In

Right at the beginning of Philippians, Paul cleverly uses a basic opening greeting to alert us to a central idea that will run right through the heart of this letter: The fact that you can be “in” different things in different ways, and that some ways of being “in”, and some things you can be “in”, are more significant than others. So Paul starts this letter by addressing it, “to the saints in Christ Jesus, who are also in Philipi.” Now, right off the bat, you might be confused if you’re reading along with me in the ESV, because the ESV says, “to the saints in Christ Jesus, who are at Philipi.” I know this feels like a nitpick, and in other similar situations it would be, but in this case, it matters.

Now, to be clear, the ESV does a fair job with this passage. It’s not wrong or misleading. It’s clearly trying to use more nuanced words that help clarify Paul’s meaning. But as much as I love the ESV, I think Philippians 1 is a place where most other translations do better in most places. And I think they do better because they focus less on trying to communicate the implicit nuance of how Paul is using the word each time, and more on communicating with the same level of clarity that Paul does - even if that is less clarity than we might want. Paul uses the primary Greek word for “in” 21 times in 30 verses - which is a lot, especially with the way he’s using it. And only 14 times does the ESV translate it with the English word “in.” So it used alternative translations for “in” about a third of the time. Like it did by saying “at Philipi” in verse 1. Now, in most cases, this would be fine. Take the first verse. “To the saints in Christ who are at Philipi.” Perfectly reasonable alternative to saying “to the saints in Christ in Philipi,” because it means the same thing at face value. “At” is a reasonable substitute for “in” here because you still understand it to mean “folks living in Philippi.” So it’s mostly fine… Unless… Paul was deliberately trying to make a comparison.

Let me give you just a couple of examples of what I’m talking about and see if you think there’s something here. We already mentioned verse 1, “at Philip” instead of “in Philipi”, but then there's

• Verse 8: “God is my witness that I year for you all (not “with,” but) in the affection of Christ Jesus.”
• Or verse 12: “It has become known (not “among”, but) in the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is (not “for”, but) in Christ.
• Or if I can cheat a little to prove a point, the same thing happens in chapter 2 verse 5 when he writes, “have this mind (not “among”, but) in yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus,” (they got the second one but not the first one).
• [skipping to verse 10] So that (not “at,” but) in the name of Christ every knee should bow.

Now, to be super clear, I’m not trying to get you to doubt your English Bibles. They are excellent. And in just about every case here in the ESV text, the alternate choices for “in” are at least technically correct and arguably easier to read. So you aren’t reading something wrong, per se. But what you miss is the comparison. The theming of it all. You get the trees, but you can miss the forest.

Now why does this matter? Paul is trying to explain how reality works for Christians. He’s trying to explain how and why suffering works for Christians. He’s trying to show you how Christian unity to one another and to Christ works. Because the context you are in shapes how you think, feel, and act. Just a brief example. Imagine you were Neo from the movie the Matrix. People under 20, you can chill for just a minute, I’ll swing back around and pick you up in a second. But for the rest of us, you’re Neo. You just found out from Morpheus that the world you see isn’t real. It’s a computer simulation to keep you blind to the reality of AI taking over the world (ha). Now remember, after Neo learns this, Morpheus has to offer him two pills. One to leave the Matrix, and one to forget what he’s seen so that he can stay in the Matrix. In other words, there is no option where he is able to live in the Matrix while having this knowledge. The knowledge of the nature of his context would overwhelm him. Even though the world around him would look and feel as real as ever, he’d go crazy from the knowledge that what he is in isn’t reality.

