Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture Introduction: Please open your Bible to .

Today we continue our intermittent journey through Paul’s letter of encouragement.

We have before us today one of his most profound declarations of all of his writings, and we find here God’s message of hope and deliverance.

We’ll pick up with the ending of verse 18 and read through verse 26.

Read .

Sermon Introduction: It is only natural.. that as young believers comes to grip with the magnitude of the blessings that they have in Christ, that they can become perplexed by the implications of all the things God has done for them in Christ.

The guarantees that are found in Jesus are truly matchless: a cleared record of sin, a perfect account of righteousness, an eternal inheritance, enduring peace, union with God, the list can go on and on...

Such assurances might bring one to wonder, “Well if Jesus has taken care of everything for me and has prepared a place for me in heaven… why am I still here?

What difference does it really make what I do with my life if my salvation is secure in Jesus?”

Such spiritual ‘growing pains’ come naturally as we treasure what we hold by faith to be true while we live in a darkened world; some have called it the already-not-yet reality of Christian living.

And while we might expect such thoughts to captivate young, maturing believers, today we read the Apostle Paul entertaining a similar notion, and he does so for all of our benefit.

His thinking goes like this: “with Christ being honored by my living through this trial or my dying in this trial, which should I prefer?”

Paul opens his own heart, exposing his inner-most motivations, and makes an exhibition of this dilemma while applying himself to the spiritual discipline of pursuing things that are necessary while longing for what is better.

The guarantees that are found in Jesus are truly matchless: a cleared record of sin, a perfect account of righteousness, an eternal inheritance, enduring peace, union with God, the list can go on and on...

Such assurances might bring one to think, “Well if Jesus has taken care of everything for me… why am I still here?”

cause of the “what now?” I’m safe and secure in Jesus, so what am I suppose to do with my life?

Paul encourages the church as he, himself wrestles with this same dilemma, applying himself to the spiritual discipline of longing for what is better while pursuing what is necessary.

Transition: Three main points will guide our examination of the text today, the first of which reintroduces us to Paul’s world of suffering, thus we find...

I.

A Reason for Rejoicing (vv.

18b-20)

Pivoting from his previous discussion of God’s peculiar means of Gospel advancement (i.e.

imprisonment, preachers with poor motives, etc.), Paul continues exalting God for His sustaining grace, pointing his own heart (and ours) to focus on unshakable pillars of that grace.

(Read verses 18b-20.)

As we consider verses 19 and 20, notice these three things that Paul rejoices in [Comfort, Deliverance, Worship].

Paul rejoices in Comfort (verse 19) and this comfort is two-pronged...

Paul rejoices in the comfort of the Body of Christ (v.

19).

Paul has already made it clear that his readers are on his mind and in his prayers (Read verses 3-5).

He means what he says when he describes this relationship they share as having “partnership” qualities.

He prays for them, and they pray for him.

There is a mutual bond of prayer in a ministry of comfort.

Prayer: Paul speaks with confidence that the prayers of believers are heard of God and that they are effective in putting courage into a troubled soul and in planting hope in times of suffering.

Paul is encouraging this church to continue in their encouragement.

To this point, Matthew Henry notes that...

“Whatever turns to our salvation is by the supply or the aids and assistance of the Spirit of Christ; and prayer is the appointed means of fetching in that supply.

The prayers of the people may bring a supply of the Spirit to their ministers, to support them in suffering, as well as in preaching the gospel.”

Whatever turns to our salvation is by the supply or the aids and assistance of the Spirit of Christ; and prayer is the appointed means of fetching in that supply.

The prayers of the people may bring a supply of the Spirit to their ministers, to support them in suffering, as well as in preaching the gospel.

Henry, M. (1994).

Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p.

2322).

Peabody: Hendrickson.

Henry, M. (1994).

Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p.

2322).

Peabody: Hendrickson.

We are encouraged here to prayer for our elders and to rejoice in this mutual comfort.

You are blessed to be enveloped in such a mutual bond.

Paul rejoices in the comfort of the body of Christ; he also rejoices in the...

Paul rejoices in the help of the Spirit of Christ (v.

19).

The Spirit is the divine Helper, and Paul indicates that this is exactly what the Spirit does in accordance to the assurance that Jesus gave His followers that they will not be left without help in His absence.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

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The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, and it is the Spirit who applies the salvation wrought in Christ to the life of the believer.

It is the Spirit who convicts the sinner of sin and regenerates them from spiritual death unto new life, a life of repentant faith.

Without the Spirit, we have no salvation, and that is why Christ goes on to say in , referring still to the Spirit,...

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

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The Holy Spirit is the Peace that Jesus brings.

And such peace puts away all fear, because Jesus is mighty to save.

And this is the second thing we see Paul rejoicing in here in verse 19: Deliverance.

Paul has comfort, because there is deliverance.

Deliverance (verse 19); The question to ask is, “Deliverance from what?”

From Present Circumstances

Let us not forget Paul’s current circumstances: he has been rejected and attacked by the Jewish magistrates, he has been arrested and imprisoned by the Roman government, and he has been slandered and dismissed even by many in the church.

At the present time, his fate seemed to lay in the hands of a Roman official or even of Caesar himself.

He was awaiting his trial by the kind of people who by now were relegating people like Paul to be instigators of civil unrest and religious blasphemy, worthy of severe punishment and death.

Paul cannot escape hinting at these circumstances as he writes about deliverance here in chapter one, but...

Paul’s conclusion that we see in verse 19, that “this” will turn out for his deliverance echoes the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

Verse (?)

Paul is saying with open hands that

Even more than his trial, verse 20 tells us that what Paul desired more was deliverance from the fear of being ashamed of Christ.

We might naturally think of Paul as a ‘super saint’ who never had any lack of boldness in proclaiming Christ, but here we see that Paul knew himself very well and he deals with himself honestly before his Philippian readers, informing them of how to pray for him.

Paul, who infamously writes “I am not ashamed of the Gospel” in , here reveals that such bold Christian statements must be proved through the living and dying of the saints.

Paul was about to have a hearing before the emperor, but Caesar’s opinion of Paul mattered little compared to how Paul stood in the eyes of God.

And thus Paul’s reference to deliverance has a fuller meaning than merely addressing his present circumstances.

Paul is rejoicing for deliverance...

From Eternal Condemnation

Paul didn’t know, despite his best inclinations, what Caesar’s decision would be: life or death.

But Paul knew without a shadow of a doubt, that when God sets out to do something He brings it to pass.

Paul could not have been clearer about this when he said in verse 6 of this same passage “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.”

With this one thought, Paul is preaching to himself the comfort that David speaks of in

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.

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”

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and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

().

Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.”

Those who look to him are radiant,

…Paul’s preaching to himself the comfort found in

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.”

“thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: “Whoever believes will not be in haste [will not be overcome].”’”

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“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,

and saved him out of all his troubles.”

a stone, a tested stone,

Paul shares the confidence of Job.

a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: