Be-Labor-ing a Point Playing off Labor Day

As you know from my last post, I am preaching Luke 10:38-42 on Sunday.  It’s obvious connection to Labor Day is that it is very possible for our labors in behalf of Jesus to get in the way of our relationship with Jesus.  Yes–my main point for Sunday can be stated just that quickly and succinctly.  However, it packs more of a wallop as we consider the details more closely.

The passage begins in an odd way, if you know anything at all about the references to the family in question from the Gospel of John.  There, John 11:5 tells us that “Jeses loved Martha, her sister (i.e., Mary) and Lazarus.”  In other words, this family was much more than passing acquaintances of Jesus, though that is the way things feel in Luke 10:38: “While they were traveling, [Jesus]entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.”

It appears that Dr. Luke is attempting to leave the impression that this was just any old home, somewhere in Israel.  But, why would he do that?  Most likely, Luke is seeking for his readers to understand that the principle the passage is teaching is not just relevant to those who were close friends of friends during his earthly life.  Instead, the principle applies to anyone, at any time, who has a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In verse 39, we are introduced to Martha’s sister, Mary.  In a signficant break from the cultural expectation of the day, Mary did not help her sister in the kitchen (v. 40).  Instead, she assumed the cultural position of the learner (i.e., disciple), sitting at the feet of Jesus and hanging on His every word.

In verse 40, we find out that Martha is more than slightly irrtitated that Mary has bailed out on kitchen duty.  After all, that is what women–considered little higher than farm animals in that society–did.  Period.  End of discussion.

However, Mary was not content with keep her frustration with her sister to herself.  After a while, she could not take it any more and approached Jesus with what she was certain would be a legitimate gripe: “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone.  So tell her to give me a hand.”

All eyes in the room were on Jesus.  Surely He would immediately correct this episode of non-culturally acceptable laziness on the part of Mary, would He not?  Not!

Instead, Jesus gently rebukes Martha in regard to her wrong spiritual priorities: “Martha, Martha, yoiu are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is necessary.  Mary has made the right choice, and it will not be taken away from her.” 

Wow!  From a human standpoint, it almost sounds as if Jesus was, so to speak, “biting the hand that was (quite literally) feeding him” in this home  However, we must not miss the thrust of Jesus’ point here.  As I wrote in my note on Luke 10:42 for the forthcoming Holman Study Bible (keyed to the Holman Christian Standard Bible:

Jesus indicated that [Martha's] exclusive focus (one thing), instead, should be the same as her sister’s: discipleship, an eternally commendable choice (it will not be taken away from her).  

Some of us are so familiar with this passage, though, that we no longer notice how completely non-”common sense” Jesus’ words sound.  Does this mean that nobody should work in the kitchen?  Does this mean that all the labor that must take place on a weekly basis around church plants should go lacking, in favor of learning about Jesus as His disciple?

The answer to this question is not as simple as you might hink.  Here’s why: If Martha had been able to work in the kitchen and not get distracted from her discipleship to Jesus, there would not have been a problem.  Jesus did not minimize her work at all.  Instead, he lovingly chided her for being “worried and upset about many things.” 

However, if you can’t do that kind of work for the Lord without being distracted from what is most important,  you would be better off not doing it and focusing on learning in regard to Christ.  You see, the first commandment (i.e., the “one thing” that is “necessary”) is still “Love the Lord Your God with all my heart and soul and mind and strength.”  And, Jesus is God and, thus, worthy of first place in each of our lives.

How similar is this same Mary’s anointing of Jesus in John 12:1-3!  Humanly, it made no sense to waste what may have cost as much as a year’s wages.  Judas Iscariot, the treasurer of the disciples, griped about the waste (12:4-6)–and so would many “practical” people today!  However, Jesus forcefully commended Mary’s behavior (12:7).

The main point here: Putting Jesus first is always the best thing (i.e., the one necessary thing!) in the life of the believer.  It is possible to serve the Lord without being spiritually distracted.  But, it is exceedingly common for such distraction to pull Christians aside from what really matters and give them a negative, resentful attitude.

Coming Tuesday: Philippians 2:12-18

My Labor Day message outline

Enjoy… and have a wonderful Labor Day!

