not with a formula. His final greetings bind Christians in Rome to believers in Philippi and show that the churches of his day belonged to one another. Even here Paul presses the letter’s central message: the gift of oneself, realized in Christ and reflected in the apostle. “Brethren,” his closing word of address, carries that whole message.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning we are reading from Acts 20. Listen to the word of God. And from Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia, and in what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying weight of the Jews.

    How I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, save that the Holy Spirit witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide. None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, and testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take ye therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, and feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood.

    I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flaw, and also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch and remember that the space of three years I cease not to warn every one night and day with tears. Now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. I have coveted no man’s silver or gold or pearl.

    Let yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them that were with me. And I showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak. and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all, and they all wept sore and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more on his tomb. And they accompanied him unto the ship.”

    Then, turning over to Philippians 4, chapter 4, verse 21, Philippians 4.21–“Salute every saint in Christ Jesus, the brethren which are with me greet you. All the saints salute you, chiefly those that are of Caesar’s household. the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

    Father, as is true with respect to all of us, how true this is with regard to those who will preach your words. Surely we would not take office to ourselves but depend upon your call and the confirmation of that call from within your Church, trusting that your Spirit is at work in the Church and is at such as will proclaim your word around the world. And even now, Lord, there are those who go on to proclaim it in truth. and be rejoiced in this and ask your blessing upon them, that they may have satisfaction in their labors, despite the fact that possibly afflictions come to them because of their condemnation. We also pray for your Church, that she may be protected from those who would be raised up presumptuously, those who have no call at all. May you keep your people, Lord, and deliver them. May we ourselves not be deluded, but hold to your truth and live in the confirmation of that gospel which you have given us with respect to our various vocations and tasks. If we ask for the sake of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

    Some of us have difficulty with farewells. Some of us have difficulty with And I would judge that the reason why we have that difficulty is because of the intense emotion associated with farewells. You may be one of those self-conscious individuals who hurries through the lies.

    But you would contend that your cruel detachment in no way expresses aloofness or indifference. Rather, in your more honest moments, you would confess that your cruel detachment is an expression of an embarrassment about the strong feelings at play in the situation.

    Well, consider the Apostle Paul. Paul was neither embarrassed nor self-conscious about intense feelings. He was not embarrassed or self-conscious about the intense feelings associated with life generally, more particularly with farewells. It has always been hard on me, working my way through Acts 20. because I realize that the Apostle Paul is then something of a different emotional stripe than myself.

    But given my emotional makeup, nevertheless, working through that Acts 20 passage, I can’t help but feel at the conclusion of it that I have been run over by an emotional freight train. You have the beautiful and powerful words of Paul to begin with, and what an impact they make. Then you have the repeated references in his remarks to the tears that he says he constantly shed on behalf of these people, not ceasing to shed them day and night. Then you have a very, very moving scene at the conclusion of the speech. You have to be made of stone not to be impressed by those concluding verses in Acts 20.

    There’s an added dimension to this farewell in Acts 20. You can’t help but be impressed with how this particular farewell partakes a bit of death. In the parting of the feet of elders from Paul, there is a sense of finality settling in upon things, and a fear that these who are dear to one another will not see each other again in this world. We move from this remarkable farewell, this famous farewell, this extraordinary farewell in Acts 20, to the common farewells of Paul’s Admittedly, these farewells in Paul’s letters move along a somewhat different line. Yet, at the same time, the emotional strain and tone that we discern in Acts 20 is very much in evidence in these parting words at the conclusion of Paul’s letters.

    Now, some general remarks about letter writing in Paul’s day. We must remember that Paul’s letters bear some resemblance to the letters generally produced in the Greek and Roman world. That is true and undeniable. forsakes the specific formulas found in those Greek and Roman letter-writing examples, and that in the interests of a thorough Christianizing of the letter-writing enterprise itself, subjecting his letters, then, his communication, to that Christian mindset that is so thoroughly dominant in him. So it is, where the Roman would end his letter with a rather bold and routine, farewell or good luck to you all. Paul transforms these concluding words. In effect, reorders them, recasts them in the interest of the gospel. in the interests of Christ. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus, he writes. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.

    Philippians 4.21.

    And we might miss something of the emotional power of that statement. The word that Paul uses here has as its root the idea of an embrace. An embrace. And so, paraphrasing things a bit here, we might suggest that what Paul is driving at through this word is embrace every saint in Christ Jesus. This word also appears in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 13, where the writer, the Hebrews, speaks of the patriarchs as those who greeted, that is, those who embraced the promises from afar. But this is Paul’s intention, seems to be borne out by what we find in other farewells from his other letters. Remember the encouragement that he gives at the conclusion of certain letters, say Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, where Paul encourages the saints not only to greet one another, but to greet one another with a holy kiss. Now, there hasn’t been much kissing going on around here, but there has been a lot of hugging. And that’s good. Paul’s farewell, then, greets us with something of an irony.

    While he has reached the end of his letter, he has come to the conclusion of his communication. His words are for the purpose of furthering and deepening communication and intimacy amongst the saints. These farewells are anything but perfunctory or casual. They are deliberately framed, they are calculated, and they are filled full of meaning. They have a power of their own. They are intended to further and to build the affections of all parties concerned for one another. This is the common feature of each of Paul’s farewells. We were to look at them, even from letter to letter. Paul’s farewells further and build the affection Paul has for those Christians, those saints he addresses. is meant to be a hug all around from him to those to whom he rises.

    Therefore, as we read Philippians 4.21, we must supply certain words. To be sure is to be extended to the Philippians, but it is from Paul. For me, greet or embrace on my behalf each and every saint in the congregation. At the same time, Paul’s farewell furthers and builds the affection of the Christians in a particular location are who have for one another.

    In Philippians 4.21 again, Paul envisions Philippian saints embracing Philippian saints. Paul’s farewell furthers and builds the affection of the Christians in one place. The affection that Christians in one place ought to have for Christians in another.

    Look at the full statement of this farewell in verses 21 and 22. Christians in Rome, where Paul is presently, are extending their embrace to believers in Philippi, actually embracing, though separated by Now, among other things, all of this set before us here in the greeting adds up to wonderful instruction with respect to the ordering of the Church, the structure of the Church in Paul’s day.

    For instance, it is impossible for us to escape, given the character of the readings here, it is impossible for us to deny some form of connection. Do you understand what I’m saying? It’s impossible for us to deny some form of connectionalism as that relates to the Church.

    And we’re not just talking about people connecting with one another within a particular congregation. We’re talking about congregations connecting with one another. Churches separated by many miles. We are told are intimately bound up with one another, involved with one another. They are intimately connected with one another. They embrace, though separated by many, many minds.

    But we must note, further, these churches are bound, not just in an informal sense, at the level of a common affection that the people, as they congregate, express. They are also bound, and this is evident in Paul’s Philippian farewell particularly, through the leadership of the churches that are spoken of, the leadership coming into view in a formal fashion and manner.

    Note the force and power of Paul’s imperatives in Philippians 4.21. Greek, every saint in Christ Jesus. To whom is Paul speaking? every saint in Christ Jesus. Is he speaking broadly to all of the people as they are gathered together, or is he speaking specifically to the leadership of the Church at Philippi?

    The force and power of that imperative is that the directive is intended for the leadership or the officers of the Church. Specifically, they are instructed here, by call, to show this affection, this embrace, to communicate it, in fact, on call, to the people of the congregation.

    In view, therefore, are those in Philippi whom Paul mentioned at the very outset of the letter, chapter 1, verse 1. The conclusion of that first verse of Philippians 1 makes specific mention of the bishops and the deacons. We’ve come full circle. As we started, now we conclude. It is they, then, these bishops and deacons specifically, who are called upon to embrace each and every saint under their authority and in their care. This becomes, in fact, something of the definition of their office, what they are supposed to be doing.

    The pattern continues in that twenty-first verse, as Paul goes on to mention the brethren who are with him. The brethren who are with me greet you. The brethren who are with me embrace you. Now, who are the brethren? I do it to take exception to the brethren churches, if in fact they are hanging their case on this verse. The term brethren here does not refer indiscriminately to the group of Christians gathered to the congregation at large. are not all the saints, for all the saints are mentioned in verse 22. The brethren are specifically those who, with Paul, lead, instruct, preach and teach. They are the leadership, connected with him and worked with him in his ministry there in Rome. including those who specifically accompany him in his journeys and perform specific ministry with him.

    A picture of the Church, therefore, is emerging for us out of the greeting. It’s something as simple as the greeting. You’re beginning to see, and the Church, as it were, takes shape out of these few verses. You see, churches over a wide expanse, geographically, connected to one another, even responsible to one another. But these churches, in this connectionalism that they express, are interacting through their leadership and not irrespective of that leadership. But no further now.

    The term that Paul uses to describe the leadership in this particular passage, the clue is the specific designation of those who are leading in Rome as the Brethren. That term emphasizes a mutuality, a common office, a common level of authority amongst those who are teachers and preachers in the church. So that we are not here looking at a hierarchy, we are looking at a fraternity. All so well, therefore, is evidence against both congregational independency and, at the same time, Catholic episcopacy.

    Those churches, those forms of churches, the structure of church life within those churches was not a consideration for the Apostle Paul. But of course, what we see here from Paul’s farewell about the structure of the Church was something of an aside to Paul’s main concern.

    His chief concern, even in his farewell now, in these parting words, is to stress again, in a manner unique to the farewell, the overall message of the letter. What is that overall message of the letter? The overall message of the letter is this. The gift of oneself realized in Christ, reflected in the Apostle. The gift of oneself realized in Christ and reflected in the Apostle. That is what Philippians is all about. And now that message plays itself out in the farewell. How so?

    The Philippian leadership, you see, those who are high, those who have position and authority, The Philippian leadership is instructed by the Apostle, who is himself high, having high office, is instructed to greet, even to embrace, each and every saint in the Church. No favoritism, no partiality, no greetings of only those we feel like greeting or are comfortable with, none of that.

    The Philippian leadership here, then, is bound to recognize each member of the congregation as a saint and to treat them as a saint and to embrace them as one of God’s lambs. And to do this in humble service, in a self-emptying, in the gift of oneself, as an expression of love for those very people. The affection of those in Rome calls to be instructive to those at Philippi. Not only the apostle who is presently in Rome, but the Roman Church leadership, the brethren, and as well, he goes on to say in verse 22, all the saints. including those in Caesar’s household, get the impact of the mention of those in Caesar’s household, that is, those who the Philippian leaders, church leaders, might consider to be the most important and be impressed with most.

    These join in a common greeting of humble service in which the very love of Christ Thus, one who emptied himself of his divine ferocity in order to greet, to embrace us, is presently being redeemed. that something as simple as the farewell words will serve to further and build our love, one for another. A love, I might add, that we who leave are bounded to express that we might be the very best help to those over whom we have been given charge, even to the point in that love of laying down our lives for the saints.

    Let us pray. Yes, indeed, Lord, we would be bold to quote the apostles’ words. May we also be bold to express His feelings and affection. And may we then, Lord, be certain to follow in His steps as He followed in Christ’s, that we might empty ourselves for the sake of one another. making of ourselves a gift. We are asking, Lord, that this, in fact, may be impressed upon us in such a way so as to show us that we haven’t the strength to do this left to ourselves. That only if we are found in Christ, the very one who has done this exact thing, for our salvation. Help us, then, our God, in our grievings and our farewells. For Jesus said,

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • The Philippians’ Participation

    The Philippians’ Participation

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, May 2, 1993.

    About this sermon

    Paul’s second missionary journey brought him to Philippi, and there the Philippians began to share in his ministry. Their participation was real, and traces of selfishness showed even in their gift to him. Paul’s gratitude does not require pretending the gift was flawless.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning we are reading first of all from Philippians chapter 1, beginning with verse 3. We are going back and starting all over again. Listen to the word of God. Philippians 1.3.

    I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing. that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

    For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

    I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.

    For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that I should not be put to shame in anything but that with all boldness Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

    And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. For even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. I have received everything in full and have in abundance, and am made full, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma and acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to God.

    And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Our Father, your word is what gives life. Your word is the very power of the new creation, having been the power of the original creation. So as we draw our breath in this world, we must give you thanks because of your word, and as we have been breathed upon by the breath of the Holy Spirit to witness of life, and our praise and thanks of you is multiplied in that because of your word. We thank you, Lord, that you have looked upon us, that you have looked upon us in Christ and that you have forgiven our sins through him.

    Help us now, Lord, that we might listen, and that listening we might obey. For Jesus’ sake, amen. The Book of Acts records three missionary journeys of Paul. It was on his second missionary journey that he first ministered in Philippi. the account of which is found in Acts 16.

    The circumstances were these. Paul and Barnabas had an argument. They argued over Barnabas’s desire to take John Mark, Barnabas’s nephew, on their intended trip to visit the churches which they, Paul and Barnabas, had organized during their first missionary journey. As a result of that argument, Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus, while Paul and Silas, one whom he had chosen, set out for Asia Minor. Paul and Silas picked up Timothy, a young man born of mixed parentage, his mother a Jew and his father a Greek.

    They then traveled west, avoiding the provinces of Asia and Bithynia because of an express command from the Holy Spirit, and they finally came to Troas. a city that stood on the northwest coast of Asia Minor along the shores of the Aegean Sea, near the site of the ancient city of Troy.

    That city, in keeping with its rumored history, reminded all of the continual hostility between East and West. Those from Asia, lusted after things in the West, stole a king’s queen, set armies in motion, brought about their downfall through the cleverness of the Greeks. But then, later, Asia set its eyes upon Greece once more, the Persians this time invading. The Greeks withstood. And then from the North, Macedonia, one took to himself Greek identity, Alexander, and pushed eastward to make the East his servant. But now the world is poised, as these come from the East and set once more on the banks of Asia. is the Aegean Sea, and beyond that, Europe.

    Two things of importance will take place at Troas. First, Paul’s company will have added to it one more, a Gentile described as the beloved physician, would eventually write the gospel that bears his name, and also write the account of Paul’s journeys that appears in the Book of Acts. The second thing of importance that would take place at Troas was a vision from heaven given to Paul, a great vision, an important vision.

    A Macedonian appeared in that heavenly vision to Paul and begged of the Apostle that he come across the Aegean Sea to minister to those in Macedonia. It was a strange vision indeed. Macedonia, known for its strength, its power. The Macedonians are proud folk in need of nothing, yet this one in the vision, overcome by weakness, and actually inviting invasion.

    The invasion that comes is of a different sort than those that had occurred previously, and so it is that the gospel now, officially, with an apostle at the lead, enters Upon landing in Europe, Paul’s party immediately makes its way to the chief city of that region, Philippi, a short distance inland from its seaport, Neapolis. Here you will recall in Philippi the gospel is preached. not in a synagogue, not in a public arena, but at a riverbank, where a group of women are assembled Sabbath by Sabbath to pray. They assemble there because there is no synagogue in the city of Philippi.

    One of their number is a God-fearer. She is named Lydia. She is a prominent woman in the city. She is prominent as a merchant. She believes at the preaching of the gospel, and we are told by Luke that the Lord opened her heart. She then had her entire household baptized. But there is another female of importance in Philippi, a slave girl of extraordinary ability. She makes money for her masters by telling fortunes. She is actually the reason for the enslavement of others, though she herself is a slave. When she sees Paul and his company, she takes to them immediately.

    She follows them, dogs their steps, harasses them, and even mocks their message. After a few days, Paul has had enough, and by the Holy Spirit He casts out that spirit which was in the woman, the evil spirit in the girl. The masters who had profited from her blasphemous gifts were incensed. They dragged Paul and Silas into court and charged them with sedition. Paul and Silas then, without trial, were immediately beaten and thrown into prison. and that in the custody of a jailer who was none too kind to them.

    God had no intention of leaving his servants in this circumstance, nor that jailer in his sin. At midnight, while Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns in the midst of their affliction, As if God with his finger had touched Philippi specifically, an earthquake struck, apocalyptic in its dimension, shaking the citizens of that city.

    So violent was it that it sprung the prison doors and the chains of the prisoners fell off. The Lord comes in apocalyptic power and sets at liberty his people. There follows then that grand exchange between the jailer and Paul. The jailer was a superstitious and religious man. He connected the earthquake with the prisoners that were presently in his charge.

    He pleads for his life in light of this sign of divine displeasure. He cries out to Paul, what must I do to be saved, and Paul responds, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and by house.” To which the jailer responded in faith, receiving baptism with all his house and then demonstrating his faith and repentance by washing Paul and Silas’ wounds and giving to them food.

    The next day, the magistrates, the city fathers, shaken themselves by what had taken place the night previously, possibly making a connection between that earthquake and what they had done the day before, tried to cover up the injustice that they had perpetrated against Paul and Silas. The things were made all the worse in that both Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, and according to Roman law, they should not have been treated the way they were. Thus the politicians beg Paul and Silas to leave the city. Paul and Silas are willing to do that, their work there completed. So they take with them Timothy, they leave Luke behind.

    But the church in Philippi is now established, the first church in Europe. having in its number the households of Lydia and the jailer, and we assume that slave girl, since her masters have no more use for her. Although Paul leaves Philippi and moves south to Thessalonica and then Berea, comes into Achaia and to the cities of Athens and Corinth, starting new congregations as he moves along through that journey. Still there remains that special bond with the people that he has served, ministered unto, at Philippi. He will be drawn back to them at least three more times. in the dozen or so years that are left to him in his life in this world prior to his martyrdom. Twice he would visit them during his third missionary journey, that journey famous for its diaconal ministry that brought gifts from the Gentile-based churches in the West to the poor-suffering Jewish-based congregations in Palestine in the East. East has given to West, and now West ministers to the East.” There is at least one more visit from the Apostle to the Saints at Philippi, and that comes following his release from his present imprisonment, the imprisonment out of which he writes this letter to the Philippian congregation.

    That latter occasion is alluded to in 1 Timothy 3.1, Philippi possibly becoming the site from which Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy. The bond, then, between the apostle and these people, this church, a special bond indeed. and that for more reasons than what would be evidence from the regular visits Paul pays to these people, that even for more reasons than the fact that the Philippian church is the first congregation on European soil, of all the churches either started by Paul or in which he had a hand, it would be only the church at Philippi that is described in the manner that Paul describes it in this epistle. That’s why we went back and we read from the beginning of the epistle this morning, particularly the fifth verse of that first chapter. In the King James Version, we are told in that fifth verse that these Philippians had fellowship in the gospel with Paul. The New International Version speaks of it as a partnership in the gospel, and the New American Standard speaks of a participation in the gospel.

    Not that the other churches didn’t have a bond with Paul through which they were seen as active in his ministry, but Philippi was alone in contributions to Paul. It’s almost as if Paul allowed this congregation, this congregation only, to give to his support.

    He turning down gifts from other churches or refusing to take money for his ministry amongst various peoples. These gifts, then, were given to Paul personally. They were given out of love, they were given to him so that he might be relieved in his ministry of the Word. Such gifts to Paul from these Philippians were the rule from the very first. So we moved on to the fourth chapter of Philippians, and particularly that fifteenth verse, where Paul says, At the first preaching of the gospel among you, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone. And as if to add emphasis, Paul goes on to point out that they did not even wait for him to leave Macedonia, since more than one gift came to him. while he was in Thessalonica.

    Spontaneous, generous, unique in quality, unique in the demonstration of love. That’s as it had been, but time has now passed some ten years. Not that the Philippians are any less spontaneous or generous. In fact, as we have repeatedly pointed out, this letter which we have in the New Testament was written on the occasion of another gift that had come to the Philippians.

    But that gift, despite Paul’s gratefulness for it, gives evidence of something else besides the love that had originally animated this church. Something threatens that very love. Something threatens the precious and honored history of this congregation and its formulation. Something threatens the charter of this church as Europe’s first. the bond that exists between this church and Paul, this church and Christ.

    Not that these Philippians don’t proclaim Christ, not that Christ isn’t preached at Philippi, but in this, the Philippians are not much different from the enemies Paul encounters in Rome, of which he spoke in the first chapter. And like those enemies of Paul in Rome, these Philippians, too, are presently boiling over in envy and contentiousness, born of selfishness.

    Truly, Paul will rejoice that Christ is preached. Chapter 1, verse 18, he will rejoice that Christ is preached, but it isn’t enough that Christ be preached. Paul goes on in verse 21 of that first chapter to say that Christ must be lived. For to me, to live is Christ. And living Christ means the giving of one’s self.

    And that without reservation, with integrity, There is then an inhibition, a restriction that is working its way in upon the Philippians, so that their gift, while lavish, threatens their very life. All gifts are good, are they not? Just the act of giving is a commendable activity, is it not? Not so! Not so, says Scripture. Not so, says Paul. Not so, says Christ.

    This gift threatens their very lives. And what threatened those Philippian Christians becomes a spiritual cancer that is liable to invade the entirety of the Church that takes form in the West, so that what is given back to those in the East is marked and marred by the selfishness and the envy and the ambition and self-righteousness of those who extend the gift.