Ok, now the 20 and under crowd, back in with me here. Y’all know about Harry Potter, right? So there are books, there was a movie series, there are theater plays, and there’s Harry Potter world at Universal, and now there’s about to be a TV series reboot, right? Ok, well, in the book, who played Harry Potter? Well… Harry Potter did. Silly question. Ok what about the movies - who played Harry Potter? Daniel Radcliffe, right. And does anybody know who’s replacing him in the new TV series? Some kid named Dominic McLau[ck]lin. Do y’all need a minute to get a google search out of your system or are we good? …Ok, what about the stage production - who played Harry Potter there? That’s right, nobody cares. What about if you play the Harry Potter video games, who’s playing Harry Potter? Well, you are…? Sort of... At least, you’re controlling the character. Ok, now, if you go to Harry Potter world and get the right wand, cape, glasses, and pencil mark on your forehead, who’s playing Harry Potter then? You are. So the story of Harry Potter can be set in movies, television, theater, books, video games, and a theme park. And you can be in the story of Harry Potter in different ways. You can watch it in an IMAX theater in Boston, on TV or in a book in your home, or you can live it out in a theme park here at Universal Orlando. It’s all different ways of being “in” something. And I know, it’s like not even 10am. You’re like “man I don’t want to be in this seat anymore.” Here’s what I’m getting at.

Paul is wringing every possible ounce of meaning out of the word “in.” You’re in Philipi (or Orlando), but even more than that, even before we get to that, you’re in Christ. Because he began and will complete a good work in you. And I hold you in my heart, to the point that you are actually partakers of the same grace with me in my imprisonment and the defense of the gospel. And I, Paul, yearn for you all in the affection of Christ. So there are layers of “in-ness” happening here. You are in Philipi, but also in Christ, and therefore in Paul, and therefore in prison with Paul, and therefore joining Paul in living a lifestyle that is in Christ. How about that? Let me make a few brief observations from this text based on this understanding and we’ll call it good for today. Here are three observations about how Paul intends for us to be “in” stuff.

• We Are In Christ First, In Other Things Second

I already mentioned this a little bit earlier, but I think it’s both significant and intentional that Paul sets up the paradigm of different ways you can be “in” something, and differing levels of importance between those ways. So right up in verse 1, “To the saints in Christ Jesus, who are in Philipi. You can be in both Christ and Philipi. And since the preposition “in” can apply to both, then both Christ and Phili, can be thought of as a location. If Christ and Philipi were exactly the same type of thing, meaning both physical locations, then you couldn’t be in both at the same time. Then Paul couldn’t say “to the saints who are in Christ and in Philipi” unless he was talking about two different groups of people in two different places. He can’t be talking about one group of people - because it’d be like saying you are in Orlando and in New York City at the same time - not possible. But Christ and Philipi exist in different ways. Therefore you can inhabit them in different ways.

It’s just like you can be both in Orlando and in the story of Harry Potter by dressing up and going to Harry Potter world. Or you can be in your seat right now, and we can all exist together in time. You can be “in” things in different ways. And different kinds of things have different levels of importance. So when you go to Harry Potter world and dress up as Harry Potter and act out the story of buying your first wand for $500 muggle dollars, even though you spent your whole savings on it and it feels like a big deal in the moment, the way you are “in” that story is much less important than the way you are “in” other things. For example, say you went and acted out that story at Harry Potter world together with your family. You are in the story of Harry Potter and also in your family. Which is more significant? And, of course, you did all of that while living in Orlando and existing in time. Now we are getting to higher and more significant levels of reality. You might like Harry Potter more than you like the city of Orlando or the concept time, but regardless of preference, Orlando and time and your family are more significant realities than Harry Potter. Because they are more real. And they are contexts that more profoundly impact and shape who you are.

Paul says, “to those in Christ who are in Philipi.” And that is the correct order. This is just the first hint of an idea you will see over and over again for the rest of the book, but Christ is the most important and most significant reality that you exist in. Everything else that you can be “in” is just a shadow of the way you can be “in” Christ. You can be “in” your physical family but the body of Christ is even more significant. Ideally those things overlap, right? But I’m saying if your family are Christians, then your relationship to your family members as brothers and sisters and fathers and mothers in Christ is more significant than whatever biological relationship you have with them. And you can be Christians in America, but that’s the order. Christians - in Christ, Christ - ians, before you are Americans - in America. And you can be in school, or in a particular vocation, or in a certain culture, or in a friend group or whatever. The most significant reality you inhabit is Christ - because He’s more real, He impacts your life more significantly, he defines who you are more profoundly. And here’s the proof: some day you will cease to be “in” everything else that you are currently in. This place, this body, this country, this job, this family, this world, whatever. The only reality that you will care about is whether you are in or out of Christ.

