Gospel Growth

Introduction

Well, good morning! If you have your Bibles, turn with me Philippians chapter 1…Philippians chapter 1. We started this new sermon series several weeks ago, walking through Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi…and what we’ve been talking about so far through this series is Paul’s main theme of unity. We looked at us being saints…those who’ve repented and believed in Jesus Christ…we’re set apart…we’re holy…we’re blameless…we’re all in Christ…connected to Him…through His power. And then last week, we started digging into the starts of Paul’s prayer where we see that as children of God, we’re all partners in the gospel…it unites us…it binds us together.

But this morning, as we continue through chapter one, Paul’s shifts a little bit and he begins to pray for these Philippian believers specifically. He prays for some specific things. If you remember in last week’s message, Paul said in verse 4 that he found so much joy in praying for the Philippian church. It was his pleasure to go to God on their behalf…and as we come to our verses this week, this is Paul’s prayer for those believers. This is what he wants God to do for these Philippians.

And you know...honestly…this is the kind of prayer the church in our world needs today. There’s much disagreement out there…there’s so much politicization…and this is a prayer that can literally cut through all that mess and create the kind of counter-culture Jesus calls us to as Christians today. Again…what we’re gonna see as we go through this prayer is another call to unity. Paul’s showing us what it looks like to follow Jesus…he’s showing us, what’s important.

And so, if you’re there with me chapter one, let’s read verses 9 through 11 together.…And listen, I wanna do something just a little bit different this morning with you…as we read this would you stand with me?  I was reading in my quiet time in Nehemiah, when Ezra was reading the word…and it says, “all the people stood up” as he read…And it just got me thinking, I think some of our world is the way it is because we just have lost our reverence for the Word of God. And so, as we read this together, would you just stand with me? Paul writes in verse 9, “9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Thank you…you can be seated. You know last week we saw that this letter is really a letter or a result of friendship…specifically a friendship between Paul and those in the church of Philippi…and even in just the first 8 verses, we see Paul really get personal and emotional with these people he calls his friends. He says, “it’s right for me to feel this way about you,” and “ I yearn for you with all of Jesus’s affection.” Why’s it right? Why’s he yearn so badly to be with them? Because in some of the most difficult moments of his life, as he sat on death row, these were the people that stood beside him…these were the people that loved him and supported him. As Matt Chandler puts it, “These people weren’t just Paul’s sheep…they were friends in his heart.” They weren’t a perfect church as we’ll see soon but they were a loving church and they loved Paul in every way.

And as we get into this prayer, Paul’s love back to them shines through it. It’s not a prayer for physical needs or materialistic things…He’s not praying for the sick to be healed…and listen, none of that stuff’s bad but his prayer doesn’t consist of those things. His prayer’s all about their spiritual life…it’s all about their growth in Jesus…it’s all about spiritual vitality. Paul’s praying that God would grant to them a gospel culture formed around the good news of Jesus Christ.

You know, I was reading an article this week…and in it was talking about this condition called FTT or Failure to Thrive. And listen, it’s rare but it involves genetics or poor nutrition and it’s where basically a child isn’t able to hit their growth markers. They fall below a certain percentile of children their age and they’re unable to grow physically in ways that they need to. And listen, all physical human beings are expected to grow, right? We’re expected to grow from an infant to a child to a young adult and finally to an adult, right? And when we don’t something’s wrong.

I think this is actually what Paul’s praying for here…He’s praying for them to grow up in their faith…and he’s praying that God would give them the ability to do that. I think he prays this because in the Christian life, there’s some that have what we might call spiritual failure to thrive or spiritual FTT…Christian’s should be growing, there should be signs of that in their life, but oftentimes they’re not. Listen, spiritual growth is expected, it’s healthy, it’s normal for those that have come to know Jesus. That’s why Paul says, “what God started, He will finish,” right? He began this good work of salvation in us, and He will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ. Growth is expected and should be a normal part of our lives…and listen, when we don’t see that…when we don’t see the fruits of the Spirit pouring out of our lives…something needs to change. And in this final part of Paul’s introduction…he gives us a glimpse of what that change in each of us looks like. He shows us exactly what gospel growth looks like in each of us as children of God. In fact, we’re unified around this growth…the growth that God does in each of our hearts. And listen, there’s three things I want you to see this morning as we dig into this text…our aim as believers, our hope as believers, and our goal as believers. Listen, as we grow closer and closer to Christ as individuals…these three things become apparent in each of our lives.

