"The Joy of God’s People" Philippians 1:1-11

Before we enter into God's word, let us take a moment to pray and ask for his blessing.

Father, we thank you for this Easter season that we get to celebrate the life, the death,

and the death and the resurrection of your blessed son.

Father, we pray that you would make that truth so very real in our hearts.

Lord, remind us afresh of the joy it is to be called.

By your name, to be your son and daughter.

Father, we pray that you would remind us also of the great privilege it is to be a part of your church,

to serve and to partner in the gospel.

And as we come to this new book in Philippians, Lord, help us to grasp the understanding of the joyfulness

of what it means to be a part of your church and to participate in this incredible ministry of reconciliation.

So Lord, guide us today.

Help us to be students of your word, to rest under your word, and so be blessed by it.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Like I mentioned, we're entering into a new sermon series in the letter.

Paul's letter to the Ephesian church will be in this just about into mid-July or so.

So grab one of these, mark it up, and hopefully it'll be just a really rich time.

As a way of an introduction, I don't claim to know kind of the whole post-mortem on the reality of life post-COVID lockdowns.

But one thing that I've noticed, and I'm certainly not the only one,

noticed that what has emerged from these lockdowns seems to be this search for community and belonging

by many different groups and demographics.

This is especially evident amongst young men, or maybe that I'm just seeing it

because I have a special interest in seeing young men grow in the faith.

But I would say it's evident across various demographics.

And I'm not sure if it was merely the reality of being socially isolated for months and months and months and months and months,

a few more months as well,

or if such isolation merely just exposed what was already there under the surface.

That there was a lack of deep community,

of deep friendships,

of deep belonging that come with that community.

And with it, to have a purpose and a place and a role,

not just to belong,

but to actually have a role to participate in something that is much grander and bigger and larger than ourselves,

without somehow negating our individuality so that we can be a part of something,

but also not fall into complete anonymity.

To know and be known,

a place of purpose and participation,

and with it,

hope and joy.

Communities of belonging that last oftentimes provide both this acceptance that you are a part of this community,

but also provide opportunities to participate.

And more than just provide opportunities,

but requirements to participate.

Communities that promise acceptance without participation often wane,

and those that demand participation but never offer acceptance become maybe a bit tyrannical or even maybe abusive.

So as we get into Philippians,

we'll see that there's a biblical vision of what this community ought to be,

what the ultimate community ought to be.

And it is the church.

I say that,

and I realize that we have a congregation of people with varying experiences in the church.

Some that are new to the church,

some that have returned after quite the long hiatus.

Other people that are here because this church isn't like their other church.

A whole kind of smattering of different experiences.

So to say that church is the ultimate community,

some people nod,

some people say not a chance.

But Philippians will,

and Paul the Apostle,

he will make a case that this biblical vision for the church is the pinnacle and the ideal of what it means to be a human being living in community.

It offers belonging,

and a belonging that is deep,

that hits every part of our being,

that no part of our being is exempt from this belonging,

but also demands participation.

But does so not in a way that is tyrannical or manipulative or abusive,

but rather, and this will be one of the key words that we will find over and over and over again in Philippians,

it will be joyful.

Theologians call Paul's letter to the Philippians the epistle of joy.

So it really is a remarkable book that really sheds light on what the church ought to look like,

and what we should aspire to as people that are called Christian.

And like I mentioned,

the church often falls short of this ideal.

In the evangelical world, it falls short by either emphasizing belonging,

but lowering the bar of participation.

So we see this in some churches that are just catering to every felt need,

or every program that would make it easier to come to church.

And I think there is,

and this is like I'm speaking in generalities,

and there's criticisms.

I think there's also some good things with some of this as well.

But we lower the bar of participation.

We can also err on the other side,

where we confuse belonging with participation.

That to be a Christian means to check off all of your duties as a Christian.

You give a certain way.

You speak to your neighbors a certain way.

You have goals of evangelizing or reading through the Bible.

And if you don't hit those,

maybe your place in church is potentially in peril.

Whether that's communicated,

seldom is it communicated explicitly,

but it's implied?

Maybe.

Oftentimes what we see with this falling short,

and again,

I'm speaking of our own tradition in the evangelical church,

there's either a lack of love and joy,

or there's a fake love and joy.

