02 - He Who Began A Good Work In You 2012 By Pastor Jeff Wickwire Notes

PHILIPPIANS—THE CHRISTIAN’S GUIDE TO JOY

Part 2

“He Who Began a Good Work in You”

Last time we saw that the Philippian church was birthed in the fires of persecution. Paul’s subsequent letter to the fledgling church is known as the epistle of joy. The key verse of Philippians is “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (1:21). The key word is “rejoice.”

The first time “joy” is mentioned is found in 1:3-4, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy…”

Now in verse six we hear of Paul’s confidence in the ongoing work of Christ in them:

1:6 “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

Paul could see plenty of proof that they were soundly saved. Their outward good works were evidence of the inward good work begun in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Good works don’t save us, but good works follow our salvation.

The word “perform” means “to finish, to bring through to an end.” Essentially, Paul is saying that the work the Holy Spirit started of forming you into Christ-likeness (Ro.8:28-29) He will continue until the Rapture of the church. We may fail, and often do; but He never does! He never quits!

Next, Paul applauds them for their fearlessness:

1:7 “…just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.”

Anyone who showed Paul the hand of friendship and sympathy might soon share his chains and his cross. It was dangerous to side with Paul!

But the Philippians paid no heed to the danger and boldly stood by their Apostle. This was bravery indeed, for the Caesars were not known to be tolerant toward those suspected of acts of treason by declaring a king greater than Caesar. Life and liberty were always at stake with Paul.

Not only did the Apostle thank them for their fearlessness, he also thanked them for their friendship:

1:8 “For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.”

As he sat in the Roman prison, Paul was separated from the people he loved. His heart was to see his dear friends again. He longed for the warmth and welcome of Lydia’s home, for the hearty embrace of the jailer and his family.

If he had been free to follow his heart he would have said, “Timothy, pack the bags. We’re going to Philippi!” Greatly I long after you, he wrote, as a wave of nostalgia swept over his soul.

LESSON FOR US: Sometimes we must be very patient with God regarding the desires of our heart. It may not always go the way we wish. We must trust Him, His timing, and His ultimate will.

Next we have THE PRISONER AND HIS PRAYER:

1:9 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all judgment…”

First, we see him praying for “love without limit.”

Isn’t it interesting that Paul’s primary concern was their love for each other. Not their power, money, or fame. Not for a building, or freedom, or opportunities. But that their love would grow.

“God is love” said John (1 John 4:8). That being so, shouldn’t we as God’s offspring exhibit love above and beyond a depraved and lost world?

The word “knowledge” is from a Gk. word meaning “precise knowledge, knowledge acquired by experience. The result of learning.

The word for “judgment” means “perception, or discernment.” It occurs only here in all of scripture. The idea is that God’s love operates within the limits of wise experience and careful discernment.

God’s love is not foolish. A parent who loves his child “in knowledge and judgment” will not indulge his every wish, nor will he withhold his rebuke and discipline. Likewise, God’s love will always do what is truly best for those He loves.

Paul also had a great desire for the Philippians to Be Sound in Their Doctrine of Christ:

1:10 “…that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ…”

The word “approve” literally means, “to examine, to test” and is used regarding testing metals for purity. Paul is encouraging them to carefully examine what passed before their eyes claiming to be of God. I think of the word “discernment.”

The word “excellent” means “things that differ.”

So we as Christians are to examine or test “things that differ.” What does that mean? Well, doctrine is among the things that differ. Paul recognized serious cultic errors creeping into some of the churches, and exposed them in his letters.

God wants us to discriminate not just between good and bad, right and wrong, true and false; He also wants us to discriminate between the good and the best. As someone once said, “the good is the worst enemy of the best.”

Test things! Paul advised. Run what comes before you claiming to be of God through the sifter of His Word. Don’t mistake a person’s charisma for God’s anointing. Pray for clarity. Don’t get in a hurry. Wait for God to confirm His will.

Jesus warned that in the last days, “Many false Christ’s and false prophets would appear and deceive, if possible, the very elect” (Matt. 24:23-24). How do such false Christ’s succeed? When God’s people fail to examine and test them that “differ.”

I believe one of the great tragedies of today’s church is a woeful lack of discernment; the unwillingness or lack of understanding how to “test” and “examine” what comes before us claiming to be of God.

Too often we don’t test teaching, or a person’s character and lifestyle, or their claims to having heard from God. God help us to come into line with Paul’s prayer!

We are also, says Paul, to be “sincere” and “without offence.” The word “sincere” means “to be tested by the sunlight,” or “of unmixed substance.”

In Paul’s day if an unscrupulous sculptor carved too deeply into the marble, he would put wax in the cut to hide his mistake. Since the wax looked like marble, the craftsman could deceive his customer until the statue was “tested by sunlight.”

The hot sun would soon melt the wax and the customer would discover (too late to get his money back) that the statue was of “mixed substance.” So wise customers learned to write “without wax” into their contracts to purchase marble sculptures.

Put simply, we’re not to be “of mixed substance,” hypocritical or duplicitous in our lifestyles. What we say that we are is what we should truly be.

This kind of honest living in God’s sight will result in “…being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (vs.11).

The word “righteousness” refers to doing what is right. People often ask, “Is this course of action popular? Does it make me feel good? Is it going to benefit me? But the Christian must ask, “Is it right?”

Paul first discussed THE PRISONER AND HIS PRAYER. Now he focuses on THE PRISONER AND HIS PURPOSE. According to Paul, his imprisonment and ever-present chains were divinely planned:

1:12-13 “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ…”

Paul’s sole goal in life was make Christ known. And he fully understood that Christ, now seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, was in full control. Do we know that? Do we struggle to believe that? Especially when times are tough?

Paul believed that nothing happened by chance. All the varied threads of circumstance were being woven by Him into a pattern that would result in His eternal praise. God is sovereign, a truth that has been lost to a great many of God’s children.

One poet wrote:

Not till each loom is silent,

And the shuttles cease to fly,

Shall God reveal the pattern

And explain the reason why

The dark threads were as needful

In the weaver’s skillful hand

As the threads of gold and silver

For the pattern which He planned.

As we so often say, When you don’t understand God’s hand, trust His heart.

A lesser man would have questioned God’s ways, fretted over his enforced inaction, and perhaps become embittered. Not Paul! He knew his chains were divinely planned and God made no mistakes; he knew God had not lost control.

Paul viewed his chains as a challenge rather than a problem. If he could not go, then he would turn to prayer and his pen. Thank God he did! A man of action like Paul would perhaps never have written as much as he did had he not been placed in solitude.

The results of his chains are rich:

His letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon were all penned in prison.

A wide circle of people in Rome, including Roman guards and members of the palace staff (Caesar’s household) were won to Christ during his incarceration.

The church was greatly emboldened to preach the gospel without fear: “And many of the brethren in the Lord have grown bold in Christ through my chains…”

Let’s stop here and ask ourselves a question:

If Paul could trust that God was in control, even while locked up in prison, can we trust the Sovereignty of God in our own lives?

Where in our life do we doubt that God is in charge?

Now that we’ve identified the place, can we place our trust in God to bring glory to Himself in our situation?

This positive, faith-filled attitude is how Paul was able to maintain a joyful heart, even in trials and tribulation. May God help us to do the same!

Next time: “How to Handle the Green-Eyed Monster”