That Your Love May Abound, Philippians, 1:9-11

Good morning. We want to move into our passage in Philippians chapter one. And yes, we still are in the first chapter, but we'll want to cover a few things first. One is just to kind of give things a frame of reference. About three weeks ago, we acknowledged six new deacons and a couple of weeks back acknowledged one new elder. Something else we'd like to do here is to acknowledge a number of new deaconesses that have also come on board to accept an assignment to service. And that, we're going to have to wait until we can get them all here at once, hopefully. So at any rate, we're not ignoring the need to acknowledge their appointment to service and their willingness to step forward, but just trying to wait until we get them here at one time, if that's possible.

Another thing to bring up this next week, we'll be looking at a change into the next quarter. And for most of you, we don't see that being radical change. Those in major Bible themes will be continuing on to the last quarter, it'll be major Bible themes part four, and it'll finish up the one year study of major Bible themes. Those who have been going through the uh... gospel of john series are probably be in the best position to continue on with that in the first peter which will be a one-quarter uh... class and then who you are in christ uh... we've you know met this morning intended as recap summary looking back and looking forward and will continue on with that for one more quarter god's design for the family will will continue as an after-church elective uh... the schedule for that hasn't been worked out yet so The idea being now, however, that it would be, as it has been before, something that is occasional and on a schedule and not continuous.

Oh, one other thing. Since we're going into April, just a reminder. Next Sunday, it's set to clock forward. Okay? People, it's funny, it happens, you know, people end up coming to the church at different times, and it's really nice when you come early, but you don't need to. Not an hour. Okay. Let's take, oh, one other reminder.

Lord's Table, typically the pattern we've been following in recent months is that we'll have it in the morning service one month and then have it in as an evening service thing the next month. Typically, we would have it the first Sunday of each month. This next month, we've purposely set it for the second Sunday. That way it'll be the evening of Palm Sunday. And we think that's a particularly good time to look ahead at what is typically called Passion Week, the week of our Lord's last week on earth prior to the crucifixion and resurrection.

So any questions on that, you can call Hal, or talk to him, either one. Okay, so feel free. That's your phone ringing off the wall, Hal, by the way. Something else, of course, these days, it is amazing what used to take weeks to get news about. Sometimes we find things out, you know, with today's TV programs, we find things out within minutes after they've taken place over in Iraq. We're now in the second week of that. Something I brought up last week was the fact that Iraq is Not only the site of all these events that we're watching, but it's the site of a number of biblical, key biblical events and key archaeological sites. As a matter of fact, after bringing it up last week, there was more than one person that brought it up to me that it's a good thing I'm not with the troops that are over there.

I would be a terrible distraction pointing out different things. So I mean to distract you this moment. Here's the scene there and kind of a map of recent events. But here's something to take a look at. Here's Nineveh up at the top. And Mosul, which is the area where some of the paratroopers landed this last week, that's the area of Nineveh. That's where Jonah went. Okay? Kind of amazing. Would that we had a Jonah. Okay? And then next you look at Babylon. This is where the Jews spent decades in exile. Okay?

That's right near the Karbala and Najaf, where some of this last week's battles have been going on. Right there, right there where the soldiers are, right in that same area, was exactly where the Jews spent decades. And then you look farther down there, here's Ur of the Chaldees, which is right down the southern end. This is where Abraham came out of.

The Lord says, here's a land that I've prepared for you in the place that I will show you. And it was while he was here. And can you imagine going to Sarah and saying, Sarah, we're going to leave Ur. She's going to say, and where are we going to? I don't know. Wouldn't that be something? Okay.

Something else to take a look at, and I think this is amazing, because this is a phenomenal place where these events are happening. One is that it's the likely site of the Garden of Eden. When you look at the description of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, either in Iraq or somewhere possibly upstream, but you look at the scenario there, that's one thing. Another point there, twice in the Book of Revelation it shows up in chapters 9 and 16, and here's these two large major rivers mentioned some 30 times, the Euphrates is, the Bible and the last mention of it in chapter 16 the whole river dries up in preparation for the events of the final stages of the tribulation so As you're watching these things this is we're seeing things happen that are indeed momentous in our times But it is a place where momentous events have happened for centuries Okay, let's take a look at our Philippians passage here as Brian read for us this morning.

