A Joyful, Confident, and Effective Prayer

1. Intro:

1. Paul’s Attitude in Prayer (3-8)

Thanksgiving and Joy (3-4)

Philippians 1:3–4 ESV

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,

Oh! What tremendous and contagious joy the apostle had when speaking of the Philippians!

Beloved, this is not a polite and formal greeting but an explicit declaration of Paul’s sincere love and longing for that congregation.

Perhaps no other Pauline letter demonstrates so clearly his affection for a church as the epistle to the Philippians.

Knowing well the other letters from Paul, I dare say that this was his favorite church, with his closest friends, partners he ever had in his ministry.

The repetition of words to emphasize his feelings demonstrates such love and joy for that church:

Philippians 1:3–4 (ESV)

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,

Charles Spurgeon remarks that,

“He could not have said of the Galatians, ‘I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.’ Oh, no! He said, ‘O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?’ It was not so with the Philippians. Paul thought of them with devout gratitude to his God that there were such people, and that he had come into personal contact with them. He knew the ins and outs of them, and yet he could thank his God whenever he thought of them.”

The women in the place of prayer, the conversion of Lydia to whom the Spirit opened the heart to receive the gospel, the daily meetings to study the Word, the unfair imprisonment in the dungeons of the local jail, that jailer crying out for salvation and the baptism of his entire family, the brothers meeting at the house of the recently converted Lydia.

Indeed, everything that came to Paul’s memory about the dear Philippians filled his heart with gratitude to God.

All of that led him to pray for those beloved brothers and sisters. And not just pray, but pray with a heart overflowing with joy.

But how is it possible to have so mush joy in the circunstancw in which Paul was in?

He was imprisoned under house arrest in Rome, where he had to pay his rent, with his feet chained to a Roman soldier, prevented from preaching the gospel from town to town and visiting the churches he had planted, which were already flourishing throughout all Asia Minor and East Europe.

Still, in these two verses, we see a man grateful to God, praying for others (instead of praying for himself in that adverse condition), and full of joy.

“the Philippians are troubled by Paul’s circumstances and Paul wishes at the very opening of the letter to allay their concerns by assuring them of his deep, personal contentment.” -Moisés Silva

Beloved, the Christian’s joy does not depend on the circumstances but rather on a heart closely connected to the one who is the source of our happiness, Christ Jesus our Lord.

In fact, if we are in Christ, a joyful heart is the expected disposition of the believer.

Not that we don’t have sadness and moments when our heart is overwhelmed by the circumstances around us, but rather that even amid the inner and outer struggles inherent to Christian life, we have peace, and that overcomes the natural sadness of our soul.

I believe that Paul introduces one of the main themes of this letter right in verses 3 and 4: joy in the midst of adversity.

And you will hear me talk a lot about this topic in the coming weeks.

In verse 5 we learn the reason for so much love and joy for that church:

The Philippians partnership in the gospel since the first day (5)

Philippians 1:5 ESV

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

The word translated as “partnership” is the Greek “κοινωνίᾳ” that is translated as “fellowship” more than 50% of the times it appears in the NT. But it’s also translated as “contribution, participation/involvement, sharing” in several passages, and I believe this is the meaning that Paul has in mind here.

The church at Philippi was neither large nor prosperous. On the contrary, it was a small congregation in a Roman community made up of converted Gentiles and an extremely poor church. But that hasn't stopped them from being a vibrant, missionary, outreach-oriented, generous, and caring church.

2 Corinthians 8:1–5 ESV

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

2 Corinthians 11:9 ESV

And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.

Philippians 4:15 ESV

And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.

Being a pastor can be one of the loneliest jobs in the world and most pastors live on the edge of burnout.

A recent poll showed that:

38% of pastors have thought about quitting in the last year;

1 in 10 ministers will actually retire as minister in some way;

50% of ministers won't even make it five years.

I have had seminary professors who would be exceptional pastors (and indeed, some were for a few years) but had experiences that disappointed them so much that they decided never to lead a local church again for the sake of their own physical and mental health, as well their families.