Comal Country Church

Dr. Boyd Luter

August 31, 2008

 

Labor Day, 2008:

“Resting from Your Distracting Labor”

Luke 10:38-42

 

Introduction-

 

 

Main Idea- Laboring for the Lord sadly can easily distract you from what is most important in Christ’s eyes.

 

 

(10:38) Your relationship with Jesus cannot become close unless you welcome Him into your life-space.

 

 

 

 

(10:39-40) You will try to grow in relationship with Jesus by either being or doing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(10:41-42) Your doing for the Lord often gets in the way of the priority of being Christ’s disciple.

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion:

-         Putting Christ before anything else in life: Valuing joy and worship over “common sense” (John 12:1-8)

 

 

 

-         Thinking God’s thoughts after Him: Renovating your mind in the light of recommitment (Romans 12:1-2)

 

 

 

 

Coming Thursday: “Filling in the blanks” on Luke 10:38-42

Partners in the Gospel (X)

I’ve chosen to handle my discussion today somewhat differently.  I’m going to cite the entire passage I’m preaching this week (Phil. 2:5-11), then discuss it as a whole, instead of verse-by-verse.  The reason for that is that from verse 6 to verse 11, it all hangs together both theologically and practically.

Quoting from the Holman Christian Standard Bible:

“Make your attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, though existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be use for His own advantage.  Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, talking on the likeness of men.  And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death–even to death on a cross.  For this reason God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow–of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth–and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:5-11).

In the long and checkered history of biblical interpretation, seldom has a passage been so vulnerable to misunderstanding, with so many in fact short-sightedly exploiting that vulnerability.  In general, that has happened in three ways: 1) not recognizing the context of this passage and its practical intent in the Apostle Paul’s argument; 2) erroneously concluding that Paul is saying Christ was no longer God after He became a man; and 3) equally erroneously concluding that Paul is saying that Christ only looked like a man, but was not completely human.

In regard to the first issue, it is incredible how many theologians and laypersons alike fail to notice that the lead-in to 2:5-11 is talking about the need to avoid “rivalry” and “conceit” in dealing with one another, but instead to act in “humility.”  Then, as the passage begins, Paul admonishes his readers to “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus” (v. 5).  What was the “attitude” of Jesus in focus here?  Humility–see verse 8.  Thus, the reason Paul develops this incredible passage in the first place is the practical need for humility among the Philippians–nothing more or less.

Still, as practical as it is in this context, there can be no debate that the passage has great theological implications and must be handled with great exegetical care in drawing theological implications.  So, I will attempt to offer a brief, understandable discussion of why it is to be understood that Jesus does not forfeit His divinity, but does become fully human from Philippians 2:6-11.

First, please notice that verse 7 does not say that Jesus “emptied” Himself of being God.  Rather, in finishing the thought from verse 6, it says that, in becoming man, Jesus “emptied” Himself of His divine advantages. 

What does that mean?  While on earth in His pre-resurrection human body, Jesus chose not to exercise His divine powers.  Instead, He acted in the power of the Holy Spirit (e.g., Luke 4:1, where Jesus is said to have faced the Devil’s temptations in the Wilderness in the power of the Spirit).  In doing so, Jesus fulfilled His role as the “last Adam” (i.e., the perfect man that Adam failed to be by sinning).

In regard to the other error regarding Jesus’ person, He did indeed become fully human.  When it says in verse 7 that Jesus assumed “the form of a man,” it does not mean that he just had outward human form.  Instead, the term means “the outward display of an inward reality.”  Thus, Jesus had as much of the “inward reality” of being human (v. 7) as He had of being God (v.6, where the same Greek word, morphe, rendered as “form,” is also used). 

The other term that comes into play here that is worth mentioning is that Jesus was made in “the likeness of man.”  It may sound like that is hedging on Jesus’ humanity, that He was only like mankind, but not truly human.  However, it is almost certainly that the reason for this careful wording by Paul is that he does not want to leave the impression that Jesus is like mankind in every way, including being sinful.  The word “likeness” allows the similarity to be almost complete, but not 100%, because Jesus does not share our sinful nature.

