Well, this morning we continue our series in the book of Philippians.
If you were with us last week, we know we just started with the introduction.
Today we're going to be moving on in chapter 1, verses 3 through 8.
So if you have a Bible, you can turn there with me.
It will also be on the screen behind me.
As I've mentioned before, Rachel and I, over a decade ago, we lived in China.
We lived there for just over a year.
We lived in a city of 7 million.
Which, by Chinese standards, is just kind of an average-sized town.
And we didn't live in the heart of the city.
We kind of lived on the southern edge of the city.
That was known as the Economic Development Zone.
And everyone who lived in that area and had called that for years
really thought it was more of a joke than anything else.
Because there wasn't much economic development going on there.
There was a cluster of a few universities.
Around the universities were kind of some run-down, kind of slab concrete buildings
that had some shops and some restaurants.
Vendors would come in in the evening and set up restaurants just in the streets and carts that they had.
Beyond that were just really shacks set up by people who might have worked in the field or drove a taxi.
Brick structures that may have aluminum as a roof.
No running water.
Electricity that was run by bare wire from place to place.
And beyond that was just cornfields.
But yet this was the Economic Development Zone.
There was not a whole lot of trust that anything would happen in this area of town.
There was no confidence that anyone had that there was going to be infrastructure development,
that new buildings were going to go up, that anything was going to happen in this area of town.
And so it was actually, when Rachel and I came home,
it was about five years later that we were able to go back for a visit.
And we went to this area of town and it was amazing the transformation that we saw.
Because fields had been cleared and now there were high-rise apartment buildings and luxury condos.
These little shacks and shops had been totally demolished.
There was a huge shopping center with a mall and a theater and a Starbucks and a KFC and a Burger King and a Pizza Hut.
All the crown jewels of American culture were now at their fingertips.
And so it was amazing to think about what had happened in this short amount of time,
where people had no assurance that anything would ever happen in this part of the town.
There was now evidence of the progress that had been made.
And so that's what we're going to be looking at in this passage today.
The assurance that Paul has in the work of Christ.
Even in the midst of his own imprisonment, persecution on the rise,
we see disunity bubbling up within the church.
He holds on to the promises of God.
He remains confident in the work of Christ.
Both the beginning, the initial work, his continuing work, and completed work.
And we see that through that he has great thanksgiving and great joy
because he sees that evidence at the church at Philippi.
And so let's read our passage then this morning.
Philippians 1, verses 3 through 8.
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
always in every prayer of mine for you all,
making my prayer with joy
because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
And I am sure of this,
that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ.
It is right for me to feel this way about you all
because I hold you in my heart
for you are all partakers with me of grace,
both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
For God is my witness,
how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
This is the word of God.
Pray with me again.
Lord, we pray that you will prepare our hearts for the hearing of your word.
Lord, I ask that you fill me with your spirit,
that I may communicate clearly,
that the truth of your gospel may go out with power
and may sink deep into our hearts.
Change us, we pray, O Lord.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Now, as I mentioned last week,
we started just with the first two verses in Philippians,
looking at Paul's introduction.
And as is common in many of his letters,
after that brief introduction comes a few verses
of thanksgiving and prayer for whatever church he's addressing.
And so we see that that's happening here as well.
And we see at first glance this deep affection
that Paul has for the church at Philippi.
And we see here that it's not just this affection and this joy
just isn't based on what they're on doing.
I mean, it's not that he's just saying,
hey guys, you are doing great, I love you,
and I thank you for your work here,
and just keep on keeping on.
No, we see that his thanksgiving and joy
is rooted far deeper.
The crux of the passage is really in verse 6.
This is the basis of Paul's assurance,
the basis of all that he's saying to the church at Philippi.
When he says, I am sure of this.
And so this is going to be our focus today,
thinking about the assurance that Paul has.
We're going to start in verse 6
and spend most of our time there,
but also work our way back to beginning of this passage as well.
And so three points then,
as we look and focus on this theme of assurance,
we're going to be thinking about the basis of assurance,
the evidence of assurance,
assurance,
and the response to assurance.
And so let's look then at the basis of Paul's assurance.
Let's reread verse 6 together.
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.
