← ArchiveSunday, February 1, 2015DateFebruary 1, 2015Speaker—TextPhilippians 1Passages in this sermonPhilippians 10:21Ephesians 2:811:35Romans 6:2211:57Romans 612:011 John 318:07Romans 518:49Galatians 518:58Galatians 5:2219:02John 15:425:38TranscriptClick any line to jump there.0:00Thank you so much. If you brought your Bible, I hope you did. I draw your attention to Philippians chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1 will be our text. We'll be in this book of Philippians for four weeks. And really, there's no way possible that we can cover all the riches out of the book of Philippians.0:30But we're going to do our best in four weeks to hit the highest points. Philippians chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1. Beginning with the first verse to the 11th verse. Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Christ Jesus to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and the deacons. Grace to you and peace from our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord Jesus Christ.0:57And thank my God in all my remembrance of you. Always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all. In the view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 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.1:19For 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. Confirmation of the gospel. You all are partakers of grace with me.1:47For God is my witness how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 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.2:16Let's pray. Father God, let's ask you, Lord, to remove any obstacles standing in the way from us hearing from you. Father, I ask that you let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight today. We love you. We praise you. We thank you for what you're about to do in our midst today.2:44God, I ask you right now to do your work in our lives. Lord, do something so uniquely special when we walk away from here, we can just say, let's just blame it on Jesus today. Because you did such a mighty work in our lives. Father, I pray that we unpack your word today. That it'll become alive to us today. It'll be something that we see something today that we might have never seen before. And God, I pray that we walk away, as I've said time and time again this morning already, that we leave this place differently than when we came.3:13We love you. We praise you. And we bless you. In Jesus' name we pray. And the church says, amen. The word fellowship, the word fellowship means a great deal to so many different people, does it not? It has different meanings to all. Perhaps like a worn-out coin, it may be losing its impression, so to speak.3:37After all, we talk about the word fellowship in the Bible. It needs to stay in circulation as long as possible. In spite of the difficult circumstances that Paul found himself, he has found rejoicing in his circumstances, strengthened in the fellowship of the gospel, promoting the furtherance of the gospel, and guarding the faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You and I cannot have true fellowship with the gospel unless we decide to have that true fellowship.4:05Now, we can say we have fellowship, but we've got to make some decisions to have true, united fellowship of the gospel. I want you to look at the message truth. In spite of our circumstances, we can be strengthened by the fellowship of the gospel. We can promote the furtherance of the gospel and guard and defend the faith of the gospel. Fellowship means to have something in common.4:33Now, I want you to let that bathe over you just a little bit. Fellowship means to have something in common. In spite of all these different situations that Paul was going on, he was minding his own business on his way to Rome, and he finds himself in prison to Rome, in Rome. And he, as he's writing from the prison cell, he is found to be rejoicing. The secret of his joy is his single-mindedness. He lives for Christ and the gospel.5:03Christ is named 18 times in this particular book. In the gospel, it's mentioned six times in chapter one alone. Actually, there's something, there's a phrase in this particular passage that I want you to look at over nine times in this book. He uses two words. The word, you all. Now, that reminds me that Paul really kind of puts me in the position of saying, I believe that Paul had to be a southerner.5:29I really do. When you look at that passage and you see, I have you all in my heart, I have you all in my prayer, I have you all in remembrance. Folks, let me tell you something. He's saying, I'm from the deep south. You don't hear you all in Wisconsin. You don't hear you all in Minnesota. You don't hear you all in New Hampshire.5:57You hear you all here in Moody, Alabama, don't you? In fact, the matter is, we don't even get the two words out. It's just y'all, right? Paul is saying, I, in no matter what circumstances, I find myself. But true Christian fellowship is much deeper than sharing coffee and a piece of pie. By the way, if you want to have a piece of cake on me, actually, on the church, but if you want to have a piece of cake and a cup of coffee, come Wednesday night, 630, in the dining hall.6:21I'm teaching on the model of prayer, practicing powerful prayer, and we're having a great prayer time. And we've got cake and coffee. I want you to join with us there. But it's not true fellowship. It's not just hanging out, having a piece of pie and a cup of coffee. You and I cannot have true Christian fellowship unless we have something that we have in common about.6:50We've got to have something in common. Now, I do something that I know every pastor probably does this, and I'm sure the former pastor, Pastor Chris, did this. But I just love doing it. We kind of mow them around the halls during Sunday, before Sunday school, right? We kind of bop into every room, and y'all think, wow, he is so sweet. He's so nice to come by and say hello. He's so nice to come by and stick his head in there and see what we're all about.7:19Well, I can tell you, I don't know about Pastor Chris, but I can tell you, honestly, the reason why I go is to find out who is having the best food in the house. I want to see the best fellowship that's going on, and I found a classroom today. It's a bunch of women, and they had the best. I don't know. Student ministry, y'all brought it today somewhat, but these women, they brought it.7:44I could have hung out there the entire time. Stuart, I'm sorry. Panera Bread, the box of stuff, what is up with that? But anyway, I want you to understand, we need to have that fellowship, and it's not just about the cake. And coffee and popcorn, putt-putt, and pizza and punch. It's about us having the things in common. Fellowship will keep us from complaining about our circumstances. Fellowship will strengthen us for the journey ahead.8:14Paul was illegally arrested. He was beaten. He was thrown into prison, shackled to a Philippian jailer, humiliated before the people. Yet, he, in all of these bad circumstances, he finds a way to write four chapters to one of his favorite churches. Now, I want you to know, it wasn't a perfect church. They had some issues. There were some divisions inside this church.8:43There was some fighting and squabbling going on inside this particular church. And guess what? It all started by a couple of women. Most of the church fights that we have in church work today are not started by the women. It's started by a bunch of knucklehead men, thinking they have some kind of rights or something. Church, let me tell you something. If we're going to be a great church, we've got to decide what we have in common and move forward under the banner of Jesus Christ.9:10Paul is writing to this church. Now, folks, let me tell you something. If you think about it, he was chained to a Philippian jailer for 24 hours a day. They didn't let him up for air. He was chained to this jailer on six-hour shifts every day. Four guys, four different guys. And all the while, he led one of them to faith in Christ.9:39You know, when you get chained up to a preacher like Paul, he's going to share the gospel, right? You see, I want you to know something, folks. All of us in this room, we have something in common. We can have our preferences. We can have our differences. We can have our methodology differences. We can like our different texts that we like to read, our different versions of God's word to read. All of that's okay. But we have one thing in common, and that is Jesus Christ crucified in our lives.10:06We have the gospel of Jesus Christ that we can have in common. So I want us to look as we unpack this passage. I want us to look at three things. How to increase your joy and produce pure Christian fellowship. Number one, fill in the blanks with me. Number one connecting point is this. Let's remember the things that we have in common.10:30When we get discouraged, when we get downtrodden, when we want to start the complaining, and we want to have it our way and not God's way, and we want our preferences taken care of, or our music sung, or our preaching done, or our Sunday school curriculum done, or whatever it might be that you have on your preferences sheet. We need to remember what we have in common. Verses 3 through 6, look what it says.11:00I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering a prayer with joy in every prayer for you all. In the view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now, 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. Let us remember what we have in common.11:27Number one, salvation is what the work God does for us. Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8, 9, For by grace you've been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God as a result of works. And folks, let me tell you something. Salvation is what God does for us. Sanctification. Made holy, if I should say it that way. Change. Sanctification is the work that God does in us. Turn with me to Romans chapter 6, verse 22.11:57Look what it says. Now, most of us in this room will jump on Romans 6, verse 23, because we like that one. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. That's what we want to say. Man, we love that verse. But back up to verse 23. But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit resulting in the sanctification and the outcome, eternal life. If you are saved by his grace, you are being sanctified by his grace.12:28Amen? So what we have in common is salvation is what God does for us. Sanctification is what God does in us. Service is the work that God does through us. Now, here's a passage of Scripture that sometimes we don't want to go to. We love that grace passage over there in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8 and 9. Oh, we love that. For by grace we've been saved through faith in that night of yourselves. It is a free gift of God, not as a result of works that any man should boast.12:55Then we stop right there, do we not? Then we don't want to go to 10, because look what it says. Greg, it says this. It says, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which he prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. What he is saying, if you're saved by his grace, service is what God does through us. We are to be servants of the Most High God. Didn't get any amens on that one.13:26We need to look and see what we have in common. Salvation is what God does for us. Sanctification is what God does in us. And service is what God does through us. And Paul is saying, I have you in my mind. Notice what it says with me. I thank my God in every remembrance of you for you, always offering a prayer with joy in every prayer for you all in your participation in the gospel.13:52And then he goes on to say, 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. Folks, some of you have been in this church for a long time. Long time. Some of you were born in this church. Some of you have been here nine months before he was born.14:21You'll get that about lunch. Some of you have been here a long time. Some of you have been Christ followers for a long time. And so this is a reminder of who we are in Christ Jesus. To have a joyful heart, we need to realize that we have some things that are in common. We can have our personal preferences and differences. But we have some things that are in common. Isn't it remarkable that Paul is thinking of others and not himself? Here he is chained to this Philippian chapter, not knowing what the outcome may be.14:51And he says, I have you in my mind. I'm thinking about you. So let me give you an application here. I want to challenge you. If you're a note writer or whatever, text messenger, or you're a Facebook messenger, or you tweet, however you communicate, or do what some of us still do and actually write a note.15:17Why don't you find somebody in this fellowship and write a note of gratitude for their life? Send them a note. Now, I get enough hate mail, so you don't send me any hate mail, okay? I just don't need any of that. I get your hate mail. Thank you very much. And thanks for signing it, by the way. It makes me feel good when you sign it. At least I know who you are. No, I hadn't gotten one piece of hate mail from this church.15:46I want you to know that. Maybe after this sermon, but not one piece of hate mail. We need to understand what we have in common. Amen? And we need to encourage one another. The world is discouraging out there, is it not? And Paul says, in light of my awful circumstances, we got some things in common, church at Philippi. We got some things in common. We got salvation in common.16:16We got sanctification in common. We can serve the Lord in common. I got you in my mind. Second thing to us to remember. Let us remember that Christian love is not something we work up. It's something that Christ does in us and through us. I'll never forget what it was the last couple weeks ago when I sent this outline to Eric. He sent me a little note. It says, my goodness, we are wordy, aren't we? So I'm going to say it real slowly for you because I really want us to lock into this principle.16:47We need to remember that Christian love is not something we work up. It's something that Christ does in us and through us. Verse 7. I love this verse. It is not only right for me to feel this way about you all because I have you in my heart. Now, you see, he just said, I have you in my mind.17:15Then now he goes on to say, man, I got you in my heart. I have you in my heart since both in my imprisonment and the defense of the confirmation of the gospel. You are partakers of grace with me. For God is my witness how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. Folks, let me tell you something. We need to remember that Christian love is not something that we work up. We can't just work it up. We can't fake it till we make it.17:44Either we got Christian love, the love of Christ, or we don't. So we need to remember that Christian love is not something we work up. It's something that God does in us, Christ does in us, and through us. Christian love is the thing that binds us together, binds us as the body of Christ. 1 John 3, verse 14. I want you to listen to it with me. We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren.18:11We love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Folks, let me tell you something. If you don't love a brother and sister in Christ Jesus, maybe the love of Christ may not be in you. The love of Christ in you will equate to you loving as Christ loved you.18:34So Christian love is the love that binds us together. Christian love is not something that we can work up. Romans chapter 5. I won't go there because of time permitting. But Christian love also practices, who practice love, always experiences real joy. I do want you to see this passage in Galatians chapter 5. You'll know this. Galatians chapter 5, verse 22.19:02I love this passage. But the fruit of the Spirit is love. It's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. We cannot be governed when it comes to Christian love. So let's remember the things that we have in common, church. Let's remember that Christian love cannot, is not something we work up.19:29It's not something that God does in us or through us. So Paul is saying, not only do I have you in my mind, but he's saying, church at Bethel. Church at Philippi. I have you in my heart. Occasionally, I'll get syrupy with my son. I love to because he always goes, ugh. But he's 24. You know how those knuckleheads are.19:58They think they're big stud puppies and all this kind of stuff. So yesterday, I went over Friday night to do this event. And I drove up because I had an early speaking assignment early Saturday morning. So the church had me a place. And so I went over and I hung out with Seth for a little bit Friday night. And had dinner and, you know, emptied my wallet. And he has a job. Why does he keep getting my money? I don't get that plan. I've got to figure that new plan out. Somewhere along the way, we've got to get him off the payroll.20:28Amen? Somewhere along the way, we've got to get some. If y'all know how to do that, please send me a wonderful email telling me an outline on that. So anyway, we're hanging out and that kind of stuff. And I told him right there in front of his girlfriend, I kissed him. I did. I kissed him right on the mouth. I know some of you are going, ugh. Why did you do that? Well, he's mine.20:58She may be dating him, but I'm still paying for him. I mean, he's mine. And I told her, I said, look, I know that y'all are dating. And I'm not naive enough to believe that y'all are not holding hands. I'm sure you are holding hands. I've seen you hold hands. And y'all may even kiss. Now, we don't promote that, Brad. I'm not promoting this with your teenagers. Teenagers kissing is illegal. It's not of the Lord. Don't do it. Is that good enough for you, brother?21:28Good. See, Pastor Brad gave me a thumbs up. But I told her, I said, Taylor, if y'all decide somewhere along the way, and he actually brushes his teeth over the next couple of days, and you decide to let him give you a goodnight kiss right there, just remember, I kissed him just a minute ago. And so when you kiss him, just remember, my lips hit those lips too. It's like you kiss me.21:58She