Let's look now to a text here where Paul just writes one happy thought after another. If you're not familiar with the letter of Philippians, it's not a long letter by any means compared to Romans or others, but Paul's just filled with excitement and encouraging thoughts. And here in this text, he's seeking to reconnect as much as he gives a report to some of his most dear brothers and sisters in the faith. You may, again, recall the theme as we looked at verses 1 through 6. And we saw this glorious hope that we have in God's persevering work in the saints. But let's look now to verses 7 through 18. We'll go ahead and start in verse 3 to get us a little bit of context to bring us to this text. Paul writes, I thank my God, in verse 3, 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. 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. I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice." When we read a letter like this, it's easy to focus on the positives, on the good news that Paul is disclosing for us. And we should. We should focus on the positives, the good things. We have a lot in this text. There's thanksgiving. There's the doctrine of the preservation of the saints by God's power at work in us. There's our union with Christ. There's the advancement of the gospel going out. These are good things to focus on. But there can be a problem when we neglect to consider the context in which all of these wonderful things are taking place. Paul's in prison. He misses this congregation. The early church, as the other writings in the New Testament show us, and as we were, I'm sure, reminded this morning in 1 Timothy, is the early church is ravished by false doctrine, false teachers, wolves in sheep's clothing, poor leadership. And it's easy for us to forget those things by simply focusing on all the positives. It seems like in our world today, as much as it was in the early church, there's so much in our culture and our society that likes to go against the advance of the gospel, that counters the good work of God in the world today. And for as much as we may think that it's a tyrannical government who's responsible for that, what Paul really shows us this morning Through encouraging words, but they're words that have coven edges, he exposes that how we deal with our own frustrations in life directly relate to God's gospel advance. In reality, we all struggle with God's plan. Because often God's way of sanctifying us is frustrating to us. The truth is that Paul is confident, as I mentioned in February, in verse six, that when God starts something, He finishes it. And Paul's confident that what God starts is a good thing. And look at verse six again. I'm confident, I'm sure of this, that you begin a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ. Paul's covenant that when God starts something, he finishes it. And what God is doing is good. Because that's true. You and I today must rejoice in the circumstances of life that God brings our way, no matter how inconvenient or frustrating they may seem. And I think as we look this morning at Paul's circumstances, we'll see how really he is only able to really talk about so much positive. because of what God is doing. He writes to encourage you and I today to rejoice in God's peculiar means of gospel advancement, even in the face of life's frustrations. Like lights going out or the sun. It got dark in here really quick all of a sudden. I'm sorry. No matter what's going on, Paul directs us here by his own example of rejoicing in certain aspects of a life of faith. And so we have here this morning four points, four things that Paul is modeling for us that come from a life of faith, things that we ought to strive for by God's grace. And the first of these we see in verses 7 and 8. And it's this effectual bond of grace. Number one, this effectual bond of grace. Look at verses 7 and 8. He says, it is right for me to feel this way about you, all this confidence about what God is doing, 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 with affection of Christ Jesus. In the face of his own frustrating circumstances, Paul demonstrates for us the encouraging bond of grace that unites believers together. And this deep expression of love, this language here, where he says, I have you in my heart. I'm yearning for you. It flows from the gift that they share together in Christ. And that's the gospel itself. So what is the gospel this morning? Have you given it thought? This wonderful truth That though mankind and his sin is separated from God and severed from Him, and our rebellion against Him, God in love has unfolded to us a plan that redeems us to Him through Christ's sacrifice on our behalf. And He's given of us His Spirit so that we would understand what it is to be reconciled to God. This reconciliation we have with God brings us together into community. This is the grace that we have in Christ, and this is the gospel. This is what Paul is referring to. But what does it mean, really, to be a partaker in this common grace? What does it mean to be a stakeholder, to have a claim in this? Well, first, we see that these people are bound together through the same gift of God's love, through Christ in the Spirit. They share the same status together that Paul already refers to in verse 1, If you recall, in February, when we revisited this, Paul addresses the whole church as what? Saints. A word that has suffered much injury from the Roman Catholic Church. We are