    And we now, we of the West, have great wealth, we in this nation have great wealth. We make large contributions, we give lavishly, but do these gifts themselves bear testimony to the undoing of the apostolic ministry and Christ’s gospel, in that they do not carry with them the prelude of the gift of ourselves, and that without reservation. Such giving is after the senility of Christ, who gave himself for us. But where do we find ourselves presently?

    Are East and West then pitted over against one another even as far as the Church is concerned? Incapable of ministering to one another anymore because of the suspicions and the greed that lies within them? move, it seems, beyond those primal hostilities, even if those primal hostilities have overtaken and infected the Church, for presently the Church, even in its Western expression, considering it alone, is being ripped apart by the conflicts of race and nationality and sex, so that all that concerns us is our rights, our interests, and what advantages may be gained for us through our gifts, our contributions. We have become ecclesiastical lobbyists. This is not the way of Jesus Christ. And we who know this must plead with Christ’s Spirit that we may show concretely that we know that this is not the way of Christ.

    By our giving and by our living. For we live Christ and we must give like Christ. Our Father in Heaven, how great you are, how great your gift, how you give yourself how you do not hold back, how there is no inhibition in you, so that you give yourself without reserve, offering up yourself in your Son for those you love. Lord, there may be a cancer at work in our piety, even in our acts of charity. in the contributions that we have given today, in that they are not preceded by the offering of ourselves. Forgive us, Lord. Help us, O God, that in acknowledging the truth about ourselves we would find help in you. the wonderful things spoken of the Philippian saints. Gain the victory, yes, for them, but for us, if thou, as he who began a good work in us, completes it unto the day of Christ Jesus. Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • What Athletes Get Wrong About 4:13

    What Athletes Get Wrong About 4:13

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, April 18, 1993.

    About this sermon

    Sports celebrities’ popular use of ‘I can do all things through Christ’ gets a direct correction here, read against what Paul actually means by his own sufficiency in Christ. 2 Corinthians 8 supplies Paul’s fuller theology of generous giving as the real context for that sufficiency. Giving ourselves the way Christ gave himself, more than achieving personal victories, is what 4:13 is actually about.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning we are reading from 2 Corinthians chapter 8, beginning with verse 1. We are reading the first nine verses before we turn to Philippians chapter 4. I am reading from the New American Standard Version. Hear the word of God. We wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

    For I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty. for the favor of participating in the support of the Saints. And this, not as we expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. Consequently, we urge Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.” Then Philippians 4, reading verses 10-14, But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now, at last, you have revived your concern for me.

    Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.”

    In the locker room prior to the most recent Super Bowl, a group of Dallas Cowboys gathered in a huddle all their own. It was a holy huddle, as they are being called these days, one in which players get together before an important contest for the purpose of prayer. Throughout the National League playoff series, a number of pirates, led by Andy Van Slyke and others, gathered for prayer and Bible study for the purpose of encouraging one another in light of the pressures that they were experiencing in that playoff series. Religious professional athletes often a bewilderment to the media, and that these guys take over the tube and are bold and vocal about their own personal faith. From Earl Kershizer to Darryl Strawberry, from George Foreman to Frank Reich, These Christian sports celebrities are taking on.

    Center stage. Many among the ranks of the press and the public, however, continue to be skeptical. They think this only Joe stuff, but one more indication of just how superstitious athletes are. Never step on a foul line. Always cross yourself before you go to bed. Greek athletes prayed and sacrificed to their gods. Modern American athletes do the same.

    My purpose this morning is not to assess this growing phenomenon. My intention is not to skew the critics, nor is it to praise these athletes for their religious courage, or even to analyze their theology, their orthodoxy. That’s a little bit more than I could fit into an introduction. It would not be wise, either, since the whole matter is more complex than just condemning the unconverted and justifying or vindicating the pious. There are more reasons than just the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s smallness for why professional Christian athletes do not find their way into the ranks of our denomination.

    I can think of one, by the way, the Fourth Commandment. My interest this morning in this matter, by way of introduction, is because there is a special relationship between professional Christian athletes and the book of Philippians. What happens to be a favorite among Christian athletes, if we judge their preferences by their public statements. In fact, it seems that Philippians contains the all-time favorite verse for professional Christian athletes.

    Philippians 4.13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. This verse proves very helpful, so say some of these athletes when facing particularly serious situations, like an important career move, or a Super Bowl, or a National League Championship series. Also, this text proves to be quite versatile. useful not only for getting, as they say, pumped to achieve their best, but it also comes in handy when you experience defeat, disappointment, and terrible embarrassment.

    It seems then that Philippians 4.13 is the verse for all seasons, football, basketball, baseball, hockey.

    Actually, Paul’s intentions in this verse are quite different from those who see in it the promise for achieving new heights in the professional world. The intentions of Paul in this verse are quite different from those who see in it an antidote to post-defeat doldrums and blues.

    Believe it or not, Paul’s interests here concerned things that are more important than professional achievement, be it even a Stanley Cup or a Super Bowl ring. Paul is concerned with the issues of life and death. He is concerned with matters relating to heaven and hell. Paul speaks as he does here in the fourth chapter. He speaks here about what is at work in him. What is all important and at work in him.

    And also about that which has been at work in these Philippians. In this regard, then, Paul’s comments here at the end of the fourth chapter will round out what Paul said at the beginning of this epistle, the famous text, chapter one, verse six. I am persuaded that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” As to his own case, Paul here expresses his absolute certainty about his sufficiency in Christ.

    He is stating that he has all that he needs in Christ, and because of that, he is content. He says as much. Verse 11 of that fourth chapter, I have learned to be content whatever my circumstances. He goes on in the next verse, I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity.

    When he says that he can do all things in Christ who strengthens him, in that thirteenth verse he has in mind his ability to be content, to get along with little, to handle much, The all things spoken of here in that thirteenth verse is truly meant to be comprehensive, but in the sense that it begins where the Apostle begins in his own priorities and estimations of himself. For beginning where the Apostle begins, having his priorities, lends to one the ability to deal with everything. But where exactly does the apostle begin? What is his priority?

    To understand the precise nature of what Paul here has in mind, we must remember that his comments at this point rise off the background of that gift recently sent to him by the Philippian church. That gift, in fact, is at the center of this epistle, so that we might call this epistle an extended thank-you note. The gift had come from them by way of a man named Epaphroditus, a gift meant to minister to Paul while Paul was languishing in a Roman jail. But there was a problem with the gift. As Paul speaks here, we’re not to think that he isn’t appreciative. He gives up to his appreciation. He qualifies that appreciation. But yes, he is deeply appreciative. He is grateful. But still, there is a problem with the gift. The problem is this.

    Paul wishes this gift that has been given to him to prove to be of profit to the Philippians. The great problem is that having given the gift the gift itself then will not profit those who have given it. But what profit is there to be derived for the giver by giving a gift? Is it just the satisfaction that you have been kind, that you have recognized the need and that you have responded to it in some fashion? read in the most natural way, isn’t the profit to be derived by the one who receives the gift. But so much is it Paul’s concern that the Philippians profit from the gift that they give, that they gain the profit from that gift, the increase from it. that Paul then presents himself as one who is essentially not in need of that gift at all. Not that I speak with respect to want. I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. I know how to be abased and how to abound. He speaks then as one essentially not in need of that gift.

    What is the profit from a gift if the one who received it is not in need of it? The profit is this, the opportunity that gift affords for the gift of oneself. Paul maintains his contentment, his sufficiency in Christ for the very purpose of encouraging these Christian saints in the gift of themselves. He stands in need of nothing. and thus the value of the gift registers upon and in the giver in direct proportion to how much the giver has given in that gift himself. Is this not what happens when we give gifts to God? God stands in need of nothing. and thus the value of our gifts to God actually register upon us, not in terms of the value of the gift or its material value, but in terms of how the gift testifies to the offering of ourselves to God, the giving of ourselves to Him. And it is precisely here that the value of the gift is estimated. We can go further. It says, if in God’s ministry to us, as God would give to us, There is included the way in which our gifts to him benefit us.

    Now, his service of love to these Philippians includes the way in which their gifts to him, rather than benefiting him, benefit them. With such an attitude by the one receiving the gift also forces the giver to consider the perfections of God when he gives. For not only does God receive our gifts, he also gives and that in such a way to impress upon us the gift of himself. Thanks be to God. for his indescribable. Actually, there was a time when the Philippians were doing much better with all of this. given to the collection that Paul was collecting for the sake of the poor saints in Jerusalem.

    Most specifically, then, what Paul has to say in 2 Corinthians 8.5 applies to these Philippian people.

    He says of them, gave themselves to the Lord and to us according to the will of God. Originally they had it right, but now they have slipped, and Paul in his letter is pressing upon them once more that priority. that they gave first. They gave first themselves to God and to others, according to the will of God. This, in fact, is exactly what is working itself out now in Paul, as he would call them back to that which they had originally. The Philippians had understood what giving was all about, and in their giving they had even imitated God, who gave himself to them in Jesus Christ. But here are the apostles.

    Such giving is possible through, even better, only in Christ who strengthens us. Let us pray. that in our receiving our interest would be the benefit to the giver, that in our giving we might give ourselves, that in this, Lord, there would be wonderfully reflected in us the very life of our God, how it is that you have given yourself to us. Our Father, in our gifts to you, do you not intend that they should abound in good for us? How marvelous your love! We, then, Lord, would first of all give ourselves to you and to others. and in this spirit conduct our affairs. We thank you for the work of Christ in us, that your spirit has been at work within our souls to encourage us to give in this very fashion. And insofar as we receive May we increasingly, Lord, see ourselves as an extension of the Apostle, as he in the faith’s God himself. And this for the well-being of your Church, the increase of love. We pray it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Cybele, Dionysus, and Paul’s Christianity

    Cybele, Dionysus, and Paul’s Christianity

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, March 7, 1993.

    About this sermon

    Paul wrote into a Roman world shaped by Cybele, the mystery religions, and the cult of Dionysus, and that background matters. The modern church has pagan practices of its own, and they pose a live danger. Against all of it Paul preaches self-sacrifice, the opposite of what those religions offered.

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    Sermon transcript

    We begin our scripture reading this morning with Psalm 115. Listen to the word of God. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth’s sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

    They have mouths, but they speak not. Eyes have they, but they see not. They have ears, but they hear not. Noses have they, but they smell not. They have hands, but they handle not. Feet have they, but they walk not, neither speak they through their throats.

    They that make them are like unto them, so is everyone that trusteth in them. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord, he is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield. Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield. The Lord hath been mindful of us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them that fear the Lord, those small and great.

