The Marks of the Christian Life - A Study in Philippians - Week 2

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 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. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ— to the glory and praise of God.

Joy

It's great when remembrance and gratitude are bound up together. In our personal relationships it is great to have nothing but happy memories. This is how it was with Paul and the Christians at Philippi. To remember brought no regrets, only happiness.

In this passage Paul set out the marks of the Christian life.

1. There is Christian joy. It is with joy that Paul prays for his friends. The theme of the letter is joy. Someone once said "The whole point of the letter is I do rejoice; do you rejoice?"

2. There is the joy of Christian prayer (1:4), the joy of bringing those we love to God in prayer.

3. There is the joy that Jesus Christ is preached (1:18), when you have something good the basic instinct is to share it with others and there is joy knowing the gospel is being preached.

4. There is the joy of faith (1:25), if Christianity does not make you happy it will not make you anything at all. The Psalmist said "they looked to him and were radiant."

5. There is the joy of seeing Christians in fellowship together (2:2)

   Psalm 133:1 (NIV)

   How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

6. There is the joy of suffering for Christ (2:17), it's an opportunity to demonstrate beyond mistake where our loyalty lies.

7. There I the joy of news of loved ones (2:28), it's worth remembering how easy we can bring joy to those we love and how easy we can bring anxiety, by keeping in touch or failing to keep in touch.

8. There is the joy of Christian hospitality (2:29) It's great to have a door from which the stranger or the one in trouble know they will never be turned away.

9. There is the joy of winning one soul for Christ (4:1) The Philippians were Paul's joy and crown for he was the means of bringing them to Christ. For us telling others the good news is not a duty, it's a joy.

10. There is the joy in a gift The joy is not so much in the gift, as being remembered and realising that someone cares.

Sacrifice

Paul says in verse six... he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

There is a picture here in the Greek that is not possible to be reproducedin the translation. The words Paul uses in Greek for began and completion are technical terms for the beginning and end of a Greek sacrifice. Paul's whole sentence moves in an atmosphere of sacrifice.

Paul is seeing the life of every Christian as a sacrifice ready to be offered to Jesus Christ. It's the same picture he draws when he urges the Romans to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. (Romans 12:1)

The only gift Jesus requires from us is ourselves. So, then it's our supreme task to make ourselves ready to offer to him. Only the grace of God can enable us to do that.

Partnership

Paul stresses partnership very strongly in this passage. There are certain things that we share as Christians.

We are partners in grace

We are people who owe a common debt to the grace of God.

Partners in the work of the gospel

We don't only share a gift of grace but we also share a task!

The task is the advancement of the gospel. Paul uses two words todescribe the task defending and confirming the gospel. The defence means against attacks which come from outside. To defend the faith we must be ready to give a reason for our hope. The confirmation of the gospel is the building of its strength from within and the edifying of one another. We further the gospel by defending the gospel against attacks and by building up the faith in each other.

Partners with Christ

God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Jesus Christ.

This is a vivid picture Paul is portraying. The KJV says I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ which is a more literal translation. The word Paul uses for bowels describes upper intestines, the heart, the liver and the lungs. The Greeks believed this was the seat of the emotions and affections.

So paul is saying I love you with the very compassion of Jesus Christ himself. I love you as Jesus loves you. - When we are really one with Jesus, his love goes out though us, not just to the church but to all mankind who Jesus loves and died for. We are partners in the love of Christ.

Progress

Paul's prayer for his people is that their love would grow greater each day. It was not just sentimental love.

• Paul prayed that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. If we love a subject, we want to learn more about it. If we love a person we want to learn more about them. If we love Jesus we will want to learn more about him and his truth. Love is always sensitive to the mind and the heart of the one it loves. If it makes careless mistakes and blindly hurts the feelings of the one it claims to love then it's not love at all.

• He went on to pray that you may be able to discern what is best. As you love grows you will be more able with sensitive perception distinguish between right and wrong. If we really love Jesus, we will be sensitive to his will and desires; the more we love him the mort we will shrink back from what is wrong and desire what is right.

• As we grow in love then we will become pure and cause no one to stumble. To be pure means that our Christian character is being cleansed of all wrong and it is able to stand any light that is turned on it. There are people who themselves are faultless, but are so austere that they drive people away from Christianity.

We are to be pure and our love and gentleness are to attract others to Jesus Christ and never repel them from him.

Aim

Paul sets down that our aim is to live such a life that the glory and the praise are given to God. Our goodness is not to win credit to ourselves; it's meant to win praise for God.

We know that we are what we are not by our own unaided efforts but only by the grace of God.

The Bonds Destroy the Barriers

Philippians1:12 (NIV)

Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of mychains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

Paul was a prisoner but his imprisonment did not end his missionary activity, it actually expanded it, both for himself and for others. In fact, the bonds destroyed the barriers. The word Paul uses to advance the gospel is a vivid word. It was especially used for the progress of an army. It is like clearing away trees and undergrowth and removing the barriers which hinder the progress of an army. Paul's imprisonment, did not shut the doors, but in fact opened new doors to a new sphere of work and activity.

Although Paul was still under guard, he was allowed his own hired lodging (Acts 28:30) and it was open for all who came to see him. He was chained by a short chain on his wrist to the wrist of a soldier of the imperial guard. There was of course a rota for the imperial guard who stayed with Paul day and night. The soldiers would hear Paul preach and talk to his friends. There is no doubt that in the long hours, during these two years, that either Paul or the guard would open up a discussion about Jesus. Paul could never have preached to the finest regiment in the Roman army if he was not bound to them!

The church at Philippi was given fresh courage to preach the gospel and to witness for Christ.

Paul's bonds had removed the barriers and given him access to the Imperial Guard, and his bonds had been the medicine of courage to the church at Philippi.

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