all saints. There is no such thing as two-tier Christianity. We are all one together in Christ. All believers are a part of this body. So Paul says it is fitting to speak so confidently of God's persevering work because he and the Philippians have received the same gift from God. Paul also speaks here of sharing this grace because he was the person, he was the vessel through which God brought this gospel message to these people in the first place. That's what he's talking about here, is he recounts really this history with these people. We could read about this dramatic event that took place in Acts chapter 16, when the simple first conversion of a desperate Philippian jailer and his family sparks the beginning of a new congregation. And this is where we see the link really between a minister and his flock. We see here the heart of a shepherd for his sheep. The effectual bond. I think we understand that here between one another when we allow the word to minister across the aisle to one another. There's nothing greater than this bond that we have as we encourage one another in the Word. Paul's words also indicate that these believers were now sharing in the same common gospel, and that they were facing the same pushback that he himself was experiencing. As they had been given the opportunity to explain the reasonableness of the gospel in a world grasping for truth, and as well as They were confirming the gospel through martyr's death. We see that they were sharing in the same consequences of the gospel's advancement, whether it be through the spite of this world, or it was participating together in the joys of heaven. They understood what it is to face persecution, much like the Apostle Paul. And so, yes, they are sharing this common grace in many, many different ways. And this is a key essential for us in a life of faith. That though you may feel alone, and here's Paul, far away from people who are so dear to him, you are never truly alone. You share in this together. There is communion in the body of Christ. So don't lose heart. I think of Elijah, when we look at 1 Kings chapter 19, who was bemoaning the fact that he felt like he was the only one who sought to please God and the whole nation. And God kind of says, okay, settle down. And He says in chapter 19, verse 18 of 1 Kings, "...yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him." You are not alone. God has guaranteed His people that He will not abandon them. Jesus was specific in this, in commissioning His Holy Spirit to never leave us comfortless. We can count all daily assurances all throughout the Bible of God saying, fear not, I am with thee. And yet, just remember the context. Paul is here and he's all alone. Has God forsaken him? He's far detached from where he says his heart is. Just consider the frustrations that would set in, being moored far away from familiar and familial faces. As Paul writes, he's very open about how much he wishes he was with these dear brothers and sisters. Paul again reflects on the long history he shares with these beloved people, a history given the nature of the religious scene in Philippi that often led to persecution and imprisonment. Think for a second about who Paul's writing to. The Philippians. What happened to Paul when he was first in Philippi? He was thrown in jail. It seems like one way or the other, no matter what happens in Philippi, there's going to be prison involved in some way, shape or form. And here's Paul in prison, but in Rome. But despite all the undesirable circumstances, he is still as joyful as the day he was with Silas chained in this cell in Philippi, singing hymns at midnight of that glorious, miraculous work that God did in birthing a new congregation among those people. How Paul recalls, and you can just see it just kind of emanating from these words. He recalls the memories he shares with these people with fondness. Look at verse 8. Again, he says, I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. How he must have longed for a similar miracle that took place in Philippi to happen now where he was in Rome. And not so much for his own relief, but for the sake of the gospel. Paul has become accustomed to imprisonment by this point. And he knows he can cherish this frustration, not as a frustration, though, but as a peculiar means of God's ministry in advancing the gospel. He shares this with these people. And to put it simply, Paul misses them. He misses them dearly. They had his heart. Yet he was hundreds of miles away. And thus comes the rub, right, for us today. When God brings distance, perhaps differences, or really any change between us and other people, we find once so easy and comfortable to be with, to enjoy, to connect with. These times when God God's design for growth involves relocating. And I look at a church here that we just, it's constantly people coming and people going for the gospel's sake. And that can bring frustrations. Perhaps it's a change in work schedules or a change in your shepherd group to bring it really close to home. Maybe there's a church program that's not accomplishing what you think it should be. Or maybe it's something that, at another church, at another time, oh man, it used to be so great at this other church. And we forsake what God is doing now. We are quick to idolize and romanticize the past as we lament what God is doing today. And I think we need to take pause and repent of this. How fickle our American Christianity is. How