Well, I invite you to open the scriptures to the book of Philippians chapter 1 for our Bible reading. Philippians chapter 1. And we'll be reading together the first 11 verses of this chapter. So the book of Philippians chapter one, beginning at verse number one. It says, Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi with the bishops and deacons. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always and in every prayer of mine, making requests for you all with joy. For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart. And as much as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and in all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. Amen. May the Lord bless the reading of God's precious, holy, and infallible word to us this morning. Well, please turn again with me to the book of Philippians chapter one. Philippians chapter one. be looking at this passage this morning. And so congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, Thanksgiving is a very important time where we come before the Lord to give praise and thanksgiving of how he has blessed us individually and also how he has blessed us in our families. In fact, the very first Thanksgiving celebration in North America, took place in Canada when Martin Frobisher, he was an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland in 1578. So that's when the first Thanksgiving celebration happened, 1578. He wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival to the new world. So this means that the first Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated 43 years before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. So we celebrated Thanksgiving first here in Canada. But at the same time, French settlers having crossed the ocean arrived in Canada with explorer Samuel de Champlain. He also held a huge feast of Thanksgiving as well. And they even formed the Order of Good Cheer. It was a time of feasting to encourage one another during the harsh Canadian winter. They gladly shared their food with the First Nations that were here already. And so, back then, they didn't have nice heating systems like we have today. And so, in order to encourage themselves during that time of harsh winter, they had these times of order, the Order of Good Cheer. And so one way or another, we have celebrated this important holiday ever since. And that's why I bring your attention here to the book of Philippians chapter one, because beginning in verse three, Paul is giving his Thanksgiving prayer for the people there in Philippi. In verse 3, he says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, making requests for you all with joy. And so he gives thanks for these believers that have been established in Philippi. And that the gospel certainly would be established with them and in their hearts. And that he was confident that Christ, who had begun a good work in them, would complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. And certainly it is God who is working in his people to establish them in Jesus. And my focus this morning is specifically to the second part of that prayer. from verse nine down to verse 11, where it says, and this I pray. So now he's praying very specifically in this Thanksgiving prayer for these people. And he says that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ. being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. And so as we look at this part of the Thanksgiving prayer that Paul gives, I want us to see the abundance, the abundance that we can possess in the Christian life. As I tell you, that you do not need to feel barren or empty. in your Christian life and experience. Because God's word tells us that in every true believer, we must bear fruit, some 40, 60, or 100 fold. And so we certainly give thanks for the bounty that God has given to us, given to our farmers and provided for us in our labors and all that our hands find to do. But we also must consider the spiritual bounty that we need within our hearts and our lives. Because it's not that just the Lord provides for us materially in this physical realm, but the Lord also provides for us spiritually, very richly in the person of his son, Jesus. And so what does Paul say to us here in terms of this abundance in the Christian life? He says, we are to have the love, love that abounds. And so verse nine, he says, this I pray. He's specifically praying that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and in all discernment. So this part of his prayer begins with an encouragement for the love that they have and that that love would grow more and more. They had been established in Christ. They had a love for Christ. Their desire was to be built up on Christ. Christ had begun a good work in them. And now the prayer, the desire that Paul has is that they would continue in that. He that has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. And so now he says, I want this love, this love that you have for Jesus to abound. In fact, he says, I want this love of Christ in your heart to super abound. Because not only does he say that this love is to abound in you, I want it to abound more and more. You can't get enough of this. There's not a point in your existence, in your Christian life, that you can have enough of this love that you have for God. Now, this is not just a sentimental love that he's referring to, but it is a love that has its birth in the heart of God. And it is passed on into the lives of his children. Love is one of the chief fruit of the Spirit. It's not a love that centers or