and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for all of you 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. Thus far, our reading this morning. Shall we pray? Father, we thank you that you have condescended in such a way as to give us your very words written in scripture. We thank you that you reveal yourself to us by your word and spirit. And we ask you this morning that you would open our hearts and our minds to receive what you have to say. That by your spirit you would build us up. Would you keep our minds far from distractions? And would you cause your word to be applied and live in our lives. Draw near to us at this time, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. Brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, what do you think a prayer from the Apostle Paul to the church here in Cornerstone would sound like. Just imagine with me for just a brief moment that Paul was still alive today and he was intimately familiar with this church. What do you think a prayer of his would sound like? What we find this morning in the introductory prayer and verses of Paul's letter to the Philippians is a heartfelt prayer to a dearly beloved congregation. Our theme then this morning that we'll examine together is offering up a prayer to God for the Philippian church. And we'll see that this prayer, it's broken down into two principal parts or two sections. The first is joyful thanksgiving from verses three through eight. And the second is heartfelt petition from verses nine through 11. Now, very briefly, I want to point out two important things to note in the first verse of chapter one. At first glance, it might appear that this letter is written by both Paul and Timothy, but the way that the author speaks throughout the letter makes it clear that it is Paul that's the principal author. In addition to this, we see that Paul begins this letter by addressing it to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons. And so what we want to recognize by these two items is that it is Paul who is the principal author and that he is addressing this letter to the Philippian and it is the whole church in Philippi that he's addressing. And therefore, when Paul begins to pray in verse 3, He's doing so for the whole church in Philippi, giving thanks to God for them. And he tells us that he does this in all of his remembrance of them, always and in every prayer of his, with joy. Paul is thankful for the saints in Philippi, and it brings him joy, not only in his giving thanks for them, but also in his remembering of them. Now, for some context, we might be reminded of the beginnings of this church in Philippi. Some of these things that we hear in that account are the things that maybe Paul is actually remembering himself. In Acts chapter 16, we find that Paul and Silas helped to establish this church. In that account in Acts, we learn that Paul and Silas had gone to the riverside on the Sabbath, where they supposed there might be a place of prayer, and there they spoke to the women. And this fact tells us that there was likely no synagogue in Philippi, and therefore no significant Jewish presence there. Now, as a result of hearing the gospel proclamation, a woman named Lydia is saved along with her household. As Paul and Silas continue their ministry in Philippi, Paul casts out a spirit of divination out of a slave girl, and as a result, her owners lose their lucrative source of revenue. And so they have Paul and Silas beaten with rods and put into prison. As Paul and Silas are in prison, praying and singing hymns to God, there's a great earthquake. The doors of the prison open. All of the bonds on all the prisoners are loosed. and yet none of them escape. And as a result of that, the jailer gets to hear the gospel, and he, along with his entire household, is saved. This is the humble beginnings of this church in Philippi, a church made up of primarily Gentile pagan believers. And so as Paul remembers this church, in his prayer, a church which he helped to found, He gives thanks to God for them. And this thanksgiving, we're told, is done with joy. Now joy is a common theme that we'll see runs throughout the whole letter to the Philippians. And so it's no surprise that we find it here in the introductory prayer. What we find then in verses three through four is Paul giving us the sort of why, sorry, the when and the how of his thanksgiving prayer. Whenever he remembers them, he gives thanks to God with joy. And this joyful prayer of thanksgiving that Paul lifts up to God for the Philippians is explained in three ways from verses five through eight. Perhaps another way of stating this, the basis for Paul giving joyful thanks to God are threefold. The first basis, or why, is given to us in verse five. Paul gives thanks to them because of their partnership in the gospel. And this partnership, he explains, began from the very first day and has continued even until the writing of that letter. from the time of the founding of the church in Philippi until even then, this church has been partnering and promoting the gospel. And one of the things that Paul certainly has in mind here, that's at the forefront of his mind, is the Philippians' financial support of his ministry. He'll later explicitly mention this support in chapter four. The Philippians have faithfully supported Paul in his ministry to the Gentiles. In fact, Paul will say there that they are the only church that partnered with him in giving and receiving. And so, in essence, Paul is giving thanks to God for the Philippians and their faithful partnership in gospel proclamation and