Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
Last time we were together we looked at the why of Paul's prayer for the Philippians
He demonstrated 4 characteristics of his prayers
Personal
Consistent
Unconditional
Joyous
He thanks God for their fellowship with him - their koinonia - in the Gospel
We have characterized Philippians as a book primarily about the practical living out of the Gospel
Through the Gospel we have joy which drives our humility which drives our unity
Now that we know why Paul is praying for the church, tonight we're going to look at how Paul prays for the Philippians
Let's dig in to the prayer and plumb the depths of not just what Paul wants for the Philippians but for us as well
Prayer
How does love abound?
Romans 5:8; John 3:16; John 10:10; Proverbs 1:7; Romans 1:19-20; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; Matthew 7:1; Matthew 7:17-20;
It is my prayer
Paul makes three statements that are completely countercultural:
That your love may abound more and more
Present tense - This means that it is an ongoing action that it is not something that has an end
This is a love that is unconditional - agape love.
There is no object for this love - this is love for God, for others, for enemies
Jesus taught this love in the story of the Good Samaritan - Luke 10
A scholar asks Christ whom he should love
Christ tells a story that turns his concept of neighbor on its head
Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages - says that we can love once our love tank has been filled by another - generally by the object of our love
Christ's love obliterates our love tank
We are able to love with abandon because the source of our love loves us with abandon.
God did not withhold from us His most precious possession - we can freely love others with our possessions, our time, our very lives
Same root word as the word for abundant life in
The abundant life Jesus came to bring has nothing to do with possessions, or wealth or health
It has to do with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and the like.
with knowledge and all discernment
If Paul would have just stopped at love abounding more and more then we would be able to fit with culture
Culture has turned love into acceptance
Air BNB commercial during the Super Bowl
We believe no matter who you are
where you're from, who you love
or who you worship, we all belong
the world is more beautiful the more you accept
The culture at the time of the writing of this letter and the culture now would tell us that "love is blind" that love is purest when it is uninformed
But Paul says something completely different - He says that our love abounds through knowledge and discernment
This is not head knowledge - random knowledge - but purposeful knowledge about the source of our love
The more we know about God the more we love not only Him but because of what He did for us, we love those around us
There are two ways that we can know about God
The first is through natural revelation which is available to all men
The second is through special revelation - the Bible
There is a serious epidemic of Biblical illiteracy gripping the church
Most church attendees don't even carry a Bible
45% of church attenders say they read the Bible more than once a week
40% say they read it once or twice a month
1 in 5 say they never read it
Perry Noble, one time pastor of New Spring Church in South Carolina, once said that the person who wants to go deeper in the study of the Word is a jackass
To be fair he did apologize for this statement - but the problem is the damage that was done to the person who heard and says I don't need to know the truths of the faith
Andy Stanley, pastor of NorthPoint church in Atlanta, recently preached a sermon which basically undermined the authority of Scripture - or at least the importance of Scripture in the life of the church
Joel Osteen, arguably the most influential motivational speaker in America, almost never refers to Scripture during his talks
Bill Johnson of Bethel Church writes in one of his books - "Those who feel safe because of their intellectual grasp of the Scriptures enjoy a false sense of security.
None of us has a full grasp of Scripture, but we do all have the Holy Spirit.
He is our common denominator who will always lead us into the truth.
But to follow Him we must be willing to follow off the map - to go beyond what we know."
There is a huge movement to undermine the value of knowledge in the church today
Real knowledge produces holiness through sincere devotion and obedience to the infallible Scriptures.
Paul calls us to know God and by this knowledge our love will increase
Godly love is produced only by the working of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who belong to Him.
Illustration - marriage
It is hard for our love to increase if we don't know the source
Discernment
Next to knowledge, discernment is the second greatest sin in the world today
11th Commandment
You can't tell anyone they are wrong or that their reality is something other than what they believe it to be
Craig T. Nelson/Bruce Jenner Golf tees "You are so lost"
What are we to do - how does discernment work in a world that is so anti-discernment?
Matthew 7:17-20 Jesus tells us that you will recognize them by their fruit - that you have to make a judgement
Two things about discernment
Training Treasury workers to spot counterfit - they stare at genuine money until it becomes second nature
Why do we approve what is excellent?
Approve means much more than simple acknowledgment or agreement that something is right or true
It asks not what is right - but what is better, what is best?
Speaks of approval on two levels
This form of approval is spoken of in Proverbs
Early Greek Fathers understood the distinguishing of v 10 to mean the ability to distinguish between what was orthodoxy and what was heresy, what was true and what was false teaching
The process of testing gold by fire to prove it's genuineness
Personal level
What is best in my life?
speaks to what you are placing as the highest priority in your life
What am I watching on tv? Listening to?
Where am I going on the internet?
What do my decisions say about who I worship?
Should I attend a gay wedding?
What do I say to my friend/child who is debating an abortion?
Corporate level
As a church - who do we partner with?
What is the priority - is it the Gospel or feeding people?
Also important to remember to major in the majors and minor in the minors - some battles must be fought and others can be disagreed upon
Why does it matter?
Pure and Blameless for the Day of Christ
Paul's second reference to the Day of Christ
The work in verse 6 is the completion of the Gospel at the day of Christ
Here Paul is discussing how Christ will present us on the last day
Pure underscores the importance of approving what is excellent
We are made pure by the washing of the blood of the lamb
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