So there's a lot of pitfalls,

a lot of gutters,

a lot of ways that we have fallen short.

Our church is wonderful.

I'll get to some of why I think our church is wonderful.

Our church falls short as well.

Okay,

it just does.

So a letter like Philippians is important for our church,

and it's important for our souls as we seek to grow individually,

but as we seek to grow as a community collectively.

And this is just an important thing as we read through Philippians,

but also a principle that is helpful for us to think about.

In general,

how we engage with the gospel together

will affect how we live out the faith individually,

and vice versa.

Okay,

as we engage in the gospel individually,

will affect how we live it out collectively.

So we're going to jump into the first part of Philippians chapter 1.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

It's a very short letter,

just over a hundred words in the original language.

We could have easily split this first part of chapter 1 up

into two or three sermons.

I'm doing it in one sermon,

so we're not going to necessarily hit on everything.

But I broke this first part into three sections.

Verses 3 to 6,

and we're going to touch on verses 1 and 2 all the way throughout.

But verses 3 to 6,

we're going to look at Paul's joyful thanksgiving.

So these are key aspects of the church

that Paul is thankful for,

that he is joyful for,

that he is expressing his affection towards.

So first,

his joyful thanksgiving.

The second,

his heartfelt affection.

And finally,

his hope-filled prayer.

So we'll look at verses 3 to 6.

I'll read it again,

even though Gord has read it.

It's a short section.

But if you can follow along,

that would help me a great deal.

Verse 3.

I'll just read verses 3 to 5.

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.

What is very clear,

right off the bat in this letter,

is Paul's thanksgiving

and his thankfulness to the Philippian church,

specifically for their generosity

and partnership throughout his ministry,

even up to the present.

This is just a bit of a background.

So we just finished Acts.

So if you have been coming to church for a while,

you'll be familiar with the narrative

of Paul's ministry.

If not, no problem.

Paul is writing this in a Roman prison.

Technically, it's house arrest.

He's in prison.

He has chains on him all the time.

He's not free to come and go.

There are some liberties that he has,

but by and large,

he is in prison.

So it's written around 61, 62 AD.

And Paul has been in prison for about three years.

First in Caesarea,

which is in the Galilee area.

He was there for two years without trial.

Crazy, crazy situation.

That's near the end of Acts.

He eventually appeals to Caesar.

Acts ends in chapter 28,

and he is in Rome.

So he is writing this

to the Philippian church in Rome.

The Philippian church is in Macedonia,

and it was the first church in Europe.

Really interestingly,

the first church in Europe.

And from the very beginning,

they have been a generous congregation to Paul,

partnering with him,

primarily with finances,

but also in encouragement.

And we'll see how these things are tied together.

They have not only given to Paul,

but also have answered the call from Paul

to give relief to the church in Jerusalem

that was incredibly poor,

that needed,

that they were in want.

So Paul is thankful.

He is thankful for the generosity

and partnership of the Philippian church

throughout his ministry.

And it's significant for at least two reasons.

I'm sure there's more,

but for at least two reasons.

The first,

they've understood the call of generosity

from the get-go.

This hasn't been something

that has been an ongoing lesson

that they have been obstinate towards.

They have understood that to be a Christian

is to be a generous person.

So right from the beginning,

they understand that they have a duty,

but also a joy to partner

and to give and to encourage and to bless.

It's also significant

because Paul has been in prison

for about three years.

In the ancient world,

to be in prison

is to be a shameful thing.

I mean, listen,

we take it for granted

that inmates deserve some sort of rights

wherever you guys fall

on how to treat prisoners,

whether it is rehabilitation or otherwise.

By and large, though,

Canadians, we say,

yeah, you're in jail,

but you're still a human being.

You still have rights.

Some are suspended.

You have a debate on what are suspended,

what are not,

but you have certain rights.

At the very least,

that you need food

and you need safety.

But this wasn't always the case,

and it certainly wasn't always the case in Canada.

These kind of prison reforms come

just after the war

in the Archambald Report,

if you're a fan of Canadian history.

So this hasn't really been a thing,

even in Canada.

And it certainly wasn't a thing

back in the ancient world.

To go to jail,

to be in prison,

to be awaiting execution,

which Paul, I mean,

he will be released here

and he will continue on

with some missionary journeys

for about two years.