Coming Tuesday: Philippians 2:12-18

Partners in the Gospel (IX)

Here’s my sermon outline for Sunday, August 24.  I will fill it in with the key thoughts on the passage on Thursday.

Comal Country Church

Dr. Boyd Luter

August 24, 2008

 

Partnership in the Gospel (V):

“Humility and Exaltation”

Philippians 2:5-11

 

Introduction-

 

Main Idea- You can exalt yourself, then be humbled by God or you can humble yourself, then be exalted.

 

(2:5-8) For you to be a Christ-like gospel partner, it is God’s plan for you to humble yourself.

(5) The expectation of gospel partners having a humble attitude.

 

 

(6-8) The classic example of the original gospel partner’s humility

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2:9-11) The humble Christ-like gospel partner will, like Christ, be properly exalted in God’s perfect timing.

(9) The reality of God’s exaltation of the humble

 

 

 

(10-11) The timing of everyone else’s recognition of the exaltation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Applicational Questions:

-         Are you choosing to think highly of yourself now, not facing that there is a humbling ahead?

 

Or:

 

-         Will you humble yourself before the Lord, counting on Him to lift you up in His perfect timing?

 

Coming Thursday: More on Philippians 2:5-11

Partners in the Gospel (VIII)

I’m going to “fill in the blanks” below with discussion on the text.  Enjoy!

“Humble Unity as the Glue of Gospel Partnership”

Philippians 1:27-2:4

Main Idea- God designed your gospel partnership to be a steadfast, humble team effort.

(1:27-30) As gospel partners, you are also heavenly citizens, living here in steadfast unity, even in suffering.(27-28) Stand firm in togetherness in the face of opposition.

“Just one thing: live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, working side by side for the sake of the gospel, not being frightened in any way by your opponents.  This is evidence of their destruction, but of your deliverance–and this is from God.”

The wording “live your life” is not Paul’s normal word for lifestlye.  Instead, it means literally “to live as a citizen.”  It is the verbal cousin of “citizenship” in Phil. 3:20.  The significance of it appearing here is because Philippi was a Roman colonia.  That means the city of Philippi had the same legal status as the imperial city of Rome.  Here, Paul is contrasting the Christian’s life as a citizen of heaven and God’s kingdom with Christians who just live like the unsaved world around us.

Paul makes a key point that it is not possible to live in a manner worthy of the gospel if you are not living and ministering in unity.  This point would have been particularly pointed toward his gospel partners Euodia and Syntyche, who were not getting along (4:2-3).

We do not know for sure who the opponents in Philippi were.  It may well have been the Jewish false teachers of the early part of ch. 3.  But, it is somewhat more likely that is the Roman Empire that is in mind, given that verse 30 directly compares the Philippians’ present suffering to his own, which, of course, is at the hands of the Romans.

Interestingly, it is believers’ unified willingness to suffer for the gospel together which is the sign of salvation (translated “deliverance”), whether they live or die (see 1:21-24 for Paul’s personal perspective.  And, by contrast, because of their opposition to the gospel, the opponents show they are headed to “perdition” because of their aggressive unbelief.

(29-30) Be aware that suffering for Christ is nothing unusual.

“For it has been given to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him, having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear about me.”

These verses reflect the same kind of perspective Paul displayed about himself in Colossians 1:24: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body… .”  Neither verse should be taken to mean that Christ’s death on the Cross was somehow insufficient to pay for all our sins.  Instead, these sufferings are more likely referring ot the kind of sufferings Jesus went through before He went to the Cross.  He is our example in facing undeserved sufffering in this life.

(2:1-4) As gospel partners, your shared blessings mean you must do your best to build loving humble unity.

(1) You have so many spiritual resources in common with your Christian brethren.

“If there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affections and mercy,”

 The “if” in each of these clauses is better translated “since.”  Paul is not doubting that each of these things is true.  Instead, he is saying in effect “Given that every Christian has all these wonderful resources to live out… “  Particularly significant here is the word translated “fellowship.”  It is the same word rendered “partnership” in 1:5.  And, I think it should be understood as “partnership” here also.  Given that John 15:26-27 makes it clear how Christians are partners with the Holy Spirit in sharing the gospel, is it not likely that this verse is making a very similar point?

