Calvary Road Baptist Church
“SAINTS AND SALUTES”
Philippians 4.21-23
We have come to the end of Paul’s
letter to the Philippian congregation. As I reflect back over this
marvelous epistle written to a group of people Paul loved passionately, I am
amazed at how much I learned during my study and preparation time about the
Christian life, about the condescension and humility of my Lord Jesus Christ,
and about the real foundation that is needed for unity in a church, which is an
honest and heartfelt humility after the fashion of our Savior.
I am truly convinced that Paul had a
single purpose in writing this letter. There were two members who didn’t get
along, Euodias and Syntyche. And everything Paul wrote was for the purpose of
showing those two otherwise godly women, as well as the rest of the
congregation, how critically important it is that we not only love God and seek
to serve Him, but also humble ourselves enough to rightly love each other. And
why is humility so necessary? Why is love for each other so important? Because,
my friends, we can’t function as a church without unity. Understand, only God
gives unity. But He gives unity only to those who are humble and who love each
other.
These few observations made, let’s
stand read the last three verses of Paul’s letter to the Philippians,
Philippians 4.21-23:
21 Salute
every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren which are with me greet you.
22 All
the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.
23 The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
I want you to notice that word
“saint.” It translates the Greek word hagios, that we also get “holy” from. Paul
started out addressing the “saints” in Philippi, if you will remember, in the
very first verse of this letter. What is a “saint?” Well, a “saint” is one
thing to the Roman Catholic Church and quite another thing to the Apostle Paul.
The Roman Church views a “saint” as some dead person who was a top notch Roman
Catholic, who advanced the reach of the Vatican in the world, and who became
eligible for canonization when certain requirements were met in his or her life
that are officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. The Apostle Paul,
however, and every other New Testament writer, had a very different view of
what it means to be a “saint.” To Paul, Peter, Luke, John, Jude, and the writer
of Hebrews, a “saint” is anyone who has come to Jesus Christ and who has been
forgiven and cleansed of their sins thereby. A “saint” is simply someone who
has been set aside by God for His purposes. So, understood correctly, each and
every genuinely saved Christian is rightly seen to be a “saint.” In our text,
then, “saints” are Christians, pure and simple.
Another word to take note of is the
word from which “salute” is translated, aspazomai. This is a verb, a very
common word, which means to greet. You “salute” someone when you shake hands
and ask them how they are doing. Our ladies oftentimes “salute” each other here
at church by giving each other a hug and a peck on the cheek.
With these two words safely tucked
away, let’s take notice of where we find these saints who are saluting and
being saluted by each other:
First, WE FIND SALUTING SAINTS IN THE
PLACE OF BLESSING
Paul writes in verse 21, “Salute every
saint in Christ Jesus.”
I want you to take note of what Paul
is doing here, by providing for us the manner of blessing. He is giving
a directive (this verb is an imperative verb) to the Philippians. The
Philippians are directed to salute, to greet, every saint in Christ Jesus. Thus,
there is none of this nonsense of claiming to be a Christian while refusing to
openly, courteously, and graciously greet other Christians you encounter. So,
what do you do if you are shy, if you don’t feel good, if you are somehow out
of sorts, or if you are not a great fan of the Christian you come upon? You
kindly and graciously greet that believer anyway.
The place of blessing that we
find in this statement is the phrase “in Christ Jesus.” What does Paul mean
when he writes “in Christ Jesus”? Let me remind you that the Greeks prided
themselves on being an extremely logical and intellectual people. And their
language reflected their systematic and orderly approach to life. Part of their
culture, and perhaps this was the result of the system of city states, like
Athens and Thebes and Sparta and Corinth that existed before Alexander the
Great swooped down from Macedonia to conquer them, was geared to what we would
call spheres of influence. Each city state had its own sphere of influence and
controlled everything that went on within that sphere of influence. This kind
of thinking was used by Paul to explain some very important spiritual truths. Therefore,
when Paul uses such phrases as “in Christ” or “in Him” in Philippians, and more
particularly in his letter to the Ephesians, he has in mind something akin to a
sphere of influence. When someone is in Christ Jesus that someone occupies, not
a physical terrain, not a political domain, but a spiritual kingdom over which
the Lord Jesus Christ reigns supreme. Thus, the inconsistency of claiming to be
a Christian, and therefore a subject of His kingdom, yet demonstrating no
obedience to our great King’s mandate to salute others also in His kingdom is
apparent.