Here we're continuing on, and Paul has had, for these first eight verses, he has followed a pattern, as is commonly done in his day, of introducing himself and Timothy who is with him, and as we've looked at here, followed things that are customary, but also adapted it to as he is saying, Hi, I'm Paul, and Timothy's with me, As he has adapted the typical format of a letter introduction, he's gone on to introduce profound truths in the middle of it. He's teaching in the middle of saying hi.

And as he goes through this, here he is in verses 9 through 11, and he's building on what he has already laid out before them. One of the things that comes up as we look at this passage and look back on what we looked at before, In Philippians 1, 3-5, he's already talked about prayer. He starts off with there, I thank my God always in every prayer with joy in my every prayer. Same Greek word there. And then now as he starts off verse 9, what does he say?

In this I pray. What is he doing? He is spelling out. This is exactly how I'm praying. I've told you I'm praying for you. I've told you I'm thanking the Lord for you, but let me tell you how I'm praying for you. Do you see that? This is the content of my prayer. This is the direction that I'm praying.

And I think that's one thing for us to ponder a little bit. As we pray, sometimes we can tend to fall into certain patterns that are maybe, this is what we're used to, or this is what I've heard before, or maybe we're just trying to follow what people tend to call the Lord's Prayer. And in fact, We'll get insight this morning, typical, maybe typical isn't the right word, but indicative of how Paul is desiring that we pray. We're getting insight here into here's the direction that our prayers can be, should be. So we'll take a look at this in more detail. Let's look at the words for prayer. in this passage here. And starting from the very beginning, because remember he's building, okay? He's building on this topic.

First thing is this word, thank, and we've looked at this before, but we want to revisit it here. In verse 3, he says, I thank my God, okay? And this word, thank, in verse 3, eucharisteo, and it's a compound word, you, which means good, charisteo, okay? Good gracing or giving thanks is the idea there. Putting those two together. Next, he comes up twice in verse 4 with this word for prayer.

Deisis. Deisis is not some generic, broad term. It's making specific requests. He says, I thank my God as I'm making specific requests on behalf of you saints, believers in Philippi. Now he introduces another word, and this distinction comes across here importantly, prosuchamai.

And what he's saying with that, it literally means toward wishing. Pros is toward, and yukamai is wishing, so toward wishing. He is directing his requests to God. That's the idea. It's directed prayer. It isn't Boy, you know, I kind of wish this would happen. But it's specifically saying, I am laying the desires of my heart before the Lord. That's what Paul's getting to here. He is directing prayers, his requests, his thanks, he is directing it to the Lord. That's his use of this word.

So he's got four words, basically, for prayer that he's used here in this first set of verses that we've looked at. Okay, let's go on. Prayer is also not a theme that he's going to drop. He's going to come back to it, and we get to chapter 4 a few decades, I mean years from now. And we get to chapter 4, he's going to revisit it, but what's interesting is these words that he has already used, that he's scattered in verses 3, verse 4, and now verse 9, he's going to bring them all together in one verse.

So Philippians 4.6 says, "...be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer," prosuchamai, by directed request to the Lord, toward wishing, and supplication, dasis, specific requests, with thanksgiving, eucharisteo, same words, notice that?

Same words, reverse order. "...let your requests be made known to God," and he uses a different word. Here's what's interesting. The first time he uses these words in chapter 1, it's all Paul's use of these words for prayer. Now, when he comes back to make bookends to this topic, when he revisits this theme with the Philippians, what does he do? He says, these words that I used at the beginning that were mine, I want them to be yours.

