So we are beginning a new series this morning in the book of Philippians. So please turn with me in your Bibles to Philippians chapter one. beginning in verse one. Hear now the word of the living God. Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God and 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. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever. The Book of Philippians is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in the city of Philippi. Philippi was a city in Macedonia, which was Northern Greece. It was founded in the fourth century BC by the father of Alexander the Great, but it eventually became a Roman colony. And by the mid first century, when the apostle wrote this letter, it was like a mini Rome. The laws, the lifestyle, the politics, the architecture, the society as a whole were all Roman. The Apostle Paul was the one who planted the church in Philippi. He did so on his second missionary journey. And you can read about Paul founding this church in Acts 15 and 16. Along with his companions, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, Paul set out to revisit the churches, to revitalize the churches that he had started in his first missionary journey that were in Asia Minor. But after a few setbacks and a dream in which Paul had a vision of a man standing in Macedonia, begging him to come there and help, he went there to preach the gospel. Now, Paul usually went to a synagogue when he first got to a city, but Philippi didn't have one. So therefore he found a small group of Jewish women who were meeting by the river to pray. The Lord had prepared the hearts of these women, especially a woman named Lydia, who invited Paul and his companions to stay at her home. And this is most likely where the church in Philippi began, in the home of Lydia. And Paul then cast a demon out of a possessed girl that was being used as a fortune teller. And the men profiting off of her were not happy about this, so they had Paul beaten and arrested. But in the Philippian jail, one of the most famous conversions in church history took place. At midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and a massive earthquake hit the prison and opened all the jail cells. And the guard, the jailer who was responsible for watching them, would have been responsible if they had escaped and he would have been executed. But as he took out his sword to take his own life, Paul shouted for him to stop. He let them know that the prisoners did not escape. They were still there. Although they were freed by the earthquake, they did not escape. And so the jailer rushed over to them and asked the most important question that anyone could ever ask. What must I do to be saved? And they answered him with the words of eternal life. Believe in Christ as we have done and you will be saved. Yes, you and your household. And so he, along with his family, were baptized. This was the beginning of the Philippian church. And Paul and his companions soon left the city, but it wasn't the end of his relationship with them. They supported him in his ministry. And on his third missionary journey, Paul revisited the Philippian church and his love for them continued to grow and their appreciation for him as well. Paul has a special bond with this church and it can be felt all throughout this letter. Several years later, Paul was arrested in Jerusalem that he was transferred to Caesarea. And two more years later, he was transferred to Rome to appear before the emperor. There Paul sat in house arrest in Rome, awaiting his fate. Although many years had passed since the last time Paul had seen the Philippians, once they got word of his situation, they sent him a generous gift with one of their members named Epaphroditus. The Philippians also hoped that Paul could send Timothy to them, to help them with a number of issues that had arisen in their church. They had a special bond with Timothy as well, but at this critical point in his life, Paul couldn't spare Timothy. Almost everyone else had abandoned him, and Paul needed Timothy by his side, and Epaphroditus actually became sick and almost died. but he did eventually fully recover and Paul sent him back to the church in Philippi with a letter in hand, which we call Philippians. And in this letter, Paul gives his pastoral counsel and encouragement to this church that he so dearly loves. And so as we study this letter that was originally written to the church in Philippi almost 2000 years ago, we know that this letter was also inspired by the Holy Spirit. And as the authoritative word of God, it speaks not only to the church in Philippi, but to anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the ages. We know that this letter speaks to us, our church, today. Now, letters in the ancient world opened differently. than letters open today. When we write a letter, we don't put our names until the very end. But the letters then in the first century began with the name of the author, then the name of the recipient, and then a greeting. And we see here in the first verse that the authors were Paul and Timothy, and they identified themselves as servants of Christ. The words translated as servant here means bondservant or slave. It means that their whole lives were devoted to serving Jesus Christ and nothing else. And the recipient says, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons. Some denominations treat saints as a special category of Christian, but we see throughout the Bible, and specifically right here in the first verse of Philippians, that the word saint biblically refers to all Christians. Paul isn't writing to some especially holy group of Christians, but to all Christians, all the saints in Philippi. And this includes their officers, the overseers or elders, the deacons. And Paul greets them with a Christian greeting. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul usually opens his letter with a thanksgiving and a prayer. And this prayer sets the theme for the letter. And this one is no different. We see the strength of Paul's relationship with the Philippians. Right away, the first thing he says is he thanks God in his remembrance of them. And Paul is writing this letter from a Roman prison. His circumstances are quite difficult. Everyone he knows almost has abandoned him. He's waiting his appeal to Caesar to find out if he will be executed or not. But despite his tremendous difficult circumstances, Paul says that he has joy in making prayers for the Philippian church. He is praying for them, and this gives him joy. Through this letter, we see Paul's repeated theme of joy. And it's not joy for his circumstances, but it is joy in his circumstances. It doesn't mean you have to be glad that you are going through all these things, but despite what you are going through. As a Christian, you can have joy in your circumstances. Paul has joy because of the believers in Philippi, this church that he loves. But there are infinite reasons as a believer in Jesus Christ to have joy in any circumstances. In the opening of the letter of James, He says, you're to count it as joy when you meet trials of various kinds because of the outcomes of your trials. It's not that you would rejoice because you're suffering, but you can have joy because you know God will use your trials in your life. He will produce the results in you that he is looking for. He grows you through testing your faith. And you can have joy because of this. You can have joy because of the work God is doing in your life and he has done. Because of the church he has called you to, because of the Christian friends he has given to love you. You can have joy for your partnerships in the gospel. Paul mentions that his joy in thinking about the Philippians is specifically because of their partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Paul's partnership in the gospel with the Christians in Philippi is a source of joy for him. And he mentions this further in verse seven, that the reason he feels this way, the reason he knows that God is working in them and that he holds them so dear in his heart with love is because they're all partakers with him of grace, both in his imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. The Philippian church has been supporting Paul financially, emotionally, spiritually through prayer. They are his partners in his mission for the gospel. And the word translated as partnership is an important Greek word, koinonia. It's also translated as fellowship. In the first century, the word koinonia described joint ventures such as going into a fishing business together would be entering into a fellowship, a partnership. We often think of Christian fellowship as friendship, which is part of it. Our fellowship with one another includes strong bonds of friendship that go well beyond the friendships of the world. But it's more than that. Christian fellowship is not only friendship, it's friendship and mission. In his book, The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien uses a fantasy story to convey the idea of a gospel partnership. The fellowship in that story is made of all different creatures of all different kinds with different talents and abilities. There are these tiny little hobbit creatures with big feet. There are human men who are warriors. There's a wizard with magical powers. There's an elf with exceptional archery skills. There's a dwarf who swings an ax. And their fellowship is a partnership working together, fighting a common enemy and saving the world. This is a picture of Christian fellowship, people of different nations and tongues, people with different abilities and talents working together in a partnership for the gospel. Knowing that God has brought us all together, people with our different backgrounds, our different temperaments, our different personalities, different talents and abilities, but unified in our love and mission for Jesus Christ. This is a reason to celebrate. It's a reason to rejoice. And you should continue to focus on growing the mission part of your relationships. How are you sacrificing and striving together for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ? How are you working together for the mission of the kingdom of God? Paul's relationship with the Philippians was about financial support, it was about suffering together, praying for one another, all for the sake of the advancement of the gospel. In your partnerships, working together for the kingdom of God, working together for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you'll continue to grow in your faith, continue to grow in your walk with the Lord. As long as you're in this life, there is room to grow. But if you have come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, if God has changed your life by changing your heart so that you desire to love Him, desire to serve Him, you can have joy knowing that God will complete what He has started in you. In verse six, Paul writes to the Philippians, he says, 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. The day of Jesus Christ is the day of his return. And Paul is certain that God will do this, that he prays with joy. God will complete the work that he has started in the Philippian church. And Paul has been with them from the beginning. He preached the gospel to them. He witnessed their conversions. He discipled them and helped them grow in their faith and knowing that God will fully complete his work in them brings him joy. He is certain that God will bring them into future glory that awaits them. When Jesus returns, he will make all things new. and that includes you. God begins his work in you with the new birth, where he brings you from spiritual death to spiritual life. This is the initial experience of a Christian, repentance