rebellious is our contempt of God's work when it frustrates us. So may we today embrace the essential to a life of faith that all of life really is all about God. It's not about my comforts. And that means that any frustration I feel about differences between the past and the present comes from my selfish resistance to His good hand at work. And here's, so let's, can we say amen to What Paul says here is he cherishes what God is doing, despite the differences that's meant. Here, in verse 8, we see he's just bursting with thanksgiving and love. He's beaming. He rejoices in the past. He cherishes everything that he shares with these people, but he doesn't just sit there with that. We look at verse 9, and he continues. He begins now, really, the exhortation part of this letter. where he prays for these people. And we see a second vital aspect to a life of faith. Look at verse 9. It says, "...it is my prayer for you 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 in praise of God. Paul prays that their love would abound and abound. This is the second vital aspect of a life of faith. That God must work within his people. It's an abounding, discerning love. An abounding and discerning love. He begins by praying for these people that they would continue on. and a love that is already characteristic of them. He's not writing them to introduce them on how to love. This is something that he already sees in them and has heard of, that he's given thanksgiving for already. This is a fitting encouragement. According to Jesus, love is the fulfillment of the whole law of God. And it's the truest form of holy devotion. Love is, in fact, the foremost fruit of the Spirit. This work of God in the hearts of people. The love Paul is condoning in the Philippian church is the true mark of the follower of Christ, and this congregation had well cultivated it. When the New Testament speaks of love, it speaks of a very costly thing. Contrary to popular opinion, love is not a natural expression of the human heart. True love is sacrificial, others focused. True love is devotion. And the congregation in Corinth would have done well to follow the example of their Philippian siblings. When Paul writes to the Corinthian church, he does have to introduce to them love. And all of its patience, its kindness, its gratitude, its humility, its meekness and gentleness. I'm reading from 1 Corinthians 13. It says that love 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. Love never ends. And such love and devotion grows from a heart that has been radically turned inside out and upside down and completely renewed. Because to be dead in sin means to be a slave to self-devotion. But only a work of God can bring that to an end and change a heart from its darkened state to where we actually love others more than ourselves. There's no sure mark of being a Christian than a love that counters your own personal interest for the sake of others. And Paul prays that this will continue and swell over in this Philippian congregation. But notice this isn't just any kind of love. As much of it is said in the world today about love, but Paul mentions a special quality of Christian love. Look at verse 9. This is a love with knowledge and all discernment. Knowledge and discernment. Because love will not survive where there merely are emotions and affections. Biblical love is not blind love. We must beware blind love that our society purports to us. Love without maturity enables sinful behavior. Love without discernment is often an invitation for abuse. There's a cheerful fool who abounds in heart but has no mind. There's many gatherings, many organizations, even many churches who have much to say about love, but their words are empty of meaning." Love means more than blind affirmation and open acceptance. Paul makes the point that no church should love for love's sake, because love is not an end in and of itself. Paul's desire is that they love in a way that approves what is excellent. In verse 10, "...love with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent." In a time in which love is often an excuse for poor choices, you know, why did you do that? Well, because I love him. Where love is just this, like, we can just play this, and all of a sudden, that pads all of our mistakes. Paul calls us not to waste love, not to make our love cheap, because that's easy to do. Even for churches, caving to the pressure that society puts upon us to do the Christian thing is no excuse for ecumenicism, for associating with evil organizations, or compromising biblical truth. True love is discerning and discriminating in how it acts and what it says. And that being said, truth, knowledge, and discernment are not ends in and of themselves either. And so that's the pendulum swings that some people, at the expense of, at the cost of being right, we so often are loveless. This is a love that is knowledgeable and discerning, that is focused on the truth, because the truth of the gospel will produce love. And true love loves truth. True love loves truth. And this is an equipping love that approves what is excellent, meaning that it is able to differentiate between the most important things in life. This is a love that takes the moral high ground and it holds it fast. And the result is beautiful in verse 10, is a pure and blameless church. Approve what is excellent, so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. This is a recurring theme in Paul's epistles, which