(2) It produces joy for brethren to have a single-minded focus on life and ministry.

“fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal.”

In 1:4, Paul had said “… always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer.”  So, Paul already had joy in regard to the Philippian church.  However, that joy would not be complete until the currently fragmenting church body in Philippi was re-cemented in love, emotional concern for each other and the common goal of their gospel partnership.

(3-4) Rivalry, pride and selfishness have no legitimate place in Christ’s Body.

“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.  Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” 

These were the kinds of attitudes and actions that had caused so much trouble in Rome, as Paul had just reported (see 1:15, 17).   Instead, it is only through selfless love for others that the Body can function as Christ designed it.  Also, as will be seen next week, this is the perspective Jesus took in becoming a man (see 2:5-11).  Thus, Jesus is not only our example in suffering (1:30), but also in humble selflessness (2:5-8). 

 

Partners in the Gospel (VII)

The following will be my sermon outline this Sunday.  Enjoy!

Comal Country Church

Dr. Boyd Luter

August 17, 2008

 

Partnership in the Gospel (IV):

“Humble Unity as the Glue of Gospel Partnership”

Philippians 1:27-2:4

 

Introduction-

 

Main Idea-

 

(1:27-30) As gospel partners, you are also heavenly citizens, living here in steadfast unity, even in suffering.

(27-28) Stand firm in togetherness in the face of opposition.

 

 

 

(29-30) Be aware that suffering for Christ is nothing unusual.

 

 

 

(2:1-4) As gospel partners, your shared blessings mean you must do your best to build loving humble unity.

(1) You have so many spiritual resources in common with your Christian brethren.

 

 

 

(2) It produces joy for brethren to have a single-minded focus on life and ministry.

 

 

 

(3-4) Rivalry, pride and selfishness have no legitimate place in Christ’s Body.

 

 

 

Practical Applicational Questions:

-          Are you engaged in living out your heavenly citizenship daily?

 

-          Are you fearfully avoiding the thought of suffering for Christ?

 

-          Are you willing to understand and embrace all your “common ground” in Christ?

 

-          Are you selfishly fooling yourself by thinking you have the right to “do your own thing” in the Body of Christ?

Coming Thursday: A discussion of the passage above

Partners in the Gospel (VI)

(Since Philippians 1:12-26 is a longer passage than the one I dealt with last week (1:3-11), I am going to do more of a section-by-section discussion today.  Hopefully, my style below will make it easier for you to understand and apply.)

Before proceeding further, my study of this key section has convinced me that it unpacks in the following inverted parallel structure:

A (1:12-14) Paul’s presence in Rome has advanced the gospel there, as well as the confidence of the believers in Rome.

B (1:15-18a) What really matters in life is that Christ is proclaimed.

C (1:18b-20) Paul’s foundational hope: To honor Christ in his body, whether in life or death

B’ (1:21-24) To die and be with the Lord is gain, but to live on for Christ (and the gospel) is necessary.

A’ (1:24-26) Paul’s presence in coming from Rome to Philippi will advance the joy and faith of his Philippian gospel partners.

Note: The above parallels point to the middle of the structure, where Paul’s hope is the “heart” of everything else in this section, the reason he can take a positive outlook on those in the Christian community in Rome who are opposing him.

Again, citing the Holman Christian Standard Bible:

1:12-14- “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advancement of the gospel, so that it has become know throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is for Christ.  Most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the message fearlessly.”

Paul’s arrest had not turned out to be the setback to the spread of the gospel.  In fact, the opposite had happened.  Paul’s house arrest in Rome had not only allowed him to witness to the leaders of the Jewish community in the imperial city (see Acts 28:29), but to what could be called the most elite aspect of the Roman military: the Praetorian guard.  It may well be the spread of the gospel as far out into the outskirts of the Roman Empire as the British Isles by the end of the first cetury AD was related to Paul’s evangelistic impact on the “imperial guard” at this time.  In addition, most of the people in the house churches in Rome had been motivated by the success of Paul’s witness in his house arrest and were sharing Christ with much greater boldness.

1:15-18a- “Some, to be sure, preach Christ out of envy and strife, but others out of good will.  These do so out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the others proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely, seeking to cause mw trouble in my imprisonment.  What does it matter?  Just that in every way, whether out of false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed.  And in this I rejoice.”

