Content in Christ
Falling in Love Again
Phil. 1:7-11
(R. Darrel Davis) “Dearest Jimmy, No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement. Please say you’ll take me back. No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me. I love you, I love you, I love you! Yours forever, Marie... P.S., And congratulations on winning the state lottery.”
Ain’t love grand? Not always, is it?
Who do you love? What do you love? Why do you love?
We’re going to look at a different kind of love today.
•We’re going to look at someone who is truly in love with the hope that we, too, will catch that same love. Turn to Phil. 1:7-11 (?Memorized)
We’re studying Phil., Paul’s “Joy Letter”. One of encouragement
Prayer
I. PAUL’S PASSION v. 7-8
A. How did he feel about them?
7IT IS RIGHT FOR ME TO FEEL THIS WAY ABOUT ALL OF YOU,
What way? Cf. vv. 3-6 (remembered, rejoiced, related to them, encouraged them)
SINCE I HAVE YOU IN MY HEART; (poss. “You have me in your heart”)
It’s a mutual love and longing. Both translations work here.
(WP) The pastor who, like Paul, holds his people in his heart will find them holding him in their hearts.
•“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Paul is passionate about the Philippians. He sincerely loves them deeply.
•Hypocritical praise – don’t really mean it. “How are you doing”? “I’ll pray for you.”
How do we feel about each other?
How do we really feel toward each other? Toward our leaders? Toward our followers?
Do we really care about each other – have them in our hearts?
B. Why did he feel this way about them?
FOR WHETHER I AM IN CHAINS OR DEFENDING AND CONFIRMING THE GOSPEL, ALL OF YOU SHARE IN GOD’S GRACE WITH ME.
Remember, Paul is in bondage, in prison as he writes this.
DEFENDING and CONFIRMING (establishing) THE GOSPEL are legal terms, used in the courtroom.
•It’s quite possible Paul’s thinking of his upcoming trial.
More than that, I believe he’s thinking of his ministry over the past several years.
•He spent his Christian life defending and confirming the Gospel.
And once again, he realizes he’s not alone in this defense.
ALL OF YOU SHARE IN GOD’S GRACE WITH ME.
Lit. all of you being fellow partakers (sugkoinonos/koinonia) with me of the grace.
All of them were fellow partners of God’s grace (cf. v. 5).
Illus. One of a lawyer’s key goals in his career is to become a partner in a law firm.
•He works hard building his reputation, winning every case in order to be established.
•All believers/saints are invited/called to share in defending/establishing the Gospel.
1 Pet. 3:15 …ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO GIVE AN ANSWER TO EVERYONE WHO ASKS YOU TO GIVE THE REASON FOR THE HOPE THAT YOU HAVE. BUT DO THIS WITH GENTLENESS AND RESPECT, (because of God’s grace on our behalf).
How are we partners of God’s grace?
8GOD CAN TESTIFY (God is my witness) HOW I LONG FOR (yearn, cf. v. 4) ALL OF YOU WITH THE AFFECTION OF CHRIST JESUS.
AFFECTION – “inward parts”/bowels; emotions, the seat of affection, tender concern.
How much does Jesus long for us?
“I long for you with the same longing that Christ has for you”.
Paul isn’t just tickling their ears. He’s serious about his affections/love for them.
Do we have that same longing for/tender concern for our fellow saints?
II. PAUL’S PRAYER v. 9-11
Remember that since v. 4, Paul has been telling them of his prayers for them.
A. What does he pray for?
9AND THIS IS MY PRAYER: THAT YOUR LOVE MAY (yet, still) ABOUND (over and above, may keep on overflowing) MORE AND MORE
1.He prays for abounding love.
Love for Christ and for one another (2:2, 4:2).
They had already displayed this love, but Paul prays that it abounds more and more.
1 Thes. 4:1 FINALLY, BROTHERS, WE INSTRUCTED YOU HOW TO LIVE IN ORDER TO PLEASE GOD, AS IN FACT YOU ARE LIVING. NOW WE ASK YOU AND URGE YOU IN THE LORD JESUS TO DO THIS MORE AND MORE.
1 Thes. 4:10 AND IN FACT, YOU DO LOVE ALL THE BROTHERS THROUGHOUT MACEDONIA. YET WE URGE YOU, BROTHERS, TO DO SO MORE AND MORE.
2 Thes. 1:3 WE OUGHT ALWAYS TO THANK GOD FOR YOU, BROTHERS, AND RIGHTLY SO, BECAUSE YOUR FAITH IS GROWING MORE AND MORE, AND THE LOVE EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS FOR EACH OTHER IS INCREASING.
Illus. “More and More”
"I love you more and more, every day that we’re together.
More and more, our love keeps growing strong.
And as we love the Father, He gives us something more
And lets us love each other more and more."
This was written to my bride, but it’s perfect for us to sing to God/each other.
When it comes to Christ and the Christian life, we can never love enough!
•That’s why this is a key part of our vision at First Baptist.
How can we demonstrate abounding love?
-A love of real knowledge
Lit. real, true knowledge as opposed to simple or false or worthless knowledge.
1 Cor. 1:22-23 JEWS DEMAND MIRACULOUS SIGNS AND GREEKS LOOK FOR WISDOM, 23BUT WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED: A STUMBLING BLOCK TO JEWS AND FOOLISHNESS TO GENTILES,
The Greeks of that day sought for wisdom and knowledge, but in relation to Christ it was worthless. Many people do the same thing today.
