Date: 4/3/18
Lesson # 2
Title: Thanksgiving and prayer
Text: (Philippians 1:3-11)
Scripture: (Philippians 1:3-11, NIV)
3 I thank my God every time I remember you.
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.
8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may 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.
Introduction:
Philippians, like 1 Thessalonians, which is a letter of appreciation for the faithfulness of Christians in Thessalonica, is essentially a thanksgiving for the work of grace in Philippi, and for their thoughtfulness in sending Epaphroditus with a gift for Paul in prison in Rome.
Lesson
3 I thank my God every time I remember you.
The thanksgiving sentiment is a common one, but it seems to have warmth about it that is unusual because the church at Philippi had a special place in Paul’s heart. It came closer than any other to being his ideal congregation. So, it was with a full heart that he writes, “I thank my God every time I remember you.” Paul’s heart was filled to overflowing as he reviewed in his mind how God had worked in Philippi in leading them to salvation, in forming the church, his own sensational deliverance from jail at Philippi, the subsequent development of the church, and their kindness to him on many occasions. The Philippians were constantly in his prayers, and an unfailing source of joy and satisfaction (1:4). Paul had a special place in his heart for them. If he hadn’t said anything else about his relationship to this church, this would have been enough to reveal just how special it was. You can check the other epistles—he didn’t say this to the other churches, certainly not to the Galatians or the Corinthians.
It is wonderful when remembrance and gratitude are present at the same time. In our personal relationships it is a blessing to have only happy memories; and that is how the relationship between Paul and the Christians at Philippi is viewed in this epistle. His memories brought no regrets, only happiness. So, what were these happy memories? The apostle might have remembered with joy the way in which the Philippians first received the Gospel, the effect it produced upon their lives, the eagerness with which they entered into his plans for its wider spread, the liberality they showed to their needy brethren in other Churches, though they were not themselves a rich people, the affectionate attachment they displayed toward himself, the help they gave him when he was imprisoned, and the many ways in which they cheerfully co-operated with him in the defense and establishment of the truth. They had labored, suffered, triumphed, and rejoiced together.
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
Paul cannot pray for his Christian converts in Philippi without giving God thanks for them and rejoicing. Joy is, indeed, the dominant note of this letter, which contains no less than nineteen words for it. For Paul, joy is not the result of finding himself in comfortable circumstances but of seeing the Gospel make progress through his circumstances and through the circumstances of the Philippians, whatever they might be (1:18; 2:17).
In this passage there is laid out for us the marks of the Christian life that come out of joy. There is Christian joy. Paul prays for his friends with joy. The letter to the Philippians is called The Epistle of Joy. The whole point of the letter is “I do rejoice; do you rejoice?” Let us look at the picture of Christian joy which this letter makes known.
I. In this verse there is the joy of Christian prayer, the joy of bringing those we love to the mercy seat of God. There must always be a deep joy and peace in bringing our loved ones and others to God in prayer.
II. There is the joy that Jesus Christ is preached (1:18). When a man enjoys a great blessing surely his first instinct must be to share it; and there is joy in thinking that the Gospel is preached all over the world, so that another and another and another are brought within the love of Christ.
III. There is the joy of faith (1:25). If Christianity does not make a man happy, it will not make him anything at all. There is a certain type of Christianity which is a tortured affair. The psalmist said, “They looked to him and were radiant.” When Moses came down from the mountain top his face shone. Christianity is the faith of the happy heart and the shining face.
IV. There is the joy of seeing Christians in fellowship together (2:2). As the psalmist sang (Psalm 133:1):
Behold how good a thing it is,
And how becoming well,
Together such as brethren are,
In unity to dwell!
There is peace for no one where there are broken human relationships and strife between men. There is no lovelier sight than a family linked in love to each other or a Church whose members are one with each other because they are one in Christ Jesus their Lord.
V. There is the joy of suffering for Christ (2:17). At the time of his martyrdom in the flames Polycarp prayed, “I thank Thee, O Father, that thou has judged me worthy of this hour.” To suffer for Christ is a privilege, for it is an opportunity to demonstrate beyond all doubt where our loyalty lies and to share in building up the Kingdom of God.