Paul also suffered under problematic churches such as the one in Corinth, the Galatian churches, or even the church in Rome, all constantly divided or open to false teachings. But the church at Philippi was a refuge for the apostle and certainly for all its members.

So much so that Paul sees the faithfulness of that church as a clear sign of God’s action, making them persevere in faith, see verse 6:

Paul’s Confidence for the Philippians (6)

Philippians 1:6 ESV

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.

Despite the oposition and suffering to stablish that church, Paul sees everything as “a good work” of God, and therefore, no subject to failure.

Beloved, the work of salvation once startet in the Philippians will be brought to completion/perfection by the One who began it, God himself.

And, yes! Paul is talking about salvation here.

Oh! What a delightful confidence! Spurgeon called it “the crowning joy of the Christian life.”

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.

But we don’t need to stop in the first verse, my beloved ones. Phillipians 1:6 gives us the only chance we have to sing confidently the following verses of the same song:

Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures; He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures.

“it was not you who began this work, but God, and he will complete it”

In theology, we call this doctrine Perseverance of the Saints, which is the idea that “if you have a genuine faith and have been blessed with the saving grace of God, you will never lose it; if you lose it, you never had it.”

In short: Once saved, forever saved.

Spurgeon tells the story that A good old minister was once asked whether he believed in the final perseverance of the saints. “Well,” said he, “I do not know much about that matter, but I firmly believe in the final perseverance of God, that where He has begun a good work He will carry it on until it is complete.”

In other words, the security of our salvation is due to God’s perseverance and not to our ability to persevere in faith. God himself brings the work He began to a perfect end.

But then you may ask: But how can one see evidences of this assurance that those who are truly saved will remain until the end?

If it’s once saved, forever saved, then can one live his life in any way he wants because, in the end, he’ll be saved anyway? Absolutely not, my brothers.

Paul’s assurance that the Philippians will persevere in the faith arises from the external, visible evidence that their lives provided.

See verses 7 and 8:

Philippians 1:7–8 ESV

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.

First, see Paul’s deep affection for that church even more evident in these two verses.

The apostle holds the Philippians in his heart and invokes an oath (God is my witness) to declare how much he longed for those brothers and sisters, not only to see them but to have them.

Commentator Peter O’Brien says:

He cherishes them in his heart because he knows that whether he is in prison and arraigned before his judges or engaged in some other defence and confirmation of the gospel, they are partakers with him in God’s grace and committed to his ministry. They were not ashamed or intimidated by his imprisonment, but helped to alleviate his needs and so cooperated with him in the defence and propagation of the gospel.

The Philippians, who helped Paul at every moment of his productive ministry, when he could travel everywhere proclaiming the good news and encouraging churches, could now assess Paul’s current condition and think: “Let’s invest our resources and efforts in another missionary or another area of our church. Paulo is in prison. Furthermore, it is not suitable for us as a church in Roman colony to associate ourselves with a prisoner of Rome. What will others think of us? No one who knows about our support for Paul will dare to visit our church.”

But that's not how they think. Not even close.

Therefore Paul can say about them: “You have supported me not only during those times when I have been able to set forth openly the defense that confirms the gospel, but even during this period of confinement”

So, for this reason, Paul yearns for the Philippians with the affection of Christ Jesus. In other words, it is Christ who loves those faithful believers. Paul is just the instrument through which this love is demonstrated in practice.

Dear ones, a vibrant and faithful church that participates in the defense and propagation of the gospel is a church loved by Jesus.

Unfortunately, many churches preach that Christ’s love for the church is seen in its numerical growth, its members’ financial success, or the supposed miracles that God works in them. But here we see a simple, small, and humble church that Jesus profoundly loves because it’s faithfulness.

Paul then ends this section with the content of his prayer for this beloved church in verses 9 to 11:

2. The Content of Paul’s Prayer (9-11)

Philippians 1:9–11 ESV

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.

Strikingly, Paul prays for the Philippians, not for his own difficult situation.

And he prays for…

Abounding love (9)

The original text is sort of repetitive and emphatic to demonstrate that Paul prays for an lavishing inundation of love among the Philippians. Love to a degree that can only be found in Christ and that is the direct outcome of his work of salvation.