Now the hard thing about this is that we tend to have a silly habit as humans. We go through this cycle where we first distinguish between two things, then we pick which thing is more important, then we ignore the other thing. And it’s a cycle, it starts all over again, it’s the entire history of human thought and philosophy, we can’t escape the tendency. But just hang with me here for a minute. Being in Christ is more important than being in anything else, but part of why that is true is that it impacts the way you are in everything else. It doesn’t erase the way you are in everything else, it influences it. So to be in Christ and to recognize that as the most important reality is not to say that you are no longer in your family, your country, your school, your job, whatever. This idea is commonly referred to as being “in the world but not of the world.” Sort of a summary of an idea from John 17 where Jesus prays to the Father about his disciples saying “they are not of the world, just like I am not of the world, but I don’t ask that you take them out of the world - just that you keep them from evil.” Or 1st Cor. 5 where Paul says “I wrote to you not to associate with sinners, not at all meaning sinners in the world - since to do that you would have to leave the world.” He says, “I meant quit hanging out with people who call themselves Christians but go on sinning as if they weren’t.”

So the message is clear, neither Paul or Jesus want you to leave the world. Or to stop associating with it. They want you in the world. But they also want you kept from evil. They want you to be in the world, but not in sin. They want you hanging out with sinners, not sinning with sinners. Paul wants you to be a saint - meaning a sanctified person, in Christ, and also in Philipi. Or Orlando. And they way that you are in Christ should directly affect the way you are in Orlando.

• To Be In Christ Is To Be His Pattern of Life

Now how should being in Christ affect the way you are in other things, like Orlando? So glad you asked. :) Put most simply, Christ’s life is one of emptying, dying, and rising. If you’re in his life then you're in that pattern. Think about the idea of being in the story of Harry Potter, whether you are talking about the book, the video game, the movie, the new series, the stage play, the Universal resort, whatever. Even though there are slight differences between each of those contexts, Harry Potter is the same basic story in any context. People will squabble over little differences between the movie, the book, and the series, but at the end of the day, at a basic level, it’s still similar enough to be called “Harry Potter.” It’s the same pattern. Kid finds out he’s a wizard and he didn’t know it, goes to magic school, becomes very powerful, makes friends, defeats evil, you get the idea. The real magic was the friendship we made along the way. That’s the basic plot, and it’s the same everywhere..

The pattern of Christ is the same everywhere. It looks a little different in different contexts, but it is still the same pattern. This will become even more obvious as we go deeper into Philippians, but Paul repeatedly applies the pattern of Christ to our lives. That’s what he’s doing when he says in chapter 2 - “Have this same mind in you, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be held onto, but instead emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant… And being found in human form, he humbled himself yet further, by becoming obedient even to the point of death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him… to the glory of God the Father.” That’s the plot. There’s your pattern. Emptying, dying, rising. You who are in Philipi? Have the same mind in you which is yours in Christ. What does that look like? It looks like giving up - emptying yourself of some good and wonderful things that you possess for the sake of others who do not have them. Well how far do we go with that? Well, how far did Jesus go with it? To the point of death. And then God will resurrect you like he resurrected Jesus so that it will be obvious who won and how death was defeated - God did it. Because regular people can avoid death, at least for a time. Only God can take you through it and raise you up on the other side - so he gets glory when that happens.

