“HE WILL FINISH WHAT HE’S STARTED” Phil. 1:3-11
FBCF – 2/26/23
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Philippians 1:3-11
How many of you have been to the mountains? Rockies? Smokies? Nothing like view from the top.
- Mt. Mitchell NC
- Top of ski run in CO
- Sunrise at scenic overlook at Ridgecrest, NC
- Early morning hike w/ youth at Glorieta, NM in 1991 – One of my top 5 most powerful worship experiences in my entire life. Sunrise – began to sing. Texted friend of mine who’s a pastor now & was in youth group then – “humbling, awe-inspiring, profound”
That’s what mountaintops do to us. We experience something powerful – Something moving – Something significant – some that imprints us for the rest of our lives.
Don’t want them to end but they have to. The sun eventually comes up. The sky returns to normal. We drive back down the mountain, ski back down back down the slope, hike back down the trail.
- Peter, James, & John – Mount of Transfiguration – Matthew 17 – v. 4 – “And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you & one for Moses & one for Elijah.’”
- Peter didn’t want to leave! “Man! This is good! Let’s just stay here!”
But that’s not why Jesus had them on that mountaintop. He didn’t take them up there to stay. He took them up there to show them something very special, to reveal to them who He truly was. Their lives were forever changed as a result of being on that mountaintop w/ Jesus!
Lots of people around the country been on a spiritual mountaintop for the last 3 wks. Revival breaking out everywhere.
God never sends revivals as an end in themselves. He sends them to stoke the fire of the Holy Spirit that is in each of us so that we can do that work that He has called us to do.
- John the Baptist – Jesus will baptize you w/ the Holy Spirit & w/ fire (Matthew 3:11)
- Holy Spirit seen as tongues of fire in Acts 2:3
- “…fan into flame the gift of God that is within you…” (2 Timothy 1:6).
- 1 Thessalonians 5:19 – “Do not quench the Spirit” – Fire is quenched when water is applied to it.
- God led His people out of captivity by a pillar of fire at night
- He spoke to Moses from a burning bush
- He is a refiner’s fire in Mal 3:2
Each of us who are Christ-followers have the fire of the Holy Spirit within us. It’s there! But b/c of our decisions to sin – secret sins, strongholds of sin, besetting/entangling sins, we can dampen that fire. We can quench the Spirit. We can cool that fire down greatly. The Spirit is still there b/c He never leaves us. But the burning presence of His fire is gone.
Not only do our decisions to sin put the fire out, but our distance from God puts it out. We move away from Him. Stop praying. Stop spending time in His Word. Stop coming to church. Stop fellowshipping w/ His people. Stop serving.
- Campfire – Logs in the fire. Burn brightly & strongly when they’re piled up together. One rolls away from fire. Stays hot for a while, but soon begins to die down until it goes out.
- When we move away from the Lord, we may keep up external appearances for a while, but internally, we are cooling down, until our fire goes out.
But then something happens. His people grow weary of their sin. They grow weary of the chill in their relationship w/ Jesus. They grow weary of the staleness of their worship, the emptiness of their prayer life, the monotony of their time in the Word. They grow weary of just marking time in their walk w/ Christ. Deep down inside, they know something’s not right. They know there’s something more to the Christian life that what they’re experiencing. They know that they’re not experiencing the abundant life that Jesus promised to us. And they begin to cry out to the Lord in honest, gut-wrenching brokenness & repentance. And hears. And God shows up. And God restores. And God revives. And, like Paul writes in Philippians 1, God promises to finish what He’s started.
What has He started?
- Our salvation – we are born again
- Our eternal life – moment we got saved, not when we die
- Growing us, maturing us, refining us, shaping us, sculpting us, making us more & more like Jesus – Ephesians 2:10 – “We are His workmanship, created IN CHRIST JESUS for good works…” – His masterpiece!
- Moving us toward heaven that He’s preparing for us – John 14:2-3
APPLICATION – We can trust the Lord to keep working in our lives until Jesus comes again.
God is going to keep on, so we’ve got to keep on
KEEP ON BEING THANKFUL – v. 3-5 – Look at object of Paul’s thankfulness – the Philippian Church – brothers & sisters in Christ.
- Thankful for the work of God in them
- Thankful for their partnership in doing God’s work
Be thankful for your Church! Be thankful for your brothers & sisters in Christ! Be thankful for the work of God going in their lives! God’s work in THEM can lead to His work in YOU!
- Keaton – prof of faith led to the dam breaking, the Spirit breaking out, & tons of other lives being changed.
- Seeing God working in others’ lives can lead to the Holy Spirit convicting you of the need to let God work in YOUR life.
- Keep on being thankful for the Church, your brothers & sisters in Christ! Don’t let Satan lead you astray & cause you to fight against your brothers & sisters in Christ, instead of working with them – to resent your brothers & sisters in Christ instead of rejoicing w/ them – to look at them w/ suspicion instead of looking at them in love.
KEEP ON BEING CONFIDENT – v. 6-7 – Confident in what? Confident in whom? Confident in yourself? Confident in your abilities?
Paul said, “I am sure [convinced & confident – AMP] that HE who began a good work in your will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
- Our confidence is in GOD & HIS work in us
- Not in DNow leaders’ work in us – not in Michael’s work in us – not in Brian Crawford’s work in you – not in Isaac
Reading in Job right now. Even in midst of tremendous suffering, loss, heartache, & confusion, Job still said, “I know that my redeemer lives, & that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, & not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25-27 NIV).
- Our confidence is not in our circumstances b/c they are going to change.
- Our confidence is not in other people, b/c they are going to let us down.
- Our confidence is not in our experiences – as wonderful as they are – b/c they will be different at different times.
- Our confidence is not in our abilities b/c we are weak & needy.
Our confidence is in the Lord who never changes, who will never let us down, who is strong & will never stop working in the lives of His children.
KEEP ON YEARNING FOR OTHERS – v. 8 – Paul had a yearning for others. Word means “deep affection, intense desire, to long for.” Paul had a deep desire to see them come to know Jesus & grow more passionate for the Lord.
How many of y’all want to see revival continue? You want me to tell you how to keep it going? Keep yearning for others to come to know Jesus! Share the Gospel!
And keep yearning for other believers to grow in their walk w/ Christ! Disciple others! We’ve got 53 students who need for someone to come alongside them & help them grow in their walk w/ Jesus.
The fire of the Holy Spirit will keep burning if you & I will go & witness & go & make disciples! Keep yearning for others!
- Keep this altar covered w/ the tears of those crying out for their lost family members & friends.
- Keep witnessing to the lost!
- Keep the baptismal waters swirling!
- Keep the discipleship process going. Every one of you who know Jesus should be discipling another believer.
KEEP ON PRAYING FOR OTHERS – v. 9-11 – Told REFRESH crowd (GREAT crowd Wed night!) – my reading list this year is all books about prayer. So far:
- The Secret of Positive Praying – John Bisagno
- If You Will Ask – Oswald Chambers
- Pray Big – Alistair Begg
- Pray Anyway – Joe McKeever
- Reading Prayer: Key to Revival – Paul Y. Cho
Why? BECAUSE I’VE GOT TO KEEP ON PRAYING FOR OTHERS & I want to know how to do it better! And, as your Pastor, I want to lead you better in prayer!
Paul prayed for the LOVE of the Church, the PURITY of the Church, & the FRUIT of a right relationship w/ Jesus to be evident in their lives. We've got to keep on praying this same thing for others!
CONCLUSION - Come to Jesus today!
- Let Him start the fire in your heart today! Be saved today!
- Let the Holy Spirit stoke the fire in your heart today!
