ETERNAL PARTNERS
The Church that Grows and Lives • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
-{Philippians 1}
-Back in 2020 during the preeminence of the pandemic, when we were unable to meet together, I learned a valuable lesson—I need the fellowship of and togetherness with other Christians. Yes, I was at home with my family and enjoyed the extended family time, but there was something about being separated from my brothers and sisters in Christ that unnerved me. And I was not expecting the amount of overwhelming joy I felt when we came back together again. It gave me a greater appreciation of the fellowship of the saints—the need for being with those who share the common experience of our lives in Jesus Christ and the ministry of propagating the gospel.
-Christians need each other and enjoy each other. And not only within our own fellowship at Harvest Baptist Church, but the fellowship of all believers no matter to which local church they may belong, either here or far away.
-This is actually novel in our day during a time when technology has made it easier to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world around us. We think that everything that we need is right at the touch of our fingertips. But you will not find a true fellowship nor maintain a true relationship merely online. And this is so important for the church because of the great calling in which we share—the call of the gospel ministry.
-We are not only brothers and sisters, we are also eternal partners in Christ with the great calling of the gospel. And today, I want to talk about the importance of this partnership, and encourage us not to take this partnership for granted.
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
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.
7 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.
8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
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.
-{pray}
-As you read this passage, you hear the love Paul has for the church. It really comes out in v. 7 where he says that he holds them in his heart, and in v. 8 as he says that he YEARNS for them all. There is this burning in his heart of great affection for this group. Part of it is that he yearns to be with them. Part of it is that he yearns for them to continue a faithful walk and ministry. Part of it is that he yearns to work with them to continue to spread the gospel.
-And Paul really wants us to emulate that feeling. As we look at this passage, there are two points that Paul makes that can either help us develop that yearning or to express that yearning. First, you are to...
1) Thank God for your partners
1) Thank God for your partners
-Paul begins with thanksgiving for the people in that church. Paul demonstrates for us that we are privileged to be able to express our gratitude that God has provided for us the brothers and sisters in Christ we have. Constantly he emphasizes that he is thankful for all of them, for all that they mean to him, and for all that they are doing in Christ. And we should be thankful for all as well.
-Here is a great call to us to develop and express appreciation for those who join us in the labors of Christ. And Paul specifically mentions certain areas that stoke this gratitude for our brothers and sisters in Christ. First, he gives thanks for their:
a) Fellowship in the ministry (v. 5)
a) Fellowship in the ministry (v. 5)
-In v. 5 he says that gives thanks for their partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Paul recognized that from the first day that the people became believers in Jesus Christ, they didn’t just sit back in the comforts of knowing that they were going to heaven. Instead, from the first day they were reborn they joined Paul in his ministry of the gospel. This was the foundation of their fellowship.
-The word translated “partnership” in the ESV is koinonia which is also often translated fellowship. For Paul, true fellowship is partnering with other believers for the ministry of the gospel. And this partnership came in several forms.
-First, there was the church’s support of Paul’s ministry through finances and resources. Paul mention several times that the Philippian church financially supported his ministry as he would continue to go throughout the Roman Empire and plant churches. They knew the importance of Paul’s work to make Christ known, and they partnered with him financially to make sure that it continued.
-The church knew that Paul was called to spread the gospel. Not everybody is called to just up and leave their homes to become missionaries or church planters. But those who aren’t called can still have an important part in the work by prayerfully and financially supporting those who do go, whether it is through the local church, the denomination, or some other ministry.
-But the second part was that they continued the ministry that Paul started in the church at Philippi. Paul got the church started with a core group of believers, but Paul was not called to stay to pastor the church. He was the apostle to the Gentiles called to the entire Empire. But that core group was called to be the church in Philippi, and it was for them to go out into the city of Philippi to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, which they did. And we have that same calling.
-Paul was thankful for their partnership, and we ought to be thankful for those who are living faithfully for the gospel, and show our gratitude through support and through our own ministry. But there is a second reason he gives for his thankfulness, and it’s that other believers can be an:
b) Encouragement in our trials (v. 7)
b) Encouragement in our trials (v. 7)
-In v. 7 Paul says that he is thankful for them because they were partakers of grace with him in his imprisonment. Paul is sharing that the Philippians didn’t forget about him while he went through the trial of being imprisoned. Instead, they continued to show support so that he was encouraged while he endured through his troubles.
-The Philippian believers were taking a risk associating themselves with someone imprisoned by Rome. The Romans could have looked upon them with suspicion, and it could have invited unwanted attention from the government. But they were not ashamed to care for him in his time of need, and did what they could to help ease the burden of what he was going through.