1.) Our aim is love (v. 9)

Paul says, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.”

I think this statement alone shows us the power of the gospel…especially when you put things in perspective…context is everything…but if you remember, how did the church of Philippi start? Well Acts 16 tells us it started with a rich fashionista, it started with Lydia, her family….of course we have a demon-possessed girl, and that one prison guard and his family. These aren’t the people I’d exactly say are the definition of this kind of love. This isn’t the perfect union in which love would abound more and more. In fact, the reality is, they didn’t have any kind of special makeup that made loving easy for them. They had the gospel, they have their experience with the Holy Spirit. They had Jesus…and they let Jesus transform their heart. They might have been people with huge differences, but their faith community…their church, it was built around a gospel culture.

And listen, a gospel culture is a culture that’s deeply shaped by love…it’s created by and centered around Jesus…I mean didn’t Jesus say in John 13, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Guys, our love…it defines us. It shows the world who we are…that we’ve been transformed. Love is what we’d call the membership badge for the Christian church, right? It’s our defining mark. It’s the sum and substance of the Christian walk…It’s why Paul states in his letter to the Corinthians that there’s no greater attribute…and guys, it’s love that should motivate everything we do as believers. Paul says, “the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Or in Romans, “The one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul describes what Christian love actually looks like…He says it’s patient and kind…he says it doesn’t boast…it’s not proud…it’s doesn’t dishonor others…he says it’s not self-seeking, it’s not easily angered…it keeps no record of wrongs. Love doesn’t delight in evil but rejoices in truth….He says it always protects and trusts…it always hopes and preserves…He says, “This is love.” And guys, it’s this love Paul’s talking about here in our passage. He’s praying for these Philippians…that their lives would be characterized by this kind of love.

In fact, he says they already have this kind of love…He prays that “your love,” he says, “may abound more and more.” Meaning, what he wants is for them to have more love. He’s praying that they would be abounding in love. It’s a super strong expression here. He’s not just praying that they would have love, but that their love would abound, right? And not just abound, but that it would abound, what? More…and not just more, but that it will abound more and more. He’s praying for their growth in love, their abounding love.

John Chrysostom (Chris-sa-stom), an early church father…he said this, “There is no end to such love. Anyone who is loved so deeply, loved in this way, wishes to be loved all the more. There is no measure to love. One who loves and is loved in return does not wish that love to stop but to increase.” Which of course reminds us that God is in fact love. John tells us that in Scripture. And when we understand the gospel, we understand this increasing love that God gives to us. That’s why John MacArthur writes, “Love is an absolute and pervasive attribute of God’s essential nature and a critical reality in the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

And listen, no one knew or understood the importance of love better than Paul. And because he loved his Philippian friends, he prayed for them…and as any of those who were under his care, his concern was always their spiritual growth. For Paul, the most important thing concerning their growth was love….it was their growth in love. That was their aim. To love more and more.

But notice how he partnered love with knowledge and discernment. What gives us the ability to love the way Paul’s describing here? Is it through our own power? No, it’s the Holy Spirit that sanctifies me, right? He’s the One that gives me the power to love this way. Therefore, the more I know and understand about God, the more I’m able to love. But also, the more I experience love and show love, the more it will cause me to love real knowledge that comes from God’s Word. Any love that’s not grounded and growing in the truth and standards of Scripture falls short of genuine biblical love. And listen, real knowledge, as Paul’s praying for here, is much more than mere factual information about God’s Word, or even the acknowledgement of it as true and infallible…real knowledge produces holiness through sincere devotion and obedience to the Scriptures. Biblical love involves obedience and commitment to His Word…That’s why Jesus said, “If you love me…you will keep my commandments.” Love’s rooted in the knowledge of God…otherwise, we can’t really know how to love appropriately. Paul tells the Ephesians, “Walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us.” Knowledge of how He loved us is necessary if we want to walk in love ourselves. Which is why Paul also associates love and knowledge with discernment. Those that love God’s Word will also be able to discern what’s not true. Regardless of what those in our culture might say, love isn’t separate from knowledge…it’s not separate from the truths of God’s Word. Love isn’t about tolerance or others feelings…it deals with truth and righteousness.