is fitting seeing how An abounding, discerning love is vital to a life of faith. In Ephesians 5, Paul instructs husbands in loving their wives, just as Christ loved his church, whom he gave his life for. And it says that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of power with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. It's the same in our day as it was in Paul's. When churches compromise in areas of doctrine for the sake of love, when ministers are passive with issues of sin because of love, the church has long forsaken the grace of God's Spirit, and they have long forsaken the instruction and the truth of the Word. God desires a people of purity. This must begin with a discerning, abounding love. Well, he continues, verse 11. This abounding, discerning love produces fruits of righteousness. Look at verse 11. You'll be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. Paul prays that their love would abound with discernment and knowledge so that there would be the fruitfulness of Christ spilling out in that community. This is an obvious nod to the fruit of the Spirit that we see explained in Galatians chapter 5. And notice the emphasis here that any fruit in our lives comes from our union in and through Jesus Christ. How emphatic Christ is with this point. In John 15, what does he say? Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing." So a final consideration about this discerning love we see in verse 11 is that it has God's glory in sight. Discerning love glorifies God. And here's where what is good for us, this fruitfulness, righteousness, is the natural glory of God. Because in all things, it's God who gives the increase. We are made righteous according to His marvelous grace. This is the gospel. We are His workmanship, it says in Ephesians chapter 2. We are not our own workmanship. We don't make ourselves good. This is something God is doing and producing righteousness in us through Christ. It seems our society has completely lost its grip on actual, meaningful love. And in a world of blind love, we are confronted with the rub between pointing someone to the truth versus blindly affirming their choices. There are different forms of expression. Truly, the most loving thing you can do is to direct someone to what is true, no matter the friction that that may cause. This calls for our own personal devotion to the Word, God's Word, the truth. So may we give ourselves to this vital aspect of living a life of faith. Then Paul turns slightly. He pauses now to kind of fill the Philippians in on his current imprisonment, something that had evidently gripped their hearts and their attention since they'd first heard about it. And in doing so, he highlights another important aspect of true faith in the face of earthly trials. And this is number three, a kingdom-oriented optimism. A kingdom-oriented optimism. Look at verses 12 through 14. I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. So that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear." Paul was now in Rome as a prisoner, limited in his freedom. And thus, seemingly, is handicapped in his service to the Lord. Paul, however, begins to describe how God, as he always does, has worked all things together for good. Paul concludes that his imprisonment has been to the advantage of the gospel, because through it, God has opened doors into areas that no one ever would have thought would have been open. He says, the gospel has gone to the whole imperial guard. The term there is the whole praetorium. This is speaking of the governing house of Rome. the heart of the Roman Empire, the very core of the biggest thing that seems to be going on in the world today, the gospel has made its way to the very core of this imperial beast that was ravishing the world. Yet the gospel invades. In fact, when Paul says that it has become known to all the rest there, we have every reason to believe that everyone in Paul's vicinity was impacted by his fervor for Christ. Everywhere Paul went, the testimony of Jesus went as well. And Paul's imprisonment was for Christ. And everyone involved in his journey seemed to realize at some point or another that he wasn't here because of some sort of crime. He was here because people spite this Christ. There's people who have contempt for this Jesus, and that's why this guy's here. What a wonderful ambassador for Jesus Paul was. that by his kingdom-oriented optimism, his discerning love, and his fixation on the unity of the body, he would impact those in the governing of his empire. To Paul, really, all of life was all about God. And having this focus in the face of what we would describe as very frustrating circumstances served an additional purpose. Not only was it meant to sow the gospel among the unbelieving world, but it also served as a means to embolden the church. Look at verse 14 again. And most of my brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. The word of Paul's imprisonment had spread as far as Philippi and all throughout the region. The testimony of all of Paul's life being all about God was changing the way how people in the church viewed their frustrations and their circumstances. How was it that Paul could seemingly be so carefree about the conditions that we would consider so taboo? Typically, persecution is meant to snuff out a movement. That's what persecution, that's the point, is to discourage enthusiasm. But here we read that the church was actually abounding in