originates in us, because unfortunately, our love is tainted by sin. Our love is selfish and self-centered and self-serving. But the love that Paul is referring here and is describing, essentially, is that same love that he speaks of in 1 Corinthians 13, that great chapter on the love of God. where it says, love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy. Love does not parade itself. It is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endure all things. Love never fails. And we can confess essentially within ourselves, you know what? The love that I have does not fulfill this verse because the love that starts with me certainly does parade itself. It is puffed up. It does behave rudely. It seeks its own. It's corrupted by sin. But Paul desires here is for the people of God to know this love that comes down from above. It's given to us by a God of all bounty who cares for us and wants us to be filled with a love for him and a love for others. A super abounding love. It centers on the affection and devotion to God and, of course, the care that we have for others. But how do we define love? I mean, this is a term that, of course, people have tried to define over the centuries. But the best definition that I found comes from James Orr. And he said this about love. He said, love is that principle which leads one moral being to desire and delight in another. and reaches its highest form in that personal fellowship in which each lives in the life of the other and finds his joy in imparting himself to the other in receiving back the outflow of that other's affection unto himself. And so it's where one person gives of himself to another, delights in another, gives affection to another, sacrifices for another. I mean, how great is the love of God to us, that God commended his love for us, even while we were yet sinners, while we were haters of God, rebels. And despite us and our sinfulness, God displayed richly his love that he would give his son. for our sin, that His Son would pay the penalty of our sin, that the Son would be there and say, your sin, I claim that as my own, and I bear the just wrath of God because of your sin. I bear that. And then I give my righteousness, my perfect holiness to you, being justified by His blood. We're saved from wrath through Him. That's the ultimate sacrifice. What a display of love. I mean, this is the type of love that Paul is telling us to have. I want you to have this super abounding love. Even the love that God displayed when he gave his son upon the cross for his people. But also, this is not just to be a mindless kind of love, but it's a love that is to have knowledge and discernment. Love leads to a greater knowledge. This is a personal type of understanding of the relationship that one has with God through Christ. And so, knowledge in this passage refers to the experience of that love of God. To know Him is to love Him, to understand who He is and how He's revealed Himself in His word. The more our lives are filled with the love of God, the more we're able to understand who God is, what he requires for us, how we are to follow him, how we're to live for him. And then this also involves discernment, having insight, Understanding, well, I don't want to do those things God hates. I want to do those things that he loves. And so, discerning that which is good from bad. A lifestyle of evil versus a lifestyle that keeps God's commandments. So, having this insight, conducting oneself in a good and righteous way. And how do you grow in knowledge and understanding? How do you grow in these things? Of course, it comes through the Word. May we be given to the Word of God. May it fill us so we understand God's truth and revelation. by getting into the Word of God and studying it, you equip yourself to know what you believe. And so may the Lord certainly grant us this super abounding love as He's revealed Himself to us, as the Holy Spirit works in our hearts, enabling us then to be fruitful, because that's where this leads. to have a fruitful life that gives honor and glory to Christ, honor and glory to God. Because this part of the prayer, remember, finishes up with to glory, to the glory and praise of God. That's what we're living for. Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. But this must be based on knowledge and understanding of truth. We don't just love blindly. Our heart is fixed in the right place. We know the truth of God revealed to us. But notice, second, this leads to sincerity without offense. So he says, and this I pray, that your love may abound, super abound, more and more in knowledge and discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of christ he says that we're to be sincere and without offense until the day of christ our relationship with christ then must have a purity about it a reality about it paul prays that they might have a faith that is established and that's firm that's fixed to be able to approve those excellent things or discern what is best for your life. I mean, obviously you want what's best for your life. You don't wanna live a life where you're harming yourself, you're causing yourself pain or difficulty, but that the Lord would lead you in a way whereby you know that all things are working together for your good, that you live a life of confidence, live a life that's hopeful because of what God is doing for you. And so that you may approve that things are excellent or understand or know what things are best for your life and for your family and how you ought to live. But this leads us to sincerity