promotion through their financial giving. But it isn't only their financial support that Paul would certainly have in mind here. The Philippians' partnership in the gospel most certainly also includes other elements. And these elements likely include their own proclamation of the gospel to outsiders, their own suffering alongside of Paul for the gospel's sake, and their intercessory activity on behalf of Paul. And so in this way, Paul, He's giving thanks to God for all the various ways in which the Philippian church has partnered with Paul in the promotion of the gospel message. The Philippians have been diligent in this partnership, not only from the start, but they've continued in this faithfully. You see, sometimes gospel partnership can begin with zeal and diligence, But after time, that zeal begins to taper off. It can begin to fizzle out. But that's not the case with the Philippians. Their diligence and partnership in the gospel has been evident not only from the start, but has persevered and continued even until then. And this is most remarkable when we consider that this letter is more than likely written 10 years after Paul first helped found this church. In all that time, the Philippian Church has been diligent and faithful in supporting and partnering with Paul in gospel proclamation. And isn't that a great encouragement for us? An encouragement for us also to continue and to remain diligent in our efforts of partnership in gospel proclamation. Now the second basis for Paul's joyful thanks to God is that it's grounded in God's own faithfulness to finish what he starts. In verse six, Paul explains that he's sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ. This is the ultimate ground of Paul's thanksgiving. It's built on the firm conviction that the one who began this work of new creation in the Philippians, he would bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus. Paul is firmly convinced of the sovereignty of God's work in the church, and that this work cannot be thwarted by anyone or anything. In a way, Paul here is grounding the Philippians' partnership in the gospel in the work of God himself. We see Paul here introducing a kind of tension between the work of the Philippians and the work of God. Paul recognizes the faithful diligence of the Philippians in their work, but he wants them to see how this is ultimately grounded in the work of God. There's a tension of sorts here between the believer's own accountability for their spiritual conduct and their need to completely and totally rely on the grace of God. The immediate reason for Paul's thanksgiving is the Philippian partnership, but the ultimate reason is God's work. In a sense, Paul is saying that their perseverance and participation in the gospel, in the work of the gospel, has convinced him that they are the object of divine preservation. Let me say that again. Paul's saying here that their perseverance and participation in the work of the gospel has convinced him that they are the objects of divine preservation. And for all of this, he gives thanks. The Philippians need to hear that their growth in sanctification, their growth in grace, which is clearly evident by their participation in the gospel, was really God's work, and that God would not fail to bring it to completion. Don't we also need to hear this same word of encouragement? As the Church of Cornerstone here in Sanborn, a church that has sought to be diligent in gospel proclamation, in gospel partnership, in gospel promulgation, don't we also need to recognize that this work is first and foremost grounded in the work of God? We also need to recognize that this work is being brought to its completion, it has its success, and it's all grounded in the fact that God who began this work in each of us in this church, he's the one that's going to bring it to completion. See, brothers and sisters, God doesn't do anything halfway. We probably all know people, perhaps you're one of these people yourself, who struggles to complete projects. Many projects and ventures get started with the best of intentions, but after time, efforts begin to fizzle out. Interest is lost, and so they go uncompleted. But this is not the case with our God. What He starts, He finishes. What a comfort for us, that we can trust that our God will bring what He begins to completion, that what He began in us, He will bring to completion on that last day, the day when Christ comes back again. Brothers and sisters, you can trust in this word. You can stand on this promise. When your faith falters, when you see your own weaknesses, trust that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on that last day. What we've seen so far is how Paul has been giving thanks to God for the Philippians partnership in verse five, and that this thanks is ultimately grounded in God's own faithfulness to finish what he starts in verse six. So what we find in verses seven through eight is that this thanksgiving of Paul's springs out of his own deep affection for the Philippians, which has been forged in their common experience of God's grace. Paul says in verse 7 that it's right for him to feel this way about the Philippian church, because he holds them in his heart and because they are partakers of grace with him. Paul's pointing to the Philippians' partnership and help, even in the midst of his imprisonment, but he's also pointing to their defense and confirmation of the gospel. The Philippians have supported and partnered with Paul, even as he's been imprisoned. They've shown their love for him and for the gospel itself in this way. They've joined with