    The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children. You are blessed of the Lord, which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s, but the earth he hath given to the children of men. The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence, but we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the Lord.”

    I know both how to be a base, and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I am instructed, or I have learned the secret of both to be full and to be hungry. both to abound and to suffer need. Father, it is no small thing that your word is preached, and what man would take such a responsibility to himself? O Lord, may the calling of your servants be confirmed in the proclamation which is given, and that in keeping with your word. O Father, we ask that we might be receptive today to hear your word as it is given to us. May that word come to us truly. Bless your church, O Father, with those who are workers in your harvest indeed, those who are true to their calling, true to you, true to the gospel. For Jesus’ sake, amen.

    In the year 204 B.C., during the darkest, most dismal days of the Carthaginian invasion It was an invasion of another sort that took place for Rome. It didn’t come from the south, it didn’t come from Africa, it didn’t come from across the Mediterranean. It came from the east, from Phrygia, from Asia Minor. It came as a result of an oracle that had been consulted with respect to Rome’s future That Oracle had prescribed that the black meteor of Pessinus, the sacred object for the cult of Cybele, should be brought to Rome in order to reverse the fortunes of that city. But with the sacred object also came the religion, the religion of Cybele.

    Now, to be sure, the Romans themselves recognize just how vile a religion this was. Therefore, this religion was in a sense outlawed, kept on the fringe of Roman society for over two centuries by official governmental decree. even though Romans were greatly influenced by it, and some even secretly were involved with it. But it was finally during the reign of Claudius, of I Claudius fame, about ten years, a decade before, Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians that the ban was lifted and the religion of Sibyl was recognized as legitimate. The Sibylle religion was indeed very powerful, but it was also very nasty.

    Sibylle, C-Y-B-E-L-L-E, is a goddess. She is the wife of Kronos, the god of time. She is considered to be the mother of all gods. In the Asian version of her myth, she becomes extremely jealous over a handsome young man named Atos. Atos wishes to marry, thus causing jealousy. As punishment, she overpowers him with madness, after which he mutilates himself and dies.

    The worshipers attached to this myth endeavored to capture within themselves the fierce and extreme emotions of these two mythical figures. And as you might well imagine, this led to wild orgies and frenzied worship, characterized by ornate, elaborate ritual, blood rites, and even self-mutilation in imitation of Hades.

    But the Sibeli religion was hardly extraordinary in the ancient world. It was hardly extraordinary in the first century in which our Savior lived during his days in the flesh, in which the Apostle Paul lived. This religion was among many, the Egyptian religions, the Asian religions, the Syrian religions that came to be known as the mystery religions. These religions virtually overran the Roman world in the first century. These mystery religions were so called because these religions profess the essence of religious mystery and the secrets of religion were revealed to the initiates or candidates undergoing elaborate ceremonies through which then they would enter into the cults. These mystery religions were distinct amongst religions that were respectable within the empire because they reached out beyond the intellect and belonged essentially and completely to the world of sensuality and to the emotional dimension of the personality. In fact, the senses and the emotions were believed to be revelatory, a means by which then one had intimate contact with the gods themselves. What can account for the appeal of these mystery religions in the first century? Their appeal was due in no small way to the character of Roman religion and Greek religion.

    Roman religion was official. It’s the best way to describe it. It was perfunctory. It was formal. and was pulled down. Had more to do with political loyalty than any real. Religious order. Great religion, on the other hand, had made its appeal even to the Romans. Who came after them. The Greek religion survives even the great empire. It makes its impact upon Roman society. For the Greek gods were so lifelike, so human. They were so close to the people. They even acted like the people. They even sinned like the people. You could feel real comfortable in the company of those gods.

    And these Greek gods inspired more religious zeal and warmth than the official Roman religion of the Empire. While there was this degree of warmth and zeal In Greek religion, it still remained classical temperament. The Greeks loved the form of their God. They loved the shape of the contour. And when everything was said and done for the Greeks. Religion remained somewhat abstract and intellectual.

    But there was a premonition of what was coming in the mystery religions amongst the Greeks. That came to them from the North, from Thrace. From the regions proximate to Macedonia and the territory of Philippi, in view here was the god Dionysus. Dionysus had invaded Greece, and so there was something even within Greek religion that was anticipating the rise of the mystery religions that would come.

    Now, understand Dionysus. It is a mistake to say that Dionysus is equal to the Roman god Bacchus, the god of wine, as if Dionysus was merely a god of revelry. No, no, no, no, no. This God of praise was much more inclusive in the domain with respect to his religion. Dionysus was the God who ensured the removal of all inhibition, all restraints. particularly like your personality. A little bit too reserved? Embarrassed by your own shyness? We have the answer for you. We have a God who will encourage you to cast it all to the wind. Be yourself. for the removal of all of your inhibitions. Dionysus then enlisted many in his cult. His cult was especially adept at the development of dance through which one shed one’s inhibitions. in which you could act, leave your inhibitions aside, offstage.

    These forms then especially developed in their religious form in the Dionysus cult. All of this then moving for that more intimate contact with the God. that more vital communion with the gods, not being left at a distance, but being brought right into contact with the divine forces. We are now able to see why the mystery religions gained such popularity in the Greek and Roman world. The people were looking for something much more intimate. The trail had been blazed by certain barbarian cults, and especially by the Dionysian cult. So powerful were these religions, these mystery religions, however, according to some, so much have they permeated the entirety of the Gentile world in that first century that Paul himself, born within Gentile territory in Tarsus, could not help but be greatly affected by those religions. In fact, it was popular at the turn of the century for some to go so far as to say that the world of the mystery religions provided the background out of which Paul constructed his own version of Christianity, thus gaining immediate access into the world of Gentile thought and practice. The mystery religions had elaborate order of ceremonies, washings, and even what some have identified as sacramental meals, all of which were intended to seal the bond of intimacy with the gods.

    They seem to have all held to some form of personal immortality. They banked on the themes of death and rebirth, resuscitation, reincarnation. Even some have suggested resurrection. The mystery cults also espouse some form of spiritual transformation for the present life, so that the powers that were gained through communion with the gods were actually yours as you walked through your life day by day.

    This transformation of life belonged to those who were the select few or the initiated, who came to know the mysteries or the secrets that belonged to the essence of life. And in what we have said, the description we have given, we can see parallels and similarities between these mystery religions and Paul’s gospel.

    Paul will, in fact, speak about baptism and the Lord’s Supper. He will speak about these sacraments as means by which our union with Christ is sealed unto us in the Spirit. He is also the constant advocate, the advocate par excellence of that great fellowship which we enjoy in Christ and with God. He speaks continually in such a manner that we might conclude that this is the base of his entire doctrine. He speaks continually of death and resurrection with respect to Christ and our participation in that death and resurrection. We restored by way of Christ’s death and resurrection and preserved for eternity.

    On one occasion, he goes so far as to say our life is hid with Christ in God. The ultimate statement with respect to communion. He speaks as well of spiritual transformation affected in the present life. He speaks of mystery. He talks of mystery, this way the mystery kept secret for long ages past, but now disclosed to God’s saints in the gospel events of Christ’s life, death, resurrection.

    Gospel events of life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Boldly states in Philippians 4 verse 12, that he has found out the secret of the contented life. I know how to get along with humble means, he writes. I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. However, it should be clear to us.

    Just how far removed the apostle in his religious expression is from the expressions of the mystery religion. Paul is fierce in his monotheism. He could never give quarter to the politics and syncretic religion. Of the first century. With respect to his old testament roots again and again grounding himself there. Christianity for Paul could have no affinity with the frenzy. the crime practiced by the mystery religions in the ceremonial reenactment. In their liturgical dances. In their religious drama. I hope you all caught that. If you have any question as to what is happening to the church today, I plead with you to go back and study what was going on in the first century.

    Theurgical dance does not have its origin in Christianity. It has its origin in paganism. Religious drama does not have its origin in Christianity. It has its origin in paganism. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Paul espoused worship characterized by symbolism and ritualism. And those churches that pursue those things are not pursuing a New Testament perspective on the worship of God. There is no evidence whatsoever that Paul espoused worship characterized by symbolism and ritualism such as marked distinctively the religious practices of the pagans. Nor does his gospel operate at the mythical or personal psychological level as does the mystery religions.

    Instead, his gospel operates self-consciously at the historical plane where Christ, the eternal Son of God, enters as man to redeem sinners, even idolaters, through his actual historical death upon a real cross and literal bodily resurrection. In fact, we can say, contrary to those who have said that Paul’s religion is grounded in paganism, Paul’s religion was presented as an answer to that very paganism.

    Even Philippians 4.12 and its vocabulary, which seems so blatantly dependent upon the mystery false, I have learned the secret, Paul writes. This statement by the Apostle is actually a devastating indictment of paganism, and a response to it. So what was at the heart of these pagan and mystery religions, above all else These religions were inwardly directed.

    What was the frenzy all about? It was completely self-centered. You worked yourself into a state because of the benefit that that state meant for you. The mystery religions were completely self-absorbed and self-focused. The mysteries and the secrets that they boasted of were conceived of as purely for personal benefit.

    Someone else’s satisfaction was never the objective. The objective was your satisfaction. And I might add that this was pervasive with respect to every aspect of religious practice. No offering, no gift was viewed selflessly. The goal was always personal benefit. I give to you because of what I can get from it.

    Even if it’s just a good feeling. Now, it has to be admitted that at first glance, the way in which Paul speaks about the secret that he has come to know seems to be full of self-sufficiency, as if he is a very well self-satisfied man. I have learned the secret of being full and hungry simultaneously, and I don’t need anything. In fact, I don’t need you. But that is indeed a misreading. For the sufficiency of which Paul speaks, as if he were in need of nothing, is actually a sufficiency that it expresses itself for the sake of the Philippians.

    The pagan spirit that is a threat to these people and remains a threat to the present day would drive these and us to give theirs and our gifts to others for what profit we might and they might get out of that giving. But the apostle speaks as if he personally derives no benefit from the gift. In fact, it is offered along these lines. Since the gift is offered along these lines in the mind of the givers has value above all else, only as it benefits them.

    So what possible benefit could it have for him? Paul’s secret, then, into which he has been initiated is his ability in Christ to stand beyond need in need of nothing. And this is true even when he is the one reversing the situation, even if he is the one who would then give the gift rather than receive it, as he is doing presently from the Philippians. He, then, who needs nothing, sufficient as he is in Christ, derides nothing from the giving of a gift, and thus the giving of the gift must be purely and wholly for the sake of those who receive it.

