The heart of a great Christian: Philippians 4:20-23

Philippians 4:20-23

The Heart of a Great Christian

On July 4, 1826, two American leaders died. One was Thomas Jefferson. His dying words revealed the love of his country as he said, “Is it the fourth?” Later that same day, John Adams died, and not knowing that Jefferson had died several hours before, also reflected his love for America when he said, “Thomas Jefferson still survives.”

I recall reading the words of that great British preacher of a bygone generation, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who wrote something to the effect that he would trade all of his books for the chance to be at the bedside of God’s saints (I recall this from an early chapter in Lectures to My Students, but I could not locate it efficiently). This is something we have lost today with all of our advances in medical technology, for so many slip into death heavily sedated by morphine. While it is a blessing that they do not suffer as those who went before them, we suffer in that we often do not hear that final statement.

Last words are often thought to reveal a person’s deepest concerns. Beethoven reflected on his life in the arts as he uttered his final words, “Friends applaud, the comedy is finished.” Napolean said only one word: “Josephine!” It is said that P. T. Barnum’s last words were, “How were the receipts today at Madison Square Garden?” The French grammarian Dominique Bouhours reportedly said, “I am about to – or I am going to – die. Either expression is correct.”

The Apostle Paul brings this letter to his beloved friends at Philippi to a close with tender words that reflect the deep concerns of his own heart as well. We know from the study of Philippians that Paul knew that his death may be imminent. He was under house arrest in Rome awaiting the decision of the emperor Nero to determine whether he would be liberated or executed. Certainly, he was prepared for either. While there is some speculative debate among biblical scholars as to what exactly happened. Some say that he was released and carried on his ministry for a few more years before being arrested again, and returned to Rome where he was martyred after a brief second imprisonment. Others say that he died shortly after he wrote these words. We simply do not have enough information in the text of Scripture to decide with certainty which way things went. But this we know: As Paul wrote these words, he was certain that these could be the final words he ever expressed to the Philippian Christians who were so dear to his heart.

We know from Paul’s other letters that he typically employed an amanuensis to pen his words as he dictated them. For instance, in Romans 16:22, we read, “I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.” From the very next verse, we know that Paul was writing that letter from Corinth, where he was staying at the home of Gaius, where the church at Corinth met. The name Tertius was more likely a title, indicating that this man was the third ranking house-servant of Gaius, and as such would have likely been able to read and write, and serving his master primarily in those capacities. But, even with the use of a scribal secretary, Paul still made a habit of writing the final words of his letters with his own hand. This was common practice in his day. In Galatians 6:11, Paul wrote, “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.” In Colossians 4:18, he wrote, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand.” In Philemon 19, he said, “I, Paul, am writing with my own hand.” Not only did this add a note of personal concern to the letter, but it also served to authenticate the letter. When there was some concern over the circulation forged letters alleged to have been from Paul, he wrote to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 3:17, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write.” These words were written ten years prior to Philippians, so we have no reason to doubt that the practice continued throughout the rest of his ministry as well. So the words we have in verses 19-23 were likely written by Paul’s own hand as what could have been a final farewell to his faithful friends at Philippi. And the words he wrote give us a glimpse into the heart of a great Christian.

I. The Heart of a Great Christian is a Heart of Worship (v20)

God’s glory is the true reflection of His character. It is, as James Montgomery Boice put it, “the outward expression of what God is internally.”[1] So, if this glory is something that inherently belongs to God already, how is it that we give glory to Him? We give God glory when we recognize His glory in praise and worship.

God is glorious. We can add to His glory, nor can we take away from His glory. However, when God’s people recognize His glory and make much of His glory in worship, then we magnify His glory for all the world to see. And this is the unique role that God’s people have in the world today – to make His name glorious among all nations. Perhaps John Piper said it best when he said, “Missions exists because worship does not.”[2] In his book, Let the Nations Be Glad!, Piper says that worship is the fuel and goal of missions. As we worship the Lord, we are caught up in His glory and a desire is birthed in us to see all nations experience that glory as well. It was as the early church at Antioch was worshiping that they heard God’s call to send Paul and Barnabas out on the first missionary journey in Acts 13. So our worship fuels our missionary task. Then, the nations see His glory as it is displayed through us, and they are drawn to Him, and they are enraptured by His glory, and they begin to worship. So worship is also the goal of missions. And the cycle continues. As they worship, they magnify the glory of God for all to see, and others are drawn to Christ. So, when we look at the masses of unreached people in the world today, and wonder how it is that 20 centuries after the birth of the New Testament church so many could still have little or no access to the gospel, the answer lies in our neglect of true worship which magnifies God’s glory for all to see at work in us. In his final words to this Philippian church, Paul is concerned for God’s glory to be displayed through His people in the world.

