Philippians 1–4 — Upward, Inward, and Outward

This sermon is from Philippians chapters 1 through 4.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

It is entitled Upward, Inward, and Outward, and was delivered to Ecclesia Churches on

Sunday, April 12, 2026.

The only thing we have not covered yet in Philippians is the last couple of verses,

and there's really not much to discuss other than one interesting point that Paul makes,

that the Christian brothers of Caesar's household greet the church.

And he's likely referring to the slaves in Rome who have turned to Christ, even in their

captivity and slavery.

It's one final reminder that Paul in prison and the slaves even in Rome have equal access

to freedom and joy in Christ, no matter their physical condition.

Let's read these last two verses together.

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.

The brothers who are with me greet you.

All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

So today we'll be looking back at some threads that kind of connect all the way through this letter.

I'd recommend having your Bibles out because we'll actually be flipping back and forth in these four chapters today quite a bit.

The theme of God's sovereign grace and the call for human response is a theme that comes out all throughout Scripture.

This is the thrust of the gospel.

God freely offers salvation that he paid for, and we are called to repent and receive it.

The life that God's word describes is that we hold both of these truths in balance.

When we grasp the response, but not the total provision of God, we end up with a works and

guilt-based religion, and that carries no life.

But when we grasp the provision of God, but do not respond rightly, we end up with faith

that is dead, according to James.

And this really has been the overarching theme that's found in each of the parts of this

letter from Paul to the church in Philippi.

So today, we're going to look back and see how all of the parts of this letter together

is a call to life for the Christian individually and to the church community as a whole.

It's a life that results in restored relationship with God and a rock-solid foundation of faith.

It results in contentment and joy that's found in Christ no matter what comes to pass,

and it results in unity with one another as you find joy in serving and coming in second.

If you remember, these were the issues that the Philippian church was having. How do we persist

in the midst of our faith being tested? How do we find contentment when times are difficult? And

how in the world do we get along with each other, much less with the world? Ultimately, God's word

through Paul to them and to us has the answers and the certainty that we are seeking in those

areas. And it comes from both trusting the power of God and obeying his good commands.

There was a song that we sing sometimes in church that I used to sing as a kid. It's a hymn. It's

called Trust and Obey. And it has the simplicity of a children's song, but I need reminded of it

my whole life long. It says, trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus.

than to trust and obey. So that's what we're talking about today. And we'll look at it through

kind of three lenses, upward, inward, and outward. We want to look at upward. Upward is our view of

God and standing in our faith. Inward is our view of ourselves and maturing in our faith. And outward

is our view of others and the world around us and serving out of that. At minimum, this will be

a refresh or a reminder of everything that we've kind of talked about over the last 10 weeks, but

I really believe that if we let the Spirit work through the Word, we might just see Jesus more

clearly and be moved to respond with a life of worship. So we'll begin by talking about our view

upward, our view of who God is and how we are to stand firm in our faith. What is God's part in

that and what is our response to that? From the outset, Paul is really clear that from a spiritual

point of view, God is the one doing the saving and the reconciliation here. In chapter 1, verse 2,

this begins with the grace and peace from who? From God. It is God's grace and God's peace that

we receive from God. Two verses in, and Paul greets them with a declaration of who is solely

responsible for making peace with God. Peace with God comes by the grace of God, through the Son of

God, Jesus. God is the one giving, and we are the ones receiving in this relationship. By the time

we get to chapter 3, verse 9, he's made it very evident that we bring nothing to the equation when

it comes to goodness and righteousness, having a righteousness that comes through faith in Christ,

righteousness from God. It is the power of his resurrection that raises me to eternal life.

In chapter 3, verse 12, he says, Christ Jesus has made me his own. One of the biggest hurdles for

many who are considering following Christ is the belief that they possess some of their own

righteousness. That perhaps they possess enough positive points to end up in, quote, the good

place, which is a fascinating TV show with a very broken view of eternal reality. Here's the problem.

