Assurance in the Work of Christ

Well, this morning we continue our series in the book of Philippians.

If you were with us last week, we know we just started with the introduction.

Today we're going to be moving on in chapter 1, verses 3 through 8.

So if you have a Bible, you can turn there with me.

It will also be on the screen behind me.

As I've mentioned before, Rachel and I, over a decade ago, we lived in China.

We lived there for just over a year.

We lived in a city of 7 million.

Which, by Chinese standards, is just kind of an average-sized town.

And we didn't live in the heart of the city.

We kind of lived on the southern edge of the city.

That was known as the Economic Development Zone.

And everyone who lived in that area and had called that for years

really thought it was more of a joke than anything else.

Because there wasn't much economic development going on there.

There was a cluster of a few universities.

Around the universities were kind of some run-down, kind of slab concrete buildings

that had some shops and some restaurants.

Vendors would come in in the evening and set up restaurants just in the streets and carts that they had.

Beyond that were just really shacks set up by people who might have worked in the field or drove a taxi.

Brick structures that may have aluminum as a roof.

No running water.

Electricity that was run by bare wire from place to place.

And beyond that was just cornfields.

But yet this was the Economic Development Zone.

There was not a whole lot of trust that anything would happen in this area of town.

There was no confidence that anyone had that there was going to be infrastructure development,

that new buildings were going to go up, that anything was going to happen in this area of town.

And so it was actually, when Rachel and I came home,

it was about five years later that we were able to go back for a visit.

And we went to this area of town and it was amazing the transformation that we saw.

Because fields had been cleared and now there were high-rise apartment buildings and luxury condos.

These little shacks and shops had been totally demolished.

There was a huge shopping center with a mall and a theater and a Starbucks and a KFC and a Burger King and a Pizza Hut.

All the crown jewels of American culture were now at their fingertips.

And so it was amazing to think about what had happened in this short amount of time,

where people had no assurance that anything would ever happen in this part of the town.

There was now evidence of the progress that had been made.

And so that's what we're going to be looking at in this passage today.

The assurance that Paul has in the work of Christ.

Even in the midst of his own imprisonment, persecution on the rise,

we see disunity bubbling up within the church.

He holds on to the promises of God.

He remains confident in the work of Christ.

Both the beginning, the initial work, his continuing work, and completed work.

And we see that through that he has great thanksgiving and great joy

because he sees that evidence at the church at Philippi.

And so let's read our passage then this morning.

Philippians 1, verses 3 through 8.

Philippians 1:3–8

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,

always in every prayer of mine for you all,

making my prayer with joy

because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

And I am sure of this,

that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion

at the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to feel this way about you all

because I hold you in my heart

for you are all partakers with me of grace,

both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

For God is my witness,

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

This is the word of God.

Pray with me again.

Lord, we pray that you will prepare our hearts for the hearing of your word.

Lord, I ask that you fill me with your spirit,

that I may communicate clearly,

that the truth of your gospel may go out with power

and may sink deep into our hearts.

Change us, we pray, O Lord.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Now, as I mentioned last week,

we started just with the first two verses in Philippians,

looking at Paul's introduction.

And as is common in many of his letters,

after that brief introduction comes a few verses

of thanksgiving and prayer for whatever church he's addressing.

And so we see that that's happening here as well.

And we see at first glance this deep affection

that Paul has for the church at Philippi.

And we see here that it's not just this affection and this joy

just isn't based on what they're on doing.

I mean, it's not that he's just saying,

hey guys, you are doing great, I love you,

and I thank you for your work here,

and just keep on keeping on.

No, we see that his thanksgiving and joy

is rooted far deeper.

The crux of the passage is really in verse 6.

This is the basis of Paul's assurance,

the basis of all that he's saying to the church at Philippi.

When he says, I am sure of this.

And so this is going to be our focus today,

thinking about the assurance that Paul has.

We're going to start in verse 6

and spend most of our time there,

but also work our way back to beginning of this passage as well.

And so three points then,

as we look and focus on this theme of assurance,

we're going to be thinking about the basis of assurance,

the evidence of assurance,

assurance,

and the response to assurance.

And so let's look then at the basis of Paul's assurance.

Let's reread verse 6 together.

And I am sure of this,

that he who began a good work in you

will bring it to completion

at the day of Jesus Christ.

And so the first question we ask is,

well, what is this good work?

Paul had been talking to the church at Philippi

and was commenting on their good work, right?

How they were,

they had defended the gospel well,

how they had love for one another.

But Paul isn't talking about the work of the church there.

He's not talking about his own work.

We say,

he says that he who began a good work in you,

that he obviously is referring to God.

And as we see,

this isn't just a one-time act of God

in the hearts and lives of his people.

It's really this ongoing work.

And so we really see it occur in three phases

that Paul talks about here.

We could think about it at God's work at conversion,

God's continuing work,

and the completion of God's work.

And so I want to think about each of them individually.

Paul says here,

he who began a good work in you,

this work at the point of conversion,

if we go back to the book of Acts,

this records a lot of what happened

in the New Testament church,

the missionary journeys that Paul and others went on.

And so in Acts 16,

it records Paul coming to Philippi for the first time

and what happens there,

the first converts that we see in this city.

And so Acts 16, verse 13, it says this,

Acts 16:13

and on the Sabbath day,

we went outside the gate to the riverside

where we supposed there was a place of prayer.

And we sat down and spoke to the woman

who had come together.

And one who heard us was a woman named Lydia

from the city of Thyatira,

a seller of purple goods who was a worshiper of God.

And the Lord opened her heart to pay attention

to what was said by Paul.

And so we see here this very first convert in Philippi,

this woman named Lydia.

But it's interesting how Luke records her conversion.

It doesn't say that Lydia chose to believe the words of Paul

or to understand the gospel on her own.

It says, no, the Lord opened her heart to pay attention.

And so it was the work of God in Lydia's life

and the lives of other believers in Philippi

that brought about change,

that brought about conversion in their life.

Paul explains this in many of his letters.

In Ephesians chapter 2,

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

he says that we were dead in our trespasses

and in our sins,

but we were made alive with Christ.

It is by grace you have been saved through faith

and that not of yourselves,

it is a gift of God,

not of works so that no one can boast.

And so we see this point of conversion,

the work that God does in our hearts,

in the hearts of these Philippians

is all about him.

If we think about,

we go back to maybe middle school time

or whenever you had science class

and you might have learned about

Newton's laws of motion,

you know that his first law of motion

is that an object at rest stays at rest

unless acted upon by an outside force.

And so this book here,

you know, Bible we said on this table,

there's nothing in that Bible itself

that is going to allow that Bible to move

unless it's moved by an outside force.

And so the same is true in our own lives.

Without Christ, we are dead.

We possess no abilities to make ourselves alive.

And so it's only by the power of Christ

in our lives to give us eyes to see

and ears to hear,

give us hearts that we can receive the gospel,

the grace of God.

Even Martin Luther says that faith

is like an empty hand.

It's only an instrument for receiving.

Faith itself is passive.

It is something that is given to us as well by God.

And so this is something that can bring us joy

when we think about God's work in our lives

at the point of our conversion,

if you were a believer,

to recognize that it wasn't of our own doing.

Because how horribly unsure would our salvation be

if it was up to us?

We think of human will and tendency,

how hot and cold we can be,

how certain we can be,

and then uncertain at times.

How our opinions can change constantly.

So if our conversion,

if our salvation was based on our decision ability,

if it was based on our own initiative,

we certainly have no assurance at all.

But this is what our assurance comes from.

And this is what Paul tells us,

that it was God who willed your salvation.

And so this is the same thing that Jesus said

to his disciples

at their last supper before his crucifixion.

He said,

you didn't choose me,

but I chose you

and appointed you to go and bear fruit.

Charles Spurgeon famously said that,

I believe the doctrine of election

because I'm quite certain

that if God had not chosen me,

I should never have chosen him.

And so for the church at Philippi

and for us today,

our conversion is evidence

of God's work in our lives.

And so this is something

that we can rejoice at,

to see that it was Christ

and Christ alone who has saved us.

Our salvation,

it isn't based on our own efforts.

It is God who chose you.

It was Christ who atoned for your sins.

It was the Holy Spirit

who called you to himself.

And that's good news.

But Paul here,

he's not only saying

that Christ,

what Christ did for you,

he says what Christ did in you,

the work of God in you.

And so yes,

Christ died on the cross for us.

He secured our salvation.

We are justified before the Father.

But his work is in us.

He gives us the desire

and the ability to believe,

the desire to follow after him.

And so this is where

the continuing work of God comes in.

Not only God's initial work,

he doesn't do a work in our lives

and stop.

Christ continues to work

in the lives of believers.

Verse 6 says again,

He who began a good work in you

will bring it to completion.

So there's work in that bringing.

We look forward to the point of completion

where Christ will come a day,

but that,

Christ will come again,

but that day has not yet come.

And so right now,

we're in that in-between

of the already and the not yet.

Christ has already come.

He has secured our salvation,

but he promises to come again.

And so what does that mean for us

as believers?

It's this period of sanctification,

of us seeing how Christ can continue

to work in us to make us

more and more like him.

We talked about this last week

when Paul refers to the church as saints.

He's calling them holy ones,

those who are set apart.

So as holy ones,

we know that that is our identity in Christ.

We are holy,

but we're also called to be holy,

called to pursue holiness.

And so as saints,

we're continually undergoing

this progressive transformation

to become more and more like Christ.

But this isn't something

that we can accomplish on our own.

Back when I was in university,

I played on the rugby team for my school.

And it was in the spring

where we'd have our normal rugby schedule.

We'd travel around the southeast

to the United States

playing other universities.

And I remember one away game

that we had.

We were playing a team

and we're beating them pretty good.

There's about 10 minutes left in the game.

And so the coach decided

to put in a few of the subs

who didn't get to play much.

And he put in one guy in front row.

He didn't have much experience,

but he was excited to be in the game.

And literally within probably two minutes

of him getting the game,

he gets tackled.

And his arm,

he falls awkwardly

and his arm like shatters.

He's screaming out loud.

We have to stop the game.

He's carted off.

He has to go to the hospital

and have surgery

in order to set the bones

that have broken in several places

where pins have been put in place.

After that surgery,

he's put in a cast

that stays in that cast

for several months

before that comes off.

And then he has to undergo

physical therapy

for weeks or months

so we can regain motion

and movement

strength in his arm.

And so this image

of surgery

and therapy

is really how we can consider

the Christ's initial

and ongoing work

in our lives.

He has saved us.

He has secured our salvation

on the cross,

but he continues

to work in us

like an ongoing therapy

to strengthen us,

to mold us

into his likeness.

And so when we think

about sanctification,

it's not just about us

trying our best

to please God,

to doing the best

that we can do

to be as much like Christ

as we can.

No.

Sanctification

is about our assurance

that Christ

is working in us

to draw us

to himself.

And so Paul

makes this point

in Galatians.

Galatians 3.3

He asks,

Are you so foolish

having begun

by the Spirit?

Are you now being perfected

by the flesh?

And so again,

God doesn't perform

some one-time act

in our lives

and then kind of

set us off

to see what we can accomplish.

As if to say,

I did my part,

now you do yours.

No, we don't pursue holiness

because we doubt

our salvation

or because we think

we have to supplement it

in any way.

And so when we think

about salvation,

or when we think

of assurance,

this was really an issue

if we go back

to the times

of the Reformation.

This idea of assurance

was a particular point

of conflict

between the Reformers

and the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church

thought that assurance

of salvation

was really a horrible thing

because they thought

it hindered the Christian life.

Because if you had assurance

of your salvation,

then you had no motivation

to follow Christ

and no motivation

to pursue holiness.

But we see the Reformers,

they summed up

their answer

and their concerns

of the Catholic Church.

If we look at

the Heidelberg Catechism

back from 1619,

in the very first question,

we get a wonderful response

to this idea of assurance.

This is the question

and answer.

It says,

what is our only hope,

excuse me,

what is the only comfort

in life and in death?

This is the answer,

that I am not my own,

but belong body and soul

in life and in death

to my faithful Savior,

Jesus Christ.

And it ends by saying this,

because I belong to Him,

Christ,

by His Holy Spirit,

assures me

of eternal life

and makes me wholeheartedly

willing and ready

from now on

to live for Him.

And so our pursuit

of holiness

is not motivated

by a fear

of what might happen

if we fail.

It's not motivated

by the thought

that we have to prove

ourselves to God.

Our sanctification,

our pursuit of holiness

is based on our

solid assurance

of what Christ

has done for us.

Assurance of our

eternal life,

but not only that,

it says here,

we have assurance

that Christ will make

us wholeheartedly

willing and ready

to follow Him.

And so this is exactly

what Paul says later

in the book of Philippians

in chapter 2

that we'll look at

in a few weeks' time

where he says,

to work out your salvation

with fear and trembling,

for it is God

who works in you

both to will

and to work

for His good pleasure.

So it is God

working in us

that gives us

the desire

to follow after Him.

One of the commentators

that I read

about this verse

noting the continuing

nature of this

bringing us

to completion,

he says it's like

God is continuing

to put His finishing

touches on His work

in your life.

And so do we sense that?

Do we get a comfort

from knowing

that God's fingerprints

are all over our lives?

Especially when we're

reminded of just

how weak

and sinful we are.

How often we fail

in our Christian lives.

How unsteady our will is.

How prone we are

to wander.

To know that Christ

remains faithful.

It is Christ's faithfulness

that is the essence

of our security.

And so just as we

can be assured

of Christ's work

in our lives

at the point of conversion,

we can also be assured

that Christ does not

leave us.

He continues to work

in us and through us

as we live for Him.

And so then that brings us

to this third part

of the work of Christ,

the completion

of Christ's work.

Again, verse 6,

I am sure of this

that He who began

a good work in you

will bring it to completion

at the day

of Jesus Christ.

Christ.

Several years ago

for my brother's birthday,

I decided I was going

to make him a gift.

And so I had this really

old, thick law book

that I decided I was going

to get a little bottle

of whiskey

and I was going to

cut out the shape

of the bottle

into the pages

and place the bottle

in the book

so it would close up

and you'd have just

a little surprise

in that book.

I thought it was

a clever idea.

I thought it may take

an hour to cut out

these pages or so.

And as I began to do it,

I just realized

how tedious

and how difficult

this was

and it was taking me

forever to do

to the point

that I never finished it.

I put it away

in the closet

because it was taking

too much time

and it wasn't until

that we were packing

our things

to move here to Scotland

that I realized,

oh, it's still sitting there.

I need to do something with it.

I either need to finish it

or I need to throw it out.

How often does that

happen to us

when we think about

things in our lives?

Things or projects

that we start

that we never finish.

Books that we begin

to read

that we lose interest in.

We change our minds.

We get busy

with other things.

But when we think

about the work

of the Lord,

that's not how God operates.

God's plans

never change.

His mission

is never thwarted.

His love

never fails.

And so when we begin,

when He begins

a work in our life,

we can be fully confident

that He will bring it

to completion.

When we begin

this journey,

we recognize

with full confidence

that God will bring us

to our destination.

And so there was,

it's not that there wasn't

reason for doubt.

This is why Paul

is assuring the church,

why he's talking about

his own assurance,

because there was struggle

within the church.

There was disunity.

There was fear

of what might happen

because Paul

is now in prison.

What is going to happen

to the leader

of the New Testament church?

We may face doubts

in our own lives too.

Uncertainty about

what's going on around us.

Uncertainty even within

the body of Christ.

When we think about

the past,

we may be discouraged.

We may be confused

by the present

or scared by the future.

So Paul is reminding us

that the past,

the present,

the future,

all of it

is held

in God's hands.

God will fulfill

His promises

when?

At the day

of Jesus Christ.

And so if we look back

through the Old Testament,

there's many references

from many of the prophets

about the day

of the Lord.

The day of the Lord.

It comes with this imagery

of judgment

and destruction

for the nations.

But it also talks

about salvation

and vindication

for God's people.

We read that

from our verses

in Malachi earlier,

talking about

the day of the Lord.

And so this is

the future glory

that Paul talks about

as well,

especially in the book

of Romans,

in Romans 8,

when he says

that all creation

will be set free

from the bondage

of sin,

when we will receive

adoption as sons,

when our bodies

will be redeemed

and Christ

will be glorified.

This is the ultimate goal.

This is what all creation

is longing for,

where all the promises

of God

will be fulfilled,

where Christ will have

His final success.

And so this gives Paul

great assurance.

This can give us

great assurance

as well

as we seek

to follow after Christ.

And so this is

the basis

of our assurance.

Let's think then

also of the evidence

of His assurance.

Going back to verse 3,

Paul says this,

I thank my God

in all my remembrance

of you,

always in every prayer

of mine for you all,

making my prayer

with joy

because of your partnership

in the gospel

from the first day

until now.

And so thinking again

back in my time

in China,

there was no evidence

that I had

that the local government

was going to do anything

to change

the economic development zone.

If I had known that,

I wouldn't have been

made fun of it.

The people there

wouldn't have kind of joked

at the name

of their little part of town.

If I had seen

construction on the roads

being done,

if I saw

this infrastructure

being laid,

if I saw buildings

being erected,

I think,

well, I guess

they're starting

to do something.

I guess there truly

is a work

being done here.

And so here

in this passage,

Paul's assurance

of the work

of Christ

is evidenced

in the church.

The work

of the church,

the love

of the church,

the defense

of the gospel

that the church

is involved in.

That's

observable facts

to Paul

of his assurance

of the gospel.

And so in verse 5

where it says

this word

partnership,

fellowship,

the same word

in Greek

is used

in other places

for the word

fellowship.

And so fellowship

and partnership

is something

that's essential

within the church.

Here,

we know that

this involved

financial partnership.

Paul talks about

later in chapter 4

about when he left

Macedonia,

it was the church

at Philippi

was the only church

that provided him

support.

And he says

how well they did

that,

that they provided

him full payment,

that he was well supplied

for the work

of the Lord.

But this partnership

really runs deeper

than just

giving money.

We see

that partnership

of the gospel

and really involves

this full involvement,

this full support

of the people

of God.

And so Paul says

this in verse 7,

he says,

you are partakers

with me of grace,

both in my imprisonment

and in the defense

and confirmation

of the gospel.

So again,

this word partakers,

it comes from

the same Greek root

that's used

for fellowship

or partnership.

So Paul is talking

to the church

and he's saying,

you are my fellow partners,

you are my fellow

fellowshippers

in the gospel.

And so we see

this is continuous

in nature.

It says,

from the first day

until now.

So there really

wasn't an easing

in period

for the church

at Philippi,

it was really

this drastic

and sudden transformation

when Christ

began a good work,

that work

was evident

from the very beginning.

They were fully involved

and fully committed

to see the growth

of the church

in Philippi

and beyond.

And so what does this

look like for us today?

What evidence

do we see

of Christ working

in our lives

individually

and in the lives

of this church?

Do we see

one another

encouraging each other,

exhorting each other?

Do we come together

for the teaching

and preaching

of God's word?

Are we excited

to serve one another

and even to suffer

for the gospel?

To give our time

and our resources

for the spread

of the gospel?

Because it's interesting

to note here

that Paul,

what he doesn't say,

Paul doesn't say

to the church

at Philippi,

I thank the Lord

that you show up

on Sunday morning.

I thank the Lord

that you come together

once a week.

No, he says,

I thank the Lord

for your partnership

in the gospel

that is ongoing

and continuous

in nature.

So what does that

look for us

on a practical level

when we think about

the evidence

of Christ's assurance

in our lives?

How do we love

one another well?

How do we serve

one another well?

Not only within this church,

but within our community.

Is it writing

an encouraging note

to somebody?

Is it meeting someone

for coffee

who's discouraged?

Is it inviting

a neighbor

into your home?

Being involved

in the ministry

of the church?

Seeking to serve

internationals

and refugees

and those who have

come to our city

with no family

and no help

of their own?

I mean,

the list can really

go on and on.

It's something

that we need

to consider together.

And not that we do it

because we think

we need to earn

God's favor.

But we serve

as evidence

of his continuing work

in our lives.

So the question

we ask is,

well, how is the world

going to see

evidence of God's work

if we aren't acting

and appearing

any difference

than society around us?

See, we really need

to live lives

of self-sacrifice

that we may have

a shared vision

for the spread

of the gospel.

And so that's

the evidence

that Paul sees.

What is the response

then to this assurance?

Again, verse 3.

I thank my God

in all my remembrance

of you,

always and in every

prayer of mine

for you all,

making my prayer

with joy.

And so Paul,

when he's thinking

about the church

in Philippi,

his initial reflex

isn't pride.

He's not saying,

ha, I was there

at the beginning.

I was there

at the first converse.

I helped set up

that church.

No, he sees

the work of God

in that church

and he responds

with thankfulness

and he responds

with joy.

And the thankfulness

isn't to the church.

It's not directed

to the church

saying, man,

you guys are doing

awesome.

Keep it up.

It's a thankfulness

that's directed

up to God.

And so even though

Paul's assurance,

he has full assurance

in God,

that doesn't mean

he just sits idly by.

We see that this

thankfulness is grounded

in prayer.

This is the action

that Paul takes.

Even though he's

separated from them,

even though he's

in prison,

he is still acting

on their behalf.

through prayer.

And so we don't

want to think

that having assurance

in God's work

in our lives

means that we can

kind of lead

inactive lives

or gives us a pass

on being involved

in the life

of the church.

Paul here,

he's putting his feelings

into action

through prayer.

He sees God at work

and he prays

that God will continue

to be at work.

In good times

and in bad,

Paul recognizes

the effectiveness

of his prayers.

prayers.

And so his confidence

in God's sovereignty,

it doesn't keep him

from praying,

but it allows him

and encourages him

to pray all the more,

trusting that God

will accomplish

his work.

And so we see

more about this prayer.

It's holistic in nature.

Always in every prayer

of mine for you all,

there's regularity

in this prayer.

There's consistency

in this prayer.

He prays not only

for his friends

or for the leaders,

he's praying

for the entire church

and he does so

with joy.

Does the evidence

of Christ's work

in your life

and the lives of others

bring you great delight?

How often do we pray

with joy,

with great conviction

that Christ will continue

to work

in our lives

and in others?

And so that

can be an example

to us

of how we commit

ourselves to pray.

When we think about

this Renew the Clue campaign,

we talk about giving money

and we talk about

getting involved,

but if we do those things

alone without being grounded

in prayer,

it's all for naught.

Christ's blessing,

Christ is the giver

of all blessing

and we need to recognize

that coming to him

in prayer.

And so we see

this thankfulness

that's directed up,

but there's also

another emotion

that's directed outward,

this deep affection

for the church.

In verse 8,

for God is my witness

how I yearn for you all

with the affection

of Christ Jesus.

Paul loves

the church.

Paul has experienced

the love of the church.

He longs to be with them.

He longs for fellowship

with them that only can come

when grounded in Christ.

And so again,

is this something

that we possess

as a church,

a deep love

and affection

for one another

that we long

to spend time together,

not only in fellowship,

but in service

and in worship

and the teaching

of God's word.

Not just that we may

have casual relationship

with one another,

but that we have

a true heart

for community,

for supporting

and serving

and praying

and giving

to one another.

God's work.

And so,

this should be

the natural outpouring

of our assurance

of God's work.

And so,

that's my encouragement

today then,

that we may recognize

and have full assurance

in God's work

in your life.

God's work

at the point

of your salvation,

God's work

in sanctifying you

and God's work

in fulfilling

his promises

to you.

And maybe you

don't have that assurance.

Maybe you've never

experienced the work

of Christ

in your life.

Recognize that

this gift

is offered to you

by grace

through faith.

It is Christ alone

who saves.

It is Christ alone

who continues

to do work

in your life

and in mine

until he brings

his good work

to completion.

Amen.

Let's pray.

Lord,

we thank you

for the work

of Christ

and we recognize

that it's not

of ourselves

that we are saved

or that we are made

holy

or that our lives

are brought to completion.

It is only by

the work of Christ.

And so,

may that be

encouraging to us

today.

May we desire

to see

the evidence

of Christ's work

in our lives

individually

and as a church.

May we be

a place

that is recognized

as different

from the world

around us.

May we be marked

by your love

and your grace.

May we desire

to extend that

to one another.

And Lord,

for those

who may not know you,

who have never

experienced a work,

your work

in their lives,

we pray,

Lord,

that you will move,

that you will soften

their heart,

that you will draw

them to yourself

through your spirit.

And we pray this

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Now stand with me

for our last hymn,

He will hold me fast.

Please stand.