Pressing On for the Progress and Joy of Our Faith

In his letter to his friends in the church at Philippi, Paul was not only thanking them for their gift and love, but also addressing areas such as church unity, opposition to the gospel, and the day of Christ. These topics are addressed throughout the letter. However, Paul's addressing these topics are an aid for His accomplishing His greater goal for them in the writing of this letter, and that is their progress and joy in the faith. We see this goal stated in Philippians 1:25, which is the key verse in this book.

Ever the teacher, ever the discipler (Matthew 28:19, Ephesians 4:11-13), ever the one concerned for the welfare of the church(s) (II Corinthians 11:28), Paul was not wasting this opportunity to build up and strengthen these brethren who were dear to him. Understanding this we can see how Paul goes about this through the instructions, admonitions, and examples he gives in this letter. What Paul does in this letter to move the Philippians forward in their faith is to lay out their responsibilities as believers alongside God's resources available to them.

As believers, God wants us to progress, advance, and go further in our faith; and as such we are responsible for our part, but at the same time the Lord knows that in and of ourselves we are not adequate for the task, so He must give us the resources to do what He has laid out for us to do (II Corinthians 3:5-6). So let's look at both our responsibilities and our resource for progressing in our faith as Paul gives them in Philippians.

Our Responsibility
We progress and have joy in our faith:
1:5    by our participation in the gospel.
1:7    by our defending and confirming the gospel.
1:9    by our abounding more and more in love,
         but by a love that is guided by knowledge and discernment.
1:27  by conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.
1:27  by being unified in the cause of the gospel.
1:27  by standing firm with others.
1:27  by our striving for the faith of the gospel.
1:29  by our suffering for His sake.
2:3-5 by not being selfish or self-promoting.
         by our looking out for the interests of others.
         by having the same attitude as Christ.
2:12  by working out our salvation,
          with the understanding of our accountability
2:14   by not having a complaining or argumentative spirit.
2:16   by holding fast to the word.
2:17   by serving and sacrificing in our faith.
2:18   by sharing our joy with others,
          especially those going through trials.
2:19   by living in a way that is an example and encourages others.
2:25   "
3:2     by being aware of those who would hinder us in our faith.
3:3     by putting no confidence in the flesh.
3:7     by not holding on to worldly possessions.
3:12   by pressing on.
3:13   We press on:
           by always forgetting what lies behind.
           by continually reaching forward to what lies ahead.
3:14   by having an eternal perspective.
          We develop an eternal perspective:
           by keeping the ultimate goal in mind.
           by keeping the ultimate/eternal reality in mind.
3:15    by keeping the right attitude.
3:16    by not regressing in our faith.
3:17    by following the right examples.
3:20    by being mindful of our citizenship.
4:1      by standing firm in all these things.

4:6      by having a robust prayer life.
4:6      by being thankful.
4:8      by training our mind to think properly.
4:9      by living out what we have learned to be true,
4:9      by living out what we have seen to be true.
4:15    by generously and sacrificially supporting the gospel.

Our Resources
We can progress in our faith because:
1:6     We have God Himself, as what God began, God will finish.
1:7     We have been made partakers of grace.
1:11   We are already filled with the fruit of the righteousness of Christ.
1:19   We have the provision of the Spirit of Christ.
2:1     We have the encouragement of Christ.
2:1     We have the consolation of love.
2:1     We have the fellowship of the Spirit.
2:1     We have the affection and compassion of Christ.
2:13   We have God working in us to accomplish His good pleasure.
2:16   We have the word of life.
2:19   We have the encouragement and example of others

2:25    "
3:1     We have the safeguarding of the word.
3:12   We have been laid hold of by Christ Himself.
3:20   We have the knowledge of His returning for us.
4:7     We have a heart and mind that are guarded by the peace of God.
4:9     We have the God of peace, Himself, with us.
4:13   We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
4:19   We have a God who will supply all our needs,
           based on His riches.

What Paul is laying out for us to see in this book, is the working of man and the working of God in the spiritual life. How they work together is a bit of a mystery, as God has not given us a formula to follow, but principles to be lived out. It is in our going and our doing that the grace and power of God meet us and work through us. It is in our obedience that we tap into the resources of God.  It is in our working out what the Lord has worked within that we appropriate all the means He has made available to us to accomplish His will in our life.

So my friends,  today let us progress, let us advance, let us press on in our faith, for He will meet us there in the midst of our going and doing.