-This would be a different experience than what Paul would go through a few years later during his final imprisonment that ended in his execution. Paul wrote 2 Timothy while awaiting death, and in the final chapter talks about all the people that abandoned him in his hour of need. Sadly, many Christians can become like that…they don’t know what to say or do so they don’t say or do anything. Or their lives become so busy. Or sometimes people think they have enough problems of their own that they can’t be bothered by someone else’s.
-The Philippians, on the other hand, came to Paul in his trial to minister to him in any way that they could so that he would not faint under the burden he was carrying. We need to be thankful for those brothers and sisters who stand by our side while we fight our biggest battles and walk through our darkest valleys. And in our gratefulness, strive to be one of those brothers and sisters as well. And then, finally, Paul was thankful for the:
c) Gospel-affirmation in their conduct (v. 7)
c) Gospel-affirmation in their conduct (v. 7)
-Again, in v. 7, Paul is thankful because they are partakers of grace as they partner with him in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. The Philippian church held to the faith that was delivered to them by Paul. In the midst of a time where there were many false teachers or pressures from the pagans, the Philippian church would not waiver from the truth. They defended the truth about Jesus Christ against any attacks that were placed against the faith. They were all in some sense apologists in that they boldly shared why their Christian faith was true and all other faiths were false.
-But their defense of the gospel was not merely through words or arguments, it was also through the way that they conducted themselves. They confirmed the truth of the gospel by the way that they lived. Their lives were an apologetic for the truth of the Christian faith. Their walk of life confirmed what they were preaching and teaching. And just like Paul, we need to be thankful for those brothers and sisters who confirm the gospel through their lifestyle, which ought to encourage us to do the same.
-Now, in no way is Paul saying that merely living a right life is enough to bring someone to Christ. The gospel is something to be told with words. But the words would be useless if the person’s lifestyle doesn’t back up what they say.
~Think of the doctor who smokes and drinks, and then tells you that smoking and drinking is bad for you. Or think of the politician who says he hates corruption while he takes innumerable bribes under the table.
-Having brothers and sisters in Christ who affirm the truth of the gospel with their life is a blessing and something to greatly appreciate. Sadly, too often it is the exception rather than the norm. So be grateful for those who encourage us in this way.
-So, one way to demonstrate your affection for your eternal partners in Christ is through thankfulness. But a second way is to:
2) Pray for your partners
2) Pray for your partners
-Paul prayed for this church constantly, as he repeats throughout this passage. In vv. 3-4 he thanks God in every prayer for them, while making his prayers with joy. And in v. 9 again he says that this is his prayer for them. What Paul prays for the Philippian church is what we ought to pray for our eternal partners in the gospel here at Harvest, other churches, and Christians all around the world. What kind of prayers should we lift up? First, we pray that they are filled with:
a) An abounding love (v. 9)
a) An abounding love (v. 9)
-In v. 9 Paul says his prayer is that their loves would abound or overflow.
~It makes me think of times that I try to fill a water bottle that isn’t clear. I go to the refrigerator and try to line the top of the water bottle to the spicket where the water comes out. I press the button and the water is flowing. The problem is I can’t get a good angle to see where the water is, and then all of a sudden water comes gushing out making a mess everywhere.
-Think of this prayer as wanting your Christian brothers and sisters to have so much love that it gushes out everywhere.
-Of course, the question we might ask is love for what or whom? I believe Paul kept it purposely vague because this love should be so overflowing that is covers a lot of ground. First, of course, is a love for God and Christ. This is the greatest commandment to love God and Christ with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. God so loved us He gave us His Son so that whoever believes in Him does not perish but have everlasting life. If God so loved us, then Christians ought to so love Him. And even though Christians really can’t live up to that, we can pray that their love for God and Christ will grow and increase every day. We pray that their minds just be so full of awe and wonder at who God and Christ are and what they did for us that they just overflow with love.
-But next we want to pray that Christians will have love for one another. That’s how Jesus said people would know that we are His disciples—the love that Christians have for one another. We are all the family of God, adopted through Jesus Christ. And the bond that we have for one another is stronger than any other earthly relationship. And we want to pray that the love between brothers and sisters overflows into great acts of love.
-Then we also want to pray that Christians will have an overflowing love for the world. It was God’s love for the lost for which He sent His Son. It was Christ’s love for the lost that sent Him to the cross. Our hearts ought to be so knit with Christ’s that our love for the lost gives us such a great burden, and we pray that other Christians will feel that burden.
-When I hear of the tragic death of famous celebrities like we heard about this past week the one actor and his children died in a plane crash, another from a rare form of cancer, my heart sinks. Yes, I grieve for the family and pray for them. But my heart really sinks because, lets face it, 90+% of celebrities are as lost as can be, and when they die they go to hell. And it burdens me. It burdens me to pray for the celebrities that are living. And if you really loved the celebrities you say you love, you’d be praying for their soul.