Paul in the advancement of the gospel, no matter how difficult the circumstances. And as a result, they hold a special part in Paul's heart. Paul's thanksgiving to God for them springs out of this deep affection for him, for them. In no uncertain terms, Paul cites God as his witness. He yearns for them with the very affection of Jesus Christ, in verse 8. And this affection and love for the Philippian church, it undergirds and it stands behind much of what Paul will write throughout this whole letter. In fact, Paul's prayer of petition that we'll examine here briefly, in verses 9 through 11, is firmly grounded in this heartfelt affection for them. So we want to keep these things in the forefront of our minds. In our second point, we find in verses 9 through 11 that Paul explains the content of his petition to the Lord. He requests of the Lord in verse 9 that the Philippians' love would abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment. Love, congregation, is something that grows. Love's not something that you have and it just stays the same. Love's not static. For example, those of you who've been married for many years, you could probably point to a time early in your relationship when you were enraptured with your future spouse, when love seemed to abound. And yet after all of these years, hasn't your love for them grown? Perhaps you don't get butterflies like you once did, but there's a kind of depth to the love you share that was not present at the start. Your love for them has matured. Your love for them has grown. And part of this growth has to do with getting to know your spouse better. As you share your life with them, you grow in knowledge. True love seeks to understand. It seeks to get to know the object of its love. When you love your spouse, you naturally want to get to know them. You want to know about what interests them, what they like and what they don't like. And it's not a burden. It's a joyful exercise of love. Paul's prayer for the Philippians is also that their love would abound and grow more and more. Real love has a depth to it. Real love has as its basis a basic knowledge. In order for love to grow in depth, intimacy, and consistency, it must grow in knowledge of the person or object loved. This point is important for us to realize because we live in a world that's obsessed with merely feeling good. We live in a world where emotion seems to rule. There's a popular saying, the heart wants what the heart wants. And it's said as if the mind has nothing to do with it. But as Christians, we want to recognize that true love is not absent knowledge. Knowledge is not the enemy of the love of God, but it's rather a condition for its existence. As the prophet says in Hosea chapter four, verse six, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Or as Paul himself says to the Romans in chapter 10, how are they to believe in whom they've never heard? Love of God requires the knowledge of God. There are some today in certain church circles that see knowledge of doctrine, knowledge of scriptures, as somehow antithetical or in conflict to the love of God. As if knowing more about God somehow stifles one's love for Him. But Paul here is stating the exact opposite of that. See, Paul doesn't want a love that's naive and gullible. Paul doesn't want a church that's susceptible to false teachers or swindlers, but a loving congregation that has their love tempered by a vigorous sense of biblical knowledge. True love, as it abounds, more and more will grow in right knowledge. And yet Paul doesn't only mention knowledge here, but he also mentions discernment. And this mention of discernment means that this knowledge is not to be just mere facts about the object of our love, but it is to include insights as well. The word that Paul uses here is not used anywhere else in the New Testament, but it is used 22 times in the book of Proverbs in the Greek Old Testament. And so what Paul is telling us here is that he wants a love that doesn't, he doesn't want a love that grows in cold hard facts, but a knowledge that has practical and wise understanding. To illustrate this, it'd be like a husband that might know many facts about their wife. He knows her birthday, he can tell you how tall she is, he knows her hair color, hair, eye color, rather, but he doesn't know her favorite food or that she's not a morning person. Basically, he knows everything from the front of her driver's license, but he has very little insights into her cares, her concerns, or her wants. This love that Paul wants the Philippians to grow in is a love that abounds with knowledge and practical insights. It should be a knowledge and practical wisdom that grows out of the love of God. In verse 10, Paul gives the purpose of this growing love, which is to be accompanied by knowledge and discernment. It is the approval of what is excellent, a love that abounds with knowledge and discernment, is able to recognize and follow God's good and acceptable and perfect will. Paul wants the love of the church, as it grows with knowledge and discernment, to be able to not only recognize those things that are clearly right or wrong, but also those things that are not as clear-cut. See, often in the Christian life, it can be difficult to distinguish between what's good and what's best, from what's permissible to what's preferable. The purpose of love, abounding in knowledge and discernment, is that it's able to approve and also to choose what's excellent, what's best. As you get to know the object of your love better, you're able to discern what their preferences are. Now, boys and girls and