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with me in your Bibles to the 
book of Philippians, Philippians chapter one. While you're turning 
there, just a reminder to members of the church, if you have not 
cast your ballot, please do that before you leave tonight. There 
are some ballots in the back and a box to put them in and 
God willing, we can get those counted tonight. So Philippians 
1, our focus this evening will be verses 3 to 8, but I'll read 
verses 1 to 11. Philippians 1, beginning in verse 
1. Paul and Timothy, bondservants 
of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, 
with the bishops and deacons, grace to you and peace from God 
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every 
remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, making 
requests for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel 
from the first day until now, being confident of this very 
thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete 
it until the day of Jesus Christ. just as it is right for me to 
think this of you all, because I have you in my heart. In as 
much as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation 
of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is 
my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection 
of Jesus Christ. And this, I pray, that your love 
may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 
that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you 
may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being 
filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ to 
the glory and praise of God. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you for the written word of the living 
and true God. We thank you for the ministry 
of the Apostle Paul, both in preaching and praying, and defending 
and confirming the truth of the Gospel, but as well, writing 
Scripture. And we give praise to You that 
we have these letters, we give praise to You that it speaks 
to us as individuals, it speaks to us as families and churches, 
and we just pray that You'd give us the ears to hear and hearts 
to receive Your Word. May You forgive us for all of 
our sins and unrighteousness. May You provide for us the presence 
and power of the Holy Spirit. May He guide us. May He direct 
us. May He lead us into all truth. And may You affect us for good 
through the proclamation of Your Word. Be glorified now. Be pleased 
to sanctify Your people. And God, be pleased to save sinners. 
We pray that as the gospel has gone forth today on the Lord's 
day throughout this earth, we pray that it would have run swiftly 
and be glorified. We pray that many would come 
out of darkness into marvelous light, confessing, saving faith 
in our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for that confidence 
that we have, that we share because of what Paul writes here, that 
you who begins this work will complete it until the day of 
Jesus Christ. Thank you that you bear long 
with us. Thank you that you are merciful to us. Thank you that 
the blood of Jesus Christ, your Son, does cleanse us from all 
sin. And we pray in his wonderful name. Amen. Well, as we come 
to Paul's epistles, the beginnings and the endings are very helpful 
for us because we get a glimpse into the apostle Paul and basically 
what made him tick. We know that ultimately what 
made him tick was the grace of God, his Damascus Road experience 
when Christ saved him, and then Christ sent him as the apostle 
to the Gentiles. But Paul was not just a theology 
machine. He didn't just sit in an ivory 
tower and churn out letters by inspiration of the spirit. that 
would be normative and authoritative for the churches of Jesus Christ. 
He was a real man with real challenges, with real affections, with a 
real heart for the people of God. In other words, he was a 
man of the people. And I think that is reflected 
here in the epistle to the Philippians, specifically in chapter 1, verses 
3 to 8. But throughout, as I mentioned 
last week in introducing the book, There's not a polemical 
emphasis like you find in Galatians, where Paul right out of the chute 
is attacking heresy. He does do that in chapter 3 
of Philippians, but he doesn't have that polemical mindset. 
As well, it's not the sort of a church that is like Corinth 
with a multitude of challenges in terms of sanctification. So 
Paul has to write and navigate some tricky pastoral issues with 
the church at Corinth. Most of what we find in Philippians 
is joy, exhortation to further unity, abounding in love and 
peace and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and all those sorts of 
things. So as we come to verses 3 to 
8, I want to notice first the apostles' gratitude for the Philippians. We see that in verses 3 and 4. 
Secondly, the Apostles' commendation of the Philippians. We see that in verses 5 and 6. 
And then finally, the Apostles' affection for them in verses 
7 to 8. So he mentions that he prays, 
but the specific content or details of his prayer are indicated in 
verses 9 to 11. So we won't get to that tonight, 
but those are the particular petitions that Paul brings to 
the throne of grace on behalf of the Philippians. Verses 3 
to 8 is basically just an overarching expression of his love for them, 
his kindness toward them, and his gratitude to God for them. 