and belief, where you turn from your sin toward God in love and you believe in Jesus Christ. This is the work of God in your heart. That is what Jesus meant in John chapter four when he said, you must be born again. to be a Christian, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, to repent and believe, God must change your heart. He must change your desires and your will. Everyone is born into sin. You and I were born with a sinful nature. And that means sin affects everything you do, everything about you, your thoughts, your desires, your emotions, but God changes you. This is the experience of every Christian that God has given you a new heart. And so now your thoughts, desires, and emotions will be geared towards him. It doesn't mean that you're not still affected by sin, but you're no longer enslaved to it. You now can have faith in Jesus Christ. You now can desire to live for him and please him. You can now love him. This is the work God began in the Philippian church that Paul's referring to. This is the work God began in you. If you have a saving faith in Jesus Christ, then God did this in you and he continues it through your life. but you can rejoice because you know for certain that he will complete this work upon the return of Jesus Christ. When Jesus returns, you will be fully sanctified. That is, you will be fully devoted to God and living in his glory as you were made to do. The first and most famous question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. And this begins in the new birth. This begins when God changes your heart and brings you to faith. But it's fully realized upon the return of Jesus Christ. And so regardless of your circumstances, you can hold on to this truth that God will with absolute certainty bring this to reality when Jesus returns. Then the fullness of God's glory will be realized in you. But for now, As God continues to work in you, he will continue to increase your love. Paul writes of this in verse eight of his own love that he has for the Philippians. He says, for God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. When God changes your heart, he changes your love. You then can love with the love of Christ. You won't do it perfectly. Sin still remains in your heart, but the fact that you can do it at all is a miracle of God's grace. God changes the way you love, so you love like Christ does. But Paul also, continuing that sentence, says, and it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more. So when God changes your heart, your new life begins. You are a new creation in Jesus Christ and a new ability to love is formed in your heart. But that love needs to grow over time. Your new birth is just the beginning. God will increase in you through his Holy Spirit your love for him, your love for the people around you, your love for Jesus Christ. And this is a reason for joy in your circumstances. God continuing to grow the love of Christ in your heart. You can love people, you can love God in a new and profound way through the love of Christ working in your heart. And Paul gives us a wonderful model of prayer here. He's praying for the spiritual needs of others. Obviously we are to pray for the physical needs of others, and most of us do that. That is usually the first thing, first and foremost on our minds. But sometimes you can neglect spiritual needs. When was the last time you prayed for the love of Christ to abound more and more in the heart of someone else? When was the last time you prayed for the love of Christ in your own heart, or the sanctification, the growth in holiness, of someone. You can and should be praying for these things, for the growth in holiness, for the growth in faith, for the growth in love of those you know and love, even those you don't know. Growth in love is the Christian walk. Growth in love is the path of discipleship. And this love goes beyond what the world thinks of love. Christian love has a depth to it because it's an outpouring of the love of God in your heart. The love of Jesus in your heart means you reflect his love in your life. You are first an object of God's infinite and holy love, then you are a vehicle of that love. God's love comes through you to others and then it's reflected back to him as you love him. And you will grow in this love more and more as you grow in your relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. But Paul doesn't end there. He said, it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment. There's a knowledge and a discernment to Christian love. It's the knowledge and discernment of God's will. It means that you don't get to determine what this love is or how it is expressed, but God determines this. The love of a Christian, the love of a disciple of Jesus Christ is the love of God. And it's according to his will, according to his nature, according to his word. The world and false teachers in the church often like to use Christian love as an excuse to follow their agendas. One in particular is people try defining love your neighbor on their own terms. They might say to support a particular government program is to love your neighbor, or to support the idea of a man marrying another man is to love your neighbor, and so on. The examples of this are endless. But the love Paul is talking about, that he has, and he wants the Philippians to grow in, is the affection of Jesus Christ, which is according to God's will, is according to his word. The world constantly tries to corrupt us. Therefore, knowledge of the word of God is necessary to discern the truth, to discern how God wants us to love as we are called. And Paul gives us two outcomes from this, two outcomes from loving in a way that it discerns God's wisdom. The first is so that you may approve what is excellent. The word translated as approved contains the idea of testing gold by fire to prove that it is genuine. It means