Sunday, October 25, 2009
SHARING IN PAUL’S JOY
Phil. 1:14-18
I would like to begin by reading from II Cor. 5:14-15 (NKJV), “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” Did Christ die for you? Did you die with Him? If so, then you should no longer live for yourself, but for Him who died for you and rose again. Nothing could be simpler. If you are in Christ, then you are not your own. You are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your Spirit, which belong to God (I Cor. 6:19-20). Let that concept sink in. We should no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and rose again. This is the normal Christian life.
We live in such a cynical age that sometimes the question rises up within us: “Is it really possible to do that? Or is that just Bible talk?” We are looking at a man named Paul who urged all Christians to live like that. He didn’t just give those instructions to church leaders or to people who had been Christians for thirty years; he instructed all believers to live in that way. And then he himself provided the example, as he did indeed live for the Christ who died and rose for him.
This is exactly what we see in this first chapter of Philippians. We see a man who had died with Christ and who was compelled by the love of Christ to live totally for the glory of Christ. Paul could tell the Corinthians and the Philippians and others to live this way, because he himself lived this way. This is not some fairy tale life; this is our inheritance, brothers and sisters. May the Lord use these passages from Philippians to mark us for life, to demonstrate that we can indeed live for Him rather than for ourselves.
This morning we are going to focus on Phil. 1:14-18. In order to get the larger picture, let’s go ahead and read Phil. 1:12-21…
But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 18. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 19. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
I. The Word Increased (14)
Last week we looked at verses 12-13. Our theme was the progress of the gospel. Things happened to Paul, but there was purpose in those happenings, because they were under the hand of an Almighty and Sovereign God. Paul tells us that that even his arrest and imprisonment were for the purpose of advancing the gospel. Through those circumstances, God cut a new path for the gospel. While the gospel had been confined mainly to the lower classes, now through Paul’s imprisonment thousands of the elite Roman Praetorian Guard could see that Paul was in prison for the sake of Jesus Christ. Many of them heard his testimony and saw his example. Now the gospel was spreading through the very capital of the Roman Empire. When Paul wrote to his brothers and sisters in Philippi, he didn’t complain about the conditions of his imprisonment. Rather, he comforted their hearts by assuring them that the gospel of Jesus Christ was moving forward.
Last week we could have read verse 14 together with 12-13 to emphasize this progress of the gospel. However, it provides a great introduction to the situation outlined in verses 15-17. Let’s read verse 14 again, “And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” The Word of God was increasing. It was being proclaimed by Paul’s fellow-Christians and it was being heard by more people. It reminds me a great deal of what we read in Acts 6:7, "And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly…” Now the same thing was happening in Rome. We have moved from the capital of the Jewish religion to the capital of the Roman Empire itself. The Word of God increased, and Paul’s imprisonment played a direct role in that increase.
The King James speaks of “the brethren in the Lord.” However, it is not clear whether “in the Lord” is to be taken with “the brethren” or with “becoming confident.” They were certainly brothers in the Lord; there is no question about that. But was Paul emphasizing that fact, or was he saying that their newfound confidence was in the Lord? Because of Paul’s emphasis on having no confidence in the flesh, I believe he was saying that these brothers were becoming more confident in the Lord. The NASV reads, “Most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.” Because they saw Paul enduring imprisonment for Jesus’ sake, they trusted the Lord and were bolder to speak the Word of God.
Notice the word “bold.” We read that the brothers were much more bold to speak the Word without fear. This isn’t the normal word that is translated “bold.” In the King James it is consistently translated “dare.” Because they were trusting in the Lord as a result of Paul’s chains, they were much more daring to speak the Word without fear. Their spiritual courage was strengthened greatly.
So how did this work? Why would Paul being in prison give them courage to speak God’s Word? It wasn’t the fact that Paul was in prison; it was rather that Paul was in prison for the sake of Jesus Christ. And as a prisoner, he was making it clear that the gospel was being advanced. Their attitude must have been something like this: “If our beloved brother is in prison for the sake of the gospel, then surely we can join him in advancing that gospel. If he can endure chains, surely we can endure whatever will come to us as a result of preaching the Word.”
Many of you have read Tortured for Christ, the story of Richard Wurmbrand, who was the founder of Voice of the Martyrs. I believe it was 14 years that he was imprisoned in eastern Europe for the sake of the gospel. Can you just imagine those brothers and sisters in Romania, who were being pressured greatly, as the authorities warned them not to speak about Jesus. How discouraged they must have been. But what do you think happened when they received a letter from their brother Richard Wurmbrand? They knew him. They knew his story. They knew exactly why he was imprisoned and enduring torture. Their faith was strengthened and they were emboldened to serve the Lord with more zeal.
II. Motives Varied (15-17)
Things would seem very simple if we could skip from verse 14 to the end of verse 18, but that is not the case. There were some complications, and Paul was not afraid to write about them. On the one hand, I wish we could just skip them. These are messy things. But, on the other hand, praise God that we have these words. This is where we live.
Paul has told us that many (or “most”) of the brothers were encouraged in the Lord by his imprisonment, and as a result were more daring to speak the Word without fear. If we only read that, we would get the idea that all the Christians in Rome loved Paul. But then we come to verses 15-17, and we see that all of them were not preaching the gospel in the context of love for Paul. Let’s read those verses again… (1:15-17)
Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
We see that while there were many preaching Christ, the motives were varied. The first thing we must make clear is that there was nothing wrong with the message that was being preached. Those who were preaching out of envy and strife were preaching the true gospel. While this may be hard for us to understand, we cannot ignore what the text says. Look at verse 15. Those who preached out of envy and strife, what did they preach? They preached Christ. Then look at verse 16. Those who preached from contention, what did they preach? They preached Christ. Again when we come down to the summary in verse 18, we see that Christ was preached.
Now let me ask you a question. Do you think if they had been preaching a false gospel, Paul would have stated three times that Christ was being preached? Never. Let me remind you of what Paul wrote to the Galatians in Gal. 1:6-9…
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
We read in II Cor. 11 that Paul feared the believers in Corinth would be deceived by those who preached another Jesus. Paul had no sympathy for those who perverted the gospel. He did not rejoice in a false gospel being preached. We can be confident that even though the motives of some of these were impure, their message was the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
So what was their problem? Verse 15 tells us they preached out of envy and strife. Verse 16 reveals that their preaching came from contention, that they were not sincere. As a matter of fact, they were hoping to add affliction to Paul’s bonds. How could this be? We can certainly understand that some preached out of good will and out of love, but who can understand these others who were proclaiming the gospel out of insincere motives?
In verse 15 Paul admits that some, to be sure, were preaching Christ out of envy and strife. As some translations put it, “out of envy and rivalry (party spirit).” Then in verse 16, he adds that they are preaching Christ of contention, out of selfish ambition. They are not sincere in what they are doing. Their motives are not pure. Rather, their goal is to add affliction to Paul’s chains. “Affliction” is that Greek word that is often used of pressure and squeezing. Their motive is to put more pressure on Paul, to make things more difficult for him.
But why? Isn’t that what we all want to ask. Why would they want to make things more difficult for Paul? What we would expect is what we find in these others who were preaching Christ. Most of the Roman Christians were trusting in the Lord because of Paul’s imprisonment and as a result they were strengthened to speak the Word of God without fear. They came alongside Paul, knowing that Paul was appointed for the defense of the gospel. Their fellowship with Paul was strengthened as they joined forces to advance the gospel. Why is that some of those who preached Christ did it from such rotten motives?
Again, we must be reminded that these preachers of impure motives were proclaiming Christ. They were not preaching a false gospel. Because we know the gospel that Paul preached, we can infer that these men were preaching the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. They were preaching justification by grace through faith. The problem was not with the message, but rather with the messengers. They were not attacking the theology of Paul; they were attacking the man. So we ask the obvious question: “If they were preaching the true Jesus, how could they have such impure motives.” That is a hard question to answer. It would be like me doing whatever I could to make things difficult for another preacher who was being greatly used of the Lord. Competition in the ministry, we might call it.
Do such things really happen? Paul tells us they do. Notice how verse 15 begins: “Some indeed preach Christ…” Some of whom? Some of the brothers of verse 14. That’s right. He inserts the “indeed,” (NAS – “to be sure”) for emphasis. The idea seems to be, “I know it’s hard to believe, but some do indeed preach Christ out of these impure motives.”
Perhaps it will help us understand, if we substitute another word for envy. What is another word for envy? Jealousy. Jealousy is a very ugly thing, isn’t it? Not only is it ugly, but it is powerful. What terrible crimes have been motivated by jealousy? How many lovers have been murdered in the face of jealousy? How many kings have died at the hand of jealousy? We read these words in Prov. 27:4, "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy (NASV – jealousy)?" Why would anyone be jealous of Paul? Was it because he was so successful in the ministry? Was it because Christians loved him and respected him so much and he had such a following? Was it because of the grace God had given him to preach with power and start churches? Were they jealous because even in the midst of his imprisonment he was able to rejoice and keep on ministering in the name of Jesus? These men wanted to be in the place of Paul. They wanted the preeminence and Paul stood in their way. So they stirred up strife.
So how did they hope to make things more difficult for Paul by preaching Christ? Perhaps they were doing it by twisting the truth in what they said about Paul. As they preached Christ, some might have been saying, “God has put him in prison to chastise him. Paul must have stepped out of the will of God.” Or maybe they said, “Paul certainly has a lack of faith, or he would be delivered.” We could speculate on these things, but our text seems to say that it is the preaching of Christ itself that is the means of adding pressure to Paul’s bonds. How could the actual preaching of Christ do that? We are not told, but I have a couple of ideas. Perhaps they thought that more preaching of the gospel would aggravate the Roman authorities and they would take out their hostility on Paul, their prisoner. Surely Paul was the chief evangelist and was responsible for more and more preaching of Christ. We see this principle in Exodus, when Moses approached Pharaoh and asked him to let the people go. You will remember that Pharaoh reacted by telling his slave masters to make it harder on his slaves. Another possibility is that they thought Paul would be jealous of them, because they were making converts, while he was sitting there in jail. That is the character of jealously. The jealous person assumes that others will be eaten up with that same jealously.
Praise God that there was another group who preached out of good will and love. Love for whom? Love for God, and love for Paul. They weren’t jealous of Paul. They shared his joy that the gospel was being advanced, that a new trail was being blazed for the gospel in the capital city of Rome. These Christians were content with Paul’s role and their own role. They understood that they were on the same team, that they were serving Christ together. When one rejoiced, they all rejoiced. When one suffered, they all suffered. They desired the best for their brother Paul. How could they possibly serve their brother more effectively than joining him in the preaching of Christ?
Now let me pause for just a moment. Do you realize that you are vulnerable to the same kind of jealousy we see here? If you don’t think you are, you are on dangerous ground. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Cor. 10:12). When the Lord blesses a brother or sister, can you rejoice with that one? You may be tempted to think, “I have served more effectively than he; why does he get all the recognition?” Don’t think for a minute that you are above that kind of thinking. This kind of jealously plagues our society and even our religious society. But praise God that it doesn’t have to be that way. As we serve the Lord together, we can proclaim Christ with a motive of good will and love.
III. Paul Was Overjoyed (18)
So now let’s turn our attention back to Paul and see how all of this affected him. Were his detractors successful in their attempt to add affliction to his chains? Verse 18 (NASV), “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.” Paul really took it hard, didn’t he? They wanted to discredit Paul and burden him, but the Spirit of God turned their work upside down. Paul was overjoyed. He didn’t rejoice in their impure motives. As a matter of fact, he acknowledges again that their was pretense in their preaching. They pretended that they were concerned about men and the advancement of the gospel, but in reality their eye was always on Paul, as they tried to bring him down. Paul didn’t rejoice in their motive, but he did rejoice in their message, in the fact that Christ was being proclaimed. Paul didn’t care who got the credit humanly speaking, as long as God was glorified.
Don’t miss this – jealousy and rejoicing don’t go together. Do you think these men were filled with joy, as they preached Christ with motives of jealousy and strife? Never. Paul, on the other hand, was filled with the joy of the Lord. He had no jealously, but he was overflowing with joy. Surely it was because Paul was looking to the Lord. He looked beyond the little world of men and gazed on eternity. He saw the big picture. He found joy where lesser men would have been worried, burdened, and filled with anxiety.