    There is no other benefit. There is no other benefit. Now we can very easily get ourselves into the swapping turkey mentality that overtakes the beneficence of the church. I’ll give you a turkey if you give me one. and I won’t give you one because you haven’t given me one. I’m not going to do anything good for you because you haven’t done anything good for me. I’m not going to give anything to you because I realize there’s no benefit that I can realize from giving anything to you. Now let me suggest to you adding and subtracting turkeys ends up at zero.

    He who then is sufficient in Christ who needs nothing derives nothing from the giving of the gift. And thus the giving of the gift must be purely and fully for the sake of those. For the sake of those who receive. And this is not what we find in Jesus Christ. The incarnation of the true God. was one who stands over against the self-absorbed preoccupations of paganism. Oh, to be sure, our Christ comes into the personal inheritance promised to him, the reward and the blessing, but only through the secret of self-sacrifice. Jesus says, he who would gain his life must lose it. Here is a religion expressed by Jesus that no self-respecting pagan would embrace.

    Let’s pray. O Lord, do be patient with us, with us all. We ask, Lord, that we might realize the great sufficiency of Christ that we might also understand the nature of self-sacrifice and the abandonment that is in view in that self-sacrifice. Our Savior who gives himself for the benefit that that self-sacrifice will grant to us, O Lord, May we be pleased to give ourselves selflessly for the sake of the benefit that accrues to those to whom the gift is given. Truly, this is giving indeed. For Jesus’ sake, amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Refuting Stoicism

    Refuting Stoicism

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 28, 1993.

    About this sermon

    Greek philosophy discovered the individual, and in 4:10-13 Paul refutes Stoicism’s famous self-sufficiency head-on. 1 Corinthians 1 gives Paul’s wider critique of worldly wisdom. Christian philosophy turns believers out of themselves toward Christ, the opposite of Stoic self-sufficiency.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning we are reading, first of all, from 1 Corinthians. This is 1 Corinthians chapter 1, and we begin at verse 18. Let us hear the Word of God. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

    For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God.

    It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

    Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see, your calling, brethren, that how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And the base things of the world, and things which are despised, God hath chosen yea, and the things which are not. to bring to naught things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written, he that gloryeth Let him more.

    And then from Philippians chapter four. Verses ten through thirteen. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly. But now at the last. Your care for me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of that, for I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound everywhere, and in all things I am instructed, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Our God. We know of the greatness of your word. Surely the greatness of Christ, the living word, convinces us of this. What a power.

    What a protection. your children in various places in this world, then turning to your word and receiving in that word incomparable blessing. People in Eastern Africa, people in Eastern Europe, peoples throughout Asia, where the stand for the gospel is costly and where some have even given their lives for the sake of Christ. The truth of your word is more important to your people than anything else. Some of your people then have been constrained to live with the threat of terror day by day and the awesome threat of terrorism. Now, Lord, may well be that our own land will be struck not just once but repeatedly by such terrorist attacks. As far as we are concerned, may we stand with our brothers and sisters throughout the world upon the word of God, having settled the matter of our own future. Though there is the fear, may there also be the confidence that your people are secure. May this fact dawn upon many that they may turn from their sin, and embrace Jesus Christ. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

    In the 5th century BC, About the time that Malachi the prophet was ministering in Jerusalem to the West, the glorious golden vision of Greek culture had suffered incredible and devastating reversal. Now that incredible and devastating reversal came as a result of a 30-year war, the so-called Peloponnesian War, the struggles that took place between the great Greek city-states, first Athens and Sparta, but then later on Thebes brought into the fray. Now, out of the ashes of that conflict, there arose the attempt to revive the old order, the glory days.

    The philosopher Plato, in the next century, the fourth century B.C., became the master architect for the rebuilding of the Republic. That, in fact, was the title of one of his works. Plato used as his model the teachings of his enigmatic master, Socrates. Socrates and Plato were those who had been overtaken by, then, the destruction of a world which they had revered.

    Their hope was, with respect to corporate life, the life of the people in community, one with another. But at the same time, Ironically, Socrates and those who came after him put in motion the modern world. And particularly, they put in motion the modern world through the discovery of the individual.

    Now, regardless of the content of Socrates’ philosophy, a subject about which there continues to be speculation and intense debate, this much is certain. He had isolated the thinking personality and saw this isolation as the necessary and reasonable conclusion to the search for virtue. After all, virtue itself is knowledge. That is, knowledge personally, individually held, arrived at by way of careful individual and personal definition.

    Plato, Socrates’ student, may well have worked hard for the revival of the Greek city-state. However, at the same time, he deepened the individualism of his teacher and mentor. Above all, Plato expressed his unswerving faith in the capacity of the individual human mind to attain to absolute truth, and to use that truth for the reasonable direction of all human life and affairs. Now, after Plato, there came Aristotle. Plato’s pupil. And he would press the insights and the conclusions of Plato further.

    He would do so in the interests of the demands of rigorous logic and the scientific method. A method which he boasted capable of granting the individual a comprehensive knowledge of all the affairs of life. Now, of course, at the center of things, there was this individualism, but In all honesty, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle each believed their positions to be in line with society’s best ambitions and finest aspirations. But not all of those who followed along this trail from these great philosophers were so positive about the certainties into which philosophy could lead the individual thinking personality. Nor were they especially high on the value of community life, as if it were then a sort of conglomeration of fine and inspired individual thinking personalities, all reputable to be sure.

    The skeptics essentially said this, get serious. How do you know what’s true and right? Who do you think you are, anyway? I don’t care if your name is Property. And with that attitude, they basically dropped out. But you will note that the skeptics assumed the arguments of those that they were attempting to refute. Since they were perfectly confident and sure that there could be no confidence and certainty. There were also the cynics. They were led by Diogenes. In response to the classic philosophers, they took it upon themselves to re-educate the world to the glories of barbarism. The story is told about Diogenes. He was eating one day and observed a fellow eating with his hands. Diogenes, however, was eating with a fork. decided then and there that he was a slave of custom and threw his fork away.

    Why should I let propriety, custom, and convention determine for me what’s right and wrong? These, however, also assume the basic point that had been established by the great philosophers human personality individually was at the center. They concluded, though, that this human individual personality has no authority outside of itself whatsoever, and was bound then to express itself, if it were to be true to itself, according to its own nature. and therefore convention and the restrictions of society must be cast to the wind. Truly, the virtuous life was that life lived independent of all factors and events external to the human personality. Now, this rather raw approach to life, you can see, had to be countered. had to be tamed down if it was going to sell in the marketplace. And that task was left to the stillers.

    They too were disillusioned by the collapse of the former Greek city-states. They too believed in the autonomy of the human personality and with the skeptics and the cynics declared their independence from all external factors and events. But their interest was not in a resignation before what they determined to be the unknowable, as was the case of the skeptics, nor was their response a militant assault upon the standards of society. as we see in the cynics, rather their interest as expressed in their leader, a fellow by the name of Zeno, was personal happiness that could be attained only by way of rigorous self-discipline through which the individual could gain mastery over his passions and emotions and become oblivious to external events and factors. your personal world may be crumbling. In fact, the entire world may be going to hell. No mind, all is well inside in your world of placid tranquility.

    Well, as you know, the hopes of the philosophers were not realized, the Greek glories were not revived, although the influence of Greek culture was spread far and wide, strangely, by a barbarian named Alexander. This meant then that the insights of the Greeks, the commitments of the Greeks, would survive the Greeks themselves. Beyond Alexander’s empire and its collapse, there would rise the Roman Colossus. And interestingly, in that context, the power of the philosophers continued. Oh yes! for the greater good. Nevertheless, always from the foundation of the independent, autonomous human personality, which had the right inherently to define everything, means then that the power of the philosophers persisted. And specifically, the powers of the Stoics continue.

    For the Stoical philosophy had a particular champion among the Romans, a figure no less than Cicero. Because of Cicero then admired throughout the empire, and particularly in the world of the first century, The century in which our Savior lived, the century in which Paul presently writes, admired throughout the empire was the individual ability to stand unperturbed and aloof in the face of all crisis. Essentially unaffected by events and factors. be it the collapse of your city, or the destruction of the empire, or even death itself.

    Now, on a casual look, it might appear as if the apostle himself had drunk deeply of the wine of stoicism. On the surface of things, it may appear as if, well, here is one individual who has definitely mastered the Grimm and Barrett philosophy of Zeno and Cicero. After all, here’s one by his own testimony who seemed to be oblivious to the unfortunate things that were overtaking him. He was in chains, he was in bonds, he was in prison presently. Here is one who seemed to be implacable in the face of death.

    Here is one who said, in fact, Using apparently stoic vocabulary to say it, I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” As if he had lifted it right out of a text from Zena, or Sister Rose. He expands on it a bit in the following verse. We are here in Philippians 4, 11 and 12. language is a bit expanded in the twelfth verse and includes something more than just stoical impressions, but he states, there I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry simultaneously.

    Was Paul then stoical? Had Paul been in some sense embrace the spirit of his age? Had he taken in, breath by breath, the atmosphere that permeated the Roman world at that time? Had he mastered, even maybe better than the philosophers themselves, their philosophy? Was he better at their game than they were? All the Stoics?

    No. In fact, in these very verses, we are face-to-face with a masterful reputation of that very philosophy. Now, recognize that that philosophy had understandably gained ground in the Roman Empire as the empire began to show signs of age and of unraveling, crumbling even. In addition to that, and as far as the Christians at Philippi were concerned, this philosophy with its individualism and its inwardness was beginning to look more and more attractive to them, especially in light of the hostility that they were presently experiencing at the hands of the Empire.

    How am I going to protect myself? psychologically, emotionally. How am I going to protect myself? I need a philosopher. So why not Sisley? Christianity is fine as far as it goes. I mean, I really enjoy the message of the cross. Forgiveness of sins to be found there, the promise of resurrection and eternal life. But I need something presently that will help me cope. Paul is indeed calm and serene. He is a man who can say with all integrity that he knows the peace of God, verse seven of that fourth chapter, and that he also knows the God of peace, verse nine of that chapter.

    But Paul is anything but a self-centered, self-assured stoic, advertising his personal self-sufficient imperturbability. That doesn’t happen to be the content. As a matter of fact, this man isn’t even implacable. He seems visibly moved and expressive. His emotion seemingly without restraint, he says in the tenth verse of that fourth chapter, he rejoices greatly. That’s not the language of the story. They don’t do such things.

    Not only that, he calls the Philippians repeatedly to do the same. Rejoice in the Lord always and again, I say. And what we do with the sarcasm we find in the next two verses, verses eleven and twelve. Paul goes after the Philippians because he wants to goad them. They attempted to think more of their gift to him than they ought to. But his sarcasm in those verses is hardly the kind of thing that would appeal to Stoics. because it both expresses and invites too much emotion. And finally, and most importantly, that thirteenth verse. Above all, Paul’s sufficiency is in no sense in himself.

    Instead, it is in Him. That is, it is in Christ. The King James Version at this point does us the favor of supplying the word Christ. Our modern translations don’t carry that through. That that is in fact the one who is in you. But as well as the King James does with regard to that, in supplying for us the word Christ, it doesn’t quite go far enough. We might misunderstand the preposition. The preposition through. The actual preposition in the Greek is in. You see what the Apostle then is saying. He is saying that he can do all things in Christ, that is, in vital union with Christ, who strengthens him.

    In other words, what the Apostle is saying before these Philippians, tempted though they may be by the stoicism of the Roman world, as the answer to their problems. What the Apostle is actually setting before these Philippians is just the opposite of that philosophy. He has not then one turned in upon himself in order that he might find a haven in which he would ever be protected from all those threatening events and factors of life. Rather, Paul is turned out.

    He is finding the foundation for all definition, for all meaning outside of himself. He is turning out toward Christ for the sake of union with this One. And note this one to whom he is turned. He is turned to the one who is himself turned out for Paul. For union with him and all who would, in fact, confess a similar confession. unto the end of a consummate, glorious world of heavenly order.

    It is now that we begin to understand that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is revealing for us a full range of effectiveness and application. Oh yes, it will deal with those Judaistic aspects that come and flatten the Church, dragging the Church back into a world of external form and ritualistic performance. A world that then imposes carnal works upon the conscience of God’s people with a message of salvation by works. But it won’t be merely for the sake of addressing those Jewish aspects. No, there is the comprehensiveness to the message of the gospel. It will also deal with the self-satisfied philosophers and their philosophies, who turn in upon themselves and make themselves the source and the foundation of all predication. Not just Jewish religionists, but Greek philosophers. Those Greek philosophers, in the end, so turning inward that the very existence of God becomes a moot point, and hardly relevant.

    Who needs them? We are told repeatedly then by the Apostle Paul in his writings that these philosophers and their philosophies then will have nothing but outward contempt. Nothing but contempt rather for the outward turn that is evident in Jesus Christ who died for sins. Here is the height of foolishness. And this foolishness is compounded immeasurably by the life of those who would follow after this Jesus, who would themselves give up their lives, turning outward in self-sacrifice for the sake of others.

    The philosophers say, Along with the Stoics, I can do all things in and through myself, I being the source of my own strength. We said, with the Apostle Paul, I can do all things through and in vital union with Christ, who strengthens me. If there is to be boast for us, O Lord, may we boast in you. If there is to be that quest for the foundation of all definition and meaning, may we hold fast to our Savior, that we would have truly a Christian philosophy grounded in Jesus Christ, who is the theoretical wisdom of God. Oh Lord, how your wisdom is made plain in this one who died for us, and was raised for our justification on the third day. May we stand with Him, but more, may we stand in Him. Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Give Yourselves, Not Just a Gift

    Give Yourselves, Not Just a Gift

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 21, 1993.

    About this sermon

    Paul draws the Philippians into his own ordeal, and that shapes how he receives their financial gift. His attitude toward the gift is more complicated than simple gratitude. Paul wants the Philippians to give themselves.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning we are reading from Philippians chapter 4, and we begin at verse 10. Here is the word of God. But now, at the last, your care of me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that he did communicate with my affliction Now, ye Philippians, know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For then, for even in Thessalonica, ye sent once and again unto my necessity, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”

    But I have all and abound. I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God, that my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

    Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. the brethren which are with me greet you, all the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Jesus, help them, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

    Can we estimate the power of your word? Oh God, you spoke and it was done. We might even resist you with all the power of hell. But even that cannot resist the greatness of your word. Oh Lord, with your powerful word you have given us rebirth, and with that word now you sustain us. We bless you in that you have communicated to us your word. We pray, our God, that we may be grateful. In Jesus’ name, amen.

    Believe it or not, the conclusion to Paul’s letter to the Philippians is the very best wine. You recall the remarks of the head waiter at the wedding at Cana, that the bridegroom had kept the best wine until the end of the feast? Paul, the apostle has reserved the best until now.

    You might be taken back by that comment, remembering the wonderful territory that we have covered thus far in our exposition of this letter. Territory, I might say, that contain some of the very favorite biblical passages, many of which have been committed to memory by a number of Saints, a number of people here in this congregation. But that notwithstanding, I hold my ground and I am bold with respect to this claim.

    The best of the letter to the Philippians is before us now. You might object. You might say, after you have heard a reading of it, this material here at the end of the letter seems so pedestrian, so common. so particular to the Philippian situation, hardly universal, hardly applicable to us in our circumstance. It seems almost dismissible, as if it were unimportant, as if the letter could very well get along without it. Yet no section, no section of this letter rivals it for its genuine charm, its gracious, biting, still loving wit, its compact expression of the apostle’s intention all along, as he has been writing this letter, and no section rivals this one for its subtle profundity.

    By all means, then, if what I have said is true, we need to settle in to a bit more serious reflection on these verses. The first thing that I want you to notice, and this is what we will concentrate on this morning, is that Paul, here at the end, finally gets around to telling us what he’s been writing about. He finally gets around to addressing the occasion for this letter. Not that he hasn’t given us.

    For instance, in the first chapter of the fifth verse, you may want to check that he speaks about the participation which these Philippians have had in the gospel with him since the day they first believed. What Paul meant by that was that these people were so joined to him, so united to him, that he saw them participating with him in his ministry as he went about proclaiming the gospel. He goes further in the seventh verse of that first chapter, where he speaks about this union between himself and these Philippian Christians in such a way that it seems as if he sees them actually sharing in his imprisonment and trials which he is undergoing in Rome. And not only that, he also sees them as participating in the grace in which he has glory throughout the entirety of this ordeal.

    For it is only right for me to feel this way about you, he writes. because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.” But you will also note in these two verses, which we have cited from the first chapter, that the apostle fails to tell us precisely how this union between himself and the Philippians is practically, in a practical fashion, sealed.

    For us now, who read the letter later, the cat is not let out of the bag until we reach that fourth chapter and this concluding section of the letter. The truth of the matter is this. The bond is sealed between Paul and these Philippian believers by the Philippians’ gift, their contribution to his ministry, a gift for which Paul, now at the conclusion of this letter, thanks these saints. proves to be a biblical thank-you note. This is the way Paul writes his thank-you notes. You might think of your own in light of what he has done here. Now, understanding this relationship that exists between the first chapter and the fourth chapter, the occasion for the letter a little bit better. We are helped in understanding the extended personal section that appears at the end of the second chapter in Philippians. in view is particularly the twenty-fifth birth.

    But I thought it necessary, writes Paul, to send you a paphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, the word used there is apostle, your messenger and minister to my need. Paul here focuses upon this man Aphrodite, about whom he has nothing but good to say. You will note from this verse that Aphrodite is in fact an emissary, an ambassador from the church in Philippi. He has come from them He is one of their own. He is, as a matter of fact, the man through whom that Philippian congregation had sent their gift to Paul.

    But as was the case in the first chapter, so again here in the second, the gift itself is not explicitly mentioned. The gift itself is not explicitly mentioned, and the specific mention of the gift is reserved for the fourth chapter and the closing verses of the epistle. You might note that Epaphroditus is mentioned once more at the end of the epistle, the fourth chapter, the eighteenth verse. We take stock of what we find in the verses we read this morning.

    In these verses, you will note that Paul continues to keep the gift itself in the background. He will not mention it in the first chapter, even though he alludes to it. He will not mention it in the second chapter, even though he alludes to it. And now in the fourth chapter, he is very slow to speak of it directly. He builds towards a mention of the gift itself.

    The gift is in view, it is implied in verses 10 through 14. In verse fifteen, the Apostle gets a little warmer, gets a little closer to the target. He does everything but explicitly mention the gift in verse sixteen, and that’s despite what the New American Standard says. The word gift does appear in verse sixteen in the New American Standard.

    But you will note that it is in italics, it is not actually in the Greek text. It has been supplied by the translators. It is only when you reach the seventeenth verse that Paul explicitly mentions forgiveness, and from that point on he becomes quite profuse, quite eloquent in the expression of his gratitude.

    Now, you might well ask yourself why all this cat-and-mouse business? Why does the Apostle play with these Philippians with respect to this matter of the gift? Why all of this diversion? Why this delay? Why this avoidance by the Apostle persistently, consistently In mentioning the gift, it’s as if we were dealing with something here that was deliberate, well thought out. What possible purpose does this method serve?

    Now, some commentators have been so put off by Paul’s attitude at this point that they have called this section, The Apostles’ Thankless Thank You. They are amazed and baffled by his approach, which to them appears to be a bit backhanded. and even when he gets around to compliments, they seem to be qualified by negative comments. You’ll note the opening of the tenth verse, where Paul speaks about his great joy. But as you go on, it almost sounds as if the Apostle becomes tedious.

    Finally, you people, you got around to giving me a thought. Do you get the force of it there? That now, at last, you have revived your concern for me. But, of course, I understand you lacked opportunity. Now, don’t think I’m complaining. After all, it’s not as if I need anything. I’m always content, I remind you. I’ve learned the great secret of life. When I’m hungry, I’m full, and when I’m full, I’m hungry. I’m both at once fat and skinny.”

    These rather sharp and cutting remarks are meant to more than amuse those moved by a clever bit of sarcasm. There is that note of irony in them, there is a bit of tongue-in-cheek here, but all aside, they are offered in all seriousness. You see, Paul plays down the gift and even seems to mock the gift in the interests of playing up the givers.

    He would not have these dear Philippians whom he loves focus on their gift, nor be concerned for how someone may in gratitude receive it. Paul, therefore, sets the gift in the shadows. It’s almost as if he sets it aside. He allows it to be eclipsed in the interests of the real issue, namely, the gift of these people themselves. Not the gift of money which he has received, but the gift of themselves to him. The money then proving to be merely an extension of themselves, while they are the true gift.

    Do you remember how he speaks about them so endearingly at the opening of the letter, that seventh verse once more, for his right, only right, for me to feel this way about you, because I have you in my heart. He carries them about in himself. They are the true gift. They are bound to him, and he is bound to them.

    It is important for us to understand the lengths to which the Apostle will go in order to make this point to the Philippians. When we get to Philippians 4, verses 10-14 and its famous lines, I have learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content. I have learned the secret of being full and going hungry, etc. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” When we get to these verses and these familiar lines, you must not miss the Apostle’s intention here. for he wishes his words to give off a distinct air of God-like, God-like self-sufficiency.