You can sit right next to a person and
be in the place of blessing because you are in Christ Jesus, while the one next
to you is not in the place of blessing because he is not in Christ Jesus. You
come into the place of blessing when you come to Jesus Christ, and the
blessings you receive are forgiveness of sins, an eternal destiny to look
forward to and not feel the need to run from, and the ministry of the
indwelling Spirit of God in your life. Thus, the reason for graciously and
courteously greeting every Christian your encounter; the two of you have a
grand and glorious relationship with the Savior that is to be reflected in your
attitudes toward each other at every encounter. This is why you will not
see mature and spiritual believers ever showing indifference or hostility when
they cross paths with another child of God.
Next, WE FIND SALUTING SAINTS IN THE
PLACE OF PRIVILEGE
Paul continues in his letter, “The
brethren which are with me greet you.”
Remember that Paul was under house
arrest in Rome. He had a Roman centurion literally chained to him. So, he
couldn’t actually go anywhere. But Paul did have gathered around him faithful
servants of God who counted it a privilege to serve God by serving alongside
God’s man.
And what did they do? As Paul directed
the Philippians to salute each other as they crossed paths, here we are
informed that the Roman Christians are saluting the Philippians from many miles
away. Thus, this is not a practice that is restricted to those Christians in
your own congregation. However, this is not all the Roman Christians Paul
speaks for did. They actually did just about everything for Paul because he
could do very little except pray, study, write letters, and talk to individuals
as they came to visit him. Think of it. The phrase “The brethren which are with
me” is pregnant with implications. What if you were the guy who worked to earn
money to pay for Paul’s food? Romans did not feed their prisoners, after all. What
if you were the guy whose job it was to write all of Paul’s dictated
correspondence, and read to him all the letters he received from the Eastern
Mediterranean? Remember, Paul had very bad eyesight. As well, what if you were
the guy called upon to do Paul’s laundry and tend to the hygienic needs of this
old Christian man who had suffered many beatings and scourgings, and was likely
in need of help just to make it through each day?
Do you see how marvelous were the
opportunities to serve God those men had by ministering to Paul so that he
could function in prison and fulfill his apostolic ministry? Some who pretend
to be Christians these days complain and gripe when called upon to perform
simple but necessary tasks, but the Lord Jesus Christ said that He came not to
be ministered unto but to minister, not to be served but to serve. What an
example to follow. Oh, how those Philippians who received greetings from Paul’s
attendants would have delighted to trade places with them and serve alongside
the Apostle Paul in Rome. To serve alongside a servant of God is a wonderful
privilege.
Third, WE FIND SALUTING SAINTS IN THE
PLACE OF COMMUNITY
Verse 22 begins, “All the saints
salute you.”
There were problems in the city of
Rome. Some preached Christ of contention, not sincerely, and others preached
Christ of love. The Christian community had been divided over Paul’s ministry,
with some thinking that his aggressive posture and imprisonment was making
things worse for those believers who lived in Rome. But others felt Paul to be
truly godly and welcomed his efforts.
These things we learn in the first
chapter of Philippians. But by the time we get to the closing verses of
Philippians we find that “all the saints” were saluting, were greeting the
Philippians through Paul’s letter. That can only mean Paul had been in constant
communication with all the believers in Rome, even those who doubted his
effectiveness and strategy.