VI. There is the joy of news of the loved one (2:28). Life is full of separations, and there is always joy when news comes to us of those loved ones from whom we are temporally separated.
VII. There is the joy of Christian hospitality (2:29). There is the home of the shut door and there is the home of the open door. The shut door is the door of selfishness; the open door is the door of Christian welcome and Christian love. It is a great thing to have a door from which the stranger and the one in trouble know they will never be turned away.
VIII. There is the joy of the man in Christ (3:1; 4:1). We have already seen that to be in Christ is to live in His presence as the bird lives in the air, the fish in the sea, and the roots of the trees in the soil. It is human nature to be happy when we are with the person we love; and Christ is the lover from whom nothing in time or eternity can ever separate us.
IX. There is the joy of the man who has won one soul for Christ (4:1). The Philippians are Paul’s joy and crown for he has the means of bringing them to Jesus Christ. It is the joy of the parent, the teacher, the preacher to bring others, especially the child, into the love of Jesus Christ. Surely he who enjoys a great privilege cannot rest content until he shares it with his family and his friends. For the Christian, evangelism is not a duty; it’s a joy.
X. There is the joy in a gift (4:10). This joy does not lie so much in the gift itself, as in being remembered and realizing that someone cares. This is a joy that we could bring to others far oftener than we do.
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
The immediate cause of Paul’s joy is their “partnership (some have “afellowship”) in the gospel from the first day until now.” The basic meaning of “partnership” is sharing. What kind of sharing does Paul have in mind here? The idea of their united Christian action cannot be excluded, but he is probably thinking mostly of the very tangible expression of their Christian afellowship which had evoked this letter?their gift of money which they had given “from the first day until now,” even though no other church did so (4:15) and even though the church itself was not wealthy (2 Corinthians 8:2-3).
It is possible, even probable, that Philippians 1:5 is talking about their financial afellowship with Paul, a topic he picks up again in Philippians 4:14-19. The “good work” of Philippians 1:6 may refer to the sharing of their means; it was started by the Lord and Paul was sure the Lord would continue it and complete it.
But we will not go astray if we apply these verses to the work of salvation and Christian living. We are not saved by our good works: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is a good work God does in us when we trust His Son. In Philippians 2:12-13 we are told that God continues to work in us through His Spirit. In other words, salvation includes a threefold work:
• The work God does for us—salvation;
• The work God does in us—sanctification;
• The work God does through us—service.
This work will continue until we see Christ, and then the work will be fulfilled. “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
I repeat, isn’t it remarkable that Paul is thinking of others and not of himself? As he awaits his trial in Rome, Paul’s mind goes back to the believers in Philippi, and every recollection he has brings him joy. You may discover from reading Acts 16 that something’s happened to Paul at Philippi, the memory of which could produce sorrow. He was illegally arrested and beaten, was placed in the stocks, and was humiliated before the people. But even those memories brought joy to Paul, because it was through this suffering that the jailer found Christ! Paul recalled Lydia and her household, the poor slave girl who had been demon-possessed, and the other dear Christians at Philippi; and each recollection was a source of joy.
“From the first day” refers to the time when they became Christians, that is, about A.D. 50 (SEE ACTS 16).
afellowship?Their fellowship was not only social and spiritual, but they were fellow labors through their prayers and gifts in all that Paul had done, as he states in Philippians 4:15-16.
6 being confident[a] of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Paul is sure that “he (God) who began a good work in you”—their growth in grace—“will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Having saved them, God would complete His work of grace in their future deliverance and glorification. Just as their good works were the evidence of God’s good work in them, Paul assures them that God who began that gracious work will carry it on to completion, for He has the power “to bring everything under His control” (3:21).
The “good work” of salvation, then, includes God’s gift to believers both of the will and of the ability to do good works. The presence of these good works in turn provides evidence of real belief—evidence that God has begun and will complete the work of salvation in the person who displays them. Thus Paul says in 1:28 that the Philippians’ steadfastness in the midst of persecution serves as a sign of their future salvation.
