Philippians 1:3-11 - God Finishes What He Starts

Introduction:

How many of you finish what you start? How many of you can’t stand the fact that this puzzle piece is just sitting there and not where it needs to be in order to complete the puzzle?

Some of us are better at finishing what we start than others.

However - Some of us live our lives looking more like this:

Or like this

We may start strong but just really lack the resolve to finish what we start. Jesus had some good wisdom on this:

Luke 14:28 ESV

28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?

Jesus tells us that we need to sit down and count the cost before we start a project. He is using this illustration as he discusses the cost of discipleship. He is telling his disciples and the great crowds that follow Him at the time that one must be willing to give up all in order to follow Christ. He wants them to know the cost of following Him. Although the gift of salvation is freely offered and doesn’t cost money or material possessions - it comes at a price on earth. And that price is giving up our will for His. Giving up our dreams for the plan He has for us. For many - this may be a greater cost than any financial or material cost in this world. Because the cost is laying down our pride and embracing humility. The cost is saying that we can’t do it on our own and that we need a Savior to take away our sins and restore our lives.

Despite the high cost of following Jesus - salvation comes with the greatest reward one could ever imagine - eternal life with Jesus forever in heaven. Those who repent (or turn away) from their sins and put their faith and trust and believe in Jesus Christ - the Perfect Son of God who died on the cross for our sins and raised from the dead three days later - are given the greatest reward one could ever imagine.

When it comes to finishing what you start, we can be thankful that God is much different than us. He doesn’t ever start something that He doesn’t finish. Today we are going to be discussing the work that He does in those who truly believe and follow Him. We are going to see how God finishes what He starts in the lives of believers.

Turn and read with me in Philippians chapter 1 verses 3-11:

Philippians 1:3–11 ESV

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 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. 7 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. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Prayer

We are going to discuss four different ways that God completes the work that He starts. The first is:

I. God Completes His Work…Through the Partnership of Leaders (3-5)

Philippians 1:3–5 ESV

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Let’s start by remembering who the you is. We are reading a letter from Paul with the help of Timothy that is to the church that he planted in Philippi. This is a church that he planted on his second missionary journey. This church was likely planted around AD 51 or so and he is writing this letter as we discussed before around AD 61/62.

Philippians 1:3–5 ESV

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Paul starts off by expressing his thankfulness for the people in the church of Philippi. This church has a special place in his heart. He planted this church. He saw the first converts. He also underwent significant persecution in which he was scourged and jailed followed by a miraculous deliverance from prison through an earthquake that God sent. He saw the power of God at work in this place as he saw hearts changed by the Gospel and even a demon cast out of a slave girl.

The word thank that he uses here is eucharisteō (eff-ha-ree-steo) which is where we derive the English word Eucharist - also known as the Lord’s Supper. And in this same verse we see a variation of the word remembrance - which should ring a bell based on what Jesus said at the first Lord’s Supper:

1 Corinthians 11:23–25 ESV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Paul is expressing his intimate love for his extended church family in Philippi. By using a common language for the Lord’s Supper, he lets them know how blessed he is to call them friends.

Philippians 1:4–5 ESV

4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Paul then moves on to describing the joy that he has when praying for this group of believers. He will use this word joy some 16 times in this wonderful letter and this will be a theme that we will see coming up again and again. Joy is so important in the lives of believers. Paul, as a leader among the churches, wants to encourage the believers in Philippi to be full of joy. We have discussed the difference between happiness and joy in the past, but I think it is always important for us to be reminded of the difference. Joy transcends your present circumstances. Joy prevails no matter what hardships you face because it is a fruit of the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5:22. Happiness is an emotion and can quickly turn to sadness if you receive bad news. Joy is based on your standing with God. And true joy is only possible for the believer. Because it is only a believer who has a right standing before God through the blood of Jesus Christ and is able to produce the fruits of the Spirit.

In verse 5, Paul uses another great word that we have mentioned before. The word partnership here is the same word that we have seen translated fellowship in the book of 1 John. This word koinōnia (coin-o-nia) comes from the root word meaning ‘to have in common.’ What do these believers in Philippi and Paul have in common? The Gospel. There is nothing that will bind believers together better than the Gospel. The Gospel destroys all distinctions that we put on people on earth. It is the great equalizer. Slave or free - rich or poor. Salvation is freely offered and given to all without respect of their status in society.