You see that? He's introduced those same words, and they were all Paul's thinking, Paul's praying, Paul's making requests directed to God. Now he's turning around to the Philippians after teaching them, and he lays out to them, okay, I've done these, now, before I say goodbye, I want to let you know, I want you to pray as I have. He's not asking them to do anything that he hasn't already told them he has done. You see that? He's been an example, and he's going to revisit it again, on purpose. Nothing accidental in this book. Okay.

Notice what Paul prays for, because I think this is what he is centering the whole thing on. He's saying, okay, I'm thanking the Lord for you, I'm praying for you, he tells them twice, in verse 4. And now he's coming back to this Verse 9, and he says, and this I pray, he's putting the arrows on it, okay? This I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment. That's what I'm praying, okay? That's what I'm specifically asking the Lord for you, and it's directed to God. That's what I got in mind, okay? That's what he's saying.

We want to look at some key words here, but as we do that, there are two important points to keep in mind, and we're going to revisit each of these points. But the first one is that the word definitions are contextual. We want to kind of take a look at how these are showing up. And the next thing is the New Testament sometimes adapts existing Greek words, using them with a new exclusively Christian definition.

And before I move on, One of the things you'll notice, I try to put this in the lower corner to let you know what's already on your handout so you're not madly trying to scribble out what I've got on the overheads and copy what I already have on your handout. But the other thing is where I've only got a part of what's up there on your handout, what I'll try to do is to put a bracket around it so that you know how much of it is there and how much is not if you want to add to it.

Okay? Hopefully that's helpful to you. You'll see that a few times here. Here's one of them. Word definitions are contextual. Let's take an English example. Here's this English word spelled B-O-W. Well, what does that mean? A whole bunch of things, okay? Three letters, real simple word, but look at all the things that it means.

The decoration of ribbon for a present. A weapon used to shoot an arrow. Here's another one. A gesture of respect, a centric greeting. Part of the sound that a dog makes, as in bow wow, right? So what happens here is we've got a word that means lots of things, it's only three letters, but unless you know the context, you don't know which one it is. It doesn't sometimes take but a little bit of context to let you know. If I say bow and arrow, right away you've got it picked out, out of this whole list, you're here.

So it doesn't sometimes take but much context, but context is important when we look at words, okay? And as we go through studying the Book of Philippians, that'll be something important for us to keep in mind, won't it? We'll look at the context of the word, not just try to take a one-size-fits-all kind of answer. That, by the way, if you've looked up the word meanings, like with strongs, concordance, or something like that, it's not that it's not helpful.

Just keep in mind, in the same way that all these English words are not what is intended in every context, the same is true of the words that you'll look up in a concordance like that, where it gives you three, five, six definitions. It doesn't mean all of them. Just like when we use this word B-O-W, we don't mean all of these at once. Okay?

So, point to keep in mind. New Testament, these New Testament words sometimes adapt existing Greek words, and they use them with an exclusively Christian definition. Here are some examples for us. Haggaios, remember when we went through that work? We're looking at that in verse 1. And by the way, here's another word he's going to revisit, chapter 4.

Saints in Christ Jesus, not in the pagan sense. Remember, the pagans had anybody who walked into a temple, if you worked in the temple, anything in the temple, in the pagan temple, was Haggaios. What did the New Testament authors do? They applied that word exclusively exclusively to Christian application. And that's why frequently you find Paul explaining the use of the word, not just using it by itself.

Saints in Christ Jesus. Here's another one, charis. That basically was used, the idea that something you do that was an undeserved favor for a friend or a relative. Scripture's use of the word charis, grace, goes way, way beyond that, because by grace we're saved, not because we were friends, but because while we were yet enemies, Christ died for us. Here's another one. Ekklesia, the church. All of those in Christ Jesus. The New Testament uses that word frequently, specific to the body of Christ that is either in general or in some particular location.

We see it a few times, a couple times rather, in the last half of Philippians, and you see it elsewhere. There are other words we could use as well, but you get the point. There are some times where the word is specifically used in a Christian text or a Christian sense, and we need to take note of that. All right, now, having done that, let's look at key words in verse 9, and we'll go through verses 10 and 11 as well.