-And not just celebrities, but the whole world. The vast majority of people are lost. And we want to pray that the hearts of Christians will so overflow with love that they want to do something about it—pray for the lost, share with the lost, or whatever. So, we want to pray for our eternal partners that they would have an abounding love. But we also want to pray that they have:
b) A growing knowledge (v. 9)
b) A growing knowledge (v. 9)
-In v. 9 it says he prays for knowledge and all discernment. Paul is praying for a spiritual knowledge so that the believers would know God and His will and His Word. Paul knows that the more believers know God, the more committed they are to God. And the more that they know His Word, the more that they will be committed to the truth.
-And with that knowledge comes discernment—a moral discernment that allows believers to know right from wrong, and make the right decisions that would be pleasing to God. For Christians to know which direction to take in life necessitates much wisdom and insight. And so we want our brothers and sisters to grow in their spiritual knowledge, and with it the ability to make the right decisions that please God.
-And while this is true generally, v. 9 is built in such a way that this knowledge and discernment is connected with the love previously mentioned. Paul is praying that their love abounds with knowledge and discernment. This is important, because as we are finding in our day and age, people talk about love without spiritual knowledge and discernment behind it. There are people who claim to be Christian who tout the glories of love but disconnect it from the knowledge of God, His Word, and the truth.
-Hear me today, love without knowledge and discernment is a mere fantastical emotion that disconnects itself from the very basis of love who is God Himself. If you say that you love without it being grounded in God and his Word, then you really don’t know love at all. And while they tell us that calling anything sin is not loving, I declare just the opposite. If you allow someone to wallow in their sins without confronting them with the truth of the knowledge of God and His Word, then it is you, my friend, who are the unloving one. Yes, we share the gospel and the truth in a loving manner, but the most loving thing you can do is tell someone the truth.
-The doctor who doesn’t tell her patient about the cancer that is eating them alive is not loving. The police officer who doesn’t warn a community of a murderer at large is not loving. Someone who calls themselves a Christian who does not warn others about the deceitfulness of sin is not loving.
-And so we want to pray that our brothers and sisters abound in love, but that they do it with knowledge and discernment. And finally, we pray that they have:
c) A fruitful lifestyle (v. 11)
c) A fruitful lifestyle (v. 11)
-In v. 11 Paul prays that they are filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. First, there is the righteousness that comes from our position in Jesus Christ. When you come to faith in Jesus Christ, you are declared righteous before God. You have a right standing with God based on the merit of Jesus Christ. You aren’t right in and of yourself.
-It’s somewhat funny, when we run into someone who we think is a little off, we say THAT BOY AIN’T RIGHT. Without Jesus you and I ain’t right. But when you believe in Jesus, you are placed in Jesus, and when God looks at you He sees you in Christ and Christ in you. And because Jesus is right, we are right.
-But then, from that right standing we receive before God, we are then empowered to live right—to bear the fruits of righteousness. And we want to pray that our brothers and sisters would bear much fruit for (as Paul says) the glory and praise of God.
~If an apple tree wouldn’t bear apples it would be fruitless. If a pear tree bore no pears, it would be fruitless. There is no such thing as a fruitless Christian. If you aren’t bearing fruit, you’re not a Christian.
-But what we want to pray is that the Christian wouldn’t bear just a little fruit, but bear a whole lot of fruit for the glory of God. We want spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and we want a lot of it. This is where our greatest good and our greatest joy is found. So, we want to pray that our eternal partners in the gospel demonstrate a very fruitful lifestyle.
Conclusion
Conclusion
-In his book, Fellowship of the Ring, J. R. R. Tolkien writes an amazing story that illustrates the ideal in the eternal partnership of the gospel. In it, a fellowship of partners was made up of such a radical diversity of people. There were hobbits, humans, a wizard, an elf, and a dwarf. Together they shared a common mission of defeating the darkness and saving Middle Earth by getting the ring to Mount Doom to destroy it. They shared a purpose that was greater than any one of their lives, for which they would give their all.
-Christians are such a fellowship—diverse partners in the greatest cause that has eternal implications…the cause of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We ought to be thankful for one another and we need to pray for one another so that we all play our part in the fellowship.
-Christian, come to the altar and thank God for your brothers and sisters and pray that they abound in love, grow in knowledge, and bear fruit.
-If you are looking for a local church to join in this endeavor, come and join here.
-But the only way to be part of the fellowship and partnership is to believe in Jesus Christ, that He died for you, and rose again. If you have never believed, He is the only way to heaven. Come forward and believe...