And so the first question we ask is,
well, what is this good work?
Paul had been talking to the church at Philippi
and was commenting on their good work, right?
How they were,
they had defended the gospel well,
how they had love for one another.
But Paul isn't talking about the work of the church there.
He's not talking about his own work.
We say,
he says that he who began a good work in you,
that he obviously is referring to God.
And as we see,
this isn't just a one-time act of God
in the hearts and lives of his people.
It's really this ongoing work.
And so we really see it occur in three phases
that Paul talks about here.
We could think about it at God's work at conversion,
God's continuing work,
and the completion of God's work.
And so I want to think about each of them individually.
Paul says here,
he who began a good work in you,
this work at the point of conversion,
if we go back to the book of Acts,
this records a lot of what happened
in the New Testament church,
the missionary journeys that Paul and others went on.
And so in Acts 16,
it records Paul coming to Philippi for the first time
and what happens there,
the first converts that we see in this city.
And so Acts 16, verse 13, it says this,
and on the Sabbath day,
we went outside the gate to the riverside
where we supposed there was a place of prayer.
And we sat down and spoke to the woman
who had come together.
And one who heard us was a woman named Lydia
from the city of Thyatira,
a seller of purple goods who was a worshiper of God.
And the Lord opened her heart to pay attention
to what was said by Paul.
And so we see here this very first convert in Philippi,
this woman named Lydia.
But it's interesting how Luke records her conversion.
It doesn't say that Lydia chose to believe the words of Paul
or to understand the gospel on her own.
It says, no, the Lord opened her heart to pay attention.
And so it was the work of God in Lydia's life
and the lives of other believers in Philippi
that brought about change,
that brought about conversion in their life.
Paul explains this in many of his letters.
In Ephesians chapter 2,
he says that we were dead in our trespasses
and in our sins,
but we were made alive with Christ.
It is by grace you have been saved through faith
and that not of yourselves,
it is a gift of God,
not of works so that no one can boast.
And so we see this point of conversion,
the work that God does in our hearts,
in the hearts of these Philippians
is all about him.
If we think about,
we go back to maybe middle school time
or whenever you had science class
and you might have learned about
Newton's laws of motion,
you know that his first law of motion
is that an object at rest stays at rest
unless acted upon by an outside force.
And so this book here,
you know, Bible we said on this table,
there's nothing in that Bible itself
that is going to allow that Bible to move
unless it's moved by an outside force.
And so the same is true in our own lives.
Without Christ, we are dead.
We possess no abilities to make ourselves alive.
And so it's only by the power of Christ
in our lives to give us eyes to see
and ears to hear,
give us hearts that we can receive the gospel,
the grace of God.
Even Martin Luther says that faith
is like an empty hand.
It's only an instrument for receiving.
Faith itself is passive.
It is something that is given to us as well by God.
And so this is something that can bring us joy
when we think about God's work in our lives
at the point of our conversion,
if you were a believer,
to recognize that it wasn't of our own doing.
Because how horribly unsure would our salvation be
if it was up to us?
We think of human will and tendency,
how hot and cold we can be,
how certain we can be,
and then uncertain at times.
How our opinions can change constantly.
So if our conversion,
if our salvation was based on our decision ability,
if it was based on our own initiative,
we certainly have no assurance at all.
But this is what our assurance comes from.
And this is what Paul tells us,
that it was God who willed your salvation.
And so this is the same thing that Jesus said
to his disciples
at their last supper before his crucifixion.
He said,
you didn't choose me,
but I chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit.
Charles Spurgeon famously said that,
I believe the doctrine of election
because I'm quite certain
that if God had not chosen me,
I should never have chosen him.
And so for the church at Philippi
and for us today,
our conversion is evidence
of God's work in our lives.
And so this is something
that we can rejoice at,
to see that it was Christ
and Christ alone who has saved us.
Our salvation,
it isn't based on our own efforts.
It is God who chose you.
It was Christ who atoned for your sins.
It was the Holy Spirit
who called you to himself.
And that's good news.
But Paul here,
he's not only saying
that Christ,
what Christ did for you,
he says what Christ did in you,
the work of God in you.
And so yes,
Christ died on the cross for us.
