I was reading in the first chapter of the Book of Philippians the other day, and I noticed four things there that Paul was sharing with the Church at Philippi that I really believe if you and I were to apply them to our lives, we would see a greater success in our walk with the Lord and our ministry to others. If you would, turn with me to Philippians chapter 1 and let’s look at a few verses there.
- In the first 2 verses, Paul is greeting those Christians at Philippi on behalf of himself and Timothy…and then beginning in verses 3-6 he says, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”
In these verses, Paul is expressing his confidence in the finished work of Christ Jesus with the saints at Philippi…he is saying he is SURE that what God began, He will also finish…he is certain that God will not drop them off and leave them by the side of the road somewhere…he is saying that God will complete what He started. We also need to know and understand that God NEVER leaves a work undone. He NEVER stops in the middle of a project and walks away. And we can also have confidence in this promise that God has given, for He promised in Deuteronomy 31:6 that “He will never leave us nor forsake us”. We can know that He will not tell us to do something and then leave us on our own to fiure out how to complete it. He will go with us every step of the way. We can depend on our faithful God that He will complete what He has begun in us until the day of Christ Jesus.
- And then in verses 9-11 Paul is exhorting the Christians toward spiritual maturity when he wrote, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
How many of you understand that God wants His kids to grow up? He wants us to mature in spiritual matters, or as Paul says here to abound in knowledge and discernment… approve excellent things…to be sincere and without offence…to be filled with the fruits of righteousness…and having done this, we will then bring glory and praise to our God. So why does Paul admonish the Church to grow up spiritually? Well he had more to say about this when he wrote to the Church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 he said, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?”
As I have talked to people who have been in church for many years, I have found that there are a lot of people filling our pews and church seats every Sunday morning, many of whom have been doing so for a very long time… but they are STILL babes in the Lord. They have never grown up. They have never matured spiritually. So what Paul is actually telling the Church at Philippi is that it’s time to grow up…it’s time to take responsibility in regards to knowledge and discernment and to begin to show forth righteousness in their lives…and by doing this, they would then bring glory and honor to their God.
As I have shared many times with people, there is no shortcut when it comes to Christian maturity, we all get there the very same way. We must read and study the Word of God daily and we must pray daily. This is the only way that God will speak to our hearts and teach us the things of God and of His Kingdom. And then, we must act in obedience to those things we have learned. We are building an intimate relationship with the Master of the Universe, and the only way to do that is to spend time in His presence.
- And then in Verses 12-14 we find that Paul is testifying to the Christians at Philippi how God has worked even in difficult situations for the furtherance of the Gospel. He said, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
Paul wants the Christians to know that even though he has had to suffer for the sake of the Gospel, that the message of the Cross has been proclaimed, people’s lives had been changed and the Kingdom of God was going forth with great power and victory! Friends, we need to know that we may each be called to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Some may suffer rejection, some may suffer persecution and some may even die for the sake of Christ…but whatever may happen we need to hold on to the fact that Jesus is Lord of all, He will go with us no matter what cross we may need to bear and He will give us whatever we need to make it to the finish line. But the Gospel MUST be preached and the Kingdom of God MUST increase.
- And the last thing I want you to see in this chapter Friends is that we are all expected to walk worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus. In verse 27 Paul exhorts them, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”
Friends, we MUST be careful of our conduct…we must walk in a manner that is worthy of the title of “Christian”…we must protect our testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How many times have you known of some big name TV Evangelist or well-known preacher who has fallen into a sordid affair, or fraud or some kind of scandalous activity? I feel bad for that person, but most of all I hurt for the damage that it does for the Kingdom of God. People point out those things as the reason why they are not interested in hearing about our faith. We have to be careful that we are not only talking the talk…but we must also walk the walk and we must be careful about how we are representing the Kingdom of God. Friends, as Ambassadors of Heaven on this earth, whatever people see of us is generally what they think of Jesus. I heard a preacher many years ago say, “Be careful how you live…You may be the ONLY Bible that some people will ever read.”
So let me ask you…can you see some things in this message today that you can apply to your life that may help you to be a better and a stronger Christian? Can you learn to trust in the faithfulness of God a little more? Can you step out a little bolder in your faith knowing that whatever He asks you to do, He will be there to see that His work in you is completed? He won’t leave you high and dry, but He will go with you all the way.
And have you been challenged today to spend more quality time building your relationship with God? It’s not easy to squeeze in time for Bible study and prayer time every day, but it is absolutely vital if you are going to grow in the things of God. Nobody can do that for you…you must spend time alone with God in order to truly know Him and to hear from Him.
And can you also realize that being a Child of God can and probably will cause some difficulty in your life? But you need to make a decision right now…because if you are going to follow Jesus, you will suffer…it’s guaranteed. Jesus told us to “Take up our cross” and follow Him…and if you do this, you will find people who won’t like it. But let me promise you this…whatever it is that you must bear…Jesus is Worthy and He WILL go with you all the way!
And then last of all, will you commit in the coming weeks and months to watch your conduct and make sure that the life you are living is bringing glory and honor to our Lord and Savior? It’s important, because as soon as people around you get the idea that you are a Christian, they will be watching to see if you live up to your claims. Please do not allow your conduct to bring shame to the cause of Christ.
I want to thank you Friends, for allowing me to share this message with you and I hope you have found something here that will help you to become more like JESUS every day. God bless you and please, Have a Jesus-filled day! God bless you!
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