Can God use the message in the hands of an impure messenger? We say, “Well no messenger is perfect.” That’s true. But can God use the message of a man who is preaching out of jealousy? The Spirit-inspired Paul answers with a clear, “Yes, definitely.” Understand that it isn’t the best. Paul’s joy at the preaching of Christ by these jealous men does not excuse impure motives in any of us. Paul emphasized the importance of pure motives in 2 Cor. 2:17, "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ." I don’t think Paul is talking about corrupting the Word of God by changing its message. The word translated “corrupt” literally means “to be a retailer, to peddle; to make money by selling something.” That is why the NIV translates it: “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” Paul emphasizes the importance of pure motives. Nevertheless, he still rejoiced when the truth of Christ was preached by men of impure motives.
Look at verse 18 again, “What then? Notwithstanding, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached…” “In truth” is not talking about the truth of the message itself. It is contrasted with the words “in pretense.” We can see that Paul is talking about true and false motives. Whether these men are preaching out of sincere motives or not, Christ is preached, and Paul could rejoice in that.
Conclusion
Let me call your attention again to Paul’s joy. Last week we saw in verses 12-13 that he rejoiced in spite of his trials and imprisonment, as long as the gospel was advanced. This week he rejoiced in spite of those messengers who opposed him and tried to cause him harm, as long as Christ was preached. Paul’s joy was not in the comforts of this life; his joy was in the Lord. That is why he could rejoice in the midst of such trials and opposition. In short, Paul was not looking at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, at those things that are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).
This morning we began with II Cor. 5:14-15. Let’s read it again (NKJV): “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” The title of the message this morning is “Sharing in Paul’s Joy.” Do we understand that Paul’s joy was rooted in the fact that he no longer lived for himself, but he lived for the Christ who died for him and rose again? We live in a religious world of externals. When people think of joy, they think of the smile on the face and a happy-go-lucky attitude, but that isn’t joy. Oh yes, I believe that Paul smiled and was cheerful. The problem is that a person can exhibit those outward behaviours without having the joy of the Lord. The joy Paul had rose up from the inside as a result of the work of the risen Christ. Paul was living for the One who said, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11). We don’t seek joy. Joy isn’t our goal. We seek Christ. When we no longer live for ourselves but for the Christ who died for us and rose again, we will indeed share the joy that Paul knew.
Someone might question the wisdom of Paul’s statement: “I therein do rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” But how did Paul know that he would continue to rejoice? He didn’t know what was going to happen. That’s the whole point. His joy wasn’t based on what happened. When we are living for Christ, we will always have joy, because Christ will never change.
Praise God for this passage. It mines the depth of human possibilities. It is possible for us to have the true message and proclaim it for the wrong reasons. Yes, we are very capable of impure motives, even the motive of jealously. Praise God that He won’t tolerate such an attitude for long. He will chastise us and lead us to repentance. But we must understand that such motives can be found in us. That is why we pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 130:23-24).
But that isn’t the end of the story. We also see that it is possible for a child of God to rejoice in the midst of the most uncomfortable circumstances. As we talked about last week, this is true for any child of God, not just an apostle. We might as well face the fact that we will face many adverse circumstances in this life. The Lord longs to give us His joy right in the middle of the deepest trials. That is why James says, “Count it all joy when you fall into diverse trials” (James 1:2).
I close by leaving with you the words that Nehemiah left with the people of God: “The joy
of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The Gospel on the Move -- 10/18/09
Sunday, October 18, 2009
THE GOSPEL ON THE MOVE
Phil. 1:12-13
We have finished with what we might call Paul’s introduction to his letter. Two weeks ago we looked specifically at his prayer for the Philippian believers in verses 9-11. As we come to verse 12, we see that he jumps right into his subject matter. This morning we are going to read verses 12-21, but we are going to spend our time lingering over verses 12 and 13. I believe it will be time well spent.
Before we read our text for this morning, I have to ask you a question. If you were in jail, what would you write to your family and friends? No doubt, they would be interested in how you were doing? Is it warm in the prison? Do you have enough to eat? Are the guards cruel to you? Would you write about these things? Would you tell them about your daily routine? With those questions in mind, let’s read Phil. 1:12-21…
But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 18. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 19. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
I. Things Happen
Before I say anything else, I must share with you a startling revelation which we find in verse 12. This is going to shock some of you, but I must say it. THINGS HAPPEN. Did you know that? Like it or not, things happen. Paul talks about that very truth in verse 12. “Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the things which happened unto me…” Some things happened to the apostle Paul. Literally, the text reads, “I want you to know that the things according to me…” Things not only happen, but they happen to you and to me. Yes, some things happened to Paul.
Now let’s pause right there. What things have happened to you? You could share a lifetime of experiences on that subject. Regardless of who you are, what your background is, how old you are, things have happened to you. Surely no one here would say, “Nothing has ever happened to me.” Nothing is more certain than the fact that things happen, and that things happen to every individual. Paul was no exception, and neither are you.
Regardless of what translation you read, you will find that these are the things that happened to Paul, rather than things Paul made to happen. The NASV renders it “my circumstances,” but circumstances speaks of things that happen to us. This is the question I’m leading up to: “Who controls these happenings?” Was Paul in control of what happened to him? Are you in control of what happens to you? Do you know what will happen to you tomorrow? Did you know all the things that were going to happen to you this past month? James scolded his readers for boasting that they would do so and so in the future. He then makes this strong statement: “You don’t know what shall be on the morrow” (James 4:14).
But that only talks about knowledge. You don’t know what is going to happen to you. Beyond knowing, did you make everything happen in your life? Some one may argue: “Things happen to me because I make them happen. I don’t stand around and wait for things to happen; I make them happen.” What do you think of that attitude? Tell it to Job. He was a man of wealth and power. And he was a man who feared God. But guess what – some things happened to Job. In very short order, he lost all his possessions, all his children, and his health, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. Yes, things happened to Job.
So who controls these happenings? Prov. 16:9, "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." Jer. 10:23, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Or let me answer that question with an illustration. Suppose we were to experience a great drought, absolutely no trace of rain for two years. What will people do? I’m not talking just about us, but people in general. I can just see it now – people signing a petition, asking Congress to make it rain. Why not? Because even the atheist knows that neither Congress nor any other human institution has power over the weather. Let things get serious enough, and we might be surprised who would come to a prayer meeting to ask God for rain. The God who created the heavens and the earth is the God who makes things happen.
If you want to know what God says about Himself and His power to make things happen, just go and read chapters 40-46 of Isaiah. In chapter 45 alone, five times He makes this basic statement: “I am the Lord and there is none else; there is no God beside me.” Listen to Is. 46:8-10…
Remember this, and show yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. 9. Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Or come and read Ps. 135:1-8…
Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD. 2. Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, 3. Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. 4. For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. 5. For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 6. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. 7. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries. 8. Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
God does whatever He chooses to do. He not only does so in the physical world around us, but in verse 8 we see that He intervenes in human history and does what He pleases there as well. Yes, it is the Lord God who makes things happen.
Now Paul speaks of the things which happened to him. What is he talking about? He is speaking primarily of his arrest and imprisonment. The Philippian Christians were aware that Paul was in prison, and Paul knew they were aware of it. No doubt, he was concerned about them. Later, in chapter 2, we read about Epaphroditus, who had brought Paul an offering from the Philippians. Let’s just read it in Phil. 2:25-26, "Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. 26. For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick." That must have been the attitude of Paul toward the Philippians. He knew it would trouble them to know that he was in prison. One of the reasons he wrote was to console his brothers and sisters in Philippi, as we shall see.
And where was Paul in prison? I have to tell you that Bible students differ on that question. Some say he was imprisoned in Ephesus when he wrote this letter, and some believe he was in Caesarea, but the view long held is that Paul was in Rome. Ultimately, it doesn’t make a lot of difference. I believe he was in Rome, and what I say will reflect that. If he was in Rome, that means that he had been imprisoned for a few years. We know from the record in Acts that after Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, he was then kept in Caesarea under governor Felix for two years, before Festus took the place of Felix. We aren’t sure how long he remained in Caesarea after that, before he was transported to Rome. And the trip to Rome took some time as well. We know from the last chapter of Acts that Paul was imprisoned in Rome for at least two years. So it is likely that when Paul wrote this letter, he had been in prison for three years or more.
II. For a Purpose
Now let’s move on. Things happen, but that isn’t the end of the story. Things happen for a purpose. The God who causes things to happen does not just do things arbitrarily. To the unbeliever, it seems that things just happen, but to the one who trusts God, all happenings are directed by the purposes of God. As one author puts it, “God’s choices flow from who He is” (Paul Washer, The One True God, p. 25). In other words, what God does is determined by who God is. God makes things happen, and He does so for a purpose.
Many of you know that the Bible states this truth very explicitly in Rom. 8:28-29, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son…” This promise, of course, is restricted to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose. For us, we know that God is working all things together for good. Why? So that He might conform us to the image of His Son, so that He might make us like Jesus.
So it is with Paul’s arrest and imprisonment. “Brothers, I want you to know that the things which happened to me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.” On the surface, what happened to Paul looked bad. What could be good about the apostle Paul sitting in a Roman prison? Here was the man who had done more to further the gospel than any other human being, and now he is detained by a Roman system that cared nothing for the true God. What’s good about that? Furthermore, there was a good chance that Paul would be condemned and executed by the Romans.
Now before we go any further, let me remind you of the life of Joseph. We looked at his life in some detail just recently. What could be good about a 17-old-boy being sold into slavery by his own brothers? What could be good about a selfish woman viciously lying about that young man and having him thrown into prison? What was good about Joesph rotting in that prison, even while the man he befriended and helped forgot all about him? How could any good come out of Joseph being separated from the father who loved him dearly? Joseph himself gives the answer, when almost 40 years after they sold him, he spoke these words to his brothers: "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Gen. 50:20).
We read these words in II Cor. 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” When things happen to us, we are not always able to immediately figure out the purpose of God. Joseph didn’t know how God was going to use what happened to him for His own glory and Joseph’s good. When I was 11 years old and my parents suddenly told me we were moving from Texas to Alaska, I couldn’t see any good in that. What good could there possibly be in moving a promising baseball player to the land of the frozen north? I couldn’t see any good in it at the time, but praise God that His hand was in it and He used it in a mighty way in me and my whole family. When we walk by faith, we trust God. We can’t see the end, but God can. So we trust Him, even when we don’t understand. He didn’t make a mistake with Joseph; He didn’t make a mistake with Paul; He didn’t make a mistake with me; and He has never made a mistake with you.
Can you trust God with all the happenings of life? Can you believe that all things happen for a purpose, because they are directed by a perfect, holy, and loving God? If you have trouble with that, you need to check out God’s track record? The Bible gives us undeniable evidence that nothing has ever happened without His say so and that all those happenings were good for those who trusted Him.
III. The Progress of the Gospel
That brings us to the obvious question: What was the good in the things that happened to Paul? What was the purpose behind his arrest and imprisonment? Literally, “The things according to me have come about rather for the progress of the gospel.” Now in this case, Paul had plenty of time to think and pray, and the purpose behind these events had become clear to him. Things happened for the progress of the gospel.
That word translated “furtherance” or “progress” is very interesting. The basic root word means “to cut.” The little preposition before it gives it the literal meaning “to cut before.” I picture a dense forest. We need to get through that forest to the other side. Someone has to go in there and cut a trail before us so that all may pass through the forest. Paul uses this picture to speak of the advance of the gospel. Sometimes we talk about being on the “cutting edge” of things. Well, Paul was definitely on the cutting edge of the gospel. Paul could see how his imprisonment was cutting a new path for the advance of the gospel. We will be looking at the specifics of that advance. For now, picture the army of Jesus Christ going forward. At the front of the column is a man in a jail cell! One author put it like this: “The gospel is on the march in hearts and hands and on the lips of believers, and the gates of hell shall not be able to stand against it” (Howard Vos, A Study Guide to Philippians, p. 34).
Go back for a moment to that time when Paul was confronted by a hostile Jewish crowd at the temple in Jerusalem. Had it not been for the Roman soldiers rescuing him, surely they would have killed Paul. The chief captain of the Romans arranged for Paul’s accusers to bring their case before him, but it ended in a squabble between the Pharisees and Saducees. It was at this point that we read, “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so much thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11). Paul knew he would testify in Rome, but at that point he didn’t know he would be going as a prisoner. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter to Paul, as long as the gospel was advanced.