We have seen in these three verses the wonderful partnership that Paul had with the Philippian church. Paul partnered and led them in planting the church. And now they are supporting the ministry of Paul to other churches as well. The partnership of leaders is one way God completes His work - He also:

Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, Galatians 5:22

II. God Completes His Work…Through His Progressive Work in Our Lives (6)

Philippians 1:6 ESV

6 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.

We see Paul let the Philippian believers know that he is sure that God will complete what he started in them. What is this good work? This good work is the salvation, regeneration, and sanctification that had come upon the Philippian believers. After salvation and regeneration, this good work becomes the sanctification of the believer - meaning the workings of the Holy Spirit making us more like Christ. This work will be brought to completion at the day of Jesus Christ - namely his second coming. Although believers are perfected after death through Christ’s atonement and are with the Lord, the completion of their eternal standing with God will be fully consummated at the second coming of Christ.

This is one of the verses that this message hinges on. Paul says that he is sure of this - the Greek word translated sure here can mean confident, persuaded, or convinced. He doesn’t doubt this truth. He is fully convinced - assured. What is he assured of? He is assured that God will complete the work that he started in the Philippian believers.

And we can be sure that God will complete the work that he has started in us as well. This is yet another power verse for the perseverance of the saints - meaning that those who are truly believers are secure in their Savior’s hand.

John 10:28 ESV

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

We saw this theme throughout the book of 1 John as well. Believers should be assured of their salvation if they are truly in Christ. Now, John did challenge us many times to be sure that the good work of salvation has actually been started in our life. We do want to be sure, convinced, assured - that we truly have repented of our sins and put our trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. We want to be sure that we do know who Jesus was, is, and always will be. We need to know the Great I Am.

But if we are assured that we have truly repented and put our trust in Jesus, we need to trust and be convinced or assured that God will bring His good work to completion.

We have seen God completing his work through the partnership of leaders and through His progressive work in our lives. Next we see that:

Scripture References: John 10:28

III. God Completes His Work…Through the Passionate Care of the Laborers (7-8)

Philippians 1:7–8 ESV

7 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. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Can’t you hear the passion and love that Paul has for these believers? He holds them in his heart and he yearns for them with the affection of Christ Jesus.

What is his passion rooted in? The Gospel. Yet again we see the Gospel as their bond of fellowship and partnership. He sees their partnership with him even in his current imprisonment. Remember - he is in his second imprisonment at this time. He is likely in Rome. He is unable to go on another missionary journey currently because he is tied down to the Roman guards and imprisoned. Yet he sees this church aiding him in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel.

There are two very important terms at the end of verse 7.

The first is the word defense. Defense or defend is the Greek word apologia - which is where we get our English word apologetics. This is the defense of the Gospel. The study of apologetics is very important in strengthening our faith. We are told to have an answer for why we have the faith that we have.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

That same word, apologia, is listed here in 1 Peter. God calls us to study the Scriptures and learn them so that we can defend our faith. We do this in love and respect but we stand firm on the truth of the Word of God no matter what someone else says. We do not bow down to science or our culture. We hold fast to the inerrant Word of God.

And we also confirm the Gospel. This means that we believe with certainty. We practice what we preach. We confirm it by holding to it.

God completes His work through the partnership of leaders, His progressive work in our lives, the passionate care of the laborers and finally:

Scripture References: 1 Peter 3:15

IV. God Completes His Work…Through the Coming Promise of the Lord (9-11)

Philippians 1:9–11 ESV

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

This is a powerful ending to this section of prayer and thanksgiving in Paul’s letter. Before going into it directly - I want us to see the consistency of Paul’s theology here. Look at Colossians 1:9-11 in comparison:

Colossians 1:9–11 ESV

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

Time fails us to go into great detail on the parallels between these two passages. But I would recommend reading them side by side later this week and seeing the beauty of Paul’s consistency in his theology.

Philippians 1:9–11 ESV

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Getting back to Philippians: We see a couple of words that are thrown around a lot today in churches but not always properly understood. I want to add one that is included in Colossians 1:9 as well so that we can get a complete view of this spectrum of words.

