Philippians 1:9-11

I'd like to start this morning by sharing a true story. About 25 years ago. There was a church. Going through great turmoil. Set in the midst of their morning worship. The police were summoned to come to the church and help them resolve their turmoil that you might say. That sounds far-fetched. But sadly we might be able to understand that that's a possibility in the life of the church. This was East Tennessee a good friend of mine was the student Pastor there and I may have shared some of the drama of the story in the past. But in the midst of a potential church conflict, one of the elders from the pulpit pulled out his phone and called the police and one of the police to come straighten out this conflict because the people weren't listening to him now when the police got there and fully understood what was going on. They said we can't have anything to do with this. We're not going to come in and tell the car gation to listen to you because because you're an elder and this particular case they are on the wrong side of this year. We're trying to whip everybody into shape. At that same time that Sunday morning across town to previous Pastor who a good and godly man whom the entire congregation respected and loved and who wasn't the kind because I knew him personally to have a sense about God speaking to me or I'm leaving he was kind of a stoic Professor type great and godly man, but nonetheless not that type and he said to his wife nudged her and their worship service. I need to go to any names of that other Church. You just felt like God put it on his heart right then to get up and leave and he got up and left that service in the middle of it showed up in the midst of that chaos, and he was the one person that could step in and everyone would get quiet and listen to And that was a miracle of God's working in the life of that church in the midst of turmoil and I just found out this week about another miracle that occurred in the midst of that turmoil into a church that was discouraged and depressed and conflicted and a friend and I were talking and he shared something that I did not know and I said to myself that is yet another miracle in the midst and I'll tell you that at the end of the sermon. So we're going to talk about Philippians chapter 1 verses 9 through 11. Paul says to those he's riding to and this is my prayer that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness are right living that comes through Jesus Christ. To the glory and praise of God. It's such a beautiful prayer and we're tempted to kind of take it at face value in the sense of saying that's wonderful. Paul is wishing us. Well, let's move on to meteor chunks of this passage or doctor, but it is a rich rich passage of scripture. And so I want to walk through it now this morning, I don't often do this, but I really like the way the old Living Bible translates these vs. And so here it is again Philippians 1:3 while I'll get to that in a minute. I'm sorry. Let me give you a little background Philippians. 1:3 is where Paul begins this prayer but like a good preacher he gets sidetracked. So the prayer actually starts in verse 3 of Philippians chapter 1, but it's not till vs. 9 that he actually says this is my prayer that we just read before he gets to the prayer. He kind of got sidetracked and says, hey let me remind you of God's loving work in them in your midst from the first day. He says in Philippians 1:6 until this day. That's it for me or verse he who began a good Work and you and we talked about that a couple of Sundays ago. He reminds them what you can go read the story and Acts chapter 6 or excuse me at chapter 16 verses 6 through 40 the founding of the church at flip I and it is miraculous story and he sang we all know how God worked it emits from the very first day when we began as a church until now we can be confident that God is going to continue and complete that work. So that's his first Sidetrack. Secondly Paul reminds them of their presence in his heart. He says I have you in my heart and he tells them I longed for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. This is Philippians 1:8 and even stress is that this is this deep love for one. Another is correct thinking which is interesting that he talked about this great affection. And he says by the way in the original Greek, it's a sentence that says by the way I've reflected about this I thought about it. This is correct thinking this is the way you should think this deep love for one another and even says if I'm not Show me the truth. God can testify that I'm telling you the truth. So before he gets into the prayer that he has for those in Phillipi. He says look remember the past that God has worked in our midst from the very beginning and let that build your confidence in God's work today and for tomorrow and then he says also don't don't forget this present moment right now. You're in my heart. I have this affection for you. It's the affection of Christ in my heart that is coming out to you. And this is the way we should think about our relationships. This is the proper way to think about this deep one another love and then he says, okay, so now here's my prayer for you and that's mentioned. I like the living Bible translation. He says my prayer for you is that you will overflow more and more with love for others. I need the original language. It makes it clear that this is an increase of existing love really. I believe he's still talking about that same theme. This is a continuation of God's work in the hearts and lives of the