“The day of Christ Jesus” is the day of God’s final victory in Christ, the day when, as the Creed says, “He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.” The point in time to which he refers is the time when our perfecting is complete (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24); the day of the believers translation or resurrection. There are certain Bible scholars who will tell you that “we are living in the day of Jesus Christ.” That day will be consummated when He comes to take his own out of this world. And the Holy Spirit has sealed you and me until the day of redemption.
Paul sees the life of every Christian as a sacrifice ready to be offered to Jesus Christ. It is the same picture he drew when he urged the Romans to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1).
On the day when Christ comes it will be like the coming of a king. On such a day the king’s subjects are compelled to present him with gifts to mark their loyalty and to show their love. The only gift Jesus Christ desires from us is ourselves. So, then, a man’s supreme task is to make his life fit to be offered to Him. Only the grace of God can enable us to do that.
[a] Being confident could be translated, “since I am confident of this very thing”—Paul knew what he was talking about.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.
In this passage the idea of Christian partnership is strongly stressed. There are certain things which Christians share.
I. Christians are partners in grace. They are people who owe a common debt to God. The “grace” he has in mind is either the grace of preaching or the grace of suffering for the Gospel.
II. Christians are partners in the work of the Gospel. Christians do not only share a gift; they also share a task; and that task is the furtherance of the Gospel. Paul is saying that he and the Philippians are all wrapped up together as partners in the Gospel.
III. Christians are partners in suffering for the Gospel. Whenever the Christian is called upon to suffer for the sake of the Gospel, he must find strength and comfort in the memory that he is one of a great fellowship in every age and every generation and every land that have suffered for Christ rather than deny their faith.
IV. Christians are partners with Christ. In verse 8 Paul has a very vivid saying. The literal translation is, “I yearn for you all with the abowels of Jesus Christ.”
It is altogether right that Paul should feel this way about the Philippians since he regards them as co-sharers with himself in grace, “whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel.” The Greek word here translated as “defending” often carried a judicial meaning, standing for a defense against a regular charge. If this is the meaning, we might paraphrase Paul’s words, “whether in prison or standing before my judges.” But the word may equally well describe Paul’s vigorous championing of the gospel against its enemies.
Paul says he can provide evidence of his love for them. For one thing, he is suffering on their behalf. His chains were proof of his love. He was “the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles” (Ephesians 3:1). Because of Paul’s trial, Christianity was going to get a fair hearing before the officials of Rome. Since Philippi was a Roman colony, the decision would affect the believers there. Paul’s love was not something he merely talked about; it was something he practiced. He considered his difficult circumstances an opportunity for defending and confirming the Gospel and this would help his brethren everywhere.
[a] Bowels of Jesus Christ” means compassionate feelings; RSV, "tender mercies."
8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Here, the apostle expresses his tender affection for his converts: “I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” So Paul is saying: “I long for you with the very compassion of Jesus Christ Himself. I love you as Jesus loves you; love is the evidence of salvation: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14). The love which Paul feels towards his Christian friends is nothing other than the love of Christ Himself. When we are really one with Jesus, His love goes out through us to our fellow-men whom He loves and for who He died. “And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). When we permit God to perform His “good work” in us, then we grow in our love for one another. The Christian is a partner in the love of Christ. It is as if Christ Himself were living in the apostle. Every true pastor, Sunday school teacher, Church bus driver, etc., has felt something like this affection for his people.
How can we tell that we are truly bound in love to other Christians? For one thing, we are concerned about them. The believers at Philippi were concerned about Paul and sent Epaphroditus to minister to him. Paul was also greatly concerned about his friends at Philippi, especially when Epaphroditus became ill and could not return right away (Philippians 2:25-28). “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Another evidence of Christian love is a willingness to forgive one another. “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in [a]knowledge and depth of insight,
The affection progresses into a prayer that their love and understanding of the truth will continue increasing, for even Christian love may go badly astray unless it is correctly directed. That love, which was not merely a sentimental thing was to grow in knowledge and in sensitive perception so that they would be more and more able to distinguish between right and wrong. The apostle prays for more love, because love impels us to act righteously in all things, even in the minor affairs of life.