Before we go any further, let’s just think about that concept. Again, Paul must have been very concerned about the Philippians. He didn’t want them to worry about what him. Humanly speaking, they had plenty of reason to worry about their precious brother Paul. Notice what Paul didn’t tell them. He didn’t say, “Oh, it’s all right. Everything will turn out all right.” Nor did he say, “You don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.” In order to comfort their minds and hearts, he told them that the things which had happened to him were being used to cut a new path for the gospel. He trusted that the knowledge of the advance of the gospel would bring comfort to their hearts and minds, as it had done for him.
Christian, let me ask you a question: When you know that the gospel is advancing, does that bring comfort to you in midst of all adversity? That may be difficult to answer, if we rarely have any adversity. Then we have to ask questions like this: If your son or daughter were to tell you, “Mom and Dad, I believe the Lord wants me to move to Peru to share the love of Christ there,” how would you respond? Your heart would be torn by the words “move to Peru.” But would your heart be comforted, when you heard “to share the love of Christ there”?
Here is the real question: Do you value the progress of the gospel that much? What about your pocketbook? Do you value the advance of the gospel enough to do without in order that others may hear the good news about Jesus Christ? Do you value the progress of the gospel enough to alter your lifestyle, to cut out some things that demand your time and energy so that you can pray and blaze a new trail for the gospel of Christ?
Isn’t it amazing that Paul had such confidence in the Philippian church? He understood that when they heard the gospel was being advanced by his imprisonment, everything would be okay. While they loved Paul dearly and were very attached to him, their love for Paul was in the context of a much greater love and greater goal. Both they and Paul longed to see Jesus Christ lifted up before a lost and dying world. That was more important than the life of any one of them, including the life of the apostle Paul.
IV. Imprisoned for Christ
So now comes the next logical question: How did Paul’s imprisonment cut a new road for the gospel? How was it possible for Paul’s arrest and imprisonment to advance the cause of the gospel? The answer is in verse 13, “So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places.” The key words in this verse are “in Christ.” If we miss that, we will miss Paul’s true emphasis.
There is a question about whether “in Christ” is to be taken closely with “bonds” or with the words “are manifest.” In other words, is Paul saying that he is a prisoner of Christ? Or, is he saying that it has become clear that his chains are there because of Christ? While it is true that he was a bond-servant of Christ, here he seems to be saying that it is becoming clear to all that he is in prison because he is a follower of Jesus. His bonds are manifest in Christ. The NASV puts it like this: “So that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else.” It must have caused quite a stir to actually have a man brought into the prison in Rome because he preached Jesus Christ. This is what Paul is talking about when he says that his imprison-ment has served to advance the gospel.
In the King James we have the word “palace.” The Greek word is “praetorion,” and most agree that it is a reference to the Praetorian Guard. This was a very elite group of Roman soldiers. It was made up of about 9,000 men. This was a highly-respected division of the Roman army.
Think about it. For the most part, Christianity was thriving among the common people, what we might call the lower classes. But now through Paul’s transfer to Rome, the gospel has come to the very center of the Empire, and no less than the Praetorian Guard were being exposed to that gospel. It is most likely that one member of that guard was chained to Paul at all times. These were the kind of men who would not likely have listened to Paul, if he had been a free man, but because it was their job to guard him, they really didn’t have much choice. They not only were a captive audience to his words, but they also were witnesses to the way he lived day and night. What an opportunity! How would you like to have someone bound to you continually so that you could show them what it is really like to follow Christ? Yes, this was the advance of the gospel.
Not only was it clear to the Praetorian Guard that Paul was in jail because of his faithfulness to Jesus, but that same truth was made clear in all other places. Word must have traveled fast in Rome. We must also remember that Paul was a Roman citizen. This was not just some run-of-the-mill man who was imprisoned by Rome; he was one of its citizens. Why would a Roman citizen want to follow Jesus of Nazareth? Surely many people were asking that very question. Rest assured that Paul and others who followed Jesus were ready to give an answer.
Conclusion
In his description of Christian character Jesus said this: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10). Think of that. If you are persecuted because you cling to Jesus, you are blessed. We thank God for the blessing of being able to worship freely in this country. Praise God! So we should. Nevertheless, if we begin to suffer severe persecution, we will praise Him even more, because we are truly blessed! Jesus then went on to say, “Blessed are you when men shall revile [insult] you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). But is it possible for us to really do that? Yes, it is. When all twelve of the apostles were beaten and commanded not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, “they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:41-42).
We tend to just pass that off and say it was because they were apostles. Of course, they were able to do that, but we can’t. The key to their behavior was not the fact that they were apostles; it was because they shared the heart of their Lord. Their desire was to see the gospel of Jesus Christ advanced. That’s why they continued to preach and teach Jesus Christ. When Jesus’ soul was troubled, but He still prayed, “Father, glorify your name,” they took note. As the Holy Spirit of God worked in their lives, they too longed to see the Father glorified through their lives, no matter what the cost.
Sometimes we think that if there were just a lot more Christians, things would change. Brothers and sisters, what we need is not more Christians, but more people who will rejoice even in the midst of persecution, because they have forsaken their own goals in order that the gospel of Christ might be advanced. Of course, it is easy for us to say that is our goal. May it ever be so. But sometimes it is hard for us to know our own hearts until the crisis comes. How we need to be asking the Lord to search our hearts and mold us into the image of Christ, because the crisis is coming! How do I know? Because the scripture tells us clearly that all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (II Tim. 3:12). When it comes, may we know we are blessed, as we rejoice with abundant gladness.
Let the Lord test your heart. The dearest person to you on this earth is in jail because of his or her faith in Jesus. You get a letter from that person that says, “Don’t grieve for me. This is my mission field. I am able to share the truth of Christ with people day in and day out. It is 24/7 reality missions. My days are filled with fellowship with the Lord and with bearing witness in His name. I am experiencing joy unspeakable and full of glory. Know that God is working in and through me and I am in the center of His will. Tell all the brothers and sisters to rejoice with me.” Will that news settle your heart? Can you rejoice? Paul trusted that those who loved the Lord would find great comfort in that truth.
THE GOSPEL ON THE MOVE
Phil. 1:12-13
We have finished with what we might call Paul’s introduction to his letter. Two weeks ago we looked specifically at his prayer for the Philippian believers in verses 9-11. As we come to verse 12, we see that he jumps right into his subject matter. This morning we are going to read verses 12-21, but we are going to spend our time lingering over verses 12 and 13. I believe it will be time well spent.
Before we read our text for this morning, I have to ask you a question. If you were in jail, what would you write to your family and friends? No doubt, they would be interested in how you were doing? Is it warm in the prison? Do you have enough to eat? Are the guards cruel to you? Would you write about these things? Would you tell them about your daily routine? With those questions in mind, let’s read Phil. 1:12-21…
But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. 15. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: 17. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. 18. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. 19. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
I. Things Happen
Before I say anything else, I must share with you a startling revelation which we find in verse 12. This is going to shock some of you, but I must say it. THINGS HAPPEN. Did you know that? Like it or not, things happen. Paul talks about that very truth in verse 12. “Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the things which happened unto me…” Some things happened to the apostle Paul. Literally, the text reads, “I want you to know that the things according to me…” Things not only happen, but they happen to you and to me. Yes, some things happened to Paul.
Now let’s pause right there. What things have happened to you? You could share a lifetime of experiences on that subject. Regardless of who you are, what your background is, how old you are, things have happened to you. Surely no one here would say, “Nothing has ever happened to me.” Nothing is more certain than the fact that things happen, and that things happen to every individual. Paul was no exception, and neither are you.
Regardless of what translation you read, you will find that these are the things that happened to Paul, rather than things Paul made to happen. The NASV renders it “my circumstances,” but circumstances speaks of things that happen to us. This is the question I’m leading up to: “Who controls these happenings?” Was Paul in control of what happened to him? Are you in control of what happens to you? Do you know what will happen to you tomorrow? Did you know all the things that were going to happen to you this past month? James scolded his readers for boasting that they would do so and so in the future. He then makes this strong statement: “You don’t know what shall be on the morrow” (James 4:14).
But that only talks about knowledge. You don’t know what is going to happen to you. Beyond knowing, did you make everything happen in your life? Some one may argue: “Things happen to me because I make them happen. I don’t stand around and wait for things to happen; I make them happen.” What do you think of that attitude? Tell it to Job. He was a man of wealth and power. And he was a man who feared God. But guess what – some things happened to Job. In very short order, he lost all his possessions, all his children, and his health, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. Yes, things happened to Job.
So who controls these happenings? Prov. 16:9, "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." Jer. 10:23, "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Or let me answer that question with an illustration. Suppose we were to experience a great drought, absolutely no trace of rain for two years. What will people do? I’m not talking just about us, but people in general. I can just see it now – people signing a petition, asking Congress to make it rain. Why not? Because even the atheist knows that neither Congress nor any other human institution has power over the weather. Let things get serious enough, and we might be surprised who would come to a prayer meeting to ask God for rain. The God who created the heavens and the earth is the God who makes things happen.
If you want to know what God says about Himself and His power to make things happen, just go and read chapters 40-46 of Isaiah. In chapter 45 alone, five times He makes this basic statement: “I am the Lord and there is none else; there is no God beside me.” Listen to Is. 46:8-10…
Remember this, and show yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. 9. Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Or come and read Ps. 135:1-8…
Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye servants of the LORD. 2. Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God, 3. Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. 4. For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. 5. For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. 6. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. 7. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries. 8. Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.
God does whatever He chooses to do. He not only does so in the physical world around us, but in verse 8 we see that He intervenes in human history and does what He pleases there as well. Yes, it is the Lord God who makes things happen.
Now Paul speaks of the things which happened to him. What is he talking about? He is speaking primarily of his arrest and imprisonment. The Philippian Christians were aware that Paul was in prison, and Paul knew they were aware of it. No doubt, he was concerned about them. Later, in chapter 2, we read about Epaphroditus, who had brought Paul an offering from the Philippians. Let’s just read it in Phil. 2:25-26, "Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. 26. For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick." That must have been the attitude of Paul toward the Philippians. He knew it would trouble them to know that he was in prison. One of the reasons he wrote was to console his brothers and sisters in Philippi, as we shall see.
And where was Paul in prison? I have to tell you that Bible students differ on that question. Some say he was imprisoned in Ephesus when he wrote this letter, and some believe he was in Caesarea, but the view long held is that Paul was in Rome. Ultimately, it doesn’t make a lot of difference. I believe he was in Rome, and what I say will reflect that. If he was in Rome, that means that he had been imprisoned for a few years. We know from the record in Acts that after Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, he was then kept in Caesarea under governor Felix for two years, before Festus took the place of Felix. We aren’t sure how long he remained in Caesarea after that, before he was transported to Rome. And the trip to Rome took some time as well. We know from the last chapter of Acts that Paul was imprisoned in Rome for at least two years. So it is likely that when Paul wrote this letter, he had been in prison for three years or more.
II. For a Purpose
Now let’s move on. Things happen, but that isn’t the end of the story. Things happen for a purpose. The God who causes things to happen does not just do things arbitrarily. To the unbeliever, it seems that things just happen, but to the one who trusts God, all happenings are directed by the purposes of God. As one author puts it, “God’s choices flow from who He is” (Paul Washer, The One True God, p. 25). In other words, what God does is determined by who God is. God makes things happen, and He does so for a purpose.
Many of you know that the Bible states this truth very explicitly in Rom. 8:28-29, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son…” This promise, of course, is restricted to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose. For us, we know that God is working all things together for good. Why? So that He might conform us to the image of His Son, so that He might make us like Jesus.
So it is with Paul’s arrest and imprisonment. “Brothers, I want you to know that the things which happened to me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.” On the surface, what happened to Paul looked bad. What could be good about the apostle Paul sitting in a Roman prison? Here was the man who had done more to further the gospel than any other human being, and now he is detained by a Roman system that cared nothing for the true God. What’s good about that? Furthermore, there was a good chance that Paul would be condemned and executed by the Romans.
Now before we go any further, let me remind you of the life of Joseph. We looked at his life in some detail just recently. What could be good about a 17-old-boy being sold into slavery by his own brothers? What could be good about a selfish woman viciously lying about that young man and having him thrown into prison? What was good about Joesph rotting in that prison, even while the man he befriended and helped forgot all about him? How could any good come out of Joseph being separated from the father who loved him dearly? Joseph himself gives the answer, when almost 40 years after they sold him, he spoke these words to his brothers: "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Gen. 50:20).
