Good News: The Gospel Is at Work in You

We’re going to start reading in verse Philippians 1:3-6

Philippians 1:3–6 ESV

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.

Last week, we met the church at Philippi. We saw the conversion of Lydia, the slave girl, and the jailer. We saw how God immediately began to move in the saints at Philippi, and they had gathered together for the sake of spreading the gospel. As Paul is writing, it’s a about 10 years later, and he gave the church some very encouraging words down in verse 6. This verse was meant to let these believers that even though God had started moving among them some 10 years ago, and God was not done with them yet.

Paul is sure. He is confident. He has no doubts or reservations. That He, that is God, who began a good work in these saints would bring the work to completion at the day of Christ.

So what is the “work” that Paul is talking about? He is talking about their salvation. He is continuing his thought from the previous verse when he was talking about their very beginning or their salvation.

Now down here in the south, in the Bible belt, many people have gone to church in the past or currently, so they know Christian lingo. But I’ve often found is that many people can talk “Christianese”, but they don’t really know the meaning behind the things that they are saying. For instance, when having gospel conversations, people will often tell me that they have been “Saved”. So my response is often, “That’s great! Since you’ve been saved. Explain to me what it means to be saved.” And I get all kinds of answers to that question, and unfortunately, it’s rare that I get a correct one. As we talked about with Lydia last week, their are many people who are God-fearers, they respect and even worship God in some aspect, but they have never experienced true salvation by Biblical definition.

But even among those of us that are truly saved, some times we lose sight of the full scope of what salvation really means. I think that often we only think about the salvation gospel, in part. Some focus on the fact that salvation means that our sins have forgiven which is true. Some focus on the eternal fact that salvation gets out of hell and into heaven. But there is much more to salvation than this. We need to keep in mind a complete picture of salvation.

Notice in verse 6 that salvation has a beginning and it has a completion. You see salvation is both an event and a process that eventually comes to a completion. Now we’re going to have a little Bible doctrines class this morning. If you want to add another word to your Christian vocabulary this morning, the study of salvation is called soteriology.

First there is the event of salvation. This is the beginning that Paul is talking about. There is a definite moment in time when one receives Christ and the “good work” begins in them. This is what we are usually referring to when we say someone got saved, or they decided to follow Christ, or they gave their life over to Jesus, they were born again. If you want a more formal term it’s regeneration. God taking someone from death to life. We are given a new nature through the presence of the Holy Spirit now living inside of us.

At this moment of salvation we are justified. Justification has to do with our new standing before God. People often describe it as being “just as if I had never sinned” Our standing before God changes from guilty to pardoned. Our sins our no longer on our account because they have been covered by the blood of Jesus. We stand before God free and forgiven.

But not only are we justified, we are also adopted. We become part of God’s family with all the rights and benefits of a son. The Bible says that we become joint-heirs with Jesus himself.

Now, this happens when we hear and respond to the gospel. We must understand that we are all sinners who deserve to separated from God for all of eternity because of the offensiveness of our sin against God. We must believe that Jesus Christ was God’s Son who came to earth, was born of a virgin, and lived a perfect, sinless life making Him the only one who could possibly pay the price for our sins. We must believe that when Jesus was put to death on the cross, he was put to death in our place, as a substitute for the punishment that we deserved for our sins. And we must believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, defeating death, conquering hell, and making available for us deliverance from the ultimate consequence of our sin.

As a result of believing in the work of Christ, we must repent. Which means we do a 180. We turn from ourselves, we turn from our sins, and we choose to follow Christ. We acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, which means He is our king and now has control over our lives. And the Bible says in Romans 10:9-10

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Romans 5:8-9 explain why we use the term being “saved”

Romans 5:8–9 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

We are saved from the wrath of God that is due us because of our sins when we will repent and believe the gospel. So that is the beginning. Our conversion. What we call salvation is when we first enter into a relationship with God.