What does this suggest to us? Well, it
certainly suggests that things were different in Paul’s day than in our day. It
suggests that even those who differed with him at least preached the gospel. At
least they stood against sin. At least they had done nothing that required Paul
to break fellowship with them. There was real Christian community in Rome, if
not great unity.
Folks, such is not the case today. There
is terrible compromise and unbelief among the so-called Christians round about
us. So much so that real fellowship is typically not possible. All the more
reason, then, for us to appreciate the Christian community that we have here,
and to pray for each other in this time of spiritual apostasy.
Finally, WE FIND THE SALUTING SAINTS
IN THE PLACE OF SURPRISE
Paul concludes verse 22 by writing,
“chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.”
Caesar, of course, was the title given
to the emperor of Rome. The German equivalent of Caesar is Kaiser. The Russian
equivalent of Caesar is Tsar. So, Paul is referring here to the absolute ruler
of the vast Roman Empire. The Philippians are being greeted by people, some of
whom are actually in Caesar’s household.
What does Paul mean by Caesar’s
household? He means more than just the maids and the butlers and the cooks. I
suppose the most comparable group to Caesar’s household in modern times would
be the White House staff in Washington, D.C. It was a vast bureaucracy of
individuals comprised of both slaves and freemen, who performed every function
imaginable, from cooking and cleaning to secretarial work, from diplomacy to
imperial administrative functions. These were people, including the famous
Praetorian guards, who spent each and every day working in the seat of
authority for the world’s greatest super power at that time.
But why in the world would members of
Caesar’s household greet Philippian Christians? Because they were Christians. And
how did Christians come to be placed in Caesar’s household? Three
possibilities: They could have been people who were saved in Philippi (and
familiar with Paul from that city) and were later transferred to Rome
(remember, Philippi was a Roman colony city). Or Paul might have been able to
reach them for Christ while he was a prisoner in Caesar’s household. Then there
is the possibility that some of the Christians in Rome before Paul’s arrival
were among those who were on Caesar’s staff. Likely, all three possibilities
are true.
Whatever the actual history, the
biggest mistake the Roman Empire ever made was to bring the Apostle Paul to
Rome as a prisoner where, in the very bowels of the bureaucracy, he could serve
his Lord Jesus and plant the seeds of the gospel that would eventually lead to
Rome’s collapse. What a wonderful realization it is to discover that you can
serve the Lord wherever you might be, no matter the circumstances. Which
leads to finding believers in the most surprising places.
Paul’s final words are “The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Some are in Rome, while
others are in Philippi. Some are in mean and seemingly insignificant places,
while others are in close proximity to the seat of imperial power and might. Some
are in the midst of poverty, while others are in relative wealth and
prosperity. But they all have something in common. They are saints. They are
recipients of the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Christian? Avail yourselves of God’s
grace. Use the means of getting grace from God. Faithfully and fervently pray. Faithfully
attend every service and listen to the preaching of God’s Word. I do strive to
minister grace to my hearers. And read your Bible each and every day.
SERMON:
This message about the grace Paul refers
to in Philippians 4.23 is brought primarily for the benefit of you parents. It’s
a message to you who are unsaved moms or dads, while being helpful for
Christian parents. This is a message that assumes some things about you that
sadly aren’t true of very many moms and dads in the world.
Let me speak just about dads for a
moment. Most dads in this world behave like barn yard animals. All over the
world there are men who sire children by women, giving little thought to
marrying, giving little thought to loving their children, giving little thought
to providing for their children, giving little thought to anything but
gratifying their lusts and satisfying their urges. Even the dads who marry
their kid’s mother frequently are not faithful in marriage. They behave in
marriage like most other men behave outside of marriage. Any woman who is
married to an unsaved man should prepare herself for the possibility of him
cheating on her so long as he remains lost. Why so? Because lost men are
targets that unsaved women zero in on, especially in workplace environments
where there are a great many women. Then comes the day, usually around the
onset of middle age, that dear old dad shows his true colors to one and all and
abandons his wife and children to poverty, to humiliation, and to degradation. The
greatest tragedy of all is the growing realization among those who study such
things as this is that when such a dad sets such a poor example as this he
isn’t only subjecting those he is supposed to love to poverty, humiliation, and
degradation. He is also setting up a mechanism for imitation. That’s right. The
great percentage of boys whose dads have done this will then do this to their
kids. And the great percentage of girls whose dads have done this will
associate with men who will then do this. This vicious circle breaks my heart.