You see, the love that Paul’s talking about here…it’s a growth marker…it’s a spiritual indicator…how we treat people…how we approach God’s Word…how devoted we are to it and the people God’s brought us to…it’s growth indicators for how God’s worked in our hearts. And that’s our aim as Christians. Our love for one another…our love for His Word…it should be abounding more and more. It should constantly be growing.

And so, before we move on this morning…let’s take a spiritual assessment….how’s your love for your brothers and sisters? Is there resentment in your heart? Is there bitterness? How can your love abound more and more for those people? What about God’s Word…do you love it…do you want to learn more and more because you just love what He’s given us? What’s your quiet time look like? Guys, if you’re His…then the Spirit of God dwells within you and He will push you towards these ends…for your love to abound more and more.

2.) Our hope is holiness (v. 10)

But listen, we love with a hope in mind. Look back at verse 10 with me…Paul says, “10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” Paul says our hope centers around Jesus’s promise…His promise to sanctify us…to make us into His image…Paul says so that we would approve what’s excellent, right? Or in other words, to approve what’s superior…Well, again in context, what Paul’s talking about still is sound doctrine…the truths of God’s Word. He’s praying that they wouldn’t receive any corrupted doctrine under the pretense of love…that they would know what’s true and what’s holy…That word “approve,” it literally means to “put to test” or “examine.” It’s also a word used to reference self-examination or the testing of leaders and their doctrine…it’s used to test one’s works.

Listen, that hope Paul’s praying for here is that our love would allow us to know what’s excellent and holy…our hope is that Jesus will continue His work in us and make us holiness. That’s why Paul continues, “so be pure and blameless”…until when? The day of Christ! And of course, he continues into verse 11, “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from who? Jesus Christ!” That’s how Paul defines holiness…to be like Christ.

And listen, there’s tons of words Paul uses here to describe holiness…to describe what a righteous life looks like. First he says, “be pure and blameless,” right? That word “pure” it carries the idea of being unmixed. It’s the idea of inward sincerity or inward purity.

The English word “sincerity” it comes from two Latin words that literally mean “without wax.” And that idea came from the marketplace in the ancient world, where pottery was oftentimes sold. Sometimes what would happen is these corrupted merchants, they would take a piece of pottery that had cracks in them, and they’d put wax in the crack to disguise it and it would hide the fracture from those purchasing it. But something without wax was genuine and pure…it was sincere.

Now, that’s probably not exactly the image Paul was getting at here but hopefully it helps you understand the word he’s using when he says, “be pure.” He’s thinking of this inward purity of the heart, sincerity of the heart. And that purity of the heart, it leads to one thing…a single-minded devotion to Christ and Christ alone. He’s saying that when we grow in the love he’s praying for here, it should lead to this kind of purity.

But he also wants them to be blameless. The word “blameless,” it literally means to be “without offense,” or “not causing offense.” The only other time this word’s used in the New Testament is in 1 Corinthians 10 where Paul tries to keep a “clear” conscience that doesn’t offend anyone…basically telling them to not be stumbling blocks for others. Paul’s telling these Philippians here that holiness means they won’t cause others to stumble by creating division. They won’t cause the church to stumble in unity by committing outward sins like gossiping or complaining or arguing with one another. He says be blameless.

And our hope is in holiness…when we love like Christ, we will grow more and more like Him…it’s our hope…and not a hope that’s unsure…it’s a certainty…which is why he prays that they’d be filled with the fruit of righteousness. It reminds us of the source of our holiness. The fruit that comes from our new found righteousness isn’t self-producing…Fruit, even in a physical sense is always an organic growth out of something else that has life, right? A tree produces fruit or a vine produces fruit. In the same way, we produce fruit as we’re in Christ. Again, Paul’s purpose here was to show the source of our holiness…where our fruit flows from. And as a believer, we can never forget the source of our holiness…it’s Jesus…it’s always Jesus…when we do, it causes the gap between us to grow.