Christians in Philippine. And so he says God's work from the first day until now and he's going to complete that work and here's my prayer that your love the love you already have that you're already showing one another and others in your city, but that love will continue to grow it will overflow and overflow and then he continues with that prayer in the Greek word, by the way for love in that verse is agape and you can bring your whole Sermon Just on Agape. It's a word that Paul brought into the New Testament in the life of church when he talked about love because a lot of the other words just weren't rich and deep and complex enough to contain the meaning of the word Agape. It really is a word that so deep that you almost have to have pictures so go to Luke 15 and read the stories that Jesus shares its really a word. Reflect his life and teachings about love is this Behavior looking out for the best interest of the other in the Old Testament? It would be the word Hesed but it's this thick hearty action-oriented Discerning love that always looks out for the best of the other and so he's my prayer is that this love you already have will overflow more and more that you overflow more more with love for others and the others In this passage is both those in the church in Philippi and definitely also those outside the church in the city. So it's not just with them that he's talking about in this prayer for them. And then he continued said it was over and flow more and more and at the same time. He says keep on growing and spiritual knowledge and insight for I want you always to see clearly the difference between right and wrong and to be in weirdly clean. No one being able to criticize you from now until the day the Lord returned then again in the original language here. There's there's nuances to the words that we can't automatically get in. English and it makes it clear that this blamelessness is pure enough that he wants them to have that that they would understand the difference relates to how they relate to those outside the church soda sermon In this passage is focused on loving others in an innocent and effective manner. It's the continued combination of love and knowledge that he talks about In this passage and God's work in and through their lives as well after you set up the background and said we all know God has worked in our midst in amazing ways from the very first day and I'm confident that he is continuing to work now and will continue to work in our lives and in our church and in our city into the future Have any insist on saying I thought about this clearly and the way you're in my heart and I'm in yours the way we love each other deeply this is from God. He is my witness my testimony to this fact of our love relationships. And then he said so here's my prayer for you Church in Phillipi, which I think very much speaks to us today that I want the love that you already have for one another and the lovely already have for those outside the church. I want it to grow and abound more and more that your love would increase but I wanted to be loved that is combined with knowledge and insight so that you can be Discerning so that you can understand. How is it that we love others in this culture in this world today the church and flip I was surrounded by a Roman military base. It was a very Roman city until Paul is chained to a Roman guard because of his preaching of the gospel and there's no doubt from things. You see in the rest of the letter that the church itself was facing persecution and ridicule. For being those who would follow this this Christ who was crucified by the Romans and you'd follow him and call him Lord. What a what a crazy thing. And Paul is saying hey, even in the midst of the kind of pressure that that you have which I can relate to his someone already in Chains and your future might hold change for being those who adhere to the gospel even in the midst of that my prayer. Is that your love Even your enemies as Jesus said in the gospels, even your persecutors and of course for one another that your love would increase and grow more and more and abound more and more but it would be a wise and Discerning love that has the knowledge to know. How do I live out love in the world in which I Live Now it's a soldier comes to me and says carry my bag one mile and I remember Jesus words and say I'll take it to How do I live this lava? How do I discern if someone invites me into something do I have the wisdom to CERN? Hey, that's something that I have to say. No to because it's not part of the fruit that Christ is bearing in my life. Or maybe it's something I can say. Yes to and build a bridge like Paul says in 1st Corinthians 9 to the Greek unlock the Greek to the zoo unlock the Jew that I might win some and so was prayers as they would they would have this love to continue to discern how to live out Christ call on their life. It's similar to this verse in Matthew Tim when Jesus said to the disciples, look, he's sending out the 72 be a witness. He said I'm sending you out like sheep sheep Among Wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves, And sometimes we're tempted to kind of shift to one side or the other and not realize we have to balance. Sometimes we will compromise Doctrine and clear essential teaching of the Gospel in order to appeal to those outside the church and we've made a mistake and sometimes we will hold the things that are simply traditions and preferences so firmly that we blocked those outside the church from understanding and seeing the gospel, you know, the