And just to make note, it's also on your handout. First one is this love. When he says love, it's the Greek word agape, love which is self-sacrificial in nature and has God as its source, seeking the benefit of the recipient entirely without return. Now, does that mean that that's what it always means when you see the word agape? No. It's contextual. The context tells us. It's to distinguish also between other kinds of love that the Greeks had specific words for. Let's look at another one. Abound, which is going to show up there in verse 9.

Paraseuo, to exceed in measure or to overflow. It has the idea of going beyond a fixed volume or number. That's the idea. Going beyond a fixed volume or number. Real knowledge. Epinosus. Insight gained by intensive knowledge. Some would say full knowledge in order to convey this. Discernment. A thesis. Practical application of moral and spiritual perception. That's the word that he uses here. Let's look at the words in verse 10. Approve. Dakimazo is the Greek. Approve by testing and examination. There are different ways this word was used.

Let me give you my thoughts on one possible way that Paul is alluding to it here. One of the things that they had in Philippi was a medical school. We have no specific information to this, but indications point to Luke having gone to the medical school in Philippi. If that were the case, or wherever he went to medical school, one of the things that would happen before Luke would be graduated from the medical school was they would give him a lengthy test, and having passed that test, he would be having gone through this DocuMazzo process, approval by testing and examination. There are other ways that that word was used, but that's a for instance. That's the idea is you don't just approve it rubber stamp, everything gets this, okay? But you look at it, you examine it, and then it is approved. All right?

Let's go to the next one. D.F. Farrow. It's interesting, this one isn't just saying, you know, these things are excellent. It dovetails with the idea of this Daki Matso distinguishing things that are different. Okay? Distinguishing things that are different, judging what is worthwhile and excellent. It fits very well with the Daki Matso idea of testing and then approving. Okay, let's take a look at some more words.

Sincere. Our word sincere comes from a Latin root, but this Greek, elikrones, free of defect when examined in the light, and the idea of being unmixed with evil. You look at it, you examine it, when you look at it, it's exactly what it says it's supposed to be. It's not adulterated. It's pure. It's what It looks like when you examine it carefully. It's the real thing. The next one, blameless. Aproskopos.

Now, one of the things that we note in Greek is when you see this A in the front, it is frequently used as a prefix to indicate not. We have it in our own language. We say someone is an atheist. It means they're not a theist. They don't believe in God. This is a similar word. What's interesting is the word was used in shipping documents. And what they would do is, think about it, here's Philippi.

You're 10 miles from the coast. And so you've had things loaded and unloaded from a ship if it's come by ship to you. Plus, it's gotten on some kind of a cart and hauled for 10 miles. Or, remember that way of Ignatia, that rock road that the Romans had across the peninsula there? That was rough, hard stuff. And so then you would have things delivered via this cart over these shocking roads. And so what would happen is you would get cargo delivered either way that might have been bumped or cut. And so if it was not bumped or cut, what they would do is they would say, this is accepted because it has been delivered a proskopos. It's not been damaged in shipment. That's the idea. That's how the word was used. It's the idea of not causing stumbling or falling. It hasn't been cut or bumped. Now, next one. Key words in verse 11.

Filled. Pleurot. It means to supply abundantly, to impart richly, to fill up to capacity. Full is the idea. Filled is a good way to bring it across. The idea of fruit karpos. This word is used in several places in the New Testament. Literally, of course, it means fruit from plants. Figuratively, it's the idea of what results in and through the life of the believer from the work of the Lord. That's the figurative use of this Greek word karpos.

Galatians 5.22, good example. So we look at these key words in verse 11. Here's another one that shows up. And we've looked at it in part before.

Righteousness. The Greek, Dekaiosune. The character of being righteous and having right standing. Remember, we looked at the word Dekaios, which means righteous or having right standing. Now, Dekaiosune, notice at the end there we've got these letters that are highlighted in blue. Une, which means the same as our English suffix that we put on there, righteousness, same idea, similar thing being communicated there. Now, another one here is glory, that's right at the end of verse 11. Doxa, when we use the term for example of doxology, it's words of glory, that's what's being communicated.

The radiant essence of who he is, his essential and eternal brilliance, his eternally unmatched splendor." Very important, as we'll see further on in our study of Philippians. Praise. Epinos, okay? It's a commendation attributing value and worth. It's recognizing in a positive way who he is. That's the idea. Now, we've sat there and looked at all these little parts and pieces.

Start to put it together here. He finishes it off here in verse 10, until the day of Christ. And one of the things, remember in verse 6, we talked about until the day of Christ Jesus. We're going to see this phrase, until the day of Christ, again in chapter 2. And in each case, remember what it's looking forward to, in our study from verse 6, what it's looking forward to The rapture of the church that is the taking of the church To be with the Lord both those who are alive at the time as well as those who have died in Christ, okay? All believers by the way to get raptured not just those who are alive when the Lord comes Okay, all believers get raptured.

Okay, and that's what he's looking forward to here until that day Now let's take a look at some of the grammar of these verses to see if we get some insight from that and And this I pray, and we looked at the definition of that word. This is the present indicative, so it's this I continue to pray. The present indicative has the idea, normally, of meaning something that is happening now, but it's in process of continuing. So that's coming across here. So he's not just saying, this I pray, like it just happened once. The natural sense of the present in the Greek would say, and this I am continuing to pray.

That's his idea. Next, the definite article says, so the love of you, that your love may, the idea there is the love of you. And then may, one thing to note, and the translation is fine as long as we understand, it's not intended to convey a probability. I had a friend down in Texas who had become a believer out of a cult where they kept telling them in order that you might be saved, so you're not sure, You just might be.

That's not what Paul has in mind here. That's not what he's trying to convey. It's not a probability. The idea is in order that you will. Then the other thing here is there's no definite article with knowledge or discernment. So the idea is the focus on the general character of knowledge and the general character of discernment.

One of the things to get out of this verse here is he's not looking for this love that's expressed to you just kind of taking a notch up. Okay guys, you've been loving, that's great, that's fine, we're all happy with that. Just knock it up a notch and we'll all be happy. A little bit more. That's not what he has in mind. This is what he has in mind. Love abounding. Notice he didn't say it, love enough. He says love overflowing and then he says I want you to get the idea.

So we're not just overflowing with this, it's more and more. It isn't just more, it's more and more. So you get the idea? Overflowing! More and more! That's the idea. Okay? Make sense? Cool. Alright. The next thing to look at, and we've looked at this before, but I want to bring the point home. Real simple. In the Greek we have this little word en, okay? The idea is, this means it's equivalent to our English in, but it's completely within, is the usual sense, unless you spell it out somehow otherwise.

The idea is completely within. So, in real knowledge and discernment, has this idea. Love is abounding entirely within real knowledge and all discernment. It's overflowing more and more, Entirely within, even though it's growing, entirely within real knowledge and all discernment. Why does he say that?

Well, let's take a look. Love and truth are continuously interwoven in Scripture. They're continually put together. And let's take a look at some examples of that. Philippians 1, 9-11, we've just seen that there, but that's not the only place. 1 Corinthians 13.6, among other things, is in a passage that tells us that love rejoices with the truth. Interesting. There's an interconnect here. Love isn't just this kind of gushy, amorphous thing. Love has a characteristic that it rejoices in truth. Love and truth, interconnected again. There's more.

Ephesians 4.15, speaking the truth in love, and in actually the Greek there means Truthing in love. Truthing in love. Here's love and truth intertwined and interconnected together. 2 John 4 and 5, I was glad to find some of your children walking in the truth, and he again goes on, then we love one another. Connecting the two up again. There's more.

1 John 3.18, Let us not love with word or with tongue, but indeed in truth. He keeps putting them together. There's more.

As we look at this, why the continual interconnection of love and truth? Why? Wouldn't you just have one and the other and bring up one at a time? I think the reason why they keep being connected is because they are both basic to the character of God. You don't get one and the other separated.

In God's very nature, Love and truth are not separate items. They're fully intertwined into who God is. And so all he's saying is that character of God, since you have the life of the Lord in you, that character of God, of him personally, is lived out through you. Love and truth together. Intertwined, interwoven, interbraided.

Let's look at the grammar of verse 10. so that you may, and here's the point again, it's not a probability, so that you may approve, and notice this is a present infinitive, it has the idea that you'll be approving by testing. I want this to keep going on, okay? You'll be approving it by testing. The things that are excellent, that excellent is a plural, and as a matter of fact there isn't a separate word for things in the Greek there, so it has the idea of the continuing excellencies. given the present plural in that, the continuing excellency, the continuing plural, excellent things. And then the last item, in order to be sincere, the present tense is continuing to be.

That's the sense that comes across there. Something to look at, we've looked at this chart before, and really what's going on here is he's carrying on this timeline. He says, I've looked back at the past, and from the very first when you became believers, up until now, up until now, he says, I thank the Lord for that, every time I remember it. But he says, now, until the day of Christ, he's revisiting that theme. First he's told them, until the day of Christ I am confident. Now he says, I'm praying for you from now until the day of Christ. looking to that time, that time continuum into the future. That's what he's looking into here. That's his time perspective as he's telling him these things, not only in verse 6 there, but as he continues on in 9 through 11. Here's the grammar of verse 11.

Having been filled, and this is a perfect passive participle, so having been completely filled in the past with ongoing results into the future is the idea, with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God." And then this word, through, it's a short little word, but it literally means by means of.

By means of. So let's take a look at this passage. This idea here, what I've done is to expand and explain it. You also have it in your handout. This isn't intended to be a strict translation, per se, but it's intended to both expand on the translation and explain it at the same time. So let's walk through it with that in mind.

He's telling them this, and for this I am continuing to make specific requests directed to God. I'm continuing to make those, he's telling them, and they're directed to God. I'm not just wishing into the air. not trying to wish upon a lucky star or throw pennies in the well. They're directly focused upon the Lord. That the self-sacrificial love of you all, with God as its source, will be continuing to overflow still more and more. Remember, this is the arrow up.

Overflowing more and more. Have you ever had something that was producing a whole lot more than you expected and flowing over the top? I heard about this one couple that went and mixed a whole bunch of bread dough and put it in the oven and then left. And they came back and their whole kitchen was full of this bread dough. That's kind of the idea Paul has in mind here. May it be going beyond the volume mark. It's overflowing.

Entirely within the bounds and this is key entirely within the bounds of intensive personal knowledge and comprehensive discernment Love is not to simply be just this sort of gushy-gooey vague thing but it is love that will have this characteristic of being entirely within an intensive personal knowledge of the Lord and so that's going to be something that will take time and And notice he doesn't just say discernment, he used the word all. All discernment. And so I'd come across comprehensive discernment. Paul is desiring that they have this overflowing, abounding, growing more and more kind of love. But he doesn't want it to be undefined. He says that love which has a characteristic of an intensive knowledge of the Lord combined with Comprehensive, all-encompassing discernment.

Nobody's going to do an end-run around you because you didn't discern something. See that? All discernment. All of it. He goes on. So that, and what he's saying here with so that is 9 and 10. He's spelled out, this is how I'm praying. So that, this is the end result. that I want to see in your lives as a result of these things I'm praying, so that you'll be giving approval. Why?

Because you have this intensive knowledge, because you have comprehensive discernment, you'll be giving approval to the things that pass examination. You'll be looking at this and saying, this is true, this is right, that is truly God's love. And you'll be able to discern those things and know those things. Not just from a reading of God's Word, but a personal knowledge of the Lord. Because of that, you'll be giving approval to the things that pass examination in order to be unmixed with evil. You're not going to say, well, that's pretty good. Not too bad. It's good enough. They say unmixed. And spiritually whole until the day when Christ returns from His Church. He wants a spiritually whole Church.