Again, notice the hope or the horizon which the Christian looks towards in the pursuit of holiness…it’s the day of Christ. He says, “so be pure and blameless for that day.” Paul’s reminding us that as Christians, our hope involves that day and it’s surrounded by the promise for our holiness.

Listen, Paul’s hope is that they would approve excellence in purity and blamelessness “for the day of Christ”…or more literally, “with a view to the day of Christ.” If you remember, in verse 6, we saw Paul’s confidence that the One who began a good work in those believers, He would complete it, right? He’s not threatening them, he’s encouraging them. He’s saying, “You’re already seated in the heavenlies with Christ! You have access to this divine love….so act like it! Show this world just how beautiful our Savior is. Live like you’ve been changed…Live like you’re holy…let Him transform your life, moment by moment…because He will make you holy. You’re a saint…you’ve been set apart! Live like it!”

3.) Our goal is God’s glory (v. 11)

Which leads us to our final point this morning and our goal as believers…Paul says, “to the glory and praise of God.” The goal of Paul’s prayer…it’s the glory and praise of God. The goal of us as believers…it’s the glory and praise of God…And so, how’s that happen? How’s God glorified and praised in this world? John 15:5 and 8 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit…By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Listen to this…your life, your new life in Christ as Paul puts it, it’s the fruit by which God’s glorified in this world. Paul’s saying, “Enjoy these gifts! Enjoy the gifts of love and holiness…Keep your faith uncontaminated. Present the fruit of righteousness to God.” Why? “So that God will be celebrated by all.” That’s how we give Him His glory. And that’s our goal as believers…His glory. Guys, His saving us…His love for us…all the things we twist and make about us…it was for His glory. Jesus hung on a cross for His glory. Yes He loves us…yes He wants to save us from our sin…but He did it all for His glory. That’s what’s most important to Him. And until we understand that, we’ll never fully understand God. His glory matters most. And because it matters most to Him, that’s what should matter most to us.

That’s why Paul prays all these things. It’s for the fame and renown of God. And listen, this doxology, it concludes not just this prayer that we’re looking at this morning, but the entire opening section of his letter…Paul opened by thanking God, right? He expressed his deep affection for these Philippians…and he closes with the reason for it all….that God may be glorified. He realizes that there’s no greater or higher purpose in life than to glorify God. And listen, we don’t glorify God in order to do something else….no, it’s the end of it all….it’s the glory of God.

And Paul’s prayer, his desire here, is for them to grow in love and knowledge and discernment…for them to be pure and blameless so that they may bear fruit all for the glory of God. And just like John 15, Paul says this happens, how? Through Jesus Christ. We’re dependent on Christ to glorify God and to bear fruit. Apart from Him, we can do nothing…and that’s what Jesus says.

But let’s put everything back in context here. Paul’s saying then for us to keep this Christ-centered perspective for everything in life. Why? Because it’s all for His glory. Everything that happens…everything we go through…everything is somehow for God’s glory…and so we approach things with love…and we keep ourselves pure and blameless through the Spirit all for Christ. That’s why even in his circumstances we don’t see Paul complain at all…He’s not complaining about his imprisonment or his critics who are trying so hard to bring affliction to him…Paul’s not complaining that he’s not in some ripe mission field like Spain. Yes, he might be stuck in prison but he’s able to rejoice because Paul cares about the gospel…he cares about Christ being proclaimed…he cares about the glory of Jesus. That’s his goal. And he’s showing us that the key to maintaining joy in our lives and ministry is simply to keep our eyes set on Jesus. Make the gospel, the gospel that’s transformed our lives, make that the focus of our life. Is the gospel being preached here at FBC or here in Cambridge? Then rejoice…because it all brings glory to God. That’s Paul’s point…and our growth in Christ should be evident by how we approach the glory of God.

Closing

Guys, we’re all united in these three things as Christians…Our aim should be love. And that love should constantly be growing because our knowledge of Jesus should be growing. And it should allow us to discern truth from lies. Are you growing? Do you understand that our hope is in Jesus’s promise of holiness? His purpose is to make you holy. You’re being a saint, as we’ve talked about…you’re being set apart, it’s to make you holy. You’re holy in Christ and throughout the course of your life, you will grow in holiness…are you growing in this area? Can you see it? And church, is your goal in life…is it the glory of God? Do you care about God’s glory?

Listen, as you think about those questions…would you bow your head and close your eyes?

Remember that old catechism question, “What’s the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” And it’s the same chief end for the Christian life…it’s the chief end of holiness, it’s the chief end of prayer. It’s all for the glory of God.

Paul’s prayer is a prayer against a mediocre life. It’s a prayer that we’ll thrive…it’s a prayer that we’ll grow…a prayer that we’ll be marked by these defining characteristics of spiritual health…rather than being defined by a failure to thrive…Paul prays for us to be united in these things. That we’d embody these ideas.

Guys, as you pray where you’re at this morning…look back on your life…since you’ve been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit…How are you growing in these areas? How has your love grown? Do you love people with love abounding more and more? What’s your quiet time’s look like? What’s God teaching you through His Word and your study? Are you living with God’s glory in sight? Guys, Jesus never meant for you to become complacent in your walk with Him. It’s a continual process of growth…Jesus wants you to become more and more holy…all for His glory! All so that you might exalt Him and praise Him all the more. What He’s doing in your life is met to be a testimony to those around you…How are you growing? Or would your spiritual life and the fruits of it define you with FTT? Would Jesus diagnose you with failure to thrive? Church, what do you need to do this morning to start growing? What do you need to do to start letting the Spirit of God sanctify you?

And listen, maybe there’s someone here today that doesn’t know Jesus. You’ve never allowed Him in…you’ve never placed your faith and trust in Him…and right now, if you were to die today, you’d be separated from his grace and mercy forever because your sins, they haven’t been forgiven….Listen, March 3rd, 2003...I’ll never forget that day. God took a broken teenage boy and He gave Him new life. He gave me hope and assurance. He changed me. And I'll never forget that night. I had fought it. I had fought God. Until, I remember sitting there in a Monday night Bible Study, I could hear God speaking to me. And I remember, for months feeling this tug in my heart. I just remember this internal battle going on…and I thought, "There's no way I'm giving into this...First off, I'm not gonna look like an idiot in front of all these people...But secondly, I don't need God." But guys, I remember sitting there and for the first time in my life, I felt the real weight of my sin. I had a real understanding of what an eternity without Jesus would look like. And so, I turned my life to Jesus. And He changed me.

Listen, there's someone here today that feels that same tug on their heart. There's that internal battle going on and you're just trying so hard to fight it…but please listen to me, give in to that. That's the Spirit of God and He wants to give you something that will impact not just your life here on earth but your life in eternity. He wants to transform you and give you new life. He wants to take away that shame and that guilt and that hurt that you've felt and He wants to replace it with love and grace. He want's to grow you and help you see the perfect plan He has for your life.

Listen, no one's looking around...if that's you this morning, could you just slip your hand up? I want you to raise your hand....I want you to say that's me...I'm hurting...I'm broken...(would you raise your hand?)...I'm in a dark place....I need Jesus....I need salvation....I need help. Would you do that for me this morning? Just slip your hand up....

Listen, if that's you, whether you raised your hand or not...would you just repeat after me right now? Listen guys, these words, they don't save you, they don't mean anything...they're just words, it's about what's going on in your heart. But all I wanna do is help you process that feeling you have and I wanna help you turn to Jesus. And so, if that's you would you just repeat after me?

"Lord Jesus...I believe you are who you say you are....I believe you came into this world and I believe you lived a perfect and sinless life...I believe you went to a cross and wore the weight of my sin....I believe you experienced the punishment met for me...I confess to you now that I am sinful and wicked....I am in need of grace and mercy and forgiveness...Jesus come into my life and fill me with your Spirit....Help me live in your ways and grow me to be more and more like you....We pray this in Jesus's name...Amen!"

Listen, if you prayed that and met those things in your heart...The Bible says that you've been given a new life...you've been reborn. You now have hope and assurance in your salvation and even hope in death. It tells us that the Spirit of God has now taken up residence in you. But guys, you don't need to keep that to yourself...you need to let someone know. You need to come alongside of a church and let that church disciple you. You need to grow and learn what it means to follow Jesus….Just as Paul prays here in Philippians. And so, as you leave this morning, I challenge you...let someone know.

Alright, let's go to the Lord in prayer this morning. [Prayer]