We read these words in II Cor. 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” When things happen to us, we are not always able to immediately figure out the purpose of God. Joseph didn’t know how God was going to use what happened to him for His own glory and Joseph’s good. When I was 11 years old and my parents suddenly told me we were moving from Texas to Alaska, I couldn’t see any good in that. What good could there possibly be in moving a promising baseball player to the land of the frozen north? I couldn’t see any good in it at the time, but praise God that His hand was in it and He used it in a mighty way in me and my whole family. When we walk by faith, we trust God. We can’t see the end, but God can. So we trust Him, even when we don’t understand. He didn’t make a mistake with Joseph; He didn’t make a mistake with Paul; He didn’t make a mistake with me; and He has never made a mistake with you.
Can you trust God with all the happenings of life? Can you believe that all things happen for a purpose, because they are directed by a perfect, holy, and loving God? If you have trouble with that, you need to check out God’s track record? The Bible gives us undeniable evidence that nothing has ever happened without His say so and that all those happenings were good for those who trusted Him.
III. The Progress of the Gospel
That brings us to the obvious question: What was the good in the things that happened to Paul? What was the purpose behind his arrest and imprisonment? Literally, “The things according to me have come about rather for the progress of the gospel.” Now in this case, Paul had plenty of time to think and pray, and the purpose behind these events had become clear to him. Things happened for the progress of the gospel.
That word translated “furtherance” or “progress” is very interesting. The basic root word means “to cut.” The little preposition before it gives it the literal meaning “to cut before.” I picture a dense forest. We need to get through that forest to the other side. Someone has to go in there and cut a trail before us so that all may pass through the forest. Paul uses this picture to speak of the advance of the gospel. Sometimes we talk about being on the “cutting edge” of things. Well, Paul was definitely on the cutting edge of the gospel. Paul could see how his imprisonment was cutting a new path for the advance of the gospel. We will be looking at the specifics of that advance. For now, picture the army of Jesus Christ going forward. At the front of the column is a man in a jail cell! One author put it like this: “The gospel is on the march in hearts and hands and on the lips of believers, and the gates of hell shall not be able to stand against it” (Howard Vos, A Study Guide to Philippians, p. 34).
Go back for a moment to that time when Paul was confronted by a hostile Jewish crowd at the temple in Jerusalem. Had it not been for the Roman soldiers rescuing him, surely they would have killed Paul. The chief captain of the Romans arranged for Paul’s accusers to bring their case before him, but it ended in a squabble between the Pharisees and Saducees. It was at this point that we read, “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so much thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11). Paul knew he would testify in Rome, but at that point he didn’t know he would be going as a prisoner. Nevertheless, it didn’t matter to Paul, as long as the gospel was advanced.
Before we go any further, let’s just think about that concept. Again, Paul must have been very concerned about the Philippians. He didn’t want them to worry about what him. Humanly speaking, they had plenty of reason to worry about their precious brother Paul. Notice what Paul didn’t tell them. He didn’t say, “Oh, it’s all right. Everything will turn out all right.” Nor did he say, “You don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.” In order to comfort their minds and hearts, he told them that the things which had happened to him were being used to cut a new path for the gospel. He trusted that the knowledge of the advance of the gospel would bring comfort to their hearts and minds, as it had done for him.
Christian, let me ask you a question: When you know that the gospel is advancing, does that bring comfort to you in midst of all adversity? That may be difficult to answer, if we rarely have any adversity. Then we have to ask questions like this: If your son or daughter were to tell you, “Mom and Dad, I believe the Lord wants me to move to Peru to share the love of Christ there,” how would you respond? Your heart would be torn by the words “move to Peru.” But would your heart be comforted, when you heard “to share the love of Christ there”?
Here is the real question: Do you value the progress of the gospel that much? What about your pocketbook? Do you value the advance of the gospel enough to do without in order that others may hear the good news about Jesus Christ? Do you value the progress of the gospel enough to alter your lifestyle, to cut out some things that demand your time and energy so that you can pray and blaze a new trail for the gospel of Christ?
Isn’t it amazing that Paul had such confidence in the Philippian church? He understood that when they heard the gospel was being advanced by his imprisonment, everything would be okay. While they loved Paul dearly and were very attached to him, their love for Paul was in the context of a much greater love and greater goal. Both they and Paul longed to see Jesus Christ lifted up before a lost and dying world. That was more important than the life of any one of them, including the life of the apostle Paul.
IV. Imprisoned for Christ
So now comes the next logical question: How did Paul’s imprisonment cut a new road for the gospel? How was it possible for Paul’s arrest and imprisonment to advance the cause of the gospel? The answer is in verse 13, “So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places.” The key words in this verse are “in Christ.” If we miss that, we will miss Paul’s true emphasis.
There is a question about whether “in Christ” is to be taken closely with “bonds” or with the words “are manifest.” In other words, is Paul saying that he is a prisoner of Christ? Or, is he saying that it has become clear that his chains are there because of Christ? While it is true that he was a bond-servant of Christ, here he seems to be saying that it is becoming clear to all that he is in prison because he is a follower of Jesus. His bonds are manifest in Christ. The NASV puts it like this: “So that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else.” It must have caused quite a stir to actually have a man brought into the prison in Rome because he preached Jesus Christ. This is what Paul is talking about when he says that his imprison-ment has served to advance the gospel.
In the King James we have the word “palace.” The Greek word is “praetorion,” and most agree that it is a reference to the Praetorian Guard. This was a very elite group of Roman soldiers. It was made up of about 9,000 men. This was a highly-respected division of the Roman army.
Think about it. For the most part, Christianity was thriving among the common people, what we might call the lower classes. But now through Paul’s transfer to Rome, the gospel has come to the very center of the Empire, and no less than the Praetorian Guard were being exposed to that gospel. It is most likely that one member of that guard was chained to Paul at all times. These were the kind of men who would not likely have listened to Paul, if he had been a free man, but because it was their job to guard him, they really didn’t have much choice. They not only were a captive audience to his words, but they also were witnesses to the way he lived day and night. What an opportunity! How would you like to have someone bound to you continually so that you could show them what it is really like to follow Christ? Yes, this was the advance of the gospel.
Not only was it clear to the Praetorian Guard that Paul was in jail because of his faithfulness to Jesus, but that same truth was made clear in all other places. Word must have traveled fast in Rome. We must also remember that Paul was a Roman citizen. This was not just some run-of-the-mill man who was imprisoned by Rome; he was one of its citizens. Why would a Roman citizen want to follow Jesus of Nazareth? Surely many people were asking that very question. Rest assured that Paul and others who followed Jesus were ready to give an answer.
Conclusion
In his description of Christian character Jesus said this: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10). Think of that. If you are persecuted because you cling to Jesus, you are blessed. We thank God for the blessing of being able to worship freely in this country. Praise God! So we should. Nevertheless, if we begin to suffer severe persecution, we will praise Him even more, because we are truly blessed! Jesus then went on to say, “Blessed are you when men shall revile [insult] you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). But is it possible for us to really do that? Yes, it is. When all twelve of the apostles were beaten and commanded not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, “they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:41-42).
We tend to just pass that off and say it was because they were apostles. Of course, they were able to do that, but we can’t. The key to their behavior was not the fact that they were apostles; it was because they shared the heart of their Lord. Their desire was to see the gospel of Jesus Christ advanced. That’s why they continued to preach and teach Jesus Christ. When Jesus’ soul was troubled, but He still prayed, “Father, glorify your name,” they took note. As the Holy Spirit of God worked in their lives, they too longed to see the Father glorified through their lives, no matter what the cost.
Sometimes we think that if there were just a lot more Christians, things would change. Brothers and sisters, what we need is not more Christians, but more people who will rejoice even in the midst of persecution, because they have forsaken their own goals in order that the gospel of Christ might be advanced. Of course, it is easy for us to say that is our goal. May it ever be so. But sometimes it is hard for us to know our own hearts until the crisis comes. How we need to be asking the Lord to search our hearts and mold us into the image of Christ, because the crisis is coming! How do I know? Because the scripture tells us clearly that all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (II Tim. 3:12). When it comes, may we know we are blessed, as we rejoice with abundant gladness.
Let the Lord test your heart. The dearest person to you on this earth is in jail because of his or her faith in Jesus. You get a letter from that person that says, “Don’t grieve for me. This is my mission field. I am able to share the truth of Christ with people day in and day out. It is 24/7 reality missions. My days are filled with fellowship with the Lord and with bearing witness in His name. I am experiencing joy unspeakable and full of glory. Know that God is working in and through me and I am in the center of His will. Tell all the brothers and sisters to rejoice with me.” Will that news settle your heart? Can you rejoice? Paul trusted that those who loved the Lord would find great comfort in that truth.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Baptism / "The Unfailing Gospel" -- 10/11/09
Sunday, October 11, 2009 Baptism: Kristin Guin
Brief Message: THE UNFAILING GOSPEL
* This message was preached a bit differently, not following the notes as closely as usual. Nevertheless, the basic thrust is the same.
Let me ask a simple question this morning: What is Christianity? That question is not as simple as it might seem. Why not? Because people have so many ideas about what Christianity is, and we are bombarded with those ideas all the time. The tendency in our current society is to define Christianity in very person terms. “It’s the only thing that keeps me going.” This morning I want us to focus on the critical truth that Christianity is primarily good news. It is the gospel.
Brief Message: THE UNFAILING GOSPEL
* This message was preached a bit differently, not following the notes as closely as usual. Nevertheless, the basic thrust is the same.
Let me ask a simple question this morning: What is Christianity? That question is not as simple as it might seem. Why not? Because people have so many ideas about what Christianity is, and we are bombarded with those ideas all the time. The tendency in our current society is to define Christianity in very person terms. “It’s the only thing that keeps me going.” This morning I want us to focus on the critical truth that Christianity is primarily good news. It is the gospel.
Why is it good news? Because I can be happy, now that my sins are forgiven? Because now I have a reason to live.” While those answers may be somewhat correct, they don’t have the proper starting point. If we aren’t careful, we will reduce what is called Christianity to such a personal level that we will miss the glory of the good news.
On May 8, 1945, the front page headline of newspapers all over this country announced “Victory in Europe.” That meant the war was over. How did people respond to that headline? They jumped up and down for joy. They hugged perfect strangers. They danced in the streets. In other words, they forgot about themselves and rejoiced in the good news. Although that good news would have wonderful implications for them personally, they immediately gloried in the objective good news that the war was over.
Now apply that to the greater good news, to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The objective news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection has won the victory forever over sin and Satan. Jesus has won the victory in the war that is greater than World War II and all other earthly wars combined. That is grounds for great celebration for everyone who knows about it. Through His death Jesus has destroyed the power of him who had the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb. 2:14). Jesus has defeated a foe far greater than Hitler and his allies. That is the reality of the objective gospel of Jesus Christ.
Young people, let me put it in simple terms. The good news of Jesus does not begin with what he can do for you. It begins with what He accomplished when He died on the cross and rose from the grave. When Jesus went to that cross, He was dealing with a world gone wrong. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, and it was very good. But what happened then? The people he created (Adam and Eve) decided to do their own thing. They trusted their own wisdom more than they trusted God. They rebelled against their Creator, and all their descendants continued that rebellion. What a mess they made out of the world! After a few hundred years during the time of Noah, things got so bad that God destroyed the world with a flood, saving only eight people on that ark. But mankind did not learn his lesson. Things got bad again and they are still bad. Is our world not perfectly described by the words of Is. 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way…”? Or maybe Judg. 21:25 would be an even better description: “Everyone did that which was right in his own eyes.”
That’s bad news, but here’s the good news: God dealt with the situation completely by sending His Son to die on the cross and raising Him up from the grave. When they put Jesus’ lifeless body in the grave, it appeared that Satan had won his greatest victory, that he had killed the Son of God. But when God raised Jesus out of that grave, He turned the verdict upside down. It was Jesus who won the victory. Satan’s power was broken. That is why Jesus could say before He ascended back to heaven, “All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and earth.” What if the biggest bully you know of was put in his place? You would rejoice. He deserved to be defeated. When Jesus died and rose, He put the biggest bully of all time in his place. And the day is coming when Satan will be cast into the lake of fire once and for all. That is good news.