He secured our salvation.
We are justified before the Father.
But his work is in us.
He gives us the desire
and the ability to believe,
the desire to follow after him.
And so this is where
the continuing work of God comes in.
Not only God's initial work,
he doesn't do a work in our lives
and stop.
Christ continues to work
in the lives of believers.
Verse 6 says again,
He who began a good work in you
will bring it to completion.
So there's work in that bringing.
We look forward to the point of completion
where Christ will come a day,
but that,
Christ will come again,
but that day has not yet come.
And so right now,
we're in that in-between
of the already and the not yet.
Christ has already come.
He has secured our salvation,
but he promises to come again.
And so what does that mean for us
as believers?
It's this period of sanctification,
of us seeing how Christ can continue
to work in us to make us
more and more like him.
We talked about this last week
when Paul refers to the church as saints.
He's calling them holy ones,
those who are set apart.
So as holy ones,
we know that that is our identity in Christ.
We are holy,
but we're also called to be holy,
called to pursue holiness.
And so as saints,
we're continually undergoing
this progressive transformation
to become more and more like Christ.
But this isn't something
that we can accomplish on our own.
Back when I was in university,
I played on the rugby team for my school.
And it was in the spring
where we'd have our normal rugby schedule.
We'd travel around the southeast
to the United States
playing other universities.
And I remember one away game
that we had.
We were playing a team
and we're beating them pretty good.
There's about 10 minutes left in the game.
And so the coach decided
to put in a few of the subs
who didn't get to play much.
And he put in one guy in front row.
He didn't have much experience,
but he was excited to be in the game.
And literally within probably two minutes
of him getting the game,
he gets tackled.
And his arm,
he falls awkwardly
and his arm like shatters.
He's screaming out loud.
We have to stop the game.
He's carted off.
He has to go to the hospital
and have surgery
in order to set the bones
that have broken in several places
where pins have been put in place.
After that surgery,
he's put in a cast
that stays in that cast
for several months
before that comes off.
And then he has to undergo
physical therapy
for weeks or months
so we can regain motion
and movement
strength in his arm.
And so this image
of surgery
and therapy
is really how we can consider
the Christ's initial
and ongoing work
in our lives.
He has saved us.
He has secured our salvation
on the cross,
but he continues
to work in us
like an ongoing therapy
to strengthen us,
to mold us
into his likeness.
And so when we think
about sanctification,
it's not just about us
trying our best
to please God,
to doing the best
that we can do
to be as much like Christ
as we can.
No.
Sanctification
is about our assurance
that Christ
is working in us
to draw us
to himself.
And so Paul
makes this point
in Galatians.
Galatians 3.3
He asks,
Are you so foolish
having begun
by the Spirit?
Are you now being perfected
by the flesh?
And so again,
God doesn't perform
some one-time act
in our lives
and then kind of
set us off
to see what we can accomplish.
As if to say,
I did my part,
now you do yours.
No, we don't pursue holiness
because we doubt
our salvation
or because we think
we have to supplement it
in any way.
And so when we think
about salvation,
or when we think
of assurance,
this was really an issue
if we go back
to the times
of the Reformation.
This idea of assurance
was a particular point
of conflict
between the Reformers
and the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church
thought that assurance
of salvation
was really a horrible thing
because they thought
it hindered the Christian life.
Because if you had assurance
of your salvation,
then you had no motivation
to follow Christ
and no motivation
to pursue holiness.
But we see the Reformers,
they summed up
their answer
and their concerns
of the Catholic Church.
If we look at
the Heidelberg Catechism
back from 1619,
in the very first question,
we get a wonderful response
to this idea of assurance.
This is the question
and answer.
It says,
what is our only hope,
excuse me,
what is the only comfort
in life and in death?
This is the answer,
that I am not my own,
but belong body and soul
in life and in death
to my faithful Savior,
Jesus Christ.
And it ends by saying this,
because I belong to Him,
Christ,
by His Holy Spirit,
assures me
of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly
willing and ready
from now on
to live for Him.
And so our pursuit
of holiness
is not motivated
by a fear
of what might happen
if we fail.
It's not motivated
by the thought
that we have to prove
ourselves to God.