That's what the Lord has in mind. He's having Paul pray in that same direction. Paul is praying in a direction that is consistent with God Himself. with the Lord Jesus Christ's life in the believer. Now, verse 11, having in the past been completely filled to overflowing with the product of right standing with God, and having continuing results into the future, that by means of Jesus Christ, and that is, rather, by means of Jesus Christ, to the unmatched splendor and extolling of the virtues and accomplishments of God." He's giving the Lord the credit for this whole thing. He says, I want this character in you, and I don't want people to just look at you and say, boy, those are really good people. Those are really fine folks.

He's saying, I'm wanting this end result so that God is the one who gets the glory and it is seen as being through Jesus Christ. So in verses 9 and 10, Paul prays for the condition of the believers at Philippi, which as he explains in verse 11, is based on their eternally established position, which they have entirely by means of Jesus Christ. This comes across very much like Paul explains to the church at Philippi. God has prepared good works that we should walk in them.

That's what he means by this having been filled in the past. It's a completed action. God has prepared those good works. We don't have to go and work them up. We don't have to go around and look for them and think about them and all that. Well, I've got to do something that God's going to like. God says, hey, I've already thought of it. All I want you to do is to walk in the works and the fruits of righteousness that I have already prepared beforehand and in which position you already live and are and have.

That's what he's spelling out to them. Notice as we look through this passage, here is Paul's view of the saints at Philippi. He says, I have you in my remembrance. Number two, I have you in my heart. And number three, I have you in my prayers. This is Paul's position there.

Now, notice something else as we look at this passage so far. I mean, you think about it, he's just starting off saying hi, just like anybody else would, writing a letter in his time, and in our time. But notice what he has said as he's proceeded along. He points to the Lord as the source, means, and cause every step of the way.

He calls them saints in Christ Jesus. He says, not saints because you work really hard at it. He says, saints in Christ Jesus. He says, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He looks at the source. He says, I thank my God. Why? I thank my God because He is the source of these things. It is He who began the good work in you and He is the one who is going to perfect it. He keeps pointing to the Lord all the way through.

He says, and now in verse 9, and this I pray. He's looking, the Lord is the one who is going to carry this out, so I'm going to pray to Him about this. I'm going to tell you about it, but I'm going to pray to the Lord about it. He's the one I'm directing my request to, my prayer to.

And finally, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes through Jesus Christ. He is the source. And the glory and the praise go to God. So from one end to the other of this passage so far, from the very beginning, from the first verse, all the way up to the very end of the verse we looked at today, Paul keeps pointing back, even as he's saying, Hi, my name is Paul. He keeps pointing back. pointing to the now and pointing forward and acknowledging and recognizing Jesus Christ as the source and the means and the cost. I think that's pivotal as we look at this.

There is no exhortation. He isn't saying, boy, Philippians, you really better start working hard now. He says, you really better start digging in here. He says, I want you to get up all the gumption you got. He's not coming on with that message, is he?

As he talks to them, he is exceedingly thankful for what the Lord's done, but he points again and again and again back to the Lord as the source and the means and the cause. And he wants them to see that, all the while recognizing what the Lord is doing in that marvelous body that he has now written this letter to.

And I think that's a pivotal thing for us to look at. If the Lord is doing something here in this body, The Lord gets the credit. The Lord gets the credit. And Paul is directing us again and again and again to see things from that perspective and to turn to the Lord as the source and the cause.

Why do we do that now? Lord, as we look at this passage, we see very clearly that if something is going to happen in this body, If something has been happening in this body, if something is happening in this body that is of worth and of value and worth praising and worth being thankful for, it's your doing and it's your accomplishment. And so as we come together, Lord, this morning as individuals and as people who are part of the local body of Christ here, In both respects, we come to you and we look to you to carry out in our lives, to implement and to put into place the very things that you have created a foundation for. We look for you to carry it out. And Lord, the only response that we can have is one of faith, trusting in you that what you have said is true. And we look to you now until the day of Christ Jesus. Amen.