Beloved, no matter how much the world talks about love, it can only experience love in a limited way, by borrowing a small portion from God who is love and, therefore, the only source of love that exists.

Love on the level the one that is available to the Philippians in Paul’s prayer and to us, the church of Christ, today, can only be found in God and no other.

But Paul quilifies this love that he is praying for the Philippians. Yes, Paul does not encourage “sentimental, undisciplined” love, but a discriminating and sober love” that results in wise decision making in the daily life.

i. (Love) With knowledge

“Ἐπίγνωσις (EVV, “knowledge”) is not primarily “knowledge about” something but rather the kind of “full” or “innate” knowing that comes from experience or personal relationship (cf. Rom 3:20, “through the Law comes the ἐπίγνωσις of sin,” i.e., now people who were already sinners “know” sin for what it is”

ii. (Love) With discernment

“Αἴσθησις signifies “wisdom and (moral) judgment”, perception.

Let me help you to understand what is this love that Paul prays here,

“Where there is not full insight amid life’s ambiguities, love decides, perceptively and discerningly. Such love that makes judgments with discernment must continue growing in the community.”

It’s a gospel-centered love, and the Philippians are to have this increasing and discerning gospel-centered love with two purposes, one immediate and one ultimate:

(a: the immediate) To make the best possible choices: “So that you may approve what is excellent (10a)

“BDAG offers two options for δοκιμάζειν in v. 10: (1) “make a critical examination of someth. to determine genuineness” (255c), or (2) “draw a conclusion about worth on the basis of testing”

“In other words, it is to approve the things that are superior, making proper assessments about what is absolutely essential regarding life in Christ”

(b: the ultimate) To be the best possible people: “and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” (10b)

“sincere, without hidden motive or pretense” (BDAG 282c), “Spotless” in order to be prepared for the coming of Christ (the day of Christ).

It is a sincere love for God, for the work of Christ, and for others that makes us focused on living our entire lives and evaluating every aspect of the circumstances before us through the lens of the gospel. A love that examines everything in order to live purely and pleasingly to God and to be always full of the fruit of Christ's righteousness.

A kind of love that prioritizes the glory of God in all circumstances.

Beloved, for us who are in Christ, love cannot be blind, and I am not speaking here in physical terms as this phrase is usually used, but rather about spiritual blindness, the blindness of discernment.

We are called to love unconditionally, just as we have been loved, but also to love everything and everyone God loves and hate everything God hates.

The apostle John calls us to love several times in his epistles, but he also instructs us not to love the world or the things in the world.

In recent weeks, a discussion has exploded in Reformed Christian circles over the question of whether a believer who has been invited to a same-sex wedding should attend such a celebration or not. Unfortunately, some whose ministry I admire and respect said believers should go to such a wedding and even bring a gift out of love and compassion for the lost.

Beloved, this is not the kind of love Paul is praying for here. How can a believer think that celebrating a union that is abominable in the eyes of God can be an act of love for someone?

No,my brothers and sisters, we should not attend a wedding between people of the same sex, and the reason is precisely because we love.

We love God first but also because we love the lost. The greatest act of love we can have for someone taking such a giant step towards hell, is warning them of the danger of such a decision and making it clear that there is nothing to celebrate in it.

Maybe this bold and true love will be the instrument that God will use to save them.

The love we receive from God, and that we must pray for it to grow more and more in us, is a discerning and wise love that examines everything and loves that which brings glory to God.

This is the effective prayer of the apostle Paul for the Philippians. For divine love overflowing in that church.

I make the same prayer for our church today.

Applications:

Participate in the work of ministry in you church.

Beloved, it is a great priviledge to be a partner with Jesus himself in the work that He is doing. Do not take this opportunity for granted.

Praise the Lord! The work of salvation that He began in you is not subject to failure.

He will bring you home. “No power of hell, no scheme of me can ever plunk you from His hand.”

Pray for discerning love that will help you make wise decisions in your everyday life.

Be joyful in Christ even in the midst of adversity.

This is the secret of life that only Christians know.

Conclusion:

It is told that “As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend: ‘It’s a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians--and I am one of them.’”