passage in the gospel where Jesus comes and turns over the tables part of the dynamic of that passage was the tables were set up in the space of the temple that was reserved for non-jews for Gentiles who wanted to come and come to that outside Circle and kind of peek and see what's going on in the temple that they might be drawn to the one true God and convert. He was so upset when he came in and turned over the tables. He said looks the scripture say that my father's house will be a house of prayer for all nations. And they just set it up for themselves. And so he's inviting them to have look you've got that you've got to stay innocent in the culture in which you live. He talked about that be pure and blameless until the day of Christ both those record speak to the idea of being pure as in transparent so that people interact with you what they see is what they get so that those outside the church who interact with you if your marriage is authentic and and life-affirming in loving that they would be with C that consistently not that you're perfect and you don't have struggles but they would see what they see is what they get for his the witness of Christ working in your life. And in that both those were the other word has to do with a sense not only of sincerity and being transparent but being innocent not causing someone else. Outside of the church to stumble in their attempt to see God not setting up a table in the area for the Gentiles to see the temple because it suits your preferences, but instead having your eyes open in living in such a way that you're a witness to them in a transparent way. It's an amazing Passage. It's interesting. He continues he says may you always be doing those good kind things that show you are a child of God for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord and he's talking in this part about the fruit of Christ in our lives think of the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5. It's and it's witness to God of God to the world somos translation to talk about the fruit of righteousness. But really it's the fruit of right living. Talking about our Salvation. He's talking about the fruit of our Salvation what happens in our lives when God forgives us or leaves us and cause us to follow him and talked about in Galatians 5 happening in terms of fruit of the spirit. And t'pol In this passage is saying bear fruit in your life in such a way that christlikeness shows for two others so that you're a witness even in the midst of a generation around you that's hostile toward the gospel so that they might see you're gonna see your good heart your activity your marriage is your parenting everything that's on display and that it might bring much praise and glory to the Lord because they That's the ultimate goal the very last sentence in this prayer is the end. That's what Paul is pursuing. The ending of itself is not just that Paul says Robbie. I just hope you're full of love and I think all I want to warm fuzzy. Thank you Paul. I would like to have a life. That's just full of more loving you. Could you sprinkle in a little bit of knowledge and that'll just help me get through life a little bit smoother. He he talked about something so much larger than that. He's talking about God's plan to use you and I to show the world his true nature and character in the Old Testament and the prophets there was the phrase that the Earth would be full of the glory of the Lord that the Earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord and the New Testament unpacked how God is achieving that when Corinthians Paul says that we ourselves are very bodies are the temple. There's no longer a holy Sanctuary. Sometimes we call this place the sanctuary that's not New Testament language. It's not new testament thinking. Because there isn't a holy spot anymore that we make sure we don't carry to later run or that sort of stuff. Paul says the holy spot today is you and I that our bodies are temples of the holy spirit that God dwells within us. Now you see how God is filling the Earth with his glory by filling those who followed Jesus with his spirit. So that the glory the goodness the likeness of the Lord fills this Earth as you and I resemble him and shine forth in our homes and our neighborhoods are families in our workplaces. The glory of God is indeed feeling the Earth. Amen. Do you know any Christians? Do you know any that have jobs? You know that work in the city. In the mayor's office, you know where the military you know where that are stationed all over the world. Is it true that in this world alone? We can talk about the network of people that we know who love the Lord and we could see if we can light up on a global map all the brothers and sisters in Christ that we know who follow the lord would we be able to see that indeed God is working and continuing to work to bring about his Goodwill to bring it to completion that his glory is indeed feeling the Earth. It's in Liberian that we talked about that we've heard from our mission Area library who's going there to bless and serve others in the name of Jesus. but God's purpose to his glory would feel the Earth will continue to go forward again and again, He talks about this. He says lived. I loved that message translation of the last verse verse 11 live a life. Jesus will be proud of Bountiful and fruits from the soul making Jesus Christ attractive to all getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. See that's the end to which Paula sprang that love might continue out of you to your brothers and sisters in