We don't get to set the standard for righteousness. As sinful humans, we have neither the perspective

nor the position to judge for ourselves what is right and wrong. We're like a bad driver with a

cracked and frost-covered windshield, driving on the wrong side of the road in the wrong direction,

and yet we're convinced that we're doing fine. God is absolutely holy and perfect. He is

all-knowing, omniscient, and he sets the standard for what is righteous. And he says that we have

all fallen short of that. We have broken motives, broken moral compasses, and bring nothing to the

table when it comes to holiness. But God loves us even in that state and paid the price for our

rebellion with his own blood. He made us his own. So how are we to respond to that? This is the

other side, right? If that is true, what is our part? God's part is clear. He paid for our freedom.

He offers it completely freely in a way that we cannot earn but must receive.

In 3.8, though, Paul says our part is to count everything else as loss and no Jesus.

So receiving the free gift of God does require a response.

It is certainly not forced upon us.

What is necessary for us to receive it is that we actually let go of everything else and

come to Jesus as our everything.

And when I say everything else, I don't mean abandon your life.

I mean, you let go of everything else that you have gone to for salvation, comfort, good

in your life.

You let go of making those things into a God that will not save you and turning to the

one who can.

I said that we would look at each of these through both God's part and our part.

But when it comes to our salvation, that's really all there is to it.

There's nothing to earn.

There's nothing to prove.

There's nothing to pay.

In fact, quite the opposite.

We are required to come with empty hands to Jesus as our righteousness and salvation.

And Paul really does drive home this point at the end of chapter 4, verse 19, saying

that God will supply our every need and to him be the glory. So that's our upward position. God has

given us salvation through Christ alone. And the only way that we obtain that, the only thing that

we need to do is put all of our faith in Christ alone and in his grace. Now let's talk about inward.

From the moment that we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord,

we are saved.

Scripture is clear on that.

But the work of God in us actually continues.

This is why we talk about baptism as a kind of beginning, not as an end point.

Because from the moment we begin walking with Jesus, the work of discipleship actually begins.

The transformation of our whole self into the likeness of Jesus begins, which we call

sanctification.

So in this lifelong transformation process, what is God's role and what is ours, according

to Philippians?

Let's start by looking at God's role here.

For starters, from 1.6, we know that God begins this work and God finishes it.

He began this work in you will bring it to completion.

The follower of Jesus who has really and truly turned to Christ

will continue turning to Christ and continue turning away from their sin.

I once heard it put this way, that the more thoroughly we submit to Christ,

the more aware of our sin we actually become, and the more uncomfortable we are with it.

So the Christian experiencing this discomfort with your sin need not worry about your salvation

because that discomfort is evidence of the Spirit at work in you.

And again, it's our part to respond to that discomfort, that holy discomfort.

In chapter 2, verse 13, Paul says that it is God who works in us,

changing both our desires and our behaviors for his good pleasure.

So still, God is doing the work.

So instead of being discouraged by that awareness of sin, we can actually turn from our sin in

obedience to Christ, knowing that it is the Holy Spirit who is at work in us, giving us

this upward call towards Christ, and he is the one who will complete it.

Knowing this work is empowered by the living spirit of God is what makes chapter 4, verse

13, such good news. It says, I can be confident and endure through every part of this process

of transformation because it is God who gives me the strength to do it. So if you're struggling

to manage your pride, Christ strengthens you to endure with humility. Struggling to think about

others before yourself? Christ strengthens you to serve with gratitude. Are you struggling with

greed and selfishness? Christ strengthens you to be generous with joy. I can endure through every

painful but glorious part of my death to self that I may be raised to new life in Christ because

Christ strengthens me. Isn't that good? Isn't that a better version of I can do all things

through Christ who strengthens me, knowing that that's the strength of Christ at work in us,

transforming us from the old to the new, from the dead to alive. So what exactly are we supposed to

do? What's our part in this? Our response is actually pretty simple. We just keep submitting

to Christ. I didn't say easy, I said simple. In chapter 2, verse 12, we're told that in light of

what Christ has already done for us. We should work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

And okay, isn't this in opposition to what we just heard about salvation being a gift? No,

it's not. Paul says work out, not work for. I'm not trying to obtain my salvation. I'm working it

out in light of what I have been given. It means to participate in the work that God has begun and

will finish in you. Sincerely submit to the commands of God because they are instructions

for your good. Work out what it means day by day in practice to trust and follow and obey Jesus.

