Complete In Christ

Introduction

This morning we are going to start a 12 week series through the book of Philippians. Here’s the good news when you are a pastor determining what book of the Bible to preach through. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” So really you can’t go wrong with any of God’s word.

However, I chose Philippians because the book of Philippians shows us that Jesus is at the center of the Christian’s life and shows us what it looks like to follow Him together. Our series is called Pursuing Christ Together and today we’ll see that it starts with God’s work in us.

There’s this wagon we have that helps us with getting our groceries into our apartment. It came with this long handle that made it easy to pull… but it broke off a couple of months ago.

And now when we use it we have to bend over and push it like a box car. And I told my wife that I would fix it. It’s an easy fix—it just needs a couple of screws—I know where they are at Lowes—they’re not expensive. And I told Vickery, listen, if I said I’m going to fix this wagon then I’m going to fix it, you can count on it—-you don’t have to keep reminding me every couple of months.

I’m going to fix the wagon next week—or maybe the week after that. But definitely before Christmas.

That’s human nature—we leave things unfinished.

But God is not like us. When God starts a work, He always finishes it. That’s what Paul says in Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Verse 6 in our text today is the central verse of this passage. The whole passage confirms the truth that God is working in us and showing us how.

Let’s read the word together.

Philippians 1:1–11 “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. 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. 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 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. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer 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.”

And this morning, as we begin, we’re going to see that the very first evidence of God’s good work in us is that He gives us a brand new identity in Christ.

I. God gives us a new identity (1-2)

Salvation changes who we are, and the first two verses of our text show us three ways God gives us a new identity in Christ.

First, when God saves a person they go from being condemned to being claimed.

Paul writes, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Every person is born a sinner—even your sweetest grandchild. We inherited Adam’s sin nature, what theologians call total depravity. That doesn’t mean we’re as bad as possible, but that every part of us is touched by sin.

I was born a sinner. So were you. So were your children. And you don’t have to teach a child how to sin—they figure it out naturally.

When my son Nehemiah was four, his brother said something that annoyed him. We called the boys in for dinner, and Nehemiah, seeing Levi’s plate, noticed it was set just the way Levi liked it—no ranch on his chicken, because Levi hates that. Nehemiah picked up the ranch bottle, squeezed it all over his brother’s food, and then gleefully called out, “Levi, dinner!”

I didn’t teach my son to do that. That impulse came from the heart. The Bible calls it sin.

And sin ranges from ruining your brother’s meal to Cain murdering Abel—it’s the same nature at work. That’s bad news before a holy God, in whom there is no unrighteousness (Psalm 92). A righteous God must condemn sin.

But here’s the good news: God does not leave sinners in their sin. Through Jesus Christ He offers grace and peace. Where we deserve condemnation, Christ claims us as His own. He lived the life we fail to live and suffered the judgment we deserve.

So Paul can say to the Philippians, “Grace and peace to you.” Their identity had shifted—from condemned sinners to beloved sons and daughters.

And that’s true for us too, if our hope is in Christ.

2. When God saves a person they go from being alone to being in a family.

Paul says to the church at Philippi, to the overseers, to the deacons…

He is writing to a group of people that belong together—there is a structure there—He is not just writing to any Christians that are in the area but to a specific church with elders and deacons—he’s writing to a family.

God has made us all as relational beings—now some people are more relational than others—but we have all been made for community—we all have a desire to belong, to be seen, to be known.

And in the world we get a counterfeit belonging—the world offers us counterfeit family all over the place.

People gather around everything—hobbies, working out, sports teams, political opinions, food preferences—you name it and people gather around it and there’s probably a magazine subscription for it.

Why? Because we were made for community. We were made to commune with Holy God.

The first question of the WSC is, “What is the chief end of man?” And the answer is, “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

But for all the effort to gather that we see in the world we are really on our own. Gym memberships end, sports can only go so far, and hobbies only give us a shallow space for community.

And if you’ve tried to be satisfied in the world you know that…

But in Jesus we are not saved to individuality…we are saved into a family. We become sons and daughters of Zion, of God most high, the Bible calls Jesus our elder brother (Rom. 8:29), we are called the body of Christ—all different parts with different gifts belonging to each other.

Being part of the family of God is a part of our identity. Thirdly…

3. When God saves a person they go from being a rebel against God to a servant-saint for God.

No one, more exemplifies this in the Bible than Paul.

He thought he was doing God’s work but he was rebelling against God and persecuting the church—God’s word says that he breathed out murderous threats against the church. He approved of the stoning of Stephen and jailed Christians.

And the grace and peace we have been talking about came to him on the road to Damascus and Paul went from being a rebel against God to a servant of God.

The Philippian Church is one that Paul and Timothy planted—you can find the story in Acts 16.

When God saves us he changes our identity from rebel to servant. And not just a servant but also a saint.

That word saint means, “holy, set apart, sacred”.

If you have placed your faith in Jesus you are a servant-saint who no longer rebels against God but lives in service to God.

There is so much in just the first two verses of our text. The grace and the peace of God is the beginning of the good work that God is doing in you…it’s the starting point.

If you are in Jesus this is your identity—the old you has passed away and God is making a new creation out of you. And praise God for it, Amen?

Transition: So verse 6 tells us that God began a good work in us—by grace and peace we are transformed by the gospel. As our passage continues we see other ways that God is shaping us as He works in us. There’s 3.

II. God gifts us with prayer. (3-5)

Philippians 1:3–4 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,”

Prayer is both a great gift from God and a great work that we are called to.

Do you know that one of the greatest things you can do is pray? I know West Hopewell knows that—I’ve seen your 40 day prayer guide praying for a new pastor.

Well here I am—if I wasn’t what you were hoping for, maybe you should have prayed harder. That’s a joke.

I know this church believes that God works through the prayers of His people! And I am excited about that.

Friends, I look forward to much prayer together as the people of God because God has people in Hopewell that He is calling to Himself and He is calling His people to be the hands and the feet, the salt and the light…and God will use us, not when our plans are excellent, not when are clever and attractive…but God will use us when we know that we are dependent on Him to spread the gospel and come to him in humble, dependent prayer.

Prayer brings us closer to God—because we have been adopted as children of God through Christ we have access to God as a family member.

James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Philippians 4:6–7 “We can take everything to God in prayer and supplication”

Romans 12:12 “… be constant in prayer.”

Why? Because God our good Father, delights in the prayers of his children.

When we pray we are not just lobbing words into the wind with a possible chance of God hearing.

I know you feel like that about prayer sometimes because I feel like that about prayer sometimes. We believe that God doesn’t want to hear from us, that God isn’t listening to us, that our prayers don’t matter enough and our prayers aren’t good enough…so maybe we shouldn't even bother.

Friends, don’t believe that lie. Your Father loves to hear you pray, he longs for you to come to Him in need because He desires to show you the strength of His love for you and the power He has in your life. Pray with confidence that your Father hears you.

Prayer brings us closer together.

Look back at verses 3 and 4. Paul is thanking God for the Philippians, he’s remembering them, they are always coming up in his prayers and when Paul is praying for them it’s joyful for him.

Do you want to protect and grow the unity of the body of Christ? One of the best things a church body can do for each other is pray for one another!

Prayer brings us into closer fellowship because prayer necessitates that we share with one another, and carry one another’s burdens.

When you are going to your Father pleading that He would bless and heal and move and work in other people’s lives— your love for that person can’t help but grow.

Let us be a church known for loving one another in prayer, amen?

Not only does prayer bring us closer together but God uses our prayer to bless others.

Philippians 1:5 “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Part of Paul’s joy in his brothers and sisters in Philippi was because they were partners with him in the gospel work.

Undoubtedly, while Paul was praying for them they were praying for Him. And God uses those prayers mightily.

Lynn texted me yesterday after I let her know I was praying for her family and she said, “God is bringing peace and strength beyond measure. The prayers of the saints are powerful.”

When you heard about the passing of Hailey and you lifted up prayers to God He used them to great effect. The family was comforted. Peace came. Strength came.

The vehicle of God’s blessings is often times the faithful prayers of the saints.

I want you to see your prayer that way—prayer is powerful and we should come to it eagerly. Amen?

Transition: God calls us to prayer. And also we see in verses 7-8 that…

III. God centers us on Christ. (7-8)

Philippians 1:7–8 “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. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

Years ago I was leading a group of young people on an inner-city mission trip in Washington, D.C. And one of the days we were there we were doing volunteer work at a shelter. And I met a man from the Congo who had come to the U.S. with nothing as a refugee. As I sat there and asked him questions and listened to his broken English it was clear that we had nothing in common. His upbringing was different than mine. The hardships of his life were different than mine. His language was different than mine. But church, let me tell you I felt a kinship with this man instantly. Do you know why?

Because He loved Jesus! When I went to share the gospel with Him I found that He already was very familiar with Jesus and loved Jesus. And we sat there and prayed for one another and rejoiced together over the goodness of God like brothers with the same glorious Father.

