Sermon Tone Analysis

How should we act as a church?

in one mind and in one spirit, partner side-by-side for the faith of the gospel.

Which Doctor would you trust to operate on you?

Let’s say you need triple bypass surgery and you need to choose the doctor to operate on you.

Show 3 pictures of ‘doctors’.

Doctor who has practiced for 30 years.

He’s currently working at Mayo Clinic.

Doc Brown from back to the future

Doctor Who from the famous BBC series

You want the doctor who is practicing medicine.

You don’t just want any doctor.

In this first section of Philippians, Paul gives a distinguishing mark of a Christian.

Something that every Christian, who is practicing their Christianity does.

This mark is so distinct that Paul says in v6 that he is sure that God has saved them and will eventually finish saving them when Christ returns.

How can Paul have joyful confidence that God will sanctify and glorify the Philippians?

I. Paul trusts the faithfulness of Christ and the power of the Gospel

Paul’s faith in Christ

He greets them with grace and peace v2 (gospel grace: the blessings of knowing God that come from a relationship with him)

He’s demonstrating confidence in the message of the gospel v5, 11 - We talk about the gospel here at church all the time.

The good news that Christ came to earth, lived a perfect life and died in our place so we can live with our holy Creator forever.

Paul doesn’t spend a lot of time in this vignette discussing the Gospel itself.

He’ll go into greater detail about its importance and power as we study the rest of the chapter.

He has confidence God hears him v3

He has confidence God is actively involved in their lives v6

When we become followers of Jesus, at that moment, the Holy Spirit begins a process in us where he gradually produces in us the fruit of righteousness and a deeper love for Christ, and in turn we stop loving this world and our own sin as we begin to value and imitate Christ Jesus.

The theological word for this is Sanctification, and culminates when this work is complete and we are fully righteous called glorification.

Another way to say this is that God saved us from eternal punishment, and IS SAVING us from our sin, and will save us from all the effects of sin one day.

v9-11 is a great description of sanctification

sanctification - becoming like Jesus - is not like a switch where we accept Christ and instantly we become more spiritual.

It’s not even like a microwave where we get hotter and hotter until the ‘ding’ declares we are done.

No, sanctification is more like cleaning patio doors with a three year old…who has a cold.

increased love and fruitfulness: more significant affection for Christ and a life that reflects that relationship more clearly

This process will take a lifetime.

So keep at it.

Don’t give up because God won’t give up on you.

We can have confidence that when he promises to save anyone who believes in Jesus, he will do it.

Paul has confidence that God is concerned about our relationships.

v8

your positive relationships are something that God delights in.

This is a three-way-relationship: “affection of Christ Jesus”

Their relationship to Paul and to Christ is what binds them together

Paul has confidence that God is returning (Day of Christ) v10

notice when the purity and blamelessness is complete?

- the day of Christ.

When we talk about the day of the Lord we are discussing the end of the world as we know it where Christ establishes his eternal kingdom over us.

Paul was confident that God is deserving of all glory and praise.

v11

Q1 - NCC - What is our only hope in life and death?

That we are not our own but belong to God.

Q4-NCC - How and Why did God create us?

God created us male and female in his own image to glorify him... “own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him.

And it is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.

That is part 1 of Paul’s joyful confidence in God’s sanctifying work: God’s faithfulness.

Part 2 is based on the actions of the Philippians.

Paul knows God will continue to sanctify them because:

II.

The Philippians have partnered with Paul in the Gospel.

Their lives demonstrate their ongoing faith.

They sent a substantial gift to Paul

Something I didn’t mention last week in the background of this book is that this letter is in part a thank you note.

The Philippians had sent one of their church leaders, Epaphroditus, with a financial gift to Paul.

We’ll examine him more thoroughly in week seven, but he almost died in the process of delivering this gift.

But it demonstrates the care the Philippians had for Paul.

He’d been there three times and cared so deeply for them.

He wishes to see them, and they would like to see him too.

So at great expense to their church, not only materially, but losing Epaphroditus for a long period of time, demonstrated their commitment to Paul and his mission.

When you believe in someone and what they are doing, you’re going to give to that person.

The more you believe in the importance and necessity of their mission, the more you will sacrifice for them.

The Partnered with Paul in His message (the Gospel: Christ had come to save sinful people from every nation), and participated with his imprisonment and defense of the faith v5, v7

Because Paul has a relationship with them where they have demonstrated that they love the gospel and are willing to sacrifice for the gospel, Paul shares this desire with them.

Paul ‘feels this way’ about them.

He’s saying we are truly knitted together in friendship as a result of how you have treated me.

v8

see how he longs to be with them? with the affection of Christ.

Because his relationship with the Philippians is built on unity in the Gospel, his prayer for them is that they would be sanctified.

It’s a great model prayer for us to pray for our family members and our friends.

v9-11

love for Christ may deepen and display itself

your faith grows out of understanding and experience

choices you make are continually for the very best things for your sanctification good

you are made complete as God intended when he returns

that you are overflowing with love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, goodness, faith and meekness

that you’re fulfilling your life’s purpose, to bring glory and praise to Christ

Lets take a look at this word Partner- the theme word of the day.

The word Paul uses in v5 partnership = koinonia - has three basic parts

(This word has the same root as partakers - in v7)

fellowship

partnership/friendship

sharing (studying in week 4)

Acts

“Fellowship cannot be reduced to, as one writer suggests, “idle chitchat over steaming coffee before or after a worship service.”

Fellowship, on the contrary, is gathering around what we believe and then living out that belief for the world to see.” - Matthew Paul Buccheri (2009) redeemer.com

Picture a sports huddle.

Why is it so important that they are together?

To hear the same instructions because they have the same agenda.

And they are going to work as a team most effectively if they humble themselves and do what is best for the team, which may or may not be what will make them look the best on tv.

The huddle is like fellowship because the players reflect the values they shared in that huddle.

They come together with one mind (or attitude) and one spirit (or purpose) so they can accomplish something greater than themselves.

Our participation with other believers for the sake of the gospel, is true fellowship.

It is not simply begin together.