their gospel proclamation. There was no secret movement here. This is not an underground church, is it? Grasping the reality of God's promise of how sure his sovereign goodness is and how vain our earthly comforts are, this understanding, this frees us to live boldly. How liberating it is to know and to witness the patience of God. Kingdom-oriented optimism, encouraging the church to live faithful to God's Word in the face of imprisonment. Now, we would take no issue with this, right? Yeah, I didn't make Jesus known wherever I go, until it removes our rights from us, until it gets to be uncomfortable, until we're afraid someone's going to be offended. What do we expect people to be to the gospel? The gospel is an offense. I don't want to be nitpicky. In my own heart, I'm convicted, but it's... All of a sudden, our biblical Christianity goes out the window, and our American Christianity comes on display when our comforts are frustrated. We become very bold in restoring the status quo as an American Christian, but our true Christianity goes quiet and fearful when things go awry. The boldness of Paul's brothers flies in the face of the, I'm not allowed to talk about Jesus at work. We must repent of our fickle faith. This small faith that boasts of gospel advancement, and as so long as we can still hold on to our status. So long as we can make sure our job's not in jeopardy. So long as our income isn't affected. Now, I'm not calling for disruption for disruption's sake, but it's a call to humbly recognize that is all of life all about God? Or do we just simply relegate that to safe spaces? And that's a buzz thing nowadays, isn't it? Safe spaces. And I'm a critic of it probably as anybody in this room. But could we be honest for a second that we relegate our true Christianity to safe spaces? When we get frustrated in life, I think we have a beam in our eye when it concerns the gospel. These words of Paul should still embolden us today. Just because it's 2019, it doesn't mean we've gotten this gospel advancement thing all figured out. If anything, we've relegated the gospel to when it's convenient. And Paul's not mentioning that we should simply live a certain way so people would ask us questions about our faith, right? Because that's usually our out, right? Well, I can't say anything, so I'm just going to live a certain way. And eventually they'll ask. These people were speaking the truth. Verse 14, what does it say? They're bold to speak the word without fear. Didn't bat an eye at the idea of imprisonment. Some would say, well, things are different here in America, and I agree they are different, but they cannot be worse than what our brothers and sisters before us have faced under the dark hand of Rome oppression. These people went forward without fear. We must repent of our poor faith. I must repent of it this morning. We should consider what Paul is telling us here. As we see his circumstances, we think about our own. Stop letting potential frustrations keep us from participating in God's biggest work in the world today, gospel advancement. Lastly, we come to verses 15 through 18. And Paul writes to encourage the Philippians by equipping them with his immovable joy. Number four, an objective, immovable joy. Some indeed preach Christ from envy, he says in verse 15, and rivalry, but others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here, I'm in prison for the defense of the gospel, but the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? So what? Only that in every way, whether in pretense for wrong motives or in truth for good motives, Christ is proclaimed. And in that, I rejoice. What we read in verses 15 through 18 may first seem to be a bit troubling to us. Simply put, the gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached with mixed motives. Church history is filled with it. But this should not be the most astonishing thing that Paul indicates here. Here, Paul implies an underlying truth that gives us reason to rejoice, that God squeezes glory out of believers in spite of them, in spite of their motives. Guess what? God is still able to use even poor, ornery preachers. The text helps us see these motives for what they are. And there are two groups here that Paul describes. The first is that there were those in this case who were preaching out of love. This again goes to the love, speaks to the love that is already talked about in the previous verses. In verse 16, they do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The church's heart was on this beloved apostle, on the gospel that was going from his lips, their heart was set on Christ. What a high calling for the church that we be emboldened to preach, even if the pulpit becomes a highway to the prison cell. The suffering of God's saints brings them even to a fuller union with Christ and his sufferings. And with a heart to... These people had a heart to continue the work of the apostle. Paul is encouraged that even when he seems to be sidelined in prison in a certain way, God continues His work through another generation. I think that speaks of our study in 1 Timothy, as Paul is writing to his son in the faith. He's encouraged that this whole thing doesn't depend on Paul. It's not about Paul. And that's the problem with this second group. There were people preaching out of envy of Paul. Look at verse 17. They proclaimed Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. For these people, it was all about Paul, a bitterness