So let's look first at the apostles' gratitude for them in verses 
3 and 4. Notice, I thank my God. The object 
of his gratitude is not the Philippians. He doesn't say, I thank you, 
Philippians. Now, that would not be untoward. That would be something that 
one could say, but here specifically, as he expresses his gratitude, 
notice he uses that convention, I thank my God. And I think that's 
a wonderful observation, or Luther made a wonderful observation 
that Christianity is a religion of personal pronouns. Paul says, 
I thank my God. And he uses personal pronouns 
elsewhere as he communicates the blessings of God to the people 
of God. Look at Ephesians chapter one, 
specifically at verse three. Blessed be the God and father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual 
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. And then specifically 
Galatians chapter 2 at verse 20, where we see the apostles' 
appropriation of the blessings of Christ, and he sees them as 
his own. They belong to Him. Notice in 
chapter 2, verse 20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is 
no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which 
I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who 
loved me, He says, and gave Himself for me. Now, if you cannot say 
that tonight, if you are a stranger to the grace of God, if you cannot 
own Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I've said it before, 
I'll say it again, believe on Him. Look unto the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Remember, the book of Philippians 
was born out of the founding of the church in Philippi. And 
one of those founding members was a jailer that was going to 
do himself in when he thought that the prisoners were going 
to escape. And so Paul and Silas caution him against doing that, 
and he falls down at their feet, and he says, Sirs, what must 
I do to be saved? He doesn't say, or Paul doesn't 
say, I want you to go out and try harder. I want you to go 
give more money to your charity of choice. I want you to buffet 
your flesh. I want you to engage in all these 
sorts of things. No, it's very simple. Believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That's the 
promise of God. God most high sent his son into 
this world. The divine word took upon himself 
our humanity. And in that humanity, our Lord 
Jesus Christ lived a life of absolute perfect righteousness. 
He never transgressed. He never lacked conformity to 
the law. That's important because we always transgress. We always 
lack conformity unto the law, so we need one to stand in our 
stead. But not only is his life absolutely 
crucial for us, but so is his death. The Baptist announces, 
behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. And 
when John the Baptist mentions that in John 1, it's not without 
a background, it's not without a context, it's not without the 
Old Testament. That is suggestive of all that 
happened in the Old Testament with the Levitical priesthood, 
with the sacrificial system, with the Day of Atonement. Israel 
was taught that you don't wander into the presence of a holy God 
without blood atonement. Without the shedding of blood, 
there is no remission. So Christ in His life, His perfect 
obedience to that law, Christ in His death as a substitutionary 
atonement in our place, and Christ in His resurrection. And Paul 
summarizes this in the epistle to the Romans, chapter 4. He 
says that Jesus, the Lord Jesus, was delivered up because of our 
offenses, and he was raised for our justification. So if you 
cannot say, my Lord and my God, if you cannot say, who loved 
me and gave himself for me, If you cannot see Jesus as your 
Lord, then come to Him in faith, believe on Him, and you will 
have everlasting life. And you'll know something of 
the blessedness of those personal pronouns, who has blessed us 
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. 
who loved me and gave himself for me." So for the Apostle Paul, 
as he writes here to the Philippians, he is sitting in a prison cell, 
and the things that cheer his heart are the contemplation of 
God, the contemplation of God's grace in the lives of the Philippians. 
And here he shows us that relation that he sustains to God. I thank 
my God. And for Paul, he was not like 
those unbelieving Jews that we see in John 15. Remember, Jesus 
upbraids them, he reproves them, he rebukes them. Why? Because 
they did not receive the one sent by the Father. And if you 
do not receive the one sent by the Father, it indicates that 
you actually hate the Father. Not that you love him less, not 
that you don't prefer his preferred religion, but rather you hate 
him, you despise him. Remember, he who is not with 
me, Jesus says, is against me. So for the Apostle Paul, he's 
not some general, vague, ambiguous monotheist. The Apostle Paul 
is Trinitarian, unashamedly so, conspicuously so, all throughout 
his epistles. He predicates divinity to our 
Lord Jesus Christ. He predicates divinity to the 
Holy Spirit, yet not three gods, one living and true God, who 
exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. in Romans 9.5, 
and in Titus 2.13, and in Hebrews 1.8. I take Pauline authorship. I wouldn't die on that hill. 
And if you don't, that's okay. You're not going to get thrown 
out of the synagogue. But the bottom line is, is that we see 
that term, that title, theos, applied specifically to our Lord 
by the apostle Paul. But it's not just Paul. Other 
New Testament authors do that. Arguably, oftentimes, in various 
contexts, Lord, as it's applied to Jesus, is probably reminiscent 
of the divine name Yahweh. And so for the Apostle Paul, 
he's not about some vague notion of religion. He's not just spiritual. He is a Trinitarian theologian. He is a Trinitarian apostle. 
