Philippians 1:3-11 says...
Today's verses are Philippians 1:3-11, which read,
v.3-5 - I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
The church in Philippi is on Paul's prayer list. It is his joy to petition for or make a request on behalf of the Christians in the Philippian church. Why the joy? He mentions here that they heard the gospel and received it and then immediately, from the first day, participated or were in fellowship or partnership with him to reach others in the city with it. Paul had support of the gospel in very short order. This was not always the case when Paul went into a new town with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
v.6 - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Three "for" statements are to follow this joy. The first "for" is that the salvation of justification will be made perfect or complete on the day of glorification when they are face to face with Christ Jesus. Salvation was received and the work of salvation in their lives of transformation and what we call sanctification would continue on to completion. We have been justified in salvation through the gospel of God through the cross of Christ. We are being sanctified by salvation as we are transformed into Christ-likeness through His Holy Spirit's guiding while we live on this earth. We will be glorified of salvation as we will stand before Him with new bodies as the Scriptures record. The salvation that we have received has a completion process that Paul calls a good work started that will go on to completion of perfection.
v.7 - For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.
The second "for" statement is Paul saying that from his inward parts, from his heart, with all of himself, he had an intense love for them. They were thinking of him while he was in prison and they were also carrying on the defense and confirmation of the gospel. He was sitting in prison but there were Christians out there who were carrying on the very thing he was sitting in there for. It was not a lost cause to be in prison for the sake of the gospel. He may be suffering but that suffering had brought upon new life in Christ that was acting out beyond the four walls of the prison.
v.8 - For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
The third "for" statement is Paul's very vocal and very public acknowledgement of his love for the Christians of Philippi. He cannot contain within himself the love that he has for them so it pours out in his actions and words.
v.9-11 - And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
The somewhat "perfect" Christians that Paul loves so much he is praying for all the more. The ones that we would think don't need much more prayer are prayed for by Paul all the more. What do these "perfect" Christians who are in defense of the gospel and caring for Paul in his imprisonment need?
Paul prays that their love would abound even more in the real knowledge of Jesus. Paul is praying that they will not get stale in their love of God by putting away their need to know more of Him. How easy it is to lay aside the Bible and in effect reduce the love we have for Him because we are not increasing our knowledge of Him.
Paul prays for them to have increased discernment as they keep in the knowledge of God to approve what is excellent. How do we know what is right and wrong, what is excellent or not excellent, unless we have the increasing knowledge of Him who sets the standards and rules. Out of that knowledge of Him will come obedience to the excellent set by Him that brings glory to God through our very lives. "Perfect" Christians need ever increasing discernment in a world of ever changing values of what is right and wrong in their eyes.
Paul prays for them to be filled with the righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ. He is praying that their lives would continue to produce actions that are Christ-like and directly attributed to Him and from Him. Actions speak louder than words but also actions need to come from the study of God's words. He is praying that the increased knowledge of God would result in increased actions of righteousness for Him. Again, it is easy to be in a mode of knowing more but not doing more with what you know.
These "perfect" Christians that Paul loved so much who were on the right track and supported him and giving him joy by their obedience to and defense of the gospel needed more prayer. Do we pray for those who we deem "have it together" with the gospel? Do we pray earnestly that they would grow more and not fall to the temptation to think they have arrived or that they can handle life without more of the knowledge of God? Paul is showing us that those "giants" of the faith in our lives that we look up to need our prayers. They need to know God more so they can continue to discern and follow what is right for themselves and those who are following behind them and continue to give actions that glorify God.
Satan is on the war path for "perfect" Christians who are doing the right thing to let slide their increasing knowledge of God and to let slide their increasing discernment to do what is right according to His words and to let slide their increasing actions because of what they are increasingly knowing. Be in prayer for your "giants" of the faith that you draw upon and have come to love because of their walk in the Lord. Put them on your prayer list. Let's pray.
