August 17, 2008 - Grace and Peace

“Greetings, Earthlings”

1 This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God's holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders* and deacons.
2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.
4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy

Two West Virginians were driving through Louisiana. As they were approaching the town of Natchitoches, they started arguing about the pronunciation of the name.

Upon stopping at a fast-food establishment for lunch, the West Virginian who was driving asked the manager, “Before we order, could you please settle an argument for us? Would you please pronounce where we are – very slowly – very clearly?”

The manager leaned over the counter, smiled, and said,
“Burrrrrr-gerrrrrr-Kiiiing.” That was a total misunderstanding.

Paul was a man who was lost even though he thought he was in the right place. At the heart of his situation was a complete misunderstanding.

Let’s first come up to speed about the background of this man. His parents gave him the Hebrew name Saul. He was named after the first King of Israel who was of the same tribe as Paul - the tribe of Benjamin.

He also bore the Latin named Paulus and was proud to be a citizen of the Greek town of Tarsus. His Father was wealthy enough to buy his Roman citizenship; as a consequence, Paul was born a Roman citizen.

Paul studied under the great Rabbi Gamaliel and was a strict Pharisee. In his own words, “I advanced in Judaism beyond many of his own age among his people – extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers” (Gal. 1:14).

Paul first appears in the New Testament as a supporter of the stoning of Stephen – holding the cloaks of the executioners. As he stated, “I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it” (Gal. 1:13). He used his influence with the High Priest in Jerusalem to get permission to track Christians down in far away cities.

So at about 35 AD, at the age of about 30, he was on his way to Damascus to arrest followers of the Way. Just outside of the city, he was knocked off his feet by a blinding light and a thundering voice. At first, he might have thought that God was shouting approval for his work, “Saul, Saul.” But then the voice continued, “Why are you persecuting me?” “Who is it, Lord?” asked Paul. Then the words that rocked his world – “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”

For Paul, it was the impossible becoming reality. Jesus, whom he denied as a joke – a hoax – was calling to him from beyond. His world crashed. The sky was falling. The God whom he thought he had been serving faithfully left him completely dumbfounded. He had radically misunderstood.

Jesus gave him instructions: “Get up, go into the city; someone there will tell you what to do” (Acts 9:5). Those traveling with Paul took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. He spent 3 days in total darkness without so much as a bite to eat or a sip to drink – trying to make some sense of it all. All that was - was no longer important. All that would be was still a mystery.

Finally, Annanias showed up at his residence. God had spoken to Annanias in a vision, “Get up, got to Straight Street, find the house of Judas. There you will find a man named Saul. He is there right now praying. He has seen a vision in which a man named Annanias comes to him, lays his hands on him, causing him to see.”

It’s not hard to understand Annanias’ skepticism, “But God – I know about that man; he is a killer! He hates Christians. He has come to drag us to Jerusalem for trial and execution!”

But God did not relent, “Go. I have chosen him for an important work. He must tell about me to non-Jews and Jews. I will show him how much he must suffer for me.”

Annanias obeyed. He found Paul just as Jesus told him he would. He laid his hands on Paul, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus sent me. He is the one you saw on the road to Damascus. He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, Paul received his sight. The Bible says that something like “fish scales” fell from his eyes. He got up, was baptized then ate. Did you get the order there? Even before he ate he was baptized. If that were me I would have probably said, “Bring me food!” But Paul’s change was so absolutely total that he wanted to mark his new life with a great sign of commitment to
Christ – baptism. He was now a Christian. You see - there is a greater food than our favorite dish. There is spiritual food.

Saul met with the followers of Damascus. Soon he began to preach in the synagogues, saying, “Jesus is the son of God.” No one could believe it – both believers of the Way and non-believers.

Paul was the chief persecutor of the church during the first five years of its beginning. He became the most influential voice in the history of the church next to his Lord and Savior.

About thirty years after his Damascus Road experience, he found himself imprisoned in Rome. In an ironic twist, the religious leaders arrested him, just as he had done to the Christians years before. When it became apparent to him that he was in danger of execution, he exercised his Roman citizen right and appealed to Caesar. While waiting for a hearing with the Emperor, he wrote to his beloved friends in Philippi. He started his letter with a wonderful introduction: “It’s Paul. Timothy is with me. We are His servants. To all God’s people in Philippi, Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Grace and peace – two great words. What a way to begin a greeting – grace and peace! Say them with me: “Grace and peace.”

Our greetings to people can make it or break it. I remember in one of the churches that I served that a gentleman showed up for Sunday School, something that he evidently had not done in many a year if at all. One of his friends, put his hand on his heart, put his other hand on the wall and said, “Look out, the walls are going to fall down. Look who’s here!” He meant it jokingly, and they had a good enough relationship that it was ok, but some would not have taken that so well. We need to watch our hellos! Statements like, “It’s about time, or look what the cat drug in are not necessarily words of grace or peace. We need to watch our words and even our looks, for a look can convey distaste or mistrust, too.

Paul understood these two words – grace and peace - better than most – maybe better than anyone. Paul wrote to Timothy, telling him that Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of which he was the worst. According to Paul, he was the least deserving person on the planet, but Jesus died for him, too. What’s grace? Undeserved love.

It doesn’t matter how bad you are – Paul was worst. If God can save Paul, God can save you, too. God can save those whom we think deserve it least or don’t deserve it at all. Grace – God’s undeserved love. Where would we be without it?

Peace – that inner tranquility that comes from above – a calm spirit even in the face of disaster. If anyone had disaster – Paul did. Listen to his explanation of his hardships that he shared with his friends at Corinth:

No one has worked harder than I, or been in prison more frequently, or been flogged more severely, or been exposed to death as much as I. I’ve received 39 lashes 5 times; I’ve been beaten with rods 3 times; I was stoned and left for dead; I was shipwrecked 3 times – spending a night and a day in the water at sea; I’ve been in danger from my own people, I’ve been in danger from strangers; I’ve been in danger in the city; I’ve been in danger in the country; I’ve gone without sleep, without food; I’ve been cold, and I’ve even been without clothes. And if this was not enough, my mind never rests because of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).

Remember, Jesus told Annanias that Paul would suffer for him. Indeed he did.

And yet, Paul knew the peace of God. If he could know such peace, so can we, because we will never suffer as much as he did.

The peace of God is a quiet assurance that no matter what, “everything works to good for those who love God, those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Guess who wrote that? Right – Paul!

Paul’s peace came from the assurance that no matter what, God is in control. He found that out on the Road to Damascus.

Do you have a Road to Damascus? I’m not talking about a blinding light and voice experience. I’m wondering about your road – your encounter – where did you meet Jesus. Where do you still meet him today? You have to have a regular encounter with Jesus to have the peace that he gives. It starts on the Road to Damascus (your salvation), but it does not end there. You must meet him again and again in prayer and in the Bible.

When Paul wrote to Philippi it was as if he were saying “Greetings, earthlings!” The Bible is for everyone – for all people for all time and applies to every situation of life.

We are going to study Philippians for 3 more Sundays. Philippians starts great – but you haven’t seen anything yet. We will look intensely at: developing a great attitude, putting Christ first, and overcoming worry.

But for now, grace and peace, to you, in the name of God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!