He is a Trinitarian preacher. And here he thanks my God, but 
then notice specifically the subject of his thankfulness upon 
every remembrance of you. And if we ask the question, who 
are the you? Verse one tells us, notice Paul 
and Timothy bond servants of Jesus Christ to all the saints 
in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi with the bishops and deacons. So for the apostle Paul, as he's 
in this prison cell, he thanks God upon every remembrance of 
you. And again, brethren, if he's 
in prison, he's probably tempted, as I'm sure all of us would be, 
to be remembering food, to be remembering warmth. to be remembering 
bed, to be remembering all those creature comforts that we can't 
really disassociate ourselves from, because after all, we're 
creatures that like comforts. And yet for the Apostle Paul, 
as he spends these two years in that Roman imprisonment in 
AD 60 to 62, He writes, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 
Philemon. And there he expresses his thankfulness 
to God, not again in some vague way, not in some ambiguous way, 
but for the saints who are in Philippi with the bishops and 
the deacons. And I think through this, he 
commends for them his love. his remembrance, obviously, and 
then his commendation. And we'll see more of that as 
we move through the message tonight. But notice, we've got the object, 
my God, the subject, the you, with all the saints and bishops 
and deacons. But then notice the result of 
this gratitude. What does gratitude in the heart 
of a man do? Well, it promotes prayer to God. When you contemplate the blessings 
received, when you bask in the goodness that is from God, what 
is the reflex response? It is to pray to God. Notice 
in verse four, he says, always in every prayer of mine, making 
request for you all with joy. Now the apostle, as we learn 
from the book of Acts, and as he reminds us in this particular 
passage, preached a lot. The apostle taught a lot. The apostle testified a lot. The apostle wrote a lot, but 
the apostle prayed a lot. And I don't take this in the 
sense of at every moment of every day, every minute or every second, 
he was constantly praying. And every time he was constantly 
praying, he was thinking about the Philippians. I don't think 
the text demands that. When he talks about always be 
praying, he doesn't mean that if you're working with farm equipment 
and you could lose an arm, go ahead and don't think about that 
farm equipment and just pray. That's not responsible. I think 
it means that in his regular seasons of prayer, whatever that 
might have been for the Apostle, probably for Paul sitting in 
a prison cell, it was a lot, well in those times he would 
remember these Philippians. So the Apostle engaged in prayer. He engaged in intercession. An intercession is when we go 
to the throne of grace on behalf of others, and we seek to fetch 
blessings for them. And again, we'll see those in 
verses nine to 11. So the emphasis is not on unceasing 
prayer, but when Paul prays, he prays for the Philippians. 
Always in every prayer of mine, making requests for you all, 
but then notice the nature of his prayer. It is with joy. He's sitting in a prison, languishing 
in a prison, for all he knows. When we introduced the book last 
week, we saw that the book of Philippians, specifically out 
of the prison epistles, Paul seems to think it could possibly 
happen that he would die, that he would be executed by the civil 
state. He makes a couple of statements 
in that regard. Now, I think that 2 Timothy, 
he knows he's going to die. 2 Timothy 4 at that time, The 
temperature in the empire, specifically against Christianity, was at 
a fever pitch. It wasn't quite like that in 
60 to 62. It's building, but it's not what it's going to be 
in the mid-60s when Paul likely had his head chopped off by Nero. Not Nero personally, but by one 
of Nero's henchmen. So nevertheless, there is increasing 
tension, there is increasing opposition, and Paul sees that 
it's possible that he may die. but yet he's got joy. He's got 
joy in his God as he reflects upon the blessings that Paul 
himself has received, but he's got joy in God as he reflects 
upon the blessings that these people in Philippi had received. 
Remember, the Lord opened Lydia's heart to receive the things spoken 
by the Apostle Paul. Remember, the Philippian jailer 
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved. What 
happens? The jailer does that. The jailer 
invites them in. The jailer tends to their wounds. 
The jailer and his household are baptized by the Apostle Paul. So Paul loves these people. Paul 
has joy at the contemplation of these people. So his gratitude 
has a particular object. It is God, and it is the blessing 
of God upon others. And I think this aspect of joy 
is most helpful in gospel ministry. Now, this isn't a backhanded 
approach to lambast the people of God in the church that I happen 
to pastor, but it goes right with this sort of mindset. Just 
disassociate me and you, and I don't have any cause for non-joy. 
I mean, there's challenges and struggles, but there's no absence 
of joy in my heart. I love the church here. I love 
the brethren. Try to pray for you regularly. But Paul, again, 
accepting Pauline authorship of Hebrews, writes this in Hebrews 
13, 17. He says, obey those who rule 
over you and be submissive. This isn't civil government. 
Romans 13, civil government passage, all the way. This isn't civil 
government. Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for 
they watch out for your souls. The last thing you want from 
your civil government is them watching out for your souls. 