•Sometimes believers get caught up in foolish pursuits (angels on pin, God/rock).
Paul prays that our love for real knowledge of God and His Word would abound more and more.
-A love of all discernment
DEPTH OF INSIGHT (discernment, sensitive moral perception – only found here),
Our love needs to be discerning; we need to recognize truth from error.
•We need to hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Rom. 12:9).
“We love/accept you no matter what you do or believe”. Not the idea here.
Lit. I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.
Rom. 10:1-2 BROTHERS, MY HEART’S DESIRE AND PRAYER TO GOD FOR THE ISRAELITES IS THAT THEY MAY BE SAVED. 2FOR I CAN TESTIFY ABOUT THEM THAT THEY ARE ZEALOUS FOR GOD, BUT THEIR ZEAL IS NOT BASED ON KNOWLEDGE.
How’s your love life? Your love toward God and your fellow saints?
•Does that love abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment?
Paul prays that their love would abound, but he has a reason behind this prayer.
B. Why does he pray this? 3 reasons/goals for the saints.
1. So we would be selective
10SO THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DISCERN WHAT IS BEST
Lit. approve/test the things that differ, are excellent, more valuable.
The verb was used for analyzing metals and coins in order to choose the best ones.
Illus. Picking out engagement ring. Held out hand with several stones. Pick one.
Gemologists/geologists are able to analyze and discover which gems/metals are best.
•That’s why Paul prays for their love to abound in knowledge and discernment.
•So they could choose the best gem.
LASB “Paul prayed that the Philippian believers would have the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, good and bad, vital and trivial. We ought to pray for moral discernment so we can maintain our Christian morals and values.”
There’s a difference between discerning and choosing right from wrong.
It’s easy to say, “yeah that’s right”, but it’s another thing to do what’s right.
•That can’t happen without an abounding love in knowledge and discernment.
2. So we would be pure
“That you may be judged by sunlight and found to be pure.”
What do gemologists often do when examining a stone? They look at it in the sunlight.
Illus. Selling Rainbows. Shone bright light to reveal dirt in the air.
How do our spiritual lives stand up to the sunlight? Are they clean/pure?
How do we stand up to the “Son’s light?” Does His pure light shine perfectly thru us?
•It never will until our love abounds more and more.
3. So we would be spotless
BLAMELESS – without stumbling or causing others to stumble, without offense.
This goes hand in hand with purity.
How many times have we stumbled or caused someone else to stumble?
•Usually because our love was not abounding.
The more we abound in real love, the more pure and spotless we will be.
C. How do we get there?
How do we/Phil. abound in love so that we will be selective, pure, and spotless?
-By being fruitful.
11FILLED WITH THE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST
Often we look at this verse as being a result of abounding love, being pure/blameless.
Filled - perfect passive participle – having been filled.
This filling isn’t the goal, it’s the means/process of becoming pure/blameless.
•We don’t do the filling. We receive the filling. It comes from Christ.
In other words, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness because of Christ, our love will abound more and more in knowledge and discernment so that we will become pure/blameless.
The more we love, the more we are filled with His fruit and the more we love.
Gal. 5:22-23 BUT THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, 23GENTLENESS AND SELF-CONTROL.
Prov. 11:30 THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A TREE OF LIFE...
How fruitful are you? Love of Christ shining thru you? Fruit of Christ growing in you?
Our love for Christ will be displayed in His righteousness that bears fruit in us.
D. What is the end result?
This was Paul’s ultimate goal in his prayer for the Philippians.
-To Bring God Glory
—TO THE GLORY AND PRAISE OF GOD.
That’s our motto here. All for His Glory.
When we’re filled with His fruit, when our love is abounding more and more, when we’re seeking real knowledge and selecting right from wrong, when we’re examined by the Son’s light and found to be pure and spotless, God gets the glory!
This is Paul’s prayer, his longing for the Philippians.
Wiersbe – Paul prayed that they would be full of love, faithful in walk, and fruitful in Christian service.
•Notice he doesn’t pray for their physical health, jobs, travels, etc.
•Those things are important, but they’re secondary to our pursuit of Christ.
We will never be able to pray for each other in this way until they are on our heart.
III. PAUL’S CHALLENGE
A. We need to love more.
1. The Saints (show it, encourage, care for, call more, notes)
2. The Word (hunger, dig deeper, love the truth)
3. The Lord (fall in love again)
B. We need to pray more. for knowledge, discernment, making right choices)
C. We need to be filled more. (be filled with His fruit, Gal. 5:22-23)
D. We need to glorify God more. (by doing all the above)
Do we really love Him and His Word and His children?
How’s our (spiritual) love life? Is it for real?
Maybe it’s time to fall in love all over again.
Falling in Love All Over Again ©1996
"Falling in love all over again, falling in love with You;
You are my life, my Lord, my friend, and I’m falling in love again."
“Do You Love Me”? Illustration
Quote vv. 9-11
The Bottom Line: We need to fall in love again and again.
•Fall in love with the Lord, His Word, and His Saints.
Prayer/Challenge/Commitment
Renew love for His Word, show love to an unlovable saint.
Hymn More Love to Thee