Others in the church in Rome, however, though also witnessing, were doing so with bad attitudes and worse motivations.  Interestingly, though Paul notes this problem very clearly, his overall take is that he and his Philippian readers should rejoice simply because the gospel was being proclaimed.  The section also sets up what Paul is going to talk to the Philippians about as being a problem in their midst: bad attitudes and motives.  The problem with disunity that Paul takes on in Phil. 1:27-2:4 is definitely part of the overall situation in the church that Paul is addressing, as well as naming the names of the troublemakers Euodia and Syntyche in 4:2-3.

1:18b-20- “Yes, and I will rejoice because I know this will lead to my deliverance in through your prayers and help from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.  My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or death.”

Philippians was almost surely written near the end of the two years in house arrest in Rome (see Acts 28:20) that is known from extra-biblical sources to be the maximum length of time a prisoner could be held without be confronted by his accusers.  By this time, Paul has become convinced that he will soon be released.  However, if he is wrong and his life will soon be on the life in going before the Roman tribunal, Paul is focused on living–or dying–in a manner that will most glorify Christ.

1:21-24- “For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.  Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose.  I am pressured by both.  I have the desire to depart and be with Christ–which is far better–but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.”

If Paul had been granted his wish in the midst of his current circumstances by the Lord, he would have chosen death, no questions asked… if he did not have the responsibility of his gospel partners so heavy on his heart.  Because he did, though, he had very mixed feelings.  However, from a practical standpoint, he knew that it was the best thing for his earthly life to continue, which would allow his ongoing ministry to his gospel partners in Philippi.

1:25-26- “Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your advancement and joy in the faith, so that, because of me, your confidence may grow in Christ Jesus when I come to see you again.”

Paul is looking forward to getting released from his current imprisonment in Rome, so that he will be free to go and visit his gospel partners in Philippi.  After seeing how much his effective evangelistic ministry in Rome had encouraged the believers there, Paul was absolutely convinced the same sort of thing would take place in Philippi.

Coming Tuesday: Outline of Philippians 1:27-2:4

Partners in the Gospel (V)

This is my sermon outline for Sunday, August 10.  Enjoy!

Comal Country Church

Dr. Boyd Luter

August 10, 2008

 

Partnership in the Gospel (III):

“The Trials of Life as a Gospel Partner”

Philippians 1:12-26

 

Introduction-

 

Main Idea- While the gospel is the unbeliever’s life or death issue, Christians face a life and death issue.

 

 

(1:12-18a) What ultimately matters amidst life’s circumstances is whether the gospel of Christ is being shared with others.

(12-14)

 

 

 

(15-18a)

 

 

 

(1:18b-26) Looking at whether you’ll live or die, living is representing Christ and dying is an eternal promotion.

(18b-20)

 

 

 

(21-24)

 

 

 

(25-26)

 

 

 

Applicational Questions:

Do you find yourself tending to question other people’s motives for doing ministry?

 

Can you be joyful whenever somebody becomes a Christian, no matter how?

 

Do you try to see beyond the difficult circumstances now to the wider spiritual issues?

 

Do you realize that, while heaven is far better, you’re left on earth for God’s purpose?

 

 

 

Partners in the Gospel (IV)

(I did not get to this Thursday or yesterday.  However, I decided that would much rather be guilty of too much research/reading than not enough… so I kep reading instead of writing.  Thank you for your understanding!)

I have decided that what I’m going to do in these installments on Philippians is to not to do a running commentary as much as to lay out (and tease out further in some cases) the things about each passage that have emerged as fresh truths for me.  As a result, some of the folowing will be related to delicate nuances of meaning that you might never run into anywhere else.  I do hope these comments will be edifying to each of you!

Using the Holman Christian Standard Bible as my text:

1:1a- “Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus…”  Although Timothy is effectively named as Paul’s co-author in several other letters (the earliest being 1 Thess. 1:1), this is the only letter of Paul in which Timothy’s name is placed alongside Paul’s by himself.  This may well be because of the key role Timothy plays in the body of the letter in 2:19 and Timothy’s soon journey to Philippi, representing Paul.