But don’t ever forget what it cost for that to happen. Don’t forget that all of us were on the devil’s team. We participated in his rebellion against God. In order for Jesus to break His power over us, He had to deal with sin, because it was our sin that put us under him. So how did Jesus deal with our sin. He began by coming to this earth and living a life free from sin. We couldn’t be helped by another sinner. Jesus was tempted in every way you are tempted, but He never sinned. He never disobeyed his mom or dad. He never thought a bad thought. He always loved the other person and did what was best for him. He never once tried to get revenge. Jesus always did what God His Father asked Him to do. The most amazing thing in history is that this sinless Jesus would take the punishment for sinners like me. I deserved to be separated from God, because I was a God-hating rebel. Instead, Jesus hung on that cross and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
But praise God that wasn’t the last thing He said. After bearing our sins there on that cross, after taking upon Himself the full punishment, the very wrath of God, He cried out, “It is finished.” What was finished? He had finished the work He came to do. He had accomplished what His Father sent Him to do. He had become the propitiation for sins. That is, He turned away the wrath of God by taking that wrath upon Himself. He did it perfectly and completely, and that is why He could say “It is finished.” Having uttered that cry of victory, Jesus then yielded up His spirit. He died.
Can you imagine the joy among His followers when He rose? Yes, it took them a bit to understand it was really their Lord Jesus, but when they did, there was no bounds to their joy. Jesus was alive. Friends, Jesus is alive. We can’t see Him with these eyes, but He is as alive as He ever was. As King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He now sits at the right hand of the Father, the place of majesty and power.
I am deliberately focusing on the objective truth of the gospel. Yes, my sins have been forgiven through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Yes, the Spirit of God is growing within me love, joy, and peace. But behind the truth of what is happening in me is the great reality that Jesus Christ has reconciled me and every other believer in this world to God. He has made peace by the blood of His cross. Oh that we might lose ourselves in the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This morning we are going to share in Kristin’s baptism. I praise God for what He has done and is doing in her life. In a few minutes she is going to tell you about it. But when we baptize her this morning, we are not just celebrating what God has done for Kristin; we are acting out the truth of the great triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. When she goes under that water, we are proclaiming that Jesus really died and was really buried. And when we raise her up out of that water, we are proclaiming, “Jesus rose. He’s alive. This is no game. There is one who died and rose to never die again. And because He lives, we shall live also!”
We live in a day when “the new age” religion is flourishing. If you aren’t familiar with “new age,” it is a distortion of Christianity that uses Christian words but changes their meaning. New agers are comfortable talking about Jesus as the Savior, but they don’t mean what the Bible means. They have twisted the great terms of the faith by making them internal and subjective. When a new ager says he is saved, he means that he has found the Savior that was within him all along (or something along those lines). Those in the new age movement have no anchor because what they believe goes no deeper than their own resources. They are not anchored to the truth of the cross and resurrection.
What would happen if the greatest names in Christianity proved to be false teachers, big phonies. What if Norman and I renounced our faith? While that might be difficult, the least of the saints could weather the storm. Why? Because their faith is not in men or psychological ideas; their faith is in the Christ who died and rose. That is why Paul says, “But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14).
Brothers and sisters, seekers and friends, that’s the gospel! You can stake your life on the Christ of the gospel. He is rock solid.
Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. 2. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved… My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. 6. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. 7. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. (Ps. 62:1-2,3-8)
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Below you will find Kristin’s (9 years old) testimony. She wrote it herself and read it to the congregation…
Matthew 10:32 tells me, “Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” I want to tell everyone that I know that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and He did the same for you. I am not worthy to go to heaven, but because of what Jesus did on the cross, I can. The more I read my Bible the more I learn how awesome my God is.
Romans 6:4-8 says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even then we also should walk in newness of life.” I have learned that baptism demonstrates a person dying to their self and rising up with Christ. I want to be baptized to demonstrate what God has done in my life. I know this will not make my life perfect, but what I have learned is that God is always there for me and there are answers to every problem in the Bible. Philippians 1:6 tells me, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” I know I am young, but this tells me that God is going to be there to guide me through my life.
When my family was in the mountains, I saw an aspen tree that had the words “Jesus saves” carved into it. Underneath it someone else had carved the words “those who repent.” That meant a lot to me because almost everyone has heard that Jesus saves, but you have to dig deeper than that, because there is more to the story than just “Jesus saves.” I have learned more about Jesus by reading my Bible and talking to other people who believe in God. We need to repent, and pray, and read our Bible daily. The Bible is the way you learn more about God. It is like an instruction book for us to follow.
While reading God’s Word, I have found that there is an answer for everything. Like when I was worried about seeing snakes and prayed the 91st Psalm. There is advice for forgiveness, when someone makes you made and you really don’t like them at the time. When you are nervous about a test in school or a game, you can look at Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” There are answers to everything in the Bible.
I know Jesus has changed me. By His teachings I am more aware of what is right and wrong. When I do something wrong, I feel bad and know I need to repent. I want to live my life for God and am glad to have Him on my side.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Paul's Prayer for the Philippians -- 10/4/09
Sunday, October 4, 2009
PAUL’S PRAYER FOR THE PHILIPPIANS
Phil. 1:9-11
Last week we looked at verses 3-8. From those verses, we got a sense of Paul’s heart, as he prayed for the Philippian believers. We also were reminded of what a blessing it is to be a part of the Lord’s church. When I speak of the Lord’s church, I am referring to the local expression of that church, because that is what we find at Philippi and throughout the New Testament.
Today we want to look at Paul’s prayer for the church in 1:9-11. Let’s begin by reading that prayer. Phil. 1:9-11…
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10. That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Let’s go back for a moment and read 1:3-5, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4. Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5. For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." Paul speaks of praying for them with great joy. But now, when we come to verses 9-11, we get a glimpse into the content of that prayer. We are blessed that God chose to preserve in His Word some of the actual prayers of Paul (see also Eph. 1:15-23; 3:14-21; Col. 1:9ff). We find the same thing in this prayer that we find in the other recorded prayers of Paul. In none of these prayers did Paul pray for physical needs. Nor did he offer up general prayers for the welfare of the church. Instead, he prayed for the spiritual needs of God’s people. He prayed for their spiritual growth and development. Some of you get a little perturbed at me because I can’t let go of this truth. I don’t say that it is wrong for us to pray for physical needs, but I do continue to remind us that it is a hundred times better to pray for spiritual needs. Our great problem is that we default to what is most comfortable, and it is more comfortable to pray for our physical needs than to expose what our real needs are. May Paul be a reminder that the content of the most vital prayer within the church is the spiritual needs of its people.
As we go through this prayer, I want to tell you right off that I am borrowing the basic outline from John MacArthur (with a slight deviation). I find it very helpful in getting a handle on this prayer. Paul does not pray for a series of things, but it is a prayer that has a definite progression. We will see this, as we go through it. It begins with love and progresses to the glory of God. So let’s dive in…
I. Love
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.” Paul begins his prayer with the subject of love. Why is that? Is it not because love is the most basic virtue of the Christian life? Is that not we find in the scripture? Just consider I Cor. 13. Other things will pass away, but love, hope, and faith remain, and the greatest is love. Or consider the one commandment that Jesus singled out. When asked what was the greatest commandment, he responded by saying: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). He went on to say the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. On another occasion, He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). Paul himself said that all the law is fulfilled when you love your neighbor as yourself (Gal. 5:14). Surely it is right and proper to begin by praying that they may love.
As we examine what Paul says, it becomes clear that Paul was not chastising the Philippians for a lack of love. As a matter of fact, he acknowledges that they do love. Now exactly what kind of love is he talking about? Is he talking about loving God? Or is he talking about the love they have for him, the apostle? Or is he talking about their love for one another? Yes, that’s right. Surely he is including all three. In reality, they can hardly be separated. If you truly love God, you will love others, and the only true love for others must grow out of love for God.
It is understandable that Paul would acknowledge this love in their lives, for this love is the possession of every true Christian. He tells the Roman Christians that “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5). I John 3:14, “Hereby we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” The person who does not have this love and thinks he is a child of God is only kidding himself.
So if they had this love, why does Paul pray for them concerning love? His prayer is that their love will abound yet more and more. Literally, he prays that their love will overflow more and more. It was already overflowing, but he prays that it will overflow more and more. If Paul were alive today and knew us, he would pray the same for us. Though the love of God has indeed been shed abroad in the hearts of us who are truly His, that love is not yet full and complete. Praise God for the presence of that love, but oh that it might overflow more and more. That’s the idea. Praise God that the love He gives isn’t some static quality that has no room for growth. We can never say, “Oh yes, I have the love of God, and that’s it.” This is a love that has a capacity for continual growth. Whether we realize it or not, this is a great need in our lives, for it is by this love for one another that the world will know that we are Jesus’ disciples (John 13:35).
Paul makes it clear that he is not just praying for more love in the sense of more zeal and enthusiasm. Rather, he prays that their love will abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. He points to a certain direction in which their love must grow. Praise God for the love He has given, but a mature love must be informed by knowledge and all judgment. We need to hear this. It’s wonderful to love with the love of God, but even this special kind of love needs guidance. It is similar to what Paul said about the Jews in Rom. 10:2, “For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” So it is with the love which God gives; it must be according to knowledge.
I find this need in my own life. I recognize the need by looking at some of my actions in the past. There have been times when I truly exercised love, but it wasn’t according to knowledge. On two occasions, I have bailed people out of jail. In both cases, I believe that if my love had been informed by knowledge, I would not have done so. I trust that the Lord has worked in that area, but I am fully aware that my love will overflow more and more as it is shaped by knowledge.
So what kind of knowledge are we talking about here? Do we need to read a book about God’s love. Indeed, we do, and we have it in our hands, and it is the Word of God. The word here translated “knowledge” is an intense word. It is the normal word for “knowledge” with a little preposition added to strengthen it. It is full knowledge, real knowledge, true knowledge. This is the word that refers not to just mental knowledge, but to knowledge that comes through experience. It is the kind of knowledge that is based on personal acquaintance. The place to find this knowledge is in the Word of God. As we come openly and humbly to the Word of God, our love is informed not only through principles of truth, but through a growing personal acquaintance with the Lord Himself. Jesus loved perfectly because He did only those things which He saw the Father do. As we walk more closely with Him day by day, our love will overflow according to our knowledge of the Lord.
We must understand this. In our religious society, we still have remnants of that concept that love and knowledge are opposites. It is a concept closely kin to the idea that doctrine or theology is bad. “No, I don’t want doctrine; just give me Jesus.” Some people have the idea that you can love Jesus more if you don’t really get into the details of the Bible. That’s a lie. Paul said in Col. 3:16, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” The Word of Christ comes to us through the Bible. If our love is going to overflow more and more, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds that takes place through meditation upon God’s Word.
Not only did Paul pray that their love would overflow more and more in knowledge, but also in all judgment. Other translations render it “all discernment” (NASV), “depth of insight” (NIV), “comprehensive discernment” (Amplified). This word, which is found only here in the New Testament, refers to perception and insight. This is primarily the practical application of the knowledge that comes from the Word. John MacArthur puts it like this: “So he is saying your love is controlled by your theology [knowledge] and your insight in the application of that theology.” This judgment, this discernment, is truth applied.
Can we pray the prayer of Paul? What could be more valuable than to pray that our love would overflow more and more in knowledge and all spiritual insight? There is no one that has come to perfection in this area. This is a need in every life. We can testify that this overflowing of love does not come automatically. Our adversary has thousands of ways to discourage us from letting the love that has been shed abroad in our hearts abound more and more. He would encourage us to take our cues from the world, which practices a “love” that is far from the love of God. How often are we crippled in the church because we have swallowed the idea that we should love those who are lovable. When we determine that a brother or sister doesn’t deserve our love, we think it’s okay to withhold it. We are not above deciding we ourselves can determine who will receive our love. Remember what Paul said in verse 7, “Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart.” Again in verse 8, “For God is my record how greatly I long after you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.” It is not just any love that will convince the world we are Jesus’ disciples; it is the love that comes from God and overflows more and more in knowledge and all discernment.