We didn’t know each other and our lives and culture were very different but the person we had in common couldn’t have unified us anymore. We were both partakers of grace and we loved each other with the affection of Jesus.

It’s nice to find some common ground with others in the church—finding people who like the same things as you can be very comfortable, and that can help relationships start easier. That’s not bad.

But friends, we must never let “sameness” be the driving factor of the church. We must guard our hearts from wanting to turn the church into a club of people that look just like us, that have the same likes as us, that dress the same as us, and have the same culture as us.

The problem with a church like that is, that it’s a church built in the image of us instead of the image of Christ.

Christ’ people are a people from every tribe—tongue—and nation.

A church full of people that are widely different but united in Christ is a church that proves the love of God is real in a world that says it isn’t.

I want you to know that it is my hope that our own church will grow. I’m praying for it! I’m gonna work for it. I want to see God glorified by a great many people singing praises to God here at this church.

And I hope that as our church grows it will draw people from all walks of life and culture so that when people come and interact with us they will see that we are a varied people united in Christ in true fellowship.

As God is continuing His work in us—a work that he will complete—He is centering our hearts on Christ. And in the body He is centering our fellowship on Christ. And that is an excellent thing, amen?

So God’s continuing work in us is seen in his gifting us with prayer, in centering us on Christ, and…

IV. God gives us a new perspective. (9-11)

Philippians 1:9–11 “And it is my prayer 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.”

So let’s just walk through these last verses together and take an inventory of what Paul’s desire for these believers is…

Paul wants them to grow in love. And he is praying that their love will be an abounding love—one that is not stagnant but one that keeps growing more and more.

Paul is praying that their love will be fueled by and accompanied by a growth in knowledge and discernment.

For the past year of my life I have been studying and taking tests in preparation for ordination in our presbytery. And when I’ve talked to people about this I have sometimes heard— “well that’s a lot of hoops to jump through” …but the Leadership Development Committee of our presbytery isn’t trying to foster pastors that can jump through hoops. Their aim is to call pastors, and equip pastors who love God and God’s people. And so they call these pastors to study deeply.

Knowledge is not the enemy of love—reading and study is not the enemy of love—otherwise Paul wouldn’t be praying that the Philippians would grow in their discernment and knowledge of God.

The more we learn about God the more we love God.

And so I would encourage you to be a learner—to be curious about God—and to take advantage of the wealth of resources that are available to you. Friends, you live in an age where you can learn to your hearts content.

And you live in a country where you have the freedom to do so. I would encourage you not to waste it.

As we grow more and more with a love that is abounding in knowledge and discernment we learn to approve of what is excellent—knowledge transforms us in holiness and helps us to live before God in the ways that He has called us to. Love like this is filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus. Love like this brings glory and praise to God—our text says.

Love like this prepares us for the day of Christ.

That phrase the day of Christ is a reference to the Great White Throne Judgement of Christ.

Revelation 20:11–12 “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”

Paul is praying all these things for his brothers and sisters in Christ with their eternity in mind.

Part of God’s continuing work in us is giving us an eternal perspective.

Human souls last forever. And there is coming a day—an actual day, you and I don’t know when it is but it’s on God’s calendar—there is coming a day when the words of Revelation 20 will be your reality and my reality. We will stand before God and the books will be opened and we will be judged according to what we have done.

This is an important day…and God is calling us to live our lives with that eternal future in mind!

If you have placed your hope and faith in Christ that is a day where the righteousness of Christ will protect you from the judgment your sin deserves. On that day the saints will rejoice in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

But that is also a day where you and I can hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Well done Son! Well done Daughter!”

I want to hear those words! Amen?

Friends, we aren’t going to be perfect—we wouldn’t have needed a perfect savior if perfection was possible. But we can grow in our love more and more in a way that orients our hearts and actions towards our eternal future. So that we too would be ready for and longing for the day of Christ.

Conclusion

Church, do you see the picture Paul is painting for us in these opening verses? God has already begun a good work in you—He’s given you a new identity, He’s given you the gift of prayer, He’s centered you on Christ, and He’s given you an eternal perspective.

And Paul’s confidence in the Philippians is the same confidence we can have today: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

That means two things for us as we begin this journey through Philippians together:

First, you don’t have to live in fear that God will give up on you. He is faithful to finish what He started.

Second, you and I can lean into the work He’s doing right now—growing in prayer, in love, in unity, in holiness—because all of it is moving us toward the day of Christ.

So take heart, brothers and sisters. God is not done with us and He always finishes what He starts.