 
 

Precision or Sincerity in Preaching

 

Be diligent to present yourself to God

as a workman who does not need to be ashamed,

accurately handling the word of truth. 

II Timothy 2:15

Notice that Paul did not say, "sincerely handling the word of truth." Sincerity is important, surely, but not at the expense of accuracy. The first goal of the preacher/expositor in his study of the Scripture should be accuracy. He should have the desire to be precise in his exegesis of the text, for precision in exegesis leads to clarity in understanding, clarity in understanding leads to accuracy in interpretation, accuracy in interpretation leads to proper application; and proper application leads to a life that bears rich fruit and is well pleasing to God because it properly aligns with His word. Preaching something different, something less, or something more than the Scripture actually says ultimately leads us away from the truth, regardless of the sincerity of our intentions. When we are led away from the truth because we have not been precise in handling the truth, then what we are preaching is not the word of truth, again, regardless of the sincerity of our intentions. To paraphrase an old adage, "One can be sincere, and sincerely wrong at the same time."  

Fellow pastors, and fellow Christians, let us endeavor to be sincere in our quest for accuracy and precision in our study of the word of God. Let us be sincerely right, so that we will never be ashamed of our handling of the word of truth.

The Most Applicable Verse in the Bible

Would you want a command from our Lord that would be universally applicable...in every situation, with every person, in every context, culture, and condition; a command that is easy to remember, easy to relate to, and easy to understand; a command that in keeping would lead you to keep other commands automatically; a command so simple that even a child understands the concept? Have I aroused your curiosity and piqued your interest? I hope so. 

This command is on par with the second greatest commandment, "To love your neighbor as yourself," and, in fact, is the practical outworking of that command. What is it? Glad you asked. Let's look at Matthew 7:12 "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for  this is the Law and the prophets." Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives this command, and it comes some time before He is asked the question that leads Him to give us the two greatest commandments; and He says the same thing about this command that He says about those two great commandments...that it sums up the Law and the prophets (See Matthew 22:34-40). Pretty astounding, wouldn't you say. Yes, this Golden Rule that many of our mothers taught us is that powerful and that profound. 

I tell people quite frequently that the Lord has not made being a Christian complex or hard, but in reality He has made it simple for us to live a life that pleases Him and blesses others; for that is what living out this command does. It is universally applicable, and is intertwined in so much of Scripture.  Let's look at some examples.

Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but give a blessing instead.
Be patient and kind, not arrogant or boastful or jealous, not taking into account a wrong suffered, not being easily provoked, not acting unbecomingly, and not self-seeking.
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit.
Turn the other cheek.
Walk the extra mile.
Be generous and ready to share.
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let your speech be seasoned with salt, giving grace to those who hear.
Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
Be submissive...to masters, to parents, to husbands, to elders, to each other.
Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.
Stimulate one another to love and good deeds.
Forgive those who have sinned against you.
Don't judge your more mature brother or hold in contempt your weaker brother.
Give honor to whom honor is due.
Do not withhold good when it is in your power to do good.
Visit orphans and widows in their distress.
Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought to think.
When reviled, revile not.
Regard one another as more important than yourself.
Pray for those who persecute you.
Love one another fervently from the heart.
Be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, and kindhearted.

Of course we could go on, but what could you add to the list?

If we would but apply this verse with each person every day, think about the witness it would provide, and the blessing it would give. We could apply it to:

Our spouse.
Our children.
Our parents.
Our siblings.
Our friends.
Our neighbors.
Our co-workers.
Our enemies.
Our church family.
Our competition.
The person who gets under our skin.
The person who always seems to have it out for us.
The person who inadvertantly or intentionally cuts us off in traffic.
The person who never lets us get in a word edgewise.
The lazy clerk at the store.
The incompetent clerk at the store.
Our employee when we have to terminate them.
The server who can't get our order right.

Our spouse in a disagreement.
Our children when we have to discipline them.

Someone at church with whom we disagree.
Anyone with whom we get frustrated.

See how applicable it is. Pretty amazing, huh? But it does require something from us, and that is self-sacrifice, a genuine putting others ahead of our self. This is not always an easy task, but this should be a joyous task; one that we know pleases the Father, and one that we know blesses others. Let's start tomorrow by being intentional about putting this verse into practice in our lives, and let's see how the Lord uses it for His glory.