JOY IN PRAYER – Believers find joy in praying for the spiritual growth of others.

PHILIPPIANS 1:1-11

MEMORY VERSE: PHILIPPIANS 1: 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

We think of joy as a feeling that is exhilarating. The book of Philippians uses the word joy or rejoice every few paragraphs. But Paul uses it in circumstances that are not the norm. Paul says rejoice when someone selfishly tries to steal the limelight from you. Rejoice when you meet persecution for your faith. Rejoice when your are facing death.

In fact, the most joyous book in the Bible comes from the pen of an author chained to a Roman guard. Many scholars believe Paul wrote Philippians in Rome just about the time Nero began tossing Christians to ravenous lions and burning them as torches to illuminate his banquets. How could a rational man devote a letter to the topic of joy while his survival was in serious jeopardy? In such an environment how could joy possibly thrive?

During the Christmas season, we celebrate the grand night God visited earth as a baby. But to the rest of the universe the event looked like an astounding humiliation. God, the Creator of all, took on the body of a human being to endure a confining life and grisly death on planet Earth. God can take even the darkest moment in history and turn it into good, The cross, and Jesus not staying dead, proves that nothing is powerful enough to stamp out a reason for joy – that is, joy in the Lord.

Paul summarized his life philosophy in 1:21 “to live is Christ and to die is gain”. God is even stronger than death, and that makes a Christian’s joy indestructible.

THE CONTEXT (PHILIPPIANS 1:1-11)

About the year AD51, Paul obeyed a vision of a man from Macedonia beckoning him and his associates to journey there, taking his ministry from Asia Minor to Europe. The missionary team, including Silas, Luke, and Timothy, was instrumental in establishing the first Christian congregation in Europe. The city of Philippi, in the province of Macedonia, became the beachhead for the western advance of the gospel.

Paul wrote this letter to thank the Philippian believers for their financial support. He also updated his own circumstances, warned the church against false teachers, and admonished the members to maintain harmony in their fellowship.

As in his Letter to the Colossians, Paul added to his opening sentiments a prayer of intercession of gratitude for his readers. The apostle prayed for their continued spiritual growth, which would take the form of abounding love, not in mere sentiment, but in total discernment. Paul prayed for them to experience the fruit of righteousness that would bring praise and glory to God.

SHARED FAITH (PHIL. 1:1-2)

Phil 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first two verses of the letter follow the usual pattern for the opening of a letter in that era. This pattern had three basic elements: the name of the sender, the identity of the recipients, and a greeting.

Given Timothy’s prior history with the Philippian church and the fact that Timothy was with Paul at the time of writing, he included Timothy in his greeting. He was a trusted colleague and fellow-servant in the ministry of the gospel, one who had a positive history with the Philippian church.

Uppermost in the apostle’s mind, at the moment, seems to have been a focus on humble service rather than an exalted position. This serves as a personal example of his later exhortation that the Philippian believers maintain a spirit of humility as exemplified in Christ’s example (2:5-9).

This letter was to the “saints in Christ Jesus”. Christ-like character should be the aim of every believer. The root meaning of saints is “people set apart” for His service. Saints is a biblical way of referring to the people of God, as was Israel in the Old Testament and as Christ followers are in the New Testament. The “overseers and deacons” correspond to the pastors and deacons of today. Paul wanted to acknowledge his appreciation for their responsibilities and how they carried these out.

Now Paul mentions the grace and peace that he earnestly wants for believers. Grace defines the very essence of the gospel, as set forth in Ephesians 2:8: “For you are saved by grace.” God’s underserved favor brings salvation which has peace as one of its major features. It speaks of a calm assurance that God places in a believer’s inner being that witnesses to the truth that all is well inwardly, whatever might be the difficulties or turmoil in life’s circumstances. God’s unmerited favor and our calm assurance are together blessings that God bestows on all His children.

THANKFUL FAITH (PHIL. 1:3-8)

3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy

5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

After Paul’s opening of the letter, he expressed his personal gratitude to God for his friends in Philippi. Every remembrance of them prompted the apostle to uphold them in prayer with joy. How could he ever forget Lydia and the other women who were praying beside the river, especially how the Lord opened her heart to the gospel (Acts 16:13-14)?