without offense. Now, the Greek word translated sincere has several meanings to it. Some translated tested by sunlight. The sincere Christian is not afraid to stand in the light, to certainly have his faith tested, to see that it's real. It's not a superficial type of faith that we're talking about here. And so it's tested by the light. Sincere may also mean to whirl in a sieve. So it's suggesting the idea of winnowing process that removes the chaff. I mean, there's a lot of chaff in the life, but the type of faith that we want and desire and that we need is a kind that can pass the test of God. And so in both cases, being tested by the light, world in a sieve, both cases, Paul prays that basically that these Philippians will have the kind of character that God would approve of. Our desire is to be approved by God, not just approval by others, but to be approved by God. And so that's what this idea here is. In fact, our English word, sincere, comes from the Latin word, which means unadulterated, pure, and unmixed. And so it's not to be mixed with anything worldly, anything of ungodliness, but that which is pure and holy, fixed on God, fixed in Christ. And so when Paul is talking about living a pure and blameless life, he's talking about living holy and righteous in terms of what God desires of His people. Living a life in holiness is more and more being made in the image of God in Christ. As it says in Galatians, walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, depending on God to enable you to overcome temptation and sin, enabling you to live a life that is pleasing unto Him. In fact, Paul called the Christians in Corinth infants, children, because they were yielding to the desires of their sinful nature. But now the answer to temptation and the pull of the evil system of the world that's around us, because certainly we are affected by this sinful world that's around us, is to walk and to live in the power of the Spirit of God. To pray that God would enable you to live above this present world. In fact, the Hebrew writer put it this way. He said, therefore, strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees when we feel weak and temptations are hard upon us and we think that we're going to give in to these temptations and sin. Make straight paths for your feet so that that which is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people and holiness without which one cannot see the Lord. And so then holiness is something that the Lord desires of us in order that we might bear fruit and be fruitful for him. Understand what is best for you. Understand what is best for you by practicing spiritual discipline, by being disciplined in your life. One writer said, moral flabbiness has no place in the life of the committed Christian. A mature Christian seeks to keep himself pure rather than to be a slave of the corrupting power of this world. So practicing living spiritual discipline and giving yourself following God. That means grow, right, to grow, grow in your faith. Ephesians 4, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. Know what you believe, be established in the truth. By speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things unto him who is the head, which is Christ. May the Lord grant us an abundance then, abundance of sincerity of our faith because it's based in the love of God which he has bountifully given to us in our knowledge and discernment of him. And then he brings it over to being filled with the fruits of righteousness, verse 11. which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. We are to be filled then with the fruits of righteousness." Now, there are several ways we can understand this part of the verse. It can be a definition. So he's saying, well, what are these fruits? Well, it's righteousness. It's a fact that we are made righteous. in and of ourselves, we're most unrighteous, we're unholy, we're born in sin, we're shaped in iniquity. That's why we need faith in Jesus Christ to give us righteousness. And once we have his righteousness, then we are fruitful. It could mean that. Or, Genitive of origin it's Paul showing what the evidence of a right relationship with God Consists of it how it shows itself. It shows itself in fruit And of course we can only know that by the Spirit of the Living God The fruit of the Spirit, love is first, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law. And so the Spirit of God, when the Spirit of God works in our hearts, then naturally what flows from us are these things of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith. All these things are a result of what the Spirit of God is working and how He's working in us and what He's doing for us. And so not only does the Lord give to us physical fruit to sustain the body, he also gives us spiritual fruit to sustain our souls, makes us productive so that we certainly would be able to live for his glory, to live for his honor. Fruitfulness continues by the power of Christ. It's only by the power of Christ in us. And that's what Paul says here. He says that we are to be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ. Not by yourself, not by your church, not by your parents, not by anyone in your life of this world. It's only that Jesus is working in your heart and your life. And Jesus certainly wants us to be filled with himself and to be filled with fruit. I mean we can apply the super abundance idea certainly here too. We're to be filled with these things. And it's only by Christ. He's the vine and we are the branches. He has