Zachary Peters

Last week, we started our journey in the book of Philippians. We know Paul wrote this letter to a church he helped plant in the city of Philippi, Macedonia. We know Paul was in prison while he wrote this book. Last week, we also saw that he wrote this letter for very specific reasons. Even in its structure, Philippians lays out humility, service, and unity from the very beginning. We see these things come up repeatedly. And while Paul is addressing a specific people in a specific place in a specific time, through the wisdom and power of the word of God, it still matters for us 2000 years later as Christians and as a church. If it didn’t, there would be no point in doing what we do in scripture every week. Paul cares for this church and for these people. And what we are about to read shows that and also continues to teach us some things.

Philippians 1:3–11

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (ESV)

This section of the scripture has good vibes. If you are my age, that just means it is joyful (joy and rejoice together appear about 16 times in the rest of the letter) and positive. There is affection, yearning, remembering, and encouragement here, all themes that carry on. While that is interesting, there is more going on.

We see Paul talk about this partnership in the work of the gospel. We see Paul point out the connection with the church that started when Paul planted the church decades before this. Paul refers to an ongoing connection that has persisted over the years. Paul talks about this maturation and completion process of the gospel in this church. Paul expresses a desire and confidence that this maturation in Christ would produce discernment that would help them in their daily lives. Of course, all of that was produced by Jesus and for His glory.

Let’s look at a few of these things here in more detail:

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

This is part of Paul’s joy and encouragement for this church. God did a work in their lives, and God is sure to complete it.

What is the good work? Well, it is salvation from sin. It is a transformation. It is being born again. It is being saved. It is being made new. These pagans, these Gentiles, have been drawn out of the darkness of doing things their own way in their own human-made systems, by the work of Jesus Christ, and Paul is confident that what Jesus started, He will finish.

What is the day of Jesus Christ? Well, one day Jesus is coming again. One day, everything will be made right. Every tear will be wiped away. I don’t know when, and I don’t want to waste too much time trying to guess what it will look like or how it will happen, but it will happen. Jesus was faithful from the start and will be faithful through to the end. It is a right now, but also a not-yet situation. We have salvation right now, but clearly God is not done with us. Paul is confident that God will keep working.

One of the proofs of this is the practical work of the Philippian church. It is a sign of God’s work that the Church supports Paul and the gospel. Same for our lives. We do not have a dead religion, but a religion that responds to grace. We can’t help but share the gospel. We can’t help but serve. It just bubbles up out of God’s work in our lives. God is so faithful to carry us through this life, helping us be who He calls us to be.

“It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.”

This is a glimpse of a healthy desire on the part of an elder/teacher/pastor towards those they care about and are responsible for. We need love, and we need it more and more. Not just any kind of love, though.

Paul tells us what kind of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Paul would go on to point out that without this love, we have nothing. The actions of the church mean nothing without this love. The operation of the Holy Spirit through His gifts means nothing. Love gives those things a backbone.

This love grows with your discipleship. It is Jesus’ love that gives us access to this type of love, which is another glimpse at what happens after we are born again. We have that love right at the start of our relationship with Jesus. That is right now. But this love can increase. That is not yet.

Then, looking at this scripture, we have to ask, is this love connected to knowledge and discernment? Don’t we get love wrong sometimes? I know I do. Doesn’t the world like to point out that they, not us the church, have the love? After all, aren’t we just hateful and mean? No, no, this love can be manipulated and misappropriated. And so this love needs to grow with knowledge and discernment. They act as safeguards.

This knowledge can best be illustrated by another example. Romans 10:1–2:

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Paul is saying that some Jewish groups are passionate about God, but not in the right ways. They lack the right connections and information, so the passion is misdirected.

In a similar way, people can love — love. They make love the end-all, be-all, but without God. Without the example of the perfect love of Jesus’ life. They can value love. They see that it is needed, but if they do not have the right knowledge of it, then how can they really get it right? That is like seeing that an airplane is very useful for getting around, so instead of going to the airport, you jump off the roof of your house and flap your arms. Passionate about flight without the airplane. People are zealous for love, but not according to knowledge or discernment.

The knowledge we are referencing is grounded in God’s word and in a historical understanding of it. And because many lack this knowledge, the discerning use and understanding of love is lacking. It is like traveling somewhere you have never been before without a map. It would be like naval navigation without a sextant or an understanding of the movement of the sun, moon, and stars. You cannot discern which way is which. So it is not surprising that many in the world and in the church get love wrong.

Paul prays for this church to get this love thing right, which is the same challenge we face today. Love more and more with knowledge and discernment.

“so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”

These safeguards help us navigate this life in a healthy and righteous way. They provide a lens through which to view life. This (whatever this is) is edifying. This (whatever this is) is evil. This is going to lead somewhere problematic; this will lead to flourishing. There is a practicality to Paul’s joy and prayers. He knows that part of the power of the gospel is not just the ticket to heaven part, but the in-practice part. It is hard to do that, but it can be done.

We get this wrong a lot these days. We have a lot of love, but have left behind knowledge and discernment. OR we do the inverse — no love, all knowledge and discernment (makes a pretty miserable human). Neither situation is fruitful in the church, but a real love grounded in knowledge and discernment is powerful, and we need it more and more.

When we get it right, and ultimately getting it right all flows from God himself, we are “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Once again, it is apparent that our relationship with God does several parallel things in our lives. He gives us grace. That grace enables us to be transformed. That transformation points to his glory. And people will see. Christianity is both external and internal. The church is for you and for those who are not here yet.