Philippians 1:3-8; Gospel Communion, Gospel Confidence ~ 20230827 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

08/27 Philippians 1:3-8; Gospel Communion Gospel Confidence; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20230827_philippians-1_3-8.mp3

We are in Philippians 1; today we are going to look at prayer.

Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul introduces himself and his co-laborer Timothy, writing to the saints, holy ones, the people of God in the city of Philippi, together with those called to serve them as their overseers and deacons.

He imparts the common greeting with theological depth and profound beauty; undeserved grace to you and peace -shalom; which has its source in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

And then he gives thanks for the believers in Philippi.

Philippians 1:3 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.

Paul’s letters typically begin with sender, recipient, salutation, and thanksgiving. But this is no mere formality. It is personal and rich with truth. When addressing the Galatians, Paul is not thankful, but “astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel” (Gal.1:6). Here to the Philippians, he overflows with thanks to God in all his remembrance, always in all his prayers, on behalf of all of them. And this prayer is not made with painful heartache, but characterized by joy.

I give thanks to my God, upon every remembering of you, always in my every prayer, for all of you; Paul’s life was characterized by prayer. In Acts 6 the apostles instructed the appointment of deacons to minister to the widows; “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Act.6:4). The apostles, along with the early believers, were devoted to prayer (Act.2:42). Paul gives thanks always in every prayer, for all of you, in every remembering. Paul instructs believers to:

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

And Paul practiced what he preached. We gain some insight into his prayers through this passage.

Joy in Gospel Partnership

He makes his prayer with joy, ‘because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.’ This word ‘fellowship’ or ‘partnership’ is the rich New Testament Greek word [κοινωνίᾳ]. It is a relational word that can mean fellowship, communion, participation, partnership, even contribution. In Acts 2, when the early church devoted themselves to the fellowship, it says the believers ‘were together and had all things in common’ (which is a root of our word ‘partnership’).

Acts 2:45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

So fellowship and participation wasn’t merely words; it translated into practical tangible actions. In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul is encouraging the believers in Corinth to participate in the financial gift he is facilitating to the poor saints in Jerusalem. He uses this word ‘fellowship’ to describe a financial gift;

2 Corinthians 8:1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part [κοινωνιαν] in the relief of the saints—

Philippi, remember, is the first church established in the region of Macedonia, so Paul is telling the Corinthians about the saints in Philippi. He mentions Philippi along with Corinth to the church in Rome:

Romans 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution [n. κοινωνίαν] for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in [v. ἐκοινώνησαν] their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

Paul, now in prison, received from Philippi Epaphroditus, ‘your messenger and minister to my need’ (Phi.2:25), who visited him in prison, and tangibly ministered to his physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. He says in chapter 4:

Philippians 4:14 Yet it was kind of you to share [v. συγκοινωνήσαντές] my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership [v. ἐκοινώνησεν] with me in giving and receiving, except you only.

In the beginning of the gospel advancing out from Macedonia, no church partnered with me except you only. This church had partnered with Paul in advancing the gospel ‘from the first day until now.’ This certainly means practical financial assistance, as he tells the Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 11:7 ...I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.

But it means more than that. The church in Philippi was passionate about the advance of the gospel, and that meant that they were willing to sacrifice by sending resources and people who could assist and encourage and pray and work together for the advance of the gospel. This means that those who remained at home sacrificed to support those they sent and their families, and certainly they partnered with them in prayer.

So Paul says:

Philippians 1:3 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.

God-Initiated Gospel Generosity

But where did this come from? Should the Philippians pat themselves on the back and be puffed up with pride? Paul reminds them of that very gospel they partnered with him to advance.

Philippians 1:6 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.

He reminds them that his confidence rests not in them but in God. It is God who began this good work in you. As Luke tells us of the first believer in Philippi:

Acts 16:14 ...The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.

Salvation belongs to the Lord (Ps.3:8; Rev.7:10). That’s why he thanks God, not them. When you receive a gift, you thank the one who is responsible for giving the gift. If your young children are invited to a friend’s birthday party you understand this. You might have them go with you to pick out a gift, but it’s mom or dad that hands over the money to make the purchase. The gift may come through your child, but it wouldn’t happen without you taking them shopping and paying the bill. The Philippians’ partnership in the gospel came through them, but it came from God. Every good gift comes down from the Father (Jas.1:17). Salvation belongs to the Lord.

Gospel Certainty

He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. Paul uses similar language to challenge the Galatians;

Galatians 3:2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

He who began a good work in you, a work initiated by the Spirit of God, he will bring it to completion, not by your own efforts in the flesh, but by the work of his Holy Spirit.

We can be confident that God finishes what he starts. God is sovereign. That means he is in absolute authority, absolute control. He speaks and things happen; his will is accomplished. If God initiates salvation, we can be sure that he will bring it to completion. Paul lays this out in Romans 8, where he says “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Rom.8:28). Those who love God are those who are called according to his purpose. And behind that calling is God’s foreknowledge of that person, his predestining them to be conformed to the image of his Son. And beyond that calling is God’s justification and God’s glorification of that person. He speaks all of this in the past tense, even though we have not yet been glorified, because ‘He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ’. Salvation belongs to God beginning to end.

Root vs. Fruit

This gospel communion, gospel generosity is fruit; evidence of the gospel taking root and transforming lives, evidence of being conformed to the image of his Son.

And James tells us that without this fruit, we can’t be sure of the genuineness of gospel transformation. James tells us not to be deceived (Jas.1:16);

James 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. ...21 Therefore ...receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

He goes on in James 2 to warn:

James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Anyone can say they have faith, that they believe. Words can be empty. Words like ‘be warm and filled’ are empty wishes without the substantive warming and filling of clothing and food. Anyone can say they believe in Jesus, but if that faith does not take root and bear fruit, it is like the seed sown in rocky or weedy ground; it springs up and looks promising, but when affliction or persecution come, when the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches grow, they scorch it, choke it out, prevent it from bearing fruit. It doesn’t bear fruit because it is not well rooted.

This is the same thing Jesus taught; by their fruits you will know them (Mat.7:16,20).

In Galatians, Paul says he met with James and presented the gospel he preached to make sure he was not laboring in vain;

Galatians 2:6 And from those who seemed to be influential ...those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. ...9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

James added nothing to the gospel Paul preached. Only, remember the poor. Be sure that the freely given undeserved grace of God is genuine and takes root and produces good fruit.

When? Already ...Not Yet

Philippians 1:6 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.

Notice it is not over ‘till it’s over. God began a good work in us, and we are a work in process. But we are not a finished product yet. We are not there yet. By God’s grace, I am not what I once was, but I am not yet what I shall be.

1 John 3:2 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.

Paul says;

Philippians 1:7 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.

Paul says ‘my gospel certainty is justified; my confidence that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ is right, because of the mutual love we have for one another. I hold you in my heart. You are the subject of my prayers.

And all of you (notice the emphasis on unity) are fellow-fellowshipers, co-participants [συγκοινωνούς] (this is that koinonia word with a ‘together’ prefix) of grace. Paul’s confidence in God and about them all is right because they are co-participants in God’s grace, in his imprisonment, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. They are co-participants in God’s grace because they together with Paul are seeking to advance the gospel; they have shown confidence in the gospel at work in him even in his imprisonment, even when they haven’t yet heard verse 12, ‘that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel’. They are participants with Paul in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. They say the best defense is a good offense, and when the gospel is confirmed, established, takes root and bears fruit, that is a persuasive apologetic for the gospel. The gospel can be reasonably and logically defended, and we ought to be ready at any time to make a defense to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you (1Pet.3:15). And our lives ought to provide living witness confirming that the gospel has power to transform lives; to make the selfish generous, to make the lustful pure, to make the bitter forgiving, to make the arrogant humble, to make those who are suffering sing for joy.

For God is my witness, how I long for all of you in the bowels of Christ Jesus. This is gut-wrenching emotion, prayer to the next level. In his thanksgiving he expresses constant remembering in prayer, joyful prayer based on consistent gospel partnership; confidence in the faithfulness of God; they are in his heart, and he in theirs as they express consistent co-partnership in gospel grace; culminating in a deep yearning for them all with Jesus’ own affection for them.

Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, [ἐσπλαγχνίσθη; literally his gut ached for them; visceral emotional compassion from the core of his being] because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

May we have this kind of care, this kind of prayer, this kind of gospel partnership with one another!

***

2023.08.27 Sermon Notes

Philippians 1:3-8; Gospel Communion, Gospel Confidence

Sender, recipients, greeting, thanksgiving

cf. Galatians 1:6

The importance of Prayer

Acts 2:42; 6:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Joy in gospel partnership (koinonia)

Acts 2:44-45; 2 Corinthians 8:1-4; Romans 14:26-27

Philippians 2:25; 4:14-15; 2 Corinthians 11:7-9

God-initiated gospel generosity

Acts 16:14

‘Salvation belongs to the Lord!’

Psalm 3:8; Revelation 7:10; James 1:7

Gospel confidence

Galatians 3:2-3; Romans 8:23-30

Root vs. Fruit

James 1:16-21; 2:14-17; Matthew 7:16,20; Galatians 2:6-10

When? Already but Not Yet

1 John 3:2

Mutual love as co-participants of grace;

Gospel defense and confirmation

longing with the affection of Jesus Christ

Philippians 1:12; 1 Peter 3:15; Matthew 9:36

***

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org