Christ and to those in the city around you and that it might be a Discerning love so that you know how to choose right and wrong, you know how to be the most shrewd and innocent the most innocent and effective witness. You can be in your community so that God's goodness and Glory might be revealed to them and they might come to know him. He comes back to the same theme again and again throughout the Book of Philippians just in the next chapter chapter to listen to the similarity of his language in Philippians chapter 2 beginning and verse 12. He says therefore my dear friends have you as you have always obeyed? So again that same thing I know this is happening on you already. I wanted to increase like the love. You've got it increase it more and more as you have always obeyed not only in my presence, but now how much more my absence continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling so that work that God has began in them from the very first day and all of us could share that testimony. Could we If we have the time if we if it was a nice summer day and we had picnic on the grounds plan for a little bit later and there was no time limit if there was no clock in the room. Can I get an amen? Can I go take the clock down there by comfortable? Can we just stay here for a couple hours? Should we go to the congregation and have each person stand up who felt called to do so and share about that first day in their life. When God began to work in their heart, maybe through their mother or father or maybe through a pastor at a church or youth minister or children's minister or someone who just came into last week. We could have we could testify couldn't we that God has worked in our life from that first day and he continues to work in our life now. Choices continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it to God who works in you to Will and to act according to fulfill what his good purpose the love that God wants for her life that Paul is praying for that. It would overflow more and more with this discernment all of its design to serve God's purpose. Now, that's the power that is often missing in the Christian Life in my opinion. Sometimes we want to take the goodies off the shelf, but we just kind of forget to think about God's purpose or like a can I take these batteries and plug them into my you know, can you light up my parenting or or My Career or this or this definitely wonder why there's not this blossoming this flourishing that we would want but those blessings that God have designed for us are designed to go into the stream of his will in our life as I allow him to allow me to love others. My life is still more and more with love because I'm doing exactly what God wants me to do if I If instead of a stream if I become a reservoir, I just want to hold it up for myself it become stale and stagnant. It's when I release it and I place all things at God's feet to be his servant that says opening the door for him to work in my life and more powerful way for it is God who is at work in you to Will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose to everything there for you to do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure there's those same words again that uses in his prayer. Here's what he wants for us that we would be this kind of blameless in pure children of God without fault in this warped and crooked generation. So that that fruit of right living or righteousness that we're supposed to Bear would cause us to be Witnesses in this world around us in the midst of a warped in crooked generation. Then you will shine among them watch stars in the sky. You and I were made to shine. And we're being remade to shine and the agenda for lack of a better word in this moment that God has in our life by bringing more love and more knowledge. And our life is that we would shine forth with his fruit in this world. So that folks would see a deeper patients. I love a self-sacrifice a Grace in the midst us the way we treat one another and the way we love those outside the church that we would be a witness to God that it would be for the glory of God that it would be a revelation of his glory and goodness in our life. So that he could this is Ephesians 2:7 the same thing we threw out to see throughout the New Testament. Paul says, here's why God called us to Salvation and redeemed us through Christ. So that in the ages to come meaning right now in Paul's time and today he might show the immeasurable Riches of his grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. God's went with his plan to redeem humanity and to offer forgiveness through Christ and took to have Romans 8:1 be this ongoing indisputable truth that there's now no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus to pour out upon us his love and his grace and an amazing unreasonable way. The agenda of that was to continue to reveal his goodness not only to us, but to all generations we are to be a light to the world.

That's our calling. And Paul is thank those in Philippine. Hey, I know it's rough. I know the culture around you. I know it because I'm change it to it right now in prison for preaching the gospel. I know it's not going to be easy and I pray for you that your love. I love you already. Have I've seen it. I know you you're in my heart. I pray that it would continue to grow and that you would have knowledge along with and you can discern how to live in this life in such a way that you would be stars that shine. In this crooked generation that you'd be a witness that you would be a light in the world.