Our sanctification,
our pursuit of holiness
is based on our
solid assurance
of what Christ
has done for us.
Assurance of our
eternal life,
but not only that,
it says here,
we have assurance
that Christ will make
us wholeheartedly
willing and ready
to follow Him.
And so this is exactly
what Paul says later
in the book of Philippians
in chapter 2
that we'll look at
in a few weeks' time
where he says,
to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling,
for it is God
who works in you
both to will
and to work
for His good pleasure.
So it is God
working in us
that gives us
the desire
to follow after Him.
One of the commentators
that I read
about this verse
noting the continuing
nature of this
bringing us
to completion,
he says it's like
God is continuing
to put His finishing
touches on His work
in your life.
And so do we sense that?
Do we get a comfort
from knowing
that God's fingerprints
are all over our lives?
Especially when we're
reminded of just
how weak
and sinful we are.
How often we fail
in our Christian lives.
How unsteady our will is.
How prone we are
to wander.
To know that Christ
remains faithful.
It is Christ's faithfulness
that is the essence
of our security.
And so just as we
can be assured
of Christ's work
in our lives
at the point of conversion,
we can also be assured
that Christ does not
leave us.
He continues to work
in us and through us
as we live for Him.
And so then that brings us
to this third part
of the work of Christ,
the completion
of Christ's work.
Again, verse 6,
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.
Christ.
Several years ago
for my brother's birthday,
I decided I was going
to make him a gift.
And so I had this really
old, thick law book
that I decided I was going
to get a little bottle
of whiskey
and I was going to
cut out the shape
of the bottle
into the pages
and place the bottle
in the book
so it would close up
and you'd have just
a little surprise
in that book.
I thought it was
a clever idea.
I thought it may take
an hour to cut out
these pages or so.
And as I began to do it,
I just realized
how tedious
and how difficult
this was
and it was taking me
forever to do
to the point
that I never finished it.
I put it away
in the closet
because it was taking
too much time
and it wasn't until
that we were packing
our things
to move here to Scotland
that I realized,
oh, it's still sitting there.
I need to do something with it.
I either need to finish it
or I need to throw it out.
How often does that
happen to us
when we think about
things in our lives?
Things or projects
that we start
that we never finish.
Books that we begin
to read
that we lose interest in.
We change our minds.
We get busy
with other things.
But when we think
about the work
of the Lord,
that's not how God operates.
God's plans
never change.
His mission
is never thwarted.
His love
never fails.
And so when we begin,
when He begins
a work in our life,
we can be fully confident
that He will bring it
to completion.
When we begin
this journey,
we recognize
with full confidence
that God will bring us
to our destination.
And so there was,
it's not that there wasn't
reason for doubt.
This is why Paul
is assuring the church,
why he's talking about
his own assurance,
because there was struggle
within the church.
There was disunity.
There was fear
of what might happen
because Paul
is now in prison.
What is going to happen
to the leader
of the New Testament church?
We may face doubts
in our own lives too.
Uncertainty about
what's going on around us.
Uncertainty even within
the body of Christ.
When we think about
the past,
we may be discouraged.
We may be confused
by the present
or scared by the future.
So Paul is reminding us
that the past,
the present,
the future,
all of it
is held
in God's hands.
God will fulfill
His promises
when?
At the day
of Jesus Christ.
And so if we look back
through the Old Testament,
there's many references
from many of the prophets
about the day
of the Lord.
The day of the Lord.
It comes with this imagery
of judgment
and destruction
for the nations.
But it also talks
about salvation
and vindication
for God's people.
We read that
from our verses
in Malachi earlier,
talking about
the day of the Lord.
And so this is
the future glory
that Paul talks about
as well,
especially in the book
of Romans,
in Romans 8,
when he says
that all creation
will be set free
from the bondage
of sin,
when we will receive
adoption as sons,
when our bodies
will be redeemed
and Christ
will be glorified.
This is the ultimate goal.
This is what all creation
is longing for,
where all the promises
of God
will be fulfilled,
where Christ will have
His final success.
And so this gives Paul
great assurance.
This can give us
great assurance
as well
as we seek
to follow after Christ.
And so this is
the basis
of our assurance.