said, thank you for ruining my supper. I appreciate that so much. But one of the things that I always tell Seth in a text message or a tweet, whatever, however we communicate, which is multiple ways. I love you with all my heart, son. Paul is telling one of his favorite churches, forgiveness, forgiving one another. We have so much in common. We can have our differences and preferences,22:28but I love you with all my heart. Christian love remembers that Christian love is not something we work up. It's something that God does in us and does through us. Number three, connecting point, and I'm done. Let's remember that the deepest Christian fellowship and joy we can experience in this life is at the throne of grace. Praying with and for one another.22:57Praying with and for one another. Join me now, picking it up in verse 9 and following in God's word. And this, I pray that your joy may abound still more and more in real knowledge in all discernment so that you may approve the things that are excellent23:23in 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. Let's remember that the deepest Christian fellowship and joy we can experience in this life23:51is at the throne of grace in praying with and praying for one another. Three final little sub points for you. Christians that have a pure heart will pray for others to have abounding joy and discerning love. One of the sweet ladies in the choir stopped me today in the hall and she said to me,24:20I pray for you every day. You could have given me money and that wouldn't have blessed me anymore. I pray for you every day. And we have people that are on our prayer list that pray for, that are on our prayer commitment card in our ministry that pray for our work every day. But that lady saying that today, it just lit me up. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart24:51for praying because Christian love is a pure heart praying for others to have abounding joy and discerning love. Christians will pray with and for each other to consistently develop as Christ's Christian character. We should pray for each other to develop the Christ-like character that he has for us, that he wants us to be. And Christians will pray for believers25:21to have a mature Christian service, meaning we will surrender our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ and we will surrender to his calling and the work that he's called us to. It's John chapter 15, verse 4. Coming up in a few months, in a few weeks, we're going to unpack these 17 verses and a run up to Easter. But I want you to look at verse 4. Jesus standing down by this vineyard passage,25:51vineyard patch, and he is by the Mount of Olives through the Valley of Kidron. He just had the upper room scenario. And he said these words, Abide in me and I in you as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine. So neither can you unless you abide in me.26:16Church, Christians that will pray for other believers to have a mature Christian service. So Paul says, I have you in my mind. I have you in my heart. But I have you in my prayers. True Christian fellowship produces pure joy.26:44And it is a single-mindedness of the Christ followers collectively that produces pure, true Christian fellowship. Let's pray. You're in this room, I'm sure, and maybe today God has spoken to your heart and maybe you're contemplating a decision to follow Jesus today. Maybe you're here today and the scriptures have been lifted up27:14in your presence today and you've read them and you've watched them, you've looked at the screens, you've filled in the blanks and God has spoken to your heart about being a part of this faith family. Maybe you're here today and you're saying, Dan, I want to be the Christ follower that he's called me to be. I want to pray for others. I want to minister to others. I want to be part of a fellowship27:43first of the gospel, then to promote the furtherance of the gospel and to unite and encourage the body of Christ. Maybe you're here today and you say, Dan, I failed in that area and somewhat and you know what? We all have. So let me just encourage you to surrender to the lordship of Jesus today and be like Paul and say, I have you in my mind.28:12I have you in my heart and I have you in my prayers. Whatever the decision that God has put on your heart today, this altar is open. We have trained counselors and deacons that will pray over you. If you're here today and you have a need for prayer, you have a need for someone to speak to you personally, we have those people to do just that or myself as well. I'm going to pray and when I say amen, we're going to stand and sing one of the great, great biblical choruses28:41that have been produced in many years and we're going to shout to the lord today and we're going to ask him to do his work and when we finish singing that, if no one comes, we will move into another phase of this worship gathering today. Father God, we ask you right now, Lord, whoever in this room needs to make a decision, give them courage to stand up and step out during this wonderful song. Maybe they just need to come29:12and worship you here at this altar, whatever it might be. Maybe they have a specific need. They need prayer. They need guidance. They need salvation. Lord Jesus, if there's one here that has never truly been saved, Father, pray right now that you give them courage to stand up and step out. Maybe a family here or a single here in this room that is not connected to a local New Testament church and they found this as the church29:42that meets their needs right now to be a part of this transition to be ready to serve for many years. God, give them courage to stand up and step out. Lord, we love you. We thank you for your word. It never returns a void. God, do your work in this place. We love you and we thank you for what you're doing. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We stand30:11We stand and we sing right now. You come. Whoever will be first, the altar's open. Some have already come. Deacons are here to pray with you. We come right now. We'll be right back.More sermons on Philippians →