II. Excellence (that you might approve things that are excellent)
Notice the words of verse 10, “that you may approve things that are excellent.” Understand that Paul is not praying for a series of things here. Rather, there is a definite sequence. He prays that their love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all judgment so that they may approve things that are excellent. There is a progression her. There is no use reading verse 10 unless you first read verse 9. Let me put it more bluntly: There is no use thinking we can approve things that are excellent unless our love is abounding more and more in knowledge and all judgment. It is only when our love is so abounding that we will be able to approve things that are excellent. On the other hand, when our love does grow in this way, this is what it will lead to, to the approving of things that are excellent. We must keep this progression in mind. The request of verse 10 is built directly upon the request of verse 9.
So what are the “things that are excellent.” Literally, it is “the things that differ.” The things that differ are excellent because they stand out and stand above other things. When I think of this, my mind goes back to passages like 2 Cor. 4:18, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." And Col. 3:1-2, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Our citizenship is in heaven, not on this earth. Therefore the things that are excellent are the eternal things that transcend this present life.
For most of us, this is not a question of what is good and bad, but rather a question of what is the very best. In light of eternity, what things are truly excellent? What are those things are really important? Paul is concerned that his readers approve things that are of eternal value.
This word translated “approve” (dokimazw) is widely used in the New Testament and is a very interesting word. In the secular world it was used to speak of the testing of metals and the testing of coins to determine if they were genuine or counterfeit. It most generally means “to approve by testing.” Paul is praying that the Philippian believers will be able to accurately determine what is truly excellent and what is not. He prays that they will be able to test everything and choose those things which have eternal value. He instructs the Thessalonians to do this very thing in I Thes. 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance [kinds] of evil.” “Prove” is this same word. He tells them to test all things so that they can hang on to that which is truly good.
Does this have any application to us? Is this not one of the greatest challenges we face today? We do not live in a boring world. Whatever you may say about the world, it isn’t boring. We are constantly bombarded by a multitude of things that want to claim our bodies, minds, and spirits. Advertisers assault us in person, by phone, by email, or any other way they can get to us. Many of us have found a way to block the advertisers from calling us by phone, but that doesn’t apply to the politicians and non-profit organizations. Just a few days ago a nice young man knocked on my door and gave me a $20 Walmart gift card. Wasn’t that nice of him? But when I didn’t want to take the time to view his product, he just as nicely took it back.
But those are the easy things. The world of ideas is much more subtle. Should I take time to read this book? What should I do about schooling my kids? Into how many and which activities should I put my kids? What should I do with my time on weekends? How early should I get up in the morning and what should I do with my time before work? What about the entertainment that I view? And what about money? How much should I earn? How much should I keep? Does it really matter how I spend it? We could go on and on and on. The need to approve the things that are excellent confronts us hour by hour. If you want something to pray about, surely this is extremely important.
Paul prayed that they/we might know the difference between things and be able to determine what is truly of eternal value. But how do we that? If his prayer is answered, how will it look for us to approve these excellent things? First of all, in a general way, we must know how to evaluate the things around us. Yes, we are to test them, but how? What is the test? That brings us right back to Rom. 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." That word “prove” is our word (dokimazw). When we are transformed by the renewing of our mind, we will be able to test and approve what is truly the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. In other words, we will be able to determine and pursue the things that are excellent. This renewing of our mind is crucial, and the material for renewal is in the Word of God. Like a hammer, God’s Word must pulverize our worldly ideas. Little by little, line by line, the Holy Spirit must mold our thinking until it is like that of our Lord. We aren’t talking about a few little biblical concepts; we are talking about cultivating the mind of Christ. Being consumed by the Lord and His Word and approving things that are excellent go hand in hand; you cannot separate them.
That’s well and good, but we must also remember the context of this request. Remember that it is built upon the request of verse 9. Paul prays that our love might overflow more and more in knowledge and in all judgment so that we might be able to differentiate between things and approve those that are excellent. At the root must be an unwavering surrender to a life of love in Christ and His church. All the wisdom in the world cannot approve the things that are excellent apart from love. A huge part of the mind of Christ is a life of love. Don’t think you can test and approve the things of eternal value if you are not rooted and grounded in this overflowing love? Why do I say that? Because there is nothing of greater eternal value than the love of God.
Suppose you have a Saturday with nothing planned. What a relief. You decide that you will sleep in and then just kind of do nothing for the day. You didn’t really think about it much, but you just need some rest. But then it comes to your attention that one of your brothers in Christ has really been struggling. You’ve wanted to go see him, but it just seems you haven’t had much time. Now you have the time. So even though you would enjoy doing nothing for the day, you call up your brother and suggest that the two of you take a drive to the mountains. You approved the thing that was excellent, the thing that has eternal value. How did you do it? You didn’t get your Bible out and try to find specific verses about the situation. However, your Bible did play a huge role, as you have consistently been in that Word day in and day out. But even more important was the fact that you are committed to a life of love – love for God and love for His people. That love which is abounding in your more and more in knowledge and spiritual insight grabbed your heart and mind and motivated you to abandon your comfort and do the thing that has eternal value.
III. Integrity
Paul prays that their love may overflow more and more, so that they may test and approve the things of real value, so that they may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ. Paul now prays that they be sincere and blameless. Notice again the progression. This request is built on the first two. What does he mean by “sincere and without offense”?
There are questions about the background of that word translated “sincere.” Some feel like this is a term that is made up of two words which give the meaning “to test by sunlight.” If so, that fits well with our English word “sincere.” In comes from the Latin and literally means “without wax.” Suppose a potter was making a bowl out of clay. He would shape the clay on the wheel, then he would bake it. Sometimes a crack would appear, because of bad clay or because he got it too hot in the baking process. But because of the time and materials he had invested, a potter was tempted to take some hard wax and fill up the crack. Then when he painted it, the buyer wouldn’t know the difference. Only after he put it on the stove would he discover that it was useless. However, a wise buyer would inspect the vessel before he paid for it. He would hold it up to the sunlight and rotate it carefully. If there was a crack, the sunlight would shine through. He would know that it was “without wax.” That is where the idea of sincerity comes from.
So when Paul talks about being sincere, it is a little different from the way we use the word today. It is not uncommon to hear the phrase, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere.” No, that is not at all what Paul is talking about. Paul is referring to integrity in our personal lives. This idea is pretty much the opposite of hypocrisy. A sincere man, a man of integrity, lives out a life that is totally integrated. He doesn’t live one way on Sunday and another on Friday. His life is such that you can hold it up to the light and examine it, finding that it holds together. It is what it reports to be. That doesn’t mean the life is perfect, but it isn’t held together by half-truths and cover-ups. Prov. 11:1 says, “A false balance is abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” That truth goes beyond the market place. A man of integrity is not hiding something behind the life he lives. This is the idea of sincerity.
Again, it is the Word of God that leads to this kind of life, for that Word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. I can’t find an undiscovered crack in your life because the Word of God has already exposed it and you haven’t tried to cover it up. If the crack is still there, you are open to admit it and praying that the Lord will continue to work on it.
Then we come to the term “without offense,” or “blameless,” as some translations put it. It literally means “not striking against” or “not stumbling.” It can mean the man himself does not stumble; or it can mean that he doesn’t cause others to stumble. The exact meaning must come from the context. Our context doesn’t really tell us where the emphasis is. However, since the word “sincere” has to do with a person’s own life, it may be best here to emphasize the fact that he doesn’t cause others to stumble. He has integrity in himself and he has integrity in his relationships with others. Paul prays that they live in such a way they not cause others to stumble.
Do you see how this is built on his other requests? As our love overflows more and more and as we test and approve the things of real value, then we are able to live sincerely and in a way that will not cause others to stumble. A life of love and spiritual discrimination precedes this life of personal and relational integrity. When we love people, the thing we don’t want to do is cause them to stumble. When we learn to test and approve the things that have eternal value, we will have no desire to play hypocritical games, but to live a life of sincerity.
IV. Fruits of Righteousness
Verse 11, “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ.” Paul desires them to have fruit which is produced by righteousness, or the fruit which consists of righteousness. We have talked about that fruit before, but let’s do a quick review. There are some who immediately conclude that this fruit consists of new converts out of our ministry. There is certainly truth in that idea, because fruit speaks of reproduction. This may be the thought of the teaching of Jesus in John 15, when He says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit…” (15:5). This is certainly the idea in Prov. 11:30, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."
On the other hand, we cannot restrict the idea of bearing fruit to bringing others to Christ. I don’t believe that is where we start. The Word speaks directly of fruit in Gal. 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." As the Spirit of God works in us, this is the nine-fold fruit that results. God desires that we be filled with this fruit. I remind you that this is the “fruit” of the Spirit, not the “fruits” of the Spirit. There are not nine different fruits. Rather, this is a nine-fold fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is not like the gifts of the Spirit. Concerning gifts, different believers have different gifts, as the Spirit of God determines. But that is not the case with the fruit of the Spirit, for the Lord is growing all of these qualities in every believer. It is not a matter of you having love and me having joy. The Lord wants all of His children to increasingly demonstrate all of these qualities which make up the fruit of the Spirit.
As the fruit of the Spirit is manifested in our lives, others are attracted to the Christ who lives within us. What happens when the apples on a tree ripen? Someone is going to pick those apples, because they are very desirable for eating. As the fruit of the Spirit ripens in a Christian, people can see in him or her the likeness of Jesus and will be drawn. So we see that the fruit of the Spirit and the bringing of others to Christ go hand in hand. Evangelism is not a method; it is the life.
On the other hand, some look at the fruits of righteousness as good deeds which are produced by a righteous life. Verse 11 literally says, “Having been filled with the fruits of righteousness.” It has been happening and it is continuing to happening. Remember that this is part of the progression in Paul’s prayer. Abounding love leads to choosing the excellent things, which leads to personal and relational integrity. And as those things happen, we see a life that is filled and is being filled with the fruits of righteousness.
V. Glory
Now notice the closing words of Paul’s prayer: “unto the glory and praise of God.” This prayer begins with love and closes with glory. This is typical of Paul. Go back a couple of pages to Ephesians 3. There is a beautiful prayer in 3:14-21. We have read it many times. I would say it is the best known of Paul’s recorded prayers. What I want you to notice is how that beautiful prayer closes. Eph. 3:20-21, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” The requests Paul makes in this prayer are very profound, but let no one be mistaken about the ultimate purpose, and that is glory to God. So it is with the prayer here in Phil. 1:9-11. Wrap it all up together and the ultimate end is “unto the glory and praise of God.”
It’s wonderful when our love overflows more and more in knowledge and all judgment, but that isn’t an end in itself. God is glorified through that abounding love. How marvelous when God works in us and we choose the excellent things that have eternal value, but we must remember that the ultimate goal is the glory of God. And when our lives demonstrate integrity and the fruits of righteousness, it is for the glory of God.
Let me put it this way: the end, the goal of all prayer is the glory of God. Isn’t that what we learn from the Lord Jesus in John 12? We went over this passage four or five weeks ago. It was only a few days before Jesus would be crucified, and He knew it. He said, “Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ But for this cause I came to this hour.” Can you grasp the intensity of the situation? A few verses earlier He said, “Truly, truly I say to you. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it falls to the ground and dies, it brings forth much fruit.” Jesus was talking about Himself. All the great teachings and miracles in the world would not bring forth new life. Just as a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die, Jesus is saying that He must do the same. That is why He is in such agony when He speaks about how He should pray. Who could blame Him for saying, “Father, save me from the cross. Don’t let me go through with this. It’s too hard. I don’t want to bear the sins of others. Rescue me from this cross, Father.” But how could He pray that, knowing that it was to die on the cross that the Father sent Him into the world? Then He simply prayed, “Father, glorify your name” (John 12:23-28).
Jesus’ goal was to glorify His Father. That purpose dominated His entire life, including His praying. Whatever He prayed, it must end with the glory of God. You could boil all of Jesus’ life down to that simple prayer: “Father, glorify your name. Father, through my life receive glory.” Brothers and sisters, this must be the end of our praying as well. Anything we pray that will not bring glory to God is a selfish, ungodly, out-of-the-will-of-God prayer.
But what about glory for us? We don’t want to be selfish, but can’t we pray anything for ourselves? Please hear me. When we pray that God be honored and praised through our lives, we are praying for ourselves. There is nothing better for us than for God to be glorified through us. His glory is our glory. When He is praised and honored, we are overjoyed. As John Piper puts it so well, “We are most satisfied in Him, when He is most glorified in us.” If that isn’t the cry of your heart, then something is desperately wrong. Either you have never known the Lord Jesus or your heart has become hard to Him and you need to repent. I repeat: His glory is our glory. That is the way God designed it from the beginning.
Conclusion
I want to conclude this morning by emphasizing again what I said at the beginning. Paul’s prayers were dominated by spiritual concerns, by matters of eternal significance. But wasn’t Paul concerned about the smallest matters of life? Didn’t he care when his brothers and sisters were sick? Wasn’t he moved by the difficulties he saw in life? I’m sure he was. However, Paul himself was abounding in discerning love, which led him to focus on the things of eternal significance. He was so overwhelmed with the constant knowledge that this life will soon be over and we will stand in Jesus’ presence that he didn’t have a lot of time and energy for anything else.
Let me illustrate my point. Suppose I have a friend who has been convicted of murder and other crimes. His crimes are so bad that he is going to be executed by lethal injection in just three days. I go to the prison, knowing that this is the last time I will ever see him. When I meet him, it is obvious that he has a terrible cough. The time for the visit is brief. After talking for a while, I pray for my friend. I only have two or three minutes to pray, and then the authorities will usher me out. Now I ask you: Will I pray about his cough? No. Why not? Because time is too urgent. My friend is going to die. You ask, “Is your friend a Christian?” The answer to that question will not affect my decision to pray or not to pray about his cough. If he is a child of God, then he will soon appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in his body, according to whether they are good or bad. If he has never been reconciled to God, there are only three days left for him to be rescued from an eternity in hell.
Now you may think my illustration is extreme. I assure you it isn’t. What’s the difference between 3 days and 30 years? You think the difference is 29 years and 362 days, but you’re wrong. The difference between 3 days and 30 years is a snap of the fingers in light of eternity. Because we can only think in terms of a human lifetime, we think 30, 40, or 50 years is a long time. But consider a million years, a billion years, a trillion years. And then multiply that by another quadrillion years. By then, eternity will have only begun. Now tell me 50 years is a long time? Of course, not one of us has a guarantee of three days. Just this morning we have talked about a man who suddenly died, and he was younger than many of you.
You may think I’m extreme, and that’s okay. But I assure you I am not extreme enough. Talk can be cheap. What you need to see is a life that is so aware of eternity that you cannot ignore it. Paul lived that kind of life, and it wasn’t because he was an apostle or because he was special. He had no advantage over us, when it comes to prayer and living. He prayed the way he did and lived the life he lived because of the grace of God in his life, the same grace that is available to you and me.
May we pray and may we live for the glory of God!
PAUL’S PRAYER FOR THE PHILIPPIANS
Phil. 1:9-11
Last week we looked at verses 3-8. From those verses, we got a sense of Paul’s heart, as he prayed for the Philippian believers. We also were reminded of what a blessing it is to be a part of the Lord’s church. When I speak of the Lord’s church, I am referring to the local expression of that church, because that is what we find at Philippi and throughout the New Testament.
Today we want to look at Paul’s prayer for the church in 1:9-11. Let’s begin by reading that prayer. Phil. 1:9-11…
And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10. That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
Let’s go back for a moment and read 1:3-5, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4. Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5. For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." Paul speaks of praying for them with great joy. But now, when we come to verses 9-11, we get a glimpse into the content of that prayer. We are blessed that God chose to preserve in His Word some of the actual prayers of Paul (see also Eph. 1:15-23; 3:14-21; Col. 1:9ff). We find the same thing in this prayer that we find in the other recorded prayers of Paul. In none of these prayers did Paul pray for physical needs. Nor did he offer up general prayers for the welfare of the church. Instead, he prayed for the spiritual needs of God’s people. He prayed for their spiritual growth and development. Some of you get a little perturbed at me because I can’t let go of this truth. I don’t say that it is wrong for us to pray for physical needs, but I do continue to remind us that it is a hundred times better to pray for spiritual needs. Our great problem is that we default to what is most comfortable, and it is more comfortable to pray for our physical needs than to expose what our real needs are. May Paul be a reminder that the content of the most vital prayer within the church is the spiritual needs of its people.
As we go through this prayer, I want to tell you right off that I am borrowing the basic outline from John MacArthur (with a slight deviation). I find it very helpful in getting a handle on this prayer. Paul does not pray for a series of things, but it is a prayer that has a definite progression. We will see this, as we go through it. It begins with love and progresses to the glory of God. So let’s dive in…
I. Love
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.” Paul begins his prayer with the subject of love. Why is that? Is it not because love is the most basic virtue of the Christian life? Is that not we find in the scripture? Just consider I Cor. 13. Other things will pass away, but love, hope, and faith remain, and the greatest is love. Or consider the one commandment that Jesus singled out. When asked what was the greatest commandment, he responded by saying: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). He went on to say the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. On another occasion, He said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). Paul himself said that all the law is fulfilled when you love your neighbor as yourself (Gal. 5:14). Surely it is right and proper to begin by praying that they may love.
As we examine what Paul says, it becomes clear that Paul was not chastising the Philippians for a lack of love. As a matter of fact, he acknowledges that they do love. Now exactly what kind of love is he talking about? Is he talking about loving God? Or is he talking about the love they have for him, the apostle? Or is he talking about their love for one another? Yes, that’s right. Surely he is including all three. In reality, they can hardly be separated. If you truly love God, you will love others, and the only true love for others must grow out of love for God.
It is understandable that Paul would acknowledge this love in their lives, for this love is the possession of every true Christian. He tells the Roman Christians that “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:5). I John 3:14, “Hereby we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.” The person who does not have this love and thinks he is a child of God is only kidding himself.
So if they had this love, why does Paul pray for them concerning love? His prayer is that their love will abound yet more and more. Literally, he prays that their love will overflow more and more. It was already overflowing, but he prays that it will overflow more and more. If Paul were alive today and knew us, he would pray the same for us. Though the love of God has indeed been shed abroad in the hearts of us who are truly His, that love is not yet full and complete. Praise God for the presence of that love, but oh that it might overflow more and more. That’s the idea. Praise God that the love He gives isn’t some static quality that has no room for growth. We can never say, “Oh yes, I have the love of God, and that’s it.” This is a love that has a capacity for continual growth. Whether we realize it or not, this is a great need in our lives, for it is by this love for one another that the world will know that we are Jesus’ disciples (John 13:35).
Paul makes it clear that he is not just praying for more love in the sense of more zeal and enthusiasm. Rather, he prays that their love will abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. He points to a certain direction in which their love must grow. Praise God for the love He has given, but a mature love must be informed by knowledge and all judgment. We need to hear this. It’s wonderful to love with the love of God, but even this special kind of love needs guidance. It is similar to what Paul said about the Jews in Rom. 10:2, “For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” So it is with the love which God gives; it must be according to knowledge.
I find this need in my own life. I recognize the need by looking at some of my actions in the past. There have been times when I truly exercised love, but it wasn’t according to knowledge. On two occasions, I have bailed people out of jail. In both cases, I believe that if my love had been informed by knowledge, I would not have done so. I trust that the Lord has worked in that area, but I am fully aware that my love will overflow more and more as it is shaped by knowledge.
So what kind of knowledge are we talking about here? Do we need to read a book about God’s love. Indeed, we do, and we have it in our hands, and it is the Word of God. The word here translated “knowledge” is an intense word. It is the normal word for “knowledge” with a little preposition added to strengthen it. It is full knowledge, real knowledge, true knowledge. This is the word that refers not to just mental knowledge, but to knowledge that comes through experience. It is the kind of knowledge that is based on personal acquaintance. The place to find this knowledge is in the Word of God. As we come openly and humbly to the Word of God, our love is informed not only through principles of truth, but through a growing personal acquaintance with the Lord Himself. Jesus loved perfectly because He did only those things which He saw the Father do. As we walk more closely with Him day by day, our love will overflow according to our knowledge of the Lord.
We must understand this. In our religious society, we still have remnants of that concept that love and knowledge are opposites. It is a concept closely kin to the idea that doctrine or theology is bad. “No, I don’t want doctrine; just give me Jesus.” Some people have the idea that you can love Jesus more if you don’t really get into the details of the Bible. That’s a lie. Paul said in Col. 3:16, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” The Word of Christ comes to us through the Bible. If our love is going to overflow more and more, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds that takes place through meditation upon God’s Word.
Not only did Paul pray that their love would overflow more and more in knowledge, but also in all judgment. Other translations render it “all discernment” (NASV), “depth of insight” (NIV), “comprehensive discernment” (Amplified). This word, which is found only here in the New Testament, refers to perception and insight. This is primarily the practical application of the knowledge that comes from the Word. John MacArthur puts it like this: “So he is saying your love is controlled by your theology [knowledge] and your insight in the application of that theology.” This judgment, this discernment, is truth applied.
Can we pray the prayer of Paul? What could be more valuable than to pray that our love would overflow more and more in knowledge and all spiritual insight? There is no one that has come to perfection in this area. This is a need in every life. We can testify that this overflowing of love does not come automatically. Our adversary has thousands of ways to discourage us from letting the love that has been shed abroad in our hearts abound more and more. He would encourage us to take our cues from the world, which practices a “love” that is far from the love of God. How often are we crippled in the church because we have swallowed the idea that we should love those who are lovable. When we determine that a brother or sister doesn’t deserve our love, we think it’s okay to withhold it. We are not above deciding we ourselves can determine who will receive our love. Remember what Paul said in verse 7, “Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart.” Again in verse 8, “For God is my record how greatly I long after you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.” It is not just any love that will convince the world we are Jesus’ disciples; it is the love that comes from God and overflows more and more in knowledge and all discernment.
II. Excellence (that you might approve things that are excellent)
Notice the words of verse 10, “that you may approve things that are excellent.” Understand that Paul is not praying for a series of things here. Rather, there is a definite sequence. He prays that their love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all judgment so that they may approve things that are excellent. There is a progression her. There is no use reading verse 10 unless you first read verse 9. Let me put it more bluntly: There is no use thinking we can approve things that are excellent unless our love is abounding more and more in knowledge and all judgment. It is only when our love is so abounding that we will be able to approve things that are excellent. On the other hand, when our love does grow in this way, this is what it will lead to, to the approving of things that are excellent. We must keep this progression in mind. The request of verse 10 is built directly upon the request of verse 9.
So what are the “things that are excellent.” Literally, it is “the things that differ.” The things that differ are excellent because they stand out and stand above other things. When I think of this, my mind goes back to passages like 2 Cor. 4:18, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." And Col. 3:1-2, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Our citizenship is in heaven, not on this earth. Therefore the things that are excellent are the eternal things that transcend this present life.
For most of us, this is not a question of what is good and bad, but rather a question of what is the very best. In light of eternity, what things are truly excellent? What are those things are really important? Paul is concerned that his readers approve things that are of eternal value.
This word translated “approve” (dokimazw) is widely used in the New Testament and is a very interesting word. In the secular world it was used to speak of the testing of metals and the testing of coins to determine if they were genuine or counterfeit. It most generally means “to approve by testing.” Paul is praying that the Philippian believers will be able to accurately determine what is truly excellent and what is not. He prays that they will be able to test everything and choose those things which have eternal value. He instructs the Thessalonians to do this very thing in I Thes. 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance [kinds] of evil.” “Prove” is this same word. He tells them to test all things so that they can hang on to that which is truly good.
Does this have any application to us? Is this not one of the greatest challenges we face today? We do not live in a boring world. Whatever you may say about the world, it isn’t boring. We are constantly bombarded by a multitude of things that want to claim our bodies, minds, and spirits. Advertisers assault us in person, by phone, by email, or any other way they can get to us. Many of us have found a way to block the advertisers from calling us by phone, but that doesn’t apply to the politicians and non-profit organizations. Just a few days ago a nice young man knocked on my door and gave me a $20 Walmart gift card. Wasn’t that nice of him? But when I didn’t want to take the time to view his product, he just as nicely took it back.
But those are the easy things. The world of ideas is much more subtle. Should I take time to read this book? What should I do about schooling my kids? Into how many and which activities should I put my kids? What should I do with my time on weekends? How early should I get up in the morning and what should I do with my time before work? What about the entertainment that I view? And what about money? How much should I earn? How much should I keep? Does it really matter how I spend it? We could go on and on and on. The need to approve the things that are excellent confronts us hour by hour. If you want something to pray about, surely this is extremely important.
Paul prayed that they/we might know the difference between things and be able to determine what is truly of eternal value. But how do we that? If his prayer is answered, how will it look for us to approve these excellent things? First of all, in a general way, we must know how to evaluate the things around us. Yes, we are to test them, but how? What is the test? That brings us right back to Rom. 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." That word “prove” is our word (dokimazw). When we are transformed by the renewing of our mind, we will be able to test and approve what is truly the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. In other words, we will be able to determine and pursue the things that are excellent. This renewing of our mind is crucial, and the material for renewal is in the Word of God. Like a hammer, God’s Word must pulverize our worldly ideas. Little by little, line by line, the Holy Spirit must mold our thinking until it is like that of our Lord. We aren’t talking about a few little biblical concepts; we are talking about cultivating the mind of Christ. Being consumed by the Lord and His Word and approving things that are excellent go hand in hand; you cannot separate them.
That’s well and good, but we must also remember the context of this request. Remember that it is built upon the request of verse 9. Paul prays that our love might overflow more and more in knowledge and in all judgment so that we might be able to differentiate between things and approve those that are excellent. At the root must be an unwavering surrender to a life of love in Christ and His church. All the wisdom in the world cannot approve the things that are excellent apart from love. A huge part of the mind of Christ is a life of love. Don’t think you can test and approve the things of eternal value if you are not rooted and grounded in this overflowing love? Why do I say that? Because there is nothing of greater eternal value than the love of God.
Suppose you have a Saturday with nothing planned. What a relief. You decide that you will sleep in and then just kind of do nothing for the day. You didn’t really think about it much, but you just need some rest. But then it comes to your attention that one of your brothers in Christ has really been struggling. You’ve wanted to go see him, but it just seems you haven’t had much time. Now you have the time. So even though you would enjoy doing nothing for the day, you call up your brother and suggest that the two of you take a drive to the mountains. You approved the thing that was excellent, the thing that has eternal value. How did you do it? You didn’t get your Bible out and try to find specific verses about the situation. However, your Bible did play a huge role, as you have consistently been in that Word day in and day out. But even more important was the fact that you are committed to a life of love – love for God and love for His people. That love which is abounding in your more and more in knowledge and spiritual insight grabbed your heart and mind and motivated you to abandon your comfort and do the thing that has eternal value.
III. Integrity
Paul prays that their love may overflow more and more, so that they may test and approve the things of real value, so that they may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ. Paul now prays that they be sincere and blameless. Notice again the progression. This request is built on the first two. What does he mean by “sincere and without offense”?
There are questions about the background of that word translated “sincere.” Some feel like this is a term that is made up of two words which give the meaning “to test by sunlight.” If so, that fits well with our English word “sincere.” In comes from the Latin and literally means “without wax.” Suppose a potter was making a bowl out of clay. He would shape the clay on the wheel, then he would bake it. Sometimes a crack would appear, because of bad clay or because he got it too hot in the baking process. But because of the time and materials he had invested, a potter was tempted to take some hard wax and fill up the crack. Then when he painted it, the buyer wouldn’t know the difference. Only after he put it on the stove would he discover that it was useless. However, a wise buyer would inspect the vessel before he paid for it. He would hold it up to the sunlight and rotate it carefully. If there was a crack, the sunlight would shine through. He would know that it was “without wax.” That is where the idea of sincerity comes from.
So when Paul talks about being sincere, it is a little different from the way we use the word today. It is not uncommon to hear the phrase, “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere.” No, that is not at all what Paul is talking about. Paul is referring to integrity in our personal lives. This idea is pretty much the opposite of hypocrisy. A sincere man, a man of integrity, lives out a life that is totally integrated. He doesn’t live one way on Sunday and another on Friday. His life is such that you can hold it up to the light and examine it, finding that it holds together. It is what it reports to be. That doesn’t mean the life is perfect, but it isn’t held together by half-truths and cover-ups. Prov. 11:1 says, “A false balance is abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” That truth goes beyond the market place. A man of integrity is not hiding something behind the life he lives. This is the idea of sincerity.
Again, it is the Word of God that leads to this kind of life, for that Word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. I can’t find an undiscovered crack in your life because the Word of God has already exposed it and you haven’t tried to cover it up. If the crack is still there, you are open to admit it and praying that the Lord will continue to work on it.
Then we come to the term “without offense,” or “blameless,” as some translations put it. It literally means “not striking against” or “not stumbling.” It can mean the man himself does not stumble; or it can mean that he doesn’t cause others to stumble. The exact meaning must come from the context. Our context doesn’t really tell us where the emphasis is. However, since the word “sincere” has to do with a person’s own life, it may be best here to emphasize the fact that he doesn’t cause others to stumble. He has integrity in himself and he has integrity in his relationships with others. Paul prays that they live in such a way they not cause others to stumble.
Do you see how this is built on his other requests? As our love overflows more and more and as we test and approve the things of real value, then we are able to live sincerely and in a way that will not cause others to stumble. A life of love and spiritual discrimination precedes this life of personal and relational integrity. When we love people, the thing we don’t want to do is cause them to stumble. When we learn to test and approve the things that have eternal value, we will have no desire to play hypocritical games, but to live a life of sincerity.
IV. Fruits of Righteousness
Verse 11, “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ.” Paul desires them to have fruit which is produced by righteousness, or the fruit which consists of righteousness. We have talked about that fruit before, but let’s do a quick review. There are some who immediately conclude that this fruit consists of new converts out of our ministry. There is certainly truth in that idea, because fruit speaks of reproduction. This may be the thought of the teaching of Jesus in John 15, when He says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit…” (15:5). This is certainly the idea in Prov. 11:30, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."
On the other hand, we cannot restrict the idea of bearing fruit to bringing others to Christ. I don’t believe that is where we start. The Word speaks directly of fruit in Gal. 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." As the Spirit of God works in us, this is the nine-fold fruit that results. God desires that we be filled with this fruit. I remind you that this is the “fruit” of the Spirit, not the “fruits” of the Spirit. There are not nine different fruits. Rather, this is a nine-fold fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is not like the gifts of the Spirit. Concerning gifts, different believers have different gifts, as the Spirit of God determines. But that is not the case with the fruit of the Spirit, for the Lord is growing all of these qualities in every believer. It is not a matter of you having love and me having joy. The Lord wants all of His children to increasingly demonstrate all of these qualities which make up the fruit of the Spirit.
As the fruit of the Spirit is manifested in our lives, others are attracted to the Christ who lives within us. What happens when the apples on a tree ripen? Someone is going to pick those apples, because they are very desirable for eating. As the fruit of the Spirit ripens in a Christian, people can see in him or her the likeness of Jesus and will be drawn. So we see that the fruit of the Spirit and the bringing of others to Christ go hand in hand. Evangelism is not a method; it is the life.
On the other hand, some look at the fruits of righteousness as good deeds which are produced by a righteous life. Verse 11 literally says, “Having been filled with the fruits of righteousness.” It has been happening and it is continuing to happening. Remember that this is part of the progression in Paul’s prayer. Abounding love leads to choosing the excellent things, which leads to personal and relational integrity. And as those things happen, we see a life that is filled and is being filled with the fruits of righteousness.
V. Glory
Now notice the closing words of Paul’s prayer: “unto the glory and praise of God.” This prayer begins with love and closes with glory. This is typical of Paul. Go back a couple of pages to Ephesians 3. There is a beautiful prayer in 3:14-21. We have read it many times. I would say it is the best known of Paul’s recorded prayers. What I want you to notice is how that beautiful prayer closes. Eph. 3:20-21, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” The requests Paul makes in this prayer are very profound, but let no one be mistaken about the ultimate purpose, and that is glory to God. So it is with the prayer here in Phil. 1:9-11. Wrap it all up together and the ultimate end is “unto the glory and praise of God.”
It’s wonderful when our love overflows more and more in knowledge and all judgment, but that isn’t an end in itself. God is glorified through that abounding love. How marvelous when God works in us and we choose the excellent things that have eternal value, but we must remember that the ultimate goal is the glory of God. And when our lives demonstrate integrity and the fruits of righteousness, it is for the glory of God.
Let me put it this way: the end, the goal of all prayer is the glory of God. Isn’t that what we learn from the Lord Jesus in John 12? We went over this passage four or five weeks ago. It was only a few days before Jesus would be crucified, and He knew it. He said, “Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ But for this cause I came to this hour.” Can you grasp the intensity of the situation? A few verses earlier He said, “Truly, truly I say to you. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it falls to the ground and dies, it brings forth much fruit.” Jesus was talking about Himself. All the great teachings and miracles in the world would not bring forth new life. Just as a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die, Jesus is saying that He must do the same. That is why He is in such agony when He speaks about how He should pray. Who could blame Him for saying, “Father, save me from the cross. Don’t let me go through with this. It’s too hard. I don’t want to bear the sins of others. Rescue me from this cross, Father.” But how could He pray that, knowing that it was to die on the cross that the Father sent Him into the world? Then He simply prayed, “Father, glorify your name” (John 12:23-28).
Jesus’ goal was to glorify His Father. That purpose dominated His entire life, including His praying. Whatever He prayed, it must end with the glory of God. You could boil all of Jesus’ life down to that simple prayer: “Father, glorify your name. Father, through my life receive glory.” Brothers and sisters, this must be the end of our praying as well. Anything we pray that will not bring glory to God is a selfish, ungodly, out-of-the-will-of-God prayer.
But what about glory for us? We don’t want to be selfish, but can’t we pray anything for ourselves? Please hear me. When we pray that God be honored and praised through our lives, we are praying for ourselves. There is nothing better for us than for God to be glorified through us. His glory is our glory. When He is praised and honored, we are overjoyed. As John Piper puts it so well, “We are most satisfied in Him, when He is most glorified in us.” If that isn’t the cry of your heart, then something is desperately wrong. Either you have never known the Lord Jesus or your heart has become hard to Him and you need to repent. I repeat: His glory is our glory. That is the way God designed it from the beginning.
Conclusion
I want to conclude this morning by emphasizing again what I said at the beginning. Paul’s prayers were dominated by spiritual concerns, by matters of eternal significance. But wasn’t Paul concerned about the smallest matters of life? Didn’t he care when his brothers and sisters were sick? Wasn’t he moved by the difficulties he saw in life? I’m sure he was. However, Paul himself was abounding in discerning love, which led him to focus on the things of eternal significance. He was so overwhelmed with the constant knowledge that this life will soon be over and we will stand in Jesus’ presence that he didn’t have a lot of time and energy for anything else.
Let me illustrate my point. Suppose I have a friend who has been convicted of murder and other crimes. His crimes are so bad that he is going to be executed by lethal injection in just three days. I go to the prison, knowing that this is the last time I will ever see him. When I meet him, it is obvious that he has a terrible cough. The time for the visit is brief. After talking for a while, I pray for my friend. I only have two or three minutes to pray, and then the authorities will usher me out. Now I ask you: Will I pray about his cough? No. Why not? Because time is too urgent. My friend is going to die. You ask, “Is your friend a Christian?” The answer to that question will not affect my decision to pray or not to pray about his cough. If he is a child of God, then he will soon appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in his body, according to whether they are good or bad. If he has never been reconciled to God, there are only three days left for him to be rescued from an eternity in hell.
Now you may think my illustration is extreme. I assure you it isn’t. What’s the difference between 3 days and 30 years? You think the difference is 29 years and 362 days, but you’re wrong. The difference between 3 days and 30 years is a snap of the fingers in light of eternity. Because we can only think in terms of a human lifetime, we think 30, 40, or 50 years is a long time. But consider a million years, a billion years, a trillion years. And then multiply that by another quadrillion years. By then, eternity will have only begun. Now tell me 50 years is a long time? Of course, not one of us has a guarantee of three days. Just this morning we have talked about a man who suddenly died, and he was younger than many of you.
You may think I’m extreme, and that’s okay. But I assure you I am not extreme enough. Talk can be cheap. What you need to see is a life that is so aware of eternity that you cannot ignore it. Paul lived that kind of life, and it wasn’t because he was an apostle or because he was special. He had no advantage over us, when it comes to prayer and living. He prayed the way he did and lived the life he lived because of the grace of God in his life, the same grace that is available to you and me.
May we pray and may we live for the glory of God!
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