Let's think then
also of the evidence
of His assurance.
Going back to verse 3,
Paul says this,
I thank my God
in all my remembrance
of you,
always in every prayer
of mine for you all,
making my prayer
with joy
because of your partnership
in the gospel
from the first day
until now.
And so thinking again
back in my time
in China,
there was no evidence
that I had
that the local government
was going to do anything
to change
the economic development zone.
If I had known that,
I wouldn't have been
made fun of it.
The people there
wouldn't have kind of joked
at the name
of their little part of town.
If I had seen
construction on the roads
being done,
if I saw
this infrastructure
being laid,
if I saw buildings
being erected,
I think,
well, I guess
they're starting
to do something.
I guess there truly
is a work
being done here.
And so here
in this passage,
Paul's assurance
of the work
of Christ
is evidenced
in the church.
The work
of the church,
the love
of the church,
the defense
of the gospel
that the church
is involved in.
That's
observable facts
to Paul
of his assurance
of the gospel.
And so in verse 5
where it says
this word
partnership,
fellowship,
the same word
in Greek
is used
in other places
for the word
fellowship.
And so fellowship
and partnership
is something
that's essential
within the church.
Here,
we know that
this involved
financial partnership.
Paul talks about
later in chapter 4
about when he left
Macedonia,
it was the church
at Philippi
was the only church
that provided him
support.
And he says
how well they did
that,
that they provided
him full payment,
that he was well supplied
for the work
of the Lord.
But this partnership
really runs deeper
than just
giving money.
We see
that partnership
of the gospel
and really involves
this full involvement,
this full support
of the people
of God.
And so Paul says
this in verse 7,
he says,
you are partakers
with me of grace,
both in my imprisonment
and in the defense
and confirmation
of the gospel.
So again,
this word partakers,
it comes from
the same Greek root
that's used
for fellowship
or partnership.
So Paul is talking
to the church
and he's saying,
you are my fellow partners,
you are my fellow
fellowshippers
in the gospel.
And so we see
this is continuous
in nature.
It says,
from the first day
until now.
So there really
wasn't an easing
in period
for the church
at Philippi,
it was really
this drastic
and sudden transformation
when Christ
began a good work,
that work
was evident
from the very beginning.
They were fully involved
and fully committed
to see the growth
of the church
in Philippi
and beyond.
And so what does this
look like for us today?
What evidence
do we see
of Christ working
in our lives
individually
and in the lives
of this church?
Do we see
one another
encouraging each other,
exhorting each other?
Do we come together
for the teaching
and preaching
of God's word?
Are we excited
to serve one another
and even to suffer
for the gospel?
To give our time
and our resources
for the spread
of the gospel?
Because it's interesting
to note here
that Paul,
what he doesn't say,
Paul doesn't say
to the church
at Philippi,
I thank the Lord
that you show up
on Sunday morning.
I thank the Lord
that you come together
once a week.
No, he says,
I thank the Lord
for your partnership
in the gospel
that is ongoing
and continuous
in nature.
So what does that
look for us
on a practical level
when we think about
the evidence
of Christ's assurance
in our lives?
How do we love
one another well?
How do we serve
one another well?
Not only within this church,
but within our community.
Is it writing
an encouraging note
to somebody?
Is it meeting someone
for coffee
who's discouraged?
Is it inviting
a neighbor
into your home?
Being involved
in the ministry
of the church?
Seeking to serve
internationals
and refugees
and those who have
come to our city
with no family
and no help
of their own?
I mean,
the list can really
go on and on.
It's something
that we need
to consider together.
And not that we do it
because we think
we need to earn
God's favor.
But we serve
as evidence
of his continuing work
in our lives.
So the question
we ask is,
well, how is the world
going to see
evidence of God's work
if we aren't acting
and appearing
any difference
than society around us?
See, we really need
to live lives
of self-sacrifice
that we may have
a shared vision
for the spread
of the gospel.
And so that's
the evidence
that Paul sees.
What is the response
then to this assurance?
Again, verse 3.
I thank my God
in all my remembrance
of you,
always and in every
prayer of mine
for you all,
making my prayer
with joy.