But Paul’s heart for worship goes beyond what will take place in his lifetime or ours. He longs for this glory to be magnified forever and ever, or more literally to the ages of the ages. In the book of Revelation, written by the apostle John some 30 years after this Philippian letter, we see a picture of how this will take place. Turn to Revelation 4 &, and there you will see how in verse 8, the angels day and night unceasingly praise God, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” And in response, the 24 elders, who represent the redeemed of all the ages, fall down before the Lord in verse 10, and cast their crowns at His feet, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things and because of Your will they existed and were created.” So for all eternity, we will give God glory because He is the Creator of all that is. And then notice in Chapter 5, verse 8, how the Lamb (the Lord Jesus Christ) is worshiped, and the prayers of the saints are emptied out before Him, as the saints sing, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” God is glorified forever by His people in worship because of His redemption. And notice in verse 11 how the angels echo back, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing says, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

And so we have this prophetic word indicating to us that heaven will be a place of glory—a place where the glory of God is on display and is recognized and magnified by the praises of His people from every tribe and nation, and the angels and every created thing. But, that image of the glory of God in eternity ought to motivate God’s people to long for a display of His glory in our day as well. The heart of the apostle Paul is the heart of a great Christian – whose foremost thoughts are that the glory of God may be displayed, experienced and magnified by God’s people in worship, now and forever more, amen.

II. The Heart of a Great Christian is a Heart of Fellowship (v21-22a)

Often times, we can become so caught up in the glories to come that we fail to concentrate on the realities of our present existence. An old saying is, “To live above with the saints we love, Oh, that will be glory; but to dwell below with those we know, well, that’s another story.” It may be for some, but not for a great Christian like the apostle Paul. As he concludes his letter to the Philippians, he says, “Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.”

The work of the Kingdom is not carried out in isolation. One of the great overriding themes of this letter is that of partnership in the gospel. In Christ, we have been adopted into a family. With God as our Father, we are all brothers and sisters in the faith. And each of these brothers and sisters are called saints, by virtue of the redemption and justification that ours through faith in Christ. Paul does not pick and choose his favorites. He singles out no one by name. His affection is for every saint in Christ Jesus. And so it must be in the heart of a great Christian. This is true Christian fellowship. Often we are guilty of associating the word fellowship with eating. But it is so much greater than this – it is affection and appreciation, and the recognition that every person in Christ is unique and valuable and necessary in the work of the Kingdom.

Look around you. Here we sit in this beautiful sanctuary surrounded by people of different ethnic backgrounds, different economic standing, different cultural and generational preferences. But if we have been born-again by faith in Christ, we are saints and brothers and sisters. We focus on one another’s shortcomings, but God sees each one covered in the righteousness of Christ and calls them saints. We cut ties with those whose opinions are different from our own, but God challenges us to see them as brothers and sisters, objects of special love from our Father. Each one has something unique to contribute to the family of God. Each one has needs that are met as the rest of contribute our unique gifts and talents in the service of ministry. And while it is only human nature to pick and choose favorites, the gospel is a call to rise above human nature, to a supernatural plane of living wherein we recognize the value of every individual, and see in them the love of God by which He created them and by which Christ died to redeem them. There isn’t a person in this room who is expendable to the Kingdom of God. Every individual matters.

As Paul extends greetings to the Philippians from the church at Rome, he says, “All the saints greet you.” There were probably a few there whom the Philippians knew, but undoubtedly many who were strangers. It didn’t matter. In this family, it is enough to know that we are brothers and sisters and saints. That binds us to one another with a supernatural tie that must never be severed. And as Paul and Timothy, maybe Luke and whoever else was with him as he wrote these words reminisced about their friends in Philippi, they desired for every one of them to know how much they were loved and valued by these great Christians.

