Phil. 1:9-11
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Flow Chart of Philippians 1:9-11
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more,
with knowledge and all discernment,
10 so that you may approve what is excellent,
and so 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.
Paul’s central articulation here is urging the Philippians to grow in a discerning love, in order to approve what is superior to other things in life in order to be blameless before Christ one day, and all this is in order to glorify God the Father.
The greek phrase for “approve what is excellent” means to “test, prove, or examine” and then arrive at the correct conclusion as to what is “superior to or different.” The word literally means “to carry through,” and it has the meaning of “standing out as more important than others similar to it” (see Matthew 12:12; 1 Corinthians 15:41; Galatians 2:6; Galatians 4:1). Used in identical grammatical constructions, it means “using God’s wisdom to test and know which things are worth committing to and which things should be rejected” (Ro. 2:18 is the only other example of this exact grammatical phrase; Romans 12:1-2 contains some of the words and categories).
1. How do we grow in love?
A. Trust in _God_–growing in faith and trust frees us from _fear_. Fear is a counterfeit to faith; when something is motivated by fear, it is often a wrong action (Prov. 29:25; 2 Tim. 1:7). Prov. 29:25 “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Have an attitude of faith over fear. Specifically, fear of _failure_ holds many, many people back from helping others. What if they don’t like what I cook? What if I say the wrong thing? What if I buy them the wrong gift they don’t appreciate? All action has risk–weigh the risk and do your best to make a wise decision, proceed in faith that God will help you.
B. Refuse to Waste Your _Time_–we waste our time through over-indulging in recreation, entertainment or silly pursuits. Some things are just plain _ridiculous_. How do we know if we are wasting our time? We all know people who spend far too much time pursuing trivial things; how do we know we are not one of them? The best place to start is submitting to godly _patterns_ in life. Work hard until you need to rest, rest an appropriate amount, and set apart the Lord’s Day for worship, study, and fellowship (Gen. 1-2; Heb. 10:25; Rev. 1:10). Make sure to serve Christ in the church (1 Pe. 4:10). This is God’s broad pattern. There are more specific patterns in life as well that are suggested in the Scriptures. God established patterns in large part to answer _most_ of our questions regarding how to live our lives.
C. Live Life _Selflessly_–we get so busy, so focused, so unhappy, so hurt, or so into ourselves that we forget others are hurting as well. We all have responsibilities and limits but do what you can to make time in your schedule to help others.
2. How do we approve what is excellent?
Paul is saying we need to use “God’s wisdom to test and know which things are worth committing to and which things should be rejected” (Ro. 2:18 is the only other example of this exact grammatical phrase; Romans 12:1-2 contains some of the words and categories).
A. Read _Proverbs_. We have an entire book of the Bible devoted to wisdom–the reason being, _most_ of the time Biblical wisdom is how Godly men and women discern God’s will, not looking inside to feelings, promptings, visions, dreams, or happenstances.
B. Love _Wisdom_. Proverbs 4:7 “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.” With all your “getting,” make sure to acquire wisdom.
• Proverbs 8:35-36 “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
• Proverbs 1:30-33 “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,30 would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, 31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. 32 For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; 33but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”
3. How are we filled with the fruit of righteousness?
A. The Fruit of Righteousness is closely related (possibly identical with) the fruits of the Spirit. It is the result and evidence of righteousness.
B. Growing in the fruits of the Spirit is something that happens incrementally; unceremoniously; through suffering and maturity, and through effort and battle. It’s not _magical_ or _mysterious_.
I Love what Brett Eckelberry said on “Focus on the Family’s” website: “The Fruit of the Spirit is the result of walking with God. As we grow in our relationship with God, our fight against sin and our Love for God and others grows stronger. This leads us to grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Next time you hear about the fruit of the Spirit, look at your current relationship with God, your struggles with sin, and your fellowship with other believers.” Amen.
Conclusion:
The big picture? Walk closely with God so you can be pure and blameless on the day of Christ Jesus, to the glory and praise of God the Father. Growing in Love is central to this.
