How God Prepares You For Himself

All right, well, thank you for your patience.

Philippians chapter 1.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

Our sermon text today is Philippians 1-6,

but I'd like to read the whole prayer,

so we're going to read verses 1 through 11.

Philippians 1, verses 1 through 11.

Philippians 1:1–11

And I read this trusting that it is God's inspired,

inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient word.

It's God's very own word for you, His people.

Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,

to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi,

with the bishops and deacons,

grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

always in every prayer of mine,

making requests for you all with joy

for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

being confident of this very thing,

that He who has begun a good work in you,

will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Just as it is right for me to think this of you all,

because I have you in my heart,

inasmuch as both in my chains

and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel,

you all are partakers with me of grace.

For God is my witness,

how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

Verse 9,

And this I pray that your love may abound still more and more

in knowledge and all discernment,

that you may approve the things that are excellent,

that you may be sincere and without offense

till the day of Christ,

being filled with the fruits of righteousness,

which are by Jesus Christ,

to the glory and praise of God.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

You may be seated.

Let's pray.

Let's pray.

Father, thank you for how your Holy Spirit illumines to us

a glimpse of the eternal reality

that Jesus Christ,

God the Son,

He took on flesh.

He accomplished the mission the Father gave Him to do.

That He is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

And one day He will come.

And He will judge the living and the dead

according to your standard.

We praise you, Lord,

that though you owe man nothing,

you could have left us in our fallen sinful state,

you have come through Jesus Christ

to bring a people to yourself.

We thank you that you are still at work

completing in your people

that which Jesus Christ finished

in His life, death, and resurrection.

We pray, Lord,

that through the ministry of your word,

you will accomplish that

in whoever you give eyes to see

and ears to hear.

And we pray that more will come, Lord.

More will come to know

how good and how gracious you are.

For your glory we ask.

Amen.

Amen.

When you get to watch a master craftsman

at his work,

it holds you for a while, doesn't it?

I can just be amazed

watching so many people

that are good at their craft

do their work.

I had a very simple repair

that needed to be done.

It was a rock that hit my windshield.

And I just had to stand there

and observe and watch him come

and put the machine on

and scrape out the bits of glass.

And just to watch someone

really good at what they do

fix a piece of glass

was fascinating to me.

I was gripped.

I remember a sign

at a mechanic shop growing up

and it was something like

$50 to fix your car,

$75 if you watch,

and then $100 if you ask questions,

$150 if you try to help.

So, to watch is one thing.

The beautiful thing, though,

is that in Jesus Christ,

as he pulls us into his church,

we get to watch the master work.

I'd like to draw your attention

one more time to verse 6 in our text.

Philippians 1.6

Paul has his eyes open

to the work that God is doing.

And it fills him with joy

and thanksgiving and confidence.

And he writes,

I am confident of this very thing

that he who began a good work in you

will complete it

until the day of Jesus Christ.

Well, I encourage you

to memorize this verse.

And I challenge you to do it

in the next 30 minutes.

And to help you,

I'm going to read it for you

about six times as we go.

And all I want to do this morning

is apply this beautiful truth

to five categories of people

focused on one word or phrase

in Philippians 1.6 each time.

The first phrase I want to focus on

is that God begins this work.

He who has begun this good work in you.

So I want to talk first of all to you

in whom God has not yet begun a good work.

And my encouragement to you is very simple.

I believe there's some in our congregation

for whom this is still true.

And maybe there's others within earshot.

If God has not yet begun his good work in you,

ask him to.

See, you and I, we need God to work on our hearts.

Amen?

Amen?

We need this.

Here's the difference.

We go to a doctor, a heart doctor even,

and he'll say,

you got a heart problem.

Do I have your attention now?

Will you listen?

Will you do what I've said?

And we want to take on for ourselves

all the things we need to do

to fix the heart problem

the doctor told us about.

Try to get your heart rate up

for 20 minutes a day.

Watch your diet.

Get some omega-3 into your system.

And then we go and do those things

because the doctor said,

you got a heart problem.

But that's not what Paul is preaching

to the church, is it?

He says,

he who has begun a good work in you.

In other words,

it's God who is doing this work in your heart.

The reason for this is because

we can't work on our own hearts this way.

We are born without the Holy Spirit.

We are born under the curse of Adam.

Every single person.

Fallen.

Condemned.

Twisted.

Distorted.

Bent toward evil.

That's how we're born

and brought into this world.

The image of God still remains,

but it's defaced.

Like you take a penny

and scrape the face.

God must begin

His good work in you.

Listen to this verse.

Isaiah 64-7.

It was one that we came across

in our study with the men

on Wednesday mornings.

It shakes me in my boots still today.

Isaiah 64-7.

There is no one

who calls on your name,

he's telling God.

There is no one

who stirs himself up

to take hold of you.

You, God,

have hidden your face from us.

You have consumed us

because of our iniquities.

Iniquities.

Listen to how the ESV

puts that last statement.

God,

you have made us

melt

in the hand

of our iniquities.

Well,

we know what sin is.

Sin is when we fall short

of the glory of God.

Iniquity

is when we sin

with a heavy hand

lifted up against God.

It's the most serious

type of sin.

And God has made us

melt

in the hand

of our own iniquities.

And that's why

there's no one

who calls on the name

of God

if we're left to ourselves.

Amen?

God's work begins

only after

your self-righteous

work ends.

God begins a good work

in each one of His people,

but He begins that

only after

your and my

self-righteous work

has come to its end.

We've run out.

We're exhausted.

We're done trying

on our own.

And this is good news.

This is really

the beginning

of the Gospel.

Listen to how Paul

put this in Colossians 2.12.

You must first get buried

with Jesus Christ

in baptism.

You must die

to self-righteous

efforts and works.

Die to yourself

in trying to save yourself.

And when you receive

Him by faith

alone

in Jesus Christ

alone

by His grace

alone

then you are also

raised

with Jesus Christ

through faith

in the powerful

working

of God.

It's the powerful

work of God

that begins

this good work

of regeneration.

How powerful

is the work of God

to begin

in your heart

and in mine?

It's the same power

with which God

raised Jesus Christ

from the dead.

In the Gospels

of Mark and Matthew

we read about

a real estate mogul.

A man

who owned

a lot of property.

And this man

came up to Jesus

and asked this question

in Mark 10.17.

What shall I do

that I

may inherit

eternal life?

And Jesus

exposes him.

You think you need

to do more

and you can do more?

Jesus says

you've kept

all the moral law.

How about your heart?

Have you kept

the moral law

of God

in a loving way

in your heart

as well?

See some have said

the point of this

is to make that man

go back

and try even harder.

And it's just

the opposite.

The point

is that you can't

try hard enough

on your own.

The point of the law

in its first use

is to crush you.

You can never

make yourself right

with God

by your own efforts

by your own works.

This ruler

was unwilling

to give up

trying to save himself.

He wanted to do more

and he wanted to

inherit

eternal life

by his own standing.

And the Lord Jesus

laid him flat.

God's work begins

in your heart

and in mine

only after

your self-righteous

work ends.

So,

for you

in whom God

has not yet begun

his good work,

ask him

to do that.

Ask him

to bring you

to the end

of yourself

and work

powerfully in you

in the way

that only he can.

God's work

will be

good.

The second

word I want

to share with you

and encourage you

with from our

verse is the word

good.

Notice in verse 6,

Paul says,

I am confident

of this very thing

that he who has

begun a good

work in you

will complete it

until the day

of Jesus Christ.

Christ.

Maybe there are

some today

who don't know

or who have

forgotten

even in a subtle

way

that God's work

in his people

in your heart

is a good

work.

It's painful,

it's devastating

at times,

right?

But it is good.

So you who do

not trust

that God's work

is good,

my prayer for you

today is that

you will ask him

to prove

that this is so

in your own life,

that you can add

your own testimony.

My life

has also proven

that God's work

is always good.

You know what was

the sin

of the prodigal son?

He did a lot of sins

with his flesh,

but his sin started

in his heart

before that,

didn't it?

The prodigal son,

he thought that

taking all of his

inheritance up front,

leaving his father's

household,

using all that money

to throw parties,

to have fake friends,

share fake laughs,

and give himself

to prostitutes,

he thought all of that

was more good

than being right

with his dad

and dwelling secure

in his father's

household.

In this parable,

do you see how

this is exactly

what Christ

came to reveal

to people

who are fallen

in our sin

and whose minds

are still twisted,

chasing after

the lust of the flesh?

He revealed

the most good

is being right

with the father.

It doesn't get

any better than that.

And that's how

Jesus Christ

reveals the father

to you and me.

It's the father

who runs to greet you

with open arms,

unashamed.

He doesn't care

how bad you smell.

You're covered

in the slop

of pigsties

and your own vomit.

And he brings you

into his loving arms.

That's how good

the father is.

1 Peter 2.3

encourages the church

to taste

and see

that the Lord

is good.

It's not enough

for me to tell you this

or maybe kids

for your parents

to tell you

the Lord is good.

I've tasted

and I've seen.

You need to taste

and see for yourself

the Lord

is good.

How good

is the Lord?

He's as much good

as light is

compared to darkness.

He's so much more good

like life

is over death.

He's so good.

He's a God

of blessings

when you deserve wrath.

The word good

in Philippians 1.6

it carries with it

the meaning of

that which is

honorable,

excellent,

pleasant,

agreeable,

joyful,

happy.

And maybe the word

that summarizes

all of that

representing God

himself is

good means gracious.

God's work

in you,

inside of you,

in your inner being,

in your soul,

it is a good,

gracious work.

I love how our

confession of faith

summarizes this

on regeneration.

This is the teaching

of scripture summarized,

boiled down.

You and I were dead,

but God

enlightened your mind

savingly

to understand

the things of God.

He took away

your heart of stone

and he gave you

a heart of flesh.

He renewed your will.

He makes you love

what he says is good

by his power.

And he effectually

draws you to

Jesus Christ.

Yet,

so as you come freely,

like the prodigal son

sprinting,

hoping he'll be

accepting me

and welcoming me home.

And Jesus came to say,

of course,

he will.

And this is all

because he has

made you willing

by his grace.

You see how good

and gracious is

in working inside of you

from start to finish.

That's why we sing

with the hymn,

Oh, how great

thy loving kindness,

vaster,

broader than the sea.

Oh, how marvelous

thy goodness

lavished on me.

So you who do not yet

trust that God's work

is good,

I pray that you will

ask him

to prove so

in your own life.

The third phrase

I want to focus on

is not only

on how he began this,

but how he completes this.

Because I don't think

I've said anything

now that's too new

to you all,

but I do think

that I and all of us

have a tendency

in our flesh

and maybe we've sat

under teaching

to the contrary

about how is it

that God completes

this work.

Let me read verse 6

one more time.

I am confident

of this,

this very thing,

that he

who has begun

a good work

in you

will complete it

until the day

of Jesus Christ.

So I want to

encourage you

who want to

complete this work

in yourself,

for yourself,

to ask God

to reform

your thinking.

Don't reform

your thinking

to what you hear me say

or what you read

somewhere else.

let the Spirit

through the Word

of God

reform our thinking

on this.

So you who want

to complete the work

that God started

in you

for yourself,

you need to ask

God to reform

your thinking.

I've thought a lot

this week,

why is it that we

want to add something

to God's salvation?

I think it's because

we really want

to respond

in gratitude,

that's probably

where it starts,

but then it's also

that we fear

that maybe I'm

not truly saved.

Maybe there's

something more

I can do

to help secure

myself.

And it's so subtle,

but then our flesh

wants to teach

ourselves that

we can do this,

we can secure

ourselves

by completing

what God started.

or at least

helping God

complete what

He started.

But verse 6

could not be

any more clear.

He who began

a good work

in you,

He and no one

else is the one

who will complete

it in you.

You're probably

already ahead of me

on why this is

so significant.

It's because

whoever began

the work

gets the glory

for beginning

the work.

And whoever

completes the work

or has a share

in completing

the work,

gets the glory

or at least

a share

of the glory

in completing

it.

So God's glory

is what's at

stake with

this doctrine.

We can put

this question

this way.

How are you

and I

finally saved

if you want

to even put

that qualifier

in front of it?

There's a very

well-known,

well-respected

pastor who

on many other

doctrines is

wonderful,

but I just want

to be cautious

for myself

and for your ears.

This is how

subtle it can be.

Listen to what

this pastor

has written

and see if you

agree with it.

Quote,

no holiness,

no heaven.

Works of faith,

obedience of faith,

fruits of the

spirit that come

by faith

are necessary

for our

final salvation.

So,

we should not

speak of getting

to heaven

by faith alone

in the same way

we are justified

by faith alone.

Do you see

how subtle

this is?

A crack

in the door

and enough

of a distortion

comes in

that it can

have a wrong

effect on

true believers.

That's my

caution.

It can

feed that

part of our

flesh that

wants to

secure ourselves

and inevitably

is siphoning

away some

glory from

God.

Here's how

we can twist

that in our

mind.

We can take

that to

mean that

I must

now muster

up enough

faith,

enough faith,

so that

I can then

do enough

works,

enough works.

How much

is enough?

That I can

obey enough,

that I can

show enough

to finally

be saved.

That doesn't

sound right,

does it?

What I want

to persuade you

with today

is reading

about four

or five

Bible verses

so you

can hear

the word

of Scripture

which I

believe is

very clear

on this

point.

Notice how

that is not

at all

the tone

of Paul.

By the

mercy of

God,

by the

strength

and the

energy

of God,

Paul

outworked

any

believer,

I think,

any saved

sinner,

he outworked.

Listen to

how Paul

puts it.

In the

same way

that God

began a

good work

in you,

God

completes

his

work.

Colossians

1.29,

Paul wrote,

I struggle,

I toil

with all

his energy

that he

powerfully

works in

me.

That's a

very different

tone.

Galatians

3.2,

Paul writes,

let me ask

you this,

did you

receive the

Spirit by

works of

the law

or by

hearing with

faith?

Are you

so foolish

having

begun by

the Spirit,

are you

now being

perfected

by the

flesh?

Philippians

2.13,

it is

God

who works

in you

both to

will

and to

work

for his

good pleasure.

You hear

Paul's tone.

I don't think

it could be

any more

clear.

God

completes

his work

in his

people

by his

power

alone.

2.

Peter 1.3,

his divine

power

has granted

to us

all that

we need

for life

and godliness.

You see,

it's God's

divine power

that has

granted

our final

salvation

through the

knowledge of

him who

called us

to his

own glory

and excellence.

So for you

who want

to complete

this work

that God

began in you

for yourself,

ask God

to reform

your thinking

and he

graciously

will.

The fourth

word in our

verse today

that I want

to encourage

you with

is the word

confident.

Confident.

I am

confident of

this,

that he

who has

begun a good

work in you

will complete

it until

the day

of Jesus

Christ.

Most likely

some of you

if you're

like me,

today you

need to be

strengthened

with confidence.

You need

to be

strengthened

with confidence

and my

prayer is

that you

will ask

God to

help you

trust him,

the source

of your

confidence.

Paul says

I am

confident of

this very

thing.

He's

confident,

he's

certain,

sure,

fully

persuaded

of this

very

thing.

God

will

finish

what

God

started.

That word

confident

was used

mockingly

of Jesus

Christ as

he hung

on the

cross

to pay

for our

sin.

In

Matthew

Matthew 27:43

27

verse

43

they mocked

and they

said let

God

deliver

him.

He

trusted,

that's the

same word,

he had

confidence

in God.

Do you

need to be

strengthened

with such

confidence?

One of my

favorite

Puritans

John

Flavel

he

he fell

so passionately

about this

he ministered

to the

church.

Church

did Christ

finish

his work

for us?

Then there

can be no

doubt

he will

also finish

his work

in us.

Amen?

That's the

source of

our

confidence.

And it's

good that

we desire

that

confidence

that

blessed

assurance

that's

a gift

from the

Holy

Spirit.

We need

that

confidence

in our

own

lives

for

ourselves

for

our

soul.

We

also

are

burdened

and we

should

pray

that

God

will

help

our

loved

ones

to

trust

God

and

gain

such

confidence.

And I

pray that

you will

also at

least

allow

God

to stir

up a

portion

of your

heart

to care

that

he will

complete

the work

for this

congregation.

Paul,

by the

way,

is writing

to a

church,

isn't he?

For the

church at

Philippi,

all the

saints,

with the

elders and

deacons.

I'm

confident

for the

church,

for all

of you,

and under

Christ's

name,

as a

gathered

congregation,

Christ

will finish

what he

started

for you.

John

Gill had

written

this,

and to

me this

was such

a powerful

encouragement

for my

confidence

in this

truth,

that I

can trust

God to

finish

what he

started.

Quote,

where there

is grace,

there will

be glory.

Grace is

what we

need now,

the moment

we first

believed,

when he

first began

this good

work in

us,

and glory

is what

he holds

up to

us for

eternity,

to come

with Jesus

Christ.

Where there

is grace,

there will

be glory.

Is there

grace in

your life

from God?

God,

there will

be glory.

Here's

John Gill's

argument for

proving this.

God carries

out his

good work

in your

life

according

to who

he is.

He is

unchangeable

in his

nature,

in his

purposes,

in his

promises,

and in his

calling.

God is a

rock,

and his

work will

be perfected

by his

power sooner

or later

in his

people.

Because God

is faithful.

He will

never forsake

the work

of his

hands.

He alone

has the

power to

accomplish

what he

intends

in you.

Listen to

what John

Gill said.

It's even

better because

it's not

attached to

you at

all.

It happens

in you,

but it's

for God

himself.

God has

too much

of himself

pledged

to leave

his works

in your

hands.

Did you

catch that?

Let me run

that one by

you one

more time.

God has

too much

of himself

pledged

to leave

his work

in your

hands.

He is

committed

to completing

what he

started in

you.

If this

work is

not finished,

then the

glory of

God the

Father in

your election,

in the

covenant of

grace,

in your

salvation,

in the

mission of

his son,

the glory

of Christ

and redemption

and of

the spirit

and sanctification

would be

entirely

lost.

God has

way too

much

of himself

pledged

to leave

this good

work and

the finishing

of the work

he started

in your

hands or

mine.

Praise

God and

all glory

be to

God.

So he's

confident

of this

very thing.

And the

last phrase

I want to

encourage you

with is

the end

that this

is all

for.

I am

confident

of this

that he

who has

begun a

good work

in you

will

complete

it

until

the day

of Jesus

Christ.

This is

what it

is all

for.

It's

the chief

end of

man

to glorify

and enjoy

God

forever.

The day

of Jesus

Christ

is coming.

church

the Lord

who began

his good

work in

you

he will

complete

it

in his

own

timeline

for each

soul

and for

the church

global

invisible

under the

one true

God

on his

timeline.

He

will

finish

what he

started.

Someone

made a

joke that

there are

two seasons

in Colorado.

there's

winter

and then

there's

construction.

Those are

the two

seasons.

When it's

not snowing

there's

construction

being done.

I'm

familiar

with one

job site

here in

Parker

at which

140

workers

show up

every day.

They are

doing dry

wall,

windows,

putting the

sprinkler

system in,

laying down

the turf,

painting all

the walls.

All those

crews are

going to

keep

working

until the

project is

complete.

How will

we know

that the

project is

complete?

It's when

they're done

working on

it.

What is

it for?

What's

the end

of the

project?

In this

case,

it's a

school.

When you

see the

children

running on

the playground,

sitting in

the classrooms,

learning,

you see the

parents relieved,

smiling,

enjoying a

school in

our town,

you know

that the

project is

complete.

The

project has

a worthy

end.

There will

never be a

shortage of

funding or

labor or

anything that's

needed until

those kids are

in the building

learning,

because that's

why that

project was

begin.

The church

is the

glorious project

of God to

unite the

church to

himself,

Jesus Christ.

And how

will we know

that the work

of God is

done in his

church?

It's when

you,

church,

are enjoying

Jesus Christ

and glorifying

him.

Individually,

this will

happen on a

different timeline

for each soul.

But as a

church,

collectively,

we can trust

one pastor

will die,

the next pastor

will die,

the next pastor

will die,

deacons and

elders will be

raised up and

they'll be

buried.

The Lord

will carry on

his church.

It's the work

of God.

He alone can

build it,

and he will

build his

church.

church.

I'm so

encouraged by

the short

life of a

Scottish

Presbyterian

pastor named

Robert Murray

McShane.

One of the

things he wrote

is this,

only an inch

of time

remains,

and then

eternal

ages roll

on forever.

Only an inch

of time

remains.

When he

wrote that,

he didn't

know that

he would

get typhus

fever,

something you

get from

lice,

bugs like

that.

He preached

a sermon

on a Sunday

within 48

hours.

He was

dead,

and they

buried him

at the

age of

29.

The Lord's

work in

preparing his

soul for

eternity was

complete.

It doesn't

mean he

attained the

same level

of maturity

as Paul,

and we

all fall

short of

the glory

of Jesus

Christ,

but for

that soul,

29 years,

that was

his timeline.

I feel

like on

this doctrine,

Robert Murray

Machine in

the 1800s

put so

clearly and

simply what

all the

other reformers

and the

further

reformation,

the Puritans,

had been

working out

from Scripture

and synthesizing

up to this

point.

So I've

written about

four questions

and answers

as if I

got to

just interview

Robert Murray

Machine at

age 28 or

so you can

hear what

God had been

doing in

his life

before the

Lord took

him to

glory.

One question

I wanted to

ask him is

this,

what has

God shown

you about

yourself in

God's work

of completing

you and

preparing you

for the day

of the Lord

Jesus Christ?

McShane

wrote,

the seed

of every

sin

known to

man

is in

my heart.

Next

question,

what is

your source

of confidence?

Paul had

a confidence

that God

would complete

this work,

what's your

source of

confidence?

McShane

wrote,

what a man

is on his

knees before

God,

that he is

and nothing

more.

You see

what he's

saying?

Every

sin

known to

man,

that seed

is in

my heart.

What I

am on my

knees before

God,

that I

am and

nothing

more,

nothing in

my hands

I bring.

Pastor

Robert,

how do

you pray?

And he

wrote,

Lord,

make me

as holy

as a

pardoned

sinner can

be.

Amen.

Well,

I only got

four questions,

so I

squeezed

three in

together

on this

last one.

Pastor

Robert,

what have

you learned

in these

28 years,

a handful

of years

in the

ministry?

What do

you know

for certain?

And what's

your advice

for Christians

like us

here today?

He wrote,

unfathomable,

unfathomable

oceans

of grace

are in

Christ

for you.

For every

look at

self,

take ten

looks to

Christ.

Dive

and dive

again.

You will

never come

to the

bottom of

these gracious

depths.

the Lord

who began

his good

work in

you,

he will

complete it

on his

own timeline

until the

day of

Jesus

Christ.

Church,

beloved

congregation

of the

Lord Jesus,

God is

preparing

you and

he's preparing

us together

for himself.

one way

or the

other,

you and

I will

be with

the

Lord

very soon

if he's

begun a

work of

grace in

your life.

He will

make sure

that you're

ready.

Your part

is to

simply ask

him to

watch him

prove so

in your

life.

Thank him

for being

so patient

and reforming

your thinking.

Keep

trusting him

and rest

knowing that

you are

his.

He is

preparing

you for

himself on

his timetable

for his

glory because

he alone

is God

and he

will be

glorified in

the life of

his church.

Isn't it

humbling and

a source of

confidence and

strength that

we get to

see God

working in

his people

within the

church?

Just as we

can watch a

master lay

down tile or

build something

out of wood,

that's what we

get to do in

the church with

one another.

We get to

watch our

master do

his work in

his people and

just glory in

what he's

doing.

I am

confident of

this, that

he who has

begun a good

work in you

will complete

it until the

day of Jesus

Christ.

Amen?

Let's pray.

Father, thank

you for your

promise.

Thank you for

your good

work that you

do in your

people for

your glory.

We pray that

we can rest

knowing that

you are the

one who saves

from the

beginning to

the end.

Amen.