"Lord, we tend not to pray for those who have it together. We tend not to pray protection for those who have protected us with an example of following Your word in word and deed. Help us to pray for our spiritual leaders who need to continue to increase in their knowledge of You. Help us to pray for their discernment to come from that knowledge of Your word. Help us to pray for them to continue to put into action an active love of You and others. May we like Paul, let them know publicly of our love and prayers for them. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.3-5 - I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
The church in Philippi is on Paul's prayer list. It is his joy to petition for or make a request on behalf of the Christians in the Philippian church. Why the joy? He mentions here that they heard the gospel and received it and then immediately, from the first day, participated or were in fellowship or partnership with him to reach others in the city with it. Paul had support of the gospel in very short order. This was not always the case when Paul went into a new town with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
v.6 - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Three "for" statements are to follow this joy. The first "for" is that the salvation of justification will be made perfect or complete on the day of glorification when they are face to face with Christ Jesus. Salvation was received and the work of salvation in their lives of transformation and what we call sanctification would continue on to completion. We have been justified in salvation through the gospel of God through the cross of Christ. We are being sanctified by salvation as we are transformed into Christ-likeness through His Holy Spirit's guiding while we live on this earth. We will be glorified of salvation as we will stand before Him with new bodies as the Scriptures record. The salvation that we have received has a completion process that Paul calls a good work started that will go on to completion of perfection.
v.7 - For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.
The second "for" statement is Paul saying that from his inward parts, from his heart, with all of himself, he had an intense love for them. They were thinking of him while he was in prison and they were also carrying on the defense and confirmation of the gospel. He was sitting in prison but there were Christians out there who were carrying on the very thing he was sitting in there for. It was not a lost cause to be in prison for the sake of the gospel. He may be suffering but that suffering had brought upon new life in Christ that was acting out beyond the four walls of the prison.
v.8 - For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
The third "for" statement is Paul's very vocal and very public acknowledgement of his love for the Christians of Philippi. He cannot contain within himself the love that he has for them so it pours out in his actions and words.
v.9-11 - And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
The somewhat "perfect" Christians that Paul loves so much he is praying for all the more. The ones that we would think don't need much more prayer are prayed for by Paul all the more. What do these "perfect" Christians who are in defense of the gospel and caring for Paul in his imprisonment need?
Paul prays that their love would abound even more in the real knowledge of Jesus. Paul is praying that they will not get stale in their love of God by putting away their need to know more of Him. How easy it is to lay aside the Bible and in effect reduce the love we have for Him because we are not increasing our knowledge of Him.
Paul prays for them to have increased discernment as they keep in the knowledge of God to approve what is excellent. How do we know what is right and wrong, what is excellent or not excellent, unless we have the increasing knowledge of Him who sets the standards and rules. Out of that knowledge of Him will come obedience to the excellent set by Him that brings glory to God through our very lives. "Perfect" Christians need ever increasing discernment in a world of ever changing values of what is right and wrong in their eyes.
Paul prays for them to be filled with the righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ. He is praying that their lives would continue to produce actions that are Christ-like and directly attributed to Him and from Him. Actions speak louder than words but also actions need to come from the study of God's words. He is praying that the increased knowledge of God would result in increased actions of righteousness for Him. Again, it is easy to be in a mode of knowing more but not doing more with what you know.
These "perfect" Christians that Paul loved so much who were on the right track and supported him and giving him joy by their obedience to and defense of the gospel needed more prayer. Do we pray for those who we deem "have it together" with the gospel? Do we pray earnestly that they would grow more and not fall to the temptation to think they have arrived or that they can handle life without more of the knowledge of God? Paul is showing us that those "giants" of the faith in our lives that we look up to need our prayers. They need to know God more so they can continue to discern and follow what is right for themselves and those who are following behind them and continue to give actions that glorify God.
Satan is on the war path for "perfect" Christians who are doing the right thing to let slide their increasing knowledge of God and to let slide their increasing discernment to do what is right according to His words and to let slide their increasing actions because of what they are increasingly knowing. Be in prayer for your "giants" of the faith that you draw upon and have come to love because of their walk in the Lord. Put them on your prayer list. Let's pray.
"Lord, we tend not to pray for those who have it together. We tend not to pray protection for those who have protected us with an example of following Your word in word and deed. Help us to pray for our spiritual leaders who need to continue to increase in their knowledge of You. Help us to pray for their discernment to come from that knowledge of Your word. Help us to pray for them to continue to put into action an active love of You and others. May we like Paul, let them know publicly of our love and prayers for them. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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