To their “love” they must add “knowledge” (of God) and “discernment (1:10)”?all spiritual perception. Love is always the way to knowledge. Paul wants heart and head to grow together. If we love Jesus, we will want to learn more and more about Him and about His truth. If we really love Jesus, we will be more sensitive to His will and His desires; the more we love Him; the more we will instinctively shrink from what is evil and desire what is right. Here is a test that every Christian congregation might profit from. Are we growing year-by-year (a) in Christian love and (b) in understanding of the Gospel? And if not, what do all our increases in money and members signify?
Paul’s prayers for the churches not only provide the pattern on which their own petitions are to be modeled, but also encourage them to follow the council they contain; in other words, that they might express their love in ways that show both knowledge of how to obey God’s will generally, and, more specifically, of how to make moral decisions based on God’s will in the give-and-take of everyday living.
[a] knowledge and depth of insight denotes perfect knowledge (Eph. 1:17; 4:13) and universal discernment. The one deals with general principles, the other is concerned with practical applications. Paul says to let your love abound more and more, but let it abound in judgment; let it abound in being able to discern. Christian love is to abound in knowledge and discernment.
10 so that you may be able to [a]discern what is best and may be [b]pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
The purpose of it all is that they may “be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” There are two translations of this verse currently in use: “approve what is excellent,” and “test things that “differ”?that is, distinguish between good and evil, or perhaps between what is good and what is better (see Romans 2:18). In either case it is a prayer that they may know what is essential in religion. It is a call to put first things first. We all know Christians who get “worked up” about nonessentials to the neglect of fundamentals.
It does not require much discernment to discriminate between what is good and bad. It is far more difficult to decide what is really excellent and worthy of adoption (4:8, 9). Paul is praying that his readers may be able to discern and practice those virtues which are vital to the peace and harmony of the church (2:1-3). Such devotion to the Gospel will keep the Philippians “pure and blameless” until the final day when they are called to stand before Christ (1:10) and will ensure that they bear “the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.”
“The day of Christ” has reference to His coming for His own. This is the second time the Rapture is mentioned in this epistle. A child of God should walk in the light of the imminent return of Christ all the time.
The Christian that is devoted to the gospel will become pure and will not cause another to stumble. The Christian character can withstand any light that is cast upon it. On that basis the Christian character is cleansed of all evil until it is altogether pure.
[a] discern what is best refers to the ability to distinguish “the things that really matter” from a variety of competing possibilities.
[b] pure and blameless might mean either “without stumbling (Acts 24:16)” or “not causing offense (transgression).” Friend, I don’t believe we can live the Christian life without offending somebody.
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
What does Paul mean by “the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ”? He means what he calls elsewhere “the fruit of the Spirit”; love, joy, peace, and the like (Galatians 5:22). The righteousness which exalts man honors God. It is a practical manifestation of the grace communicated through Jesus Christ, and adorns the doctrine which is according to godliness. Paul had no time for a righteousness?an acceptance with God?which did not come from good works and lovely virtues. Faith, he said, should work through love (Galatians 5:6). Tabitha of Joppa as described in Acts 9:36, was one such example: “She was full of good works and acts of charity.” Her faith had flowered in love. However, there are people who are themselves faultless, but who are so legalistic that they drive people away from Christianity. The Christian himself is pure, but his love and gentleness are such that he attracts others to the Christian way and never drives them away from it.
Finally Paul writes down the Christian goal; it is to live a life that brings “glory and praise to God.” Christian goodness is not meant to win credit for a man himself; it is meant to win praise for God. The Christian knows, and witnesses, that he is what he is, not by his own unaided efforts, but only by the grace of God. Too many Christians try to “produce results” by their own efforts instead of abiding in Christ and allowing His life to produce the fruit. “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4).
The fruit tree does not make a great deal of noise when it produces its crop; it merely allows the life within to work in a natural way, and fruit is the result. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
The difference between spiritual fruit and human “religious activity” is that the fruit brings glory to Jesus Christ. Whenever we do anything in our own strength, we have a tendency to brag about it. True spiritual fruit is so beautiful and wonderful that no man can claim credit for it; the glory must go to God alone.