These important words are:

Knowledge

Wisdom

Discernment

Proverbs is riddled with these words. And the New Testament has these words many times as well. But what do they practically mean? Many struggle with giving a working definition to them. God commands us to gain knowledge and wisdom and exercise discernment - so in order to do that we better figure out what they really mean!

Lets start with knowledge:

Knowledge - Information stored in your brain. This can be from General Revelation from God through science, math, language, etc. Or it can be from Special Revelation through the Word of God.

Knowledge puff up but love builds up. 1 Cor 8:1.

Knowledge is not helpful if it not used correctly or not used at all.

Having a lot of knowledge can even be harmful if it is used sinfully.

Wisdom - is knowing how to use the knowledge that you have. True wisdom is given by God through the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom is being able to use the knowledge given to you by God in the correct way. It is applying knowledge correctly.

A more worldly example of this may be that you may have knowledge regarding all of the parts of an automobile engine and know what each of them does. But you may not have the wisdom to repair an engine. This wisdom is knowing how to use the knowledge that you have. It comes from experience and a deeper understanding.

Regarding true wisdom - this is given by God. One may know the Scriptures well - but they may not be correctly applying them because knowing how to apply them comes from godly wisdom and understanding. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:14:

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

This wisdom is given through the Holy Spirit alone. Those without the Holy Spirit can gain knowledge of Scripture but never truly have wisdom given from it.

Discernment - is knowing when to use the knowledge that you have.

Some may have knowledge and even be wise - but they lack discernment. They may not apply the wisdom and knowledge they possess at the right time.

This one is tricky. It takes a soft heart and a continual walk with God to exercise discernment well.

So how are modern believers in our churches performing in the area of knowledge, wisdom, and discernment?

John MacArthur made the following judgement in regards to our churches today:

Tragically, many Christians are easily led from one thing to another, bouncing from one commitment or interest to another. They wander about, continually reacting to whatever circumstance comes their way or to whatever idea comes into their minds. Consequently, like young children, they are “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14).

Even when they attempt things that are good and biblically correct, their lack of discernment and persistence prevents the work from being truly effective. Worse than that, their immaturity prevents them from finding and pursuing the things that are most important, most vital, and most necessary to the kingdom, the things that are excellent.

- John MacArthur

I pray that we allow God to grow us through His means of grace and mature us as believers who exercise knowledge, wisdom and discernment in a Biblical way.

Philippians 1:9–11 ESV

9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Getting back to our Scripture, God wants our love to abound through knowledge, wisdom (from Colossians), and discernment. By using these three principles, we may be able to approve what is excellent and be pure and blameless. We are able to persevere until the coming promise of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comes to fruition.

We are able to stand firm despite the temptations and trials of this world. We are able to fight off the false teachings that exist in our culture and which reside even sadly among many of our churches today. Through the practice of using knowledge, wisdom, and discernment in tandem together - we can stand firm until the glorious second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus Christ and Him alone. Through His Word and His Holy Spirit, He grows these fruits of righteousness in us as believers. And He does all of this for His glory and praise.

As Loh and Nida stated in their commentary:

The supreme end of the Christian life is the glory and praise of God.

- Loh and Nida

We know that God is most glorified when He finishes what he starts, and we know that God will be forever glorified. He is forever faithful and His promises are always true. What a mighty and holy God we serve my friends.

Scripture References: Colossians 1:9-11, 1 Cor 8:1, 1 Cor 2:14, Eph 4:14

Conclusion

As we come to a close, I pray that we have come to a full assurance that God finishes the work he starts. He completes what He sets out to accomplish. We can trust His plan and purpose because it will come to pass.

He uses people, His Word, as well as His Holy Spirit to bring His work to completion. As we walk this difficult road of life, I pray that we trust Him and allow Him to use His means of grace to help sanctify us on our journey. Trust Him my friends - He never fails. Though the road may be long and difficult - He always prevails.

Prayer

If you would like to learn more about salvation through Jesus Christ or want to obey Jesus by obeying the first commandment of a believer in going through the waters of baptism - please see me after the service.

Have a blessed week.