1:1b- “… To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.”  Over and over–and in various ways–throughout the epistle, Paul will emphasize his affection and concern for “all” the Christians in Philippi.  It appears that he is very carefully seeking to avoid taking sides in the dispute between Euodia and Syntyche (4:2-3), which is previewed in principle in 2:2-4.  Also, this is the only letter in which the leaders of the church (“overseers and deacons”) are addressed at the beginning.  Two comments are worth offering here: 1) In keeping with his overall theme of “partnership in the gospel” (see 1:5), Paul does not place the leaders over the congregation, but alongside them; and 2) The likely reasons why Paul does address the leaders are because of their positive role in the gift Paul received from the church (see 4:10ff.) and their negative role in not taking care of the brewing problem between Euodia and Syntyche (4:2-3).

1:2- “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  This is a standard greeting from Paul.  However, it is worth noting that “grace” must be received by each person before they have “peace” with God.

1:3-4- “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer…”  Again, Paul is at pains to make sure that the Philippian believers understand that he is constantly praying for “all” of them, not just those in the congregation who are hadling things correctly.  What a wonderful example of not “playing favorites” in a church!

1:5- “… because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”  The Greek koinonia could be translated “fellowship” or “participation,” but, given the way Paul develops the rest of the letter, “partnership” is definitely what he had in mind.  Interestingly, this is not a phenomenon that gradually came into being over the years the church had existed.  The “partnership” had been in place, according to Paul, from “the first day (i.e., of planting the church in Acts 16:11ff.) until now.”  Wow!  Brand new baby Christians being viewed as partners in the gospel!  That’ll get you to thinking!

1:6- “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  This is, of course, the ‘future’ part of the ‘past to present’ in 1:5.  Since that is the case, it is far more likely that the “good work” of 1:6 is the completion of the “partnership in the gospel” in 1:5 than that it is talking about bare sanctification.  As far as I can tell, that view comes more from using 1:6 as a theological prooftext, often taking it out of context.

1:7a- “It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart…”  One of the major sub-themes of Philippians is that “partnership in the gospel” is based in right thinking.  However, this is not just any old thinking.  It is closely related to a balanced emotional perspective (“I have you in my heart”).

1:7b- “… and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and establishment of the gospel.”  Because their “partnership” has continued until the present and will into the future, then Paul and the Philippians are “partners” in whatever happens that has to do with the spread of the gospel, including Paul’s imprisonments, whether in Philippi (Acts 16:23ff.) or in Rome, where Paul was when he wrote Philippians.

1:8- “For God is my witness, how I deeply miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”  Paul is essentially saying here: “Honest to God, I miss all of you (i.e., not just some of you) as purely as if I were Jesus Himself.”  Wow!  That’s quite a claim!

1:9- “And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment…”  We all know how important love is to the Christian life.  But, what Paul is saying her is that we should be growing in love over the years, particularly through coming to the point where our love is much more knowledgeable and discerning than it was when we were immature believers.

1:10a- “… so that you can determine what really matters…”  If you have any kind of moral compass at all, it is not difficult to tell the difference between right and wrong.  But, as they say, “The biggest enemy of the best is the good.”  In other words, it is the discernment between what is good and what is the absolute best from God’s perspective that is crucial and distrubingly rare in a contemporary church filled with immature Christians.

1:10b- “… and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ…”  The outcome of ultimate purity and blamelessness will only be ours on the day of judgment.  However, this also means that we should focus on being as close to purity and blamelessness as possible right now.

1:11- “… filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”  The only other use of the idea “fruit of righteousness” in the NT is in James 3:18, which grows out of 3:17: “But the wisdom from above is first, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocricy.”   It is difficult to see exactly how this fits the context in Philippians 1:11, though.  It seems to me more likely that this concept should be taken as a combination of the ideas of the filling of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).  The mention of love, which is the first listed fruit of the Spirit, in Philippians 1:9 backs this understanding.  This is the way that “the glory and praise of God” comes about: the Holy Spirit revolutionalizes the Christian’s life from the inside out… and God gets the glory!

Selah and Amen.

Coming Tuesday: My sermon outline for Philippians 1:12-26