He's talking about ecclesiastical government. He's talking about 
the leadership in the churches. He's talking about the pastoral 
ministry that is the abiding teaching office and governing 
office in the ministry of the church. Notice, obey those who 
rule over you and be submissive for they watch out for your souls 
as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not 
with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Let them 
do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable 
for you. In other words, have a vested 
interest in the proper functioning, the joy-filled functioning of 
a gospel ministry. It's profitable for the people 
of God when there's peace. when there's unity, when the 
fruits of the Spirit are in operation. It is profitable for the people 
of God when our churches aren't at each other's throats. It's 
profitable for the people of God when there aren't those divisions, 
when there aren't those cliques, when there aren't those subsets 
within the context of a local body. Paul the Apostle had joy 
in God and joy for the Philippians. Now notice, secondly, his commendation 
of them in verses five and six. Two things to observe here. First, 
the fellowship in the gospel, and secondly, the recognition 
of God's grace. Remember, he's in the attitude, 
the disposition of gratitude, and in his remembrance, he prays 
for them. And first, he highlights their 
fellowship in the gospel, and he moves from the past to the 
present to the future in these couple of verses. Notice, with 
reference to the past, verse 5, for your fellowship in the 
gospel from the first day until now. And this fellowship in the 
gospel doesn't mean that two believers go to a hockey game 
together. That's not it. That's friendship, and that's 
perfectly consistent. I guess you could talk about 
Jesus the whole time, as your favorite team is not scoring. 
But that's not particularly or strictly fellowship. Fellowship, 
participation, you've heard the great word koinonia, it means 
to rally around the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 
very specifically, very conspicuously. And so Paul thanks God, and as 
he remembers the Philippians, as his heart is flooded with 
joy, the specific reference of the specific commendation comes 
in verse five, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first 
day until now. Brethren, it's probably about 
10 years later, give or take a couple of years on either end, 
that Paul had been in Philippi in Acts 16. And so, when he gets to Acts 
28, and he's in prison in years 60 to 62, some time had lapsed. And as he's writing to them, 
he's able to reflect that what happened on that first day was 
good. It was blessed. It was real. It was valid. It wasn't a flash 
in the pan. when Lydia had her heart open, 
when the Philippian jailer bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ 
in faith, when others through their testimony and through their 
evangelism, through the ministry perhaps of Luke who was left 
behind, it seems to be indicated there in the book of Acts that 
Luke was left behind by Paul there for a specific reason. 
So Paul is able to reflect and say, you know what? You brethren 
have been faithful in the fellowship of the gospel. Now, in terms 
of Paul in the gospel, he did most of the heavy lifting. He 
was the one that went to the synagogues. He was the one that 
canvassed the Roman Empire. He was the one that got beaten. 
He was the one that got imprisoned. He was the one that had to testify 
before the civil government. But they participated with Him, 
they fellowshiped with Him, they were engaged alongside of Him 
by virtue of their prayer, by virtue of monetary support, by 
virtue of their encouragement, by virtue of their fellow suffering, 
even alongside of Him. Philippians 1, 29, it's been 
granted to you not only to believe in His name, but also to suffer 
for His name. So the Philippians were not immune 
to the sufferings associated with gospel life. And so Paul 
commends them for that fellowship in the gospel ministry. And that 
fellowship in the gospel ministry was indicated by or indicative 
of a love that they had for the apostle. Look over for just a 
moment at verses 15 and following. Chapter 1, verse 15. Some, indeed, 
preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from 
good will. The former preach Christ from 
selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to 
my chains, but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed 
for the defense of the gospel. So these were of the loving sort. These were the ones who had an 
affection for Paul. Their fellowship was manifested 
or evidenced in that reality, that when they did testify, when 
they did witness, when they did go soul winning, they weren't 
doing it from envy and strife. Now we should notice that even 
though these men were marked by envy and strife, and even 
though these men had selfish ambition, they were nevertheless 
preaching the gospel properly. Gotta get that. In Galatia, they 
were not preaching the gospel properly. Judaizing is heresy. Adding works to faith for salvation 
is condemnable heresy. That's why Paul pronounces the 
anathema. But notice in verse 18, what then? Only that in every 
way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and 
in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. So whatever the internal 
problems were in these particular men, whatever envy and strife 
they had, most likely toward the Apostle Paul, perhaps they 
were embarrassed, perhaps they looked down their noses on the 
fact that he was in prison, whatever their motivation was, at least 
in this particular instance, they nevertheless preached Christ 
and Him crucified. So what's Paul's point? whether 
it's out of love for me or whether it's out of contempt for me. 
As long as Christ is preached, I rejoice in that. That is what 
marks the apostle Paul. Well, you didn't have goodwill 
toward me. He doesn't care. I mean, I'm sure at some level 
he cares, because we all like to be liked. But for the apostle, 
that the gospel was preached was the most important thing. 
So the generosity of the Philippians. I mentioned this last week and 
we looked specifically at Philippians 4, but look at 2 Corinthians 
8. I referred to this just to illustrate 
the graciousness and the kindness and the large heartedness of 
the people of God in Philippi. So the main emphasis in 2 Corinthians 
8 and 9 is to cough up. cough up money, Corinthians. There is famine in Judea. Our brethren are starving. Our 
brethren are hurting. Our brethren need our help. And 
so the overarching concern in this section of 2 Corinthians 
is Paul urging the people of God to give generously and with 
large hearts to the particular needs of brethren elsewhere. He uses the example in 2 Corinthians 
8-9 of our Lord Jesus. For you know the grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes 
He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. In light of that reality, Corinthians, 
empty your pockets. Cough it up, give it up, be kind 
and large-hearted. But before he gets to that example 
of Jesus, he goes to Macedonia, specifically Philippi. Notice 
in 8.1, "...Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace 
of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, that in a great 
trial of affliction..." Listen to the language here. They're 
not fat cat bankers sitting on piles of dough. They've got real 
lives, real hardships. I mean, Lydia was well-to-do, 
but I'm sure a Philippian jailer in the first century wasn't making 
bank. He didn't have a roll sitting 
in his driveway. And I would probably imagine 
that a bulk of the others that came to Christ in that particular 
setting didn't just have money trees in their backyards to go 
peel off fat stacks for those suffering in Judea. He says that 
in great trial or in a great trial of affliction, the abundance 
of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their 
liberality. For I bear witness that according 
to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely 
willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive 
the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 
Brethren, oftentimes in the New Testament, when you see that 
word fellowship or koinonia, undergirding it is a financial 
element. The fellowship of the saints. 
Yes, we love each other, we talk about Jesus, we talk about the 
Trinity, we talk about those things that are near and dear 
to our heart, but we seek to alleviate the needs of the brothers 
and the sisters. And that's one of the things 
that he commends them for here. Verse five, and not only as we 
had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and then 
to us by the will of God. So we urge Titus that as he had 
begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. But 
as you abound in everything, in faith and speech and knowledge 
and all diligence and in your love for us, see that you abound 
in this grace also. So back to Philippians chapter 
one. He appreciates, he thanks God 
as he remembers them, as joy fills his heart, he is thankful 
for their fellowship in the gospel. That participation along with 
Paul, for Paul, and along with Paul for other churches that 
were in need. But then notice in verse 6 the 
recognition of God's grace. So this is his commendation. 
Again, not, you guys are great, I'm glad you reached down and 
pulled up your bootstraps and got yourselves saved. That's 
not it at all. He recognizes in them the presence 
of God's grace. So notice, he moves from the 
past, from the first day until now, to the present, being confident 
of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you, 
and then he moves to the future, will complete it until the day 
of Jesus Christ. But with reference to this, we 
need to understand what the good work is. It's not commending 
them for their good works, plural. He's not commending them for 
the kind-heartedness that they demonstrated. He's not commending 
them for the good gift that they gave via Epaphroditus as they 
sent him according to chapter 4, and then Paul sends him back 
according to chapter 2. He's not commending them for 
their good works. He is recognizing God's grace 
in beginning the good work of salvation. So the good work is 
not theirs, but it's God's. The demonstration or confirmation 
of this good work, the way that Paul knows that God's grace is 
operative in them, is through their profession of faith in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and a life lived in light of that profession 
of faith, just like we do today. How do we know somebody's a believer? 
Well, they've got to believe the truth, and then there needs 
to be fruit that is consistent with that truth, not perfection, 
not absolute righteousness, because we'd be waiting in vain. But 
with reference to the Philippians, he had seen God's grace in them 
through their profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
through their actions consistent with that profession. But again, 
the object of his thankfulness is God. It's God's grace. It is God who is the author of 
this good work. Now notice the text in verse 
six, being confident he is by their profession and by their 
conduct of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work 
in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. And 
in that short verse, it encompasses the entirety of God's good grace 
in the salvation of sinners. Basically, what we have is the 
election of sinners according to God's sovereign grace. We 
see that in Ephesians 1-4. We have the regeneration of sinners 
by God's Spirit, John chapter 3, Titus chapter 3. As well, 
we have the justification of sinners by the blood and righteousness 
of Jesus. I just say everywhere in Paul's 
letters, and then the glorification of sinners by the power of God. 
So this text emphasizes it is God's grace alone by which sinners 
come out of darkness into marvelous light. It is God's grace alone 
that keeps them in that place, and it is God's grace alone that 
will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Look at Philippians 
chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2, you see 
a similar emphasis there. Philippians 2, 12. Therefore, 
my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence 
only, but now much more in my absence. I love the way he says 
that. It wasn't a case in Philippi that it was, look busy, Paul's 
coming. Be holy, Paul's coming. You know, as long as he's around, 
we got to have a good show. No, in my absence, you're faithful. In my absence, you're consistent. In my absence, you're persevering. 