He will be re-arrested

and he will face

the executioner's blade.

He doesn't know that.

At least he doesn't seem

to allude to that here.

But to face such an unknown future,

it was a shameful thing.

It brought disgrace upon the accused

and the people associated

with the accused,

whether their family

or the people that he led.

So is Paul an insurrectionist

to the Romans?

We'll find out.

But usually,

Rome would take the leader,

execute the leader,

and the whole following

would just disperse.

Therefore,

there was great stigma

around Paul's arrest

and there was a great possibility

that both the gospel

would be compromised

and by extension,

the church associated with Paul

would be scattered.

Again,

we're putting ourselves

in the shoes

of somebody

in the 60s,

A.D.

They didn't know

what was going to happen

with Paul.

They didn't necessarily,

they couldn't necessarily

pick up a phone

and ring his Roman prison

to see how he was doing

and yet,

we see that

they continue to be generous.

Their generosity

is not conditional

upon Paul's condition.

We'll see this next week

but there was no chance

the gospel would get thwarted.

We'll see this next week

where Paul says,

listen,

in fact,

this arrest of mine,

it will result in more people

hearing the gospel,

not less.

It's a really wonderful thing.

Again,

we'll touch on that next week.

And what this communicates

to Paul,

this generosity

of the Philippians

is that

they're not just nice people.

This isn't just

a nice gesture

for the apostle

but it's actually

something indicative

of their faith,

of their growth

in the gospel.

Just take a step back now.

When we become

a Christian,

we are united

with Christ

which is to say

that we are

no longer our own.

We belong

to a new family,

a new kingdom,

we have a new king.

Our citizenship changes.

However,

whatever analogy

you want to use,

we get a new passport,

whatever,

but the point is

we are transferred

from this kingdom

of earth

into the kingdom

of heaven.

That's why Paul

addresses the church

the way he does

in verses 1 and 2.

Read with me

just briefly.

Paul and Timothy,

servants of Christ Jesus.

By the way,

that's not to say

that Timothy

is the co-author

of this letter

but just that

Timothy has a prominent

place both in

the ministry

of the spread

of the gospel

and specifically

the Philippian church.

But he goes on,

Paul and Timothy,

servants of Christ Jesus,

to all the saints

in Christ Jesus

who are at Philippi

with the overseers

and deacons,

grace to you

and peace

from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

So what we are seeing here,

verses 1 and 2,

is that those

that are saints,

those that are

called by God,

both called out

of this world

and called to be holy,

they are in Christ Jesus.

They are united to him.

They are connected to him.

This is an act

of grace of God

by God

and it brings about

peace between

sinful man

and perfect God.

And what ends up

happening is that

our destinies

are connected to Christ

in a way

that is now

completely

inseparable.

It's a remarkable thing

that we are united

to Christ

and yet distinct

from Christ.

That's an important

caveat to all this.

But we are so united

to Christ

that the imagery

throughout the New Testament

is that

Christ is the head

and we are his body.

Okay?

We don't talk about

people

as if it's

their head

and the rest

of their body.

It's not like

I talk about

my children

and say,

yeah,

Joseph's head's

looking kind of odd today.

I don't know,

Joseph's looking

kind of odd today.

He doesn't look odd.

A terrible example.

But the point is

we talk about people

holistically,

right?

Holistically.

That's a language

used us

to Christ.

Again,

distinction,

very important.

Actually,

extremely important.

Nevertheless,

the language

of unity

with Christ,

it bumps up

to the line

of like,

is this even

possible to,

if I was to say

that like,

to go a step further,

it'd be like

blasphemy,

that I'm somehow

claiming to be God.

But that's how united

we are to Christ.

But as individuals,

but as we are united

to Christ,

it means also

that we are united

to other people

that are united

to Christ.

We are a part

of a body.

It means

things are a bit

different because,

you know,

if I have a mess up,

God forbid,

something happens,

you can go to

another church

or maybe I say

something to offend you

or somebody else

says something

to bother you

or vice versa.

You can go to

another church.

But by and large,

if you are a Christian,

you are stuck

with the people here,

both for good and bad.

You're united to them.

They're your brothers

and your sisters.

They're co-heirs

with Jesus.

You can leave

this church,

but you are still

connected to Christ

and we are too.