Now the completion that Paul mentions is what is referred to as glorification. This will take place when our life is over and we are in the presence of the Lord. All our life we will struggle with our sin and fight for holiness, but when our life on earth is over either by death or the return of the Lord, that struggle with sin will be finally over. We will receive a glorified body free from sin and its scars. 1 John 3:2 says this

1 John 3:2 ESV

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

So if you are a true Christian, you were saved at your conversion that moment you received regeneration and justification. Then you will be saved at glorification when you will be given a glorified body in heaven. But what many people skip over whether intentionally or unintentionally is that we are currently through a process of being saved in between those to events.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Saved in this verse is in the present tense. This indicates that it is something that is on going in the present. This is referring to what we often call sanctification. Sanctification is the process by which we start to change our lives and conform into the image of Christ. In simpler terms, this is our spiritual growth. When God starts to change our character and conduct as we respond and obey to His Word. To break it down even more. The things we used to do, we don’t do them anymore. This is on going from the time someone is saved till their life is over. We are never going to absolutely perfect, but I life should continually be changing to look more and more like Christ.

This is something that we can’t skip over! I believe there are many people who experience a false conversion because they want their sins to be forgiven and they want to go heaven, but they do not want to go through sanctification. They don’t want their life to be changed to conform to the image of Christ. The word Christian means to be Christ-like. You can’t be a Christian and not seek to be Christ-like. You can’t be a follower of Christ and have no desire to actually follow after Christ. Sanctification is an essential aspect of the believers salvation. Without it, I don’t believe there really is salvation at all. Now, sanctification may happen more quickly in some than it does in others. As a Christian you may have to struggle through some sin. But if the Holy Spirit is living in you, there will be a desire to be the new creation that God has saved you to be.

Yes, God will forgive you of all your sins through Jesus. Yes, you can be saved from hell and go to heaven when you die. But There is so much more to our salvation. If you are here and you are truly a follower of Christ, you have been saved, you are being saved, and you will be saved. Salvation impacts our past, present, and our future. We are saved from the penalty of sin through justification, the power of sin through sanctification, and from the presence of sin at our glorification. When by God’s grace we put our faith in the gospel, it changes the course of our entire existence. I don’t know about ya’ll, but that sounds like good news to me.

This is what Paul is getting at in Phil 1:6

Philippians 1:6 ESV

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.

He is saying that I know God has saved you all. I know that God will bring you to heaven. But God is not done with you yet! God is going to continue working in you and through you until the day that you meet Jesus. Hey I’ve got some good news! The Gospel Is at Work in You.

And what we are going to see in the following verses is Paul’s prayer for this church. It’s a prayer that describes what it will looks like when we truly grab hold of the message of the gospel and begin to grow in grace. This is a prayer of sanctification for the church.

Transition: First, Let’s look at Paul’s Confidence

I. Paul’s Confidence

Before the prayer. Paul tells us why he is confident in the work of sanctification. It starts with two things that we learn in verse 6, first is this.

A. Salvation is God’s Work

Check out Romans 8:30

Romans 8:30 ESV

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Salvation is God’s work from beginning to end. There is nothing that we can do to earn it or deserve it or to make it better. God in His grace draws us unto himself. He opens our eyes to our sin, and our hearts to the gospel. He works in us and sanctifies us through His Spirit as the truth is revealed to us, and He will ultimately glorify us in the end. This is not by human achievement, but by God’s divine power, and it all comes to us through the finished work of Jesus Christ. You may remember in school when you didn’t complete an assignment on time and the teacher didn’t want to just fail you. They would give you a grade of incomplete. But with God, there is no incompletes. If he started something in you, then God will be faithful to complete it. We can have complete confidence that God is at work in us and will bring it to completion

Transition: But no only is salvation God’s Work, salvation is good work.

B. Salvation is Good Work

The work is good because it flows out of God’s goodness. Only a good God would provide a means for salvation for those who have rebelled against Him. God is too good to allow us to remain in our sinful state. He wants nothing more than for us to receive Him and experience the transformation of our standing before God, our present life, and our eternal destiny. If dependent upon our goodness, we may not be so confident. But salvation is all about the goodness of God, and in His goodness we can be confident.

But next, Paul tells us why he feels this way about the Philippian church. Why was he so confident that God was going to do the good work of salvation in these believers? Phil 1:7

Philippians 1:7 ESV

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.