    Let that settle in, as if Paul were partaking of the sufficiency that God has in himself. As if Paul, like God, were in need of nothing. There are any number of texts in the Old Testament that speak about God along these lines. Psalm 50 is one passage where you can find such language used with respect to God, and the number of prophets speak likewise. God doesn’t need the offerings of his people. It’s not as if he were hungry. He doesn’t stand in need of these things that they bring.

    Nevertheless, God is pleased with those offerings insofar as they are indicative of the gift of the offerer. Paul then, like God, encourages nothing short of the gift of oneself, of which all other gifts are but a token. He even goes so far as to, quote, mock, unquote, the gifts in the interests of this true gift.

    God himself will lead the way, even as it respects the matter of giving itself. God leads the way by giving to us not just things. but himself. He gives himself to us in his Son, Jesus Christ. Paul, then, like God, gives himself in his ministry. He gives himself to these saints in Christlike fashion.

    And the great thing about the gift of the Philippians to Paul, as he has been reminding them throughout this epistle, is that it is communicated to him personally. It is brought to him through this man with a funny name, Epaphroditus, who was the expression of a Christ-like sacrifice. on the part of these Philippians with respect to the Apostle in his present condition, this man then being the epitome of the fruit that increases to the Philippians’ account.

    What about your gifts? Is it your tendency to think the gift the end of the matter? As if it were the goal? As if it were something with which both God and others should be well satisfied? If that is your attitude, then God and the Apostle and I mock your gift. We don’t need it.

    But if your gift is a sign of the gift that you make of yourself, then know that your gift is a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice. well-pleasing to God, and receive this encouragement, God will supply all your need according to his riches in glory, in the gift of himself, through Jesus Christ. Our Father, keep us from that spirit that would imagine that having given a gift, we have done what was necessary, and we have done something which inherently pleases you. O God, if we are not as well giving ourselves, our gifts are worthless. But Father, bless us in this matter, that if we need to repent about our giving, we might do so in order that we might receive of you your blessing and the assurances of those riches and glory that are found nowhere else but in Christ Jesus, the one in whom we trust. You are a great gift to us. Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • What God’s Peace Isn’t

    What God’s Peace Isn’t

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 14, 1993.

    About this sermon

    Paul wrote into a real dilemma the Philippians faced before his letter arrived. God’s peace fills the letter itself as well as its content. Ephesians 2 shows that this peace outlasts every circumstance, because it is eternal.

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    Sermon transcript

    We begin our scripture reading this morning at verse 11 in Ephesians chapter 2. This is Ephesians chapter 2, verse 11. Listen to the word of God. Wherefore, remember that he being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands, that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

    But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ, for he is our peace, who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace, and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also are builted together for the habitation of God. through the Spirit.

    Then turning over to Philippians chapter four, beginning with verse six. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.” those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you.” O Father, help us in our prayers. Please instruct us, even through the ministry of your Spirit, for surely your Spirit is at work in us, making intercession for things that are in keeping with that end that you have in view for us. O God, may we trust you and know, Lord, that even though our prayers are weak and may fail, the prayers the intercession of your Spirit does not fail. O God, bless us, then, with that sense of your presence as your Spirit is with us, giving us encouragement at all times. For Jesus’ sake, amen. They are experiencing the collapse of their world. They are experiencing the virtual collapse of their world.

    The fair sunshine that they remembered doesn’t seem to shine upon them anymore. It is all but blotted out, and there is a great sense of dissatisfaction settling in upon them, and that’s not without a foreboding grief. that the old certainties, the former assurances, have all but disappeared. They are not just sad, they are frightened.

    They see former things dissolving. how they had enjoyed, at least this is their recollection of things, their reflection upon things, how they had enjoyed the life they had known. How they had delighted in their freedoms, their free access to things, the advantage of their liberties. small comforts that made up their existence. That feeling that all was well, everything was fine in their world, and if there were to be swords drawn, they would be drawn only in the defense of the comforts that they knew and the prejudices that they held. And now everything, everything seems to lay under the greatest threat. I mean the greatest, since all apparently is being swept away.

    It wasn’t that these considered themselves extraordinarily extraordinary. It isn’t that they were the rich of their society, and now, because of what is happening, they were being made poor. No, their life had always been modest, and they had been content with that.

    Or was it that they knew nothing of sacrifice? They had been willing to sacrifice. They had responded even generously in the face of need, where deep sense of commitment urged them on to do nothing less than that. And they were happy to help. But now they were face to face with the unraveling of things. and their world seemed to be slipping away. There was even a stench of death and decay in the air. The scent of betrayal hung heavy all around them. These were folk who had at one time in the past turned to the church.

    They were initially drawn by its message of forgiveness and resurrection through God’s great act of redemption in Jesus Christ. Their embrace of the gospel in their judgment could only enhance their lives, could only complement the life that they knew, from the comforts of their life to greater comforts still. to the enjoyment that they had, to greater enjoyment still. Because in the embrace of the gospel, they found what still remained inexplicable, even in their former life. For in the gospel, here were answers to life’s deepest problems. guilt and death.

    But as things have turned out, distress has only been multiplied for them. They no longer belong to the society in which they were once very much at home. In fact, real suffering now has come to them Oh, it wasn’t that when they embraced the gospel, they didn’t see the potential for suffering. They witnessed even suffering on the part of others on their behalf, and they heard about suffering that people elsewhere were experiencing. But now, real suffering was coming home to them. There had been arrests. There had been beatings, there was indignity, there was the confiscation of property, there was the revocation of work permits. And there were even some martyrs. So, business with respect to the church was becoming costly. What about church life? It was turning out much different than they had expected. The church was hardly an ideal society. It knew its share of infighting and what fighting. Nearly as fierce as anything they had known in their struggle with those outside. Inside, now, they were witnessing jealousy, cringing, gossip, immorality.

    Each of these things less than a credit to their faith, each of them less than a credit to the Savior, they said they served. And on top of all of this, there was now the threat of doctrinal heresy, strain with regard to the gospel and its veracity. Departure, questions as to whether or not they had received the fullness of the message, whether they had gotten it straight. All of this seemed too much, and as for the one who introduced them to the faith, what could be said about him? He presently was in jail, facing the possibility of execution. a victim of trumped-up charges invented by religious opponents, who had enlisted the support of the political establishment against him. And if that wasn’t bad enough, this one who had introduced them to the faith seemed to be less than popular. with many factions within the church, and he always seemed to generate controversy wherever he went.

    They had been devoted to him. They still loved him, but they had to admit that he appeared less and less attractive and even less credible. But despite that, there comes from him now a letter. And for all his troubles, he is remarkably resilient, brimming over in hope, and that standing in stark contrast to the attitudes that they are expressing. They are exhausted. They’re depressed. He’s raving. They’re restless and worried that this man is at peace.

    What accounts for the difference between him and them? The answer to that question is found in this epistle. For those who are patient with it, and certainly this congregation has been patient with it. Come March, it will only be two years we’ve been in the Philippines. I understand that there are those taking bets on how long this is going to last. I think Sharon Cummins is the odds maker, if you want to speak to her about this. The answer to the question, though, what accounts for the difference between this one who introduced them to the faith and them?

    The answer is found in fact in the epistle that he writes to them, this specific epistle, the one to the Philippians, and can be extracted from the words the apostle writes concerning peace. We find them in the fourth chapter, seventh verse first. and the peace of God that passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” And then later, verse nine, “…those things which ye have both learned and received, and heard and seen in me, do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

    Even making these statements, the apostle is liable to be misunderstood. It is quite possible for the Church to go down a number of rabbit trails when it comes to this whole question of peace. It is invariably thought that peace constitutes a goal in and of itself. Now, you should not imagine that conclude that from what the apostle says. You will note that he always couples the piece of which he speaks with the person of God. It is the piece of God and the God of peace that he sets before But nevertheless, though the apostle will not separate peace from God, there is a habit of mind in the church that does nothing less than that. It separates peace with God, thus making peace a goal in itself, something to be pursued in its own right.

    Therefore, there are many well-intentioned saints, many well-intentioned Christians who make an idol out of peace, as if God were playing a supporting role to peace itself. And in this deification of peace, there are actually two lines that are suggested for us. One, sociological. That the peace that is to be pursued, worthy in its own right, truly, even above God, we are pursuing that which is absolutely indispensable for society generally. for the well-being of our world and also the church. So it is that some unprincipled people in the church, and yes, there are unprincipled people in the church. Some unprincipled people in the church take advantage of well-meaning, naive Christians who prize peace. and have a tendency even to make the mistake of prizing peace above all else, and thus they enlist these folk, who are naive and simple in their faith, in the support of their program of peace at any price, and that means the price of doctrinal integrity. Thus it is, you have the multiplication of programs generated for the most radical and heretical enterprises, and these sponsored by the Church in the name of peace. And now we are learning that peace is a synonym Yes, it is that God, that God’s holiness, that God’s purity, that the church, the church’s purity are made to pay homage at the feet of the idol of peace.

    We might well listen once more to the words of our Savior when he said, I did not come to bring peace but a sword. But the sociological line of thought is not the only one used by those who would literally turn peace into a god. It is also the psychological. It is often thought that when the word peace appears in the writings of the apostle and specifically here in the fourth chapter Philippians in the mind of the apostle is something that pertains to personal psychological tranquility. The peace in Jew here is something essentially inferior to the individual. Having to do with mental and emotional well-being, tranquility, calm.

    It has to be admitted up front that such an interior piece of even a psychological nature is not irrelevant to what the apostle is saying. After all, this piece of which he speaks stands at variance with the anxiety that he forbids in verse six. Be anxious or nothing, writes the apostle. But you must realize that this freedom from anxiety is actually the byproduct of the peace which Paul has in view.

    His foremost interest, then, is not personal psychological. It is not, first of all, something interior to the self. Rather, it is what we might call redemptive historical image. Now, that might not compute. Let me explain. Paul, when he speaks about the peace of God and the God of peace, isn’t, first of all, interested in an event inside of me that creates in me a persistent inner state of mental calm. As much as we may make that mistake, that is not the Apostle’s focus.

    Rather, he is, first of all, interested in an event that takes place outside of me that sets before me a whole new environment, an entirely new world, a new creation characterized by peace. Peace belonging to that, then, which God has established. This realm, then, that is brought before us, this entirely new world, characterized by peace, by God’s peace, is ruled over by the God of peace, whose sovereignty guarantees the character of the realm. Do you see, then, what God’s saving grace does? It draws us into that realm of peace. it repositions us, and we now dwell, as it were, in the regions of tranquility. We are made partakers of a different world order. a world order that transcends this world order and all of the chaos that has overtaken it.