Mom? Dad? I will assume that you love
your children. I will assume that you care a great deal about how your kids
turn out in life. I will assume that you feel responsible for your children and
have a desire to protect them in a way only a loving parent can. I will assume
that you sincerely want to teach them, train them, and guide them through
childhood to a successful adult life. You know, being a mom or a dad is really
tough. Being a good parent requires a lot of wisdom and judgment. You have to
know when to help your kids and when not to help your kids. Some parents help
their kids too much, while some help their kids not enough. Some moms and dads
exercise poor judgment in always helping their kids, helping them so
much the kids remain dependent upon their parents even after reaching
adulthood. They don’t raise their kids to go out on their own, but to forever
look to them to be propped up in life. That kind of parent exercises poor
judgment. You end up with grandchildren who saw their parents being propped up
and who will then expect to be propped up themselves. You don’t want to be a
mom or dad who perpetrates that kind of legacy.
For example: You know that God’s plan
is for a son to leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife. And you
know that your daughter is to be raised to leave you and go to her husband if
God’s plan for her is marriage. So, you don’t want your kids to marry and move
in with you; physically, emotionally, or financially. You know that your kids
need to be raised to go out and establish their own homes, independent of you
and dependent upon God. And you know that only when you are no longer the one
your kids look to for their provision, for their help, for their rescue in time
of trouble, will they really begin to look to God to meet their needs. But you
know, pulling all this off is hard, especially in a terrible economy, because
sometimes it is appropriate to help out family members. Therefore, when it
comes time to make the tough decisions, when it comes time to be more than you
are capable of being, when it comes time to give to that little child you go in
to look at at night before you go to bed, and you realize that she needs more
from you than you have to give, what do you do? I am astonished that so few
people seek the counsel of their pastor when making decisions that can affect
generations.
I have often spoken to moms and dads
about raising children to walk worthy of God. We see Paul’s recipe for
successful parenting in First Thessalonians 2.7-12. A mom is there likened to a
nurse working day and night. A father is supposed to behave holily, justly and
unblamably. And a father is supposed to speak to his child, using words of
comfort, words of exhortation, and words that charge the child concerning both
practical and also spiritual issues of life. We have seen from time to time in
God’s Word what parents are supposed to do, and how they are supposed to do it.
But the real question is this: What do you do when you aren’t the man or the
woman for the job? What do you do when you feel so guilty that your little
child is suffering so much, all because of you? What do you do when you feel
your little one has spiritual needs, and you just are not capable of meeting
those needs? Fact is, you don’t even see most of those spiritual needs. And
just between you and me, you are not capable of pulling it off. No parent is.
What I say to you now goes for every
mom and dad there is in this world, but most of them won’t listen to what I
say. I speak these words to you in the hopes that God has broken your heart for
your kids, that He has given you an understanding of your own shortcomings as a
man or as a women. Let me tell you what you need. You need the grace of God. Grace
is favor. It’s the makeup of the shortfall. It’s the difference between what
you can do and what needs to be done. It’s God’s intervention in your life, and
it is what you need as a parent. To personalize it, you need Jesus Christ.
For a few minutes, let me talk to you
about grace, divine favor.
First, THE GRACE THAT YOU NEED COMES
ONLY FROM GOD
We learn from James 1.17 that every
good gift and every perfect gift comes from our heavenly Father. And since
grace is both good and perfect, it can only come from God the Father. In
Ephesians 1.6, Paul is exulting in the goodness and greatness of God when he
writes, “to the praise of the glory of his grace.” So, Paul, too, attests to
God as the origin of grace in a man’s life.
