This week, we move to chapter three of Philippians where in the opening line, Paul reiterates what he has said before regarding joy. This important reminder is because we can easily let our present circumstances rob us of joy. How do these circumstances impact our joy and how can we rejoice in the Lord daily?

This week in Philippians 2:19-30, Paul tells the Philippian church that he is sending two faithful workers to them: Timothy and Epaphroditus. He commends both men for their genuine service to the Lord, contrasting that with others who worked only in their own self-interest. We will look to see why Paul speaks of being anxious and how in sending the two faithful servants, it will ease his anxiety.

This week in Philippians 2:14-18, Paul urges the church to not grumble and complain and we’ll look at the roots of both. In our broken world, it’s easy to do, but how can we fight the urge to grumble and complain and how do those two things affect our witness to the watching world? What does it mean to “hold fast to the word of life” and how might that have been encouraging to Paul, despite facing the prospect of his own death?

This week as we look at Philippians chapter two, we will see that the Philippian church is facing difficulties and Paul encourages them to work out their salvation rather than to give up or try something new. We will look at what it means to fear and see the difference between working out our salvation and working for our salvation and where we get the strength to continue on in the faith.

This week through Philippians 2:1-11 we will look at how our union with Christ impacts our communion with one another and discover the two threats (selfish ambition and conceit) to Christian unity and community and why they are so detrimental? In addition, we will see how to combat these threats and how Jesus’ example of humility is the model for us today.

This week as we look through Philippians 1:27-30, we will see that the Apostle Paul is encouraging unity within the church. He also shows that this is an active process; that one must strive to achieve it and stand firm and to not be frightened. We will see what encourages unity, why it’s important, and how the Gospel can conquer the fears so that we may live a “life worthy of the Gospel”?

As we continues in our sermon series through Paul's letter to the Philippians, we come to chapter 1:18b-26 where Paul declares in verse 21 that for him, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. This passage confronts us with the realities of both life and death, and the profound depths that Gospel joy can plunge.

What does it look like to be faithful? More specifically, what does it look like to be faithful amidst our limitations This week as we continue in our sermon series through the Letter to the Philippians, we will see both the limitations and faithfulness of the Apostle Paul, and together consider how the Good New of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, enables us to be faithful amidst even our limitations.

What gives us confidence? This week in Philippians, Paul assures us that no matter the dark, shadowy places and spaces of our lives, the light of joy and life still shines. We have Christ and therefore we have hope and life. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Beginning a new series entitled “Joy’s Journey: The Letter to the Philippians,” we will look at Paul’s opening salutation to the saints in the Philippian church.