The sum of what we've learned the past few weeks. Let's let's try to put this in practice a little bit reflecting on God's work in our past is a call to have confidence in the present and future work. We don't want to make the mistake of focusing on the past and having it be nothing more than I found you. I wish that I was as thin as I was when I was 20 flies the passing can I focus on it and that can be the end of it just wishing and that's it the call when we look at God's faithfulness in our history. The call of that reflection is to build our confidence and faith in him for the present and the future he who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it. That's what's going on. When we look at these passages and reflect we're thinking correctly when we long to be connected in deep loving relationship centered around God's grace fieldwork in our lives and in the lives of protocol brothers and sisters fruit is born from connectedness to Jesus and one another that's what he's teaching the disciples in John 15 that you not only have to remain in me, but you have to love one another for fruit to be born and that's how God is working in our life. And so when we want a little more or we long for me We want deep relationships with Brothers and Sisters in Christ, or when we long to make an impact on those who don't know the Lord when we pray regularly for a lost brother or sister or relative or child who doesn't know the Lord that's that's God working in our lives and in our hearts that desire to see him working on only in our lives but in the lives of lost prodigal brothers and prodigal sisters, and so that's his work in our life. It's also part of what reflecting upon the past reveals enough because if you and I were to get specific and share those testimonies about how God is working our life. I suspect 90% at least would always involve other people if we gave a testimony, we probably wouldn't say while I was all by myself in a room completely alone. I had to interact with anybody else in six months and suddenly the work did a great Lord it a great work in my life. Now, we always say when I started going to church and I'm at these folks and they just would not leave me alone. They kept loving me and caring for me and I kept hearing the gospel and I kept thinking about it and sure enough It Go those the word of God got my heart and I had to make some sort of decision. We would always talk about others and Community reaching out to us. God has worked and is working and always will work in the lives in life that are open to his love both receiving it and sharing it. That's some of our challenge this morning. That's the one part we control. Goddess has work. He's currently working and you always will be working to advance his purposes of on the earth and in our life, but we control the switch that says Mi open to receiving God's love for me a my open to receiving his forgiveness. Am I willing to confess my sins to him? Am I willing to acknowledge my need we have to make that decision to be open to receiving his love and the way he continue to work in our life as if we're open to giving his life if we're hoping to loving one another Brothers and Sisters in Christ open the loving those outside the church to letting him use because it's in the midst of exercising those new things that he's creating inside of us that new heart that he promises that sin scripture. It's in the midst of using that new heart that it gets stronger and Fuller and simultaneously have less is more of our lives and the lives of those that we're reaching out to Toad interconnected. We can't necessarily isolated. It's like the first I'll take care of this and then I'll go to step 2. It's all integrated together.

But God is always working in our lives if that's that's what I want you to take away. Even when we may not realize he's always working in our lives one time. I had a young man come to me and say hey, I'm a student Minister today in the ministry because of you. And I said if we met I have no idea who he was and he said years ago, you stopped by my house traveling for Pacific Christian College with a summer camp team and you spent the night at my house and you set up light with my brother who was in high school talking about Ministry and him possibly coming to PCC as a student doing recruiting. Is it all of you set up and laugh and talk and had a great time and I was in junior high and I said outside that Circle a little chair and nobody paid any attention to his silly little Junior High brother that was just eavesdropping on that conversation, and he said that night I felt God calling me to Ministry. And that call last at all way through high school and college and now I'm in full-time Ministry because of you and I had no clue that God had done that look God is working in your life even when you're not aware of it at all. You might be the season when you think I'm not sure God's working on my life. I don't even feel like he's working in my life right now. I don't even have the enthusiasm or the energy to be excited about Devotion to or to read my Bible. Sometimes I just pushed because I know I should probably do that. So I sort of half-heartedly do it.

Add to your emotions in that moment that might tell you I just don't feel like he's working add the knowledge and the wisdom that falls talking about and Trust the fact that you know, God is working. The one who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. On the first day to the last there is never a moment where he abandons us or leaves us or stops working. God is working in your life right now regardless of how you feel about it. He's working in your life. Let me share one more thing and I'll invite the worship team to come forward and will close. God is also working in your life. Even when your life is a mixed bag of both Devotion to God and frustration with everything that's going on in your life. Do you realize that he works with imperfect people smile fact, that's the only kind of people he has to work with. And he works with imperfect people regardless of where we find ourselves on that scale. You know, I know we're all imperfect. But this friend of mine, he's way up here almost perfect imperfect and I'm way down here way far away from perfect imperfect. Guess what God is always working in our life that other miracle that I wanted to share from the store to beginning my friend and I were talking this week about this passage in the sermon. We're good friends. We talked about our sermons together. He said you'll never guess what happened. I said what he said, we'll just about two weeks ago. I got invited to be part of an ordination service and he said this was one of the scriptures why I remembered the story that was being read in that ordination service that I was asked to say a few words and the young lady who is being ordained into the ministry when she got up to share. She looked over at my friend who's now my age and all these sorts of things. Just keep making you realize I guess I'm old enough to have this kind of moment happened in my life. She said, well, you may not remember this and said his name I'll just pretend his name is Brad. You may not remember this Brad, but I remember All these Bible stories from my youth and I remember all of them because you read them to me over and over and over and suddenly he realize this was a little girl from that church, which he would say. Are you the one I told you about it's beginning with the police got called and he was the student Minister and that little small Church student 18 down to know to infant, you know, he would look back and say are you can be that was one of the worst Ministries I've ever been in that was one of the most discouraging seasons of my life. I was flat-out overwhelmed and exhausted and mediocre and I was on a ship that was thinking and I was brand new and young and not even done with school yet. You know, how did nothing nothing good was going on in my life. That was probably a season of my life when I don't want to f****** just cranked out 51% Christian today, you know, I'll be happy with that accept. The other 48% is I can't believe what's going on is going on in this train wreck. Exedra Even in the midst of that there was this young lady in the student Ministry who is hearing him Faithfully, sometimes purely out of obligation. He would admit Faithfully going about his past. Teaching and reading the Bible stories and then they were celebrating this ordination. I call that a miracle. Listen God is always at work in our lives. Even when you have days when you said yourself. I'm barely trying to crank out 51% Christian behavior in this day, so I can just even the odds out that much. We all know there's days in which we go. It was 1% Did you know there was one little season that I tried to be nice and the rest of day people are that get out of his way? He's in one of those moods kind of thing. God's grace continues to work in and through our lives answer my prayer for me. And for all of us is the same prayer that the love that I know we all have we continue to abound more and more for one another and for those outside the church and that we would have the wisdom to discern the difference between good and bad and the difference between good and best and we'd make wise decisions to the innocent and shrewd witnesses to one another to encourage one another and to those outside the church and then we might bear fruit in our own lives of right living that cause others to praise God that they see his goodness Among Us and turn and praise him.

That we're here this morning and you've never made a decision to accept Christ as your lord and savior. We we we don't want to let a service go by without saying we we invite you to do that and you may say I don't want to walk up in front of everybody. That's that's fine. I'm going to be in the back of the service during this song and you can come to me back there. I'll answer any questions you have. I'll pray with you. It might be your first step. You may say I'm not making a decision. I just got a couple of questions. I want to prayer. That's great. That's great. Whatever might be on your heart. Whatever needs you might have we want to be available for you and I'll be in the back for that prayer time. They'll also be folks both in the front and the back for prayer time. If you just have a friend or yourself or any prayer need you can bring it to them and doing the song they would love to pray with you and for you. For all of us. It's a chance just to continue to what we and you do what we did earlier. To say what can I put in to worship? For this God who has saved me and for his love out the van me and works in my life, even when I may have a deaf ear to it. Let's let's worship God one more time. And if you've got a decision to join the church or two to make up have a pretty please come see me in the back play Stan.