We are part of this family.

We are united

together with Christ.

And therefore,

we have a duty

and a connection

to partner

with each other.

It's not an optional

aspect of the Christian life

but a core tenet of it.

So going back

to our section here

where Paul is,

he is so thankful

for these Christians.

He says,

I thank my God

in all remembrance

to you always

in every prayer of mine

for you all

making my prayer with joy.

Verse 5,

because of your partnership

in the gospel

from the first day

until now,

the New Testament

is describing

this partnership,

this connection

and it's using a word

that might be familiar

to some of you

but it is a word

that is not easily

translated into English.

It's this word

called koinonia.

It carries with it

this idea of friendship,

of partnership,

of unity,

of camaraderie,

connection.

Also,

but not just in any way

but connection

as it pertains

to loving Christ

and living out

his call

in this world.

It's a deep,

deep,

deep friendship,

community,

camaraderie,

same goal,

shared vision.

All of that

is wrapped up

into this one word,

koinonia.

and it is the word

I think more than

anything else

because with it

and we'll see in a bit

that it has to be

sprinkled and flavored

with love.

It is almost

the defining word

of the church,

of what describes

the church.

Diedrich Bonhoeffer,

he was a Lutheran minister

who opposed Hitler

and was executed for it.

He didn't just oppose Hitler,

he tried to

assassinate Hitler

but he was

a wonderful theologian

and he wrote

a small book

called Life Together

and he captured

this idea

of Christian koinonia

and he writes this

in the first chapter,

quote,

Christian brotherhood

is not an ideal

which we must realize,

it is rather

a reality created

by God in Christ

in which we may

participate.

The more clearly

we learn to recognize

that the ground

and strength

and promise

of all our fellowship

is in Christ Jesus alone,

the more serenely

shall we think

of our fellowship

and pray and hope for it.

Christian community

is founded solely

on Jesus Christ.

It is in

and through him

that we have access

to one another,

joy in one another

and fellowship

with one another.

When God had mercy on us,

when God revealed

Jesus Christ to us

as our brother,

when God won our hearts

by God's love,

our instruction

and our fellowship began.

So, as Christians,

we belong not to one another

by our own choice,

but by the call

of God in Christ.

A wonderful book,

a wonderful passage

that describes

what it means

to be a part

of this brotherhood,

to be a part

of the church.

So you see,

if we go back

to why Paul is thanking

the Philippians

for their generosity,

it is not just

the apostle being jazzed

about them

throwing him

some canteen money

while he's in jail.

Rather,

Paul is overjoyed

with seeing

how their salvation

is proving true

by the maturity

and obedience

to Christ.

They're participating

in the work

and the mission

of God.

This is why Paul says

in verse 6,

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's not just

that the Philippians

did not abandon Paul.

We'll find out later on

that actually

some whole other churches

abandoned Paul,

and he actually had

a fellow worker

in the gospel,

a man named Demas,

who abandons him.

It's not just

that he's thankful

that they didn't

abandon him,

but Paul,

he is just a very proud

spiritual father.

He is seeing that

his children in the faith

are growing.

They are understanding

what it means

to be called out

of this world

into the kingdom of heaven

and then what it means

to give of themselves.

That their faith

is not dead,

but their faith

is expressed in works.

What does this

help us to understand?

It helps us to understand

that we must partner

with the work of God.

So, church,

partner with the work of God.

Give to missionaries.

Give to them generously

who have given up comforts

here in the West

to minister afar.

Partner with other

church planters,

both in our denomination,

the Anglican Diocese of Canada,

but across the country

with whatever denomination

that they're a part of,

as long as they're proclaiming

the gospel of Christ,

and give generously to them.

Partner with Mercy Ministries

here in the city

that proclaim the gospel

and help with physical need.

Get to know

your fellow congregants

and serve them

and meet their needs

and bless them

and then ask them for help.

And by the way,

this is happening.

This is not like a,

hey, it's not happening,

you better do it,

because I hear stories

trickle in,

and I'm very thankful

that they're not necessarily

loud stories,

but they're quiet,

humble stories

of people connecting

with each other

and serving one another

and praying for one another

and blessing one another.

Continue with that.

It's wonderful.

It's a beautiful picture

of the gospel

proving true

and maturing faith

obeying Christ.

It's a wonderful,

beautiful thing.

Continue doing that.

All of this

is done as an expression

of gospel thankfulness

and Christian love.

It's evidence of work

of the Holy Spirit

in our lives,

because we have been given

this wonderful gift

of peace with God

by grace,

by the grace of Jesus Christ.

And here's the thing

with Christianity.

Because Christ has given

so liberally to us,

the heart that truly

has received this gift

will begin to imitate

to Jesus.

Chapter 2 might be

one of the high points

in all of Scripture.

We'll get there

in three weeks,

two weeks,

and it will be

this picture of Jesus

who had everything,

who emptied himself

of all of his

divine prerogatives

to give his very life

for us.

And the result

isn't that we can

sit back and enjoy,

but it's though we enjoy

by getting to work

and imitating him.

This is what Paul is seeing

in the Philippian church.

This is what the Lord

is commending to us

to do this morning.

So, growth in the Christian life.

It's evidenced by our

participation in the gospel.

God is the one

who began this good work.

He is the one

who is bringing it

to maturity,

and one day

he will bring it

to perfection.

And yet,

in light of all

of what God is doing

and what he has done

in the Philippian church,

what is interesting

is that this next section,

Paul does not

commend God,

but he commends

the Philippians.

So what's happening

in this next section

when he is showing

his heartfelt affection

towards them?

This will transition

then into our second point,

verses 7 and 8.

Let me read it.

It is right for me

to feel this way

about you all

because I hold you

in my heart

for you are all

partakers of me of grace.

Partakers,

that's,

the root word

is again koinonia.

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.

How I yearn for you all

with the affection

of Christ Jesus.

It is not as though

Paul is giving credit

to the Philippians

that is due God.

Again,

God is the one

who is at work.

He is the one

who has begun

the good work,

who is bringing it

to completion

on the day of Christ.

Again,

that's verse 6.

But rather,

what Paul is doing here

is commending

their outward evidence,

the outward evidence,

of what he is assuming

is God's invisible

and inward action

in their lives.

It is a dangerous thing

for ministers

or anybody

to presume

that they have a window

into the souls

of men and women.

It is a very dangerous thing.

People are deceptive.

If you've been

at church long enough,

you would have been

surprised and disappointed

at people

that have lived

godly lives

that have abandoned

the faith.

It is heartbreaking.

It is a tragedy.

You will also be

equally surprised

but pleasantly

when somebody

who seems like

they are more worldly

than they are heavenly,

continue slowly

to stick around

and grow in the faith

incrementally.

We don't know

what is happening

in the hearts of people.

However,

there is evidence

of outward holiness

that we have to just trust

that the Lord

is at work

in people's lives.

We are not the judge of souls.

We don't have a window

into their lives.

So what Paul here

is doing

is merely recognizing

the holy work

that is happening

that he is assuming

that is happening

on the inside

of the Philippians

and he is commending

their outward actions.

What Paul is doing

is recognizing

that the Philippians

are growing

in their obedience

and faith

which is to say

they are growing

in their sanctification.

That is a big word

that has a lot

of implications to it

but I will just pause

here for a moment

and see if we can't

fill this word in a bit.

Try to define it

and understand it a bit.

We have already

talked about salvation

that Christ

when we have confessed

our faith in Jesus

we are made right

before God

and that we are united

to Christ

and it's an act

that only God can do.

The Apostle Paul

in Ephesians chapter 2

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

he says this

in a beautiful way

for by grace

you have been saved

through faith

and this not of your own doing

it is the gift of God

not a result of work

so that no one

may boast

one of the clearest

couple lines

about what it means

to come to faith.

We still need to receive

by faith

what God is doing

but it is a work

that he alone

is doing

it is God

who is initiating

salvation through Christ

and we merely receive

however

however

our growth

in holiness

and good works

it's our own work

partnered with the Holy Spirit

we need help

we need God's divine help

as we grow

in the faith

nevertheless

as we grow in the faith

we are empowered

to obey

and we have choices

to obey

we have agency

to obey

we have

we are commended

to obey

to say no to sin

and yes to righteousness

so before God

we are made right

but we are still prone to sin

and the call of the Christian life

is to grow

in holiness

such works

never justify

or save

the man or woman

but they are evidence

that faith

is present

and this is what Paul

is getting at

here

in chapter 1

and it's very important

that

that we

that we're careful

not to blur the lines

between

justification

that God is saving us

this is a work

that he alone

is doing

and us growing

in the faith

which is this partnership

with us and God

we can't blur those lines

it's incredibly important

they must remain distinct

so that

A

we don't somehow think

that

we have saved ourselves

because we are

feeling like we are

growing in holiness

which is kind of a sign

you're not growing in holiness

that pride is

the main feature

of your life

but it's also

very important

that when we do sin

we don't immediately

assume that our salvation

is lost

the second

we trip up

the second

we sin

that we can go to Christ

we can ask for forgiveness

we can seek his mercy

and trust that

it is God who saves

and he is at work

in our lives

and that we grow

not completely linear

but that's more like this

but we're still growing

right

it's very

very important

that we do not

blur those lines

this is why Paul

is so very affectionate

towards this church

he uses such effusive

and loving language

it's not stiff

it's not business like

he's not getting to the point

it is an outpouring

of his joy

and his love

and his affection

he is again

a proud father

in the faith

he is seeing

spiritual growth

happening

I'll just say this

I mean I don't know

if I say this

enough or

enough from up here

but

it is a joy

to see

and I don't see it all

but from my vantage point

what I see

it is a joy

to see

this church grow

in their love of God

and their love for one another

their desire to get

into God's word

to partner

in the faith

in God's mission

you know

we planted the church

three and a half years ago

a lot of those experiences

are so awfully fresh

in our minds

and

to know

some people

that were here

from the very beginning

even before we launched

and continue on

and partner

that partnered with us

that have ministered

to our family

incredible

and then people

who have come

in the last year

or two years ago

or in the last six months

and jumping in

and seeing growth

and progression

it is

you can't speak

in like a business

formal

like hey this is

I commend you

on your growth

in the Lord

it doesn't work that way

it's like this joy

of seeing

baby steps

and you're not babies

but this idea

of you're a parent

you see baby steps

and then you see

a toddle

and then you see a run

and you see

this progression

parents aren't

stiff about this stuff

they're not like

hey my child

is making great progress

in the realm of walking

it's like you're excited

you're joyful

you're giddy about it

and I'll just say

honestly

it is like

one of the

in terms of like

non-family

aspects of my life

it's like the greatest joy

of my life

it really is

and I'm not just saying this

it is a remarkable thing

to see

I think this is what Paul

is so jazzed up about

so Paul

ultimately

how does he express

his affection

of course through words

but more importantly

it's through prayer

and this will get to

our final section

our third point

if we believe

in a sovereign

and loving God

who creates

and redeems

not because he is

a needy being

but because

he does so

out of love

we can be sure

that the highest

expression of care

that we can offer

one another

is to commend

each other to the Lord

when we entrust

people to the

all-powerful

all-knowing

all-loving

unchangeable

victorious

triune God

that is a loving act

it is recognizing

first and foremost

that the growth

that people need

and the issues

that we face

they are far bigger

than who we are

and it also is this

act of worship

towards the Lord

that says

only you can bring

about the growth

that you call us to

it is one of the

highest acts of love

that we can do

for one another

so what follows

in verses 9 to 11

is truly among

the best prayers

to pray

if you are wondering

how to pray

for anybody

for me

pray verses 9 to 11

make it your prayer

incorporate it

this week

this month

all throughout the summer

throughout the rest

of your lives

verses 9 to 11

I mean it's dynamite

we'll get into it

in a second

but just a couple

words before that

point 3

Paul's hope

filled prayer

Paul picks up

where he left off

in verse 4

by expressing his love

for the congregation

in prayer

that they would

continually grow

in the gospel

this point is so

very wise

this prayer is so

very wise

it's something

again that we

ought to be praying

for

in fact

it is

it really

if you could fill

this prayer out

it would

you'd have a

wonderful life

of prayer

for the rest

of your days

and here's the prayer

verses 9 to 11

and it is my prayer

that your love

may abound

more and more

Paul's already

recognizing by the way

that love is abounding

but that your love

may abound more

and more

with knowledge

and all discernment

so that you may

approve what is

excellent

and so be pure

and blameless

for the day of Christ

filled with the fruit

of righteousness

that comes

through Jesus Christ

to the glory

and praise

of God

as Paul

deeply desiring

the continued

growth and flourishing

of the Philippian church

he prays three

I mean you can break it up

even into

you can get really

granular with this

but at least three

very important things

and they're all very

interconnected

deeply connected

the first

is that they would

continue to grow

in love

and that love

would be rooted

in truth and wisdom

very important

love rooted

in truth and wisdom

it's not to be divorced

from those things

true knowledge

seeks to cultivate

and walk towards love

and godly love

is not self-serving

but concerned

with reality

concerned with truth

concerned with wisdom

love

it cannot be cowardly

or mindless

therefore we can't

define love

any which way we want

we just can't

we don't have the authority

to do that

I mean we can

but then what we're doing

is calling love

something that it isn't

so in the post

modern

post-Christian Canada

we have very

we have a plurality

of visions

of what love

ought to be

different versions

of love

and unfortunately

any love

that is self-serving

any love

that is self-consuming

selfish

short-sighted

and ultimately

ignorant of the

triune God

it will not be a love

that is wise

and truthful

we often pursue

anything that will

make us feel

that we have

touched something

transcendent

what is love

if it is not

this pursuit

of something

that makes us feel

like we are

ten feet tall

that we are

immersed in joy

and pleasure

and in belonging

that we have

touched the transcendent

it's remarkable

that we all have

this innate

understanding

that love

must either be

divine

or connected

to the divine

but we chase

after it

in unwise

and insane ways

calling things

love that are

foolish

dark

and especially

in our day

perverted

and that lead

not to life

not to wisdom

not to truth

not to flourishing

but to degradation

to death

to splintering

to not fellowship

but disfellowship

and if a love

if that's a fruit

of the love

that you might be pursuing

then you are calling

something

that isn't love

love

so a prayer

like this

is nothing short

of an antidote

to the insanity

of the various versions

of love

that our world

promises

a love that abounds

more and more

with knowledge

and discernment

it is a sane

thing

it is a fruitful

thing

that recognizes

that the origin

of love

and the end

of love

like the telos

of love

the end

of love

the ultimate

goal of love

is God himself

Father, Son

and Holy Spirit

the result

to live wisely

and righteously

and lovingly

it's not the hope

of everybody

now it might

again

you could even

define what wise

and righteous

and loving

life looks like

not according

to the Bible

but still

you're just

redefining

categories

that are very

biblical

categories

and things

that we all

desire

but we're looking

in other places

the scripture

rather calls us

to love

that is

abounding

that is wise

that is truthful

that helps us

to understand

right and wrong

and pursue the good

to pursue the beautiful

pursue the true

and the scripture

calls this fruitful

living

I mean it talks

about here

in verse 11

filled with the fruit

of righteousness

almost certainly

this would be

what Paul expands

on later

in Galatians

to be the fruit

of the spirit

through the spirit

Galatians 5

22

and verse 23

love

joy

peace

patience

kindness

goodness

faithfulness

gentleness

self-control

and then he says

against such things

there is no law

which is to say

that

this is how we live

righteously

this is how we live

in wisdom

and in truth

so follow any

online influence

or read any

self-care book

something about

mindfulness

and you will see

some kind of recognition

that the fruit

of the spirit

it is deeply desirable

and it is a goal

of a holistic

well-lived life

I mean find me

a wellness guru

that wouldn't want

to say

that joy

love joy

peace

patience

kindness

goodness

faithfulness

gentleness

self-control

are good things

these are good things

wonderful things

in fact these are

things that

that we need to pursue

but how then do we

pursue it

how then do we

define it

but Paul here

is saying that

such fruit comes

ultimately

through the redemption

of Jesus Christ

and somehow

this will result in us

being pure and blameless

and this is

a wonderful thing

except if you take a step back

and you're honest with yourself

who here is pure and blameless

I'm not

I'm certainly not

pure and blameless

what does Paul mean

we will never be pure

and blameless

in this life

so what is Paul

referring to here

and I think

what will

what helps us

to understand this

and this will be

the second time

in the short section

that Paul will refer to

the day of Christ

or the day

of Jesus Christ

so he mentions it

up in verse 6

and then again here

in verse 10

this day of Christ

it is the second coming

the parousia

the return of Jesus

when our full sanctification

will be complete

where our growth

in holiness

will come to an end

why?

because we will be made holy

like he is holy

we will be transformed

so that

I love this

it's not just that

we will return to Eden

where there was perfection

with the possibility of sin

we will be perfected

without the possibility

of sinning any longer

this is the promise

that is made to us

that when Christ returns

we will be transformed

and Paul is saying

listen

this is all a part of it

that you are saved

that you are made pure

and blameless

before the Lord

that's how you can even

approach the throne of grace

but then you live out

this life

journeying towards that

but when Christ comes

he will complete it

no more sin

no more brokenness

no more squabbles

no more selfishness

no more impatience

no more pride

no more welling up

no more anger

no more tears

perfection

but it is completely

connected to Christ himself

and his return

therefore the final thing

that Paul prays for

is that our ultimate end

would be to glorify God

and praise him forever

in the Westminster Catechism

it says

the chief end of man

is to know God

and glorify him forever

praise him forever

to enjoy him forever

it's a wonderful

succinct way

of seeing what

our eternity will be like

that we will enjoy God

being in his presence

glorifying him

and this is what Paul

is praying for

as he wraps up

this short prayer

in verse 11

consider how your

day to day

could be transformed

and infused

with the highest degree

of meaning

in your life

in all of existence

if you take these words

to heart

that you seek

individually

but also together

as a community

come to embrace

this life

trusting that God

is infusing you

with the strength

of the Holy Spirit

to live out the life

he is calling you to live

to partner

in the mission of God

to love one another

with godly love

being united to Christ

but also united

to one another

how would that

transform your life

overnight?

likely not

after a year

after five years

after ten years

committing yourself

to this

when you slip up

when you sin

what do you do?

you ask for forgiveness

you seek reconciliation

but you continue on

in growth

I was talking to Richard

just as we were

setting up chairs

about how often times

more often than not

the Lord's work

in our lives

is this kind of

slow burn progression

towards holiness

it's not this

overnight thing

it's a slow

gradual progression

right?

how would that

transform your

day to day though?

you know one of the

most beautiful things

about the Reformation

was that it emphasized

its emphasis

on the priesthood

of all believers

true worship

no longer limited

to clergy

but the baker

could worship

the Lord

in spirit

and in truth

the smith

the carpenter

the teacher

the small business owner

the public servant

the retiree

the student

and especially

especially

the homemaker

what a privileged

life

but to honor

the Lord

and to worship

him with

with our

day to day

now to have

that mindset

shift

how would that

transform your life?

wrap it up with this

because of the cross

because of Jesus'

death and resurrection

and ascension

we'll be celebrating

that very soon

we are offered

salvation

that both

infuses us

with a belonging

and purpose

that enriches

this life

and spills over

into eternity

spills over

into eternity

but

it also demands

that we partner

and participate

with Christ

and his church

in this wonderful

glorious mission

of reconciliation

and the promise

isn't that your life

will be

will be so

drab

and difficult

and heavy

no

it will

the promise

is that you could be

even in chains

like the apostle

and be so joyful

and your affections

and your love

could be pouring out

and you see a chain

and it becomes

not a chain of shame

but a chain of glory

that you get to

participate in

the wonderful mission

of God himself

wild

wild transformation

wild flipping up

the script

I mean it's really

something for us

to think about

but in Paul's day

having a chain

on your leg

connected to

a Roman guard

a very shameful thing

and all of a sudden

it is not shame

that cultural shift

is like

unbelievable

in the Roman day

but that reality

is still ours

in the here and now

belonging

true participation

true meaning

friends

there is no

higher form

of living

that is offered

in this life

let's embrace

it together

as God's people

let us pray

father we thank you

so much for

this incredible

joy filled letter

from your servant

Paul to

the Philippian church

but it is

to us

and lord we thank you

that through the ages

you have preserved

this letter

lord we thank you

we thank you for all

the scribes

that faithfully

wrote it down

and preserved it

and monks

and whoever else

was a part of

just keeping this

so that we could

read it

on this Sunday

on May 4th

2025

incredible

lord thank you

we pray that though

that we won't just be

mere hearers of the word

but that we'll be

doers of the word

and lord we will do it

joyfully