However, let us not forget that James
correctly points out that good and perfect gifts come down from the Father, and
God the Father is father to none save those who are his children. Ah, my
friend, you need God’s good grace to be the kind of mother or father you yearn
to be. But you’ll not get the grace of God to be a successful mom or dad unless
and until you become God’s child. And you can’t approach God to request grace
from Him, since you are a sinner and He is holy. Indeed, Jesus Christ Himself
said, “No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” So, you need grace from God,
but you can’t go to God, because of your obvious sinfulness. A sinfulness, I
might add, that will succeed only in your own eternal damnation, and that of
your kids, in all likelihood, if you are not saved straightway.
THIS BRINGS ME TO MY FAVORITE SUBJECT
IN ALL THE BIBLE, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. GOD IS GRACIOUS AND HAS GRACE. YOU ARE
WITHOUT GRACE AND YOU NEED IT. I’M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT JESUS IS THE ONE, THE
ONLY ONE, WHO CONVEYS THE GRACE OF GOD TO SINNERS.
John 1.17 declares in no uncertain
terms that “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” My friend, if grace is
divine favor, what better testimony of God’s favor is there than in sending His
Son Jesus Christ? Further, in Romans 1.5, Paul told the Romans that it was by
Jesus Christ that we have received grace. So, how do you receive the grace of
God that comes with Jesus Christ? Simple. By receiving Jesus Christ. I’m not
playing games with you, honest I’m not. It’s just that this whole issue of
grace really is too simple for many people to believe.
You need God’s favor. But God’s favor,
grace, comes by Jesus Christ. So, how do you get God’s favor, the grace of God?
By getting Jesus Christ. Paul indicated that he received God’s grace by Jesus
Christ. John 1.12 puts it another way:
“But as many as received him, to them
gave he the power to become the sons of god, even to them that believe
on his name.”
Grace is a good and perfect gift that
comes from the Father. But God is only father to His children. And how do you
become a child of God? By receiving His Son, Jesus. To follow another thread of
truth, by who does grace come, according to the Bible? Grace comes by Jesus
Christ. And how do you get grace, but by Jesus Christ. Look at it any way you
like and it always comes out that grace is inextricably bound up in Jesus
Christ. Receive Him and you receive grace. Become God’s child through faith in
Christ and God will give you grace.
GRACE FROM GOD, THROUGH THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST, TO YOU
In First Corinthians 1.4, Paul thanked
God for the grace the Corinthians had received by Jesus Christ. Second Timothy
1.9 points out that it has eternally been God’s purpose to give grace to you in
Christ Jesus. It begins with you being saved. Ephesians 2.8 views salvation
from both the human and the divine perspective:
“For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
If salvation is understood to be the
forgiveness of all your sins, the imparting of a new life and a new eternal
destiny to you as an undeserving sinner, then God’s favor in this regard, His
grace, is bestowed when you, a sinner, place your faith in Jesus Christ.
Mom? Dad? You might think I’ve gone
rather far afield from where we started, but I haven’t. Your concern is your
children. My concern is you and your children. You want to be a good mom or a
good dad, and to see your kids raised right. I want the same thing. But I know
from God’s Word that you will never be a good enough parent to raise your kids
right. No mom is good enough. No dad is good enough. Not me or anyone else.
What you need to be is a saved
mom or dad, a recipient of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. As a saved
mom or dad you can ask God, yourself, for grace and help to see your kids
raised right. But you have to be saved first. Then perhaps you and I can
discover from God’s Word how to get from where you find yourself to where you
need to be for your children’s sake, and for your grandchildren’s sake.
Question? Comment?
Would you like to contact Dr. Waldrip about this sermon? Fill out the form below to send him an email. Thank you.