SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). I have you in my mind (vs 3-6):
(2). I have you in my heart (vs 7-8):
(3). I have you in my prayers (vs 9-11):
(3a). Grow in love (vs 9).
(3b). Grow in knowledge (vs 9).
(3c). Grow in holiness (vs 10).
(3d). Grow in fruitfulness (vs 11).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• A few years ago Transport For London cycling safety advert!
• The advert challenged its listeners to answer the question:
• ‘How many passes does the team in white make?’
• Everybody is focussed on counting the number of passes the White team makes.
• But at the end after the correct answer is give,
• The ad throws up another question: ‘Do you see the Moonwalking bear?’
• The ad then replays slowly and you change perspective,
• This time as you watch you are looking for and you see the moonwalking bear.
• Point made!
• In the busyness of driving look out for the cyclist.
• YouTube clip:
• https://youtu.be/Ahg6qcgoay4
TRANSITION: This letter called Philippians:
• Is a thank you letter,
• He refers to this fact in chapter 4 verse 14-16.
• The Apostle Paul wants to thank the Church at Philippi,
• For the financial gift they sent to him.
“Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need”
• When he was skint, in need and ‘his cupboard was bare’
• God prompted this Church to send him some financial help,
• Their giving kept the apostles missionary ministry going.
Ill:
• As an evangelist who works full-time in a faith-based ministry
• (Jargon for unpaid or rather not charging for my services).
• I/we have on a number of occasions been in a similar situation to Paul,
• Where humanly speaking it looked like I/we might not financially make it,
• Then out of the blue a Church or an individual who knows about our work;
• Is prompted by God to send us a generous gift,
• Which means we can pay the bills etc.
• Seeing God at work this was does at times test you faith,
• But it also gives you confidence that God who called you to this ministry will sustain it!
• That has been my testimony for the last 35 years.
So think of this letter as a thank you letter.
• But this thank you letter contains lots and lots of bonus features e.g. extras.
• Ten years have passed since Paul was in Philippi;
• But as he writes he is able to remember and in chapter one he says......
• As you read the letter the words "joy" and "rejoice" keep popping up,
• In fact, they are used 16 times in this short letter.
• It might surprise you to know that the apostle Paul drafted the letter;
• During the two years when he was under house arrest in Rome.
• But instead of feeling sorry for himself having lost his freedom,
• His letter is full of joy and rejoicing!
Joy in the Christian life is all about perspective:
• True joy is not based on circumstances.
• The key to lasting contentment is found through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
• This is the perspective Paul wanted to communicate in his letter to these Christians.
Note: these verses nicely divide under three main headings…
(A). I have you in my mind (vs 3-6):
“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”.
Ill:
• Recent research discovered that the things people most often forget are:
• 6th place: Faces
• 5th place: What was said.
• 4th place: Words.
• 3th place: Telephone numbers.
• 2nd place: Where something is.
• 1st place: Names.
• TRANSITION: The apostle Paul never forgot this Church,
• In fact, he thought about this Church often,
• Church of course is the people and it’s the people he is connected to.
• Verse 3: “I thank my God every time I remember you”
• Verse 4: “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy”.
• The apostle Paul had established the church in Philippi,
• About 10 years prior, during his second missionary journey,
• As recorded in Acts chapter 16.
Note: As he thought of how the Church came to be he could have said….
• “When I think of Philippi, I remember.....
• I faced satanic attack from a demon possessed fortune teller.
• I remember how I was beaten up by an indifferent cold-hearted jailer.
• I remember how I was chained to a dark slimy wall in the heart of a secure jail.
• His time in Philippi was tough ne faced difficult situations.
• But instead of negativity the letter is full of Joy;
• Because he realised that God used these circumstances for the blessing of others.
Ill:
• A shipwrecked man was once washed ashore on an uninhabited island.
• Using the few things he managed to salvage from the wreck;
• And from whatever he could find on the island.
• He painstakingly built himself a hut;
• That little hut was the only protection he had from the harsh elements;
• And the only place he could safeguard his meagre possessions.
• One morning he went out on a lengthy search for food,
• When he returned in the evening he was shocked to find the hut engulfed in flames.
• The loss of his hut devastated him.
• He spent that night despondent, sleeping on the sand.
• The next morning he awoke early and,
• To his surprise, saw a ship anchored off the island.
• Shortly a crew member was rowed to the island, he stepped ashore and told the man,
• "We saw your smoke signal and came to rescue you!"
• TRANSITION: Things are not always as they seem:
• What we see as disaster, God can use for our blessing!
• Example #1:
• The apostle Paul may have faced satanic attack from a demon possessed fortune teller.
• But he was also able to bring deliverance & introduce her to a knowledge of the Lord.
• Example #2:
• He may have been beaten up by an indifferent cold-hearted jailer.
• But he was able to show that jailor kindness and lead him & his family to faith in Christ!
• Example #3:
• He may have chained to a dark slimy wall in the heart of a secure jail.
• But he and Barnabas were able to witness (by singing hymns) to others in that jail!
Paul’s heart and mind are full of Joy;
• Because God was at work during his time in Philippi.
• Even during the difficult times!
• Therefore, the Christian should essentially be an optimist:
• But too many of us are pessimists!
Quote:
“Twixt optimist and pessimist
The difference is droll:
The optimist sees the doughnut,
The pessimist sees the hole”.
• Too many Christians find it easier to dwell on the negative, than the positive?
• For too many Christians the glass in always half-empty, and never half-full!
Paul’s heart and mind are full of Joy;
• Because God was at work during his time in Philippi.
• And........don’t miss this…
• He was still at work to this very day!
• Verse 5: “From the first day”, that is when Paul was with them.
• Verse 5: “Until now”, that is the time Paul received some latest news about this Church
Ill:
• As an evangelist it is always a great thrill when someone comes to faith through your ministry.
• But the biggest thrill of all;
• Is when years later to meet someone who came to faith but is still going on.
• Only the test of time proves whether someone’s conversion has been real or not!
• Exemplum.
• 20 years ago that I spoke on a weekend house-party run by Steve Gillham in Dorset,
• A teenager boy called Adam trusted Christ on that weekend.
• I was blissfully unaware of that moment. I had no idea.
• Recently the teenager, now of course a man gave his testimony,
• I was told by a friend who was there,
• That he was saved through my ministry of that weekend,
• He has gone on with the Lord, grown in his faith;
• And was about to take up his first pastorship of a Church in Bournemouth.
• TRANSITION: Things are not always as they seem:
• We need always to do our best and leave it with God,
• He continues to work long after we have disappeared from the scene!
(B). I have you in my heart (vs 7-8):
7 “It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”
• That last phrase of verse 8: “I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.”
• In the Greek literally reads; “I long for all of you with the bowels of Christ Jesus.”
Ill:
• In the first century it was believed that the seat of our deepest emotions;
• Was the intestines, heart, liver and lungs.
• And though it may seem odd to us;
• After all I bet you have never seen a valentine’s day card saying: “I love you with all my bowls”
But these Philippian Christian’s understood the deep truth Paul was saying.
• Just as Jesus had a body and with that body he ‘so loved the world...gave himself’
• Paul is saying; “I love you as Jesus loves you!”
Ill:
• I went for a check-up at the dentist;
• Sometimes in the waiting area you are next to a person who has toothache;
• The apostle Paul is saying;
• “Just like I have a person may have tooth-ache he has have a heart-ache for these Philippians!”
(C). I have you in my prayers (vs 9-11):
• In verse 4: Paul told us that he prayed for the Christians at Philippi.
• In verses 7-8: We have learnt that he was burdened, he had a heart-ache for them.
• Now In verses 9-11: he tells us the content,
• What he prayed for these Christians.
Notice: What Paul did NOT pray for!
• He did not pray that they will be happy.
• He did not pray that they will be healthy.
• He did not pray that God will take away all their problems.
• He did not pray for any of the things that we would naturally pray for!
• When the apostle Paul prays;
• He is more concerned with their spiritual health than their physical health:
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.”
Ill:
• I used to believe that fish grow in size proportionate to their tank or pond.
• That is if you put a baby shark in a small tank all its life;
• It can remain be six inches long yet be fully matured.
• But if you turn them loose in the ocean,
• They will grow to their normal length of eight feet.
I have since learnt that is not true!
• Tank size is one factor but only one factor in a fish being ‘stunted’ in its growth.
• It also requires the right diet.
• And enough of the right diet.
• It also requires appropriate water conditions.
• It also requires appropriate tank mates.
• It also requires appropriate tank décor.
• The end result is what the experts call ‘stunted’ growth,
• That is, the fish has all the potential to grow to full size but sadly remains small.
• TRANSITION: Some Christians can be like those ‘stunted’ fish.
• They have all the potential to grow and mature and reach their potential;
• But instead they remain small, embryonic, immature and undeveloped!
• Paul prays that these Christians will not be like those hindered fish;
• He wants them to grow to expand, to develop, to enlarge, to mature!
Notice: In this prayer there are three areas he wants them to grow in:
(1). Grow in love (vs 9).
• N.I.V. “That your love may abound more and more”.
• Message: “That your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well”.
Question: What is love?
Answer:
• Plaque: "It is a warm puppy".
• Johnny Rotten: "Is 2 minutes 52 seconds of squishing noises".
• Dramatist Samuel Daniel: "A sickness full of woes".
• Humourist: Jerome J Jerome: "Like the measles, everybody catches it sometime".
• Coca Cola advert: "Love makes the world go round".
• Film Love Story: "Love is never having to say you’re sorry".
• Bard of Avon Shakespeare: "Love is blind,"
• Beatles: "All you need is love" …..and then they broke up!
• TRANSITION: According to the Bible:
• Love is more than a feeling;
• It is something that leads to actions for the good of the other person.
Note:
• Paul is not telling the Christians to start loving:
• They were already doing that.
• He prays that they would keep on loving.
• That is the tap would be turned on even more, to fill up on love!
• ill: There is an annoying saying in football, you hear it in every after-match interview;
• “The boys gave a 110% effort”
• It’s an annoying saying, because you cannot give that amount;
• But you can aim to give it your best shot!
Quote: Daisy Hepburn:
“Good, better, best, never let it rest –
until your good is better and your better is your best!”
• The apostle prays that they would keep on loving.
• That is the tap would be turned on even more, to fill up on love!
The point is this:
• For all of us who claim to follow Jesus Christ;
• We need to develop a deeper love for God and also for his people!
• Now most Christians have no problem with the first part:
• We want to know God deeper;
• We want our relationship (love) with him to grow deeper.
• Sadly, some Christians stop there!
• Love for others (fellowship) is if they are honest an optional extra;
• We sing about it enough, but we also need to do it!
• And in the end;
• Our love, concern for others reflects our love for God.
Ill:
• Like a cinema without a film to show.
• Like a rock concert without a band to watch.
• Like a Premiership football match without a ball.
• Like a restaurant without any food.
• Like a High definition, plasma TV without a plug,
• Is a Christian or a Church without real genuine bona fide practical love for each other!
Ill:
• Christian love is lived out in our relationships
• To get us to love, Jesus fills his Church with awkward people!
• You see I can love anyone who is good to me, that’s easy.
• But it is those who criticise and find fault and grumble etc;
• That is where I struggle and that’s where I will eventually develop real love!
(2). Grow in knowledge (vs 9).
“That your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight”.
Ill:
• Love and knowledge often go hand in glove:
• If we love any subject, then we will want to know more about it.
• ill: Love for football you will find out about players, your teams history etc.
• ill: Music – find out or download the artists previous albums etc.
• ill: Food – Jamie Oliver you will want to cook it or bake it as well as eat it!
• ill: If you love a person, you will find out what pleases or saddens that person.
Shakespeare said concerning romance that: "Love is blind,"
• But regarding Christian love we are to be ‘seeing’ that is discriminating,
• We are to be intelligent. we are to engage brain!
• Love may be the characteristic (ill: hallmark) of the Christian;
• But we are not to be gullible and naive and just accept any old twaddle,
• Love must also be discerning.
Ill:
• A new student once won first prize at a Science Fair.
• He was attempting to show how conditioned we have become too;
• Alarmist junk messages and propaganda.
• In his project he urged people to sign a petition demanding;
• Strict control or total elimination of the chemical “di-hy-dro-gen monoxide.”
And for plenty of good reasons, since it:
• It can cause excessive sweating and vomiting.
• It is a major component in acid rain.
• It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.
• Accidental inhalation can kill you.
• It decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
• It has been found in tumours of terminal cancer patients.
He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical:
• Forty-three said yes, six were undecided,
• And only one knew that the chemical was H20 (water).
• The title of his prize-winning project was,
• “How Gullible Are We?”
Regarding Christian love:
• We are to be that is discriminating, to be intelligent.
• We are to engage brain.
• Love may be the characteristic (ill: hallmark) of the Christian;
• But we are not to be gullible and naïve,
• But true love needs to come with discernment.
ill:
• Charles Rhyrie, said when he was growing up:
• He lived near a river, a beautiful stream:
• But when it had rained,
• It swelled and enlarged itself,
• And was able to provide water for the farm land nearby,
• But there were times when this river would leave its banks, it would swell to a flood stage.
• And when it swelled and spread it was destructive.
• He said love is like that:
• It has on one side the bank of truth, and on the other side the bank of discernment,
• And it must never leave those banks, to love wrong is to sin,
• To lose your discernment in your love is to weaken your faith not increase it,
• Love must be guarded by truth and discernment.
• And within those banks it is safe, above them it can even be destructive.
(3). Grow in holiness (vs 10).
Quote: N.I.V:
“So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ”,
Quote: The Message:
“Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God.”
Ill:
• Several hundred years ago;
• There was a holiness preacher who rode across England on a horseback,
• He only had one message (1 Peter chapter 1 verse 16);
• "Be holy, because I am holy."
• Somebody heard him and criticised him saying;
• “Every time you open that Bible all you ever preach about is holiness!”
• He replied;
• “I don’t have to open the book, Look it’s even there on the cover!”
When the apostle Paul talked about living a life that was:
• “Pure and blameless life”
• “Sincere and without offence”.
• He is talking about living a life that is more and more like Jesus.
• Quote: C.S. Lewis:
• “God was so pleased with Jesus he wants to populate the world with replicas”
Those two words in verse 10 describe Jesus perfectly:
• He was “Pure and blameless life”
• He was “Sincere and without offence”.
Note:
• The word ‘Pure’ or ‘Sincere’ refer to our character.
• What we are as people.
• ill: Gold in jewellery comes in various forms.
• You can get 24k, 22k, 18k, 14k or 10k,
• For various reasons it is mixed with other substances e.g. copper,
• Or other base metals or silver or palladium in the alloy making it less pure.
• God wants us to be 24K Christians;
• Not to be diluted with wrong desires, wrong motives and wrong actions.
Note:
• The word ‘blameless’ or ‘without offence’ refer to our progress as Christians.
• That is how we are moving forward, growing in our faith.
• Notice the phrase: “for the day of Christ”,
• It simply means: “Be ready for when you meet Jesus”.
• ill: You would not want to go out on a first date in your scruffy old clothes;
• Only to find out that the other person was in their best clothes!
• It would be embarrassing, you were unprepared.
• Paul says; make sure you are ready to meet Jesus
• (not by what you wear but who you are)
(4). Grow in fruitfulness (vs 11).
11 “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God.”
• The illustration of fruit implies that there is no instant righteousness,
• Fruit takes time to grow!
• In these verses the context for growth is love.
• If you want to grow, then have a desire and determination to love God and his people.
Ill:
• Pablo Casals, was a cellist, composer, and conductor from Catalonia, Spain.
• He is generally regarded as the pre-eminent cellist of the first half of the 20th century,
• And one of the greatest cellists of all time.
• When Pablo Casals reached 95, a young reported threw him a question:
• “Mr. Casals, you are 95 and the greatest cellist that ever lived.
• Why do you still practice six hours a day?”
• And Mr. Casals answered, “Because I think I’m making progress.”
• TRANSITION:
• Your goal and my goal is to make progress every day of your life.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=Psl8vWMTd649yQnhAossSNyvxQCtoDfq