There's always that trepidation that parents feel when they go 
out for a night and they leave the kids at home. It's that last 
five minutes that the kids say, okay, we got to get busy. Mom 
and dad are coming home. We kind of like to think you 
were busy at whatever you were supposed to be doing for the 
two or three hours that we were gone. So Paul commends these 
brethren in such a way as you have always obeyed, not as in 
my presence only. You're not men pleasers, you're 
not doing eye service, you're not just trying to get the accolades 
of the Holy Apostle, but now much more in my absence. The 
word I get from you when Epaphroditus arrived to me, he speaks in glowing 
terms of you all. Your first day was indicative 
of your 10th year, and I am confident it's gonna be like that in year 
20, year 30, year 50. I'm confident that the grace 
of God that has come to you, that good work that He began 
in you, I am confident that it will come to full expression 
in glorification when you enter into the new Jerusalem. But notice 
what he then says. He says, work out your own salvation 
with fear and trembling. The language there is very specific. 
He's not saying work for your own salvation. We're not working 
for our own salvation. We're working out what God put 
in. the God who began this good work 
in us. He says, work out your own salvation 
with fear and trembling, and then note for it is God who works 
in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. So back 
in verse six, verse five, he commends them for their fellowship 
in the gospel. Verse six, he recognizes God's 
grace is operative in their lives. And he recognizes this, not by 
some mystical connection, but by their right profession in 
the Son of God, who loved them and died for them, but as well 
in that conduct that is consistent with a profession of faith. So 
the God who begins the good work will complete it. I think this 
is one of the, you know, I don't wanna say best text, but it's 
one of the best texts with reference to assurance It's not you that 
it's all dependent upon. Now again, that doesn't mean 
you lay down like a slug, work out your own salvation with fear 
and trembling, understand that it's God who's at work in you 
both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. But where's 
the basis? Where's the foundation for assurance 
of faith? It's not in us. Brethren, if 
we could lose our salvation, we would lose our salvation. 
There's no question within a millisecond. If we could, we would. But God 
is faithful. God is gracious. God is kind. So the Apostle's confidence is 
not grounded in the free will of the Philippians, but in the 
free grace of God. The Apostle's confidence is not 
grounded in the faithfulness of the Philippians, but in the 
faithfulness of God. And the Apostle's confidence 
is not grounded in the perseverance of the Philippians, but in the 
power and the preserving power of the Holy Spirit of God. So 
he's confident, not in them as them, but he's confident in God's 
grace operative in them, which is manifest through their profession 
and through their specific conduct. So when we look at this particular 
section, brief as it may be, we learn that prayer, when we 
go to prayer for others, it's not a celebration of their virtues, 
it's rather a celebration of the mighty power of God Almighty. 
That doesn't mean we can't say, thank you, Lord, for giving me 
a nice wife. She's great, I love her, thank you for her kindness. 
But prayer first and foremost is a time to delight in the good 
gifts of God Almighty. And that brings us then finally 
to the apostles' affection for them in verses seven to eight. 
We see here an obligation and confirmation. Note the obligation 
in verse seven, just as it is right for me to think this of 
you all. This is right. I'm obligated. I need to appreciate and recognize 
God's grace in your life. I need to acknowledge that He 
began this good work. I need to acknowledge that He 
will continue this good work. I need to acknowledge that He 
will bring this good work to fruition. It's right for me to 
think this of you all. as well his confidence in the 
Philippians. He's going to explain that more, 
but they have shown themselves faithful. It's not praising God 
first and foremost for their faithfulness, keeping them in 
the grace of God, but that is a fruit, a byproduct, an effect 
or consequence of what God's grace had produced in their lives. 
And so he's thankful for that. So notice, just as it is right 
for me to think this of you all, now, He goes on, "...because 
I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the 
defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers 
with me of grace." Note the intimacy that he has with these people. 
Brethren, I wouldn't... I don't know that I want to go 
down that road, but I want to make sure that we understand 
that the communication of one's love and affection for others 
is not effeminate. It can be, obviously, but it's 
not. The mighty, holy Apostle Paul 
had no problem, as it were, opening up his chest cavity and saying, 
you're right there. There's affection that the apostle 
has for the church in Philippi, and he is not afraid or, you 
know, he's not questioning his masculinity by communicating 
that love for them. Look at the language, just as 
it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you 
in my heart. I love you people. I care for 
you people. I delight in you people. And 
notice, when we have people in our hearts, guess what we do 
with them? We bring them to the throne of 
grace. And that's a good thing, brethren. 
Having people in your heart evokes going for them to the throne 
of grace and seeking blessings on their behalf. This is a good 
model or paradigm for all of us to have one another in our 
hearts so that we can bring them to the throne of grace. He continues, 
I have you in my heart, and then this is by way of explanation, 
in as much as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation 
of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. So basically, 
the Philippians participated with Paul in the good times, 
when God opens Lydia's heart, when God saves the Philippian 
jailer, when the jailer tends to their wounds, they leave Philippi 
as those who had had some very good times together. In fact, 
look at chapter four, specifically at verse 11. He says, not that I speak in 
regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be 
content. I'm sorry, for I have learned 
in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased 
and I know how to abound. So the Philippians were with 
him in times of abounding, but the Philippians were not ashamed 
of him in times of abasement. And that's what he indicates 
here. In as much as both in my chains, Brethren, if you knew 
that somebody that you held in high regard ended up in prison, 
there might be suspicion. Well, I wonder, you know, is 
he running drugs? Was he, you know, selling raw 
milk? What was he doing? What was it 
that landed him in that position? There is a suspicion that is 
natural. Not with the Philippians. They 
knew if Paul's in prison, it wasn't because of a crime that 
he had committed. If Paul's in prison, it's because of the gospel. It's because of Christ and Him 
crucified. It's because of the escalation 
of persecution and oppression in the empire. They didn't doubt. 
They didn't wonder. There was no quandary with them. 
That's what I think is going on in the 115 and 16 men. That 
envy, that strife, that embarrassment, that irritation that one of their 
fellows or the mighty apostle Paul ended up in prison. Not 
so the Philippians. They were not fair weather fans. 
They stuck by the apostle. But also, notice he says, in 
my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, 
for God is my... We'll get to that in a moment. 
One man says, in preaching boldly against tyrants and heretics 
and confirming the gospel in the hearts of the faithful. His 
imprisonment is not an obstacle for them. His battles at the 
synagogues, his battles before the civil government, those are 
not obstacles for them. These people love Paul. So as 
much as he has them in his heart, they have him in their heart. And that's a beautiful reciprocating 
relationship. And then he confirms this by 
divine testimony and then expresses personal affection. Notice in 
verse eight, for God is my witness. That's an oath. That is an oath 
that Paul invokes. And according to our confession, 
they are to be done in matters of wait and moment. Matters of 
wait and moment. Why is this a matter of wait 
and moment? Because the apostle Paul is in 
prison. He's writing a letter from his 
control center, his strategic operations center. I love to 
think of it that way. And he sends that letter to fellow 
soldiers. And these fellow soldiers are 
engaged in warfare. And these fellow soldiers need 
to know that Paul has their back. And he needs to continue to understand 
that they have his back. And so he calls or invokes God 
as his witness. I'm not making this up. This 
isn't literary flourish. I'm not just faking that I have 
you in my heart. We are in this together. If we're 
gonna continue in an increasingly hostile empire, if we're gonna 
continue to proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified, if we're gonna 
continue to challenge the power structures of our day, both synagogue 
and empire, we need to have each other's backs. I need you to 
know that you're in my heart. I believe that I am in your heart, 
and I call God as my witness that what I am writing to you 
is absolutely 100% true. I want you to be able to lean 
on me, and I want to be able to lean on you." And then he 
expresses again large-hearted personal affection for them. 
For God is my witness how greatly I long for you all with the affection 
of Jesus Christ. This is markedly, not markedly 
different, completely different than other epistles. But there 
is such a note of love and an emphasis on joy and delight in 
this epistle to the Philippians that I don't think it is without 
warrant. One has observed, probably others, that it has something 
of a farewell letter nature to it. Paul thinks he may possibly 
die. So what is he doing in the 11th 
hour? He's gathering his children to him, and he is telling them 
from the heart the things that he thinks concerning them, and 
communicating to them his love. Gil says, with reference to this 
language, how greatly I long for you all with the affection 
of Jesus Christ, not with a human and carnal affection, but with 
a Christian and spiritual one, with a love which came from Christ 
and was an imitation of him, and on account of their being 
in Him, loved by Him, belonging to Him, and being believers in 
Him. It was in the most tender manner 
that He loved them, and was affected to them. The phrase denotes that 
His love towards them was internal, in His heart, and was most tender 
and strong, and like to that tender concern Christ had for 
them, and which He stirred up in them. It is right, brothers 
and sisters, to communicate your love and affection to one another. 
It is right, and it is good, and it is obviously true of God. He so loved the world that He 
gave His only begotten Son. It's true of God the Son in the 
upper room. He loved them with an eternal 
love. He loved them to the end. He 
communicates that love in John 15. He communicates that love 
over and over again. So it is not untoward, it's not 
effeminate, it's not weird, and it's not wrong. It's apostolic 
to communicate one's love for another. Well, in conclusion, 
I would suggest that we learn from this a couple of quick lessons. First, the place of gratitude 
in the Christian life. We all know that threefold motif 
behind the Heidelberg Catechism, guilt, grace, gratitude. Gratitude. Gratitude displays a recognition 
of the goodness of God, doesn't it? Gratitude displays a recognition 
of the grace of God. We're not the guy that's praying 
next to the public and, you know, I thank you, God, that I'm not 
like other men. I thank you that I'm not an adulterer. 
I thank you that I'm not an extortioner. I thank you that I'm not like 
this publican. No, gratitude recognizes the goodness of God. 
Gratitude then promotes or evokes from our hearts prayer and praise 
to God. Gratitude is a very good disposition 
to maintain. Gratitude acknowledges God's 
goodness to us and to others in particular. It's good to survey 
the things going on in other people's lives too, right? There's something about us. I 
remember a sermon that was definitive for me in my thinking. This is 
going back a few years. And it was Greg Nichols, and 
he was preaching a sermon on, I think it was, at least he alluded 
to 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 13, love does not 
behave rudely. And if you've ever talked to 
me on the phone, or if I've ever called you, I hope that this 
is true. I try to ask, is this a good time for you? Because 
Greg Nichols let us have it. How many times do people call 
you? Now, not so much anymore. Texting 
is a good thing. But how many times do people 
call you just assuming that you have an hour without ever checking 
to see if you have an hour? That's rude. Don't impose your 
life on others that way. Don't just drop yourself in their 
lap and say, hey, listen to what I've got to yammer on for for 
an hour. Listen to all about me, myself, 
and I. Love does not behave rudely. Love rather looks to the concerns, 
the needs, the wants, the issues of others. They might actually 
have a problem. They might actually have a praise 
report. They might actually have something going on in their lives. 
Let's try to pay attention to that once in a while. So with 
reference to this, we acknowledge God's goodness to us and to others 
as well. And I would say gratitude humbles 
us and hopefully weans us from self-dependence. When we're basking 
in the goodness that is God, hopefully we are reminded how 
good it is to bask in the goodness that is God, and that we don't 
want self-dependence. We don't want independence. We 
don't want autonomy. We don't want to do it on our 
own. We want to rest upon God's gracious provision as he gives 
it to us abundantly through the gospel of our salvation. And I would suggest then, secondly, 
and finally, the church's fellowship in the gospel ministry. I think 
there's this mindset that, you know, all I do is I go to church. I don't have a particular ministry. 
I don't have a specific thing that I do. So what has that produced 
over the last generation, almost? Well, we've got to have a ministry 
for everybody. We've got to plug them in. We got a parking lot 
ministry, you be the guy that waves people in, you can be the 
king of that ministry. I'm not necessarily denouncing 
that, but brethren, by participating in prayer and in preaching and 
in corporate worship, every member in the church, every attender 
in the church is as important as the minister of the gospel. 
So again, Paul may do the heavy lifting as he goes about from 
place to place, as he stands to defend and confirm the gospel 
against unbelieving Jews and Roman tyrants, but the brethren 
are right there beside him. Not in every instance, to be 
sure, but through prayer, through their love for him. Spurgeon 
was once asked about the secret to his success in preaching. He says, there's no secret. My 
people pray. What secret? We got an engine 
room down there. And there's brethren praying. 
So that when I preach, I know that there's prayers going up 
to God for His blessing upon the sinners and for the sanctifying 
power of the Holy Spirit upon the believers. There's no magic, 
it's not esoteric, it's not mystical. The church participates in the 
gospel ministry. And brethren, I would say very 
personally that you just showing up each Sunday is a great boon 
and encouragement to my heart. I'd rather have you in here sitting 
than waving traffic out in the parking lot. This is a good place 
for the people of God to be. And in the final analysis, we 
have this God who has begun this good work in us. We are confident 
that He will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. I think 
that's a two-fold reference. Either our own death, when we 
are launched into the presence of the Son of God, or on that 
final day of judgment. But we have God and His mercy 
and His goodness and His grace to sustain us, and we are all 
partakers, and all participants, and all engaged in the fellowship 
of the gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Well, let 
us pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
Your Word, we thank You for Your Apostle, and we thank You for 
these words penned by the Spirit, through him, and we ask God that 
you would just fill our hearts with affection for the brothers 
and the sisters here, as well, God, cause us to reflect often 
upon your good grace, and may it produce in our hearts a gratitude, 
a thankfulness that is expressed to you in prayer, that would 
be a sweet-smelling sacrifice and aroma unto you, and that 
you would be pleased to continue to bless here. May you save sinners, 
may you continue to sanctify your saints, and we have that 
confidence that you who began this work will complete it until 
the day of Jesus Christ. And we pray in His most blessed 
name. Amen. We'll close with a brief time 
of meditation.