So Paul says that it is right from him to feel this way because these believers were partakers with him of grace. That word partakers uses that same root word koinonia that we saw last week. He knew that God was going to keep working in these believers because he saw them working alongside him while he was working for Christ. Even while Paul was in prison, they were working to advance the gospel and establish a gospel presence in their community. These believers were not just spectators. There was obvious evidence of their salvation, and that the gospel was at work in their lives. So the third reason Paul was so confident is.

C. Salvation is the Gospel at Work

Would Paul be able to write the same thing to our church? Would he be confident that God was going to bring our salvation to completion because of our work for the gospel. What about yourself as an individual? Are you living a gospel centered life that gives confirmation to those around you that God is at work in you?

Transition: Now let’s look at the prayer Paul makes

II. Paul’s Prayer

Transition: Notice first his passion.

A. Paul’s Passion

Because of their committed partnership with him in advancing the gospel, Paul makes a passionate declaration of his love for them Phil 1:8

Philippians 1:8 ESV

For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Paul has a deep desire for this church to continue to grow in the application of the gospel. Where it says with all affection, it is referring to his innermost parts. This is much more than just a nice statement. Think about what He is saying here. He loves them with the affection of Christ Jesus. How much does Christ love the church? So much that He was willing to leave His thrown in heaven and sacrifice His life for it. Paul is saying that God is at work in him to love them the same way that Christ loves the church.

Church, we must realize that the love that Christ has for the church and let that same type of love flow through us. In fact, that is Paul’s request

B. Paul’s Petition

Phil 1:9

Philippians 1:9 ESV

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

Paul’s request is that they would abound more in love. Now it doesn’t say specifically who this love is to be directed to, but since Paul has been talking about the koinonia, the community of believers, we can gather by the context that Paul is saying that these believers need to continue growing in their love towards one another.

Love is the foundation of Christianity. For it was through God’s love that we received salvation. Most of us probably know John 3:16 morning.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

And we’ve already looked at Romans 5:8 this morning.

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And if you are here and you have experienced the love of God by receiving salvation. We are commanded to love others as well. Scripture commands us to love our neighbors. Love our enemies. But more than anything it tells us to love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 John 4:19-21

1 John 4:19–21 ESV

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

For the Christian, loving each other is essential. And much like our church, Paul understood that this church already had evidence of love for one another, but he wanted it to abound more and more.

You see our sanctification, our growth in Christ is linked to the way that we love. Without love there is no gospel. Without love there is no salvation. And if it is through love that we receive salvation, it is also through love that we are sanctified. The gospel change that Paul wants to see in these believers happens through love. So I believe that teaches us an important lesson. Since love is the foundation of the gospel.

Love is the foundation of spiritual maturity.

The more that we love God. The more we will love others. I believe that’s why Paul adds on at end of Phil 1:9 that we need to love with knowledge and discernment

Philippians 1:9 ESV

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,

But Paul did not just leave it love each other more. Knowledge and discernment need to accompany our love. The word that is used for knowledge here often refers to spiritual knowledge. Knowledge of God, knowledge of his truth, knowledge of commands, knowledge of his word. So what Paul is telling us here is that this is not just a blind mindless mushy, gushy love. Our love for one another should be guided by the principles of God’s character revealed to us through His word. The more we grow in our love and knowledge of God, the more we should grow in our love for people. Knowledge answers the question what does your word tell me about how I should love in this particular relationship.

But adding to that the word discernment has to do with the application of love. It is closely related to the word wisdom. Discernment answers the question what is the best way for me to show love in this particular relationship in light of what your Word says. Both knowledge and discernment should work together as we seek to love one another. For example.

The Bible tells us that we should lay down our lives for our brothers. That means we should be sacrificial towards one another. That’s the knowledge. But then discernment asks, “What is the best way for me to live sacrificially towards my brother.” That can be expressed in many different ways. It could with your time, financially, by doing them some type of favor. There’s a myriad of ways that we could live sacrificially towards one another. Discernment asks what’s the best way in this relationship. We need both knowledge and discernment to love like Jesus.

Transition: In verses 10-11, Paul reveals to us his purpose for this prayer.

B. Paul’s Purpose

Philippians 1:10-11

Philippians 1:10–11 ESV

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.