Would Paul ever forget the young slave woman who was given to fortune telling by means of an evil spirit, in whose life the gospel brought a dramatic change (Acts 16:16-18? Could he ever forget the conversion of the Philippian jailer (16:25-33)? Of course not.

When He remembered these individuals and others to whom he had given witness in Philippi, praying for them was as natural as breathing. Having been instrumental in sharing with them the gospel, he could never abandon them to their own devices. Intercessory prayer went hand in glove with every remembrance Paul had of those whose birth into God’s kingdom he had witnessed. To pray for those converts to Christ brought Paul great joy for all of them in his every prayer.

Paul listed two reasons why he prayed with joy for them. First, he was prompted to intercessory prayer whenever he remembered his converts who became his friends. Second, he was given to prayer when he considered their partnership in the gospel. The believers’ partnership with Paul began with Lydia’s hospitality (Acts 16:15), as well as that of the jailer and his family (Acts 16:33-34). In the time that followed Paul’s departure from Philippi, those faithful believers had sent gifts to him multiple times at Thessalonica (Phil. 4:16). The Philippians also likely participated with other Macedonian churches in sending Paul financial help at Corinth (2 Cor. 11:9), as well as the most recent one they sent to him by Epaphroditus (Phil. 4:18).

6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.

8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

The repeated occasions when the Philippian church gave financial assistance to Paul and his missionary work revealed their heart. They wanted people in other places to come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Paul was sure of the Philippians’ genuineness and the God who started a good work in them would carry it on to completion. Paul’s certainty was anchored in God’s faithfulness and ability to complete, in their sanctification, what He had begun in them at their conversions.

The good work that God had begun in them was His work of eternal salvation. It had a new birth as its beginning and heaven as its ultimate goal, with growth in Christ-likeness as a work in progress. Paul was confident about the completion of God’s saving work in them. The Philippian church supported Paul’s missionary work not only when all was going well, but also when that work meant his imprisonment. The Philippians did not shrink from their care and support of Paul no matter what were his circumstances. The special relationship between Paul and the believers in Philippi was joyful. They were his close friends and also his co-laborers in Christ.

GROWING FAITH (PHIL. 1:9-11)

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,

11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.

Having assured the Philippian believers of this heartfelt love for them and joyful times of prayer for them, Paul added a summary of what his intercessory prayers contained. At the top of his list was the request of God that their love might keep on growing. He had no doubt about the abundance of their love, it already abounded. All that remained was for it to increase even more.

Godly love must be intelligent as well as morally sensitive and discerning. Claiming Christian love as a cover for accepting standards that are morally questionable is not a commendable virtue. While making allowances for human imperfections, we sincerely desire for these imperfections to lessen and growth toward Christian maturity to be evident.

Paul then moves on for them individually and collectively to approve the things that are superior, that is, things that really matter or that are really the best. What really matters is that our love discerns not only what may be harmful to us or others and avoid it, but also discerns what is helpful in order to pursue it (1 Cor. 10:23).

Spiritual discernment would ultimately lead to being found pure and blameless in the day Christ returns. “Pure” draws attention to the heart or innermost part of a person. “Blameless” puts the focus on the outer behavior others are able to observe. God commanded for Abraham in Gensis 17:1, “live in my presence and be blameless.” God’s ideal is always for outer behavior to harmonize with inner motivations or convictions.

The dynamic nature of God’s inspired Word is seen in its double-edgedness. A single truth can cut in two directions, that is, have dual or multiple applications. The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus Christ. Just like fruit on the vine in John 15, it becomes natural for the vine to bear fruit. Christ is the vine, not us. It is the Holy Spirit living in us that bears heavenly fruit. The indwelling Holy Spirit will influence and balance our, thoughts, faith, and actions. We are different than an unbeliever because that Godly Spirit is influencing us in some way every day and hour of our life.

Romans 8: 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Colossions 1: 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.

27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

All spiritual growth comes by means of Christ indwelling us with His Spirit, and the only legitimate exclamation is “to God be the glory; great things He has done”.

One of the primary duties of the Christian is to pray. In fact, it is a sin to not pray and intercede for people (1 Samuel 12:23).

Ephesians 3: 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.