said, abide in me and I will abide in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, can't bear fruit apart from him except that it abides in the vine no more can you accept you abide in me we must abide in jesus too many christians are trying to produce results by their own efforts instead of abiding in christ we're we're trying to be result driven i'm trying to do all these things with the result that these things over here are going to happen if we have Some churches, it's all about the programs, about how we can encourage our young people with cool school. I don't know if you've heard that, but there are churches out there who've changed the name of Sunday school to cool school, with the result that, you know, our young people are gonna grow up in the church and they're gonna go on with God. In fact, my wife and I were just talking about a family that we know that they moved over to one of these churches that it's all about the programs and about the type of worship. It's very emotionally based. But anyway, their hope was that their young people, as they went to the cool school and they went to all these programs, they involved themselves in all these things, that they would want to continue on in Christ. But today, those young people are not in church. because Christ is not in their hearts. I mean, it's all about the heart. It's not about just programs and all this stuff. It's about establishing our children in Christ, teaching them the necessity of faith in Christ, helping them to know what it is to walk with Christ. May the Lord certainly fulfill his promise upon our children, our young people, that the Lord would bring them to faith in Christ in their baptism. How important that is. But the fruit of the Spirit is produced in the believer, not by the believer. It's in us. It's in us. And then the sole responsibility of the believer then is to abide in Jesus, to live in dependency upon him, and to give himself over to his lordship. And if we do that, if we endeavor to follow and obey and keep His Word and live in a way that is glorifying to God, the fruit will come. It flows out of us. And certainly we will have a successful Christian life because it's Christ who's working. And we're relying upon that work. But then what do we do when we feel barren? when we don't feel fruitful, when we think that, well, of course, I'd love to be filled with love. I want to have knowledge and discernment. I need to be filled with these fruits of righteousness. But oftentimes I don't feel that way. I feel barren and cold. I feel as if the Lord is far from me. And I'm struggling and I'm having difficulty and I'm being challenged. What do we do when we feel barren? I mean, how do we overcome this? How do we deal with this in our lives? Because this is a reality. I mean, we all go through those times of struggle and challenge. It's like we're in the valley and nothing's going well, especially spiritually. Our desire is to draw near to God, but I'm struggling to do that. I mean, what do you do? What do you do in that situation? Well, of course, that's where we go to the Word of God. I mean, what does the Lord tell us that we need to do when we feel barren, when we don't feel very fruitful, when things aren't going well? I mean, I direct your attention to 2 Peter chapter 1. What's he say there? What does Peter tell us in 2 Peter chapter 1 starting at verse 4? He says, "...by which we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises." It begins with the promises of God. We're fruitful when we're resting on those promises that he gives to us. We're believing the promises. I'm not resting on my feelings and my emotions in those times when I feel barren. Wait a minute. My feelings will let me down. My emotions let me down. The word of God doesn't let me down. So he's given us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust, but this also, for this very reason, giving all diligence, so our responsibility as well, we are partakers of his nature, Christ is dwelling in us, he's giving us promises, but what is my responsibility? I'm to be diligent, add to your faith, right, that faith that he gives to us, virtue. Virtue, knowledge. Knowledge, self-control. Self-control, perseverance. Perseverance, godliness. To godliness, brotherly kindness. And to brotherly kindness, love. Fruit. Perseverance. Reliance. And he sums that up by saying this in verse 8. He says, For if these things are yours and abound, You will be neither what? He says, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful. Neither barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think about that. The next time you feel barren, when you feel unfruitful, Christ, I need you. Come into my heart, come into my life. enable me to be diligent, diligent in my faith. Certainly may the Lord enable us to be fruitful and know abundance in the Christian life. We're not to live cold, barren lives for Jesus. We're to live fruitful lives for Him. So on this day of Thanksgiving, may we certainly praise Him and thank Him for His physical gifts to us, the labor that we have, the families that we're able to enjoy time with, and all that He gives to us. but also be mindful of the spiritual blessings that you have in Jesus. Spiritual blessings that he gives to you, despite you, despite your sinfulness, that he freely gives according to his love and grace so that you will be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ. And so may we spend this day in thanksgiving to God, rejoicing in his goodness and grace to us, to know his blessings. Amen.