We use the term occasionally nominal Christian, meaning Christian in name only, but in truth,

there is no such thing. You are either daily submitting to Christ or you are not following

him. There is no in-between. And if we turn to several other places throughout the book,

we find further instructions on what that submission to the work actually looks like.

Paul kind of uses the structure of our response by addressing the present, the past, and the future.

So let's kind of walk through a few of these. In chapter 2, verse 14, we're supposed to pay

attention to the attitude or the heart behind our actions in the present. We go about this work in

the present without grumbling or arguing or complaining or I think the ESV says disputing

because the heart we bring to this transformative work is exactly where the real work is happening.

If you think you can submit to Christ without bringing your whole heart, you've left out the most important part.

A chapter later in chapter 3 verse 14, we're told not to be held up by the past either.

Whether that be past mistakes or false places we have turned to for comfort.

We keep walking forward, pressing on toward the goal, not straining because we're dragging the

weight of the past behind us, but because we are so caught up in the upward call of Christ forward.

By chapter 4, Paul addressed a few future-related issues in the Christian walk. In chapter 4,

verse 6, we're told, hey, you're going to end up being given some pretty heavy burdens

in this life. The reality is you're going to have cares and concerns and stress and situations,

and you can't just carry those into the future because they will crush you. They're too heavy.

You have to bring those things to God in prayer with thanksgiving for God's ability

to handle the things that you can't. So instead of anxiety for tomorrow filling our minds,

verse 8 of chapter 4 says, we consider what is true and just and pure and lovely, admirable,

and we find peace and contentment that we are searching for in the presence of the God of peace,

the God who never leaves and who is always with us through the Holy Spirit. We let go of those

things that are crushing us, that anxiety, those heavy burdens, we give them to God in prayer,

and in place we receive his peace, the kind that we've been searching for, whether we realized it

or not. Are you ready to go follow Jesus yet? This sounds pretty good, right? This sounds incredible.

It's the best news that you'll ever hear. Yeah, the dying to self part is painful,

But we get the presence of God, the God of peace, in place of an inner conflict that

just never finds peace apart from him.

Verse 11 and 12 promises that I will have contentment in my soul, that I don't have

to chase, I don't have to hold on to, because the source of my contentment is holding me.

So that's upward and inward.

But if you remember, one of the main issues the church in Philippi was actually having

was not internal, but external.

They were asking, how do we persist in our faith when faced with conflict among ourselves,

with the culture, with our circumstances?

We feel under pressure.

Our walk as Christians does not happen in a vacuum.

Following Jesus is not a solo endeavor, right?

It's a call to community with brothers and sisters who are also in process just like us.

We follow Jesus surrounded by people who are also lost and in need of Jesus.

We follow Jesus through the stuff of everyday life, circumstances that can be really challenging.

That's the reality.

So let's look at outward.

How do we walk in the world and with the church?

Remember, Paul writes this from a prison cell in Rome, which he is in for sharing the gospel.

So circumstances certainly seemed to be working against Paul, but he actually doesn't believe

that to be the reality at all.

His understanding is that God is in control, and God is actually using these adverse circumstances

for his purposes.

Just like upward and inward, let's look at how God is at work in our outward circumstances

and relationships.

In chapter 1, verse 12, Paul says that these very outward circumstances that would appear

to be so difficult are the very circumstances that God is using to move the gospel forward.

The Roman guards are hearing the gospel in verse 13.

In verse 14, others in the church abroad are being even more bold than before.

Even people who are enemies of Paul are perhaps unknowingly being used by God to spread the gospel.

In verse 18, in chapter 1, verse 28, he says these very same circumstances that are so difficult.

When the church decides to stand faithfully, side by side, together in a mission to spread the gospel,

It is evidence to the world of the salvation that is found in Christ alone.

A salvation that they're not going to find apart from Christ.