they had against Paul. These had a desire to bask in the type of recognition that Paul had as an apostle. They sought to be held in the hearts of the churches as the beloved apostle was. And now, having heard of his imprisonment, they boldly boast of this Jesus as if it was the perfect time. Oh, Paul's in prison. Now's my time to shine. They had a heart to overshadow the work of Paul and to bring affliction to his spirit. But as we've already seen this passage, Paul has opened his heart to the truth that all of life is all about God. It's not about me. He opens his heart and his mind to the goodness of God's work in all things. And thus, Paul's grateful. Here again, God proves himself mighty to save and able to use sin sinlessly. These envious preachers meant their deeds for evil, but God meant them for good. Thus, we have freedom to rejoice in times when it seems the most unlikely person is used to advance the gospel. We can rejoice even when the ulterior motives of a man are revealed to be less than godly. Yet Christ is accurately preached. This is exactly what Paul does here. He rejoices. Look at verse 18. So what? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. And in that I rejoice so long as Christ is truly And this really is the crux of the matter. Paul is not calling for flippant preaching. And may I say that this is a relief for me this morning. This church history is filled with the stories of young pastors trying to make their way through this craft called sermonizing. What an encouraging truth that God's word doesn't return void. But at the same time, this is not a commendation from Paul to those who have been spreading false Gospels. He's not talking about people giving the false Gospels. These are people who actually were giving the true Gospel, even though their hearts were in the wrong place. He's not condoning false Gospels. So let me be clear, while Paul and you and I are able to discern an accurate message about Christ as we have the Word, we cannot always know the motive of the one speaking. So our hope needs not to be in a man, but in Christ. That's what Paul's saying, it's not about me. It's about Christ's exaltation. So Paul is not entirely being apathetic about the motive or the message of the preacher. In this, he simply recognizes the role that God alone has in judging the intentions of the heart. Hence the warning from Scripture, be not many teachers, guard your hearts. May these words today be a comfort to us. that God delights to use imperfect vessels to make His glory known. And that means all of us are good candidates. All who are in Christ have all the grace necessary to be useful in His service. There is no four-year program. You don't have to be proficient in Microsoft Word. God uses people, imperfect people. He gives you His Word. He guides you by the Spirit, and He puts you in the church to serve Him. And Paul prays that this would abound in the Philippian congregation. By no means does this justify our sinful motives, nor does it free us of our responsibility to confront false motives, sin, and it doesn't alleviate us from repenting of it. We should have this discerning love, It allows us to discern these things that we see back in verses 9 and 10. So ultimately, this letter, as we read it, leaves us little room to complain this morning. A brief scan of all that is going on in Paul's life could have warranted him to write a letter simply venting about all of his circumstances. Separation anxiety, discernment issues, His imprisonment, this rivalry thing that's going on. But he's not writing about all those things, at least not in that way. He praises the goodness of God in using these peculiar means to make his gospel known. And in doing so, we find a wealth of encouragement in our bond of grace with him together. So may God cause his love to abound in you with all discernment and knowledge. May he rekindle in us today a fire to know the truth, to love the Word, because true love loves truth. May we embrace the truth that we're never really alone in this. God has a body of believers. And may the joy that God is still in the business of using imperfect vessels like you and I for His name's sake, cause us to glorify Him and make His name great. Let's pray this morning. Father, may this encouragement go deep into our hearts. May even the encouragement of this text of Paul's circumstances, may the context of his life be a reproach to us today. Even this encouragement that comes with an edge, reveals our own motives, and how we love, and what we say, and doing the good Christian thing. Lord, expose those things. And may we pursue a discerning love that you give us in Christ. Father, forgive us for our false motives, our false reasons for even coming here today. Father, we pray that we would be a people abounding in this love, that we would cherish the union that we have in Christ together. That even as we pray for other churches, and even as our pastor is on the other side of the world, we can cherish the union we share with him and that group of believers there through our bonds of grace in Christ. May we cherish this. May it keep us from a heart that is quick to simply vent about our frustrations. Father, may we embrace these things humbly. May we commit them to praise. May we praise you for the things that come into our world, that seek to rock our boat. May we praise you for how you advance the gospel through these things today. We pray. In Jesus' name, amen.