Now where is that - why are we in chapter 2 now? Because in our text, Paul is setting us up to go there. So if you wanna get where he starts, it’s easier to understand that in light of where he’s going. So work backwards with me from chapter 2. Now in the last half of chapter 1, starting in verse 18: Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that fthrough your prayers and gthe help of hthe Spirit of Jesus Christ this (meaning his imprisonment) will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope ithat I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full jcourage now as always Christ kwill be honored in my body, lwhether by life or by death. So Paul is sure that either way his imprisonment will turn out for his deliverance, whether by being released from jail or by being released from this life. And he goes on to say, “I honestly can’t tell which is better, because to keep living in this life of suffering is Christ. To continue emptying and dying is Christ. But to actually die is to gain, because like Jesus, dying means getting back everything you gave up. It’s the ultimate retirement plan. You know how wealthy people put all their assets in a trust or life insurance so that when they die their children get all their stuff tax free? It’s like that but better. It’s a 401k but way way better. You give up stuff and pleasure and glory and relationships for the sake of Jesus, you are storing up treasures in heaven where moth and rust and depreciation and taxes and stock market crashes and moral failures and death can’t touch them. So death is gain for you because you get it all back and more.

Now back up to our text in the first part of chapter 1, verse 3:. I thank my God fin all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 gbecause of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” He says, “I thank God for you because you are living the same story with me.” That’s what he means by “partnership in the gospel” - it’s co-participation in the story of Jesus. Then he says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began ha good work in you iwill bring it to completion at jthe day of Jesus Christ.” So essentially, there’s only one possible explanation for someone living this otherworldly story of Christ. This isn’t a story that natural people tend to live. He says the story of your life has taken on the shape of the story of Jesus’ life, so therefore I am sure that he who began that story in you will be faithful to finish it when Jesus returns. He says “I know the story that I see your life conforming to, and I know how it ends. I am confident about it.”

Ok just think for a second. We spent all summer reading Genesis. Looking for the serpent crusher. If we had continued into Exodus and Leviticus, then we would have been looking for the perfect sacrifice. If we kept going into judges and 1st & 2nd Samuel, we would have been looking for the perfect king, and if we kept going we’d be looking for the perfect prophet and priest before it was all over. And through all of that we would be looking for someone else to do these things for us. Crush the serpent for us, pay the price for us, rule us, and so on. Because the Old Testament is a repetitive story of how we are consistently and completely unable to do or be any of that. Well, Paul’s whole theology is that we found the guy who did and was all of that for us, and now he’s become the guy doing and being all of that through us. Check it out, this will unlock the whole New Testament for you. The Gospels are the story of Jesus doing and being all of these things for us. The Epistles are the Apostles trying to explain how, once we are in Him, he is now doing and being all of those things through us.

• Romans 16:20: The God of peace ewill soon crush Satan under your feet. (In Him, you are the serpent crusher)
• Romans 12:1 By the mercies of God, present your bodies bas a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (In him, you are a holy and acceptable sacrifice)
• 2 Tim 2: 11-12: rIf we have died with him, we will also slive with him; tif we endure, we will also reign with him (In him, you will reign with him)

If time allowed we could go on and do the same thing with prophet, priest, temple, city, and more. The gospels show how Jesus was the perfect [fill-in-the-blank], and the Epistles show that now in him, so are you. That means that in Christ, humanity is not ruined. We are being restored to our full and original potential. All the promises of God are yes and amen where? In Christ. And in you in as much as you are in Him. Do you see how much bigger this is than only justification and sanctification? We tend to read “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” as “he who justified you will also sanctify you.” Or put more bluntly, we read it like, “He who kept you out of hell will get you to heaven.” And that’s totally true, praise God, but it’s also only a fraction of what Paul’s talking about. He has much, much bigger things in mind. But as great as all that sounds, the life of Jesus is very, very hard. Emptying and dying are very hard ways to get to resurrection, but they are also the only way to get to resurrection. So thankfully, there is a little more encouragement to find in this text before we close.

• Because of Christ, We Are In One Another’s Lives

So Paul just said, “I recognize the story you are living, so I am confident of the way it will end.” Just like he’s confident that his own story will turn out for deliverance, even if he dies, because he is also living the story of Jesus and that’s how it goes. Death is gain. But back in verse 7 he goes another step in this theology of “in-ness.” He says, “it is right for me to feel this way about you all, because” of something. “It’s right for me to feel this way about you because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.” We find out later in chapter 4 that the Philippian church has provided for Paul’s needs during this imprisonment. They sent supplies by way of Epaphreditus. Because back then, prison didn’t feed or clothe you, your friends and relatives had to come visit you and provide you with what you needed to live.

So the Philippian church has done this for Paul, and he’s saying by doing so they have become partakers with him of the grace of suffering in Christ. So my imprisonment? That’s grace. Because that’s what Jesus’ life looks like. For me, prison is how I live not just like Jesus, but in Jesus’ life. Therefore, it’s grace. And you, Philippian saints, partake of it with me. So, he says, “I see the evidence of you entering the pattern of Christ’s life in your generosity to me. You emptied yourself of what you had for my sake, and therefore you join me in emptying myself for the sake of the gospel. Therefore, I have a right to be confident that we are living the same story. And I hold you in my heart because of this. And I yearn for, or love you, with all the affection that is in Christ Jesus.” Paul is in Christ, living the story of Christ, so Paul feels what Christ feels, and what Christ feels is affection for the Philippians, because they are also in Christ, also living the story of Christ.

Now you, saints in Christ in Orlando. You live in a place that, until recently, had a theme park designed around the bible. You live in a city with more mega churches and massive parachurch ministries per capita than any other one I know of. You spend your weekends going to Disney World and to Church and those two experiences do not have to be mutually exclusive. Nothing about one keeps you from doing the other. You live in the place that is a stereotype for most people of where they want to retire to so they can live out their golden years in maximum comfort, with minimum suffering. Nobody is sending you or your friends to prison here. How can you inhabit the story of Christ in a place like this? A place where anything that isn’t magical is hidden behind walls of entertainment?

Simply put, by getting closer. Remember, Jesus didn’t stay in heaven while we were down here. He emptied himself to get closer. The theme park walls, the social media highlight Reels , the casual visits at sports games in the midst of our very busy lives all work together to keep us far enough apart that it’s very very easy for someone to suffer and you not know about it. And the casual “how’s your week going” conversations on Sunday aren’t really the best places to really enter into the grace of suffering that someone else is experiencing. You need to get closer. Paul said, “I hold you in my heart” - that’s close. Paul said, I love you so much that it’s like you are suffering with me. In a sense, the Philippians are in Paul’s life as Paul is in Christ’s life. So that means that living your life in Christ means living your life close enough to enter into other people’s suffering. And when you get to that place with another person, be ready for it to be difficult. It’s hard to suffer with people.

And when it gets really difficult and painful, here’s the important part, you don’t pull back. You get closer and you stay there. It'll be hard, it’ll be awkward sometimes, you won’t always know what to do, you will make mistakes, do it anyway. Empty yourself into the life of another. Humble yourself to the point of taking up your cross with another. Die to yourself and your comfort and your desires for their sake. It’s going to hurt and it’s not going to be fun but when you do it you can be confident that he who began a good work in you is working through that situation to bring it to completion. Suffering doesn’t feel very magical but the resurrection will and it will be worth it.

And if you want a more entry level practice step, try signing up to serve in kid’s ministry or on Sunday morning setup team. I’m not kidding. Those are hard and difficult places. They aren’t comfortable. It requires you emptying yourself of comfort in order to care for another person. If you aren’t ready to serve in kids ministry or stay late to take out trash on a Sunday then you aren’t ready for Christian friendship because that’s even harder. If you don’t know where to start with that we can help, come see one of us with a nametag and we can get you plugged into a community groups, service teams, prayer teams, formation groups, you name it. There’s lots of ways to get involved in other people’s lives here if you are willing to give up yourself for the sake of other people. But the invitation of Philippians is to be in Christ in community. In Christ’s life and in one another’s life. To be united to Him is to be united to His Body.

It’s good news that Jesus doesn’t call us to suffer alone. But put differently, it’s also good news that He doesn’t call our brothers and sisters to suffer without us.

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