Paul’s main request is that this church we love, love, love. Because as we are told in 1 Corinthians 13, we can have all these great talents, and impressive gifts, but if we do not love. It means nothing. But Paul goes on and tells us why we should love this way.

Let’s take that first phrase, so that you may approve what is excellent. The word used for approve here means “to put to the test” . During this time period it was often used for the process of examining the worth of money or metals. So we need love along with knowledge and discernment to carefully examine what it excellent. What is best. Our litmus test for what is excellent should be our love for God and our love for others.

We can ask ourselves questions like these. Am i passionately pursuing a deeper relationship with God? Am I putting others above myself? Would this be the right thing for me to say as someone that loves God and loves others? Am I doing what is best with my time, money, and talents? Am i seeking to be a gospel witness in the spaces that God has placed me?

For many of us, we are probably not doing bad, but are we doing what is best? A major part of sanctification is going from doing what is good, to what is better, to what is best as we grow in our love and knowledge of God.

And why do we need to approve what is excellent? So we can be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. Paul’s desire is that when these believers meet Christ they will be able to stand before Him unashamed. Pure has to do with inner character and blameless has to do with our outward actions. So the idea here is that our heart and our actions both reflect the character of God.

And Paul makes it clear that it’s not through our own effort that we can be pure and blameless at the day of Christ. Verse 11 tells us that is as we are filled the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus. We have no righteousness of our own. The righteousness that we possess is a result of Christ working through us. You see the good news of the gospel is that Jesus took our sins upon himself and gave us His righteousness in it’s place. 2 Corinthians 5:21

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As we increase in our knowledge of what God has given us through the gospel, it will increase our love for Him. And if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. And the two greatest commandments? Love God with all your heart, soul, mind. And the second, Love your neighbor as yourself. As we begin to live this out and become living examples of the gospel at work. It all goes to the praise and the glory of God. Which glorifying God should be our ultimate goal as followers of Christ.

God’s great love for us displayed through the gospel not only changes our standing before God. It does not only change where we will spend eternity. It should change the way that we live right now. Love is the foundation of spiritual maturity. It’s Christ’s love flowing out of us that should change our actions, our attitudes, and our overall character.

So how can we really apply these scriptures to our lives?

I think the first thing is obvious. We need to grow in love. We need to grow in love with knowledge and discernment. We need to get to know God better by continuing to study His Word and learn of His character, and as we do that we will love him more and more. And as we grow in our love for God, we will naturally grow in love for others. Because God is love. We must get to know those in our community and seek to find out what is the best way for me to love this person. Even in gospel relationships in our church we all speak different love languages, so we need to ask God for that discernment.

One thing that we must definitely do as brothers and sisters in Christ is to pray for each other’s sanctification. I know that we pray for each other’s special needs. But sanctification is a constant need that all of us have. Paul loved his brothers so much that he prayed for their spiritual growth. Here is a prayer list we can pray for each other based on Paul’s prayer here.

Grow them in love toward God and others.

Give them knowledge and discernment to be able to determine what things are best in light of God’s Word.

Help them to live pure and blameless till Christ returns.

Fill them with the fruit of righteousness that comes through their relationship with Christ.

May they praise and glorify God for all he is doing and will do in their life.

I know that I have nowhere near arrived, and I would appreciate prayers like this from my family in Christ.

One other good reminder from this message is that when we share the gospel with others, we need to give the whole picture. We don’t need to dangle a get out of hell free card, and we don’t need to just talk about forgiveness of sins. Those aspects of salvation certainly must be covered, but we can’t leave out what happens in between. Salvation is a commitment to following after Christ. If the person is not willing to truly repent from sin and enter into discipleship where they will learn how to follow Christ, chances are, they were never truly saved. We can’t see people’s hearts, so all we have to go by is the evidence shown by their actions. We just need to be sure to give them the big picture up front. Not Jesus will forgive you of all your sins and take you to heaven when you die if you believe in Him. O yeah, by the way, he says that you also need to lie down your life daily, take up your cross and follow Him.

Perhaps you are here this morning and you don’t know Christ. Jesus wants to begin a good work in you. We’ve already talked about what the gospel means this morning and how it can change your entire existence. If you have never had that moment, where you know that you received Christ, where your relationship with Christ began. I invite you to begin that relationship today.