to examine or evaluate what is excellent or what is best. You are to grow in love with full knowledge of the character and will of God with all discernment so you can discern what is of the highest value, so you can discern what the love of God is like and how you can show it. so you can discern how to love the way God has called you to love. And this is one of the major differences between what the world tells you about love and Christian love. The world tells you and believes that human beings are good by nature, that our desires are good, that if you naturally desire something, it must be good. They often use a statement, love is love. And this statement by itself actually doesn't tell us anything. It's like saying five equals five or a dog is a dog. It's a redundant statement and provides no new information. But when people say this or post it in the yard sign, what they are implying is that everything we call love is the same. All forms of love are equal and good. and it's human-centered. This is what the world does. This is what Satan does. They deceive by using something good and twisting it for human purposes. It gives people the ability to define on their own terms what is good and what is right. But what Paul is saying is that godly love, the love that God calls us to, must be discerned from this. You must use godly wisdom to discern what is truly good. And this comes from the word of God. God has given us his word so that we can discern how he wants us to love. and you're to consider what it means to love and evaluate it by God's word. And what God means by love is an extraordinary divine love. It's a love that puts others first, loves even your enemies. It's a love that extends forgiveness, mercy, and grace to those who don't deserve it the way Jesus does. And it's through studying and knowing God's revelation and scriptures that you will grow in your ability to love the way God loves. And the second outcome of abounding in love with knowledge and discernment is so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. The end goal of your growing in Christian love is the completion of your sanctification, that on the day of Christ, the day of his return, you will be made fully pure and righteous. You will be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The first of which is love. God changes your heart more and more that you will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. And Paul gives us a list of this in Galatians 5. The fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. These are the attributes that God brings about in your life when he changes your heart. And these will reach their fullness upon the return of Christ. And the first of these is love. The reason God does all of this, the reason God does anything, anything that God does is all to the glory and praise of God. And Paul concludes all this by saying, to the glory and praise of God. This is God's end in everything. It's his own glory. He calls you out of darkness. He changes your heart. He saves you from your sinfulness. He saves you from the punishment for your sins. He fills you with his love and his joy all to his glory and praise. He sent his spirit to dwell in you so that you can live to his glory and praise. And there's two ways really to live life, for your own glory and praise or for God's glory and praise. And your sinful nature makes you wanna live for your own glory, but God changes you. Not only that you may have faith in Jesus Christ and that you may be saved from the punishment of your sins, but also that you may live for his glory. You glorify God when you have joy in your circumstances. You glorify God when you work in partnership with other Christians for the gospel. You glorify God when you continue to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, knowing that God will complete what he has started in you. You glorify God when you love as Jesus loves, and you grow that love in knowledge and discernment and the truth and love of God. You glorify God when you live with the fruit of the spirit that God has put in your heart. God, out of his love for you, sent his only son to die in your place and to live the perfectly righteous life that you could never live. And so that you would be justified before God. That is, you would be counted as righteous in the eyes of God because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And God is glorified in your salvation. But he saved you for something. He saves you so that you may die to sin and live to righteousness. He saves you so that you may die to self-glory and live to His glory. Through faith in Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Through faith in Jesus Christ, His perfectly righteous record is transferred to you. And through faith in Jesus Christ, you can now live in this life to the glory of God through the Holy Spirit working in you. So everything that you think, everything that you say, everything that you can do can all be to the glory and praise of God. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you, Lord, knowing that everything is your work, that we are here because you have called us out of darkness into light. And that the good that is working in our heart is completely the work of your spirit. That it is not I, but it is Christ working in us. And so Lord, we hold on to these truths. that you would continue to work in our lives and our hearts, that we would have joy, your joy in this world, that we would love the way you have called us to love, that we would form partnerships for the gospel, that we would dedicate our lives as your servants to living for you, living for the mission of your kingdom, living for the glory of your gospel. And so Lord, continue to work in us and we hold on to that day when you will complete the work you have started and you will do so all in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.