Introduction
I imagine that all of us have at some time run out of gas - or came close! Ezra Dyer writes for Car and Driver. He wrote about the time he was driving a Lamborghini Huracan. “The first time I fired up the Huracán, the gauge cluster flashed a warning to fill up. But the fuel gauge—a bar graph—showed a quarter tank. So I decided to take a quick rip out into the countryside before I circled back to the gas station. Shortly after … the cacophonous V-10 went silent.”
He went on... “The car restarted but ran fitfully as I limped back toward town. I didn’t make it. As it happens, the Huracán’s bar-graph gas gauge stretches all the way across when the tank is full, and there’s a thin little needle that moves left with the display as the tank empties.” ... "But the last quarter of that graph, in red, never moves, no matter how little fuel you have. …Perhaps the tricky gas gauge is Lamborghini’s way of hazing new owners. If so, I approve.”
He observed an important life lesson: Below half a tank, you’re gambling.
If you get anxious when that gas gauge gets close to E, then how much more anxious should we be when our Faith is running low… and close to Empty?
In this series we are going to explore Philippians - a letter meant to put fuel in the faith of dedicated servants of Jesus. Even the most faithful of us run low sometimes. We begin with a focus on the first principle of keeping a full tank: Focus on the Finish Line. Keeping our eyes on the Finish Line requires that we…
1. Give Thanks (3 I thank my God every time I remember you.)
How easily distracted are we by the struggles of life? It would be easy for Paul to focus on his troubles, or his concerns for the Philippian church. His prayers are sparked by remembrances and joy. The power of giving thanks is that it recenters our thinking and hearts toward God. Do we sometimes forget to thank God for the people he has placed in our lives - not only our blessings.
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Eckehart via Hooker: “If the only prayer you ever say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that would be sufficient.”
2. Pray With Joy (4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.)
Paul lived a prayer-filled life. “All my prayers” “all of you”. His love for the people of the Philippian church drove him to pray often for them. Who are we praying for? Isn’t it a blessing to know that someone is bringing our name before the Father? Whether illness, struggles, heartaches, problems, or hopes and dreams for the future - we pray with joy. We pray with joy because … God hears, God moves, God operates in greater wisdom than we have, God gives access into the throne room.
When we consider the privilege of prayer, we pray with joy. Joy is a major theme in Philippians - 15 times.
Holladay: Some people think joy is about not having any problems. No! Joy is about how you handle your problems!
Nehemiah 8:10 The joy of the Lord is your strength!
3. Engage in Community (5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now)
8 times in Philippians Paul mentions the gospel. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died, rose and is coming again. It is because of this we have salvation and connection with other believers. The joy of partnership is easy to see in vs. 7-8. Keeping our eyes on the finish line is not a solo adventure. We need one another: help, accountability, strength - to know we are not alone on the journey. We need to help others - engaging the community of faith with energy and urgency.
Three areas of engagement
-Help Others - because the Enemy is at work.
-Ministry - because we can do more together than we can alone.
-Outreach to lost - the ‘Good News’ isn’t just for us!
Philippians 1:27b striving together as one for the faith of the gospel
4. Be Confident (6-11)
Paul’s eyes are focused on the finish line - and the work that Christ will complete on that day. Jesus did not save us only to fail to complete His work! So many things can shake our faith - and we are not alone in this - but always come back to the truth that Jesus is at work in your life and His work is perfect! What is Christ completing in our lives? (9-11)
-- Encouraging Love that Grows
--Providing Knowledge of His will
--Giving Insight to living the pure and blameless life
--Producing the fruit of righteousness (fruit of the Spirit?)
--Creating a life that brings glory and praise to God!
“The Christian never points at himself; he always points at God; for he knows, and he witnesses, that he is what he is, not by his own unaided efforts, but only by the grace of God.” Barclay
The confidence of this kind of life comes from Christ and what He is doing in your life right now!
Conclusion
Just like the last quarter tank on that Lambourgini, we are blinded as to just how much longer we are going to be in this race.
We need to stay focused on the future - the Day of Christ, mentioned twice in this text. All throughout Paul’s letters we read references to the return of Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 …The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
1 Corinthians 1:8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:16 …hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.
-The time when the fullness of the Kingdom will be revealed.
-The new heavens and new earth signify the end of the human experience on earth.
-The promise of eternal life, free from sorrow and pain.
-The final separation from God for those who rejected Him.
-The Completion of Christ’s work in us (vs 6).
Keep your Focus on the Finish Line. Give Thanks, Pray with Joy, Engage in Community, Be Confident! Paul is just beginning to give us fuel for our faith… fill up … God has work to do in your life!
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Video of this message will be available on our YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/ForsytheChurchofChrist
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Discussion Questions for Philippians 1:1-11
1. Who are some of the Christians in the Philippian church? How might Paul's relationship with those individuals give him great influence in their lives?
2. In 1:5 Paul describes a ‘partnership’ with the church. This works is the word for fellowship, participation, or community. In a time of individualism, what would be the impact of viewing our relationship with the church as ‘partners’?
3. What difference would it make to a person’s life if he or she knew that God will complete the work He starts in any believer?
4. In this text, what feelings does Paul express for the Philippians? How does this describe the kind of fellowship they have together? If we have those kinds of feelings for one another, how does this affect our prayers for one another?
5. What are some of the enemies of living in community with one another?
6. How can praying for other Christians (especially those with whom we have some friction) improve our fellowship with them?
7. What is the difference between spiritual fruit and religious activity?
8. How often do you think about the return of Christ? What influence does that reality have on your life?
9. What is the most significant insight you have had from your study of 1:1-11?
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Resources
Barclay, William. The Daily Study Bible: The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians,
and Thessalonians. Westminster Press, 1959.
Holladay, Tom. Philippians: The Eight Places Joy is Won or Lost. Pastors.com, 2015.
Hooker, Morna. The Letter to the Philippians: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections in New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 10, 2015.