And so Paul,
when he's thinking
about the church
in Philippi,
his initial reflex
isn't pride.
He's not saying,
ha, I was there
at the beginning.
I was there
at the first converse.
I helped set up
that church.
No, he sees
the work of God
in that church
and he responds
with thankfulness
and he responds
with joy.
And the thankfulness
isn't to the church.
It's not directed
to the church
saying, man,
you guys are doing
awesome.
Keep it up.
It's a thankfulness
that's directed
up to God.
And so even though
Paul's assurance,
he has full assurance
in God,
that doesn't mean
he just sits idly by.
We see that this
thankfulness is grounded
in prayer.
This is the action
that Paul takes.
Even though he's
separated from them,
even though he's
in prison,
he is still acting
on their behalf.
through prayer.
And so we don't
want to think
that having assurance
in God's work
in our lives
means that we can
kind of lead
inactive lives
or gives us a pass
on being involved
in the life
of the church.
Paul here,
he's putting his feelings
into action
through prayer.
He sees God at work
and he prays
that God will continue
to be at work.
In good times
and in bad,
Paul recognizes
the effectiveness
of his prayers.
prayers.
And so his confidence
in God's sovereignty,
it doesn't keep him
from praying,
but it allows him
and encourages him
to pray all the more,
trusting that God
will accomplish
his work.
And so we see
more about this prayer.
It's holistic in nature.
Always in every prayer
of mine for you all,
there's regularity
in this prayer.
There's consistency
in this prayer.
He prays not only
for his friends
or for the leaders,
he's praying
for the entire church
and he does so
with joy.
Does the evidence
of Christ's work
in your life
and the lives of others
bring you great delight?
How often do we pray
with joy,
with great conviction
that Christ will continue
to work
in our lives
and in others?
And so that
can be an example
to us
of how we commit
ourselves to pray.
When we think about
this Renew the Clue campaign,
we talk about giving money
and we talk about
getting involved,
but if we do those things
alone without being grounded
in prayer,
it's all for naught.
Christ's blessing,
Christ is the giver
of all blessing
and we need to recognize
that coming to him
in prayer.
And so we see
this thankfulness
that's directed up,
but there's also
another emotion
that's directed outward,
this deep affection
for the church.
In verse 8,
for God is my witness
how I yearn for you all
with the affection
of Christ Jesus.
Paul loves
the church.
Paul has experienced
the love of the church.
He longs to be with them.
He longs for fellowship
with them that only can come
when grounded in Christ.
And so again,
is this something
that we possess
as a church,
a deep love
and affection
for one another
that we long
to spend time together,
not only in fellowship,
but in service
and in worship
and the teaching
of God's word.
Not just that we may
have casual relationship
with one another,
but that we have
a true heart
for community,
for supporting
and serving
and praying
and giving
to one another.
God's work.
And so,
this should be
the natural outpouring
of our assurance
of God's work.
And so,
that's my encouragement
today then,
that we may recognize
and have full assurance
in God's work
in your life.
God's work
at the point
of your salvation,
God's work
in sanctifying you
and God's work
in fulfilling
his promises
to you.
And maybe you
don't have that assurance.
Maybe you've never
experienced the work
of Christ
in your life.
Recognize that
this gift
is offered to you
by grace
through faith.
It is Christ alone
who saves.
It is Christ alone
who continues
to do work
in your life
and in mine
until he brings
his good work
to completion.
Amen.
Let's pray.
Lord,
we thank you
for the work
of Christ
and we recognize
that it's not
of ourselves
that we are saved
or that we are made
holy
or that our lives
are brought to completion.
It is only by
the work of Christ.
And so,
may that be
encouraging to us
today.
May we desire
to see
the evidence
of Christ's work
in our lives
individually
and as a church.
May we be
a place
that is recognized
as different
from the world
around us.
May we be marked
by your love
and your grace.
May we desire
to extend that
to one another.
And Lord,
for those
who may not know you,
who have never
experienced a work,
your work
in their lives,
we pray,
Lord,
that you will move,
that you will soften
their heart,
that you will draw
them to yourself
through your spirit.
And we pray this
in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Now stand with me
for our last hymn,
He will hold me fast.
Please stand.