When followers of Jesus stand united in the face of persecution and suffering,

it is the kind of symbol that the world cannot ignore.

That kind of fearless and selfless allegiance points to a king and a kingdom who are not of this world.

And in chapter 3, verse 21, we are reminded that the suffering and conflict will have an end.

That the same God who is transforming us day by day will also be the one who subjects all things and circumstances to obedience to him.

So God is using our circumstances and even our suffering.

He is the source of our unity within the church, and he will bring all of it to completion one day.

that's God's part. He's got this handled. So what are we to do? Well, let's walk through the letter

one last time. Let's see what's our part in dealing with each other and the world. In chapter 1,

verse 27, we are called to live a life before God and people that is worthy of the gospel of Christ.

The world is absolutely watching Christians to see how our walk lines up with our talk.

And that is kind of scary, honestly.

So Paul keeps it really simple.

He says, live like you believe the gospel is true.

Live like Christ is your priority, like your inheritance isn't in this world, and like you've

been saved from slavery to your sin and death.

Because when we live like this, our opportunities for evangelism not only increase, but our

relationship with Christ grows as we pursue the work of the gospel.

I feel like a lot of folks have this reversed.

They think, I need to fix myself and get good with Jesus before I can share the gospel that

is changing me.

But the actual reality that Jesus calls us to is to share the gospel, and the work of

sharing the gospel and how God is still at work in us is actually working in us as we

do that.

What you may have missed, as I did, is this connection between Paul's comments about evangelism

in 127 and his encouragement to selflessness a little bit farther forward in chapter 2,

verse 3.

But they are directly connected.

They're divided by two different sermons, two different kind of passages.

But remember, this is all the same letter, which means there's connection between what

Paul is talking about.

Here's the connection.

Yes, Paul wants the church to be united and in humility, counting others more significant

than yourself.

That is a great way to sure get along with a lot of different people.

But ultimately, there are very few things that you can do that are more selfless than

sharing the gospel with the lost. When you consider the salvation of the lost more significant than

your discomfort over talking to them. When you consider your children knowing the Lord more

important than all the other comforts and loves the culture might desire for you.

And a church who is centered around Christ and making him known is really, truly, a church that

is united in mission. So there's a deep connection between living selflessly the way Paul would have

us live, the way Christ would call us to live, and evangelism. Finally, in verse 14 and 15 of chapter

4, we talked about how generosity in everything should be the fruit of a life that is finding

your satisfaction and peace in Christ. If you're satisfied in Christ, you don't need to hold on to

other things tightly the way that you have in the past. It's interesting that our generosity of

spirit serves as a kind of test or notification that exposes how much we are or aren't living in

the abundance of Christ's provision for us. Just like our level of anxiety is a good indicator of

how much we are or aren't taking things to him in prayer. I think the real challenge with

finishing a letter like Philippians is walking away with a bunch of ideas and remaining unchanged.

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul has given us a master class in only four chapters

on what it means to persist in our faith and follow Jesus as a Christian. He's perfectly balanced

this tension throughout of the call to, on one hand, trust the provision and sovereignty of God,

and in the other, to obediently respond to the call of Christ. And we've spent 10 weeks going

through it verse by verse on Sundays and question by question in our midweek house churches.

And so what remains is to be doers of the word and not just hearers. And this invitation or this

challenge is not the will of Dan or the will of Taylor, but ultimately it's the will of God for

each of us to submit to the will of God. Submission can be a scary thing, to be sure.

But if the one who's calling for your submission is fully good and is all-knowing and is all-powerful,

If the one who calls you upward out of slavery is also the one who has paid the price for your

freedom, if he is someone that we can trust without reservation, then why would we hold anything back?

I would encourage you today to submit your whole life to the one who began this good work in you

and will bring it to completion and will walk with you every step of the way.

Ekklesia is a church of house churches gathering weekly in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and in homes

throughout the week. We are a Bible-centered church focused on preaching from Scripture

and making disciples of Jesus. You can learn more about our statement of faith and contact

to pastor by visiting ecclesiachurches.org.