    We are privileged to know a piece that is impossible to know if approached through sociology and psychology. Do you understand why therapists are getting rich? Do you understand why you have to keep going back? That’s not to say that there isn’t value found in therapeutic treatments and psychological help.

    That’s not to say that even the saints can’t struggle with their psychological well-being. Yes, you may battle depression and struggle internally, but the true resolution for you is a better realization and grasp of that realm of peace which in fact God himself has established into which he draws you. Such peace as Paul has in mind cannot be given by the world.

    Yet it proves to be a priceless jewel to all God’s children, as they, like these Philippians, are witnesses of the passing away of this world. as they are faced with the multiple challenges to their faith, the faith which they have in Jesus Christ, the one who by death and resurrection introduces them and us into the glory land of God’s peace. This world is passing away. your own personal world may seem to be fast dissolving. And if you feel that extremely, if you sense it, then turn with all of your heart to the world that promised us, which can never dissolve, the world of God’s eternal peace.

    Lord, there are the disappointing things and even the frightening things that seem to assault us, and surely they assaulted the Philippians in the first century. But, Lord, we would hear the apostolic word, the true and faithful word. And by that word, Lord, be drawn from ourselves to consider what you have done in Jesus Christ and what you have set before us because of his death and resurrection, an entirely different world into which we are drawn by your grace and repositioned in keeping with your mercy. And Father, may there be beautiful fruit for us, as even then, Lord, we experience that inner tranquility and calm in our lives as we live them out day by day. But, Father, we ask that we might be kept from idols even an idol like that of peace, when in fact it is made something more important than you and the work that you have done in your Son, the world that you have established by virtue of your great almighty power. We ask, Lord, then, that you will forbear with us, and truly, Lord, that we would know your peace. Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

  • Qualities That Are Christ’s Own

    Qualities That Are Christ’s Own

    This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 7, 1993.

    About this sermon

    Government and media quietly dictate morality today, much as the Roman moral code shaped Paul’s readers. The qualities Paul lists in 4:8, whatever is true, honorable, and the rest, are Christ’s own qualities, transcendent and heavenly. God’s promised peace makes pursuing them possible.

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    Sermon transcript

    This morning we begin our scripture reading in Paul’s letter to the Romans. This is Paul’s letter to the Romans, and we are beginning at verse 16. Listen to the word of God. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

    For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them.

    For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

    Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. He changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this cause, God gave them up unto vile affections, for even their women did change that natural use into that which is against nature, and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was suitable. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient.

    Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, maliciousness rather, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, Haters of God, despiteful, proud boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents without understanding, covenant breakers without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, knowing the judgment of God that they that commit such things are worthy of death.” And then turning over to Philippians, the fourth chapter. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.

    Those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, do. And the God of peace shall be with you. Pray with me. O God, may your word have its rightful place before us. May we receive your word as that inspired revelation, that infallible revelation, a revelation inerrant, and may we be built up, by your word so that we might be filled with those works that please you. All of this that we may be assured that we are yours. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

    A young woman in her twenties, living in Moscow, rejoices over the news that her government has collapsed. Now, her joy isn’t what you might think. It isn’t because she is rejoicing that there has been the end of tyranny and an oppressive, godless government. Instead, she is rejoicing because living in the East, she now has greater hopes that she will have access to Western rock and roll.

    A middle-aged man living in Pretoria. He longs for the day when the present government in South Africa will end. It’s not particularly because of his political convictions, it’s not that he has exercised over racial injustice, but he wishes the end of apartheid. He just wishes for the end of the government as it is, because that government has insisted upon enforcing the laws banning pornography and homosexual behavior. This is important to him because he is a homosexual.

    In this country, the mood may well be euphoric in many places and uniformly in the media these days because of the transformation in administration that has taken place in Washington, D.C. In all honesty and without the intent of making any political remark from this pulpit, I do believe that there is one word, however, that better characterizes the mood of our country and things as they are even in Washington, D.C., and that word is not freedom, it is license. It is license. There is a world of difference between liberty and libertineism. And tragically, in this nation and around the world, there seems to be little ability to distinguish between those two.

    We had a motto given us a few years ago, read out across the land. In answer to the drug plague in our nation, that motto was, just say no. It seems that we now lack the ability to say no to anything, except to those who might say no. We have become a people.

    We seem content to learn our morals, our ethics, from the strangest sources. We have become a people intent upon learning our moral and ethical values, especially from the media, especially from programs aired regularly, week by week, programs like LA Law, Northern Exposure, I’ll Fly Away. It seems that we no longer have any problem, or see any problem, if our lives actually do match up to the real lives of these eminently successful and sensitive, politically correct divorced, remarried, adulterers and adulteresses, gay and lesbian folk who play out their roles with such self-righteous arrogance week by week over the airwaves. We have become a people whose moral sensitivity is being trained by tabloid sensuality. communicated to us continually through the media, from the nightly news to the ubiquitous talk shows.

    We are waking up. There is no more insulation. There was a time in which we felt protected. We felt at least that there was a barrier of some sort in place. We felt that there was some insulation, a reserve for some sort of innocence and naivete within our society, and especially for our young. That is no more the case.

    And that hypothesis, all of this sensitivity about children, and then the abuse of children in exposing them to all the toddleriness of the world and the wickedness in this planet what hypothesis all of this all of this exercise over violence and a violence filled society when we are filled with violence day by day from every aspect of our culture from those who are claiming to be responsible individuals Our society has a mission, it seems. It believes that it has a mission in the name of honesty, in the name of realism, in the name of a view of morality all of its own, to remove every bit of that insulation, every vestige of it, every aspect of that protection that was there once in our society as an evidence of God’s wonderful common grace to us. After all, I have a fundamental constitutional right to challenge all restraints, do I not? And to expose everyone and anyone, young and old, to the limits of my excesses.

    Therefore a child can pick up the comments in the local newspaper and be faced with a cartoon one would think something innocent enough. He’s faced with a cartoon in which he is confronted with descriptions of womanizing and homosexuality. On an adjoining page, this child is confronted with graphic descriptions of sexual practices all in the name of therapy. and the advancement of better social awareness.

    Your family can sit down to watch the new news. Now that’s safe, isn’t it? One would think, as mine did this last summer. waiting for the highlights from the pirate game played the previous evening, only to be hit in the face with an ad for an upcoming Donahue show featuring a man famous for his sexual acrobatics. You can sit down to watch a children’s program, presumably.

    But wonder you, you might sit down and watch it with your children only to discover the wonder of the wonder years is the discovery of one’s own sexuality and that at the earliest age portrayed for you on the screen by actors and actresses that look to you as if they are not even out of grade school I sometimes have the feeling that we are living in a Fellini film.

    Nothing is to be denied us. If we want to fornicate, we have a right to do so. We even have a right to expect the state to supply us safety in the pursuit of our activities. If we want to be promiscuous, we have a right to be promiscuous. And then if there are consequences to our immorality, such as a pregnancy, we have the inherent right to execute the unborn child. We even have a right to expect that society would pay for it. If we want to engage in homosexual behavior, that is our constitutional right. That is what we say.

    And when we get sick from our behavior, or contract a terminal disease from it, we have a right to hold the health insurance industry and our society hostage to our demands for extraordinary treatment. And if we are homosexual, We should not be denied the right to raise children, even though our practices should preclude that. They can’t even generate children. Society itself is obliged to guarantee to us that right, and then to treat us and these children as if we were a family like any other on the face of the earth. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. is to be denied us.

    Now, you may be thinking that this is a bleak account indeed. And somewhat of variance from what you heard in Philippians 8 and 9, although not removed from what we heard in Romans 1. Our focus this morning, however, is verses 8 and 9 in Philippians 4. But it doesn’t seem as if this description is linking up well with the things that are described there by the Apostle Paul. I want to make you aware of a certain feature of this 8th verse in particular. This 8th verse is unique in Paul’s writings. There are other listings that he gives in his epistles. We have read one of those listings in the first chapter of Romans. Those listings in other places in his epistles bear similar marks, but this listing in Philippians 4 is unique.

    This has pressed commentators then to make some sort of explanation with regard to it. The suggestion that they have made, and I think with a degree of credibility, is that Paul here is running through a list of virtues and characteristics held up at one time as ideal for Roman citizens. But Roman society in 1860, when this epistle was written, was one in which increasingly nothing was to be denied the citizenry of Rome. It was one in which the insulation of which we have been speaking about, the insulation of God’s common grace, was fast disappearing. In fact, the Church at Philippi had become the victims of Roman decadence and assault. Paul then here revives these features before this Philippian congregation.

    He sets them before this congregation again, but by so doing, completely transforms them and sees them in the service, not of the Roman Empire, but in the service of the kingdom of heaven. This means, then, that the apostle is not merely transforming the matters that he speaks of in this verse, but he is lending to them a transcendence, a transcendence that is all grace, grace that belongs to the kingdom that is given to the children of God in the midst of a perverse world.

    This means, then, that this eighth verse in the fourth chapter is directly tied to what the Apostle had said in the third chapter, the twentieth verse, where he says that we are, in fact, the citizens of heaven. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. Here is Paul’s exposition of heavenly mindedness. not just good citizenship in this world, but heavenly mindedness. I do take stock of what the apostle says next in that ninth verse. He makes a claim that such people who are characterized by thinking as is described in that 8th verse, although they live in a world in which the insulation seems to be removed, do not live in isolation from that world in which they find themselves. The things which you learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, says Paul. in this very world in which the insulation is being removed.

    The very light of Christ’s heavenly glory, then, will shine through you. The light of a heavenly city, the city of God, will shine through you, even upon those who are hostile to you. Those men whose thoughts are as the ones described in the 8th verse, will in fact behave like the one who describes himself in the 9th verse. But Paul, the one who describes himself in that 9th verse, is also modeling his behavior after someone else, namely his dear Savior, the one who reigns over the heavenly kingdom, the Lord Jesus Christ. And mark now, mark now the wonderful promise given to those who so think and so live.

    The God of peace shall be with you. Let that settle in. The God of peace himself will be with you. You are not alone. Your God is with you, even in a world in which the insulation is removed and the old guarantees which have stood for the protection of the Church within our civilization are gone. God, the God of peace, shall be with you.

    I would really appreciate it if we’d have a little bit more decorum down here in the second row. I’m not going to proceed with this service unless there is order in this church, and I will not serve communion unless there is order. Our Father in Heaven, we do glory in you, and thank you for the promises of a heavenly kingdom. And not only the promise of that kingdom, but the realities of it communicated to us well presently in Christ. O Father, refresh us in your presence with the knowledge that you, the God of peace, are with us. We thank you for this, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

    The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.