young people, as you get to know your friends, is it not true that you also are able to determine what's their preference? Isn't it true that you are better able to choose a birthday present for your best friend than a classmate that you just don't know as well? Certainly, that classmate you don't know well would appreciate a well-thought-of gift, but you know exactly what your best friend would just love. It's because you're close to them, because you take an interest in what they care about, that you're able to choose that perfect gift for them. Your care for them, it's demonstrated by your knowledge and ability to choose what's excellent. In much the same way, our love for the Lord, as it grows in knowledge and discernment, is able to better be equipped to demonstrate by our living what is excellent to the Lord. But there's an important point that we must not fail to miss here. And that is that Paul is making a prayer. Paul is praying that the Philippian church would grow and abound in this way. What this means is that we can't do this on our own. Paul's not saying to the Philippians that they need to do this on their own. He's not telling the Philippians, go abound in love and make sure that that love that abounds has knowledge and discernment and is able to choose what's excellent. He's not saying that. He's praying to the Lord that the Lord would work this in the Philippian church. And this is also true for us. We must not lose sight of the fact that we cannot grow our love for God or even others on our own. It has to be through God working in us. It's only through Christ. This is a work of God. And the result of this work, Paul tells us, in the remainder of verse 10 and the beginning of verse 11, is that we would be pure and blameless on the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness. God, working this love within us, within His church, it results in sinners being found pure and blameless on that last day. It results in sinners, those bad trees, producing good and righteous fruit. And the fact that we know that this is all through Christ, it's not primarily because we have good theology, but because Paul explicitly tells us in verse 11. He says it comes through Jesus Christ. The fact that Paul prays for the church's love to abound in knowledge and discernment, with the purpose that they approve what is excellent, And the result being that they are pure and blameless on that last day, filled with the fruit of righteousness, is all through Jesus Christ. It's because of His finished work that Paul can be confident that the good work he began, God will bring to completion. But not only in the Philippians, but also in us. Finally, Paul concludes this prayer with the ultimate goal. It's all for the glory and the praise of God. It's the love of God that works within the believer, that so saturates the believer, that we also are able to grow in love. This love, which God grows in us, enables us to love Him and also others. And this love, this love far transcends the sentimental emotionalism that can often characterize our world's love. This biblical love, it's shaped by our knowledge of God and the Spirit-given ability to approve of what is excellent and essential. This love of God purifies us and produces a life marked by the fruit of righteousness, gained through union with Christ, even as we await the day when He will return and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. For this great work, which He does in the church, which He does in each of us, We give Him glory and praise. On that last day and into eternity, God's people will praise and glorify Him for the work that He did in each of us, for producing that love which abounded, for producing and growing that love with knowledge and discernment that was able to choose what was excellent, for being able to produce the fruits of righteousness and to be found pure and blameless on that last day. And for all of that, we will give him praise. Therefore, brothers and sisters, trust in the work that the Lord began in you, in which he will bring to completion. Seek to foster and grow your love for him through prayer, recognizing that it's only through Jesus Christ that we can attain this. Have confidence that through Jesus Christ, you will also be able to stand pure and blameless on that last day. And so glorify and praise God for this great reality today. Amen. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we praise and glorify your name for the great work that you have done and that you do in your church and in each of us. We ask you, Lord, that you would grant to us a love that abounds more and more and that this love would be accompanied by an ever-increasing knowledge and discernment, so that our lives may be shown to choose what is excellent. Praise You, that we can have confidence that this work which You began in us, You will bring to completion. We thank you that we can rest and stand on this promise, that we can be confident that we will stand on that last day, pure and blameless before you, filled with the fruit of righteousness, the very righteousness of Christ himself. We thank you for Jesus, that through him we can have this assurance, that through Jesus we can know that though our sins be as scarlet, they are white as snow. May you cause us to be diligent in the pursuit of growth, that we be diligent in the promotion of your gospel so that many would come to know you. May our lives be a reflection of the love which you began and will bring to completion on that last day. We ask all of this to the praise and glory of our most holy God, in Jesus' name, amen.