III. The Heart of a Great Christian is a Heart of Evangelism (v22)

The only people singled out in the exchange of greetings here is this one particular group: “especially those of Caesar’s household.” The Christian church was the enemy of the Roman Empire. Here was this little band of renegades who refused to call Caesar Nero “Lord,” and who refused to give worship to anything or anyone other than the Christ who had saved them. And while most Christians viewed the Emperor, especially the tyrannical Nero, as an anti-Christ, and the Empire as a godless institution, Paul inserts this little phrase to let the Philippians know that through their partnership in the gospel, the kingdom was advancing inside the enemy’s camp. There were souls being saved in Caesar’s household.

You may recall from Chapter 1, how Paul told the Philippians that his imprisonment had resulted in the entire praetorian guard becoming aware of the cause of Christ. Every day, Paul would be guarded by Roman soldiers under the special employment of the emperor, and every day they would hear him preach, and teach, and worship, and witness. They weren’t an obstacle to his ministry – they were an audience for his ministry. And God apparently honored the going forth of His word, for Paul reports here that there are now saints in Caesar’s household.

In the conclusion to the book of Romans, Paul makes mention of those of the household of Aristobulus and the household of Narcissus (Romans 16:10-11). Herod the Great had a grandson named Aristobulus who lived in Rome and was a friend of the emperor Claudius. If, as some speculate, he bequeathed his estate to the emperor upon his death, the slaves he owned would have borne the designation Aristobuliani. The household of Narcissus likely would have been the slaves of Tiberius Claudius Narcissus, who had been a wealthy and influential person under the reign of Caesar Claudius, but who was executed by Nero in 54 AD. Upon his execution, all his estate would have become the property of Nero, and would have been distinguished as the Narcissiani. It very well could be that Paul had seen some of these slaves of Aristobulus and Narcissus, who were now of the household of Caesar, come to faith in Christ. He may have seen members of the praetorian guard give their lives to Christ as they listened to Paul’s preaching. He might have even made an impact on some of Nero’s family members. Whatever the case, as he closed this letter to the Philippians, he assured them that whatever his outcome may be, God’s truth was marching on, and the gospel was bearing fruit even among those closest to the most violent persecutor the church had known to that point. The Philippians could take comfort in knowing that their support of Paul’s ministry and their partnership in the gospel was effective in reaching lost souls for Christ.

So it is that the heart of a great Christian is always concerned about souls being saved and the gospel being advanced to the detriment of the gates of hell.

IV. The Heart of a Great Christian is a Heart of Encouragement (v23)

Undoubtedly, many in the Philippian church viewed Paul as a hero, a mentor, and a father. He had planted that church on his second missionary journey (Acts 16), and maintained a vital partnership with them ever since. If we compare Philippians to the other letters of Paul, it would be no stretch to say that he was most fond of this church in comparison to all the others. They were a source of joy to him, as no doubt he was to them. Now, however, he stared death in the teeth, and his future was known only to God. Perhaps many in that church feared how they might continue without the constant influence of this great Christian. But Paul knew that it was not up to him to keep that church advancing. He leaves them with this encouragement: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

The letter begins with the grace of Christ – Paul referred to himself and Timothy as bond-servants of Christ Jesus, and to the church as saints in Christ Jesus, and greeted them with the familiar words of “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” He concludes the letter in the same way. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” When they thought of a future without Paul, he reminded them that it was not Paul who moved their hearts in salvation – it was the grace of God in Christ Jesus. It was not Paul who gave them courage to stand up to their trials – it was the grace of God in Christ Jesus. This grace had brought them through many dangers, toils, and snares. And just as grace had brought them safe thus far, it was grace that would lead them home. He points there eyes away from himself to that amazing grace that would sustain them as they remained faithful to God in the future, whether Paul lived or died.

And so in his closing words of this letter, we see the heart of a Great Christian. It was a heart concerned for worship, for fellowship, for evangelism, and for encouragement. If you were to gather those you love close to you and say to them what may be your final words, what would those words reveal about your deepest concerns? As you grow in grace and in knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray that your heart will be like that of Paul – that you will have the heart of a Great Christian, and that the most important things to you will be God’s glory, the bond of Christian fellowship, the advancement of the gospel, and the encouragement of the saints. And we must remember our own mortality. We shouldn’t wait until some far off date to cultivate these concerns in our hearts. This sermon could be the last one I preach. It could be the last one you hear. Your lunchtime conversation with friends or family members may be the last one you have. So may the words of our mouth reveal the heart of a great Christian in us, and may those we love know that these are our greatest concerns as well.

---

[1] Boice, 263.

[2] Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad.